Watching the craftsman carve out a small "hole" for peeking through the fully assembled iron horse without damaging its internal structure, Gan Xin, who understood the technique, squatted down to help.
He has been working under Zheng Quchi for several years. During these years, he has focused on learning construction design knowledge and technical application, mainly to lay a solid foundation and then gradually develop his own style and habits.
However, the course on architectural structure was too complicated, and he would always encounter various difficulties in the process of learning and practicing. Fortunately, his master guided him into the field, and for the first time he realized that he was not a piece of rotten wood.
No, perhaps he was originally a piece of rotten wood, but his master was able to carve him into something useful.
Because of his previous experience, he was able to get started, but his movements were relatively violent and rough, which stemmed from his personality and work style. Therefore, Zheng Quchi did not let him touch the delicate work first, so as not to ruin the integrity if it could not be restored.
After they made a large hole in the "belly" of the iron horse, Zheng Quchi stopped what he was doing and then stuck his head in, even trying to crawl inside completely.
Gan Xin was startled when he saw it: "Master, let me do it."
Who knows what's inside, or what kind of things are inside?
"No need, I'll do it. You won't understand it even if you go in."
But Zheng Quchi seemed confident. As she spoke, she moved with great speed and slipped half of her body inside. But the second half... "Um... Disciple Gan, do me a favor and push your master in."
A muffled sound came from inside.
"Oh, okay..."
Seeing that she was kicking her legs wildly and couldn't find a point of leverage, Gan Xin pushed her feet and slowly inserted them.
Thump—the sound of something heavy falling.
Zheng Quchi lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Master, how is it?" Gan Xin called out anxiously.
Someone inside immediately responded, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just lost my balance. It's quite spacious in here... Wait, what's this?"
What is she saying?
Gan Xin didn't understand what it meant, and leaned closer to see what was inside, but before he knew it, a square piece of wood quietly retracted, and then "whoosh," a sharp arrow shot out, barely grazing the tip of Gan Xin's nose.
...If he had been a step slower to dodge, his head would probably be smashed open by now.
Gan Xin felt his heart pounding wildly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
"I think I heard the sound of some mechanism starting up, Gan Xin... Did something happen outside? What's wrong with you?" Zheng Quchi asked worriedly from inside.
“…Master, next time you encounter any traps, you'd better tell your disciple in advance. I almost died.”
"What's wrong?" Zheng Quchi's voice was somewhat anxious.
"That should be the mechanism for firing crossbow bolts, hidden inside this iron horse."
"...Really? Gan Xin, go further away this time, I'll try something else."
Gan Xin guessed that she must have found something inside the iron horse, so he replied, "Okay."
After walking a distance away, Gan Xin called out, "Master, that's enough."
Before long, the overturned iron horse's "limbs" moved. Its four legs moved slowly in the air, gradually increasing in speed. Although stiff and wooden, and its joints were not as flexible as real ones, it was able to walk purely by mechanical movements.
Then suddenly two upturned horns appeared on the horse's head. They were similar to ox horns, but much larger. In practical terms, they looked more like two curved and sharp sickles, swaying from side to side.
If the iron horse were positioned correctly and could walk normally, its speed combined with gravity would allow it to move like a bull in a bullfight, piercing and knocking away any other obstacles in its path.
It also has hidden arrow mechanisms in various parts of its body, with fourteen locations and three rounds of firing.
The head and limbs can detach and split apart, connected by iron chains, to drag, bind, and strangle surrounding objects.
After some investigation, Zheng Quchi finally crawled out, and Gan Xin quickly went forward to pull him out.
After Zheng Quchi stood still, she said, "Now I finally know why it's called Iron Horse."
Gan Xin asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"Because it is made entirely of iron, except for the outer layer of wood."
Gan Xin suddenly realized, "...No wonder it's so heavy."
She added, "It can house a person to operate it, has an eyehole to observe the outside world, and is made entirely of iron, impervious to swords and arrows. Its rugged body can be used as a weapon, or perhaps as a means of transportation..."
Thinking about it this way, its role can be described as the best "companion" for military operations.
When used as a weapon, it can act as a ram, specifically designed to attack enemy heavy weapons, causing devastating destruction.
Its multi-functional attack methods can also deal with various dangerous situations involving different types of troops. It can hide people, assassinate, provide cover, act as a bulwark, and serve as a sentry post...
When used as a means of transport, it could accompany the army, carrying food, weapons, and all sorts of other necessities, saving manpower and cart resources, and also serving as a cover for others.
Once war breaks out, the two armies will fight for two days and two nights. The enemy will be starving and thirsty, suffering terribly, and unable to return to camp for supplies in time.
But they didn't have this problem at all. Who could guess that the other side's iron horse was hiding food, drink, medicine and other supplies? With such a comparison, the difference in quality was immediately apparent. They could simply outlast the other side.
The master and apprentice looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting that Gongshu Jiruo possessed such an indescribable, formidable weapon of war. This was even more cheating than her cheating!
"So what do we do now?" Gan Xin asked, rubbing his temples.
The enemy didn't just have one iron horse, but over a hundred, comparable to a powerful armored army.
If—no, not if, but Gongshu Jiruo—were about to lead his "iron horse" into battle, I fear that the gains Yuwen Sheng had just made would vanish.
Zheng Quchi was also in a state of great distress: "I never imagined that Gongshu Jiruo's inventions could be decades or even centuries ahead of current technology. These iron horses are not easy to deal with, and I'm afraid even crossbows would be difficult to handle. I have to think of a solution."
Gan Xin asked, "If crossbows won't work, how about cannons?"
"Cannons are naturally more powerful than ballistae, but they are still the first generation, with a slow rate of fire and a small number of them..."
"As for using fire, we've made progress on the matter of the fierce fire oil that you asked me to investigate before, Master. The Wubao camp was set on fire, and someone took the opportunity to plunder the leader of the Kezhu tribe and assassinate Yuwen Sheng. All of this is related to the Southern Chen people. At the same time, I also found an underground pit in Wubao that has not been tapped for fierce fire oil. If ordinary fire doesn't work, what about using fierce fire oil?"
Zheng Quchi frowned and shook his head: "It's too late. Even if we bring a small amount of strong fire oil, it will be useless and will only waste time and effort. Besides, the inside of that iron horse is made entirely of metal. Burning off a layer of its skin won't help."
If fire doesn't work... Gan Xin looked at the majestic, continuous snow-capped mountains, the cold wind stretching for miles, the peaks vast and desolate, and couldn't help but ask, "What about flooding?"
Zheng Quchi suddenly looked into his eyes.
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