Chapter 464 - Technology Race (1/2)
Chapter 464 – Technology Race
December, 194 AD.
Guangling County
A hundred of burly master blacksmiths, who would soon become gunsmiths, surrounded their team leader, observing what he was doing.
On the blacksmith's leader hands, gun parts were being assembled into one long item.
*Click*
Soon, a prototype musket of the Sun Clan was completed.
”Let's try to shoot it!” Asked an enthusiastic blacksmith.
The blacksmith leader did just that. He poured a pinch of gunpowder and used a long thin pipe to shove an iron ball inside the long chamber. Clumsily, he aimed at a mud wall, where all blacksmiths dispersed and gave this old man a room to shoot.
*BANG*
*PU*
The iron ball punctured into the mud wall, creating a small hole in it.
”Is it successful?” An apprentice blacksmith looked at the scene from afar.
”Obviously, yes! It's completed!”
Everyone celebrated that they achieved what Sun Fang had entrusted them to do.
.
Jiangdou Port, south of Guangling County
500 Shipbuilders of this port were observing a new ship, which was sliding on wooden logs to the Yangtze River.
The new ship did not have a square hull, which was an orthodox warship in this era. Instead, they had a narrow and curvy hull, sharp bow, and three tall masts on the front, center, and rear deck.
Not only could this vessel sail by paddles, but the sailcloths on the mast could also be used to take advantage of the wind and propel the ship forward without paddles.
This was the first galley that Sun Fang designed by using his modern world's knowledge. It took him and his men a decade through a difficult trial-and-error project. Yet, they completed it nonetheless.
Sun Fang gazed at the first galley of china with a proud look.
'I can't fight Zhang Tong and Sun Ce head-on, but I can at least advance my colony's technologies. With this ship and my shipbuilders, even if Sun Ce and Zhou Yu backstabbed me, I can migrate to either Japan or South Asia with this.'
Pu Jing was not the only one that planned to escape from China and start over in other countries. Sun Fang, too, had his sight on the Yamato Kingdom, the ancient Japan.
Sun Fang knew that the Yamato Kingdom valued shipbuilders and warships, so he could make it big there. Staying in China and fighting Tong with his current military strength was a foolish idea.
Unlike persistent antagonists in some novels, Sun Fang had a brain. He knew when to retreat when he could not win.
*ZAAAAA*
The galley entered the Yangtze River. As it floated and maintained on the water, all shipbuilders shouted and cheered, celebrating their success.
Sun Fang clenched his fists, 'Next, I'll cultivate to at least 6-wing tier ASAP. I can't trust anyone but myself now!'
.
.
Chang'An
A similar celebration took place in a workshop as Liu Bei's elite blacksmith group completed their research and forged a new musket, which was more advanced than the prototype arquebus that they obtained from Cao Cao and Pu Jing.
Moreover, Liu Bei, who had obtained a fraction of Ping's memory, came up with a new item for his Qiang Cavalry units.
The stirrup
A pair of leather and iron rings, attached to a saddle with a strap, was a tool for horsemen as an extra foothold during their ride, which made their balancing easier and more comfortable, increasing the rider's efficiency in horse combats.
The stirrup was invented during the Jin Dynasty Period, which did not exist during the Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms Era. However, the constraint dream of Ping's modern world reminded Liu Bei about many things that he could apply to his kingdom.
At first, Guan Yu, Pang Tong, and everyone were skeptical about Liu Bei's new invention. But once the first stirrup completed, it changed their opinion about this ambitious lord's intelligence.
With stirrup foothold, their horse units could instantly become elites, rivaling Lu Bu's former Mountaineer Legion, as they could perform on horseback better.
This was something that even Tong overlooked. The latter had too many competent officers that his angst disappeared from his mind. Without the anxiety and the pressure from strong rivals, Tong lacked the motive to invest everything into his technology development.
But Liu Bei, who was pressured by Lu Bu's absurd cultivation strength and Tong's military power, kept struggling non-stop. He scrambled for anything that could increase the chance to win against Tong's elite legions, and it paid off.
On a training field, Guan Yu equipped a stirrup on his horse and tried it.
As soon as he placed his feet into the foothold rings, his riding experience changed.
”This is comfortable. I don't have to adjust my legs while I'm riding anymore.”
Zhang Fei nodded in agreement since he had already tried it many times before, ”First brother is surprisingly a genius! If we can mass-produce this, our cavalry units will be unstoppable!”
”Indeed, but we have to secure our counter-intelligence network. Zhang Tong's spies can just steal our items and copy this for themselves. By the way, Yide, how many lifespans do you have now?”
”Something 500,000 years? Why?”
”I've been talking to the goddess recently, and she said that our men can learn this cultivation method if we pay her 200,000 years of lifespan per person. I'm planning to give it to Pang Tong, Xu Shu, and Ma Chao.”
”This will take a while. I can only cultivate like 400,000 to 500,000 lifespan a year.”
”Try to awaken your 5th and 6th wing. Then, you can cultivate at least 600,000 lifespans a year.”