Chapter 188

The surname Ran is rare; in the entire River Patrol Office, only Seeing Ran Zhongshi and his sister Ran Ying have this surname. Liang Qu naturally knew who the Lord Ran the soldier was talking about was.

"Did Lord Ran say what it was about?"

"This subordinate doesn't know, only that I was ordered to invite you, my Lord."

Liang Qu raised his head and stared at the sun: "What day is it today?"

The soldier pondered for a moment and bowed: "Replying to Lord Liang, it is the twenty-fourth."

Liang Qu understood.

The twenty-fourth, it should be the gathering Seeing Ran Zhongshi mentioned earlier.

At that time, he only said it was at the end of the month, not which specific day.

"Wait a moment."

Liang Qu entered the house, changed into a clean plain garment, and followed the soldier to the Shangrao wharf, where a small boat had already been prepared.

The soldier jumped to the stern to row, sending him all the way to the Pingyang wharf. Before docking, Liang Qu saw Seeing Ran Zhongshi sitting in a tea stall drinking tea.

Seeing Ran Zhongshi noticed the small boat, reached under the table, and threw something at Liang Qu from tens of meters away.

Liang Qu raised his hand to catch it, and the whole small boat suddenly sank by more than a foot.

What Seeing Ran Zhongshi threw was actually a half-meter-long pure iron anchor, the shape of which was identical to the blueprint he had given.

Liang Qu stepped onto the shore with the iron anchor, not understanding the meaning.

"What does Brother Ran mean by this?"

"Waiter, another pot of tea." Seeing Ran Zhongshi moved the stool and signaled Liang Qu to sit down. "A few days ago, I sent people to cast more than ten large anchors and nearly a hundred small anchors. I remember that your pleasure boat uses an anchor, so I brought one for you while inspecting them."

Liang Qu lifted his hem and sat down, placed the anchor by his feet, and joked.

"Brother Ran, don't tell me that this anchor is the reward from above for me?"

"Haha, of course not. Come, let me show you this."

Seeing Ran Zhongshi pulled a thin document from his sleeve.

Liang Qu reached out and took it, flipping through it page by page.

The document recorded the ground-gripping performance after each anchor drop, as well as a comparison with the four-clawed iron anchor, which was very detailed. Finally, there was a supplementary table that carefully compared the advantages and disadvantages of this anchor with the four-clawed iron anchor.

"Our people experimented for five days, dropping the anchor a total of 327 times. 323 times it hooked into the mud and sand within a breath, and the remaining four times did not exceed five breaths.

And at the same size, your anchor's ground-gripping force is more than seven times that of the four-clawed iron anchor.

In terms of efficiency, it completely beats the four-clawed iron anchor's 37 times. Just as you said, there is no need for a hook-setting laborer at all.

I can't figure out how Brother Liang did it. Why are two hooks more secure than four hooks? Why doesn't your anchor need a hook-setting laborer, and even gets deeper the more it hooks, as if it grew in the ground?"

It relies on magical physics...

Liang Qu drank a sip of tea silently, pondered for a long time, dipped his finger in tea, drew a simple diagram on the table, and marked two arrows.

"I'm not good at explaining. Generally speaking, as long as the anchor touches the river bottom and friction occurs, one side will pull the ship, and the other side will have extra force pressing it down, which is equivalent to a natural hook-setting laborer.

The anchor will be pulled deeper and deeper under pressure until the ground is too hard to press down, which is what is drawn here. I don't know if I explained it clearly."

Seeing Ran Zhongshi looked at the arrows, half-understanding.

"Why would it be like this?"

"It's an angle issue." Liang Qu picked up the anchor by his feet and held the arcs at both ends. "This anchor can actually be improved."

Seeing Ran Zhongshi was very surprised: "Can it still be improved?"

Liang Qu nodded and pointed to the connection between the anchor claw and the crossbar.

"This can be made into an active style, allowing the anchor rod and the anchor claw to separate, which is convenient for the anchor to rotate. In fact, this is more suitable for large ships, and can make both anchor claws insert into the ground, but it is not as simple to forge as casting."

Liang Qu's anchor is integrated, as long as there is a mold, pouring molten iron can cast it. After demolding, it is polished a little, which is very simple, and any blacksmith shop can handle it.

Adding an active rod in the middle would be much more difficult, and the material requirements would be higher. A blacksmith without some ability wouldn't be able to build it.

Seeing Ran Zhongshi was lost in thought, keeping what Liang Qu said in his heart.

"Brother Liang is truly a genius! You could even think of such an anchor!"

"Just some small cleverness."

"That's wrong. If so, who wouldn't want such 'small cleverness'?" Seeing Ran Zhongshi shook his head and took back the document. "A good anchor is extremely important to the River Patrol Office. According to Brother Xu, Brother Liang might be able to make another great contribution!"

"Make another great contribution?"

Liang Qu suspected he had heard wrong.

The reason he reported the new anchor to the River Patrol Office instead of going to the County Government to get another invention award was that he thought the River Patrol Office's reward would be more.

After all, the two attach different degrees of importance.

He originally felt that getting some silver to spend would be good, but he never expected to make another great contribution.

He fought to the death in Fengbu County to earn two, and just by drawing a blueprint...

The surprise came too suddenly.

"It is generally difficult for ordinary people to exchange for a great contribution for this matter, but Brother Liang is different after all.

You are very young, and youth is the greatest capital. Naturally, everyone is more willing to give you a chance."

What is a great contribution?

A great contribution is resources, the resources on the martial path!

Everyone wants resources, but resources are not crops in the field, planted every year, growing every year, with favorable weather, more lush year by year.

Seeing Ran Zhongshi can be sure that if a seventy or eighty-year-old galloping horse martial artist took out such an anchor, even if the effect was better, it would be absolutely impossible to obtain a great contribution.

What's the use of giving resources to an old man?

It's nothing more than being able to live a few more years.

There will definitely be no mistreatment, but there will definitely be no preferential treatment.

Who would focus on cultivating someone who has one foot in the grave?

"Thank you, Brother Ran, Brother Xu!"

"Brother Liang, don't be in a hurry to thank me."

Seeing Ran Zhongshi immediately poured a basin of cold water.

"We can't make the decision on the great contribution ourselves, otherwise Brother Xu would have set it for you directly.

Whether it can succeed depends on those higher up. It's better to keep a normal heart, so as not to ruin your mood if it doesn't happen."

"Brother Ran is right."

Liang Qu understood the truth and suppressed his excitement.

Indeed, opening champagne halfway is not very good.

"Brother Ran, did you look for me today just to talk about the anchor?"

"Of course not. Remember the small gathering I told you about earlier? There is no fixed number for when the small gathering will be held. Usually, not everyone is free.

It's hard to say if someone happens to have something to do and goes out to take a task. It's basically in the second half of every month, picking the day when people are most complete.

It just so happens that everyone is here today, and it will start in half an hour. I sent someone to call you over in advance, and by the way, talk about the anchor."

Liang Qu understood.

Seeing Ran Zhongshi looked at the height of the sun and threw down a piece of broken silver.

"Time is almost up, come with me."

"The ship anchor..."

"Leave the ship anchor here, just find someone to send it back later."

Following Seeing Ran Zhongshi, he took a few steps around, and Liang Qu boarded a small boat from the side of the wharf. The boatman was a sturdy middle-aged man.

Seeing Ran Zhongshi made a few gestures, the man nodded, and rowed the boat.

"Brother Ran, this is..."

Seeing Ran Zhongshi pointed to his own ear.

"He can't hear."

Liang Qu's eyes flashed.

He looked at the middle-aged man, who turned his head and showed a smile.

Coincidence or deliberately so secretive?

A silence.

The long oar hit the water, and the two-story painted pleasure boat was moored on the Great Marsh.

Carved beams and painted buildings, wide and stable, more magnificent than the Whale Gang leader's pleasure boat.

In such a situation, Liang Qu couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

Participating in the gathering of the third generation for the first time, what will it look like?

Extravagant and licentious?

A pool of wine and a forest of meat?

No, no, too degenerate.

What if they really want to take him to play? Is it not very good to refuse?

The boat arrived...

"Damn it, that old thing is one minor realm higher than me. I didn't stop him, and a great contribution slipped away from my hands for nothing!"

"Haha, still a great contribution? You dare to hope for a great contribution when you are one minor realm higher? Aren't you ashamed to hold it in your hand?"

"Ke Wenbin, what are you barking for? Last time at the small gathering, you said you were going to open the third bridge. How about it, did you open it?"