Chapter 1262: 'Funnel'
Chapter 1262: 'Funnel'
November 23, 2017
Capital Military Camp, Hangu Pass.
Ever since Lu Bu's recent victory over Dian Wei, the troops stationed near Hangu Pass were no longer limited to Dong Zhuo's Black Demon Cavalry.
After that battle, Lu Hai Kong's side was evidently enraged, and not long after, his three elite cavalry forces, the Iron Blood, Black Wind, and Golden Flame Cavalry, arrived one after the other. Accompanying these elite cavalry units were Lu Hai Kong's most skilled generals.
To regain face and intimidate Dong Zhuo, Lu Hai Kong deployed an extremely luxurious lineup of soldiers and generals.
Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Wei Chi Gong, and Gao Luan—a total of seven fierce generals with a strength of 99—were transferred to the front lines.
Lu Hai Kong's formidable display was clearly aimed at bullying Dong Zhuo, whose generals were fewer in number. Even after Lu Bu's defeat and severe injury of Dian Wei, Dong Zhuo did not back down. Despite Lu Hai Kong's concentration of seven fierce generals with strength nearing 100, Dong Zhuo chose to stand firm.
Both sides engaged in a tense standoff outside Hangu Pass for several days before finally clashing in a fierce battle!
In that battle, Dong Zhuo almost exhausted all his resources to counter Lu Hai Kong's seven fierce generals.
In addition to Lu Bu, whose strength had surpassed 100, Dong Zhuo also summoned Hua Xiong, Zhang Xiu, and the one-armed fierce general who had lost an arm to Yuwen Chengdu. These three were Dong Zhuo's only generals with strength approaching 100 after that incident.
Moreover, Dong Zhuo gathered nearly ten other fierce generals with strength above 90 to fight Lu Hai Kong outside Hangu Pass.
The battle beneath Hangu Pass, although perhaps not of great concern to Lu Hai Kong and Dong Zhuo themselves, attracted the attention of almost all the lords across the land. After all, the two sides of the battle were Dong Zhuo and Lu Hai Kong.
During their standoff, all the lords were on edge, as a single misstep could potentially escalate into a war engulfing the entire realm.
Fortunately, although the battle did erupt, the situation remained largely under control. After a day of intense fighting, the battle ended in a rather delicate stalemate!
The lords were relatively satisfied with this outcome, but when they heard that the battle had ended in a stalemate, Qin Mu couldn't help but smirk.
He knew that both sides must have held back during the fight; otherwise, it would have been impossible for the duel to end in a draw.
From this result, Qin Mu could deduce that Dong Zhuo and Lu Hai Kong had exercised restraint, at least maintaining a tight grip on the final thread. Perhaps they even harbored thoughts of reconciliation.
However, Qin Mu wasn't concerned about this. To be precise, it was because he knew the outcome of their duel that he finally felt at ease.
This outcome aligned with the interests of both Dong Zhuo and Lu Hai Kong. If they had truly fought to the death, Qin Mu would have suspected some foul play between them.
The current situation was ideal, as both sides maintained a modicum of rationality while also displaying their anger. Under these circumstances, even if they wanted to reconcile, it wouldn't be so easy.
Once again assured that the situation was entirely under his control, Qin Mu sprang into action.
With Dong Zhuo entrusting him with all his forces except for the Black Demon Cavalry, Qin Mu began to exert his authority on both military and political fronts, launching into a frenzy of activity.
Under his command and with the efforts of hundreds of thousands of troops, the deep pit outside Chang'an City expanded to a diameter of three kilometers, with its deepest point reaching fifty meters. It resembled a massive funnel embedded in the city's outskirts.
After the funnel took shape, Qin Mu began adding things to it.
First, he laid a layer of hard stones on the outside of the giant funnel. These stones were all of the highest quality and sturdiest, the very same used in constructing city walls.
This type of stone had incredible defensive capabilities. After some simple modifications by architects, the layer of stones laid by Qin Mu could withstand attacks from even fierce generals with a strength value of 80 without shattering!
Qin Mu had started collecting these stones when he began digging the funnel, and with the help of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and laborers, it took only a few days to complete the stone layer.
But his efforts didn't stop there. After laying the stone layer, thousands of blacksmiths, assisted by the massive army, began their work.
Thousands of furnaces had been prepared early on, melting a mixture of primarily refined iron and various metal ores, creating a 'mixed molten iron' with temperatures reaching thousands of degrees. This molten metal was then poured into the funnel following a route designed by Qin Mu.
With the addition of the molten iron, the funnel gained another layer of silver-white metal, further enhancing its defense to an unprecedented level!
...
It could be said that at this point, the funnel's defense far surpassed that of a county city wall. Moreover, due to its direct connection to the ground, it could maximize the transfer of force underground. In practical use, the funnel's defense might even be more formidable than that of an imperial city wall.
Such defense was so formidable that even fierce generals with a strength value of over 100 might not be able to breach it!
Of course, such terrifying defense came at a massive cost. These two projects alone consumed 2 billion gold from Dong Zhuo's resources. It was almost as if Dong Zhuo was being stripped bare, as he didn't have the vast wealth of Lu Hai Kong.
Qin Mu's endeavors didn't end there. After completing these projects, he gathered a group of sculptors and, following his provided blueprints, began carving into the giant funnel. This step also incurred a substantial expense!
In truth, the carving itself wouldn't have been too costly, but the funnel's defense was so formidable that ordinary carving tools were useless. Special carving tools were required, and at least Exquisite-grade tools were needed. Moreover, a single set of Exquisite-grade tools wouldn't be sufficient for the sculptors to complete their work; each sculptor needed at least five sets.
With hundreds of sculptors, thousands of sets of Exquisite-grade carving tools were needed, adding another significant expense!
Fortunately, by this stage, Qin Mu's preparations were nearly complete. Otherwise, with such a massive financial drain, it's uncertain if Dong Zhuo could have withstood the strain...
(End of Chapter)
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