Harsh words were easy to say, but the problem was that there was no way to take revenge on the whales on Whale Island. At the very least, they needed to have a whaling ship. Laurist had been to the Archipelago Ruins before, and the natives there were all experts at whaling. It was just that they drove canoes, and like a pack of wolves surrounding a bison, they attacked with spears soaked in paralyzing venom. After paralyzing the whales, they dragged them to the beach and cut them up to eat them raw …
Laurist couldn't possibly ask the marines to learn from the natives of the Archipelago Ruins. Right now, what he needed was a large whaling ship. Thus, he went to the shipyard and gathered all the chief craftsmen to discuss how to build a whaling ship.
The three training ships he had originally built were no more than twenty-four meters long, but the marines who returned reported that the whale that had crushed the first training ship was more than thirty meters long. Thus, the whaling ship they had to build had to be at least twice the size of the whale in order to compete with it. Laurist set his sights on the sail cruiser he had designed, which had its keel laid down.
The sail cruiser Laurist had designed was seventy-five meters long. Unlike his previous world, there were many large trees in the Black Forest, and it was easy to find suitable wood. Instead of having to splice them together to form the keel, this made construction much more convenient.
Since he was going to turn this sail cruiser into a whaling ship, the watertight compartments had to be doubled to prevent it from being hit by a whale and sinking. One of the craftsmen proposed to cover the outside of the ship with a layer of planks up to twenty centimeters thick. The two layers of planks would be connected by long copper nails. Even though it would slow down the ship and increase its weight, the hull would be sturdier and less prone to damage. Laurist happily accepted this suggestion and rewarded the craftsman with ten gold coins.
The plan to turn the cruiser into a whaling ship was quickly finalized with Laurist's generous reward. However, there was another urgent problem that Laurist had to solve. It was already November, and winter was approaching. There was no way to continue building the ship during the snowy days.
Laurist wanted to build a large wooden house that could be built inside the house. However, there was nothing he could do even if he drew the blueprint. It was impossible to build such a huge house with the current construction level and conditions. At this time, Old Man Barlek came up with an idea. There was a huge karst cave under the cliff behind the shipyard where the wood was stored. If the entrance of the cave was enlarged, then the hull could be built in the karst cave. At the beginning of spring, the completed hull could be pulled out and the mast erected. This way, it could be completed in less than a month.
Laurist personally went to inspect the cave and found that it was very spacious. He immediately decided to follow Old Man Barlek's suggestion and build the hulls of the whaling ships in this cave during the four months of winter. Not just one, but two at the same time. He also told Father Barlek that manpower was not a problem. He believed that those subjects who had nothing to do at home during the winter would be more than happy to work during the winter to earn some money. The family would pay for all the expenses as long as the quality and speed were guaranteed.
After leaving the shipyard, Laurist led the Guard Camp towards the Blade Peak Mountain Range. This time, he was going to the Darksteel Refinery that Master Sid was in charge of.
There was a saying that went like this. To do a good job, a worker must first sharpen his tools. Although the steel crossbow on the chariot was more than enough to deal with the whales on the ship, since the whale's skin was not as tough as that of a magical beast, the crossbow bolts on the chariot were indeed a little short. Moreover, Laurist did not plan to just kill the whale. The whale's entire body was a treasure. The whale's meat, the whale's skin, the whale's fat, and the whale's oil were the best treasures. Even the whale's ribs were the best material for making umbrellas.
If a super steel crossbow was installed on the ship, the whale might be killed in one shot, and the whaling ship might not be able to withstand the strong vibrations and crack. Thus, Laurist planned to install another ballista on the whaling ship. It was connected to a cable that was a few hundred meters long, and the crossbow bolts were in the shape of harpoons. After killing the whale, the harpoon-shaped crossbow bolts could be used to drag the whale's carcass back to the dock to be cut up …
Master Sid thought that Laurist was here for the 100,000 sets of standard equipment that the Fisablund Family had ordered. He patted his chest and assured Laurist that it would not be a problem to create 8,000 sets of fine iron armor pieces in a month. He was only responsible for providing the armor pieces and then transporting them to the weapons production base. The workers there would then install the armor pieces onto the leather armor, and it would become a set of standard equipment.
Then, Master Sid brought Laurist to see his latest product, which was the catapult that Laurist had asked him to improve. When he arrived at the place, Laurist was shocked. The design of the catapult that he had originally designed was actually a rotary cannon, a lever-type catapult that was huge and cumbersome. But now, what appeared in front of him was a catapult with six wheels. However, the torsion rope used to stop the catapult had been changed to steel wire springs.
Laurist had originally wanted to design a catapult with a torsion rope, but he really could not remember how the torsion rope, which was made of animal tendons and hair, could be wound to activate the catapult. Thus, he had no choice but to choose a lever-type catapult. He did not expect that Master Sid would give him a pleasant surprise. He used steel wire springs to replace the torsion rope and also created a catapult.
"Master Sid, how did you think of using steel wire springs to make a catapult?" Laurist felt very ashamed. In his previous life, industrial science had developed very quickly, but he did not think that he would be able to solve the problem so easily. All he knew was to rack his brain to recall the details of the catapult that replicated the torsion rope of ancient Rome that he had seen on television. It was really embarrassing for him as a transmigrator.
Master Sid was immensely pleased with himself. He stroked his goatee and said modestly, "Sir, this was an accident."
Pointing at the row of hydraulic forging machines under the waterfall on the other side of the valley, Master Sid recalled, "In the past, the largest hydraulic forging press was always a big problem to reset. We always used a U-shaped steel clamp spring to reset it, but this kind of steel clamp spring has a lot of wear and tear. One time, the steel clamp spring could not be reattached, and the original one had lost its elasticity. After being pressed down, there was a large gap, so we simply twisted it in a circle and put it in again. Unexpectedly, this way, it recovered its function, and it can be used for several times longer than the original spring.
Sir commissioned me to improve the catapult, and it made me think of this kind of spring with a twist in the middle. Thus, I experimented and found that this spring made of steel wire was the best. But now, I feel that it is more appropriate for Sir to call this steel wire spring. From now on, we will call it steel wire spring. "
"Sir, look here …" Master Sid pointed at a fan-shaped metal plate pasted on the wall of the catapult. There were five straight lines engraved on it, and there were a few lines of words written on it. "This is the throwing distance we obtained from our experiments. The top straight line means that if the catapult is parallel to this straight line, the throwing distance will be 100 meters. The bottom straight line means that the throwing distance will be about 500 meters. However, this requires our special round stone bullets. Throwing irregularly shaped stones will affect the shooting distance … "
"Sir, look, I used a steel and wood structure for this catapult. It is sturdy and reliable. Although the body of the catapult needs six wheels, this is in consideration of the stability required when the catapult is launched, so we had no choice but to increase the weight of the car's chassis. The speed of the catapult is a little slow, but it is very dexterous and convenient. Whether it is marching or stationed on the spot, it can be launched at any time, especially since it only needs three people to operate.
One person controls the car, one person carries the stone bullets, and the last person launches it. Sir, look at this metal wheel. After the stone is thrown, the catapult is rotated again. Place the catapult on the metal plate in a straight line that is parallel to the throwing distance, then let someone put the stone bullet into the metal bag at the head of the catapult. Finally, pull the lever next to the metal wheel, and the stone bullet will be launched. "
"Master Sid, you really surprised me. You are a genius mechanical designer. Now, can this catapult be finalized and mass produced? "Loriste asked.
"Sir, I feel that there are two shortcomings of this catapult. First, the maximum throwing weight is only 25 kilograms. Second, the durability of the steel wire spring is not satisfactory. Usually, it has to be replaced after close to a hundred throws. I have thought of many ways to increase the strength of the steel wire spring, but none of them succeeded. "Master Sid took the initiative to point out the shortcomings of the catapult.
"No, Master Sid, you have done very well. The poor durability of the steel wire spring is a problem of the material, and has nothing to do with your design. As for the maximum throwing weight of 25 kilograms, that is already very good. Any heavier and it will affect the agility and speed of the catapult even more. If these are the only two shortcomings, then it is not a big deal. First, mass produce 300 catapults. I am preparing to form a catapult battalion. "Loriste said.
"As you said, Sir, I will arrange for people to manufacture it as soon as possible. However, Sir, do you not want to see the effects of the catapult you designed? "Master Sid said.
"Oh, you even modified my catapult?" Loriste was very curious. He did not know what Master Sid would modify the lever type catapult into.
Master Sid brought Loriste to a four-wheeled carriage. This carriage was filled with things and covered with a large tarp. Master Sid called five people over and ordered them to pull the carriage to the side of the empty space and assemble the things on the carriage.
After the tarp on the carriage was lifted, square pieces of wood and steel parts were revealed. Loriste understood that this was an assembled catapult. As expected, in less than half an hour, a five meter tall lever type catapult appeared in front of Loriste.
"Sir, the only weakness of the catapult you designed is that it requires time to assemble. Moreover, the operators have to go through training to assemble it in the shortest time possible. However, its advantages are also very obvious. The maximum throwing weight can reach 150 kilograms, and the furthest distance can reach more than 600 meters. That is why I designed this catapult to be assembled. This way, even if it needs to be moved, it can be quickly disassembled and transferred to a carriage to be transported elsewhere. "Master Sid explained.
"Not bad, you have done very well. The design is very ingenious. With the catapult you designed and this assembled catapult, I believe that no stronghold will be able to stop the advancement of our family's armed forces." Loriste praised.
"How about this, Master Sid. Give me 10 of these assembled catapults as well. I am preparing to use 200 catapults and 10 catapults to form a battalion. Let's call it the Thunderbolt Battalion. Write a report on the production cost of the catapults and catapults and give it to me. I will immediately approve the funds. "
"Thank you, sir." Master Sid said.
Shiward, who was recording beside Loriste, reminded him, "Sir, have you chosen the commander of the Thunderbolt Battalion? Is this battalion to be classified as top secret?"
Loriste thought for a moment and came up with an answer. "Shiward, record the order. Transfer the commander of the Monolith Castle's First Battalion, Ovis, to be the commander of the new Thunderbolt Battalion. Order him to transfer half of the family's soldiers who have passed the test to join the Thunderbolt Battalion. The vacancies will be filled by veterans from other units.
Secondly, the family's knight Paul Binns will be promoted to the commander of the Monolith Castle's First Battalion. The vacancies will be filled by the recruit battalion. Also, the Thunderbolt Battalion does not need to be classified as top secret. Just classified will do. "
"Yes, sir." Shiward recorded the order and handed it to Loriste to sign and seal. He then stuffed it into a silver tube and handed it to a guard to send out.
"Right, Master Sid, I have another matter to discuss with you this time." Loriste stopped Master Sid, who was about to leave. "The family's navy was attacked by whales when they were training in the coastal waters. Two of their training ships were overturned, and they suffered heavy losses. I am preparing to deal with these whales. The shipyard is already building a large whaling ship, but we still need a large crossbow to deal with whales … "
"A large crossbow? Sir, you should look for Master Fallin … "Master Sid was very puzzled. Master Fallin, who was in charge of the crossbow factory not far away, was the one who specialized in making crossbows.
"Master Fallin? Haha, he can't do it." Loriste shook his head. "Master Fallin is indeed an expert in making crossbows, but he is used to doing things step by step. He has no concept of innovation in his mind, and he is stuck in his own ways. Thus, I cannot entrust such an important matter to him. Time is tight, and we need to finalize the design by next spring. I feel that it is better to entrust it to you, Master. "
Loriste's compliment made Master Sid very happy. He smiled and said, "Since Sir thinks so highly of me, then I will give it a try. However, I hope that Sir can let Master Fallin cooperate with my research. With him around, it will be convenient for me to ask him if I have any questions …"
"Alright …" Laurist agreed. He turned around and ordered, "Shihuard, go to the crossbow factory over there and invite Master Falin here. Then, bring a few guards to the crossbow factory to move the spare war chariot crossbow and the super crossbow that was left here …"
"Yes, Sir."
Master Sid was very interested in the super crossbow, and he even wanted to test it himself. This scared Loriste and Master Fallin so much that they broke out in cold sweat. Even a strong family soldier had to rest for an hour after shooting. With Master Sid's old arms and legs, he would definitely die on the spot if he went to test it. It was only when Loriste specially ordered a guard to shoot an arrow that Master Sid realized that this thing was not so easy to test.
"Sir, can you tell me the detailed requirements for the large crossbow you want?" Master Sid asked.
Loriste picked up a pen and paper and first drew a crossbow arrow. Those who saw this drawing all sucked in a breath of cold air. This crossbow arrow looked fierce and sharp. The three meter long crossbow arrow had an arrowhead that was half a meter long. There were three grooves on the three sides of the arrowhead, and there was a barb at the back of the arrowhead. There was also a ring behind the arrowhead, which was used to tie the rope. The entire crossbow arrow was made of fine iron.
"The large crossbow I want can shoot this kind of crossbow to deal with whales. It needs to be bigger than the war tank crossbow to be able to shoot such a long crossbow arrow. However, it can't be as big as the super crossbow, and it can't be as big as the super crossbow. That's on a ship. The crossbow's shooting distance is between 100 to 150 meters, and the arrowhead has to be able to sink into the whale's body. Furthermore, the arrow won't deviate even when it's shot with the rope attached, so the force of the shot has to be strong … "
Master Sid looked at Loriste's requirements recorded on the paper and pondered for a long time. "Alright, Sir, I have an idea. I'll try my best to make this crossbow for Sir within three months. "
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to Master Sid."
…
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