The unbelievable sight made Feng Yi's eyeballs nearly pop out of his sockets.
"My lord, be careful!"
Seeing Feng Yi standing in the path of the launch, Han Mo quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.
Although the mechanism was controlled by gears, at this point, those gears were still made of wood.
Even though the wood used was the strongest black ironwood, no one could guarantee that these components wouldn't suddenly shatter under the immense force.
Even though this was just a model, it possessed significant destructive power. If it were to hit this young man, it would be an unthinkable disaster!
"My lord, watch closely!"
In less than the time it took to draw a few breaths, and without any visible exertion, Li Zong, a frail scholar, had actually strung this tabletop-sized Shenbi Gong.
As Li Zong let out a low grunt, the wooden mallet in his hand descended.
"Buzz—"
Feng Yi immediately heard a piercing sound of wind breaking, followed by the targets placed twenty paces away being reduced to fragments!
"Ding—"
With a crisp clang, the iron spear, specifically designed for demonstration and as long as an arm, had more than half of its length embedded into the adjacent wall!
"Hoo—"
Tapping the nearby wall with an iron helmet, Feng Yi couldn't help but gasp for air.
This object, which appeared to be only one-third the size of a regular Shenbi Gong, possessed a power comparable to the actual Shenbi Gong!
"H-how can this thing have such immense power?"
After a period of stunned silence lasting nearly fifteen minutes, Feng Yi finally stared at Li Zong with wide, bewildered eyes.
"The reason this contraption possesses such formidable power, besides the bowstring made from four strands of mad bull sinew, is this marvelous invention!"
As Li Zong spoke, he tapped the bow limb with a nearby dagger.
"Clang—"
Hearing the metallic resonance, Feng Yi's eyes widened further.
"This is iron?"
"To be precise, it's steel. And it's thanks to you, my lord, for sending the artisans. One of the old craftsmen among them used to specialize in making soft steel in Cizhou!"
While listening to Li Zong, Feng Yi snatched the dagger and knocked off all the decorative plates on the model. It was then he discovered that the entire thing was indeed forged from pure steel!
However, it wasn't a single piece but rather, structured like mortise and tenon joints, with over a dozen pieces of soft steel meticulously pieced together!
"Of course, with just these components, the resulting device would be unusable by human strength, let alone by a frail scholar like myself! The reason I can operate this is thanks to this!"
As Li Zong spoke, he directly unfastened the protective plate from the model, revealing a complex arrangement of interlocking gears within.
"If our Great Song's cities could be equipped with these, and if they were enlarged several times, even the Iron Buddhas would likely not withstand a single arrow!"
Although he couldn't grasp the intricate mechanics behind its effectiveness, Feng Yi, with his quick wit, immediately grasped the potential applications.
"Your lordship's idea is indeed admirable, but the device you see here alone requires four master craftsmen working day and night for half a month, and they are all seasoned veterans..."
"Furthermore, this entire contraption is made of wood. Given its immense power, it's unlikely to withstand many uses before its internal components completely wear out. For mass production, these things are indispensable!"
Li Zong spoke, gesturing again towards the blueprints on the wall.
"Th-then let's build them!"
At this point, Feng Yi finally understood the critical importance of these endeavors.
"Hahahaha, very well. Now, tell me about any other difficulties you are facing. Speak your minds!"
Hearing this, Han Mo understood immediately that Li Zong was indirectly requesting his support. However, having traveled all the way to Quanzhou for this specific purpose, he was already prepared to foot the bill.
"Everything else is manageable, but the main issue is the location..."
Li Zong hesitated slightly as he mentioned this. The current site was barely adequate, but if they continued at their present pace, the small stream on the mountain would soon be insufficient.
After all, these machines were all powered by water, and simultaneously operating so many devices demanded an exceptionally high power output.
Moreover, the later research and development yielded components that required even greater power stability.
Even if natural water sources provided sufficient power, there were inherent fluctuations between flood and drought seasons, and even between sunny and cloudy days, regardless of rain.
"You don't need to worry about the location. I have already made arrangements in Mingzhou. Once you have a preliminary breakthrough here, you can lead them back to Mingzhou. I have specifically commissioned the construction of a dam and reservoir there, which will be completed in about a month!"
In Mingzhou, the shift from conscripted labor to paid employment had truly accelerated the pace of construction. It was the lean season, and earning even a meager amount of grain was a godsend for the common folk.
"Another issue is manpower. While it seems sufficient for now, once these devices are produced, subsequent manufacturing will undoubtedly lead to a shortage of personnel..."
"I cannot assist you with that at the moment. You will have to focus on training your own people. Of course, if you identify any suitable candidates, you are welcome to transfer them. Whomever you deem worthy, I will grant you access without hesitation!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Regarding financial matters, Han Mo had never faltered in providing the previously allocated funds. They had only utilized less than a tenth of what was initially provided.
With Han Mo's support for both location and manpower, Li Zong was now completely free from any concerns.
"Alright, all your problems have been resolved. Now it's my turn to make demands. These four items, this, this, and this, when can they be ready? I need a precise timeline!"
Having resolved the issue of the most rudimentary lathe, Han Mo was now more eager to know when the drill press, boring machine, and hydraulic forging hammer would be completed! After all, with these tools, the production of firearms would be a natural progression.
The Zhang Jue incident had begun to escalate. Based on Han Mo's estimation, the complete breakdown of relations between the two sides was likely only a matter of months away.