cite Han

Chapter 217: Bed Crossbow

Xiangshui Jindu, row upon row of boats and boats docked on the shore, the boats meet the pass, the masts form forests, teams of peasants with bare clothes and ropes, or driving calf carts, or pushing deer carts, transport batches of military supplies To the ferry, loaded on board.

When Liu Jing arrived at Jindu in Xiangshui by car, what he saw was such a busy scene.

A group of civilian men pushed more than [-] large crossbows and passed by Liu Jing's car.

The earliest record of large-scale crossbows is in "Mozi Bei Gaolin", which has a history of hundreds of years, but it may be because of poor practicality, large-scale crossbows have not become a standing weapon on the battlefield.

The earliest record of the use of large crossbows in the Jingnan area was 34 years ago. At that time, Zhu Gai, a Jingzhou soldier stationed in Guiyang County, did not receive much reward from the court because he had guarded the border for a long time. Under the circumstances, a huge rebellion was set off. Ren Yin, the prefect of Guiyang, abandoned the city and fled. The rebels gathered tens of thousands and turned to attack Lingling.

The prefect of Lingling at that time was Chen Qiu, a well-known official. He gathered the county officials, old and weak, to defend the city together. .”

Of course, this long-range shot of more than a thousand steps is bound to be an exaggeration. Even the ultimate form of the ancient Chinese large-scale crossbow - the three-bow bed crossbow, can't achieve such a long-distance effective killing, and even if it is folded in half, it is difficult. .

Before Liu Jing recruited carpenters, when he was developing the pole, he also made a batch of large-scale crossbows by the way. They were wound by twisting shafts, which greatly improved the practicality. Liu Jing named them "bed crossbows".

However, the development of the three-bow bed crossbow did not go smoothly. The samples produced were not much more powerful than ordinary bed crossbows, but the material cost was several times that of ordinary bed crossbows.

There is no way, the three-bow bed crossbow is the same as the paddle pole, the production process has long been lost, and its technical content far exceeds the paddle pole.

Liu Jing's knowledge of the three-bow bed crossbow is very limited. He only knows that it is three bows, two in front and one in reverse, and they are wound by a twisted shaft.He can only provide such ideas, coupled with the lack of technical accumulation, failure is expected.

The three-bow bed crossbow has not made any progress yet, but the trebuchet was tinkered with by Liu Jing and the craftsmen.

Catapults are the same as large-scale crossbows. The concept has been proposed very early, but the first large-scale application will have to wait until the Battle of Guandu next year. Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shaolou with a stone chariot. Because the sound was like thunder, it was called "" Thunderbolt."

The prototypes of the trebuchet and the pole are both water-drawing tools, and the working principles of the two are surprisingly similar. During the process of developing the pole, Liu Jing inevitably thought of the trebuchet, and the entire development process was unexpectedly smooth.

Due to the huge destructive power of the trebuchets, Liu Jing disassembled all the more than ten trebuchets originally used to defend the city and carried them onto the ship.

"Ming Ting..." Seeing Liu Jing driving from a distance, Serious immediately got out of his busy schedule and rushed over.

Liu Jing got out of the car and said solemnly: "Bo Mu, after I leave, Ling County will be handed over to you. For the past two years, you have governed the county for me in Ling County, ruled the county with the law, punished rape and eradicated evil, and have a strong and powerful family. Everyone is afraid, and no one dares to defy the law. With you sitting in Ling County, I am very at ease."

There was warmth in his solemn heart, he was not a person who was good at words, he bowed and said: "I must guard Ling County well, and wait for the Ming court to return in triumph."

Liu Jingjing nodded, and explained a few more things. Then, under the respectful escort of Zheng Zheng and others, he boarded a huge battleship, headed for Hunan and Leijian, and joined Liu Zong and others' warships, then lined up the fleet and made a big move along the river. go north.

Due to the relatively late departure time, the fleet did not reach its destination until noon the next day.

It didn't take long for Liu Zhu to hear the news and came here. He hadn't been idle in the past few days. He sent troops to block all the roads leading to the outside world from Hengshan Township to ensure that his actions would not be leaked.

In addition, he also sealed off the Xiangjiang River for dozens of miles, and the slabs were not allowed to enter the water. Hundreds of fishermen in Hengshan were deeply affected.Fishing people are already living in poverty. Once the river is closed, they will immediately fall into a situation where they have no food and clothing.

In fact, not only Hengshan Township, but also Lingxian County, the impact on fishermen was more than that of Hengshan Township.

Although Liu Jing felt pity for the fishermen's plight, it was a matter of his own success or failure, and he had no choice but to wait for an opportunity to make up for it afterwards.

The compensation method is nothing more than tax reduction and corvee, which is the most direct way to reduce the burden on the people.

Liu Jing ordered the five battalions of Liu Xiu, Liu Liang, Cai Sheng, Ma Zhou, and Han Guang, with a total of 4000 people, to land on the hilly area on the south bank of the Xiangshui River, go deep several miles, and build barracks and fortifications.

Since the battlefields of the two sides were not in the same place, Liu Zong led his troops and navy troops to set up another camp a dozen miles to the south.

The next day, on February [-]th, Shan Riqi led two thousand Jingman warriors across the mountains and ridges, and arrived at the north bank of the Xiangshui River.

"Liu Jun..." Dan Rideng took several cronies across the Xiangshui River to meet Liu Jing.

Looking at Wanfa's green robe, the high-spirited Shan Riyi formed a strong contrast with the downcast image of the past.Liu Jing couldn't help laughing and said, "Uncle Weng, you came here so fast, I thought you'd be here at least a day or two."

Shan Ri smiled and said: "Since I received Liu Jun's letter last month, I immediately summoned warriors to wait for the emperor's order. It's a pity that the waterway can't go, otherwise I can go one day earlier."

Liu Jing took Shan Rifeng's hand and said: "The Jingzhou army is known as a [-] army. Since crossing the river, it has overwhelmed Jingnan. The heroes and wise men are all lurking. The opponent is so powerful, others are afraid to avoid it, but Uncle Weng is not afraid." How rare is it for a strong enemy to advance despite difficulties."

Shan Rizhen said seriously: "If it wasn't for Liu Jun, I would have died at the hands of my enemies long ago. How could I have achieved what I am today? All of this is thanks to Liu Jun. As long as Liu Jun says a word, even if I go through fire and water, I will die. resign."

Liu Jing nodded in relief, and began to describe the entire ambush plan to Shan Rizhen. Liu Zong led the navy to intercept the Jingzhou navy's front army, and the two led their subordinates to ambush on both sides of the Xiangshui River in the south and north, pinching the Chinese army.

The north bank of the Xiangshui River is a mountainous area, which is difficult to climb, while the south bank is hilly, which is easier to land on. Therefore, the south bank is destined to become the main battlefield. Liu Jing personally led the five battalions to guard the south bank, and the less stressed north bank was handed over to Shan Rifeng.

After listening to this, Shan Riqiu took the initiative to ask for orders: "Liu Jun, the south bank is more dangerous, why don't you send me to guard the south bank?"

Liu Jing refused without thinking, "Your advantage lies in the ease with which you can move between the mountains, and fighting in formations on flat ground is not your forte."

How can Shan Rizhen not know this reason, but he just wants to show Liu Jing his bravery and fearlessness.

Liu Jing's side was already in place, while the Jingzhou Navy's side was only halfway through the journey, and it took another six days to arrive at Hengshan Township on the afternoon of February [-]th.

(End of this chapter)