Chapter 41: Archery

It was necessary to improve the town’s sanitation. In the past, barbarians did not care about personal hygiene either, but later, Su Lun forced them to clean themselves up.

Barbarians originally had medium to long hair, and some even wore braids, but these guys were too lazy to take care of their hair. As a result, their hair was often dirty, even full of lice, and their body odor was overpowering.

Su Lun had goblin slaves dig a large pit, sprinkled lime inside, and diverted water from the Red Sand River into the pit. Then, he personally threw all the barbarians into the pit and did not allow them to come out until they had soaked for at least half an hour.

After several rounds of forced measures, Su Lun finally taught the barbarians the importance of hygiene. Many barbarians, too lazy to deal with their hair and afraid of being scolded by Su Lun, ended up shaving their heads completely…

As a result, in the camp now, aside from the female barbarians, eight out of ten male barbarians were bald. All the Barbarian Warriors were bald. Su Lun’s Barbarian Guard consisted entirely of bald, muscular men, which gave off a very intimidating vibe.

During hunts, the barbarian hunters unintentionally captured a few wild horses. Su Lun tried to train these wild horses, but they were too untamed. Su Lun and his people had no skilled horse trainers. Some mercenaries could ride, but they were only amateurs when it came to training horses.

Su Lun did not want to give up on the idea of cavalry, but there were no suitable candidates. In the end, they just built a stable to house the wild horses, hoping that by the next year, there might be a few foals in the stable.

Thanks to the Archer Military Token, Su Lun could train archers. A shooting range had already been built in the Military Camp. For now, the territory needed a group of Archers to increase their long-range combat capabilities.

Besides the skill of the archers, the quality of the weapons played a significant role in the effectiveness of archery. Making a good bow was not easy—it involved a complicated process from material selection to craftsmanship. For example, the bow stave required high-quality wood.

Even the crafting process had to follow the seasons. The wood was split in winter, horns were boiled in spring, tendons were treated in summer, and in autumn, glue, lacquer, and silk were used to combine the dried wood, horns, and tendons. Finally, in the coldest part of winter, the bow was set. So, creating a high-quality bow took at least two years.

Su Lun could not wait that long, so he decided to make some simple bows for the time being. He planned to see if there was a chance later to trade with the Centaurs in the Wilderness for some Centaur Longbows.

Due to the short time frame, the bows made in the Blacksmith Shop had shorter ranges and weaker power. Still, they were adequate for training purposes. Su Lun selected a few mercenaries to become Archers. Although these mercenaries were not highly skilled, they had some experience with various weapons. Su Lun allocated the shooting range in the Military Camp for their practice.

The Red Sand River had a lot of red sand in its riverbed, which was why Su Lun named it that. This fine sand was perfect for paving the Training Ground. The barbarians were energetic by nature, and when they had no tasks, they often wrestled and sparred with each other.

After the Training Ground in the Military Camp was completed, the barbarians were thrilled. They loved going to the Training Ground to fight in their free time. Now, the Training Ground had almost turned into an arena. Since the territory lacked entertainment facilities, these barbarian fights became very popular in the camp. Su Lun let them continue with it.

…

Most of the trees in the Northern Wilderness were pine trees. Pine wood had average flexibility and was not the best material for making bows. In the Florence Kingdom, oak or teak were commonly used for bows. These woods, once dried, produced sturdy bow staves that did not easily warp and had long ranges. They were the standard equipment for the kingdom’s army.

Of course, while the Florence Kingdom’s bows were decent, they were still inferior to those of races like the Centaurs and Half-elves. The standard longbow of Florence had an effective range of about 100 meters. Some skilled Archers could hit targets at 120 meters, but Centaur bows had an effective range of 150 meters, sometimes even 200 meters. The same went for Half-elves.

This was due not only to their superior bow-making techniques but also to the materials used. The Centaur Longbow was made from yew wood, combined with their unique bow-making skills. As for the Half-elves, they seemed to use a special plant they cultivated.

Yew wood was expensive and only grew deep in the Northern Wilderness. It was tough, highly flexible, and malleable. The Florence Kingdom obtained very little yew wood each year, mostly through trade with the Centaur Tribes.

It was not easy for Su Lun to acquire this type of wood unless he crossed the Wilderness and ventured further north. Humans had tried transplanting yew trees before. With the help of Wizards, they successfully transplanted and kept a batch of yew trees alive. However, after being moved to human lands, the quality of the yew wood declined significantly.

Compared to the yew wood from the Centaurs, the transplanted wood was one-third softer and even inferior to oak or teak. The cost was higher than that of teak or oak, but the quality was about the same. As a result, yew wood was soon forgotten and discarded.

If Su Lun wanted to develop Archers, finding suitable wood was essential. As for oak and teak, these trees preferred warmer climates. His territory was too far north, and both oak and teak would freeze to death during the long winters of the Northern Lands.

Of course, if Su Lun had enough money, he could directly purchase bows from the System shop. Since the Blacksmith Shop was built, the System shop had been selling various weapons. However, the prices were too high. A Two-Handed Axe for barbarians cost 150 Gold Nar.

The cost of making one in the Blacksmith Shop was only 20 Gold Nar. A short bow cost 40 Gold Nar, and a Longbow cost 100 Gold Nar. Su Lun was so poor he could not even scrape together 100 Gold Nar. It could be said that he was the poorest Lord in the entire Florence Kingdom. Naturally, he could not afford such prices.

Although there were many tasks in the territory, seeing it improve day by day still brought him satisfaction. That very afternoon, Ji En and Johnson returned to the territory with over 500 slaves and twenty carts of grain. The return of the Caravan instantly multiplied the population of Su Lun’s territory.

A sufficient population was the foundation for a territory’s development. Now, the human population in Su Lun’s territory had reached over 700. Although this was still a small number, as long as they could get through this difficult period, the territory would develop rapidly.