General Qin

"I'm not a descendant of Gongshu, it's just a coincidence that I have seen the remnants left by Gongshu's lineage."

Facing Lu Jun, Zhao Tuo didn't dare to trust Lu Jun, so he hurriedly repeated his previous remarks.

"Gongshuzi is good at ingenuity, and even Zimozi often admires it. It's a pity that we don't have the chance to see Gongshuzi's posthumous writings, otherwise we will benefit a lot."

Lu Jun regretted again and again, because Zhao Tuo said that those remnants of writing had been lost in the war, and he didn't know where they were lost.

Hearing the master's praise of Gongshuzi, Zhao Ji, who was just over 20 years old, refused to accept it. He sneered and said, "Master, why should you be sorry? Although that Gongshuzi is said to be highly skilled, his siege deduction was not defeated by Zi Mozi. According to me It doesn't look like that. As for the hundred generals who said they could create a weapon that can shoot a hundred catties of boulders and conquer Jicheng, I think they are talking big. If there is such a thing, why is there no record in my Mohist classics? .”

After finishing speaking, Zhao Ji glared at Zhao Tuo, especially the crown on Zhao Tuo's head that represented the title of no change.

Before Zhao Tuo could speak, the black hip behind him was already furious.

He yelled: "Shuzi blows out arrows!"

"Since my hundred generals say it can be made, it means it can be made. If you don't understand, just keep your mouth shut."

Zhao Tuo turned around and reprimanded, "Shut up, black hip."

"oh."

Hei Hiu bared his teeth at Zhao Ji, who was so frightened that he took a step back, and then stopped talking.

Zhao Tuo apologized to the two Mohists: "The soldiers were born in the countryside and don't know the rules. Please forgive me."

"It's okay, it's all caused by my disciple's lies."

Lu Jun had a very good attitude, and he also educated his disciples: "You are talking nonsense. There are records in my Mohist classics. Gong Shuzi once cut bamboo and wood into magpies, and when he was finished, he flew into the sky for three days. This technique can be called a supernatural work. You If you don't know the height of the world, how dare you be proud of yourself here."

Zhao Tuo nodded when he heard that, Lu Ban's craftsmanship is indeed superb. I can make a wooden magpie that can fly in the sky for three days without setting, but I don't know how to make it.

So when Zhao Tuo was looking for a reason for his invention, Lu Ban was the first thing he thought of.

Compared with Mozi's founding of the sect, he passed down a large number of disciples and descendants.

Lu Ban is a pure craftsman. He is obsessed with invention and creation, and produces all kinds of good things, but no one knows whether he has left a legacy behind him.

No one could tell, and this gave Zhao Tuo a chance to see what happened.

"What the master said is true, the boy knows his mistake."

Although Zhao Ji was not angry, he still lowered his head, not daring to argue anymore.

Only then did Lu Jun cup his hands at Zhao Tuo and said, "My disciple is talking nonsense, which made Zhao Baijiang laugh. Baijiang said that he had seen the equipment that threw a hundred catties of boulders and could conquer a fortified city. How to build it?" I also ask the hundred generals to give pointers."

At this point, Lu Jun stared at Zhao Tuo with fiery eyes.

As the descendant of Qin Mo, Lu Jun doesn't care about the seniority of the old and the young. All he desires is technology.

"Mr. Lu, don't worry, wait for me to take a look at the stone-throwing equipment in the army before thinking about it."

Zhao Tuo cupped his hands and said.

Although Lu Jun was itchy, but Zhao Tuo said so, he couldn't ask any more questions, so he stretched out his hand and said, "Please."

The two Mohists led the way, but instead of taking Zhao Tuo into the depths of the craftsman camp, they walked towards the direction facing the city wall.

Because the trebuchets of this era had a fatal flaw, that is, they were very bulky and had to be erected in a fixed place and were difficult to move. Therefore, they were only found in front of the city wall, but not in the camp.

Today is not the main attack in Dongying, but there is peace in front of the city wall. Zhao Tuo soon saw the catapults of this era.

Catapults were not mainstream equipment in the wars of the pre-Qin period. They were only used as auxiliary equipment during sieges. Most of them were made temporarily without certain regulations.

It was not until the Song Dynasty, after more than a thousand years of development, that this heavy weapon began to become a standing weapon for the army.

Therefore, the number of trebuchets manufactured by the Qin army was not large, and they were only used to suppress the firepower before the siege and intimidate the defenders.

Zhao Tuo observed carefully, and found that the trebuchet of this era was a shaft horizontally set on a wooden frame, and a long wooden pole with toughness passed through the middle of the shaft, which was used as the gun shaft of the trebuchet. A spoon-shaped leather nest (kē) is set at one end of the gun shaft, and dozens of ropes are tied at the other end of the gun shaft.

When it was time to throw, the soldiers put stones (cannonballs) into the leather nest, and then many people each pulled a rope, only listening to the command of the commander, the soldiers who pulled the rope yanked hard together, using the principle of leverage. And the effect of centrifugal force, throw the shells in the leather nest to the target.

This trebuchet is a device that uses the principle of leverage. It can shoot flying stones two hundred steps away. Once it hits a soldier, no matter how strong the armor is, it can't resist it.

But again, this weapon has serious flaws.

Because it is launched by pulling and launching by manpower, it often requires a lot of manpower if it is necessary to launch heavy stone bombs.

Even in the Song Dynasty, when the development of trebuchets was the most prosperous in later generations, hundreds of people were needed to pull a stone weighing 25 catties. If the weight of the stone increased, the manpower required would also increase significantly.

Moreover, because there are many operators of trebuchets, often dozens or hundreds of people are needed, it is difficult to cooperate effectively with each other, making it difficult for the shells thrown to hit the target they want to attack, often pointing forward and backward, pointing east Hit the West.

Once there is a problem with the accuracy, it will make this thing even more tasteless, so it can only be used as an auxiliary in the siege battle, and cannot be the mainstay.

After walking around several trebuchets, Zhao Tuo had a more intuitive understanding of this siege equipment and became more confident.

Seeing the smile of the young general in front of him, Lu Jun couldn't help asking: "May I ask what kind of equipment the general wants to make, which can send a hundred catties of boulders? Could it be that he wants to increase the number of soldiers who pull the ropes, so as to achieve a higher level?" Strong strength?"

Zhao Ji, who had endured it for a long time, couldn't bear it any longer. He was young and vigorous, and he said according to his master's words: "If it is just to increase the number of pullers and launch a hundred catties of boulders, it will take five hundred people. And the rope and wood It may not be able to hold it, even if it can hold it, a stone of this weight will not be able to shoot very far, at most thirty steps is the longest distance, there is no way to think about conquering Jicheng."

Zhao Ji sneered, after all, what the hundred generals were talking about was breaking down the walls of Jicheng.

Not to mention whether it can be manufactured, even if it is manufactured, how to attack the city at that distance?

In his eyes, this kind of thinking is like nonsense.

Just thinking about it feels impossible.

Faced with doubts, Zhao Tuo smiled slightly.

"No."

"Not only will I not increase the number of soldiers, but I will also reduce the number."

"Don't say five hundred people. Just give me one hundred people, it's too many."

No record of the shape of the trebuchet in the pre-Qin or Qin and Han Dynasties was found. Here is the reference to the cannon cart in the "Taibai Yin Jing". If there are book friends who can find earlier records about the shape of the trebuchet, please leave a comment and make corresponding changes in the text.

"Taibai Yin Jing · Siege Tools": The majesty is horizontal and independent, with a single pole, the head is like an orange tree, and the height and length of the pole are determined by the city. The size and size of the pole head is determined by the strength of the pole, and the person pulls the end and throws it.

"Mozi Luwen": Gongshuzi cut bamboo and wood to think of a magpie, and when it was formed, it flew away for three days.