" Ma Jun greets His Lordship!"
When Ma Jun appeared in front of Lin Yi, Lin Yi's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the inventor to be so handsome.
He laughed and said, " Deheng a handsome and talented man, and also a great inventor. It seems that I have found a great talent this time!"
"You flatter me, my lord. I am but a nobody, only good at making small inventions," Ma Jun shook his head and said with a wry smile.
Small inventions?
Lin Yi smiled. That was a bit too modest; none of those inventions were simple.
According to historical records, Ma Jun was hailed as one of the most renowned mechanical inventors in the history of ancient science and technology, a title that speaks volumes about his exceptional abilities.
He successively created civilian inventions that promoted social development, such as the new type of silk weaving machine, the compass cart, and the dragon bone waterwheel. He also developed a new type of high-tech wheeled catapult and an enhanced version of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow.
A new type of silk weaving machine!
This product can significantly increase the production of silk fabrics, making it a lifesaver for some families and promoting the development of the silk industry.
This is of little significance to Xiliang, but it is a godsend for Great Ning.
Compass chariot!
This seemingly simple device is of extraordinary significance; it's a directional aid! With it, navigating the ocean becomes much easier, at least the direction will never be wrong.
Although I now have a compass, the concepts of these two things are not the same; one utilizes a magnetic field, while the other utilizes mechanics.
If Ma Jun were given the opportunity, he might be able to create an even better product.
Dragon-bone waterwheel!
This is a tippler water pump, which is extremely convenient for agricultural irrigation and domestic water use, and is in great need in many parts of Northern Liang.
These three items were inventions for everyday life, and although Lin Yi was interested in them, they couldn't compare to the two cutting-edge technologies.
Enhanced Zhuge Repeating Crossbow!
Ma Jun modified the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, which was found by the Wei army, increasing its power fivefold.
This improvement is simply revolutionary!
The Zhuge Repeating Crossbow was originally known as a divine weapon of ancient warfare. Although its penetrating power could not compare to that of a single-shot crossbow like the Divine Arm Crossbow, its dominance on the battlefield was undoubtedly terrifying.
It can fire ten arrows at once, making it extremely lethal. Now, with a five-fold increase, it can fire fifty arrows at once, which is simply terrifying.
What the hell does this mean? It's like an ancient Gatling gun; in some ways, it's even more terrifying than gunpowder.
This piqued Lin Yi's curiosity. How exactly did Ma Jun manage to create it? He couldn't help but ask, " Deheng, it's said that you can improve the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, increasing its power fivefold. Is that true?"
Although Ma Jun was handsome, he had a slight stutter, which made him somewhat insecure.
Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, he couldn't help but blush slightly, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I did successfully improve it, and it can now fire fifty arrows at once without losing any of its lethality. However, after some consideration, I decided to leave it idle, so it ultimately came to nothing."
"Why is it sitting idle? This is a valuable item." Lin Yi's eyes lit up; Ma Jun was indeed reliable.
This ancient Gatling gun is definitely going to hold up.
Ma Jun nodded and explained, "It's true that the improved Ma Jun Divine Crossbow is ten times more powerful, but the court felt it was impractical on the battlefield, so I left it idle."
"Impractical?"
"Fifty arrows fired certainly increase the power, but there are also many problems. Besides requiring a large number of arrows, there will also be waste."
I see!
Lin Yi instantly understood the reason and felt somewhat sorry for him. It wasn't that Ma Jun hadn't brought it up at the time, but rather that the Wei State had rejected the plan. Perhaps the Wei State couldn't withstand such a drain on resources back then.
The Ma Jun Divine Crossbow can fire fifty arrows at once. This terrifying number requires real resources. Fifty arrows at a time, so ten times that would be five hundred arrows, is quite frightening.
This places an enormous burden on logistics; it is estimated that the logistics force would need to be larger than the number of archers at the front.
This is indeed a problem.
As for the waste he mentioned, Lin Yi thought of one possibility.
Firepower saturation!
The other fifty arrows, though they will scatter, will likely result in many people getting seven or eight arrows in their bodies if multiple crossbows fire at the same time. Moreover, a large number of arrows will be wasted.
For these two reasons, it's understandable that Ma Jun left it idle.
etc!
It's useless in ordinary battlefields, but it can be very useful in special battlefields.
He thought of the Net a type of intelligence network). Usually, intelligence gathering is done by a single person, but if this Ma Jun Divine Crossbow is used, then one person can be an army.
This time, fifty arrows were shot; if the enemy didn't have several dozen men, there probably wouldn't be enough to go around.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi looked at Ma Jun beside him and smiled, " Deheng, how big is this thing? Can one person operate it?"
"One person operating it?"
Ma Jun pondered for a moment, nodded, and explained, " The Zhuge Divine Crossbow that I improved is more than four times larger than the ordinary Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, and the arrows are also relatively smaller."
One person can operate it, but after one round, you basically lose your deterrent effect.
Refills need to be carried separately, and the reloading speed is slow, which are his disadvantages, so I don't recommend using it alone.
kindness!
Lin Yi nodded slightly. This statement was sincere, yet also realistic.
In other words, this thing is incredibly lethal, but it's difficult to fire a second round immediately after the first; it needs to be reloaded, which means it's most vulnerable during this period.
He muttered to himself, "If this problem can't be improved, perhaps we could try three-person or four-person teams. That would create a powerful assault team!"
Carrying four Ma Jun Divine Crossbow, with two people responsible for firing and two for loading, if there were enough arrows, even a hundred-man army probably couldn't get close.
This has potential!
Besides the Ma Jun Divine Crossbow, Ma Jun also invented a siege weapon, namely a new type of rotating catapult that fires in rapid succession.
Ma Jun created and tested this device. It can easily launch large stones hundreds of steps away, and it is extremely easy to operate. Once set up, you only need to pull the rope to launch them continuously and complete a whole round of flying stone attacks.
This was absolutely incredible, even more terrifying than modern catapults.
So the question arises: what is Ma Jun's place in the family?
If he were placed in the Heavenly Craft Workshop, he could even replace Pu Yuan. However, this would also restrict him, since if he were bothered by these trivial matters, his inventions would suffer.
Wait, I've got it!
Lin Yi thought of a good idea and smiled at Ma Jun, " Deheng, from today onwards you will be the retainer of my Xiliang Heavenly Craft Workshop, with an official rank equivalent to a prefect, and your status is even higher than that of Pu Yuan."
You don't need to participate in the management of the Heavenly Craft Workshop. You only need to be responsible for inventions. If you need anything, you can mobilize the resources of the Heavenly Craft Workshop at any time, and you can even contact me directly."