Tiger Owl

Chapter 218 Key Components
In the evening, the whole family enjoyed a delicious and hearty New Year's reunion dinner together.

Xiao Qiao smiled and carefully placed a bowl of rich, stewed soup in front of Gan Ning.

"My dear husband, please drink this. I made it myself!"

Gan Ning took a sip with a small spoon; it had a very strong medicinal taste.

"What is this?" Gan Ning asked, puzzled.

"This is the thousand-year-old Solomon's Seal that we bought at the temple fair today. Yunqing and I bought it together."

"A thousand-year-old Solomon's Seal!"

Da Qiao was surprised, "There are such treasures at the temple fair? How much did you buy them for?"

"Ten strings of cash!"

"It's so cheap, you haven't been scammed, have you? Where can you find thousand-year-old Solomon's Seal for such a low price?"

At this moment, Xu Wei also brought over a bowl of soup and said with a smile, "We weren't cheated. We just got it when the owner of the old Dongpu pharmacy rushed over and begged us to resell it to him. He was willing to pay a hundred strings of cash, but we refused! The owner himself said that this kind of thousand-year-old Solomon's seal is a once-in-a-century find, and only people with great fortune can obtain it."

At this point, Xu Wei placed the soup bowl in front of Da Qiao, saying, "My eldest sister just gave birth, and she needs this to nourish her body."

Da Qiao gratefully grasped Xu Wei's hand and smiled, "You're so thoughtful!"

Xiao Qiao pouted and said, "Sister, I made the soup, so you should thank me too!"

"Okay, I haven't forgotten you, thank you!"

The family sat down happily to continue their meal. After finishing their soup, Gan Ning asked with a smile, "Where did you put the Solomon's Seal?"

Xu Wei smiled and said, "It's in the storeroom. The pharmacy owner told us to keep it in a cool, dry place. We only cut off a few ounces for soup today, and there are still twenty-four catties left. Husband, you can go and take a look."

"Row!"

Gan Ning readily agreed, "After we finish eating, you can take me to see it. I also want to see what a thousand-year-old Solomon's Seal looks like."

The next day was the second day of the first lunar month, which was already the ninth year of Jian'an.

According to historical records, Cao Cao would not launch a major invasion of the south for another four years, but history had already been completely altered by Gan Ning, the future troublemaker.

Based on the current battle situation, this year should be the last year of Cao Cao's northern expedition. At the earliest this year, or at the latest next year, Cao Cao will definitely launch a major southern offensive.

Gan Ning felt a deep sense of crisis; they didn't have much time left.

Gan Ning arrived at the dock in the morning. Hundreds of huge cargo ships were moored there. Large catapult parts, wrapped in cloth, were carried off the ships by laborers and piled up on the dock.

These are the spoils of the raid on the Jiangling shipyard. The captured shipwright had already arrived in Yuzhang County, but the supplies had been stored in Yidao County of Wuling County and were only recently shipped here, arriving in Chaisang on the second day of the first lunar month.

Gan Ning led a group of civil and military officials to inspect the batch of giant catapults. At this moment, Gan Ning saw Li Zhuan, the chief steward of the Ordnance Department, squatting on a catapult part, deep in thought.

Gan Ning stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Is Steward Li deeply moved?"

Li Zhuan nodded and said, "We can also build a simple giant catapult, which is nothing more than a pile of wood. But it is not durable and will be damaged after a few uses. However, the giant catapult built by Cao Cao's army is not a simple product. It is a finely crafted treasure that will take at least two or three years to build. It can be used hundreds of times without being damaged. To be honest, we cannot build it at present."

"Why?" Gan Ning asked, puzzled.

Li Zhuan pointed to a heavy iron shaft weighing over a thousand kilograms and said, "The key is this iron shaft. It is also the most critical component of the entire catapult. This huge iron shaft is cast in one piece and is made of refined iron. We do not yet have this capability."

At this point, Li Zhuan let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with regret.

Gan Ning paused for a moment and asked, "Why does it take two or three years to make?" Li Zhuan pointed to the longest casting rod next to him and said, "It takes two or three years to make this casting rod. It is made of bamboo, cut into thin strips, then glued together, wrapped in cloth, and then repeatedly soaked in oil and dried. Soaking in oil for half a year and drying for half a year is repeated three times, so it takes three years to make it incredibly tough and have an incredibly powerful throwing ability. If you use a rope to throw it, a hundred-pound object can only be thrown three hundred paces at most, but with this casting rod, it can throw a hundred-pound object five hundred paces away."

Gan Ning nodded, "The method of making it you described is the same as that of the horse spear!"

"Yes! It's exactly the same as a horse lance, so it takes at least three years to make a high-quality horse lance."

“We have no shortage of craftsmen who can make lances, so casting rods are not a problem for us. The key is the iron axle, right!”

"Exactly. We must learn this integrated casting technology for large components. It will be used not only to build giant catapults, but also in many other military technologies in the future."

Gan Ning thought for a moment, "Jiangdong should have this technology, right?"

“Jiangdong has it; they can build large ocean-going ships, and the anchors of these large ships are made using this casting technology.”

Gan Ning nodded and smiled, "I understand, I will handle this matter well!"

...........
In the afternoon, Gan Ning sat in his official residence, lost in thought. It was the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the residence was very quiet.

At this moment, Pang Tong hurried over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Marquis of Chu!"

"I'm truly sorry to have the strategist come over for the New Year!"

"Lord Chu, please don't stand on ceremony. Just tell me what you need!"

Gan Ning nodded. “There’s something I’m quite anxious about. I saw the giant catapult today and realized it’s a great defensive weapon. When the enemy launches a major attack on the city, we can install it directly under the city walls to attack them. But there’s a problem: we can’t manufacture the key component, the iron shaft. Jiangdong can build ocean-going ships, so they must be able to cast large iron anchors. Military Advisor Pang, we need this technology. We must bring people over no matter the cost, and time is of the essence.”

Pang Tong nodded silently, "This subordinate understands. I will consider it today and start making arrangements tomorrow, trying to resolve this issue before summer."

Pang Tong has left, and Gan Ning has also returned to his residence. Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. There is no one in the government office, and there is no official business to attend to. They can't even get a cup of hot tea.

Back at the mansion, Gan Ning went straight to his study. Before long, Xiao Qiao brought in tea. She had been the center of attention these past two days, and just two nights of intimacy had made her exceptionally beautiful and charming, her lovely eyes filled with affection.

"This is ginseng tea I brewed for you, have a taste!" Xiao Qiao said with a smile, her hands behind her back.

"I thought you were going to make me another bowl of Solomon's Seal Soup?"

“I did want to! But Dr. Liu told me that the Solomon's Seal is too nourishing and would cause my husband to have nosebleeds, so he can’t eat it all the time. At most, he can take it once a month. So I made ginseng soup instead.”

Gan Ning took a sip of ginseng tea and laughed, "This ginseng soup is just too nourishing. I'll brew regular tea tonight."

"I understand, my husband, um...um..." Xiao Qiao looked a little embarrassed and couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Just say what you want to say, what's the harm in that?"

"Could you please ask Wu San Niang from Wencha Zhai to teach me how to brew tea again? I didn't learn properly before and have forgotten everything. Although you've memorized it, I feel that I still need her personal guidance."

Gan Ning said happily, "If you really want to learn this time, I will ask her to teach you again, and let Yun Qing come along too."

"Okay! I promise I'll study hard this time."

Gan Ning thought for a moment and smiled, "After you've mastered the art of tea, you can then study milk tea on your own. Sometimes I really enjoy the milk tea you make, especially the sweet and salty flavor from last time. I really miss it."

Xiao Qiao said happily, "I'll make it for my husband right now. Wait for me, I'll be there soon!"

Watching Xiao Qiao run off happily, Gan Ning felt that Xiao Qiao's lively personality hadn't changed, but she had indeed changed again, becoming more sensible.

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I'm going out to a wedding banquet today, so I'd like to ask for a day off. There's no lunch break, but the 5 PM shift is the usual time for my shift.

(End of this chapter)