Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 384 Royal Salute
Ge Rong is a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance. He is a little overweight, with a round nose and a thick mouth. He looks like a smiling landlord and does not look like a demigod at all.

It is even more difficult to tell that he was a hero who traveled across Yan and Zhao, captured countless cities and plundered countless territories, and even killed dozens of generals of the government army.

But a man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. Ren Yuan and others did not dare to underestimate him at all, and they all performed the ceremony in a proper manner.

"Tsk tsk, these southerners are really polite." Ge Rong said happily: "You are a guest from afar, please sit down quickly."

After expressing their gratitude, Ren Yuan and others were willing to sit at the end of the table.

Ge Rong smiled at Zu Geng again and said, "Oh, Mr. Zu, you finally changed your mind."

"Yes." Zu Geng nodded and said, "My nephews advised me not to go against His Majesty and to follow His Majesty's wishes."

"That's right." Ge Rong said happily, "If you had said that earlier, why would you have received that slap?"

As he said this, he changed the subject and talked about the "Thunderbolt Car" that he had been thinking about:

"I saw this Thunderbolt Car once when I was young, and it has always been vivid in my memory. It was like a cart with a big box on it, and ordinary soldiers could push it around."

"When fighting, we can remove the cover and fire dozens of rounds in a row. Each round is as powerful as thunderbolts, breaking stones and splitting rocks." Ge Rong said with a face full of longing:

"Think about it, if my army could have such magical weapons, who in the world could defeat them? My Great Qi would definitely be invincible!"

"My Great Qi is invincible in the world!" The generals shouted together as if a switch was pressed at the same time.

Ren Yuan looked at Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai, both of whom were so devoted to their performance that their tongues were hanging out. How could he see any sign of half-heartedness?
They are all born politicians.

"So I decided to build the Thunderbolt Chariot no matter what difficulties we face." After Ge Rong emphasized the importance of the Thunderbolt Chariot, he asked Zu Geng, "You said you could do it that day, weren't you just bragging?"

"No, I can make a more powerful and stronger upgraded and enhanced super invincible Thunderbolt car." Zu Geng said confidently.

"Good, motivated!" Ge Rong happily gave a thumbs up and said loudly:

"All the resources in the city are at your disposal. If you need anything, please let me know at any time and I will find it for you."

After a pause, he pointed at Gao Huan and said, "Gao Qingjia, you will be fully responsible for this matter. You must ensure that it is well protected and supervise the progress."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Gao Huan clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"How long will it take to complete?" Ge Rong asked Zu Geng again.

"Ten days are enough." Zu Geng said without hesitation.

"Ten days are enough?" Ge Rong was surprised and happy. He thought it would take at least several months.

"Those who find it difficult won't be able to do it, and those who can do it won't find it difficult." Zu Geng said calmly.

This expert attitude immediately stunned everyone present. Ge Rong said happily: "Great! If you can build it in ten days, I will confer the title of 'Marquis of Pili' on you. No, 'Duke of Pili'!"

"..." The corner of Zu Geng's mouth twitched, and he wondered if he could just not do that.

"If it can be built in ten days." Ge Rong rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Then let Erzhu Rong taste it first and fry him into roast pork!"

"Destroy his entire family and kill the pig to eat the meat!" All the generals shouted together.

Ren Yuan watched all this calmly, not finding it funny at all. After all, more than 1,500 years later, the world's most powerful country was still performing the same drama. How could one laugh at such a makeshift troupe of this era? "~~
Zu Geng is truly amazing in his professionalism.

After leaving court, he locked himself in the room and stayed awake for three days and three nights.

Three days later, the design sketch of the 'Super Invincible Thunderbolt Car' was produced.

Upon hearing the news, Ge Rong rushed to the workshop in person to listen to Zu Geng's report.

Zu Geng then introduced a complex sketch diligently:
"This new type of Thunderbolt vehicle has the characteristics of multiple-barrel firing and strong mobility. Its weapon is a magic arrow driven by a spell. The arrow body is engraved with runes to increase its power. It can hold hundreds of arrows at a time."

"You can either fire a hundred arrows at once to cause a devastating blow to the enemy. Or you can fire arrows one by one, shooting as many as you need without wasting any arrows."

"Yes, that's what I mean." Ge Rong was overjoyed when he heard it.

"For defense, I added three kinds of defensive formations: 'Fire-Separating Cover', 'Water-Avoiding Cover', and 'Golden Bell Cover'. They can be switched according to the enemy's attack method... For example, when the enemy attacks with fire, you can use the 'Fire-Separating Cover' to form a flame barrier around the car body."

"At the same time, the wheels are designed as tiger claw wheels to enhance mountain maneuverability and passability on bad roads."

"In terms of exterior design, the use of vermilion paint and golden charms not only enhances the visual impact, but also adds a sense of mystery, and is in line with your Majesty's noble royal status! So this car is named 'Royal Salute'!"

"Royal Salute?" Ge Rong fell in love with the name as soon as he heard it: "This is much better than Thunderbolt Car. I didn't expect you to be so good at naming!"

"It was my nephew Ren Xian who came up with the name, including the color scheme." Zu Geng did not take any credit. Besides, he did not want to be credited with such a shameful idea.

"You have talent and vision!" Ge Rong gave Ren Yuan a thumbs up and said, "I'll depend on you to rebuild the palace later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ren Yuan happily saluted with his arms crossed, thinking to himself that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to wait until that day...

"Please continue, sir." Ge Rong also said politely to Zu Geng.

"There are also various optional parts. For example, a self-propelled mechanism that can replace human power... In this way, the chariot can move automatically like Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse, without the need for human or animal traction."

"There is also an automatic aiming mechanism. A bronze compass is placed at the bottom of the launch box. Rooster blood is injected into it, and it can automatically point to the place where the enemy's evil spirit is the strongest..."

"As well as more than a dozen configurations such as night auxiliary lighting devices, stealth devices, etc., can all be integrated... Of course, considering the cost issue, it is not recommended to select too many options." Zu Geng said finally.

Ge Rong drooled when hearing this, this was even more dreamy than his dream car!

Gao Huan was also shocked when he heard this: "If this thing is practical, we will be able to win every battle in the future!"

"That's right." Ge Rong was so happy that he smiled. "Otherwise, how could I not forget it after seeing it once? It's a pity that there was only one Thunderbolt car at that time, and no one knew how to make it."

As he spoke, he stood up, holding the sketch in his hands, and said excitedly: "But now I can make it, I want to give the world a big shock!"

"Yes, once the emperor's thunder chariot comes out, no one in the world can defeat it!" Gao Huan's flattery was very timely.

"But such a powerful thing must cost a lot, right?" Yuwen Luosheng was also present. He was a handsome man with a majestic aura, and his demeanor was even better than Gao Huan.

"Indeed." Zu Geng said frankly, "The main thing is that if you want to use it repeatedly, you can't just make do with the materials. You must choose materials with magical powers. And the more complicated the mechanism and the more functions it has, the higher the cost. This is unavoidable."

(End of this chapter)