Great Military Division

Chapter 299 Siege Ballista Mobile Ballista!Can Yuan Shu stand it?

"The last general, Gao Shun, has met General Cao."

"My servant, Liu Ye, has met General Cao."

Gao Shun and Liu Ye entered Cao Ying and saluted.

"Get up."

Cao Cao hurriedly waved his hands and said with a smile: "But His Majesty sent you to help Cao Mou?"

Liu Ye nodded affirmatively: "That's right! That's right. This is a letter written by His Majesty to the General. The General has read it."

Immediately.

Liu Ye took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao hurriedly took it with both hands: "This letter is just a paper binding? It's too extravagant."

Liu Ye smiled lightly: "Don't worry, General, Your Majesty has innovated the papermaking technique, and the cost has been reduced a lot. Today, all of our Kit Kat Pavilions use this kind of paper."

"Oh, right."

Liu Ye suddenly remembered something, and said softly: "Your Majesty knows that the general has outstanding literary talents, so I asked you to bring a bag to the general. After they unload the goods, they will send it to the general's camp."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"kindness."

Liu Ye nodded with great certainty: "I guess it's enough for a general."

Cao Cao was ecstatic: "Your Majesty treats me Cao Cao very well!"

Say it.

He turned his head back, opened the envelope, took out the letterhead, rolled his eyes up and down, and immediately understood the meaning of His Majesty the Emperor and the purpose of Liu Ye and Gao Shun.

Putting down the letterhead, Cao Cao looked up at Liu Ye and Gao Shun: "I don't know how you two entered Yingchuan?"

Liu Ye bowed: "Don't worry, general, we entered Yingchuan with the caravan, and the brothers in the camp were divided into four groups, entering Yingchuan in batches, and we will definitely not reveal our whereabouts."

call-

Cao Cao heaved a sigh of relief, and his heart was completely relieved: "It's so good. If Yuan Shu learns that there are reinforcements from the imperial court in Nanyang, he will definitely modify his plan. I'm afraid it will be affected if we wait for the deployment before."

"Your Majesty is still considerate."

Cheng Li marveled at His Majesty's prudence.

Such a decision must be based on Yingchuan's actual situation, otherwise it would be absolutely impossible to sneak in as a caravan, which is an extremely rare quality for a superior.

Cao Cao and Cheng Liwei felt very fortunate to have such an emperor.

"General Cao!"

Gao Shun bowed his body and cupped his hands, and added: "The last general will be the first to enter Yingchuan from the trapped camp, and the rest of the soldiers will arrive in batches in the next few days, so you don't have to worry."

"Cao is naturally relieved."

Cao Cao nodded affirmatively, and immediately asked: "But I don't know how many soldiers and horses there are under the general's command?"

Gao Shun cupped his hands, but he didn't hide anything: "More than eight hundred people."

Cao Cao was slightly startled: "Eight hundred?"

Cheng Li was even more stunned: "Only 800 people?"

"kindness."

Gao Shun nodded and clasped his hands together: "Don't worry, general. Although the last general has only 800 people under his command, they are all elites. They are equipped with the latest new weapons developed by the imperial court. Even if they encounter thousands of troops, they will have the strength to fight."

"New weapons?"

Cao Cao suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly turned his head to look at Liu Ye: "Zi Yang, Your Majesty mentioned in your letter that you brought people here because you have new siege equipment to help us enter Runan, right?"

"Yes."

Liu Ye nodded.

"Oh?"

Cao Cao became interested: "I don't know what kind of weapon it is?"

Liu Ye bowed: "We call them ballistas. There are siege ballistas and mobile ballistas for field warfare."

"Bistball?"

Cao Cao frowned suddenly.

Obviously.

He was overwhelmed by the domineering aura attached to the words.

The crossbow is nothing more than the word "cannon"?

Cao Cao asked himself to be knowledgeable and talented, but he had never heard of such a weapon.

Liu Ye knew that Cao Cao was hard to understand, so he quickly took out the design sketch from his pocket: "Now that we've reached this point, let me introduce these two ballistas to you."

"it is good."

Cao Cao couldn't wait, and cleared a space for the commander's case: "I also invite Zi Yang, and don't hesitate to teach me."

Liu Ye stepped forward and slowly spread out the sketches of the design, a complex structure, with the style of a strong crossbow, but very different equipment, presented in front of Cheng Li and Cao Cao.

hiss-!
Cao Cao was surprised: "Is this a ballista?"

Liu Ye nodded: "That's right! This is a siege-type ballista. In a sense, it is an upgraded version of the flying stone cart, but it can withstand greater force and throw heavier objects. farther."

Cao Cao tentatively asked: "How far can it go?"

Liu Ye replied: "It depends on the weight of the thrown object. If it is an iron ball used to destroy the city wall, the effective range is between [-] and [-] steps. The city wall made of plain soil cannot bear it at all."

"Six hundred steps?"

Cao Cao had an unbelievable expression on his face: "How is this possible? There is no wood that can withstand such a large force."

Liu Ye smiled lightly: "It seems that General Cao has also considered innovating weapons."

"Yes."

Cao Cao didn't hide anything, and said affirmatively: "The current catapult is not very effective. Mr. Cao has an idea for a long time to innovate the catapult and make it play a greater role. He just tried all kinds of materials, but none of them can bear the greater force. .”

"of course."

Liu Ye nodded and gave an explanation: "Ordinary wood is naturally not good, but His Majesty has developed a certain treatment method that can make the wood stronger."

"In addition, general, let's see, this huge crossbow body has a lot of reinforcement measures, which can make the crossbow body have a greater carrying capacity, so that it can accumulate more power and throw the iron ball out."

Cao Cao stared at the ballista on the design sketch, and described all the details very clearly: "So it turns out that Your Majesty is really a god and man, and he can actually invent such a magical weapon."

"kindness."

Liu Ye deeply agreed with this: "Your Majesty is indeed the chosen one."

In particular, every time they have doubts, His Majesty the Emperor can always guide them from the simple to the deep.

This proves that His Majesty the Emperor has already mastered the knowledge points they don't understand, otherwise how could he guide them.

"Oh, right."

In addition to emotion, Cao Cao turned to ask: "Then what if it is replaced by stones and fire oil tanks?"

Liu Ye is very sure: "The effective range is at least one thousand steps, but if the distance is too far, it is difficult to aim accurately. Therefore, I have not tested the specific range limit yet."

"A thousand steps?"

Cao Cao's throat rolled, and his expression changed suddenly in surprise.

Such an attack distance has completely exceeded his cognition.

"kindness."

But Liu Ye nodded affirmatively: "At least a thousand steps."

Cao Cao forcibly suppressed the shock and tried to keep calm: "What about this ballista?"

Liu Ye then explained: "This is a movable repeating ballista. The upper part is filled with special crossbow arrows, and the lower part of the chain is used to continuously reset the bowstring. The effective range is more than [-] steps."

"Three hundred steps?"

Cao Cao was horrified: "So far?"

Liu Ye nodded: "Above [-] paces, you can shoot and kill the enemy, within [-] paces, the arrow pierces through armor, if it is [-] paces away, even people can be blown away."

"This"

"It's incredible."

Cao Cao stared at the ballista on the schematic diagram, and tried to ask: "How long will it take you to make such a sophisticated machine?"

Liu Ye said softly: "I have brought all the key components, but there is still a lack of a large number of supporting components. If the general can send some people to cooperate, a siege crossbow can be built in three days, and a half-day can be built." A mobile crossbow."

"So fast?"

Cao Cao looked in disbelief.

"but."

Afraid that Cao Cao might misunderstand, Liu Ye hurriedly explained: "We only brought parts for five siege ballistas and fifty mobile ballistas. If the general wants to build more, it will not be these days."

"Enough is enough."

Cao Cao nodded like a chicken pecking rice, excited: "Five siege ballistas are enough, this time we will attack Yuan Shu's city, so we don't have to worry about it."

Cheng Li smiled lightly: "I was still worried about the lack of troops, but now, there are 3 to [-] people, which is enough to sweep Runan and defeat Yuan Shu and Zhang Miao."

Cao Cao said proudly, "Yuan Shu will definitely be scared to death."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone looked up to the sky and laughed:

"Yes, indeed."

"Huh? How to solve the iron ball?"

"General, don't worry, the blacksmith shop in Yingchuan is refining."

"Your Majesty is really thoughtful."

*****
Nanyang, Wancheng.

Congregation Hall.

A boy hurriedly got into the crowd and replaced all the wooden signs he was carrying.

The gentry in the hall, full of brocade clothes, gathered around to watch:
"Damn! These guys actually dropped so much."

"What's the use of lowering it too much? The land tax will be paid immediately. It's strange if you can sell it."

"This bitch, it's almost dead."

"My family still needs to hand in more than 600 shi of grain this year."

"It's only more than 600 shi, and our family has more than 800!"

"Okay! I have 1000 and two hundred Shitian Fu, and I haven't complained yet."

"Hey, the most terrible thing is that Deng's family and Yin's family have all handed over their land taxes, and we are the only ones left."

"The fields are harvested, can you compare with others?"

"The family is big and the business is big, I can bear it!"

"."

There was a sigh in the whole hall.

At this moment, the private room on the second floor.

By the window.

Deng Yun pinched the goatee under his jaw, thinking about today's price: "It's only a [-]% drop?"

The boy nodded: "That's right, this is the lowest price, there is nothing lower than this."

"How is the quality of the cultivated fields?"

"That's right, it's a paddy field near the river."

"It's actually a paddy field?"

"kindness."

hiss-!
Deng Yun had to think deeply: "It seems that the big families are already very anxious. They want to dispose of all the farmland before handing over the land tax, and want to save part of the land tax."

"Yes."

The young man admired the old butler's cleverness: "That's how it is. They all talk like this, saying that they can make up for a little bit, that's a little bit, and don't lose too much by fighting for it."

"Old butler."

The boy tentatively asked: "Shall we make a move? Now, it's more than half cheaper than before."

Deng Yun glanced at the boy, and said disdainfully: "Why are you in a hurry! Since our Deng family wants to eat, we have to eat it with our stomachs open. With such a high price, how can we eat it with our stomachs open?"

"what?"

The boy was stunned: "Is the price still high?"

Deng Yun smiled lightly: "Of course! If you want me to say, at least it has to fall by half, otherwise I, Deng Yun, will never make a move."

The little servant was surprised and said: "Fell again. Fall by half? Then what if the Yin family, Feng family, and Lai family make a move? I heard that they have prepared a lot of money."

"Humph!"

Deng Yun snorted dismissively: "Which one of them is not staring at my actions, Deng Yun, if I don't make a move, they will definitely not make a move, so what's the use of having so much money in hand? "

"Do not worry."

Deng Yun was full of confidence: "Everything is under my control."

The little servant bowed: "The villain admires it, so what should we do next?"

Deng Yun thought for a long time, then smiled sinisterly and said: "I heard that the imperial court has produced two stones per mu this year. I think the income from the land tax is enough to make up for the oral tax and calculation tax. You spread the news quickly, saying that the imperial court will definitely not abolish the gift of grace." make."

The direct cause of the ups and downs in the price of cultivated land is whether or not the decree of grace has been abolished.

Deng Yun is very clear about this point. As long as he can make reasonable inferences based on the actual situation, he can achieve his goal of secretly manipulating the price of cultivated land.

If the imperial court does not abolish the grace order.

It is clear!
It is not impossible that the price of farming land will drop again, or even cut in half.

The boy naturally understood the meaning of Deng Yun's move, and immediately nodded and bowed his head: "Don't worry, old housekeeper, I will leave this matter to the villain, and within half a day, this news will be spread all over Wancheng."

"kindness."

Deng Yun nodded and nodded: "Don't waste time, go quickly."

The boy cupped his hands: "Here."

"It's probably like this today."

Deng Yun got up slowly and straightened his clothes: "You guys stay here, I'm going back to Xinye to report the situation of the guild to the head of the family, and try to ask for some more money, so that I can eat my fill."

The servant personally sent the room out: "Old butler, don't worry, if something happens to the guild, I will report it to Pegasus."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"where."

Deng Yun went out of the meeting, left in a carriage, and went straight to Xinye.

At this moment, Xinye Deng's family.

Octagonal Pavilion.

While tidying up the flowers and plants, Deng Xun asked, "Can we infer the state of the court's grain harvest?"

Deng Tong nodded leisurely: "Well, it's already out."

Deng Xun stopped, raised his eyes and asked, "How?"

Gollum!

Deng Tong's throat rolled, and he swallowed forcefully: "Patriarch, the average yield per mu is about two stones and two buckets. If tax and food are added, the income of the imperial court in Nanyang alone is enough to support the operation of the imperial court."

"Is the yield per mu really so high?"

Deng Xun couldn't believe it.

After all, the average grain production of their own fields is only one stone and five buckets, and the difference between the two is seven buckets.

If their own fields also have such a yield per mu, which is equivalent to half of the income, that is hundreds of thousands of stones of grain and grass!

Deng Xun was heartbroken, as if he had lost hundreds of thousands of stones, grain and grass.

"kindness."

Deng Tong nodded affirmatively: "The imperial court built twelve additional large granaries. Among them, there are two granaries of [-] shi in Wancheng. Each is guarded by soldiers and horses. It should not seem fake."

The granaries in the Qin and Han Dynasties were usually around [-] to [-] shi, and only a few important granaries could exceed [-] shi. For example, the Xianyang warehouse in the Qin Dynasty was at the level of [-] shi.

At the same time, there are grain storage warehouses built from the center of the imperial court to the localities. In general, the grain warehouses in the general area are one thousand stones, and from the perspective of functional distribution, there is already a division of labor between reserve warehouses, operating warehouses, and supply warehouses.

In the period of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Changping warehouses were added in various places, which mainly used the law of economic value to adjust grain prices and give full play to the role of grain in stabilizing the market.

Now that the court has built a large number of granaries, it proves that the granaries in various places have been filled, and the construction of two granaries with a level of [-] shi in Wancheng further proves the bumper harvest of grain this year.

"Two [-]-stone granaries?"

Even Deng Xun couldn't help being stunned.

"kindness."

Deng Tong nodded, keeping calm as much as possible: "One is called Wancheng Cang, which has the same meaning as Luoyang's Jingshi Cang, and the other is near Duyang, called Duyang Cang. The main purpose is to transfer granaries for the front line. .”

hiss-!
Deng Xun was even more shocked.

This proves that the imperial court is very likely to launch a war this year.

And the opponent must be Yuan Shu from Yuzhou, or Zhang Miao from Chen Liu.

Of course, this proves from another aspect that the imperial court is really not short of food.

"Doesn't that mean"

Deng Xun's throat rolled, and he was horrified: "The imperial court has basically achieved food independence, and there is no need to rely on the strength of our Nanyang family, right?"

"Yes."

Deng Tong was naturally aware of this too: "I never thought that His Majesty would reach such a level in just one year. If he takes Runan again, his power will become even stronger."

Nanyang and Runan were two counties with large population and large grain production in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. If these two counties were all in the hands of the imperial court, Deng Xun could not imagine what role they would play.

This is the capital of hegemony!
Deng Xun got up, washed off the stains on his hands, turned back to his seat, and waved his hand to signal Deng Tong to sit opposite him: "Nephew, do you have any clues about the things you asked to investigate?"

"No."

Deng Tong didn't hide it, and shook his head: "Nowadays, the imperial court's smelting and casting workshops have undergone major adjustments, and different workshops are responsible for different accessories."

"And there are many more things that we haven't seen before. It's really hard to find a workshop that produces and processes balls and collars among hundreds of workshops."

"Oh?"

Deng Xun frowned slightly: "Why has it changed so much?"

Deng Tong said softly: "I think this is the anti-theft measure of the imperial court. The smelting and casting standards of each workshop are different to produce different parts, and the imperial court will recycle these parts and assemble them again."

"In this way, even if there is a problem in any link, it will not affect the high-drum transfer car or the production of other items in a short period of time."

"Well, that makes sense."

Deng Xun nodded with great interest: "Your Majesty really has a fantastic idea, and you can think of such a way."

Deng Tong sighed: "Yes, my nephew has tracked down dozens of smelting workshops, but still can't find out where the balls are produced. The owner should be aware of the consequences of this matter. It is too frequent. Once the flaw is exposed, I am afraid that it will cause trouble. To Deng's house."

"so."

Before Deng Tong could finish speaking, Deng Xun interrupted with a wave of his hand: "I understand, you don't need to say any more."

Deng Tong cupped his hands: "I'm really sorry, it's my nephew who failed the Patriarch's expectations."

"It's ok."

Deng Xun didn't mean to blame Deng Tong: "From now on, you don't have to pursue this matter."

Deng Tong frowned: "Oh? What does Patriarch mean?"

Deng Xun smiled lightly: "I forgot to tell you, the craftsmen of our Deng family have already copied the high-tube turning cart."

"what?"

Deng Tong was taken aback for a moment: "How is this possible? Could it be that they have already overcome the difficulty of ball rolling skills?"

Deng Xun shook his head: "No!"

"so what"

"Is such that."

Deng Xun explained: "The craftsmen of our Deng family discovered that as long as the high-tube turning car is reduced by one size, and the bearing part is replaced by wood, it can also be used normally."

"only"

Deng Xun said with a little regret: "There is only a gap in efficiency."

The high-tube transfer car first appeared in the Tang Dynasty. Although there is a gap of several hundred years from the Han Dynasty, but now the outline is already there. The Deng family has traces of cats and tigers.

Deng Tong suddenly realized: "That's right, as long as the frame of the transfer car is reduced, or a part of the wooden barrel is reduced, the pressure on the bearing will inevitably be reduced. Why didn't I think of it?"

"It's simple."

Deng Xun Nianxu explained: "We were all blinded by the imperial court's high-tube turning carts. We only knew to follow the imperial court, but we never thought about building our own waterwheels."

"Although this high-drum transfer car is relatively small, it is enough to change the direction of the river. Combined with the upper canal and the transportation of the overturned cart, our Deng's paddy fields can also increase by more than [-] mu."

"Although it is not as large as the irrigation area of ​​the imperial court, it is not a big problem to have more than [-] mu of paddy fields and increase the yield per mu by [-] percent."

Deng Tong had an unbelievable face: "Our craftsmen of the Deng family have made great achievements."

Deng Xun smiled lightly: "Although it is not as good as the imperial court's Gaotong transfer, next year we will at least have confidence."

"Yes."

Deng Tong relaxed, feeling relieved: "Even if the imperial court still does not abolish the decree of grace next year, based on this, the tenants of our Deng family can be preserved."

"Homeowner."

As far as this is concerned, Deng Tong bowed his head and cupped his hands: "My nephew suggested that we should start preparations as soon as possible. In this way, the tenants of the Deng family can feel at ease. Our configuration is generally the same as that of the imperial court."

Ever since the news spread that the imperial court’s grain yield had exceeded two stones per mu, the people in Nanyang were completely excited. Since everyone is plowing the fields, why not go to a place with a large yield per mu?

Although the imperial court has a relatively large number of land taxes, firstly, the yield per mu is high, secondly, there are new types of farm tools distributed, and thirdly, it can also reduce oral and counted taxes. Overall, it is still more cost-effective to use the imperial court’s land per mu.

There is no harm without comparison.

Those people who did not cultivate the public land were envious at this time, and they began to ask whether the same policy as this year would be implemented next year, and many people even blocked the entrance of the county government office to ask.

The hearts of farmers in Nanyang were completely disturbed!
but
"No need!"

Deng Xun refused without hesitation, with a faint smoldering expression on the corner of his lips: "If we stand up the Gaotong car, why don't we tell Yin's family and Laijia that the Gaotong car can be copied?"

"How can the Yin family and the Lai family take advantage of what my Deng family has worked so hard to develop? Let them continue to attract the attention of the imperial court's smelting workshop."

"Humph!"

Deng Xun snorted angrily, and the fierceness in his brows couldn't be concealed: "This time, I want to see what this old guy Yin Lu will use to compete with the Deng family."

"Nephew." Deng Xun turned his head to greet him.

"Yes." Deng Tong cupped his hands.

"Although you don't need to investigate any more, you still need to do what you should. The Deng family in Nanyang is the trend of the Nanyang family. If you suddenly stop moving, it will definitely arouse their suspicion."

"My nephew understands."

　I wish you all a happy Children's Day
　　
　
(End of this chapter)