Struggle Assembly

The surname Ran is not common. In the River Conservancy Office, only Ran Zhongshi and his sister Ran Ying have this surname. Liang Qu naturally knew Lord Ran.

"Did Lord Ran say something was the matter?"

"I didn't know, I was only told to come and invite you, sir."

Liang Qu looked up and gazed at the sun. "What day is it today?"

The soldier pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands in a respectful bow. "In reply to Lord Liang, it is the twenty-fourth."

Liang Qu understood.

The 24th should be the gathering that Ran Zhongshi had mentioned before.

At the time, they only said it was at the end of the month, without specifying the exact day.

"Hold on."

Liang Qu went inside and changed into clean, plain clothes. He then followed the soldier to Shang Rao Wharf, where a small boat was already prepared.

Jun Han jumped to the stern and rowed all the way to Pingyang Wharf. Before they even reached the shore, Liang Qu saw Ran Zhongshi sitting in a teahouse drinking tea.

Ran Zhongshi noticed the small boat, reached under the table, and threw something towards Liang Qu from dozens of meters away.

Liang Qu raised his hand and caught it, and the entire small boat suddenly sank more than a foot.

Ran Zhongshi threw over was a half-meter-long solid iron Great Anchor, its shape exactly the same as the blueprints he had provided.

Liang Qu Shang An with the iron anchor, puzzled by its meaning.

"What does Big Brother Ran mean by this?"

"Waiter, another pot of tea." Ran Zhongshi moved a stool aside, gesturing for Liang Qu to sit down. "A few days ago, I had people cast more than ten Great Anchor and nearly a hundred small anchors. I remember your boat uses anchors, so I brought one back for you when I was inspecting it."

Liang Qu lifted his hem and sat down, placing the anchor at his feet, and joked.

"Big Brother Ran, don't tell me this anchor is my reward from above?"

"Haha, of course not. Here, let me show you this."

Ran Zhongshi pulled a thin document out of his sleeve.

Liang Qu reached out and took it, turning the pages one by one.

The document details the anchor's grip performance after each anchoring operation, comparing it with that of a four-pronged iron anchor. It is very detailed, and there is also a supplementary table at the end, which carefully compares the advantages and disadvantages of this anchor with that of the four-pronged iron anchor.

"Our people experimented for five days, anchoring a total of 327 times. 323 times the anchor was pulled into the mud and sand within a breath, and the remaining four times it was no more than five breaths."

Moreover, for the same size, your anchor has more than seven times the grip strength of a four-pronged anchor.

It is far more efficient than the four-clawed iron anchor's thirty-seven uses, just as you said, and there is absolutely no need for Hooking Husband.

I just can't understand how Brother Liang managed to do that. Why are two hooks more secure than four? Why doesn't your anchor need Hooking Husband? It even gets deeper and deeper into the ground, almost like it's rooted to the spot.

It relies on the amazing physics...

Liang Qu silently took a sip of tea, pondered for a while, then dipped his finger in the tea and drew a simple diagram on the table, marking two arrows.

"I'm not good at explaining, but generally speaking, as long as this anchor touches the riverbed and causes friction, it will pull the boat on one side and exert additional force to press it down on the other side, which is equivalent to a natural Hooking Husband."

Therefore, the anchor will be pulled deeper and deeper under pressure until the ground becomes too hard to be pressed down further, just like in the picture. I don't know if I've explained it clearly.

Ran Zhongshi looked at the arrows, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Why is this happening?

"It's a matter of perspective." Liang Qu picked up the anchor at his feet and grasped the curves at both ends. "This anchor can actually be improved."

Ran Zhongshi was surprised. "It can be improved?"

Liang Qu nodded and pointed to the connection between the anchor claw and the crossbar.

"This can be made into a movable style, allowing the anchor bolt and anchor claws to be separated, making it easier for the anchor to rotate. In fact, this is more suitable for large ships, as it allows both anchor claws to be inserted into the ground. However, forging is not as simple as casting."

The anchor of Liang Qu is a single piece, and as long as there is a mold, molten iron can be poured in for casting. After demolding, it is only a little polished. It is very simple and any Blacksmith Shop can do it.

Adding a movable rod in the middle would make it much more difficult, and the material requirements would also be higher. Only a skilled blacksmith could make it.

Ran Zhongshi seemed to be deep in thought, and he kept Liang Qu's words in mind.

"Brother Liang is truly a genius; he even came up with such an anchor!"

"Just some clever tricks."

"That's not quite right. If that were the case, who wouldn't want such 'cleverness'?" Ran Zhongshi shook his head and put away the document. "A good anchor is extremely important in the River Conservancy Office. According to Big Brother Xu, Brother Liang may be able to make another Great Merit!"

"To achieve another Great Merit?"

Liang Qu doubted that he had misheard.

The reason he reported the new anchorage to the River Conservancy Office instead of going to the County Government Office to get another invention award was that he thought the River Conservancy Office would give him a better reward.

After all, the two are valued differently.

I thought I'd be happy just to get some money to spend, but I never expected to make Great Merit.

In Feng Bu County, they risked their lives to earn just two coins, and casually drew a blueprint...

The surprise came too suddenly.

"It would be difficult for an ordinary person to gain Great Merit through this matter, but Brother Liang is different after all."

You are young, and youth is your greatest asset; naturally, people are more willing to give you a chance.

What is Great Merit?

Great Merit are resources, provisions for the path of martial arts!

Everyone wants provisions, but provisions are not like crops in the field, which are planted every year, grow every year, and thrive more and more each year with favorable weather.

Ran Zhongshi was certain that if a seventy or eighty-year-old Galloping Horse Martial Master were to use such an anchor, even if the effect was better, he would never be able to achieve Great Merit.

What use is it to give provisions to an old man?

It just means I can live a few more years.

We will definitely not mistreat you, but we will never give you preferential treatment.

Who would bother to nurture someone who's practically on their deathbed?

"Thank you so much, Big Brother Ran Big Brother Xu!"

"Brother Liang, don't be in such a hurry to thank me."

Ran Zhongshi immediately poured cold water on the idea.

"We can't make the decision on the Great Merit ourselves, otherwise Big Brother Xu would have decided it for you directly."

Whether it will succeed depends on higher authorities. It's best to keep a calm mind to avoid unnecessary disappointment if things don't go as planned.

"Big Brother Ran is right."

Liang Qu understood that the reasoning was correct and suppressed his excitement.

Indeed, it's not a good idea to open champagne at halftime.

"Big Brother Ran, did you summon me here today just to discuss the anchorage?"

"Of course not. Remember the small meeting I mentioned to you before? There's no fixed schedule for when the small meeting will be held, and not everyone is available on weekdays."

You never know who might need to go out on a mission, so it usually happens in the latter half of the month, on the day when everyone is most available.

"Celestial Person, and it's only half an hour before it starts. I'll send someone to call you over beforehand, and we can also talk about the anchor."

Liang Qu understood.

Ran Zhongshi looked at the sun's altitude and tossed down a small Broken Silver.

"It's almost time, come with me."

"Anchor..."

"Leave the anchor here, we'll have someone send it back later."

After following Ran Zhongshi around for a few steps, Liang Qu boarded a small boat from the dock. The boatman was a sturdy middle-aged man.

Ran Zhongshi made a few hand gestures, and the man nodded and started rowing the boat.

"Big Brother Ran, this is..."

Ran Zhongshi pointed to his ear.

"He can't hear."

Liang Qu's eyes flickered.

He looked at the middle-aged man, who turned his head and smiled.

Is it a coincidence or is it intentional to keep it so secret?

Silence.

With long oars striking the water, the two-story Painted Boat boat rested quietly on the Great Marsh.

With its carved beams and painted rafters, spacious and dignified, it was even more magnificent than the Whale Gang leader's pleasure boat.

Faced with this situation, Liang Qu couldn't help but let his mind wander.

What will it be like to attend a gathering of three generations for the first time? Extravagance and debauchery? A veritable feast of wine and meat?

No, no, that's too decadent.

What should I do if I really want to take him out to play? Is it not a good idea to refuse?

The ship arrives...

"Damn it, that old bastard is a whole realm higher than me. I couldn't stop him, and a Great Merit achievement slipped through my fingers!"

"Haha, you call that Great Merit? You dare to dream of Great Merit when you're only a minor realm higher? Aren't you ashamed to hold onto it?"

"Ke Wenbin, what are you barking about? You said at the last meeting that you were going to build the Third Bridge, how about it, have you built it yet?"