Fortunately, Han Mo, while not an expert on trebuchets, was a former archery coach.
He possessed a meticulous understanding of mechanical principles.
Using knowledge from centuries ahead, restoring these trebuchets posed no significant challenge.
"Greetings, sir!"
Although the craftsmen were visibly unaccustomed to Han Mo's remarkably youthful face, they immediately bowed their heads in deference upon seeing his official robes.
"I have summoned you to help me restore this. Do you think you can build it?"
The principles behind these trebuchets were not overly complex, and with existing samples for the craftsmen to reference, after a brief study, the lead craftsman nodded.
"What is your name?"
Seeing his honest demeanor, Han Mo directly asked.
"Replying to sir, I am Li Erniu!"
To Han Mo's surprise, he spoke in fluent Great Song Mandarin.
"Your accent suggests you are not from Mingzhou. Are you from Bianliang?"
"My father was from Bianliang. Later, facing hardship, he moved south with others. Relying on his carpentry skills, he made a living in boat houses outside the city!"
Li Erniu smiled honestly at Han Mo as he spoke.
"I see. Very well, build a new one according to these dimensions. How long will it take?"
"Replying to sir, if we disregard the decorative patterns, and with more hands to assist, it will take at most an hour!"
Although Li Erniu had not received much education and was somewhat nervous in front of Han Mo, he exuded strong confidence when discussing carpentry.
"Excellent. Then I will give you one hour. Tell him how many people you need and what materials you require. I want to see a new trebuchet in an hour!"
Han Mo merely wanted to use this item for an experiment and to determine its range.
Therefore, he had no requirements for patterns or anything else. As long as it was functional, nothing else mattered.
"Yes, sir!"
After speaking, Li Erniu walked directly towards Jiang Yan, and soon, under Jiang Yan's guidance, more craftsmen arrived at the scene.
With their addition, the construction pace accelerated considerably.
Han Mo, along with the blacksmiths, proceeded to another corner of the great training ground, where a temporary blacksmith furnace had been erected specifically by Han Mo.
Everything was constructed according to the usual practices of the blacksmiths in Mingzhou City.
"Take a look at this. Can you make what is depicted in this drawing?"
As Han Mo spoke, he handed over a drawing he had personally created.
As for other things, the Eight Ox Crossbow was truly strenuous to string.
Its power was indeed immense. To verify its range, Han Mo had specially arranged for an Eight Ox Crossbow from the armory to be moved to the great training ground.
Due to poor maintenance, its power had been greatly diminished, but its range still reached a terrifying 800 paces.
This immense power truly made Han Mo take notice.
Of course, such immense power naturally came with some unbearable drawbacks.
The first was the excessively slow speed of stringing it, and when stringing, it required at least seven strong men using a winch to pull the bowstring.
Secondly, there was naturally the damage to the crossbow body caused by such powerful kinetic energy.
With such great force, if fired continuously, the crossbow arms and body of the Eight Ox Crossbow could not withstand it for long.
Thirdly, it was also because the power of this item was too great, its accuracy was naturally far from ideal.
As for the claim of the Song-Liao War of the Chan Yuan, where one arrow killed Xiao Dalin, that was purely due to the man's exceptionally bad luck.
Han Mo could not solve the problem of accuracy for the time being, but he did have an idea regarding the stringing issue.
There was no need to make any significant changes to the original Eight Ox Crossbow; he only needed to create a mobile stringing machine, using animal power to replace human labor, which could greatly increase the firing rate of the Eight Ox Crossbow!
Han Mo was not worried about other components, only the most crucial component – the ratchet wheel.
This item not only had to withstand immense force but also had to mesh perfectly with other gears, requiring an exceptionally high level of craftsmanship.
"Your humble servant is willing to try. It feels like it should be possible..."
After discussing the details with Han Mo, the few craftsmen deliberated cautiously before tentatively stating their opinion.
"If you can make it, this official will reward you handsomely!"
Ever since witnessing the artisans of the Great Song hand-forge gears, Han Mo had held considerable expectations for their craftsmanship.
"Thank you, sir!"
While Han Mo and his team were working enthusiastically, Han Shizhong had already fallen into a difficult battle.
Under the protection of dense shields, the rebel forces had finally pushed the massive battering ram directly to the city gate.
"Boom—"
Following a loud noise, Han Shizhong himself broke out in a cold sweat.
Although the entire city wall trembled slightly, the city gate below had, at least, been defended.
"Burn it for me! Burn it for me!"
Han Shizhong's eyes turned red. Although the first impact had been withstood, the force of this ram was too great.
If they were allowed to continue ramming, the main shaft of the city gate would likely break before long!
"Damn it, grandpa has something delicious here!"
At Han Shizhong's command, several guards beside him picked up oil jars and hurled them down fiercely.
However, as the rebel forces were on the verge of breaching the city, how could they possibly allow their hopes of success to be destroyed?
To prevent fire attacks, the massive battering ram had already been covered with a thick layer of raw oxhide. On top of the oxhide, layers of water-soaked straw and mud were specifically applied.
Even the incendiary oil used by the Song army could not inflict significant damage on it in a short period.
"Damn it, smash them to death for me!"
"Prepare the Vanguard Corps!"
Seeing that the fire attack had not been very effective, Han Shizhong's eyes turned red.
Although he knew that sending the Vanguard Corps out at this moment was tantamount to sending them to their deaths, he had no choice but to make them take the risk.