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.And their training is identical to that for compound bows.""You mean 'composite'?" Phil asked."I'm not sure you want to use those.Theglues we'd have to use to make horn-bows are hydroscopic.They're really onlygood in very dry conditions.""Phil, I've been doing this for nigh on three hundred years," Edmund said,letting the first sign of exasperation through."Give me the benefit of usingthe right term.No, I mean compound, the ones with the pulleys.You can use abow that is nearly twice the 'standard' strength of a longbow with compoundbows because the archer only takes the full weight of the pull for about tenpercent of the draw and the'hold' strength is a fraction of the full strength.But, right now, we don'thave the logistics to produce them in quantity.However, in time we will.Andthen we'll have archers who can be easily cross-trained to bows that have fivetimes the potential, in combination of pull and rate of fire, of anyreasonable crossbow."Page 94 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Hmmm." was Phil's reply."Maneuvering is another problem with archers," Suwisa interjected."Less sowith crossbowmen.""Not really, they both have the same problem," Edmund said."Resupply.Archersgoing into battle have to have crates and barrels of arrows.Also spare bowsand other things.I've got some ways to fix that as well.We'll use moderntraining techniques for them and for the line infantry and afour-thousand-year history of maneuver that wasn't conceived of for most ofhistory and generally lost even after it had been developed.""You've thought about this carefully," Suwisa said."As carefully as I can.There's more to it than that." He paused and wonderedif he really knewSuwisa well enough to cover the rest but then shrugged."Have you realizedthat this might be a multigenerational thing?""No," Phil said, then blanched."That long?""If Sheida wins, and that's a big if, it might not be soon.I'm not even surehow to win this war, andI've studied every war in history.I'm having to juggle 'now' constraintswhile thinking about what the long term effect will be of everything we do.Take crossbows versus longbows.A longbow, as I said, can be made by anyonewith a knife and some knowledge.There's plenty of game, so in a few yearsevery farmer in the area will be trying his hand at bringing in the odd deer.I want them to have a template for the weapon to use.Because if we have asolid and large yeomanry of trained bowyers, having any sort of 'aristocratic'class arise will be difficult.""Hard to be a lord when any serf with a grudge can knock you off the horse,"Suwisa said."Tricky.""I'm trying as hard as I can to replicate post industrial republics," Edmundadmitted."Making crossbows, especially good ones that can kill a knight, is ahell of a lot harder than making longbows.Or even compound bows.I want it tobe understood at the core of the society that the right to weapons is afundamental right.As long as you have a relatively law-abiding society,weapons in general ownership and use prevent tyranny from taking hold.Nothingelse in history has ever managed it.""There's a difference between a professional bow-man and a farmer who killsthe occasional deer,"Phil argued."Sure, but it's a difference of details, not the quantitative differencebetween a knight in armor and a serf with a pitchfork."Phil shrugged reluctant agreement to that, then grinned."You won't mind ifbuild crossbows, willIyou?""Not at all, as long as you sell them to anyone with money," Talbot agreedwith an unusual grin."We're just a small little outpost of civilization in world that's turning tobarbarism.Historically, the barbarians tend to win.Not as long as I'm incharge.""Okay, we'll build you your arms and armor.Just use it right," Suwisa said."Hey," Phil interjected."You can get a superior bend to the bow withberyllium bronze! That means you can get nearly as good a loft out of a lightcrossbow as from a longbow! And nearly the firepower.""Do you know how to cast beryllium bronze?" Edmund asked."No.""Well, Ido.But I'm not going to spend all my time doing casts for crossbows.Okay?"Page 95 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Okay," Phil said with a laugh."Speaking of casts," he added."There's somebody you need to meet."* * *"I didn't know you were friends with any AI's," Suwisa said, mopping her faceat the heat from the forge."Hello, Carborundum.""Well, there's a lot about me you don't know," Edmund replied."How goes it,soulless fiend?""It's bloody cold is how it goes," Carborundum said."And the Net is well andtruly screwed.Your friend Sheida and Paul between them have put up blocksbloody everywhere
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