Chapter 936 - 778: Huihui Cannon

Chen Ji and Old Ears crouched together, Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai cautiously approached, listening to Old Ears muttering softly: "Do you really dare to call this less-than-height wooden frame a ’stone-throwing cannon’? Moreover, this stone-throwing cannon looks rather peculiar."

Chen Ji retorted, "Then what do you think a stone-throwing cannon should look like?"

Old Ears gestured with his hands: "It should be as tall as two floors, with about ten people pulling the traction ropes, then releasing to fling the stones out... Your stone-throwing cannon doesn’t even have a base, how could it throw stones?"

Chen Ji was not agitated by the skepticism, but calmly drew with a stick on the ground: "Stone-throwing machines can be divided into several types. The first is the traction type you mentioned, relying on manpower, which is simple but labor-intensive; the second is the torsion type, using a winch to save manpower; the third is the elastic type, such as the crossbow, which can shoot up to three thousand steps, but it is too precise, and the cow tendon bowstring alone takes three years to make."

Old Ears looked at the three hurriedly drawn stone-throwing machines on the ground: "Which type is yours?"

Chen Ji extended his hand and wiped out all three on the ground, then drawing the outline of a stone-throwing machine from memory: "Mine is the fourth kind, the counterweight type. Torsion cannon can throw a hundred pounds, traction type one hundred and twenty pounds, elastic type the smallest..."

Old Ears interrupted: "How heavy a stone can your gadget throw?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "If made according to the original design, throwing a three hundred pound stone would be no problem."

Old Ears scoffed: "Three hundred pounds? Don’t boast, three hundred pounds stone thrown could crack the Imperial Capital’s city wall."

Chen Ji did not rush to refute, but patiently said: "That would be the ideal situation. Shangjing City looks majestic, but it’s just a brick city wall, with packed earth and brickstone exterior. A stone hitting it could indeed cause it to crack."

Old Ears stared wide-eyed: "Have you really thought about attacking Shangjing City’s ideas?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "But that is too large, not to mention Jingjiang County does not have the required timber and iron pins, even if they did, I might not be able to make it. Just talking about the ratio of the short arm to the long arm, some say it’s four to one, others say five to one, it requires trying again and again, wouldn’t be understood well within six months..."

Old Ears detested technical talk, becoming immediately impatient: "Just tell me what you can make now to fight pirates."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "What I am working on now doesn’t have the large power, maximum it can throw fist-sized stones, can’t guarantee accuracy, but its advantage is in simple craftsmanship, having a range far surpassing crossbows, and can be operated by a single person. See, this is what I’ve made."

Old Ears looked at the strange wooden frame leaning against the wall: "How do you use this thing?"

Chen Ji stood up and lifted the cannon frame to demonstrate: "Stand up the short arm at the counterweight end, rest the long arm on the ground, tuck a fist-sized stone into the rope sling, then push the counterweight side forward, as the cannon frame falls naturally, the counterweight iron plate will lead the long arm to fling forward, the whip effect allows..."

Old Ears was clueless: "Just talk, if you practice none of it proves anything, show me."

Chen Ji was troubled: "Not possible yet, making the frame is simple, but the connecting iron pins are unsuitable, if pushed, stones can be thrown, but this frame will likely scatter."

Old Ears mocked: "Round and round it’s just a showpiece, wasted old ears listening to your nonsense for ages."

Chen Ji patiently said: "Once I summon the city blacksmith to improve it, then it can test its power."

Old Ears tugged him outside: "Come, come, come, find a blacksmith."

After the two left, Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai looked at each other.

Yuan Xing came to the strange cannon frame and examined it: "Did you understand what Father just said?"

Jiang Chai shook his head: "No."

Yuan Xing thought to himself: "Want to try?"

Jiang Chai hesitated: "It’s not good, Father said using it once would cause it to fall apart."

Yuan Xing grinned: "When my Right Martial Guard went to Chongli Pass, they took stone-throwing machine craftsmen, also cut trees at Chongli Pass to make stone-throwing machines, this odd-looking stone-throwing cannon is indeed the first I’ve heard of, I don’t believe Father’s creation could be more powerful than those old craftsmen’s."

Saying so, he went outside, found a brick, tucked it into the rope sling, following Chen Ji’s gestures to stand up the cannon frame, then gently pushed it forward.

The counterweight iron plate tilted along with the support arm as the frame slowly fell, but as the long arm lifted the stone up, the whip effect caused enormous kinetic energy to concentrate at the rope’s end and release.

Only a swoosh was heard as the fist-sized stone was flung high into the air.

Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai’s gaze followed the stone over the courtyard wall, seeing the stone in the blink of an eye fly beyond a hundred steps before descending in a parabolic curve.

Jiang Chai murmured: "This thing can shoot stones that far?"

Yuan Xing watched the stone disappear from view, muttering to himself: "The stone might fly beyond two hundred steps, hitting a pirate would cause bruises and purple marks?"

Jiang Chai pondered: "If facing our dynasty’s heavily armored Iron Cavalry, getting hit, they might survive, but unarmored pirates would definitely suffer fractures and tendon ruptures, if struck in the chest or head, it would be instant death."

Yuan Xing’s face suddenly changed, and he turned to run outside: "No, if this stone hits someone, it could be trouble!"

...

...

Chen Ji and Old Ears were walking towards the blacksmith shop when they suddenly heard the sound of wind whistling behind them.

Old Ears sidestepped to the right, only to see a fist-sized stone fly past his nose, shattering into pieces on the ground.

Old Ears laughed angrily: "Coming to the Ning Dynasty this time is quite strange, what kind of person dares to provoke this old man?"

He squinted his eyes, looked back, and saw Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai running to him one after the other, kneeling with a thud: "We were wrong."

Jiang Chai knelt beside him: "What does your mess have to do with me?"

Yuan Xing gritted his teeth: "Then stand up and speak, don’t kneel."

Jiang Chai stubbornly: "I like speaking while kneeling."

Old Ears looked at the two with a forced smile: "Did you throw the stone?"

Yuan Xing hurriedly explained: "After you two left, I got antsy and wanted to try my foster father’s stone-throwing cannon, didn’t expect it could shoot this far."

Old Ears was momentarily stunned, looking back towards the courtyard: "The stone was thrown from there?"

Yuan Xing nodded like a pecking chicken: "Yes, it was thrown from there."

Without a word, Old Ears walked back, and upon returning to the courtyard, he saw the dismantled counterweight-style stone-throwing cannon on the ground. He turned to Chen Ji: "So you said a cannon capable of throwing a 300-pound stone is real?"

Chen Ji glanced at Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai: "I was just talking nonsense earlier. Even given craftsmen and materials, it’s not necessarily doable."

Jiang Chai’s eyes were bright: "No need for anything bigger, this thing is just perfect for hitting the pirates, and it’s simple to build. As long as there are enough wood and iron plates, a craftsman can build one within two hours. In the future, it can be enlarged several times, conquering cities will be easy."

Chen Ji naturally knew this thing would pique Jiang Chai’s interest.

The counterweight-style Huihui Cannon was born for siege warfare.

The God’s Whip managed to hit as far as the Danube River, largely thanks to the Huihui Cannon. European fortresses collapsed like rotten wood before it, leaving the legend of breaking a city with three shots.

Its sound shook the land, nothing it hit remained standing, penetrating seven feet into the ground—this was the heaviest whip tip of God’s Whip.

While Chen Ji was momentarily unable to recreate the original Huihui Cannon, generations of enthusiasts improved and pursued its peak, birthing a single-soldier version micro counterweight stone-throwing cannon, with the most lethal improved version able to launch stones with a sonic boom.

Jiang Chai looked up at Chen Ji: "With this Heavy Weapon, foster father needn’t worry about rebellion. Allow me to oversee its manufacture, starting with the pirates. Afterwards, keep the craftsmen controlled to prevent it from spreading."

Chen Ji replied irritably: "This thing’s usefulness isn’t as great as you think. It’s only feared by brick-covered earthen fortress walls; against full-brick cement fortresses, it’s useless."

At this moment, Yuan Xing voiced his confusion: "Wait a minute, I heard cement is also made by you, foster father, has Chongli Pass started using it for repairing walls?"

Jiang Chai was frustrated: "The spear is also made by foster father, and why is the shield also made by him?"

Chen Ji consoled: "Don’t overthink it, this thing might work against the pirates, but it’s far too cumbersome and imprecise for the cavalry of the two dynasties. It’s only useful because the pirates are brave enough to encircle the city, otherwise useless against them."

Just then, an urgent drumbeat sounded from the city gate tower, Jiang Chai stood up and instructed Yuan Xing: "The pirates are attacking the city... now they’re too close to the walls; they come and go as they please. We must quickly build this weapon to force them to camp farther away."

Yuan Xing pondered: "I’ll oversee its construction, while you command from the city wall."

Jiang Chai shook his head: "It’s already a battle, the Anti-Japanese Army hasn’t even memorized the flag orders, commanding is pointless. I’ll oversee its construction; you’re in the Seeking Dao Realm, you’re more useful on the city wall, ensure you win me one night for gathering all city craftsmen to produce the stone-throwing cannon."

Yuan Xing turned and ran towards the wall: "Rest assured, I’ll make it through the night for you."

Old Ears watched the two run off, one left and one right, and lamented: "With both dynasties’ courts so corrupted, the Ning Dynasty people don’t fight the pirates themselves, the talented ones of the Jing Dynasty find themselves unappreciated and run to the Ning Dynasty to fight the pirates. What kind of affair is this... hey, what are you doing?"

"Killing pirates, what else?" Chen Ji tugged at Old Ears’ sleeve, running towards the sound of the loudest drumbeats.