Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 302 Concubine Liu

Catapults have been around for nearly a thousand years, and military craftsmen can make them.

However, due to material limitations, we cannot make large ones, we can only make small ones.

Yuan Wenshao only used it as an experiment. It didn't matter to him whether it was large or small.

"Grand Governor, generally the range of small catapults is about ninety steps. We tried it after making it, and the range fully meets the requirements. According to what the Grand Governor said, after adding a counterweight at the back, the range increased by nearly half." He Chuan, an official from the Equipment Department, said excitedly.

The steps of ancient metrology are not small steps, but big steps.

Generally, one step is more than one meter, and ninety steps is about 120 or 30 meters.

The effective range of small catapults is basically within this range.

The range is increased by half, which means the range is about two hundred meters.

The range of large catapults is generally only two hundred and twenty to thirty meters.

Large catapults have a big disadvantage. They require the joint efforts of many people to operate, and they are very heavy and inconvenient to transport.

Needless to say, many terrains need to be placed close to the city wall due to range reasons.

In this way, a large number of soldiers and horses cannot be sent to guard the catapult, otherwise it will enter the attack range of the city wall defenders. The defenders usually sent out cavalry to destroy the catapults.

But if the range of a large one can be increased by half, it will be more than three hundred meters. Apart from the bulky problem, all these problems can be solved.

You can even make a medium-sized one based on this.

This has a longer range than the original large catapult, and the difficulty of transportation can also be reduced.

"You just talked about the advantages, there must be other disadvantages. Let's talk about it." Yuan Wenshao said.

Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and it is impossible to respond without any disadvantages.

"There are definitely disadvantages."

He Chuan said: "Because of the increased counterweight, the weight of the catapult is increased, and the difficulty of transportation will increase."

"This is nothing. The counterweight can be obtained locally and does not need to be transported." Yuan Wenshao said.

"The Governor is right. This is really not a big shortcoming. In addition, there is a bigger shortcoming, which requires very high requirements for materials. Not to mention anything else, in terms of wood alone, it could have been used to make a catapult. After adding counterweights to wood, it cannot be used a few times and the supporting poles will break. If you want to make wood that can be used for a long time, you need wood with high hardness." He Chuan said.

"That's a problem."

The improvement of materials not only increases the cost, but also affects the quantity.

However, the advantages of the return artillery are still very obvious, let alone the long range. In war, the range can even be sacrificed to increase the power.

Used well, it can work wonders in war.

In this way, the so-called disadvantages are not worth mentioning.

"Take me to test its power first." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief, follow me."

He Chuan led Yuan Wenshao to an empty school field.

I saw a shelf made entirely of wood in the school yard, with a long pole in the middle. Seven or eight craftsmen were surrounding the shelf, and they didn't know what they were busy with.

When the two approached, someone saw them and quickly saluted.

"The Governor wants to try out the new catapult. Can it be used now?" He Chuan asked.

"Sir, the pole has been replaced and can be used." A craftsman replied.

"Then you show it to the Governor." He Chuan ordered.

"Yes!"

The craftsmen got busy after hearing this.

The original catapults were all pulled by manpower, and generally small ones required more than a dozen people to pull.

After placing a stone on the other end of the lever, everyone pulled together and used the principle of leverage to throw the stone away.

The trebuchet with added counterweight is the same as the scale with weight.

A very heavy weight is hung on one end, then the pole is pressed down, the weight is suspended high, the pole is fixed with a device, and stones are placed in the net bag.

When launching, the device is turned on, and the heavy weight falls, throwing the stones away.

In comparison, Hui Hui Pao has another advantage, and that is stability.

When pulling manually, it is difficult to use all the strength together at the same time. Any weakening of strength will affect the range.

A small trebuchet has a range of 134 meters, but in actual use, sometimes it shoots to more than 100 meters, and sometimes it only reaches 100 meters.

Because most attacks will fail, catapults are more of a fear in actual wars and have limited lethality.

This is like launching a bombardment first during a war. The opponent is already prepared, but the lethality is actually very average.

But it can cause a psychological blow to the enemy.

But the return cannon is different, because if the weight of the counterweight remains unchanged and the weight of the stone is about the same, the shooting range will not deviate much.

In this way, the accuracy is greatly guaranteed.

The craftsmen finished it quickly and opened the fixture at He Chuan's order.

The lever was no longer fixed, and the weight behind it fell quickly, throwing all kinds of stones on the other end.

Yuan Wenshao looked at the stone in the sky, drew an arc in the air, and landed on the ground in the distance.

It rolled on the grass for a distance before stopping.

Yuan Wenshao hurriedly walked over and saw a small pit being smashed into the hard ground, but the stone stopped on the ground seven or eight meters away from the pit due to inertia.

After visually checking the distance to the catapult, Yuan Wenshao nodded with satisfaction.

The war between the Zhou Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom was basically about attacking and defending cities and fortresses.

There are very few wars in the wild.

The Liao Kingdom had a large number of war horses, which was very convenient for deploying troops or making sneak attacks.

This is also one of the reasons why it has been difficult for Zhou Dynasty to regain the sixteen states of Yanyun.

It’s not just the reason of emphasizing literature over military affairs.

"Have you ever experimented with increasing the weight of stones?" Yuan Wenshao asked.

"I've tried it. Small catapults use rocks of about forty kilograms. I've had people try it. The range is almost the same as before when it's sixty kilograms. But in this way, the lever can be used for a shorter time. ." He Chuan said.

"Well done." Yuan Wenshao said, "I will report this matter to the officials and ask for credit for you."

"This was all suggested by the Governor. We just followed it and didn't dare to take credit." He Chuan said quickly.

"Okay, even if you have no merit, you still have hard work." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Then I would like to thank the Governor on behalf of the craftsmen of the Arms Department." He Chuan said gratefully.

He was a craftsman himself. Although he had an official, he was only in the ninth rank, and his status was not even as good as that of military generals of the same level.

It was a great honor for him to be able to show his face in front of officials.

Yuan Wenshao gave a few instructions and left the Arms Department.

He returned to the camp, changed out of his armor, and left the military camp.

When he arrived in Bianjing, Yuan Wenshao did not go home, but went directly to the palace.

After being notified, Yuan Wenshao was taken to the imperial study room.

When Yuan Wenshao came to the imperial study, Zhao Zongquan was just like an old farmer, cutting wheat in the field dug out of the side hall. There was a beautiful woman talking to Zhao Zongquan on the side.

"Your Majesty, Yuan Wenshao, pays homage to your Majesty, your noble concubine." Yuan Wenshao bowed his head and saluted.

"No gifts."

Zhao Zongquan smiled and said: "Marquis Zhongyong is here just in time. The wheat in me is ripe. I will ask someone to send you some when you come back to try it."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty." Yuan Wenshao bowed.

"Hey, a little wheat is nothing but a reward. Just don't think I'm stingy." Zhao Zongquan said.

"This is not ordinary wheat. It is the wheat grown by the officials themselves. It is my honor to reward you with some wheat. It is more precious than anything. I would like to take it back and offer it as an offering. How dare you despise it." Yuan Wenshao said quickly.

"No. Food is for eating. Isn't it a waste to provide food? If you say so, I won't give it to you." Zhao Zongquan said.

"What your Majesty said is that I will definitely eat it when the time comes and not waste food." Yuan Wenshao said.

"hehe."

Zhao Zongquan smiled and said, "You must have something else to do when you come here, right? If it's a small matter, just say it."

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report to Your Majesty," Yuan Wenshao said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zongquan looked at Concubine Liu Guifei on the side and said with a smile: "My dear concubine, I have something to deal with. You should go back first."

"Yes!"

Concubine Liu Guifei responded and said: "The officials remember to drink the soup. It won't taste good when it gets cold."

"I understand." Zhao Zongquan said.

Concubine Liu bowed and turned to leave. When she turned around, she glanced at Yuan Wenshao without leaving any trace.

Yuan Wenshao noticed Concubine Liu's gaze and felt a pain in his heart. He was remembered by Concubine Liu.

Zhao Zongquan just said that if it was a trivial matter, just say it directly, but no matter what it was, he had no choice.

Otherwise, who knows what Queen Shen would think if this news reached her ears.

Moreover, in the original play, Zhao Zongquan noticed that Concubine Liu Guifei and the Queen Mother had joined forces to rebel.

He also wanted to use this matter to prevent the Queen Mother from interfering in direct affairs of the court, and deliberately let this matter go.

Who knows if Concubine Liu Guifei is suspected by Zhao Zongquan now.

If so, maybe what Zhao Zongquan said just now was to test him.

Although Concubine Liu has little influence, she is young and beautiful. It is not a good thing to be hated by her.

Zhao Zongquan didn't know what Yuan Wenshao was thinking, so he came up from below, sat down on the soft couch on one side, took a sip of the soup sent by Concubine Liu, and asked, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Back to Your Majesty, I accidentally thought a few days ago that catapults are pulled by manpower, which not only requires a lot of manpower, but is also difficult to guarantee accuracy. So I had an idea and thought of adding a counterweight at the back. I asked the craftsmen to try it I tried it and the effect was surprisingly good. The range of the small catapult was increased by about half." Yuan Wenshao said.

"what?"

Zhao Zongquan took a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of soup. As soon as he brought it to his mouth, his hand shook when he heard this and the soup spilled on his clothes.

"The official is not lying down, is he?"

Shen Naiguan, who was waiting at the side, was startled and took a handkerchief to wipe Zhao Zongquan's clothes.

Zhao Zongquan pushed him away, looked at Yuan Wenshao and asked, "Is everything you said true?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not expire. I have tried it myself. Moreover, the range can be adjusted by changing the counterweight, and the accuracy is also very high." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Okay, if this is really the case, you will be made a grand duke." Zhao Zongquan said with a happy face.

Although he has never led an army in a battle, he has served as a regiment trainer for several years and he still knows something about military affairs.

He naturally knew what it meant to increase the catapult's range by half.

"Come here, call the civil and military officials of Chao Zhong to come over. I want to go and see for myself." Zhao Zongquan ordered.

"His Majesty."

Yuan Wenshao said quickly: "If the catapult is used well, it can catch the enemy by surprise. I think the fewer people who know about it, the better. The Liao Kingdom and Xixia should have many spies in the Zhou Dynasty. Once they know about it, they will be prepared." , the effect is greatly reduced.

The most important thing is that it is not difficult to modify the catapult. After Xixia and Liao know about it, they will definitely try their best to get improvement methods. By then everyone has it, and it will be meaningless. "

Zhao Zongquan muttered: "You are right, I was so happy that I forgot about this."

Zhao Zongquan pondered for a while and ordered people to call the British Duke and a group of Yuzhou confidants and Zheng Wen and Zheng Wu.

The British Duke's lineage has been loyal for generations. Since he ascended the throne, the British Duke not only agreed to the marriage, but also did not object to his restructuring of the western suburbs camp and directly handed over his rights.

Now that the British Duke's only daughter has married Shen Congxing, he is not worried about the British Guild betraying him.

The same goes for the Zheng brothers. In addition, he also trusts other Yuzhou confidants.

He didn't trust the rest of the people very much.

The chamberlain went to deliver the order, while Zhao Zongquan asked Yuan Wenshao about many details of the catapult.

Since Yuan Wenshao had already planned to hand it over, he naturally did not hide anything.

After Zhao Zongquan listened, the smile on his face could not stop.

He repeatedly expressed that he would be generously rewarded if he really did.

Yuan Wenshao didn't care about this. He was already considered a highly respected minister and there wasn't much room for advancement.

The title is also Marquis, and it is impossible for a catapult to be crowned Duke.

The most they can do is reward some royal estates.

"By the way, last time you found out the secret of the Dragon Ball from Princess Xixia, I haven't rewarded you yet." Zhao Zongquan said.

"This is what I should do. I dare not ask for rewards." Yuan Wenshao said quickly.

"There are still rewards that should be given, and I will reward them all when the time comes. There is indeed a map on the dragon ball, but the specific location has not been determined yet. Have you heard any other news from Princess Xixia?" Zhao Zongquan asked .

Last time he found some skilled craftsmen and asked them to rub the miniature map on the dragon ball.

The craftsmen tried for a long time, and finally came up with a way to rub the map a few days ago.

But now a new problem has arisen.

Comparing this map with the maps in Dazhou, no matching place was found.

There is not even a similar place to be found.

It's not that the place drawn on the map is not within the territory of Dazhou, but it is very likely that it is in the wilderness.

Zhao Zongquan felt that he was probably still in Jiangnan, and he had sent people secretly to Jiangnan to explore the inaccessible wilderness.

But this is similar to finding a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention that it requires a lot of manpower, I don’t know when it will be found.

"Your Majesty, I don't know. Princess Xixia is very strict with me. There are clues about the treasure map on the dragon ball, which I inferred from some things." Yuan Wenshao said.

"It's normal for Princess Xixia to be wary." Zhao Zongquan nodded.

The higher the vigilance, the more likely it is that it is a jade seal.

As long as you are within the territory of Dazhou, you can always find it.

After waiting for a while, the people summoned by Zhao Zongquan arrived one after another.

After everyone arrived, Zhao Zongquan told Yuan Wenshao how to improve the catapult.

(End of this chapter)