Early the next morning, when Zhao Bing appeared in front of all the stewards in the mansion with two dark circles under his eyes, everyone was shocked. However, seeing that the prince was in good spirits, they couldn't figure out the situation for a while. They didn't know what the child was trying to do.
, dare not keep an eye on his every move.???
"Ah, Chief Zhou, please tell us about the situation!" Zhao Bing yawned and said to Zhou Xiang. He knew that the weapons inspection in the Song Dynasty had a systematic set of inspection standards and procedures, but thinking about the ** of the imperial court in the later period, last night
He still felt uneasy, so he stayed up all night at the test range. However, this young body could not support the high-intensity work. It was okay when he was nervous, but as soon as he sat down, he felt sleepy all over the sky.
"Yes, Your Highness." After Zhou Xiang stood up and saluted the prince, he turned to the crowd and said, "After many days of improvement by Your Highness, the bed crossbow has been successfully trial-produced. After dozens of shooting tests last night, it can be put into use. This crossbow is full of power.
It can throw five kilograms of stone projectiles 400 steps, and still have enough power to break through heavy armor; it can destroy a two-foot-thick rammed earth wall within 350 steps; it can destroy a brick-clad earth wall within one step; it can destroy a foot-thick rammed earth wall within 300 steps.
For thick stone walls, the iron bullets should be more powerful if used instead. If the bullet chute is used instead, long arrows can be fired, but time is short and there is no time to test fire. It is estimated that everything within a hundred steps will be indestructible."
"Master Zhou, it sounds very powerful, but I don't know if it can hit the target?" Zhao Mengjin knew that weapons such as trebuchets are very powerful, but when the distance is farther, they often hit from the west to the east, and the accuracy is too poor, so he
Have this question.
"General Zhao, we use a target with a height and width of five feet for the test shooting, and the craftsmen are the shooters. Within a hundred steps, we can hit ten out of ten, within three hundred steps, we can hit five or six, and within four hundred steps, we can hit five or six.
It can still be one out of ten. If we use skilled shooters in the army and use it during the day, it will definitely improve a lot." Zhou Xiang said proudly.
"Master Zhou, this crossbow is so powerful. How many people are needed to operate it? Can it be used on the ship?" Liu Zhu asked anxiously after hearing this. If the warship is equipped with such a sharp weapon, it will take advantage of it in the battle. Think about it when using a crossbow.
How satisfying it would be to be shot to pieces by your own side outside the range of the crossbow, or even sink the enemy ship.
"Oh, General Liu, this crossbow can be resettled with only two feet, and only five sergeants are needed. Of course, there is no problem on the warship. W? I? Q? Q?"
said.
"That's great. This crossbow must be allocated to our navy for use." Liu Zhu high-fived after hearing this.
"Your Highness, our infantry army still owes a lot of bows and crossbows. We should allocate the infantry troops first." Huang Xianyao stood up and saluted the prince. He was very smart. Your Highness still has the final say on this matter. It is useless to update Zhou Xiang's ink.
of.
"There's no need to grab it, and there's no need to rush. We've just made a bed crossbow, and none of you can take it away. The top priority is for your navy and infantry to each select a hundred smart and steady sergeants to learn how to use it first. Whoever can use it faster will
Of course, we have to take advantage when distributing." Zhao Bing raised his eyelids and said.
"Haha, Your Highness, this method is the best. No one will use it. It's just a decoration for you. It's up to you how much you get." Zhao Mengjin laughed and said, he also has a headache these days. The most lacking thing in the mansion now is ordnance.
And he had money and nowhere to buy it. Fortunately, His Highness got some from Zhang Shijie, but it was not enough. All the armies were competing for it. He was worried about how to deal with it just now, but he didn't expect His Highness to block it for him.
"Master Zhou, your craftsmanship bureau must quickly allocate reliable manpower to make them quickly. Within ten days, I will see twenty bed crossbows. If they are completed as scheduled, I will be rewarded. If there is a delay, I will ask you. What else is there?
Don't delay things, I want to see the finished product within two days." Zhao Bing was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes, and waved his hands to stop everyone.
"Yes, your highness, don't worry, I will supervise the completion." Zhou Xiang cupped his fists and saluted, but he was thinking about how to complete it.
"General Liu, General Huang, I have already told you that every time the craftsmanship bureau completes a piece, it will be given priority to the best group. If you don't get it by then, don't blame me. I will tell you how to assess it later.
"Zhao Bing said to the other two people again.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Liu and Huang also knew that things could not be changed at this point, and it would be useless to say more, so they could only obey their orders.
"If there is nothing else to do, I am going to take a nap. If there is any emergency, please ask Manager Cai to handle it," Zhao Bing looked at the crowd and said.
"Your Highness, you have worked hard, go and have a rest!" Cai Wanyi stood up and said. He was originally worried that Yu Rugui's arrival would threaten his position, but now that the prince said this, he showed his attitude...
When the exhausted Zhao Bing finally lay down on the bed, he couldn't fall asleep. His mind was filled with the research of new weapons. This state was before time travel. At that time, as the project manager, he had to devote himself to
He threw himself into it, fearing that something would go wrong, and the biggest wish in his heart was to have a good sleep. But during the days when he was alone in the boat, he missed the fulfilling days very much. Unexpectedly, God fulfilled his wish again.
Regarding another super weapon - rockets, Zhao Bing was even more unsure. To say that the crossbows had something to do with what he had learned in his previous life, at least they were mechanical things, and this one was purely a layman's knowledge.
It is purely theoretical and has no practical experience, and the danger of trial production is not comparable to that of a ballista, because the core of the rocket is black powder, and if something goes wrong, it will be earth-shattering. The rocket itself is a relatively simple thing.
.
In fact, Zhao Bing knew very well that the Song Dynasty was the transition from the cold weapon era to hot weapons. At this time, black gunpowder had been used in the military for more than a hundred years. The Ordnance Supervisor had workshops specializing in the production of gunpowder, which was already a very mature industry.
.Gunpowder during this period has developed considerably and has different functions such as combustion, poisonous gas, and smoke screens. However, its formula does not yet have strict quantitative ratios. The raw material composition is complex and the purity is not enough. Therefore, it is still unable to effectively exert all the properties of gunpowder.
Especially it does not have the most essential thing of gunpowder - explosive power.
Therefore, improving the black powder formula has become a top priority. Zhao Bing adjusted the formula according to his own knowledge. In addition, he also tried to use the 'wet process' invented by the French to make gunpowder. The process is not complicated. He only needs to first
The various ingredients are moistened with water, then mixed together to form a large cake. After drying or air-drying, they are broken into pieces and sieved through a fine sieve. The gunpowder powder will turn into small granules, which are then placed in a large bucket and constantly stirred to grind it off.
The edges and corners of particles.
The molecules of the gunpowder produced by this method form a relatively stable structure, which is not easy to decompose during long-distance transportation, and the combustion space between particles is large, making it easy to burn evenly, shortening the detonation time, and increasing the power. Of course, the specific work
There was no need for Zhao Bing to do it, but in order to keep it secret, he still taught the formula to Ni Liang, and asked him to lead his soldiers to weigh and mix the materials, and then let the craftsmen operate according to the process. As for the details, Zhao Bing was not clear.
, they can only let them explore on their own.
Of course, what Zhao Bing is planning to manufacture is not the current kind of rocket with a medicine bag tied to the arrow shaft, but the ancestor of missiles and launch vehicles - the Diamond Sky Monkey. The Diamond Sky Monkey, no, the rocket will be used in war for the first time.
But it was not the Chinese, but the Indians. They tied the cartridge containing gunpowder to a balance pole made of a wooden stick, and then used the thrust generated by the burning gunpowder to shoot it into the enemy camp. Then the British fought with them.
I learned the manufacturing method in the battle and improved it.
After several years of exploration, the British man Congreve used a new type of gunpowder to create a practical rocket with a range of up to 1800 meters. After continuous improvement, the range could reach three or four kilometers. At the beginning, it mainly burned with a tail flame.
It was used to kill and injure the enemy, and was later equipped with explosive warheads. The rocket was initially equipped to the Navy for naval artillery and the 6th Battalion to launch from warships or special rocket sampans. Later, it was equipped with the 6th Army cavalry artillery unit to form an independent rocket launcher company. Because of the relative
In the early 19th century, artillery and rockets had the characteristics of fast firing, long range, and maneuverability, which made them popular before the emergence of new artillery. They were called "the soul of artillery without a barrel."
Of course, this kind of rocket is not without its shortcomings, that is, the accuracy is too poor, and it is normal to be off by 180 meters. But there is a reason why Zhao Bing wants to put it into service, because the current guard force is too few and there is a shortage of weapons.
. Rockets are simple to manufacture, have fast shooting range, and can be deployed on a large scale. The salvo can achieve the effect of covering the shooting. Coupled with the sound and light effects they produce, they will have a great deterrent effect on people and war horses, which can just make up for the crossbow.
The disadvantage of slower cannon fire...
"What's going on? What's the noise outside?" Just when Zhao Bing was tossing and turning and unable to sleep, there was a noise outside.
"Your Highness, Mr. Zhou has something urgent to ask for. I asked him to go to Manager Cai, but he said that only His Highness could solve it. His voice was louder and disturbed His Highness." Wang De ran over and reported.
"Ask him why he is so anxious?" Zhao Bing said angrily.
"Your Highness, Chief Zhou said that a new gunpowder was made, but when the craftsman was trying it, it caught fire instantly and burned his head and face. I would like to ask Your Highness for your opinion!" After a while, Wang De ran in again to report.
"Hey, why did I forget this? Quickly change my clothes!" Zhao Bing was surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that something would happen no matter how careful he was, but he immediately thought of the problem. At this time, the gunpowder became
Due to the distribution ratio, the ignition point is high and the burning rate is slow. It cannot be ignited directly with fire. It can only be ignited with a red-hot iron cone. However, the craftsmen do not know that the new type of gunpowder burns very quickly.
If you remove the iron, the gunpowder will burst into flames in an instant. It would be strange if it doesn't burn.
Because of the accident, Zhao Bing couldn't sleep. He rushed to the scene to deal with it. The two craftsmen who tested the gunpowder had black faces, their beards and eyebrows were curled up, and their clothes were full of small holes.
It looked very scary. Fortunately, after cleaning it, it was not serious. It was just that the head, face and arms were red, and there were a few more blisters. However, it also shows that gunpowder is very sensitive, and it basically meets the requirements. The solution is actually very simple, as long as
Just use leads as the medium. Under Zhao Bing's guidance, the problem was solved after adding paper fuses. Afterwards, they made several large medicine bags for testing, and their power surprised the old craftsmen.
, amazed again and again.
The successful trial production of gunpowder marked half the success of rocket manufacturing. Next, Zhao Bing ordered the blacksmith to make several iron cartridges with a diameter of three inches and a length of three feet and three inches from iron sheet. After filling the gunpowder and weighing it, he ordered the carpenter to cut it.
Several wooden poles with a length of five feet were made. Then the cartridges and wooden poles were bundled together for a balance test. This was a key step for whether the rocket could take off smoothly. After several additions and subtractions, the data of each part was finally tentatively determined.
Chapter completed!