Chapter 360: The Eve of the Battle

The development process of the Mahjong improved trench was not smooth. Since Ma Yue could only provide simple and vague concepts, even the details of the winch should be installed on the front and rear of the trencher, and the mechanism to support the twisted counterweight, etc., are not clear. This improved trencher can be said to be completely different from the human-powered trencher before, so Chen Qun, who is responsible for the specific production, can only gradually improve it through continuous experiments.

Since the target of the Ma family's improved trench was the large tower ship of the Wu and Chu Shui Army, the stone bombs thrown by the trench must be heavy enough to ensure that the cabin of the navy warship was drilled through, thereby causing heavy damage to the Wu and Chu Shui Army. The throwing distance of the trench must exceed at least half of the range of ordinary bows and arrows, so that they can take the initiative.

Chen Qun conducted a simple experiment. Only when stones with more than 200 kilograms (forty kilograms) fall from a height of more than five meters can it penetrate wooden boards thick with the bulkheads and decks of the navy warships. Considering that the inner walls and bottom of the decks of the warships are often supported by reinforced transverse tendons, the actual weight of the stone bullet required is at least 300 kilograms (about 60 kilograms).

The range of ordinary bows and arrows is generally 100 steps, and more than half is 150 steps (about 225 meters).

In other words, the Martha modified trench machine must throw at least 300 kilograms of stone bullets away from 150 steps, which requires extremely tough and sufficient length of rod arms. After repeated experiments, Chen Qun found that it is difficult for a single rod arms to withstand such a huge impact under the premise that their weight and size are limited.

Just when Chen Qun was helpless, Kuai Liang gave him extremely important suggestions. Kuai Liang, who loves architectural art, was inspired by the structure of the house beams and suggested that Chen Qun make a composite rod arm. The principle is to use two relatively thin, lighter, parallel longitudinal rod arms as the main body, and support a large number of reinforced horizontal bars in the middle of the two rod arms, and then wrap the outer surface with animal skin and wrap it tightly with animal tendons. When the animal tendons dry, they will naturally shrink, which can tightly wrap the two rod arms and the reinforced horizontal bars in the middle into one.

The composite rod arm made in this way will greatly increase its strength and elasticity, especially its weight is much lighter than that of a solid single rod arm, so it is lighter and faster when firing.

Chen Qun adopted Kuai Liang's suggestion and after several months of repeated experiments, he finally made a crude prototype.

After the sample mechanism was completed, Chen Qun tested the shooting several times and the effect was quite good, so he invited Ma Yue and civil and military officials to come and observe.

Inside and outside the workshop in Dongxiao, Luoyang, the vigilance was particularly strict at this time. The walls of the village more than three feet high were covered with Jinge warriors, and the front and back gates of the workshop were even more whistled every three steps, five steps a year old. In addition to the three thousand imperial guards who had been stationed here, the three thousand imperial guards led by General Dian Wei were added. Nearly 6,000 elite troops of the Liang army had completely blocked the entire workshop.

Without the emperor's emperor's imperial edict, no one is allowed to enter and exit. Those who dare to approach the factory within ten steps will be killed without mercy!

In the workshop.

Liang Taizu Ma Yue, Jia Xu, Li Su and other civil and military officials were marveling around a huge machine.

The equipment is about four zhang high, about two zhang wide at the bottom, and several more than five zhang deep in front and back. The top of the equipment is fixed with a huge hinge, which is about five zhang long.

The front end of the lever arm is raised high, and a huge basket is pressed on it. The basket is filled with stones. Look at the length, width and height of the basket. The accumulated stones inside are probably tens of thousands of pounds (between 2 tons and 10 tons, within four cubic meters of volume). The basket is firmly tied by two huge iron chains, and the iron chain extends to the movable support at the bottom through the pulley at the top of the thief.

When the catapult is launched, the soldiers only need to smash the activity support.

The rear end of the rod arm almost pressed onto the ground, and a basket was also fixed on the top, but it was much smaller. There was a piece of specially polished triangular bluestone (tetrahedral, pyramid-shaped). Obviously, Chen Qun devoted his efforts to this trencher, and even the shape of the stone bullet was improved to the most lethal four-sided triangular shape.

In the expectant eyes of the emperor and all officials, Chen Qun took a deep breath, his raised right hand fell down fiercely, and shouted: "Let it go!"

"flat!"

The soldier picked up a hammer and slammed heavily on the activity support.

In the suffocating silence, a sharp moan suddenly sounded, and the stone weighing tens of thousands of pounds quickly fell to the ground. The huge trench holder bounced violently. With a shrill roar, the four-sided triangular bluestone placed in the stone basket weighing more than 300 pounds had already left the stone basket and threw it high into the air, and then flew forward nearly two hundred steps away in the air before falling.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the three-edged bluestone falling from all sides accurately hit the small "target ship" that Chen Qun had prepared in advance. In an instant, the mast of the "target ship" and the deck were smashed. The broken wooden boards and broken masts flew around, which was spectacular. The civil and military officials who were watching around Ma Yue cheered, and Ma Yue couldn't help but feel happy.

"Your Majesty, please be careful not to be impatient. When the sky gets darker, throw the turbulent oil tank and the flames burn the sky, the scene will be spectacular."

Seeing that the emperor and all officials were all happy, Chen Qun couldn't help but feel proud.

"Oh?" Ma Yue said happily, "Then I have to wait and see. The person will come and give him a seat, so that all officials can accompany me to appreciate Chen Aiqing's performance, hahaha..."

Xiangyang, the Navy Village.

After Gan Ning trained the naval army on Xiangjiang River, he had just returned to the general's mansion and had not had time to sit down and drink a little hot tea. A general came in to report that Sima Yi, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, visited.

"Master Sima?" Gan Ning shook his head in confusion and shouted, "Let him wait in the side hall first."

"Affect the order."

The generals took the order and left.

Partial hall.

Sima Yi was waiting a little impatiently, and suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. When he looked back, he saw Gan Ning step out quickly. He quickly stood up and bowed and said, "Secretary of the Lord Gan to meet the Grand Governor of Gan."

"Mr. Sima is exempted from gifts." Gan Ningsu said, "and come to the seat."

"Thank you Governor."

Sima Yi thanked him, and the two of them divided the guests and hosts into the seat. Gan Ning then asked, "I wonder what is the price for you to come to Xiangyang from afar?"

Sima Yi bowed to the north and said loudly: "According to the emperor's order, come to Xiangjiang to supervise the construction of a new warship."

"New warship?" Gan Ning said in confusion, "What new warship?"

Sima Yi calmly took out a piece of silk from his sleeve and spread it on the table. Gan Ning looked closely and saw a drawing on the silk, which was clearly a strange naval warship.

Sima Yi pointed to Gan Ning with a finger pattern: "Please see that this new warship was personally conceived by His Majesty and then supplemented and improved by the Ministry of Works. However, most officials of the Ministry of Works are not familiar with water wars, and there will inevitably be omissions or contrary to common sense of water wars. Therefore, the Chief of Works must also put forward opinions and improve them based on the actual experience of water wars."

Gan Ning asked with a wheel-like object on his finger pattern, "Sir Sima, this thing looks like a water wheel, but it is not a bamboo tube for scooping water on it. It is clearly a piece of wooden board, but I don't know what it is?"

"This is a paddle." Sima Yi said, "Now warships rely on soldiers to row by hand. With such paddles, you can step on them with your feet! The advantage of stepping on them is that they can step on them with the weight of the soldiers themselves, which is more powerful, longer lasting, and faster than relying on hand to row alone! His Majesty's idea is to make two narrow warships with narrow hulls, and then fix the two warships at a certain interval. The space vacant in the middle is used to install ten to twenty groups of oars, covering the outer surface to prevent fire, and then fix sharp hammers at the bow, and relying on extremely fast sprints to smash the bulkheads of enemy warships."

[The hull structure is a bit like the catamaran missile speedboat just developed by China.]

"This..." Gan Ning frowned, "It is not difficult to make such a warship. In fact, it is to build two longer rushers, then fix them together at certain intervals, install a hammer on the bow and install a paddle in the middle. But the question is, can this so-called paddle really be stronger and longer than rowing with hand? Can the boat row faster?"

Sima Yi said: "This should be fine."

"Okay." Gan Ning nodded, "I will let the craftsmen in the dock build such a warship."

[Land warfare actually does not have much skill, but relies more on strategy, tactics, soldiers' discipline and fighting spirit. Water warfare is highly skilled because it relies heavily on ships to fight. Therefore, the advantages of Ma Yue crossing the crowd are difficult to exert any advantages in land warfare in the cold weapon era, and in water warfare, it can be greatly exerted by improving warships and weapons.]

Luoyang Dongxiao, Ministry of Industry Workshop.

Chen Qun said loudly: "Immediately."

A soldier had already stepped forward with a torch in his hand and flipped it. The turbulent oil tank in the throwing basket of the stone thrower started to burn. Chen Qun shouted again: "Let it go!"

"Puff!"

A huge trembling moan sounded again under the dark night sky.

The burning tincture tank was thrown up as the lever arm swung, and the fire that was sweeping out a long broom tail in the air, like a meteor crossing the night sky, bringing out a dazzling trajectory, roaring away. When the burning flame gradually became smaller and almost disappeared, the tincture tank finally hit the mast of the target ship, and then cracked, the tincture oil splashed everywhere, turning into Mars in an instant.

Seeing that scene, Ma Yue seemed to have returned to modern society and was watching the fireworks bloom.

"good!"

"Very good!"

"How might it be!"

"Our Celestial Dynasty has such a magical skill, why do you understand the unstable southern barbarians and Wu and Chu are immortal?"

"Your Majesty is prosperous and the country is prosperous..."

The civil and military officials of the Liang Dynasty who were fortunate to witness this scene began to praise their virtues, as if with this sharp catapult, Wu, Chu, south of the Yangtze River, was no longer afraid of being able to destroy them. However, as the supreme ruler of the Great Liang Empire, Ma Yue did not dare to be careless at all! Without the barrier of the Yangtze River's natural barrier, the Wu and Chu coalition forces were indeed vulnerable. Perhaps only the prince Ma Zheng led 100,000 cavalry of Xiliang to the south to solve the problem.

Then, with the barrier of the Yangtze River's natural barrier, the situation was completely different.

If the Wu and Chu navy cannot be eliminated and the Yangtze River barrier cannot be opened, the millions of cavalry and cavalry of the Daliang Empire cannot cross the thunder pool at all. Even if they can barely smuggle tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of cavalry and infantry troops across the river, even if they sacrifice the people of Jiangnan to use the bloody tactics of fighting to support war, the result will be that they will be cut off by the Wu and Chu coalition forces, and then the entire army will be destroyed by the enemy and the enemy.

Therefore, if you want to pacify Wu, Chu could only destroy Wu and Chu's naval army first.

It is far from enough to destroy the Wu and Chu naval forces, Gan Ning's naval forces alone. The Gan Ning's naval forces were not yet comparable to the Wu and Chu naval forces. Therefore, the Liang army had to find another way to make up for the gap in strength. So Ma Yue thought of improving the catapult and improving the naval warships. So can these improved catapults and warships really play their due role?

Before the final decision is made, everything is still unknown. The only thing Ma Yue can do is to prepare for the future and try to make preparations for the battle well.

If you lose this decisive battle of the navy, the Daliang Empire will certainly not hurt its vitality. However, the days of unification of China will be postponed for at least twenty years. Ma Yue is already nearly fifty years old. He is very worried that he will not live at that time. If he cannot unify China in his lifetime, this will inevitably become an eternal regret in Ma Yue's heart.

Three months later, Xiangyang.

A strange warship was anchored quietly in the dock.

This rush is twice as wide and twice as long as an ordinary rush warship. From the side, it looks like an enhanced rush warship, but from the front it looks a bit weird.

From the front, the upper structure of the warship is integrated, while the lower part is separated. The catamaran hulls separated from the left and right are each designed with sharp bows. Two rows of hammers are installed on the bows. From a distance, it looks like a hideous and terrifying big fish, opening its bloody mouth, revealing two rows of sharp fangs.

In fact, there are two other larger and longer hammers hidden below the water surface. These two hammers are the real killer weapon of this ship.

An ordinary warship was quietly anchored next to this strange warship.

On a five-story boat not far away, Gan Ning and Sima Yi stood in the Feilu surrounded by dozens of naval generals. Seeing that the two rushing warships were ready, Gan Ning ordered: "Let's start!"

The navy general standing beside Ganning quickly raised a red triangle flag and waved it hard twice in front of him. In an instant, the loud trumpet and the passionate sound of war drums soared into the sky. Amid the blood-boiling sound of war drums, rows of oars emerged from the oars of the ordinary war boat and began to paddle wildly. The frequency of the paddling... was clearly the sprint speed!

As the oars and oars were sprinting wildly, the rushing ship moved from static and began to accelerate quickly.

However, the two walls of the huge and strange warship rushing ship did not protrude rows of oars. Just when Gan Ning and the navy generals were disappointed, white waves suddenly erupted from the airway at the tail of the strange warship, and the whole ship slid out like an arrow. Almost from the beginning, ordinary warship rushing ships were thrown behind, and the distance between the two warships was quickly widened.

On the flying hut of the five-story boat, Gan Ning waved his iron fist fiercely, and his eyes suddenly looked a little ferocious. The naval generals behind Gan Ning cheered loudly and slapped each other to celebrate. Just as the naval generals cheered, the strange rushing ship that rushed forward had already hit a horizontally anchored target battle.

With a crisp sound, two rows of sharp hammers on the side of the target ship had already hit more than a dozen large holes. The huge impact made the warship's body suddenly pause, and then white waves began to gush out from the air passage at the bow of the ship. The hull that had just stopped quickly began to retreat. At the evacuation of the huge hammer, the cold river water quickly poured into the cabin of the target ship from the hole.

In less than a moment, the target ship sank into the bottom of the river.

Luoyang Dongxiao, factory.

Liang Taizu Ma Yue came again and led all civil and military officials to watch the volley of cross-catalogers again. The visual impact effect of cross-catalogers was naturally much more spectacular than that of one cross-cataloger. However, Ma Yue suddenly felt something was wrong. It seemed that the launch scene of the group of cross-catalogers in front of him was slightly different from the launch scene of the volley of cross-catalogers that he recalled in his mind.

Ma Yue couldn't remember where exactly it was.

At this time, Prince Ma Zheng suddenly asked Chen Qun inadvertently: "Shangshu Chen, why don't you make the lever arm longer?"

Chen Qun said: "The prince doesn't know that the arm can't be lengthened anymore. If the length of the arm is increased by one zhang, the strength required for the arm will be doubled, the difficulty of making the arm will be four times, and the weight of the entire catapult will be increased by six times, and increasing the casing arm by one zhang will not increase the range of the catapult too much."

Ma Zheng asked: "What is the maximum range now?"

"The maximum range is 180 steps." Chen Qun replied, "After repeated trials, he found that six zhang is the most ideal length of the rod arm. When the length of the rod arm is shorter than six zhang, the range will be significantly reduced. When the length of the rod arm exceeds six zhang, increasing the length will not cause a significant increase in the range. In addition, the range of Wu and Chu bows is only about 120 steps, and the range of our army's catapult is enough to suppress it long-range."

"No!" Ma Yue finally remembered what the problem was and slapped, "The range of these treble machines can be increased by at least one hundred steps!"

"What!?" Chen Qun said in surprise, "Add a hundred steps? How long does it take to lengthen the lever arm?"

"No." Ma Yue shook his hand, "I mean that without extending the length of the pole arms, the range of these catapults can be further."

Chen Qun said: "How is this possible?"

"Why is it impossible?" Ma Yue asked back, "If two cables are tied to the end of the rod arm and tied the throwing basket at the other end of the cable, then when the trencher is launched, wouldn't the length of the cable be added to the original length of the rod arm? With this additional length, wouldn't the range of the trencher be greatly increased?

Ma Yue finally recalled that in the movie, when the trench was launched, the trench did not directly cast the stone out with the lever arm, but pulled the cable through the lever arm, and then threw the rock bullet in the throwing basket out by the cable. Because when the trench was in the launch state, the lever arm was almost close to the ground, and the throwing basket tied to the cable was placed in the front of the trench.

Therefore, when the rod arm bounces upwards, the cable will be pulled, giving the initial traction force that is almost parallel to the ground in one direction. Under the action of this initial traction force, the basket will swing in the tangent direction with the end of the rod arm as the center of the circle and the length of the cable as the radius. At this time, the rod arm is also bounced upwards, and these two movements are carried out simultaneously.

When the lever arm reaches the highest point and begins to decelerate due to counterweight constraints, the cable swings around the tangent line at the end of the lever arm but does not slow down. In the end, the cable will form a straight line with the lever arm. If the rock bullet in the throwing basket happens to escape the constraints of the throwing basket, then the actual length of the lever arm should be the length of the existing lever arm plus the length of the cable.

As the actual length of the lever arm increases, its range will naturally increase. The only problem that needs to be solved in the middle is how to ensure that the rock bullets in the throwing basket will fly away when the lever arm and the cable are in a straight line.

Chen Qun obviously didn't understand this physics principle and asked in a daze: "Tie a cable at the end of the rod arm to pull the basket? This will increase the range?"
Chapter completed!