Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 441 Siege

After hearing what Zhao Zhen asked, Yang Tengjiao said, "Sir, can you see the gold-dipped mountain-splitting axe I am using? It was forged by me with fine iron and is of the second grade. If I have good iron materials, I can also make a third or fourth grade axe."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said with a smile: "If that's the case, there are quite a few high-quality iron materials in the Military Equipment Bureau. You can go there with my warrant. I can also rebuild your weapon."

"I have also seen the weapons in the hands of Zhang Chi and the other four. They are made of top-quality iron. Unfortunately, the craftsmanship of the forgers is not good enough. They are only first-class weapons. You can also recast them for these four people."

As he spoke, Zhao Zhen wrote a handwritten order and asked Yang Tengjiao to take it to the Military Equipment Bureau to forge weapons.

In just two days, Yang Tengjiao brought a solid iron stick to the village.

world log
Solid Iron and Red Gold Stick (Level 4, made of solid iron, six feet long from head to tail, with golden hoops at the head and tail, weighing thirty-six pounds, blunt attack +)

After seeing this, Zhao Zhen was relieved of Yang Tengjiao's skills and wrote another order to let him serve as the chief military officer.

Zhao Zhen also went to the Military Equipment Bureau by the way.

Now Hou Jian has been promoted to the position of Chief Inspector, and Tang Long, like Yang Tengjiao, also serves as Deputy Inspector. Together with Bai Walhan, the four of them are in charge of the Military Equipment Inspectorate.

After Bai Walhan built a hundred Thunder Chariots, he also studied the snail-sinking boat with Liu Huiniang. It is not known whether it is due to incomplete records in the Engine Manual or some other reason, but after the snail-sinking boat is built and put into the water, there are always various problems, so it has not been built yet.

After the ice formed, the snail boat stopped. Since the court rewarded several craftsmen and the craftsmen recommended by various counties to join the military equipment supervision, these people were transferred to Bai Walhan.

It was unknown whether the craftsmen from Bianjing were specially selected by Tong Guan, but they were all from Guangbei siege workshops and were good at making siege equipment. These days, he and other craftsmen also made a lot of siege equipment.

Three or five vehicles were built for each of the following: the lead vehicle for digging tunnels, the wheelbarrow for guarding soldiers approaching the city walls, the dust-raising vehicle for spreading smoke and dust, and the bridge-laying vehicle for crossing the moat.

The most complicated of the three types of cars is the head car, which is divided into three parts: the screen board, the head car and the thread shed.

The screen board is at the front, with protection in front and on both sides of the car, which is the exit of the whole group of leading cars. The screen board is closely connected to the leading car to provide protection. When the tunnel is dug through, the siege soldiers will gather in the car, and then quickly push the screen board away, and the soldiers will file out of the car and rush into the city.

Zhao Zhen had never seen a chariot before. It could hold ten people and was similar to the wooden donkey and horse. It was a four-wheeled bottomless wooden cart covered with cowhide to resist arrows. People pushed the cart forward to hide the soldiers approaching the city wall for attack, but they could not directly destroy the wall.

As for the dust-raising cart, the cart and the smoke are placed together. When the smoke is strong, the cart is pushed towards the city to raise dust. The defenders cannot survive and must retreat and gather to one side, so the attackers can climb up. Lime is the best dust to use.

A bridge-laying vehicle is a device that can quickly help soldiers cross the moat outside the city and reach the city.

In addition to these four types of equipment, a nest car and a tower car were also built, but they were put aside. These two types of equipment were also used to climb high and observe the enemy. They were not as good as the flying tower built by Liu Hui Niang, so these two types of equipment were never built.

These craftsmen can also make ladders, battering rams, catapults, and siege towers.

Ladders are the most commonly used equipment for climbing over city walls during sieges. Craftsmen have made more than 30 of them.

Ladders are easy to build. The simplest one is two thin pieces of wood tied with a horizontal bar. The ladders these craftsmen are building are much more sophisticated. The main ladder is divided into two sections, which can be folded and connected by a hinge in the middle. The auxiliary ladders come in various forms to meet the needs of climbing the city and engaging the enemy easily and quickly.

The bottom of the ladder is also shielded on all four sides, reinforced with raw cowhide, and equipped with shields, winches, grappling hooks and other equipment. People push the cart in the shed to approach the enemy wall, which can resist the damage of arrows and stones from the city. It is also called a ladder truck. Some have pulleys for lifting, like a flying tower, and are used to climb high and look far to detect the enemy situation.

The simplest one is the flying ladder. It is two or three feet long and has two wheels on the top. If you want to climb up, you can use the wheels to push the city wall forward.

A bamboo ladder is made of a single large bamboo pole with footrests on both sides for climbing.

There is also a two-story ladder with a tiptoe. The upper level uses a single bamboo pole with a rotating shaft in the middle to raise the ladder, and there are two wheels at the head of the pole.

The simplest one is the grappling hook, which has a rope at one end and is thrown onto the city wall. Soldiers can then climb up the wall. It is generally used in night surprise attacks.

Only one battering ram was built. It had a thick wooden structure in the middle and a pointed wooden house on the outside. It was extremely sturdy and had six wheels covered with cowhide. To prevent damage from arrows and stones from the defenders, the craftsman who built it said that a layer of iron plate could be added to enhance the protection. To prevent fire attacks, mud was poured on it when it was used. The soldiers pushed it from below, violently ramming the city gates and destroying the city walls.

There were also hook carts that had greater destructive power on city walls, one with three claws and one with two claws and two hooks. The hook carts were twisted and pulled by nine oxen, thundering and lightning blasting, breaking oars and knocking down walls.

For long-range attacks, heavy-duty catapults with five legs and seven legs were built. These catapults required more than 200 people to pull them and could launch huge stones weighing hundreds of pounds. Because they were heavy, they were inconvenient to carry when attacking a city, but they could be used to defend a city. Seven or eight catapults of various sizes were built for easy carrying. They were all equipped with four wheels and could travel with the army. The smallest catapult could be pulled by two people and the stone bullets were only the size of a fist, which could not be fatal unless they hit the vital parts.

The last type of siege equipment is called a well, which is actually a mobile arrow tower that can reach the height of the city wall or even be higher than the city wall. It has wheels underneath and can shoot at the enemy guarding the city wall from a high position. However, because of its height, it moves slowly and lacks close combat capabilities. It can be destroyed by fire attacks or surprise attacks from outside the city.

In addition to these big guys, there are also sharp blades, crow's beaks, plowshares, square shovels, shovels, awls, eyebrow axes, phoenix-head axes and other tools for digging up the earth in the head car, as well as iron cats, fire hooks, flints, fire forks and other siege tools.

Zhao Zhen looked at them one by one and said to the craftsmen who followed him, "Yes, these utensils are well made. You came from the prosperous place of Bianjing. Are you used to it?"

The old man at the front said, "Sir, we are all military craftsmen. When the father dies, the son takes over. In previous years, some people were transferred to the Western Army. This is the first time to Jingdong Road. Compared with the place in Qinfeng Road, it is much better."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen asked, "How old are you, old man?"

"I am already sixty-three years old. I should have returned home to enjoy my life long ago. Unfortunately, my son died young, and my grandson was sent here just as he was an adult."

Zhao Zhen nodded and looked at everyone with great observation. Apart from anything else, each of these craftsmen was a hero-level soldier, and all they had learned was making equipment.

Zhao Zhen said, "You have made great contributions in making siege weapons, so you will receive double salary this month. From now on, if your children do not want to inherit your legacy, they can also farm, do business, study, learn martial arts, and take the imperial examinations. You should also teach these apprentices as much as possible to avoid a shortage of successors. For every five apprentices you have, you will receive one ounce of gold."

When all the craftsmen heard this, they all came to express their gratitude.

After viewing the newly established siege work, Zhao Zhen was about to return to the village. Seeing this, Hou Jian stepped forward and said, "Sir, the crossbow craftsman has just made more than 300 crossbows. Please take a look."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen moved over to get a bow and crossbow. In the workshop, a group of craftsmen were assembling bows and crossbows. When they saw Zhao Zhen and others coming in, three old craftsmen hurried over to greet them.

Hou Jian said, "Get a crossbow for my husband."

After a while, a fully assembled crossbow was brought to Zhao Zhen. He took it in his hand and tested it. It was indeed very powerful. Zhao Zhen asked, "How powerful is this crossbow?"

The old craftsman said, "Sir, this batch of crossbows uses mulberry wood as the bow, two bows combined into one, and the crossbow mechanism is made of fine iron, with a pulling force of two stones, and you need to step on the crossbow to string it."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Yes, the army is in need of such strong crossbows. All the made crossbows will be sent to the armies of Lei Jiong and Ji Ji. The unqualified ones will be returned for remaking. If they are suitable, the craftsmen who made the crossbows will also receive double salary at the end of the year."

Hou Jian said, "Don't worry, sir. The crossbow making is the same as other workshops. The crossbow mechanism, crossbow, and crossbow arm are all numbered by the craftsmen. This crossbow is made with great care. Now the workshop is led by three craftsmen, Sun, Zhang, and Wang. In a few days, we will have to set a quota, not only to ensure that the crossbows are suitable for use, but also to ensure the quantity."

Zhao Zhen nodded and asked, "Is it the same for armor, swords, and spears?"

Hou Jian nodded and said, "Yes, now the workshop has also made a division of labor, and most craftsmen specialize in one thing. When there are sufficient materials, it is stipulated that eight knife-making craftsmen can make five knives in six days, three people can make 150 arrows in two days, and seven people can make eight bows in nine days."

"In this way, the craftsman only needs to focus on making one thing, and not only will the object be good, but the crafting speed will also be fast."

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded, saying, "Now that the weapons have been cast, they have been sent to various military camps for inspection. From now on, every ten days, samples of the weapons will be sent to Baishi Valley for inspection, and then they will be allocated to various camps or sent to the arsenal for storage and ready for use."

After thinking for a while, Zhao Zhen continued, "As for the craftsmen, those with mediocre talents can be arranged in this way. Those with ideas do not have to be confined to one place. After all, if there is a craftsman who can make treasures, it is better than a hundred people. In addition, all workshops should compile the methods of making things into a book for reference. For those who can offer equipment and improve military equipment, they will be rewarded heavily, not limited to land, gold, silver, cloth, or even official titles."

Hou Jian, Bai Waerhan and Yang Tengjiao agreed immediately after hearing this. The surrounding craftsmen were also excited after hearing this.

After visiting various workshops, Zhao Zhen returned to Baishi Manor.

In the backyard, Cheng Wan'er and Liu Huiniang were playing chess. When they saw Zhao Zhen, Cheng Wan'er asked, "Sir, you went to the Military Equipment Bureau, but have you finished forging your weapons?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head and said, "That's not the case. I went to the Military Equipment Bureau today and visited various workshops. The siege and crossbow workshops are all on track."

As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something, and said to Liu Hui Niang: "Hui Niang, you are smart and clever, and you can make tools. You can also go to the Military Equipment Bureau to take a look on weekdays. If there is anything inappropriate, you can also point it out and improve it a little."

Liu Hui Niang was delighted when she heard this and said, "Your Excellency is right. I have now thoroughly understood the Turbine Engineering Sutra and am wondering if I can make some contribution to it by drawing inferences from other cases. Next year when the weather warms up, I will definitely build the Snail Boat."

(End of this chapter)