The speed of the Jiangdong Army was very fast. Zhang Zhao was also afraid that a long delay might cause trouble. Their ship industry was more developed. Therefore, when Zhang Zhao's letter arrived, the entire Jiangdong started to move. The Danyang soldiers and the families of the surrendered soldiers were loaded onto hundreds of ships. It took more than a dozen trips to and fro to complete the transportation. There were nearly 70,000 people, which was comparable to the population of a small county.
The 19,000 gold had also arrived and was transported to the governor's office. The 4,000 craftsmen were also sent over by the Jiangdong Army. The Jiangdong Army was very fast and very timely. Now, it all depended on the Lvbu's Army's attitude.
Under Yang Hong's command, the Lvbu's Army did not disappoint Zhang Zhao. First, he released Lu Su and the nine nobles. They could leave Lujiang for Jiangdong at any time. As for the captured soldiers, Zhang Zhao suffered a loss because Yang Hong said that as long as they were willing to go back, they could go back with Zhang Zhao. The unspoken rule of this sentence was that if you were unwilling, no one would force you. As a result, Zhang Zhao could only bring less than 5,000 soldiers back to Jiangdong. Among these 5,000 soldiers, more than 1,000 were seriously injured. However, 5,000 people were still meat. Zhang Zhao could only bear with it and put them on the ships. The most important thing was the ballista blueprint.
The Lvbu's Army did not go back on their words. When the Jiangdong Army arrived, they immediately gave the blueprint to Zhang Zhao. Zhang Zhao took it as if it was a treasure. Lu Su was also at the side. He knew mechanical engineering. Therefore, when he saw the exquisite outline and the explanation of the parts, he could not bear to put it down.
"So it's like this, it's like this!" The more Lu Su looked at it, the brighter his eyes became. This was because the blueprint clearly stated how to make the ballistae fire continuously. Liu Mang had installed an arrow slot below the ballistae. Every arrow was pulled back to the bowstring. Every time the arrow was fired, the arrow above would be shot out and the arrow below would be pushed up with the help of the mechanism. Then the arrow would be shot out and the arrow below would be pushed up by the mechanism and fired again.
"How is it, Mr. Zhang Zhao and Mr. Lu Su? This blueprint is correct, right?" Yang Hong asked with a smile.
"There's no mistake, there's no mistake! That's it! That's it! " Lu Su couldn't wait to go back to Jiangdong and let his craftsmen build it. With this weapon, taking down Jingzhou would be a piece of cake. Above the Yangtze River! No, as long as there was water, it was the Jiangdong Army's territory!
"If it's true, then Mr. Zhang Zhao and Mr. Lu Su, I, Yang Hong, bid farewell!" Yang Hong cupped his hands towards the two.
"Many thanks for Brother Yang Hong's hospitality these past few days!" With this weapon, Zhang Zhao's task could be considered completed. Now, he needed to leave Lujiang. There were no warships in the Lujiang Navy camp. This made Zhang Zhao feel very strange. However, according to the information he received, Gan Ning's navy had indeed withdrawn from Jiangdong. As for where they went, Zhang Zhao was not very clear. However, this was not a problem. The ships that were originally a threat to Jiangdong would no longer be a problem in half a month. At that time, he was still looking forward to the appearance of Gan Ning's navy. He believed that the Jiangdong Navy would happily send them to the bottom of the river.
The ships of Jiangdong recovered their anchors and set up their sails one by one. In this war, the Lvbu's Army really earned 20,000 gold and 4,000 craftsmen. As long as the Lvbu's Army was given enough time, the Lvbu's Army would become the elites of the Lvbu's Army.
"They are gone!" The ships of the Jiangdong Army left. Suddenly, a young man dressed in Chinese clothes appeared beside Yang Hong. This person was Lujiang's Young Lord, Lü Bu's son-in-law, Liu Mang, Liu Hanyang! He came to accept the 70,000 civilians and 4,000 craftsmen.
"Yes, they are gone!" Yang Hong nodded his head. He was already middle-aged. According to reason, he should be able to understand a lot of things in this world. He could also see a lot of people. However, he could not see through the person in front of him. Liu Mang was the head of Yang Hong's house. This made Yang Hong very annoyed because he could not see what kind of person Liu Mang was. You could say that Liu Mang was a shrewd person. However, sometimes Liu Mang really did not hide his expression. He put all the words in his heart on his face. Joy, anger, sorrow, and joy were all on his face.
However, he was just an ordinary person. How could an ordinary person repel Sun Ce's attack? An ordinary person could subdue one warrior after another. For example, Huang Zhong, Xu Sheng, and Gan Ning. Although these people belonged to Lü Bu, they had already been branded with Liu Mang's name. Fortunately, Lü Bu did not have a son. If Lü Bu had a son, he would have to be careful. At that time, after Lü Bu's death, there would be a war between Liu Mang and Lü Bu's son. At that time, the Lvbu's Army would really be divided.
Moreover, this ballista, the weapon of the nation, was also invented by him. Yang Hong had seen its power before. It could shoot continuously and was very powerful. It was comparable to Gongsun Ban of old. Even the disciples of the School of Mo would give him a thumbs up!
"Thank you for your hard work!" Liu Mang smiled at Yang Hong. At first, he really looked down on Yang Hong. This was because Yang Hong did not have any outstanding points in history. Several times, Yuan Shu's moves were all bad moves. However, Yang Hong was greatly appreciated by Yuan Shu. Then there was only one possibility. This Yang Hong was a lowly person who liked to bootlick. How could Liu Mang give such a person a good face?
Yang Hong said that he wanted to take care of Miss Yuan so he became a retainer in Liu Mang's mansion. But as a retainer, you should at least try your best. But Yang Hong was like Xu Shu when he entered Cao Cao's camp. He did not say a word. Such a person is only a waste of food.
Old man Chen Gong let Yang Hong be in charge of the peace talks. Liu Mang thought that Yang Hong would mess it up. Liu Mang did not believe in Yang Hong's ability. Who would have thought that there would be a pleasant surprise. With 20,000 gold and 4,000 craftsmen, it was enough for Liu Mang to go to Shouchun. The construction of the dock, the development of the territory, and the restoration of the walls of Shouchun, all of these costs money! Liu Mang had exterminated the nobles of Lujiang and obtained a lot of gold, silver, and jewelry. However, he still needed to leave them in Wancheng City. After all, there was an army here that needed to be spent!
But now, it was good! Originally, Lü Bu's bottom line was to seize 2,000 craftsmen from Jiangdong. Then, Lü Bu would allocate 10,000 gold to Liu Mang to let him go to Shouchun. Now, there was no need to allocate funds. Moreover, there was an extra 50% of the craftsmen. This was all due to Yang Hong's contribution! This old man Chen Gong's vision was not bad! He was able to see the real skill of this fatty.
"Lord! I …! " Yang Hong wanted to say something but hesitated. The question he wanted to ask was too sensitive. Although he was Liu Mang's retainer, he did not enter the core of the Lvbu's Army! Therefore, Yang Hong's question might make Liu Mang uncomfortable.
"You want to ask me why I gave the country's weapon to the enemy? Do you think that I, Liu Mang, am a prodigal or even a fool? Do you think that I, Liu Mang, am a spendthrift or even a fool? Do you think that I, Liu Mang, should hold this thing in my hand to give the enemy the final blow in a decisive battle?! "
When Liu Mang said the question in his heart, Yang Hong's heart felt comfortable. Since Liu Mang knew about this, then Liu Mang was really confident that this was not a bad deal at all.
"Lord, did you give Jiangdong a fake blueprint?" Yang Hong frowned. If the blueprint was fake, then the reputation of the Lvbu's Army would be ruined. Who would believe in the Lvbu's Army in the future? But then he thought about it, this was the country's weapon. Even if Liu Mang went back on his word, it would be pardonable.
"How could it be a fake blueprint? If it is a fake, then it is guaranteed to be a real blueprint. As long as Jiangdong is not a fool, they can use the blueprint to equip the Jiangdong Navy in half a month!" The blueprint that Liu Mang gave to Jiangdong was the one that Liu Mang gave to Gan Ning. Even the part-time craftsmen that Gan Ning found could make it, let alone Jiangdong. Half a month was an exaggeration because Jiangdong had not come into contact with this kind of knowledge.
"Then why?" Since it was a real blueprint, why give it away? It was a deterrent. After all, the Lvbu's Army also wanted Jiangdong and Jingzhou! Could it be that they would not attack Jiangdong and Jingzhou in the future? Then why would they need craftsmen and ships? Jiangdong was also a part of the hegemony. That was why they needed craftsmen and ships in Shouchun.
"Since I dared to give it away, it is because we have something better!" Liu Mang turned to Yang Hong and smiled. "The current ballista can only fire within 300 steps. Although it is powerful enough to penetrate a warship, it is because the hull is made of wood."
"If it is not made of wood, then what?" Yang Hong was confused. Since ancient times, ships were made of wood. How could there be anything else that could be made of wood? Iron? Wood had buoyancy, so it could float on the surface of the water. Anything else would sink once it entered the water.
Liu Mang did not explain to Yang Hong what was used to make the ship. Instead, he continued. "If the hull is changed, then the ballista will be difficult to penetrate. Although the ballista can fire ballista bolts, it can only fire five bolts. That is not considered continuous fire. Also, it consumes too much material for the bowstring. "The current bowstrings were basically made of animal tendons. These materials were very troublesome. Every time the ballista was fired, a bowstring would be broken. Even if Jiangdong was rich, they could not afford it. After all, there were many battles on the Yangtze River.
"But now, we have something better!" Liu Mang said with a smile.
"Something better!" Yang Hong still couldn't believe it. The weapon that could destroy an enemy within three hundred meters was now even better. How much better could it be?
"The range of the ballista is 300 steps. It can suppress most of the arrows! But now, our new ballista can shoot 400 steps, or even 500 steps. It is just like the ballista fighting with the bow! Our new weapon can hit the enemy before they even touch us! What do you think will happen when Jiangdong painstakingly builds the ballista to fight against us? "Liu Mang laughed happily.
With Jiangdong's personality, he would definitely equip all the warships with ballistae. He might even equip the infantrymen with ballistae. There should be no less than 500 ballistae here. 500 ballistae. If Jingzhou and Jiangdong were to fight again, then they would definitely speed up the construction. When that time comes, who would be able to control the scale of the war? At that time, it would no longer be a battle between the naval forces, but rather a battle between the ballistae. The damage to the warships would be great. A warship was worth a hundred gold. If the war continued, then tens of thousands of gold would be spent. Even if Jingzhou and Jiangdong were rich, they would still be penniless.
On the other hand, the Lu Bu's Army was watching the two sides fight, adding oil and vinegar to the fire. They were waiting for a victor to be decided between the two sides. Even if the two sides could not decide a victor, the Lu Bu's Army, who had enough time to develop, would be able to wipe out both sides. This was because he had better weapons than the ballistae. Just like how the ballistae destroyed the traditional ships, those new weapons could also destroy the ballistae!
"Mister Yang Hong!" Because of Yang Hong's support, Liu Mang began to respect him. In this era, as long as you were a talent, everyone would respect you. Therefore, Liu Mang also changed the way he addressed Yang Hong.
"I don't dare!" Yang Hong was now Liu Mang's retainer. Yang Hong had always thought that he could serve his superiors. Even someone as difficult to serve as Yuan Shu was happily served by Yang Hong. However, Yang Hong did not know how to please Liu Mang.
"Hehe, although you are my retainer, you are still her elder! Therefore, I can still call you mister! " The 'she' that Liu Mang was talking about was Miss Yuan. Liu Mang also realized that his indifference towards Miss Yuan was not intentional. It was because he really did not know how to deal with women, especially beautiful women. Miss Yuan was carefree, as long as you followed her personality, everything would be fine. He Yu was already Liu Mang's woman. She knew how to take care of her husband and teach her children. She also knew the three obedience and four virtues. Miss Yuan would be Liu Mang's co-wife in the future. Liu Mang had to treat her well.
"This old retainer, this old retainer!" Yang Hong did not know what to say. He was a retainer, a servant and Liu Mang was the master. But now, Liu Mang actually considered Yang Hong as a retainer and a family member. How could Yang Hong not be moved by Liu Mang's actions?
Liu Mang did not deliberately say that. He came from the modern world and did not have a high sense of social class. For him, it was easier to accept that everyone was equal. The only difference was the division of labor, that's all. But it was this that made others more loyal. For example, Huang Zhong. Liu Mang treated Huang Zhong too much as an elder. This made Huang Zhong feel moved. There was an ancient saying, "If the monarch treats me like a country knight, I will repay the monarch with a country knight." It meant that when a monarch treated a person like a country knight, that person would definitely repay the monarch with a country knight.
And Liu Mang treated Huang Zhong as a family member. So, these two people would definitely do their best to serve Liu Mang.
"Mr. Yang Hong, don't slack off! There is another peace talk waiting for you! "Liu Mang did not want to see Yang Hong's moved expression. It was too much! Can you imagine a middle-aged fatty crying in front of you? So, Liu Mang quickly interrupted this lyric.
Yang Hong put away the ripples in his heart. He knew that Liu Mang was talking about the representative of Jingzhou's Liu Biao. Similarly, the Jiangdong Army sent an envoy to negotiate. The battle outside Wan Cheng could not be hidden from others, especially Liu Biao. This was because the Lvbu's Army's combat power was too strong. That kind of weapon was a nightmare for traditional turreted ships. So, when he saw that Jiangdong had sent people, Jingzhou's Liu Biao could not sit still and also sent a representative! This time, the representative was from a big family in Jingzhou. He was the envoy sent by Cai Mao. Kuai Liang, also known as Zirou, was from the Southern Region. Just like Zhang Zhao, this person was Zhang Liang. Kuai Liang had set the political direction for Liu Biao to pacify Jingchu. He and his brother Kuai Yue were the two great strategists of Jingzhou. Basically, the general direction of Jingzhou was set by them.
Now that Liu Biao sent one of his two strategists, Kuai Liang, it could be said that he attached great importance to this negotiation!
"Patriarch, do you really want to sell those warships?" Yang Hong was in a bit of a dilemma. This was because Liu Mang's bargaining chip was the warships that Gan Ning's navy was using right now. They were equipped with ballistae.
"This Kuai Liang also came to ask for the ballistae. You can promise Zhang Zhao that you will not give the blueprints to Jingzhou within a month!" Liu Mang said to Yang Hong. For this one month, Zhang Zhao had spent an extra thousand craftsmen. One month was enough for the Jiangdong Navy and the Jingzhou Navy to fight a big battle in Jiangxia. The Lvbu's Army could not go back on their words!
"There is no need to sell the warships! Just give them the ballistae! " Yang Hong replied. Liu Mang actually wanted to sell all the warships. If they sold the warships, the Lvbu's Army would not be able to use them. Although there were craftsmen now, building a ship was not something that could be done in a day or two. What would the navy do during this time?
"Give them the ballistae? Only Mr. Yang Hong can think of this!" If the Jingzhou Navy was given the ballistae, they would be able to learn how to build it. This way, they would be able to break the oath and increase the fighting power of the Jingzhou Navy.
However, this was not what Liu Mang wanted. What if Jingzhou Liu Biao could not solve it in a short time? Even if they could understand it, they would still need to build it! Building it would also take time. When the Jiangdong Navy finished building the ballistae, they would not be able to play with it!
Therefore, Liu Mang wanted to sell the warships to Jingzhou Liu Biao. Liu Mang did not want the warships anymore. The ships could only travel in rivers and could not have big waves. Once the waves were big, they could capsize. This was because the top of the ship was too big! There was also a lot of resistance, causing the speed to slow down.
If the warships were sold to Liu Mang, Liu Mang could only dismantle them. Dismantling the warships would take time. It would be better to sell them to Jingzhou Liu Biao. Not only would he be able to sell them for a good price, he would also be able to gain a favor from Jingzhou Liu Biao.
Liu Mang wanted Jingzhou Liu Biao to be able to use the ballistae faster than the Jiangdong Navy. When the time comes, the Jingzhou Navy would be in big trouble. Originally, the Jingzhou Navy was not a match for the Jiangdong Navy due to the lack of generals. Now, one of the Jingzhou Navy's main forces was destroyed outside of Wancheng. If the Jingzhou Navy's main forces were also destroyed or suffered heavy losses, then Jiangxia would be at a disadvantage! When the time comes, he would need to defend!
Pulling out the teeth of Jiangdong's Little Conqueror was what Liu Mang wanted! Although Jingzhou Liu Biao had a large foundation, he was still a sheep while Jiangdong's Sun Ce was a wolf. Now, the sheep was armed by Lü Bu, the tiger, while the wolf had its teeth pulled out. This scenario was getting more and more interesting!
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