Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 254
With the arrival of dawn, the clouds slowly dissipated, and the sun appeared in the east, as big as a wheel, as bright and dazzling as red molten iron, slowly rising from the treetops, shining on the city, on the hillside, and in the wilderness There was a red light inside.Looking around from the top of the city, you can see a large area of ​​Tang army camps. Gray tents are scattered in high and low places. Groups of soldiers have already stood up and are lining up. A little farther away, groups of pack horses are walking along the mountains. The road, to transport timber to the camp, is too steep in many sections and has to be carried by people.Since Rencun Mountain City is located on a high place, it can be seen clearly from the top of the city that most of these timbers are larch, and some of the branches have not been cut clean, obviously they were cut in the pine forest on the north slope.

"These should be used to make siege equipment!" a guard whispered.

"Yes! I just don't know if it's a cart or a trebuchet!" The veteran beside him sighed.

"Could it be the big guy from last time?" A young man interjected, "It's the big guy who can throw big stones from hundreds of steps away!"

The faces of the guards on the top of the city became ugly. Even though they had not seen the power of the Tang Army's Thunderbolt Chariot with their own eyes, they had heard from their companions that in front of that terrible machine, the steep terrain, the solid The city walls are no longer enough to rely on. As long as there is enough time, the attacking party can stand outside the range of the defenders and safely raze the city walls to the ground.

"You also know that it's a big guy!" The old soldier said slowly, "It's not so easy to move such a big thing to the mountain! Besides—" He paused a little: "Those who want to leave They left a long time ago, and those who are still here don’t think they can leave alive!”

"Not bad!"

"Yes, those who were afraid of death ran away early!"

"Yes, I plan to die in this mountain city of Rencun!"

"I fought with the Tang people for several years. My brother and two uncles died at the hands of the Tang people. I also killed two Tang people myself. Beheading is fine, but kneeling is not!"

The old soldier's words immediately aroused echoes. As he said, after Fuyu Fengzhang escaped, Chi Shouxin simply opened the city gate to avoid being shaken, and let the soldiers choose whether to leave or stay. Although there were only about 2000 people in the city, they all had the will to die. Seeing the power of the attacking party, they were afraid of returning home, but they would not waver.

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On an earthen platform more than three hundred steps away from the northwest corner of Rencun Mountain City, Liu Pingji was instructing his subordinates to reassemble the thunderbolt car. Most of the parts of this huge machine had been brought up yesterday, but The heaviest and longest long pole rolled down the valley with six mules on the way up the mountain. Dozens of larch more than [-] meters long had to be cut down overnight and sent up the mountain to hurry up to make the long pole.

"Pingji, is the Thunderbolt repaired?"

"Join the army!" Liu Pingji saw that it was Wang Wenzuo, and hurriedly bowed down and bowed down: "The villain is letting the craftsmen rush to work, but these pine trees are freshly cut and have not been dried. They are much heavier than the original poles. I'm afraid there will be trouble when I get up!"

Wang Wenzuo nodded. The counterweight trebuchet is actually a very precise machine. In order to ensure its accuracy, it is composed of a horizontal lever arm (axis), a base, a counterweight, a lever arm, a bomb belt, a winch and bearings. Composition, to ensure smooth bearings, made of brass; capstan including crank and pulley.There is a cable on the winch, the end of which is connected to the drive wheel of the winch, and the beam arm of the trebuchet is pulled down by pulling the rope.The whole trebuchet is assembled by pins (made of iron) and ropes.

These parts are pre-processed by carpenters, blacksmiths, rope makers, and cobblers, and then disassembled, and assembled temporarily on the battlefield.In order to achieve the maximum range and precision, there are certain standards for the length and weight of the lever arm (lever arm). An overweight lever arm will increase the burden on the entire machine, making it top-heavy, which will not only reduce the range and accuracy, but even reduce the service life.

"It's okay, just let your subordinates rush to work!" Wang Wenzuo looked around, and the craftsmen were all sweating profusely, and raised their voices: "This is the last battle. After the battle, we will reward you for your merits. Everyone has a share!"

"Everyone has a share?" Liu Pingji was taken aback when he heard the words: "You mean craftsmen also have military merits?"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Of course it's not as good as the soldiers who climbed first and broke the formation, but there are still some! To divide the land, children and grandchildren can enjoy it endlessly!"

Many craftsmen around had put down their work and cheered when they heard Wang Wenzuo say that he could get the land and leave it to future generations.Liu Pingji hurriedly shouted: "What are you doing? Don't work anymore? You have delayed your work, not to mention military merits, everyone will eat the whip!"

Hearing Liu Pingji's scolding, the craftsmen hurriedly continued to work.Only then did Liu Pingji turn around: "Jianjun, is what you just said true or false?"

"Of course it's true?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Joining the army, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that the reward of land is extraordinary! If craftsmen want rewards, so should sergeants. This is not a small number. How can there be so much land?" Liu Pingji asked worriedly.

"Pingji, you're worried about me! Well, anyway, siege is a common thing for black teeth today, and I'm fine, so I'll discuss it with you!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "The two cities of Sibi and Xiongjin Most of the surrounding fields have been distributed to the heroes and common people of Baekje who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. After the battle is over, I plan to spread this method to the whole of Baekje. All landowners with more than [-] acres of land must be Go to Sibi City and exchange the land deed to show your submission."

"Why is it a landowner with more than five hundred acres?" Liu Pingji asked.

"It's very simple, because these people are the backbone of the rebel army!" Wang Wenzuo said with a sneer, "Think about it, all armored weapons cost money, and there are few acres in the family, so it is difficult to support your family, so why would you take the initiative to raise an army?" ? Only those who have extra land at home, servants, and people with prestige in the village can raise their arms, and the respondent gathers!"

"Then what if they don't come?"

"If you don't come, you're resisting the destiny. You're stubborn! You'll be fine with one stroke!" Wang Wenzuo swung his arms vigorously, with a murderous look on his face, Liu Pingji could see clearly from the side, and couldn't help shivering.At that time, Baekje was almost against the whole country. If it was according to what Wang Wenzuo said, it would be tantamount to uprooting the small and medium-sized landlords in Baekje.

"Joining the army, will it involve too much and cause trouble?" Liu Pingji asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about this, I have my own plans!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "As long as you are willing to surrender and have not committed any heinous crimes, Datang will be lenient, pardon your crimes, and secure the territory! But if you are stubborn , like this person in Ren Cuncheng, or someone who is still following Fu Yu Fengzhang now, then there is nothing to say!"

(End of this chapter)