Tiger Owl

Chapter 241 Jiangbei Layout
Huang Zhong took his leave. As he reached the door, Gan Ning said to him, "Go find Huang Zu and persuade him to temporarily relocate his entire family to Wuchang County. Also, I have decided to appoint Huang She as the Prefect of Wuchang County."

The Huang Zu family was the most prominent family in Jiangxia County and had a huge influence on the county. Therefore, Gan Ning did not kill Huang Zu and even appointed his son as the Prefect of Jiangxia County.

In the past two years, they have been able to successfully control Jiangxia County, obtain huge salt resources, and successfully mine and transport them out, all thanks to the cooperation of the Huang Zu family.

Gan Ning knew very well that if Cao Cao controlled Jiangxia County, and Huang Zu switched allegiance to Cao Cao, Jiangxia County would be far away from them.

The entire Huang Zu family must be moved to Jiangnan.

Huang Zhong resigned, and Gan Ning signed the appointment order, appointing Huang She as the Prefect of Wuchang Commandery.

Gan Ning walked to the window with his hands behind his back and silently looked north. The new Battle of Red Cliffs was about to begin. In history, Cao Cao was defeated, but now the course of history has been changed. Will Cao Cao lose again?
Gan Ning felt empty inside, lacking confidence but also fear, only bewilderment at the changes history had brought.

...........
In the afternoon, Gan Ning arrived at the Crossbow and Cannon Institute under the Ordnance Department. The Crossbow and Cannon Institute was heavily guarded. It was not only a place for researching siege weapons, but also a secret place for researching firearms. The Crossbow and Cannon Institute was the open place, while the Firearms Institute was the secret place.

However, Gan Ning is not here to inspect firearms today; he is here to examine the research on giant catapults.

Accompanied by his supervisor, he arrived at the smelter. As soon as he entered the gate, he heard the clanging of iron being hammered. The smelter had more than a hundred blacksmiths, and the chief blacksmith was Wang Chun, an old blacksmith they had invited from Kuaiji County.

When Wang Chun first arrived, Gan Ning came to inspect and talked with him. Only then did Gan Ning understand Wang Chun's role. He had stopped forging iron ten years ago, but he had a pair of eagle eyes accumulated with thirty years of experience. From the color change of the molten iron, he could tell the carbon content and the content of impurities. He could then order the addition of carbon to stop at the moment when the carbon content was most accurate and the impurities were least, pour the molten iron into the mold, and cast the large iron parts in one go.

At this moment, a heavy iron axle weighing a thousand pounds was fixed in the courtyard by an iron chain. The axle was glowing red, and four blacksmiths were hammering it with large hammers.

Wang Chun was standing to the side when he suddenly saw the Marquis of Chu arrive. He quickly came out to greet him, "Marquis of Chu!"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "I've come to check the inventory!"

The key components for manufacturing the giant catapult are the iron shaft and the launching rod. They started making the launching rod last year and have manufactured more than 2,000 of them. Although they will not be able to finish them all until autumn, they still have 300 in stock.

What they lacked most right now was iron shafts. Only after Wang Chun arrived did they begin to manufacture qualified iron shafts.

"Lord Chu, this way please!"

Wang Chun led Gan Ning to the warehouse, which was very large, consisting of five warehouses filled with large wooden frames. The smallest of these warehouses was the iron parts warehouse.

Stepping into the parts warehouse, most of the space was filled with wooden shelves, on which were displayed all sorts of small iron parts. Small iron parts were easy to manufacture, while large iron parts were difficult to manufacture.

Gan Ning saw iron shafts in the northeast corner of the storage area. There were at least a hundred of them, each five feet long, as thick as a thigh, and weighing over a thousand kilograms.

"At first, it took us three days to make one of these iron shafts. Later, as we became more skilled, we were able to make one every two days. Now we are casting them in two groups, making about two shafts a day. We have made a total of 127 shafts."

With only 127 catapults, he was able to build more than 100 giant catapults. However, his most urgent need now was to deploy 200 catapults in Queyue City, with 100 as backups. Subtracting the 100 giant catapults he had captured, he would still need 200 more.

Gan Ning thought for a moment and asked, "Is it possible to make seventy-three iron shafts within a month?"

Wang Chun nodded, "Everyone, you can definitely manage with a little extra effort!"

Gan Ning turned back and asked the head steward, "How many days does it take to assemble one giant catapult?"

The head steward laughed and said, "Lord Chu, if we have enough parts and enough craftsmen, we can assemble one hundred units in ten days."

Gan Ning suddenly realized his mistake; assembling a catapult and casting an iron shaft were not the same thing. He laughed and said, "I understand!"

The assurance on the iron shaft put Gan Ning at ease.

When she returned home in the afternoon, Da Qiao and her two sisters came out to greet her. After nearly half a year of slow recovery, Da Qiao had fully regained her radiance and grace before giving birth. Especially with her gentle personality, she was even more beautiful and dignified.

"How's the baby?" "The little one just fell asleep!"

Gan Ning nodded, "We'll go see him when he wakes up."

Gan Ning returned to his study, took a sip of tea, and said to the three women, "I'm going away for a few days tomorrow!"

"Where are you going, my husband?" Da Qiao asked.

"It takes about ten days to get to Queyue City, which is located where the Han River flows into the Yangtze River."

"Can I bring my family?" Xiao Qiao asked with a smile.

Gan Ning thought for a moment and smiled, "You can bring your family, but you and Yun Qing should discuss who will stay behind to take care of your eldest sister?"

Xu Wei smiled and said, "I'll stay!"

"No! This time Yunqing will go, and Ayu will stay behind."

Da Qiao then said to Xiao Qiao, "Last time you accompanied your husband to Yiling, so it's Yun Qing's turn now. You can't always be the one to go."

Xiao Qiao pouted. She was the one who suggested it first! Knowing she couldn't be willful, she could only helplessly say, "Alright! Yun Qing will go this time."

Gan Ning smiled and said to Xiao Qiao, "I'm going to Nanchang County to inspect the ranches next month. You can come with me then."

Xiao Qiao immediately beamed with joy, and any lingering resentment in her heart vanished instantly.

The next morning, Gan Ning took Xu Wei aboard a large ship with a capacity of 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). This was his private ship, a giant multi-story vessel with eight sets of paddle wheels and thirty-two people responsible for pedaling.

Six thousand soldiers and three hundred warships escorted them. Xu Shu and Huang Zhong also accompanied them, but he was on another large ship.

The ship had four decks, located in the rear half of the large ship. Gan Ning and Xu Wei lived on the third deck, along with several personal maids and eight female guards on the second deck. Three hundred personal soldiers lived on the first deck, where they stood guard and patrolled around the area.

Xu Wei stood at the very front of the third deck, holding onto the gunwale, gazing at the surging Yangtze River ahead. The river breeze blew, lifting her beautiful hair.

Gan Ning slowly stepped forward, put his arm around Xu Wei's shoulder, and asked with a smile, "Have you been to Jiangxia County?"

Xu Wei shook her head and smiled, "My husband is very strict at home and doesn't allow me to go out!"

Gan Ning laughed, "Looks like I made a mistake. Alright then! Starting today, I'll be a little more lenient with you. You can go out whenever you want, how about that?"

Xu Wei was startled and turned to glare at her husband. Finally noticing the teasing look in his eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and playfully punched his chest twice. "Don't scare me!"

Gan Ning gently embraced her and said softly, "The river wind is too strong. You'll catch a cold if you stay in it for too long. Let's go back to the cabin!"

Xu Wei nodded obediently. Just as she was about to go back with her husband, a female guard stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Lord Chu, General Huang has arrived!"

Gan Ning nodded and said to Xu Xuwei, "Give me that black box!"

Xu Wei immediately understood what her husband meant: the three telescopes were placed in wooden boxes of different colors—red, yellow, and black. She hurried back to the cabin, and shortly after, she came out with the black box and handed it to her husband.

"Go back to your cabin and rest. I'll be back soon!"

Gan Ning gave his wife a word, then turned and walked down the ladder to the first floor.

(End of this chapter)