Volume 4 is in the ascendant Chapter 434: Master of Improvement
In order to catch up with Chu in terms of technology, Cao Cao of Wei expanded the scope of the order to recruit talents and also paid more attention to craftsmen.
It’s not that we didn’t take it seriously before, but... with the example of the Chu State, it has become much more urgent.
There are also many extraordinary people and talents in the north. After Cao Cao focused on recruiting them, many technical talents came to join him. One of them, Ma Jun, performed very well and surprised Cao Cao...
Cao Cao even said privately that Ma Jun's talent was no less than Pang Tong's - of course, Bai Tu did not hear such bragging .
If he listened, Bai Tu would definitely say to Cao Cao... You are right! Come on, be confident!
At the same time, Cao Cao also found many skilled craftsmen from all walks of life and lured them with generous rewards to let them share and discuss technology. In addition, the analysis of some Chu weapons that were lost on the battlefield and obtained by Wei through various channels greatly improved Wei's technology.
In Liu Ye's team that came to Chu this time, in addition to Xiahou Yuan, there was another Wei official whose identity was hidden... or who did not specifically reveal his identity, and that was Wei's skilled military strategist "Ma Jun".
This was also Ma Jun’s own request, hoping to actually visit the State of Chu and see the Chu’s craftsmanship and technology!
Although Ma Jun could not enter the confidential place and was not prepared to commit suicide, but according to Ma Jun, if Chu State and Jinling were really as the rumors said, even ordinary people should be able to feel the atmosphere!
Ma Jun didn't hide anything, after all, no one outside knew him...
After every failure, Cao Cao gained wisdom. Now, all the traffic between Wei and Chu was by sea, and Chu had a fleet to escort them, so Cao Cao was not too worried about the safety on the road.
As for safety in Chu?
Although other princes had different attitudes towards Bai Tu, some admired him, some resented him, but... everyone recognized Bai Tu's character, or recognized Chu's adherence to morality.
During the peace period, the State of Wei sent people here openly, and it was impossible for Bai Tu to forcibly detain people out of fear or love for talent.
After returning to the inn, Liu Ye also found Xiahou Yuan and Ma Jun and asked them for their opinions on plate armor.
Xiahou Yuan was very pleased when he learned that these fifty sets of plate armor were given to him by Bai Tu.
Fifty sets of plate armor were specifically given to him, and it was revealed that the plate armor could be traded with that of the Wei State, which undoubtedly reflected Bai Tu's importance to Xiahou Juan.
"Deheng, take a look at this batch of plate armor. With the skills of our Wei State's skilled craftsmen, how much will it cost to make it?" Liu Ye said as he held up a set of upper body armor and handed it to Ma Jun.
"Ahem, it's my plate armor." Xiahou Yuan emphasized, but he did not intend to stop Ma Jun from watching.
At the same time, Xiahou Yuan himself gently picked up a set of plate armor, weighed it first, and then knocked twice on the chest, joints and other parts of the armor.
Ma Jun stood aside, fumbling with the armor, his eyes blank...
Not to mention Xiahou Yuan, as the most brilliant general of the Xiahou family, his judgment on plate armor on the battlefield is undoubtedly an authoritative reference value.
As for Ma Jun...
It seemed that his eyes were blank, but actually in his perspective, as he explored, a three-dimensional projection of the plate armor appeared in front of him.
After touching them all, Ma Jun no longer cared about the plate armor, but danced on the spot - Liu Ye and Xiahou Yuan were not surprised by this either.
If you share Ma Jun's perspective, you will see the 3D projection in front of him at this moment. He can move it and disassemble it easily. It expands and shrinks when pulled, as if it is a black technology 3D projection...
Yes, this is exactly Ma Jun’s strategy - to manipulate the situation and study the world!
It can perfectly reproduce the structure of the mechanism and even has a certain degree of modification simulation.
Of course, compared to Pang Tong, Ma Jun's strategy is just "younger brother".
Ma Jun's tactics can only be used on a macro level, and he does not have the ability to conduct microscopic analysis. That is, he can accurately determine the strength of an alloy, but cannot know its content ratio.
Moreover, he could not, like Pang Tong, directly build theoretical models and conduct purely imaginative thought experiments. His thought experiments must have clear real objects for him to analyze...
After Xiahou Yuan tried the plate armor with his bare hands, he loaded it onto his own armor and tried it out, and he had a rough idea of the performance of the plate armor.
"Indeed, a whole piece of armor makes the plate armor very defensive, and because of its thickness, ordinary soldiers... well, more elite soldiers can afford it for horse battles. However, if used in infantry combat, it is still cumbersome. If loaded on armor... unless it is a grassroots general in the heavy cavalry, there is no need for it. After all, it still affects flexibility." Xiahou Yuan commented.
"What about the previous rumor that hundreds of heavy cavalrymen in plate armor defeated the Xiliang Iron Cavalry..."
"It should be true! If the lord had a thousand such heavy cavalry in plate armor, it is possible that he could have defeated Dong Zhuo head-on." Xiahou Yuan affirmed the plate armor.
"So... this plate armor will really be the deciding factor in victory or defeat in the future?" Liu Ye's expression was somewhat solemn.
"Ha! That's not the case, otherwise why would the State of Chu rest and recuperate at this time? It can just sweep across the world! Its weight and flexibility alone have determined that it needs to be suitable for its battlefield to be effective, and it can also be completely targeted tactically. As for the strategy... you don't need me to explain it for Zi Yang, right?" Xiahou Yuan was not so surprised by the plate armor as a magical weapon.
But even so, Liu Ye also understood the significance of plate armor - as long as a suitable battlefield is created, heavy cavalry in plate armor can sweep away everything!
Of course, this is just from a practical point of view. As for technology and cost...
The two chatted for a few more words. After Ma Jun came to his senses, Liu Ye immediately asked, "Deheng, what do you think? If this plate armor is made by the Artisan Battalion..."
That’s right, the first thing Liu Ye thought of was certainly not to buy it, but to have Ma Jun imitate it.
Even for the State of Wei, the cost of smelting steel by itself was higher and the quality was lower, but it did not matter if the cost was higher than the purchase price or even the quality was lower, after all, there was the hidden benefit of training craftsmen.
Cao Cao was not Gongsun Kang, who was not easily tempted. Although he also kept buying, Cao Cao did not give up his own imitation and fully supported Ma Jun's improvement.
Ma Jun's tactics made him a master of imitation and improvement...
The same was true of Ma Jun in history, who improved the catapult into a wheeled catapult, improved Zhuge's crossbow into Wei's crossbow, and improved Bi Lan's cart into a dragon-bone waterwheel - of course, now Bai Tu is somewhat following Ma Jun's path, leaving Ma Jun with no way to go.
But it is true that now, due to the pressure from Chu, Wei State attaches more importance to Ma Jun. In history, the "wheel-driven catapult" was only a blueprint in the end. Cao Shuang even disdained to experiment with Ma Jun, even though Ma Jun had already successfully transformed the crossbow...
"The smelting technology of the Chu State is indeed far superior to that of the Craftsmen Camp." Ma Jun had a dull face. It was not that he was unhappy, but that was just his personality.
"How much difference will there be in strength?" Liu Ye asked - this would determine how he would negotiate with the State of Chu in the future.
"30%. However, if the craftsmen camp makes them, the maximum number is 50 per year. Even if we recruit more ordinary craftsmen, the number will not exceed 70."
Ma Jun's words made Liu Ye feel cold in his heart...
