xymnovel Chapter 75 The Astounding Catapult
Chapter 75 The Astounding Catapult
Chapter 75 The Astounding Catapult
"Gu Lang, did you foresee that Yuan Shao would build a mound of earth, and thus moved out in advance to avoid the arrows of Yuan's army?" Lu Lingqi blurted out in surprise. Cao Ang was suddenly shocked and said in surprise, "No wonder Brother Gu suddenly moved out. So you actually anticipated Yuan Shao's actions?" Gu Cheng smiled without saying a word.
"Yuan Shao's every move was exactly as my brother-in-law predicted—" Cao Ang sighed inwardly, but then said with a bitter face, "Since Brother Gu had already predicted it, why didn't you remind me earlier so that I could warn my father in advance?"
"Even if I warned the eldest son in advance, would Cao Cao dare to send troops out of the city to stop Yuan Shao from building the earthen mound?" Gu Cheng asked calmly, sipping his wine. Cao Ang was speechless. After a long while...
He shook his head and sighed, "Brother Gu is right. Yuan Shao's army is nearly three times the size of ours. Even if we knew he wanted to build a mound of earth, our army would not be able to leave the city to stop him."
"So, it doesn't matter whether you say it sooner or later, what's the difference?"
"Young Master, don't worry, have a cup of tea to relax." Gu Cheng handed him a cup of fragrant tea.
Cao Ang took the teacup, but had no interest in sipping it. He abruptly stood up and was about to bow to Gu Cheng. "Here we go again!"
Gu Cheng raised his hand to stop Cao Ang and said with a wry smile, "Young Master, please don't be so formal. I'll just tell you directly, there's a way to break through Yuan Shao's earthen hill, isn't that enough?"
"Brother Gu, do you really have a brilliant solution?" Cao Ang's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited and delighted.
Gu Cheng slowly said, "Actually, Cao Cao has many strategists under his command. Even without my intervention, there must have been capable people who could have helped Cao Cao break through that earthen mountain."
""
Cao Ang looked blank, unable to understand the hidden meaning in Gu Cheng's words.
Gu Cheng had no choice but to say, "I'll be blunt. To break through that earthen hill, we'll need catapults." "Catapults?"
Cao Ang was initially invigorated, but then added, "But Yuan Shao's earthen mound is extremely thick; I'm afraid even catapults might not be able to break it down."
"The current catapults are certainly not up to par; we must use newer, more powerful catapults to blast through the earthen hill!" Gu Cheng said calmly.
Cao Ang was completely bewildered. Just then...
Zhou Tai lifted the curtain and entered, cupping his hands in greeting, "Liheng, I've brought what you wanted. How about it, not too late, right?"
'
Not too late, you've arrived just in time!
Gu Cheng's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "Where are the supplies? Have they been brought into the camp?"
Zhou Tai pointed outside: "That thing is too big; I was afraid it would break the camp gate, so I parked it outside." "Good!"
Gu Cheng leaped to his feet and said to Cao Ang, "Young Master, the earth-breaking weapon you requested has arrived. Let's go take a look." Cao Ang was increasingly astonished and followed Gu Cheng to the camp gate. As they rode out of the camp, a colossal object stood prominently outside the gate. "This—this is a catapult?" Cao Ang asked in a trembling voice. "Young Master has a good eye; this is indeed a catapult," Gu Cheng nodded with a smile. Cao Ang dismounted and circled the catapult several times, his suspicion and astonishment only growing stronger. "This catapult is at least the height of two men, at least three times larger than any catapult I've ever seen. The manufacturing process also seems quite different."
"Brother Gu, is this really a catapult?"
Cao Ang looked at Gu Cheng, his eyes filled with deep suspicion.
"This is a new type of catapult modified using the lever counterweight principle. Its power far surpasses that of existing catapults. Because it makes a thunderous sound when launching stones, I named it the Divine Thunder Cannon."
""
Gu Cheng patted the catapult as he explained.
Actually, this catapult was originally named Xiangyang Cannon. It was made by the Gu family's weapons workshop in Xudu using the blueprints he received as a reward from the system.
This catapult is the most powerful catapult in history! "The lever...the counterweight principle?"
"Brother Gu, please forgive my ignorance and lack of knowledge, but what exactly do you mean by that 'lever' and 'weight' you mentioned?" Cao Ang was still completely confused, his eyes full of bewilderment.
Gu Cheng then said, "We don't need to worry about the other young masters. Just know that this Divine Thunder Cannon can launch stone projectiles weighing 150 jin (75 kg), which can create a seven-foot-deep crater upon impact, more than enough to collapse Yuan Shao's earthen mound!"
"One hundred and fifty jin?" "Seven feet deep?" Upon hearing these two numbers, Cao Ang gasped.
In Cao Ang's memory, the catapults in Cao Cao's camp could only throw stones weighing around 30 jin (approximately 15 kg), that was their limit. Gu Cheng, however, said that the catapult before him could throw stones weighing 150 jin (approximately 75 kg). Five times the weight! And it could still create a seven-foot-deep crater!
"How could there be such a powerful catapult in this world?" Cao Ang stared blankly at the divine thunder cannon before him, his eyes flashing with disbelief. Gu Cheng noticed his skepticism and said, "Youping, find a large rock and demonstrate it to the young master." Zhou Tai rolled up his sleeves, moved a rock weighing over a hundred pounds from nearby, and laboriously loaded it into the catapult pouch. He adjusted the direction, added the counterweight, and released the wooden tip. With a thunderous roar, the boulder soared into the air, covering a distance of over fifty paces, and struck a large tree squarely. "Crack!" Another loud crash.
A tree as thick as a person was smashed in half and crashed to the ground. Cao Ang gasped, dumbfounded. After a long while...
He snapped out of his daze, his face lighting up with wild joy. He exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Gu's Divine Thunder Cannon is truly unparalleled in power! If our army had such a catapult, it would be a piece of cake to blast Yuan Shao's earthen mound to pieces!"
Gu Cheng smiled but remained silent.
"Brother Gu, your Divine Thunder Cannon is so amazing, where did you get it?" Cao Ang asked curiously, slightly suppressing his excitement. "Well..." Gu Cheng tapped his forehead with his fingertip, thinking about what reason to come up with this time.
Cao Ang retorted, "Brother Gu, this Divine Thunder Cannon, you wouldn't have just tinkered with it in your spare time like that repeating crossbow, would you?"
"How did you guess it, young master?" Gu Cheng readily agreed, his face completely serious.
Cao Ang knew that his brother-in-law was deliberately fobbing him off, and could only smile bitterly to himself.
"Very well, no matter how my brother-in-law created this divine weapon, as long as it can break through Yuan Shao's earthen mound, that's fine." Cao Ang suppressed his curiosity and said, "This Divine Thunder Cannon is indeed incredibly powerful, but one is not enough. I wonder if Brother Gu could tell me how it is made so that I can ask my father to make a large number of them immediately."
Gu Cheng laughed and said, "There's no need for you to worry about that, Lord Cao. My Gu family's weapons workshop has already made more than fifty of them. As long as you're willing to buy them, they can be delivered to the front line at Guandu within three days."
He went back to business.
The war between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao presented a golden opportunity to profit from the conflict. Therefore, he came out of seclusion to assist Cao Ang, firstly to prevent Yuan Shao from conquering the Central Plains, which would be detrimental to him. Secondly, he naturally wanted to use Cao Ang as a connection to promote his Gu family's weapons. With such a lucrative opportunity presented to him, how could he possibly miss it?
Cao Ang couldn't help but smile wryly, "Brother Gu, so you're trying to make a fortune off my Cao family again?" "Young Master, you're mistaken."
Gu Cheng said earnestly, "If the eldest son buys my Divine Thunder Cannon, it can defeat Yuan Shao. If I sell the Divine Thunder Cannon to the eldest son, I can earn a few hard-earned money. This is a win-win situation."
"What a win-win situation!"
"Brother Gu, I'll take all of these divine thunder cannons on behalf of my father." "As long as they can blast Yuan Shao's earthen mound, money is no object!" Cao Ang smiled bitterly, but still bought them without hesitation.
Gu Cheng laughed heartily and praised, "Young Master is indeed a straightforward person. It's truly a great pleasure to be friends with you!"
Cao Ang also burst into laughter.
Immediately, Cao Ang took the Divine Thunder Cannon and returned to Guandu City.
South of Guandu City, at the drill ground. This was the limit of the range of Yuan's arrows, and one of the few places in Guandu City where there was no need to worry about being threatened by a hail of arrows. At this moment, Cao Cao sat on the command platform, watching with great interest as his soldiers pushed a catapult into the drill ground. "Minister of Works, this is the catapult I improved, called the Thunderbolt Cart." "This cart can hold fifty catties of stone projectiles. If we can build more than a hundred of them, I am seventy percent confident that we can blast down Yuan's earthen mound." The young scholar Liu Ye was calmly explaining to Cao Cao.
These words invigorated all the civil and military officials in Cao Cao's camp. Cao Cao's eyes also lit up with joy. He immediately stepped down from the platform and, with his men, began to circle the trebuchet. "Liu Ziyang, can this trebuchet really launch fifty-pound stone projectiles?" Cao Cao still harbored some doubt. Liu Hua smiled confidently: "I spent a year reading countless books to create this trebuchet. It has been tested many times before being presented to the Minister of Works; there is absolutely no problem with it."
Cao Cao nodded slightly, the gloom that had hung over his face for days gradually dissipating. "Minister, the power of this Thunderclap is far superior to the existing catapults. If we mass-produce them, we will surely be able to break through Yuan Shao's earthen mound!" Guo Jia said confidently.
Cao Cao laughed heartily and said with delight, "Then quickly gather the craftsmen and have them work day and night to build this thunderbolt chariot for me!" Suddenly.
On the city wall not far away, the soldiers made a commotion.
"What is that enormous thing that the eldest young master brought back?" "It looks like a catapult."
"Impossible! Catapults aren't that big, and they look completely different!" The soldiers' astonishment sparked a flicker of curiosity in Cao Cao's eyes. Just as he was speculating, Cao Ang had already spurred his horse into the city and galloped to the drill ground. "Ang'er, you've come at the right time."
"We already have the powerful weapon to break through Yuan Shao's earthen mound. Look what this is," Cao Cao said, pointing to the trebuchet.
Cao Ang glanced at it, his expression changing in surprise. He asked, "Father, is this...is this a catapult?" "This thing is called a trebuchet, and it is indeed a catapult." Cao Cao nodded slightly, but said excitedly, "But this trebuchet is more powerful than existing catapults. It can launch objects weighing fifty catties. Breaking down Yuan Shao's earthen mound will be a piece of cake!"
Cao Ang's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but shiver.
He wasn't surprised by the power of the trebuchet, but rather recalled what Gu Cheng had told him earlier. Gu Cheng had said that Cao Cao had many strategists under his command, and surely someone capable of defeating Yuan Shao at Tushan for him. At that time, Cao Ang was completely bewildered and couldn't understand the meaning of Gu Cheng's words. Only now did Cao Ang suddenly realize their significance.
"Could it be that my brother-in-law actually foresaw that Liu Ye would offer up this thunderbolt chariot to help my father break through Yuan Shao's earthen mound?" Cao Ang's mind was in turmoil, and the more he thought about it, the more his awe of Gu Cheng deepened.
Cao Cao noticed his son's unusual expression and the lack of the expected surprise on his face, which aroused his suspicion. "Zixiu, what's wrong?" Cao Cao asked. Cao Ang snapped out of his reverie and hurriedly replied, "Father, I just happened to bring back a catapult that can launch an object weighing 150 jin (75 kg), which is slightly more powerful than this trebuchet."
This statement came out.
Cao Cao and all the strategists and generals present in his camp were greatly shocked. "There really is a catapult in this world, capable of throwing 150 jin (75 kg), three times more than my trebuchet?" Liu Hua's eyes narrowed, his face filled with deep astonishment.
"Zixiu, where is that catapult you mentioned now?" Cao Cao asked impatiently, his eyes lighting up.
Cao Ang turned his head and pointed: "Because the catapult is too big, the city gate must be dismantled to transport it in, so we can only park it outside the south gate for now."
"Let's go take a look!" Cao Cao jumped up and excitedly left the tent.
Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Cao Ren, Liu Hua, and other strategists and generals, filled with curiosity, followed them out. Before long, they rode out of the south gate. A gigantic catapult stood prominently before the city gate. "This...this is a catapult?" Cao Cao gasped, his eyes widening in shock.
Behind them, Liu Hua and the others all looked up in astonishment.
"This is indeed a catapult, but it's an improved version that utilizes the lever counterweight principle. It's called the 'Divine Thunder Cannon.'"
Although Cao Ang himself didn't understand, he solemnly explained it using Gu Cheng's words: "Leverage...lever?"
"Zixiu, what do you mean? I don't understand at all!" Cao Cao was completely bewildered and looked at his son with confusion.
Cao Ang coughed a few times before laughing, "Those things aren't important. Father, all you need to know is that this Divine Thunder Cannon is five times more powerful than an ordinary catapult and three times more powerful than the trebuchet Liu Ziyang presented. It's more than enough to destroy Yuan Shao's earthen mound!"
Cao Cao took another deep breath and beckoned to Liu Hua: "Ziyang, come and take a look. Is this Divine Thunder Cannon really that miraculous?"
Liu Ye, already filled with curiosity, hurried forward and examined it closely as if it were a priceless treasure. Although he was a strategist, he also had a keen interest in studying machinery and mechanics, and was far more knowledgeable than Cao Cao, a layman. After circling it several times, Liu Ye's eyes grew increasingly awestruck.
After a long pause, he finally couldn't contain himself and exclaimed in amazement, "This Divine Thunder Cannon is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship! Even if Lu Ban were reborn, he might not be able to forge it!"
Everyone was shocked and turned to look at Cao Ang.
Cao Ren exclaimed in amazement, "Zixiu, this Divine Thunder Cannon is so wondrous! Where did you get it? You didn't create it yourself, did you?"
"Uncle Zixiao is joking."
Cao Ang chuckled self-deprecatingly: "How could I possibly have that ability? This Divine Thunder Cannon, like the Gu Family Repeating Crossbow, was made by that Young Master Gu."
"Young Master Gu, it's that Gu Cheng again, Mr. Gu?" Cao Ren exclaimed in surprise. Cao Ang nodded emphatically: "Of course it's him. Otherwise, who else in the world could create such an ingenious artifact besides him?"
Cao Ren gasped, stunned into awe.
"So the rumors were true. The extraordinary recluse behind our lord really does exist." "Indeed, it's said he's in the eldest prince's camp."
"This man has finally come out of seclusion, and his first move is a repeating crossbow and this divine thunder cannon. He truly lives up to his reputation!" "With such a strategist in charge of our army, what do we have to fear even if Yuan Shao has a million troops!" The generals discussed among themselves, and the morale of the army had unintentionally surged.
Cao Cao suddenly realized, stroking his beard and thinking to himself, "Just as I expected, it's my son-in-law's doing again..." "Minister, this Divine Thunder Cannon is three times as powerful as my Thunder Chariot, breaking through Yuan Shao's earthen mound is a piece of cake!" "However, this catapult is exquisitely crafted, twice the size of the Thunder Chariot, and it must have taken a lot of time to build, I'm afraid there won't be enough time."
""
Liu Ye was amazed, but also harbored concerns. Cao Cao's expression hardened.