Flat Rabbit's awkward rambling left everyone shaking their heads.
Yet from his chaotic words, Sun Chuanting caught a flash of genuine insight.
He cleared his throat. "Everyone, gather around."
The students on the training ground immediately converged.
Sun Chuanting picked up a long spear and casually dragged its tip along the ground as he walked. He leapt lightly to the side of the armored vehicle and pointed at it. "Observe. This machine is impervious to blades and spears. Its power is undeniable. However, it also possesses a fatal weakness."
The crowd stirred. "A weakness? Where?"
"Its size," Sun Chuanting said calmly. "During its first engagement on the northern steppes, the terrain was vast and flat. The armored vehicle could rampage freely. But in the Central Plains, matters are very different."
Using the spear tip, he sketched several rough diagrams on the ground. "Mountain paths, broken city streets, collapsed walls, scattered debris. All of these restrict movement. Once slowed, this vehicle becomes vulnerable."
As he finished speaking, Sun Chuanting pushed off the ground with his toes and sprang upward in a flash. One foot landed squarely on the armored vehicle's front plate, and with a smooth motion, he vaulted onto the roof.
Standing atop the roof hatch, he continued, "If the terrain restricts movement, a skilled enemy warrior could leap onto the vehicle."
He swept his spear sideways, knocking the forward-mounted gun aside. "Once an enemy boards, the gun becomes useless. The warrior could move freely across the roof. Locating the hatch mechanism would not be difficult. If the hatch is forced open, the soldiers inside would be in mortal danger."
The driver inside the vehicle stiffened, a cold chill running down his spine.
Flat Rabbit burst into loud laughter. "That is precisely why this armored vehicle must be manned by this Lord Rabbit. If an enemy dares leap aboard, I will leap down from above and cut them down with a single sword strike."
Sun Chuanting nodded. "Although this Rabbit Lord spouts nonsense day and night, he has grasped one truth. Armored vehicles cannot fight alone. They require infantry support. If enemies attempt to board, the infantry must eliminate them immediately."
He raised his voice. "From today onward, teachers and students alike will focus on researching coordinated tactics between infantry and armored vehicles."
Flat Rabbit raised his hand enthusiastically. "Headmaster, I have a question."
Sun Chuanting replied without hesitation. "Speak."
Flat Rabbit asked, "When will everyone begin training in swordsmanship together?"
Sun Chuanting said coldly, "Go run fifty laps."
Chang'an Automobile Factory, Armored Forging Workshop.
Chen Ergou lay sprawled across a long workbench, panting like an exhausted dog, his tongue practically hanging out.
Qi Cheng walked over and gently patted his back. "Brother, break time is almost over. Let's get moving."
Chen Ergou let out a long sigh. "Another urgent task from above?"
"Of course," Qi Cheng said. "You understand the situation. The world is in chaos. War is everywhere. Gao Family Village's militia bears the responsibility of saving the common people. And we bear the responsibility of supplying them with weapons. At least our lives are not on the battlefield."
Chen Ergou pushed himself up and sprang to his feet. "Qi Ge is right. No slacking. Let's get back to forging armor plates."
The two returned to the production line, supervising workers as red hot iron plates were hammered again and again.
As Chen Ergou hurried back and forth, a sudden thought struck him. "Qi Ge, do you remember the steam powered textile machine we saw back in Gao Family Village?"
Qi Cheng nodded. "Of course I remember."
Chen Ergou lowered his voice excitedly. "The steam engine drives the axle, making the machine rotate endlessly. What if we attach a massive hammer to the axle? Each rotation lifts the hammer, then lets it fall."
Qi Cheng froze, then his eyes widened. "By the heavens. Would that not mean the hammer could strike endlessly without human effort?"
Chen Ergou laughed. "Exactly. The workers would only need to place the iron beneath it, let it strike, pull it out, reposition it, and let it strike again."
Qi Cheng slapped his thigh. "Genius. You are a damn genius."
Chen Ergou laughed loudly. "I told you long ago. Chen Ergou's extraordinary life has only just begun. Qi Ge, come. Let's try building it. If it works, everyone will save tremendous effort."
Several days later, the first Steam Forging Hammer was born.
Its design was crude to the extreme. They had simply removed the steam engine from a textile machine and attached an oval rotating shaft to the axle. When the long side of the shaft rotated upward, it lifted the hammer. When the flat side rotated downward, the hammer fell.
Again and again.
Relentless. Unceasing.
Despite its simplicity, the reaction in the Armored Forging Workshop was explosive. Workers rejoiced. They no longer needed to exhaust themselves swinging heavy hammers. They only had to position the armor plates, let the hammer strike, then rotate or flip the plate as needed.
Production efficiency skyrocketed.
The Armored Forging Workshop completed its assigned quota several days ahead of schedule. As a result, the entire workshop received a three day holiday while other departments caught up.
The news quickly reached Factory Director Gao Yiyi, who personally led an inspection team.
Gao Yiyi, himself a lifelong blacksmith, stared at the endlessly pounding hammer and shouted in astonishment, "By the gods. Which genius created this?"
A worker stepped forward. "Reporting, Director. It was Chen Ergou."
Gao Yiyi turned sharply. "You little rascal. You invented something like this and never reported it? You have been secretly using it?"
Chen Ergou scratched his head. "Ah? Something like this needed reporting?"
Gao Yiyi could only laugh helplessly. "Do you still not understand the rules of Gao Family Village? If you had reported this earlier, you would already be rich."
Chen Ergou stared blankly. "What?"
A few days later, he understood.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun Special Prize for Major Scientific and Technological Innovation was personally awarded to him. The reward was a solid silver ball the size of a human head. Qi Cheng also received half a silver ball for his assistance.
Chen Ergou, previously a Blue Hat senior technician, was promoted to Red Hat senior technical engineer.
Amid much celebration, he married Xiao Cuihua, the secretary who had followed him from the steel transport factory to the Chang'an Automobile Factory.
Chen Ergou's extraordinary life marched forward once again.