Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

"Are they going to build a bridge next? Or..."

Ellen Sander's voice came through Rahil's ear again, his tone carrying a hint of "I finally understand" and a hint of "but I'm not quite sure yet".

"Yes, build a bridge!"

This time, Rahil nodded firmly.

His gaze didn't leave the telescope, but he nodded slightly, as if confirming something he had been speculating about for a long time and was finally seeing in person.

After saying that, he put down the binoculars and pointed into the distance.

"If I'm not mistaken, they should be setting up the rollers right now."

He saw it very clearly.

The female Fear Lord who had struck that strange pose earlier was now striding briskly across the muddy riverbank. Her steps were large and hurried, her boots leaving deep footprints in the soft, wet mud with each stride.

With every two steps she took, she would slam her cane into the ground. The tip of the cane was metal, and she was like a moving measuring instrument, poking out one positioning point after another on the ground with her cane.

Beside her, the soldiers who had been prepared beforehand moved swiftly to the designated location as if being led by her cane, and put down the strange devices they were holding.

The devices were metal, roller-shaped, and coated with a matte black finish, arranged in a straight line on the mudflats. Soldiers on the other side placed identical devices, symmetrically positioned and evenly spaced.

After all the devices on both sides were in place, someone took measuring tools—a long ruler with graduations and a plumb line—and squatted down next to the devices, repeatedly checking the alignment in all directions.

His focused expression was like that of someone adjusting a precision instrument, rather than fiddling with a few rollers in the mud.

That peculiar device was the roller Rahil had mentioned.

"Why is the front roller different from the back roller?" a dragon prince asked.

The front roller has a significantly more complex structure than the back rollers, with an additional movable support and a flexible metal component that resembles a joint.

"Could this involve mechanics?"

This time, Rahil became uncertain.

He studied at the White Tower in Hossein, majoring in tactics and strategy, and minoring in history and geography, not engineering and physics.

He could only roughly determine that it was a "rocker roller"—a device that can tilt freely and provide crucial support for subsequent bridge construction.

But he had no idea how it was supported or what principles were involved. His tone carried an honest "I admit I don't understand" attitude, along with a hint of frustration at "why I don't understand."

Not far away, scholars from the Horace system also began their discussion.

But like Rahil, they had no idea what role the rocker arm rollers would play next. Because in their knowledge, bridges were 'built,' not like this.

You set up the scaffolding on the ground, laid the formwork on the scaffolding, and poured stones or laid bricks on the formwork. You've never seen a bridge that "grows" from this side of the river to the other side. Their discussions were low but dense; some were drawing sketches on paper, some were gesturing the direction of force with their hands, some were shaking their heads, and some were sighing.

However, these discussions and speculations did not hinder the pontoon bridge troops from continuing to build the bridge.

Six soldiers split into two groups of three and worked together to lift the side panel. The side panel was rectangular, about the height of a person, and about four or five meters long. Its surface was smooth metal with reinforcing ribs along the edges, and it looked like a huge, flattened steel beam.

Their movements were coordinated, clearly not their first time working together. Some were responsible for maintaining balance, while others were responsible for aligning the positions. The two side panels were mounted on the rocker arm rollers, and a low "clang" was made when the metal came into contact with the rollers. The whole structure wobbled slightly before coming to a steady stop.

The moment it was set up, the soldiers waiting nearby immediately sprang into action, placing the anti-sway bracket between the two side panels. The anti-sway bracket was X-shaped, with two intersecting steel rods connected by hinges, and both ends inserted into the slots reserved in the side panels.

The installation process was quick; with a click, it locked in place, and the entire structure instantly became much more stable.

Once the anti-sway bracket was installed, three I-beams were immediately inserted between the two side panels. They weren't "placed" in, but "inserted" in, passing through one side of the side panel and protruding from the other, like a rib, firmly binding the two panels together.

"This is... a crossbeam!"

Berlanal began to explain, his voice carrying a sense of relief, as if he finally understood. Then, he said with certainty, "If I'm not mistaken, next up is—the side support rod!"

And indeed, his judgment proved correct.

Without stopping, the soldiers turned around and pulled out several thick metal rods from the stack of components behind them. A moment later, three more support rods were added to each side panel, reinforcing the connection between the beam and the side panel.

"Great!"

Berlanal offered a heartfelt exclamation, his voice soft but sincere. At that moment, he understood—not just the names and functions of each component, but the logic behind the setup.

It's not about "we have a bunch of parts, and we figure out how to put them together," but rather "we know what kind of structure this bridge needs, we break the structure down into parts, and then put them back together in order."

The bridge uses a modular structure as a whole.

As he predicted, the soldiers moved the two side panels of the second group and mounted them on rollers. The movement was exactly the same as the first group, like playing a pre-recorded video, with the same rhythm and the same clanging sound.

Next, the soldiers aligned the side panels of the second set with the side panels of the first set. This was the most precise step in the entire erection process; the edges of the two panels had to fit together perfectly without the slightest misalignment.

The moment the alignment was achieved, the soldiers waiting on either side immediately climbed up to the space between the two sets of side panels, their movements swift and precise, as if they were climbing a low ladder. Then, they lay there and inserted the pins into the corresponding slots.

The perfect mortise and tenon structure requires no bolts or welding; only four pins are needed to fix the two huge side panels into a whole.

Next, the same old steps were followed: installing the anti-sway bracket, the crossbeam, and the support rod. Each step was like playing the same video recording, only the playback position had been moved a few meters back.

The soldiers' movements were so practiced that they didn't need to think; their hands knew where to grab, their feet knew where to step, and their eyes knew where to look.

"What's that? An extension?"

Bel-Tania voiced her confusion.

Her gaze fell on the component between the second and third sets of side panels. It was a trapezoidal metal part with grooves, installed at the junction of the two sets of side panels, protruding from one side like a tongue sticking out.

The spellcasters around her all saw the extension; it wasn't unique to any one team, nor was it a case of "installing it wrong," because all six teams present were installing it in the same way.

Same position, same parts, same angle—no team was an exception.

At that moment, she roughly understood the meaning of the signal flares that had been fired earlier.

On this side of the river, six pontoon bridge units are simultaneously building bridges. They are competing to build the same bridge using the same parts in the shortest amount of time.

Every successful connection and every pin being properly inserted is a test of the team's training level.

As for that extension, since all six teams are using it, it's not a 'habit' or a 'preference,' but a 'necessity.'

This must involve academic issues related to mechanics.

"While they were taking the first step, they were already preparing for the second. This involves the issue of extension, and this arc just makes up for that problem."

Finally, Berlanal stepped forward and offered a preliminary explanation. He drew an arc in the air with his finger, simulating the trajectory the extension would take in subsequent steps. His expression was serious and focused, as if he were solving a problem he really liked but hadn't fully solved yet.

The moment Berlanal finished speaking, the third modular structure was already erected. But unlike the second and first groups, the connection between the third and second groups was not secured with pins. The pre-drilled holes were empty; the soldiers simply walked past without stopping to insert pins.

Then, the discussions on the hillside abruptly ceased.

The soldiers worked together to lift the third structure. They crouched beneath it, supporting it with their shoulders and arms like weightlifters clean and jerk a barbell. Their faces were flushed, veins bulged in their necks, and their jaws were clenched, but their legs were straight and their backs were upright.

As the soldiers raised their arms, the previously installed extension came into play, acting like a hinge, a joint, a slipknot that allowed relative rotation between the two sets of structures.

As the third structure was gradually raised, the distance between its front top and the rear top of the second structure grew closer and closer until they finally met. The soldier who hadn't climbed down earlier, like a sniper waiting for his moment, inserted the pin that should have been inserted long ago into the corresponding slot.

Click.

Connection complete.

The third structure was successfully connected to the second structure. However, unlike the first and second structures, the third structure is highly inclined, with its front end significantly higher than its rear end, as if it were being lifted up from below by something.

The angle was so large that it seemed like it might tip over at any moment.

But it didn't.

After the soldiers who had been installing the pins jumped down, and after the soldiers who had been below the third set of structures left, the soldiers surrounding the bridge began to work together to push the bridge, which was beginning to take shape.

It wasn't one person pushing, but a dozen people lined up, with their hands on the edge of the side panel, their bodies leaning forward, and their feet pushing off the ground, all working together.

As the soldiers pushed, the structures of the first and second groups tilted. The tilt was slow, controlled, as if gently turned by hand; it wasn't 'crooked,' but 'changed direction.'

They began to tilt towards the river surface from their horizontal, ground-hugging position, with the front end sinking slightly and the rear end rising slightly. The movement was very slow, so slow that you could see each roller turning, so slow that you could hear the fine "squeak" of metal rubbing against metal.

"Amazing!" Berlanal exclaimed once again.

From his perspective, as the soldiers pushed, the extension located between the second and third sets moved between the two sets of ordinary rollers.

It was a magical moment. The trapezoidal metal component slid off one set of rollers, hovered in the air for less than a second, and then landed steadily on the next set of rollers. The whole process was smooth and seamless, without any stuttering, bumps, or that heart-stopping "what if I didn't catch it?" feeling.

Moreover, the extension did not touch the ground.

This shows that Duruci has surpassed Asur in the research and practice of mechanics.

It's not "may exceed", it's "already exceeded"!
While the scholars in Asur were still debating in the library how to mark the point of application of the force, the engineers in Duruci had already calculated those forces to several decimal places and then engraved the answer on the position of every edge, every curve, and every hole of these parts.

Once the extension was pushed onto the set of regular rollers behind the rocker arm rollers, some soldiers climbed onto the third structure before the officers could give orders. They moved quickly, like a group of monkeys climbing a tree that hadn't even settled in yet.

They carried no tools and wore no safety ropes; they simply used their own weight to press down on the very end of the structure, acting as human balancers.

It was an extreme form of trust: they believed the bridge wouldn't collapse, they believed their comrades would push it into place before it did, and they believed they were safe even standing there.

Then, a delightful scene unfolded.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth groups of structures appeared on the rollers as the soldiers built them, as if someone were casting the same shape piece by piece using an invisible mold.

Then, with the soldiers pushing, the fourth group of structures was connected to the third group, followed by the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth groups.

The soldiers who had previously acted as human balancers also jumped down and joined the subsequent pushing operation.

"Three-layer truss, they're stabilizing the structure!"

This time, Berlanal took the initiative to explain. His voice was a little louder and his speech was a little faster than before, as if he was trying to explain what he already understood before the next step happened.

"What I'm curious about now is how much each structure weighs."

His brows furrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on the side panels being carried by the soldiers, as if he were weighing them with his eyes.

One structure requires six soldiers to lift.

Six people, each bearing a weight of approximately... His mind was racing, but before the numbers came out, the next scene had already unfolded.

Starting with the fifth group, the soldiers began installing two additional side panels on top of the existing ones—not to replace them, but to 'reinforce' them. The three-layer structure, like a sandwich, sandwiched the crossbeams and support rods in the middle, forming a more stable and rigid assembly.

"Can't it be flipped? It shouldn't be..." a dragon prince asked himself, answering his own question.

His gaze was fixed on the structures suspended above the river, stretching out from the riverbank, growing longer and farther, as if someone on the opposite bank was reaching out a hand, waiting to grasp it.

His vision told him to flip over; those structures suspended in mid-air looked so heavy, so long, so unstable, that if the center of gravity shifted even slightly, he would fall into the river.

But his knowledge told him: No.

Because every single rod, every node, and every support is not arbitrary; they are all calculated.

His mind was in turmoil, a fierce battle between intuition and theory.

“No! It’s been reinforced!” Rahil’s voice was firm, as if issuing a command on the battlefield. He raised his arm and pointed to the rocker arm roller in the distance. “See that rocker arm roller?”

"Divide it into left and right sides with the rocker arm rollers as the boundary. When the weight of the structure on land is greater than that of the structure on the river, it won't capsize?" a dragon prince replied uncertainly, his brows still furrowed, but his eyes shining.

Before becoming a warrior, the Dragon Prince was first and foremost a nobleman, and nobles are required to receive a good education. Although they weren't specialists in this field, after being given a hint, they were able to grasp the general idea.

It's a lever; the riverbank is the fulcrum, the land side is the resistance arm, and the river side is the effort arm. As long as the land side is heavy enough, the river side won't capsize.

“Yes, torque!” Rahil’s voice quickened, as if he had found a stepping stone to stand on. “Initially, the front of the bridge was bent upwards because when the bridge was being advanced, only one end was supported, and its own weight would cause the structure to sag significantly. Without this upward bend at the front, the front of the bridge would be lower than the opposite bank when it reached the middle of the river.”

After explaining, he let out a long sigh.

That breath was heavy, deep, as if he were exhaling all the resentment and admiration in his chest at once. In his mind, he compared Duruci and Asur, not in a "who is stronger or weaker" way, but in a "why" way.

Why did Asur, with the same theory, a longer history, and richer resources, fail to produce the same results?
Why is it that Trucchi can transform classroom material into a real, solid bridge on the riverbank, one that is being built inch by inch and can support thousands of troops?
In terms of bridge applications, Duruci has already surpassed Asur.

It's not just "a step ahead", it's "a generation ahead".

And this is just one aspect of Duru's strength.

In many other areas that he hadn't seen, heard, or even known by name, Duruci was leaving Asur behind in the same way.

As subsequent structures were assembled and propelled, more and more structures suspended above the river became, growing longer and longer. Viewed from the hillside, it resembled a straight, unstoppable steel arm extending from one bank to the other.

It looks like it's about to topple over at any moment, but it just won't.

Every time it thinks, "This time it's going to flip," it wobbles a few times, then regains its balance and continues forward. It's a kind of almost defiant stability, a composure that says, "You can't stand me, but you can't do anything about it."

“They calculated the weight and torque of each unit down to the millimeter,” Berlanal lowered his voice, as if talking to himself, or perhaps giving a final, concluding statement to the Hoss scholars around him. “Impressive!”

This time, no one agreed.

The hillside was quiet, save for the wind blowing across the river, carrying the damp scent of earth and the distant shouts of soldiers. Those shouts, intermittent and shifting in and out of sight, sounded like an ancient, powerful work chant, unwritten and repeatedly sung.

Daxus heard the murmurs around him, but he ignored them and didn't join in. His gaze didn't linger on the six bridges that were stretching forward simultaneously; he had seen them far too many times.

All I can say is that Marus is lucky.

Why the sudden mention of Marus?
Marus was buried beside the Blackwater River in Old Hagrid Graves in a small grave, a gray stone monument. Since he was born in the same year as Dacules, his name and birth and death dates were inscribed on the tombstone. There was no epitaph, no decorations, only a few wildflowers, blown about by the wind, planted in front of the monument.

The pontoon bridge units belonging to the various army groups, except those stationed in Eichriel, conduct bridge erection training on the Blackwater River every year.

Year after year, generation after generation.

As an important political figure, it was unrealistic for Dakos to visit every year.

Therefore, Marus was fortunate; he saw Duruci build bridges more often than Dakota.

The first pontoon bridge unit was formed by the Royal Guard. Unlike the Royal Guard in other planes and systems, which are often lifelong service members who serve from youth to old age with no exceptions, Duruqi's Royal Guard has members who can come and go, not just those who can't.

That's not good.

If veterans don't leave, new people can't rise; seniority trumps ability, and connections overshadow achievements.

When the Guards were first formed, Corinne rigorously selected and screened thousands of soldiers from hundreds of thousands of men. Each of them had a complete service record, excellent performance in assessments, and their identities and career paths were verifiable.

Subsequently, as the size of the army expanded, some of the better officers, Kredans, and soldiers were drawn from the Royal Guard and added to the newly formed units.

They are not "eliminated", they are "needed".

They brought with them the style, standards, and "if we're going to do it, we'll do it the best" spirit of the Guards, and went to those newly formed units that did not yet have their own traditions, turning them into new Guards.

To put it another way, if the pontoon bridge units of the Imperial Guard are the mother hen, then the other five pontoon bridge units present are all eggs hatched by that mother hen. Then these eggs hatch, grow, and become hens no less than their mother.

Yes, good military buildup.

As for the bridge itself, this type of bridge is known in another world as the "Bailey Bridge" or "Bailey Bridge," a modular, rapidly erectable military and civilian bridge invented by the Indians and widely used during and after World War II.

But Daculus dared to swear to Tzeentch that he had nothing to do with it.

At most, he suggested, "Should we have a unit that can quickly build bridges across rivers?" That was all. The specific framework construction, technical routes, component design, construction procedures, and training syllabus had nothing to do with him.

That wasn't his expertise, nor his interest, nor was it something he should be involved in. He did what he was supposed to do, and then let others do what they were supposed to do.

As it turned out, those people did even better than he had imagined.

Check out the Nagarius Bridge, which spans the Red Poison River between the two districts of Krakarond.

The modular bridge was designed by his patriarch, Anna Sara, and was originally intended to last for a hundred years, but it ended up lasting for a thousand.

Using it continuously is simply impossible; it's utter nonsense.

Krakarond is not a chaotic wasteland; it cannot sustain everything through magic.

In that city, physics trumps magic.

Stones weather, metals rust, and wood rots.

Therefore, the only option is to continuously reinforce, repair, and replace parts. Every few decades, scaffolding is erected on the bridge; every hundred years, there is a large-scale renovation; and every two or three hundred years, there is a complete reconstruction, inside and out.

Who will be specifically responsible for this?
It will definitely be the Southern School of sorceresses, led by Ana Sara, who are skilled in technology, who will be in charge.

Once the pontoon bridge unit was established, everything proceeded smoothly during the transition. The sorcerers and Valhalla priests, led by Colonia, refined the details of bridge construction procedures, simplifying, modularizing, and standardizing them into an operational process that soldiers could quickly master and that did not require highly skilled craftsmen.

The name, according to tradition, is "Anna Sara Bridge".

As for the floating method, that method widely used in another world, which involves using pontoons to float the bridge deck on the water and then towing it into place...

Unfortunately, the technology tree is incomplete.

It has buoyancy units, connection and bridge deck systems, anchoring and mooring equipment, and hydraulic technology applications, but it lacks heavy vehicles for transporting and deploying pontoons.

Horse-drawn carriages are too difficult to manage; those floating boxes are too heavy for a few horses to pull.

Although the structural components of the Anasara Bridge also required transport by wagons—and many wagons at that—the components could be disassembled. The side panels were not a single piece, but rather assembled from multiple smaller panels, each of which could be easily lifted by two or three soldiers.

The pontoon cannot be disassembled; it is a single, hollow, massive structure that needs to be inflated or filled with water on-site.

Without heavy vehicles, it can only stay in the warehouse and can't go anywhere.

Moreover, the terrain of Ausuan is such that while there are many rivers, there are none large or major rivers. There's no need for large pontoon bridges capable of transporting tanks and heavy artillery; the existing light to medium-sized pontoon bridges built using Anasara bridge technology are sufficient.

The floating method is not really needed.

When really needed... learn about amazing magic.

Duluth not only has engineers, but also spellcasters.

When physical means are insufficient, magic can compensate.

Besides magic, the navy can also provide assistance.

Since a pontoon bridge is to be built, its draft and width must be large enough to accommodate specialized barges.

Therefore, Duruci's army was not worried about "what if they encounter a large river"—there are always more solutions than problems.

At this moment, Dakos focused more on the convoy further away. The green flare was not only the beginning of bridge construction, but also the beginning of the convoy's departure.

Then he laughed.

Unsurprisingly, there was a traffic jam.

But soon, his laughter stopped. He looked up at the sky.

He saw them; Karien and his men had arrived. The four iron birds emerged from beneath the clouds, their silver-gray fuselages gleaming metallically in the sunlight.

They maintained perfect formation, evenly spaced and at the same height, like four kites tethered by the same string. The roar of engines descended from the sky, drowning out all the shouts on the river, all the engine noises on the bank, and all the chatter on the hillside.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was deep and dense, like ten thousand bees flying overhead.

A new kind of fun has emerged!
Darkus's lips curled slightly upward, a smile that held anticipation, curiosity, and a hint of teasing, "Let's see what tricks you guys have up your sleeve." (End of Chapter)