Chapter 21 Criticism of Weapons

After playing in Dongzhi for two days, Sun Shao and others returned with a full load. When they returned to the shipyard, the two warships had been modified. Ge Heng said confidently to Sun Shao that as long as there was no hurricane, he could guarantee that the two ships would not be in danger of capsize. Sun Shao was very satisfied. He went to the bottom of the cabin to see the installed weights. Although he couldn't see anything famous, he was much relieved. Back to Feilu (the upper cabin of the two-story ship), he sat down in front of the newly modified case and patted the brand-new case: "Sizhen, are these all designed by you?"

"It's nothing. I just asked them to change the fixed one to load and unload. It's always annoying."

"Hey hey." Sun Shao smiled twice and said, "How about it? Has General Yue kept you?"

"I was given the position of a great craftsman." Ge Heng said lightly, "But I'm not interested. I also want to follow the young master to Jiaozhou. It is said that there are many ships from Xiyi, which are quite different from my Han's ships. I want to go there to have a look and learn more knowledge."

Sun Shao grinned and was secretly glad that he still didn't pay attention to technology these days. Ge Heng, a genius like him, actually only offered the conditions of a big craftsman across the sea. The big craftsman sounds good. In fact, he is still a foreman. His annual salary is only 400 stones, that is, the treatment of a small county magistrate. Ge Heng is far from this number here. . In addition to money, there is also respect, which can't be given across the sea.

Qiaoyue brought tea, poured a cup for each of them, and then retreated. Sun Shao picked up a cup of tea and asked faintly, "Have you tasted the sweetness of this trip?"

"Hey hey, that's right." Ge Heng smiled honestly, took a sip of tea, and said with emotion, "The young master is right. It's better to walk thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. It's impossible to build a car behind closed doors. This time it's only a few months, but it's an eye-opener and I've gained a lot. I don't dare to be as self-righteous as before.

"Sure enough, as the saying goes, ripe wheat always bows its head, and only mid-air wheat is high." With a sigh of admiration, Shen Xuan stepped into the cabin and arched his hand to Ge Heng with a smile: "Sizhen, your current demeanor is much calmer than in the past few months."

Ge Heng and Shen Xuan are also acquaintances, but in the past, Shen Xuan was arrogant and didn't look up to him. Now they are all Sun Shao's guests. Of course, they should be polite. He smiled and said, "The progress of silence is beyond my reach."

Shen Xuan's mouth squeaked, glanced at Sun Shao, and stopped mentioning this topic. Ge Heng is right. He has eaten too much in front of Sun Shao in the past ten days. Inadvertently, he has also changed a lot from the previous talent. He disguised himself by pouring himself a cup of tea and whispered, "Young master, the people of the Yan family have gone to sea, and our people have been on the boat."

"Well, just follow." Sun Shao nodded: "Tie the situation first. Don't act rashly."

Shen Xuan pondered for a moment: "The young master is not going to attack them?"

"What are you doing?" Sun Shao smiled bitterly: "The Yan family is already like this. Why do you have to kill her all and bully a weak woman? It's boring. If she doesn't mess with me in the future, it will be over.

Shen Xuan blinked his eyes and nodded silently.

"That's right, Sizhen, where's your little magic doctor friend?"

"He has been very busy these two days." Ge Heng shook his head helplessly: "Spring is coming. There are many epidemics. Many workers in the shipyard have fallen ill. He is busy treating them."

"What diseases is he good at?"

"The epidemic also has experience in miasma." A smile appeared on Ge Heng's face: "He is very interested in the inner elixir that the young master said. He has always wanted to visit the young master, but it's a pity that he hasn't spared time yet."

"Ask him if he is interested in going to Jiaozhou with us." Sun Shao said, "There are hundreds of people on the ship. If there is a person with excellent medical skills to follow, there will be some more protection. Moreover, there are many merchants in Xiyi in Jiaozhou, and there should also be medical craftsmen who know the medical skills of Xiyi. It's also a good thing to communicate with them.

"OK, I'll talk to him." Ge Heng hesitated for a moment and said, "But don't hope too much. Jun Yi is so quiet. Except for his enthusiasm for medicine and Taoism, he is not very interested in anything else. He may not be interested in entering the house as a guest."

"It doesn't matter whether you can enter the house or not. Just think of it as making friends." Sun Shao didn't attach much importance to these relationships. He didn't have the same power as Cao Yan to treat Hua Tuo as a full-time doctor. Dong Feng didn't like him, and he couldn't help it.

"That's good." Ge Heng breathed a sigh of relief, said a few more words, and then got up to find Dong Feng.

Sun Shao and Shen Xuan sat silently, and no one spoke. After a while, Sun Shao said, "Mozhi, I'm going to leave for Jiaozhou tomorrow. The sea is dangerous, and the future will be unpredictable. If you are willing to go with me, I welcome you very much. If you have another high place, I dare not force it. Let me tell you the truth. I definitely can't help you with what you want to do.

Shen Xuan stopped the cup in his hand and looked at the mountains in the distance through the window with deep eyes. His eyes flashed and he seemed a little hesitant. After thinking for a while, he turned his head and looked at Sun Shao: "Is Sun Jun going to imitate Taibo when he sent someone to explore Yizhou?"

"How can I have such a high level?" Sun Shao smiled and said, "I can't afford to provoke, so I just hide. Yizhou is lonely overseas, and the sky is high and the emperor is far away. It's better for me to occupy the mountain as the king than to be suspected here. He paused and looked up at Shen Xuan: "To tell you the truth, I got a big name this time. I always feel that it's not a good thing. I feel a little uneasy in my heart. Cao Gong is wise. This time, he seems to be a little too favored, and something is abnormal."

Shen Xuan raised the corners of his mouth, but avoided answering: "Sun Jun, Xuandou dares to ask, what if you can't avoid it?"

Sun Shao glanced at Shen Xuan with twinkling eyes, and the corners of his mouth twisted: "The world is vast, so it's not a place without me to stand, right?"

Shen Xuan frowned: "Are you really willing to float on the sea?"

"Silence, the size of the sea and the breadth of the sea, I'm afraid it's not what you can imagine." Sun Shao smiled. He stood up, walked to the outside of the cabin, held the railing, and looked at the cloudless sky. His eyes were a little fascinated. Shen Xuan stood behind him and looked at him with bright eyes. Obviously, he had to answer to the end, and he refused to give up. Sun Shao waved his arm and drew a circle of Hai Xuxu in the distance. He smiled boldly and said, "Silence, believe it or not, if we can work together, the final achievement may be no less than that of Emperor Gao."

Shen Xuan raised his eyebrows and was immediately moved. Emperor Gao Liu Bang started his career as a commoner. In a few years, he broke through Chu and established the Han Dynasty. He founded the foundation of the Han Dynasty for more than 400 years. Sun Shao said so, and he was obviously not willing to float on the sea. You can understand that he wants to fight a country by himself, or that he wants to unify the world and become the new owner of the land of the Han Dynasty. In Shen Xuan's view, the latter ambition is obviously more practical. As a person at their level, Sun Shao's meaning has been clearly expressed.

In a moment, he made a choice: "Then Shen Xuan will attach the young master's tail."

"With silent help, why can't you do it?" Sun Shao turned his head and looked at Shen Xuan with a smile.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The next day, Sun Shao's ten boats sailed out of the water village. Zhang Qian repaired a new fleet and followed him. Yuehai personally sent Sun Shao out of the water gate and said goodbye. Dong Feng talked with Sun Shaochang last night last night. Although he was very tired, he was a little excited. He said to Sun Shao with some regret, "Sun Jun, I'm here, and then I will rush to Jiaozhou and ask Sun Jun for benefits at that time."

Sun Shao laughed and said, "Jun Yi, you can kill me. I'm just hearsay, and there is no real talent and learning. How can I call it a treat? You can treat your illness here at ease. I should be in Jiaozhou for a while, and you don't have to worry too much. The medical craftsmen in Xiyi are also common, and there are many opportunities to meet.

"I hope so." Dong Feng nodded repeatedly.

Sun Shao turned to Yuehai and said politely, "General Yue, this time General Cheng pointed out the method of water war. Shao is very grateful and has no way to repay. When I return from Jiaozhou, I will drink with the general."

"I dare not. If I have a wife here, how can I dare to cross the sea?" Yuehai also said politely. He was originally quite conceited, but later he found that Guan Feng was also good at water warfare. Although he may not be much better than him, it was enough to surprise him. Although Sun Shao does not have access to water warfare, his ability to understand is extraordinary, and he often has excellent insight. From time to time, his achievements in water warfare will certainly not be weaker than his crossing the sea. Although Yuehai was arrogant, he admired those who had the ability and did not dare to underestimate Sun Shao for this.

After saying goodbye, Sun Shao returned to his boat and set sail. Yuehai looked at the drifting sail shadow and spled with some regret: "It's a pity that such a young hero can't fight on the battlefield. He can only be a businessman to survive. Alas, I don't know if this is the blessing of Jiang Dong or the misfortune of Jiang Dong.

Lieutenant Li Nong also nodded with some regret: "Yes, now Captain Sun is so famous in Jiangdong, and there are a lot of tricks. If he can be on the front line, how can Cao Jun be so arrogant? The front line is tense, but such a good talent can only be idle, the supreme..."

Before he finished his words, Yuehai glanced at him coldly. He was so scared that he swallowed the words behind him again. He shrank his neck and said, "I'm going to patrol" and hurried away.

"Young master, I heard some rumors in the army."

"What rumors?" Sun Shao, who was fiddling with the ship model with Ge Heng, didn't raise his head and asked casually.

"The war of Ruxu is not going well." Shen Xuan found a place to sit down. While watching Ge Heng play with it, he said, "Although it doesn't sound real, the general situation is not bad. Cao Jun seems to have invented a very powerful weapon that can directly attack the dock in the water. The defenders in the dock suffered heavy casualties, and the losses of the navy were not small. Yesterday, the military order just arrived at the shipyard and wanted to mobilize a large number of warships. He paused and said, "It seems that a heavy general has died, and his morale has been seriously damaged."

"Is there such a thing?" Sun Shao raised his head in surprise: "Who died in the war?"

"I don't know who it is." Shen Xuan shook his head and looked a little gloating: "In a word, it should be a heavy general. I think General Yue and others are evasive. It seems that they don't want others to know that they won't be unknown people."

Sun Shao straightened up, and his mood was a little complicated. Shen Xuan didn't know, but he guessed a little. Liu Ye must have loaded the Thunderbolt into the warship and carried out a long-range attack on the warships of Ruxuwu and Jiangdong. Jiangdong's warships are skilled and experienced in sailors, but there are not too many advanced combat methods. In addition to hand-to-hand combat, they use crossbows to carry out long-range attacks. When they meet Qingxu sailors equipped with Thunderbolts, they will definitely suffer losses. Once Cao's battlefield has an advantage in the water war, it is not only tight, but also may endanger Jiangdong. If the Jiangdong navy is defeated on all fronts, it is really possible for Cao to cross the river smoothly this time.

Counting, this order should have happened five or six days ago. According to the time Cao Jun needs to prepare, Jiangdong should not be able to support at present. Sun Quan mobilized a large number of warships. Maybe he saw this danger, so he was ready to win by quantity. The biggest difficulty may be the low morale. It is not a trivial matter that a heavy general dies in battle.

Is it a little self-defeating? Did you get a discount in the end? Although Sun Shao prefers Cao Hen, it is obviously not the result he is willing to accept if Cao Hen really wants to annex Jiang Dong.

"Young master?" Seeing that Sun Shao's eyes were complicated and silent, Shen Xuan thought he was worried about the war in Jiangdong, so he gently reminded him.

"Mozhi, you see... Is it possible for Cao Jun to cross the river this time?"

Shen Xuan smiled and shook his head repeatedly: "Maybe the last name is, but it's not big. Some time ago, the water was shallow, and the disadvantage of Qingxu Shuishi was not obvious. Now it is late spring. As long as it persists for more than ten days, the water will rise sharply and the water surface will become wider. Qingxu Shuishi will not be able to resist the attack of Jiangdong Shuishi, and Cao Shen will inevitably retreat.

"Are you sure?" Sun Shaoqiang smiled.

"I'm sure." Shen Xuan nodded. Sun Shaogang put a snack, and then he was nervous by a sentence behind him: "According to the previous war, there should be no big accident."

The previous war? Do you know what criticism of weapons is? How much impact will the sudden appearance of a new weapon on the battlefield have on the balance of strength between the two sides? Why can't Cao Shen cross the river? It's not that his strength is not as good as Jiangdong, but that the Qingxu navy is not the opponent of the Jiangdong navy, so his strong overall strength can't be exerted. Once the Qingxu navy has the upper hand in the water war, don't be too much. As long as the Jiangdong navy is restrained and can ensure that Cao's army can cross the river, then the danger of the Yangtze River will become an empty word. Cao's army is strong. The step ride will give full play to its due power and give Jiangdong a heavy blow.

The huge role of intellectuals in this era on technological progress is still seriously underestimated.

Sun Shao suppressed his beating heart, looked at the silent Ge Heng, and forced a smile, "Sizhen, what do you think?"

Ge Heng stroked the model in his hand and sighed regretfully: "So far, we haven't found a long-range weapon that can compete with the Thunderbolt. I'm still experimenting with the kind of catapult mentioned by the young master, and I haven't figured out some key points. If... if there are drawings of the Thunderbolt now, it will be much more convenient.

Sun Shao regretted it. When the book was used, he hated it less. He has seen the catapult in the movies of his previous life, but he only knows a general shape, which is theoretically feasible, but some specific components need to be supplemented by Ge Heng. Although Ge Heng is good at machinery, it is impossible to do it overnight. It is still unknown when it can be put into use.

In the Ruxuwu camp, the atmosphere was depressing. More than a dozen civil servants and generals looked nervous and sat down silently, with their eyes all on Sun Quan's face. Sun Quan supported the book with both hands and couldn't help trembling slightly. In a war report in front of him, the numbers were shocking.

However, after a seven-day attack, Jiangdong's warships lost 20%, nearly ten directly sank, and hundreds of soldiers were killed. The Ruxu dock, which was originally thought to be solid as a golden soup, suffered more losses, and the wall of the dock was seriously damaged. Nearly a hundred soldiers were killed. More importantly, the huge stones flying all over the sky brought a heavy blow to morale. The morale originally brought by Gan Ning and Sun Shao are now gone. As soon as I saw the battle flag of Cao's army, from generals to soldiers. There is a chill from the bottom of my heart.

And this is just the beginning. Sun Quan is very clear that Cao Jun is not familiar with this new tactic. Especially a few days ago, the hit rate of the boulders they hit was extremely low, and most of them fell into the river. The threat to the Jiangdong navy was not great. If it hadn't been for the fact that General Ling Tong had unfortunately been hit by a ship and died, Jiangdong soldiers would have died. He would not take Cao's attack seriously, but from the third day, he found the power of this new tactic. After Cao Jun was initially familiar with the Thunderbolt modified on the warship, there was a significant increase in accuracy, and the casualties in Jiangdong began to soar.

It seems that someone said that it would be a nightmare to load the Thunderbolt into the warship? Sun Shao's eyelids jumped, and it took him a long time to remember a name that was already indifferent, which was Sun Shao. When he came back from Cao Ying, he reminded himself. Sun Quan couldn't help clenching his teeth and hating it. At that time, he only listened to it as a joke. He didn't expect this possibility at all. Unexpectedly, it has become a reality now.

At the thought of Sun Shao, Sun Quan's eyelids jumped even more. In the past two days, his morale was low, and some people quietly mentioned Sun Shao, saying that Sun Shao, a brave man, would leave the barracks to do business, which was really Jiang Dong's loss. In their words, it seemed that if Sun Shao could restrain Cao's new weapon if he was here. Of course, Sun Quan sneered at such absurd words, but he could not turn a blind eye to the shaking of morale. At this time, if the army's heart was shaken, his bad luck would be far from endless.

"What good policies do you have for the current war?" Sun Quan forcibly drove the name Sun Shao out of his mind, looked up at the ministers calmly, and showed a calm smile on his face: "I look at your appearance, but I think of the thirteenth year of Jian'an, the scene at that time is really vivid in my mind. It's just a pity that although Zi Jing is here, Gong Jin's heroic soul has passed away.

Everyone looked at each other in front of each other and was a little embarrassed. Isn't praising Zhou Yu and Lu Su at this time equivalent to saying that they are incompetent? But strangely, after listening to Sun Quan's words, although they felt a little uncomfortable, their nervousness faded a lot inadvertently. Yes, although there are some difficulties in front of us, can it be more serious than the 13 years of Jian'an? That time, Cao Wei settled in Jingzhou without fighting, and mastered the Jingzhou Marine Division, known as 800,000 troops, who were about to go down the river, which was much more serious than the current situation.

"The public record (Ling Tong) is very sad, and you must be the same, but it's just an accident. God doesn't bless the good people. Don't be scared by this accident." Sun Quan's eyes turned red, he sucked his nose, and sighed a little. After a while, he smiled and said, "The water has risen very fast in the past two days. Zang Ba and the others are almost unstable. You should be ready to fight."

"Oh." Gan Ning and other generals immediately responded. Gan Ning patted his chest and said loudly, "Don't worry, the supreme. Although Cao Jun's Thunderbolt is very powerful, it is okay to deal with immovable targets, but it is not satisfactory to deal with fast-moving warships. I think that as long as we give full play to our army's superb boating technology and act quickly, we will definitely turn these Thunderbolts into useless things.

"Isn't it possible to use boats that can only move quickly and board first?" Zhang Zhao suddenly interrupted and said, "How much role can such a boat play even if it is close to Cao Jun?" Most of Cao Jun's Thunderbolts are installed on the building ship. On the following attack, I'm afraid it may not be effective with a small attack, right?

Gan Ning choked and returned to his seat. Zhang Zhao is right. Cao's army are all big ships. It is indeed a big loss to attack big ships with small boats. As soon as he returned to his position, the atmosphere that had just become more relaxed immediately became serious. Sun Quan looked at Zhang Zhao unhappily and said lightly, "What should we do with what the military division said?"

Zhang Zhao stood up and didn't say anything. He first tidied up his belt, and then said seriously, "I think I should negotiate with Cao Jun first to delay the time, and then immediately transfer Lu Su, Lu Xun, Sun Zhuo and other departments to help."

Sun Quan originally didn't think so much about Zhang Zhao, but when he heard his words, he couldn't help nodding repeatedly. Most of the elite soldiers in Jiangdong are now concentrated in Ruxu. The rest are the Lusu Department in Lukou, the Sunjiao Department in Xiakou, and the Luxun Department in Wuhu. These three parts have a lot of strength, especially the Lu Xun Department, which is only a hundred miles away. However, Sun Quan is a little worried that Lu Xun now has more than 10,000 elite soldiers. If he makes more contributions this time, his strength will be further strengthened. Will he still be able to control it at that time?

Teng Dan saw Sun Quan's hesitation and immediately got up: "I think Zhang Gong's policy is feasible. However, Lu Xun's troops want to suppress Fu Shanyue, and Sun Zhuo's troops should guard against Guan Yu. They should not move lightly. It is better to urgently transfer Lu Su to the east.

"What do you think?" Sun Quan glanced at the crowd, and everyone understood it and expressed their support. Sun Quan was very satisfied. He turned his eyes a few times and finally fell on Gu Yong: "What do you think of Gu Gong?"

Gu Yong stroked his beard and bowed slightly: "I think what Mr. Zhang said is very good. However, in addition to this, it is necessary to find a sharp weapon that can deal with the Cao army as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if General Hengjiang arrives, it will be difficult to turn the war around."

"So... Who can Gu Gong recommend?"

Gu Yong took a look at Zhang Zhao and smiled: "Did the Supreme forget that Zhang Gong's son Zhang Fen and Zhang Wenjing?"

(to be continued)