Upon arriving at the training ground, there was a large piece of equipment. Its main components were a wooden frame, pulleys, short shafts, and ropes, with the pulleys being its core component.
It does indeed have similarities to the earth-moving tools that Sang Xuanqing made before.
Besides the craftsmen, there was also a woman dressed in ordinary craftsman's clothes at the training ground. She had delicate and gentle features, and her wide sleeves and trousers were tied up with rope. Her long hair was tied behind her waist, and she looked like she was working efficiently.
At this moment, she showed no sign of dissatisfaction with the hard work and was helping to adjust the equipment.
"The general has arrived."
When the craftsmen saw Yuwen Sheng arrive, they quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
"General, we succeeded! We succeeded!"
The craftsmen excitedly asked him for credit.
The woman was startled. When she turned around and saw the tall figure wearing a Shura mask and dressed in black armor and red cloak, she couldn't help but purse her lips and stand there with a dignified and graceful demeanor, giving a slight curtsy.
Yuwen Sheng stepped forward and looked at the heavy machinery. It looked almost exactly the same as the wreckage he had brought back, and it was basically restored to its original state. But he didn't know how effective it was.
Have you tried it?
"It has already been tested. It can throw boulders weighing three or four hundred pounds or less, and can rise and fall three zhang (approximately 10 meters) for observation. It will be very effective for scaling city walls and long-range, precise combat."
A clear and melodious female voice rang out at that moment.
The craftsmen all looked at Gongshu Lan, and thinking of her recent contributions and help, they couldn't help but praise her, saying, "Gongshu Lan is truly admirable. If it weren't for her guidance, we would have had to put in much more effort to make this complex lifting device."
"Yeah yeah."
Wang Zebang was unusually kind to someone at this moment: "Gongshu girl is indeed worthy of being from the Gongshu family; her skill in craftsmanship is truly extraordinary."
"Not at all, compared to my brother's masterful craftsmanship, I am far inferior." She blushed slightly at their praise.
But unlike most women, she wasn't shy or awkward; instead, she stood tall and graceful, accepting all the praise.
She glanced at Yuwen Sheng with a slight flicker in her eyes, wondering what his opinion of her would be. But she saw him curl the corners of his mouth into a half-smile: "So, all these famous craftsmen in Ye Kingdom are not as good as a woman from a branch of the Gongshu family? What use is there for me to keep a bunch of people like you who are all talk and no action?"
These words struck everyone as if they had been stabbed in the chest, their blood rushing backward, and the smiles and joy on their faces instantly froze.
Wang Zebang immediately realized his mistake.
The Gongshu family are from the Northern Yuan Kingdom. For their Ye Kingdom's craftsmen to praise a person from the Northern Yuan Kingdom like this is tantamount to tearing off their own country's dignity and face and trampling it into the ground.
The air temperature dropped below zero, and everyone became trembling with fear, no longer daring to utter a sound.
Fortunately, Yuwen Sheng didn't really intend to take their heads at this moment. He smiled harmlessly and naturally: "Not going to praise me anymore? Okay, come and test the effect."
"...Yes, yes."
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, this time, no one paid attention to Gongshu Lan anymore; instead, they focused on setting up the new equipment.
"Place the stones!"
"cast!"
Bang!
It should be about a hundred meters away.
Yuwen Sheng narrowed his eyes and rubbed his fingertips together a few times: "Continue."
"Place the stones!"
"cast!"
Bang!
"continue."
...
After repeating this four times, a "click" sound, like wood breaking, rang out. Yuwen Sheng, with his keen hearing, had already caught the unusual sound on the first listen.
The sound was no longer faint. Everyone was startled and stopped placing the stones. They rushed over to check and finally determined that the fixing plate had broken and loosened.
The next second, with a loud crack, the whole thing broke and collapsed.
Yuwen Sheng's lips curled into a chilling smile as he stared intently into the distance.
After all this happened, everyone's legs went weak and they didn't dare to utter a sound.
What happened? How could this happen?
Gongshu Lan also looked incredulous.
She rushed over and inspected the pile of wood shards, finally muttering, "The base was clearly reinforced, so why did it break after less than ten throws? Is the wood not strong enough, or..."
Yuwen Sheng’s mocking voice sounded behind her: “The lifting equipment of Julu Kingdom can adjust its position autonomously and can throw stones sixty to eighty times in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but now it can’t even withstand a few times.”
The craftsmen's voices trembled, clinging to the hope that their lives could still be fought for: "We...we will continue..."
"Wei Yao, take that blueprint to them and let them see it," Yuwen Sheng said.
"yes."
The craftsmen took the blueprint with a mixture of doubt and trepidation. After carefully examining it, although they couldn't quite understand what was written on it, the image of the machinery on the blueprint, which looked almost like a real machine, left them speechless.
As if worried that the shock wasn't enough, Yuwen Sheng slowly added, "Doesn't it look very light and simple? But it can bear three or four hundred pounds of soil, and the chassis can easily rotate and adjust its position."
They were all stunned when they heard that.
"What...what is this thing?"
"You can't even figure out what it's for? Heh~" Yuwen Sheng's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, but his eyes swept over them like a bone-scraping, flesh-eating blade: "This general spends a hundred gold coins every year to support a bunch of good-for-nothings like you, and now you've accomplished nothing, yet you can still live with a clear conscience. What makes you think this general is so generous?"
Thump! Everyone was so frightened that they knelt down.
Wang Zebang recognized the drawing; it was drawn by Sang Xuanqing.
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