Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 385: Car manufacturing is an expensive business

"What is the lowest reduction possible?" Gao Huan asked.

"Those auxiliary functions can actually be removed, and even the chassis can be replaced with an ordinary large truck. Of course, the maneuverability will be greatly reduced." Zu Geng replied.

"Indeed." Ge Rong and his companions were all born into a family of warriors, so they naturally knew that hundreds of large vehicles without any auxiliary driving functions were simply a nightmare for logistics. If the things on the vehicles were not light, it would not only be a nightmare, but a hell for logistics.

"In fact, we can even remove the defensive function and install a few fewer rows of rockets." Zu Geng said, "The cost will naturally come down."

"How much has come down?" Gao Huan asked.

"We won't know until we build it." Zu Geng spread his hands and said, "I only know the approximate prices of various materials in the Southern Dynasty. The situation in the Northern Dynasty is completely different, so it is impossible to estimate at the moment."

"Don't worry about that for now, just build a car with the most complete functions and let everyone see it." At this time, Ge Rong made a decision: "No matter how expensive it is, I can't build one even if I sell everything I have, right?"

"Your Majesty is truly courageous and open-minded. No wonder he can achieve great things!" Gao Huan, who was flattering beside him, quickly followed suit.

Yuwen Tai rolled his eyes secretly when he heard this. Unfortunately, the phrase "honey on the lips, a sharp sword in the heart" didn't exist at that time. He didn't know how to describe this thick-skinned, black-hearted, evil-minded guy.

Ge Rong was very pleased with the photo shoot and laughed: "The rest is up to you. Work hard, I am looking forward to seeing the finished product."

"Your Majesty, rest assured!" Gao Huan patted his chest and said, "We will definitely overcome all difficulties and complete the mission!"

Now Ren Yuan and the others had no choice but to shout: "Overcome all difficulties and complete the mission!"

It's like falling into a pyramid scheme...

"I'm confident in your work." Ge Rong patted Gao Huan's shoulder encouragingly and whispered, "Be on high alert and keep it secret. Don't let anyone ruin my plan, and don't let anyone steal my plan."

"Yes." Gao Huan put his legs together and answered loudly.

~~
After seeing the Emperor and King Luosheng off, only the members of the car-making team were left in the workshop, and Gao Huan naturally sat down in the main seat.

There was no trace of his previous performance, and his face was filled with calmness and composure.

"Mr. Zu, please give me a list so I can collect the materials for you as soon as possible."

"Okay." Zu Geng nodded and began to report the list: "The car body frame needs to be made of black iron..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Gao Huan's face turned green. Black iron can be used to carve formations and infuse spiritual energy. It is used to make magic weapons. For example, Ren Yuan's evil-killing blade is made of black iron.

Is it too extravagant to use it as a car frame?

"If you really can't find one, the Liuhe wooden frame can be used as a makeshift one." Zu Geng said.

"What is Liuhe wooden frame?" Gao Huan asked.

"It is the combination of Zi and Chou to form earth, Yin and Hai to form wood, Mao and Xu to form fire, Chen and You to form metal, Si and Shen to form water, Wu and Wei to form yin and yang. All these six combinations create the frame." Zu Geng explained:

"The principle is too complicated, and you won't understand it even if I tell you. Specifically, it is made from male peach wood that is over a hundred years old and is taken from the sunny slope of Kunlun Mountain. It is soaked in cinnabar for 49 days. The mortise and tenon joints are reinforced with lightning-struck jujube wood, and the Fire Bell Curse is engraved to prevent erosion by the demon fire..."

"In this way, wood and fire can be combined, and then the other four combinations..." Zu Geng continued one by one.

"..." Gao Huan was sweating all over his forehead after hearing this, thinking that this is not acceptable at all, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Isn't it just a frame? Is it necessary to spend so much money on it?" "The frame is the most important part. All functions must be integrated on it. It also has to withstand the recoil when hundreds of arrows are fired at the same time." Zu Geng said as a matter of course: "You can't make do with it. If you find it troublesome, use black iron. If you can't afford black iron, don't complain..."

"Didn't you say that if we wanted to save the most money, we could change to an ordinary large car?" Gao Huan asked him based on Zu Geng's own words.

"That way it can't even withstand a single launch, it can only be used for transportation." Zu Geng said calmly: "The emperor said he wanted to build a fully functional vehicle, how can it withstand without a good frame?"

"Well, okay..." Gao Huan was also a responsible person. He thought his words made sense, so he took a pen and wrote down the request. He said in a deep voice, "I'll look for both and use whichever one I find."

After he finished writing, he asked again, "What else do you need?"

"We also need Earth Fire Stone, which is a red spiritual stone condensed from volcanic lava. It should be embedded in the mouth of the Taotie on the front of the chariot. This way, the chariot can spit fire and will not be blinded once an enemy gets close to it." Zu Geng said.

"Yes, it is necessary." Gao Huan nodded in agreement. Archers who are not afraid of close combat are the real killing weapons.

"There is also sulfur crystal powder extracted from the Flame Mountain in the Western Regions. It is used to mix with saltpeter and hundred-year-old realgar to make 'Binghuo Fujian' arrow powder. This is the main source of the power of the royal salute, so the more the better, and the quality cannot be sloppy." Then Zu Geng listed hundreds of materials, each with special requirements:
"And the fire-avoiding talisman, water-avoiding beads, hundred-year-old dragon tendons, and chicken throat bone whistle..."

Gao Huan felt overwhelmed after hearing this. Only then did he realize how deceptive his job was.

I'm afraid that even if I searched the entire Xindu city, I still wouldn't be able to find these rare materials.

"Sir, can you lower your standards a bit?" he begged.

"Okay, but you have to promise that if anything goes wrong while performing for the emperor, it will be your fault." Zu Geng said calmly.

"No, no, I'll find it for you..." Gao Huan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and raised his hands in surrender.

However, in his heart, his evaluation of this "Royal Salute" was the lowest... In his opinion, weapons that are too expensive cannot be promoted on a large scale in the military, so their effects are naturally limited, let alone changing the form of war.

Therefore, he now regarded this matter purely as a way to flatter Ge Rong, and immediately did not care about the cost... As for the flattery, of course, the more exquisite and expensive the better.

Gao Huan went out with a long list in his hand, and hurried to collect materials.

Only then did Ren Yuan and his companions dare to speak.

"Uncle Zushi, your 'Royal Salute' is not just for bluffing, right?" Chen Baxian asked in a low voice.

"Of course not." Zu Geng shook his head and said, "It can be made, and if it really has those effects, how can we design something useless?"

"Does it have to be so expensive?" Chen Baxian said regretfully, "If it were cheaper, this thing would be amazing."

"There are cheap ways to make cheap things, and there are expensive ways to make expensive things..." Zu Geng said indifferently: "Do you really want to leave them a 'Royal Salute' that can be mass-produced?"

"Oh!" Chen Baxian slapped his head and suddenly realized, "As expected, old people are more experienced, and my uncle is more thoughtful!"

"Moreover, what I want to make is a mechanical magic weapon that can fly into the sky and hide in the ground. It cannot be made with ordinary materials." Zu Geng said softly.

"Oh, how could I have forgotten about this." Chen Baxian said embarrassedly, "It's because Uncle Shi described it so realistically that I thought he was really going to build a 'Royal Salute'."

(End of this chapter)