BSI Chapter 50 A good soldier needs a good weapon
Chapter 50 A good soldier needs a good weapon
Therefore, each crossbow is unique.
If it's broken, you have to find the original craftsman to fix it. Other craftsmen simply don't know how to repair it, and if they try to fix it rashly, they'll only make things worse.
This is why, despite its power, the crossbow was not widely used in the Han Dynasty army.
Too delicate, too difficult to please.
But why does the crossbow in the old blacksmith's hand look a little different?
It doesn't look like bronze; it looks more like steel.
This steel, which still has a dark sheen, looks so much like refined steel!
Use refined steel to make crossbow parts?
That's way too extravagant!
Manchong couldn't even imagine doing this, as the expenses were simply too great.
Man Chong's curiosity was piqued.
He didn't bother with mending the horseshoes and slowly moved closer.
The old blacksmith was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice anyone approaching.
A large pile of crossbow parts was stacked in the wooden crate in front of him.
It has a trigger, a pendulum, and a pivot.
At first glance, they are exactly the same in size, shape, and even texture.
The old blacksmith casually grabbed a trigger and a scimitar from the box.
Without even looking closely, they just casually installed it into the crossbow.
"Click!"
A crisp sound was heard.
They were fastened together so perfectly.
There wasn't the slightest shaking or lag.
Perfect fit!
Seeing this, Man Chong's pupils suddenly contracted.
Unconvinced, Ade stepped forward, pointed to the parts in the box, and asked the old blacksmith:
"Grandpa, can these parts be assembled so casually?"
The old blacksmith then looked up and glanced at him.
"That's natural."
The old blacksmith said dismissively, "These are all 'standard parts' issued from above. As long as they are the same model, you can just grab any two and install them."
"Otherwise, we repair hundreds of crossbows every day. If we had to replace them one by one, wouldn't we be exhausted?"
Standard parts?
Repairing hundreds of machines every day?
Man Chong stared blankly at the old blacksmith, his mind filled with only the words "hundreds of them".
He certainly knew what that number meant.
This means that the Qingzhou army's weapon repair speed will be ten times, or even a hundred times, faster than Cao Cao's army!
On the battlefield, a broken crossbow might be nothing more than a piece of scrap metal to Cao Cao's army.
But with the Qingzhou army, it might only take a few minutes to repair it, and the soldiers could take it back to the battlefield.
This is terrifying!
This concept of standardization, although it existed in the Qin Dynasty, has long been lost due to the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the technological gap in the Han Dynasty.
Nowadays, most of the handicrafts in the Han Dynasty are workshop-style, emphasizing slow and meticulous work, and focusing on the blacksmith's personal experience.
Li Zhao actually managed to revive this long-lost craft in this era!
Faced with such an opponent, Man Chong was completely flustered.
Undeterred, he squatted down and personally picked up two parts from different batches from the box, carefully comparing them.
Trying to find even the slightest difference.
Even a burr or a pinhole is fine.
But he was disappointed.
These two parts are practically twins; no matter how he compares them, he can't find any flaws.
He then tried to assemble them together.
"Click!"
It was that crisp sound again.
perfect.
Man Chong's hands began to tremble.
He suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold.
This terrified him even more than those hundred granaries.
Granaries represent resources and confidence.
This tiny crossbow part represents a completely new, incomprehensible, and era-defining level of productivity!
A terrifying level of organizational and industrial capability!
He looked up and gazed at the backyard of the blacksmith's shop.
Strange rumbling sounds came from there.
He went over to take a look.
There, on a small stream, stood a huge waterwheel.
The waterwheel turned slowly but powerfully, propelled by the flow of water.
It uses a series of complex gear and linkage transmission devices.
The waterwheel drives several huge stone mills and iron hammers, turning them continuously.
A stone mill is grinding parts of a crossbow, sparks flying everywhere.
A hammer is forging an arrowhead rhythmically.
There aren't many craftsmen here, only a few apprentices watching over the machines.
However, its production efficiency was higher than that of dozens of skilled craftsmen!
"This...this is..."
Man Chong pointed at the machines, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Hydraulic forging!
Hydraulic polishing!
Although he didn't understand mechanical principles, he could tell that this was an incredibly sophisticated production system.
Now Manchong finally understands why the old blacksmith said he could repair hundreds of crossbows every day.
With this set, not to mention hundreds, even thousands of games are no problem!
He recalled how Cao Cao mobilized so much manpower and resources to forge a batch of weapons in Yanzhou, and how much time it ultimately took.
Those craftsmen wielded their hammers day and night, until they were so exhausted that they vomited blood.
But what about production volume?
Compared to what's right in front of me, it's like a snail crawling!
Man Chong felt that his worldview had collapsed once again.
He originally thought that Li Zhao was just a nouveau riche with money and grain.
Now it seems that this is not the case at all, and it is completely different from what he thought.
Big mistake!
Li Zhao was not only wealthy and had ample supplies, but he was also a craftsman who mastered the mechanical arts of the Mohist school.
Putting everything else aside, just the things that Man Chong saw after arriving here are enough to prove that Li Zhao is a genius, a groundbreaking genius!
If Li Zhao continues to develop like this, when Cao Cao encounters Li Zhao in the future, it goes without saying that Cao Cao will definitely be defeated.
Man Chong walked out of the blacksmith shop, looking dejected.
He looked at the sky and suddenly felt that the sun was a bit too bright.
At this moment, Man Chong felt ridiculous. He had previously wanted to investigate Li Zhao's background, find out Li Zhao's weaknesses, and defeat Li Zhao in one fell swoop.
In retrospect, it's simply a joke.
Even if he knew where Li Zhao's grain came from, even if he knew how these machines were made.
Could Cao Cao learn it?
Can Yanzhou be replicated?
impossible.
This requires enormous financial support and countless skilled craftsmen.
Cao Cao did not possess any of these.
Even the Great Han didn't have it.
Only in Qingzhou! Only in Li Zhao's possession!
"Walk."
Man Chong got into the carriage and spoke to the coachman in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Sir, the horseshoes haven't been mended yet," the coachman reminded him.
"Stop repairing! Let's go! Get out of here!"
Man Chong suddenly became somewhat neurotic and roared at the coachman.
He didn't want to stay in Qingzhou for even a second longer.
This place is simply a hell, a hell that can plunge Cao Cao's army into despair!
Everywhere he looked, there were things he couldn't understand and things that terrified him.
He needed to hurry back to Yanzhou, back to that familiar world, a world that, though dilapidated, was still relatively normal.
He wanted to tell Cao Gong.
Whatever you do, whatever you do, don't mess with Li Zhao.
This person is not someone you should mess with.
The carriage sped along the official road.
Even though the horse was missing a shoe and was bumping around a lot, Manchong didn't care at all.
He just wanted to escape this land as soon as possible.
Manchong felt she would break down if she stayed here any longer!