Liu Chengzong's new rocket is ready. Each one weighs ten kilograms and contains fifty-three three-cent projectiles. Depending on the angle and length of the slide, it can reach two ranges from three hundred steps to five hundred steps.
The disadvantage is...the diffusion area is very wide.
Because the new rocket of the Marshal's Office does not have a balance bar.
It’s not that Liu Guoneng and I didn’t want to pretend, because the joining of Officer Hehuang made them very clear about the principle of installing arrow shafts on rockets. The function of the arrow shaft is to counterweight and maintain stability.
Seven kilograms of gunpowder is used to propel the rocket into launch. More than half the weight of the rocket will be consumed during the launch process, and the drilling hole is in the middle of the hammered cartridge.
This means that the flame hole is small at the beginning and gradually burns outward. The rocket has the smallest thrust at the beginning and the largest thrust at the end.
During this acceleration process, the rocket body will become increasingly top-heavy and easily overturned in mid-air.
The function of the balance rod is to add a counterweight to the tail to ensure that the rocket is launched forward and will not be overturned by the burning gunpowder.
However, because Liu Chengzong set standards for the weight and range of rockets, and because they were used as light soldiers without baggage, rocket design became very difficult.
At the beginning, they designed a seven-pound rocket, which weighed eleven kilograms and four taels with the balance rod installed, ensuring stability, but the maximum range was only three hundred steps.
If you want to reach 500 steps, you need a twelve-pound rocket and a six-pound balance pole. The weight exceeds Liu Chengzong's requirements.
If the balance bar is removed, the weight and maximum range can meet the requirements, but the rocket will easily roll over and its trajectory will become very outrageous.
In the end, they used a thin iron quiver and added a pound and a half of cylindrical structure as a counterweight at the end of the arrow. The purpose was to ensure that the balance of the rocket would not be broken by the burning of gunpowder within a few breaths after launch, and to increase the safe distance to one
One hundred and fifty steps.
"Yes, Marshal, if you are one hundred and fifty steps away, there is no guarantee that it will not roll over."
The monkey in the sky carried a rectangular box to the west building of the Marshal's Mansion to report on his work. The box was tied with ropes. It was square on the outside and round on the inside. It could be divided into two three-foot-long slides. There was a ten-pound box lying quietly inside.
Rockets.
This rocket fully absorbed Liu Chengzong's experience in enchanting blooming bullets. There is a simple prefabricated fragmentation ring in the front quarter, which contains the warhead of the rocket and fifty-three three-coin projectiles. p>
The Sky Monkey said: "This test of power is too difficult. There are two slots on the quiver, and a three-foot-long slide. It can be aimed at 300 steps. The spread distance is centered on 300 steps directly in front.
Three hundred steps."
"If two sections of the slide are connected and aimed at 500 steps, then the attack will be centered on 500 steps in front and strike in a radius of 500 steps."
Liu Chengzong thought about the spread distance in his mind, almost laughed out loud, and asked: "How big is the range it can hit when it explodes?"
Liu Jiusi, the Sky Monkey, lowered his head and said, "I don't know, it should be thirty or fifty steps."
"Don't know?"
"The commander-in-chief doesn't know how difficult it is to test this thing. I built a catapult and threw two kilograms of explosives a hundred steps away before I tested it."
The monkey in the sky sighed and said: "You must put thirty or fifty of these things together, otherwise you will not be able to hit them accurately. But if you put thirty or fifty of them together, how do you know how far the iron pellets it explodes can hit?" Liu Chengzong held the rocket and looked at it for a moment, and said to himself that this would not work. The purpose of building this thing from the beginning was not to use it to kill the enemy. That would be unrealistic.
The purpose is to allow light soldiers to suppress artillery for a short period of time, so that the cavalry surrounding the enemy's formation can use rockets to fire and overwhelm the enemy.
But the coverage of this thing is so large that even my own cavalry can’t stick to it.
On the contrary, burning the city may be very effective. After all, a medium-sized city with a circumference of eight or nine miles, with four launching positions on the four corners, basically covers the entire city with its diffusion surface.
The military formation was much smaller than this, and it was difficult to carry it, so I released two hundred pills in a swish, but no one was hit.
"How can it be possible that my destiny is up to me and destiny is up to God?"
Liu Chengzong shook his head, but with the addition of a balance pole, it would be okay to have vehicles, mules, and horses responsible for transporting supplies in normal wars. In a battle like this over mountains, he would not be able to let his soldiers carry two eight-foot-long spears.
He looked at the tail of the arrow and said: "Try, change this place, divide the tail flame into three pieces, and let it spin out by itself. Without the need for a balance rod, it will be more stable and reduce spread."<
/p>
As he spoke, he drew a simple sketch and asked the Sky Monkey to compare it and said: "If this is not easy to do, just add arrow feathers to the butt, but no feathers are needed, just wood or thin iron."
In Liu Chengzong's view, the safe distance without rollover must be increased to 250 steps.
Otherwise, if you turn outside one hundred and fifty steps and fly back backwards, you will still blow yourself up.
However, in addition to rockets, Sky Monkey also created a small thing that is practical and safe, a repeating sub-master version of the individual flying cannon.
In fact, it is a three-foot-long forged pipe, supported diagonally on the ground by two iron rod legs, with a weight disc at the end. The pipe has openings on both sides near the tail, with a five-inch opening on one side and a three-inch opening on the other.
mouth, firing five-inch long cylindrical flying cannonballs.
The ammunition is loaded with four three-inch iron boxes connected in parallel. The filled iron boxes are inserted into the iron pipe vertically. The shells use fuses that are easy to ignite. It is basically a large two-foot kick loaded with iron pellets. p>
The first one explodes, and due to gravity, the iron box will fall downwards and get stuck by the second cannonball. At the same time, it will be ignited by the tail flame of the first cannonball, and the four loaded iron boxes can be released one after another. However, the range is slightly closer than that of the flying cannon, and it can only hit fifty to seventy steps. Fortunately, it is simple to operate, light and easy to carry. The four-pack of artillery shells have 120 small iron pellets, which is good for firing.
The power of.
Its range is just within the range of a musket fire under normal circumstances, and exceeds the width of most moats. Its arc-shaped trajectory has the opportunity to pass through shields and simple fortifications, which is equivalent to a continuous grenade.
The only drawback is that its magazine cannot be made larger, because putting four in a row will overheat the cartridge and may ignite the outer shells at the same time.
Liu Chengzong was very interested in this thing. He said to the Sky Monkey: "This can be made into a six-unit installation or an eleven-unit installation with two rows of five on top and six on the bottom. It is similar to the form of a chariot with hundreds of tigers running together. Make some preparations."
According to the aiming angle, each hundred regiments are equipped with one, with six ammunition ready."
This eleven-gun unit can throw forty-four cylindrical cartridges into the enemy formation at a suitable distance in a short period of time. More than a thousand iron pellets will explode randomly, which is enough for the infantry column to overwhelm the enemy formation.
Liu Jiusi never expected that Liu Chengzong was more wild than his idea and wanted to get on the chariot. He spread his hands and said: "Commander, if it is mounted on the chariot, the light soldiers who have climbed over the Qilian Mountains will not be able to use it." "Light soldiers still need to use rockets. The range is too close. If the light soldiers cannot blast the enemy at once, they will be overwhelmed."
He still has great expectations for the rocket. Not only can the rocket be used this time, but as long as it is designed well this time, it can be used in the future. They can even equip their new rocket with a chariot in the future.
If the problems of the tail and spin can be properly solved this time, there will be no problems in restraining the rocket at a distance of two or even three miles in the future.
This thing will become a weapon for them in the field.
"Go back and tell the master craftsman that rocket launcher carts, flying cannon carts, and artillery designed to open shells are the main targets of the arsenal's new weapons in the next two years. These things can be installed in the centurions and the general corps in the future.
”
The artillery that opens the shells does not work well with long-barreled artillery like Hongyi. The bullet speed is too fast and it is easy to misfire; they need to develop a shorter-barreled artillery that can open the shells in a parabolic trajectory, and the range does not need to be too far.
, the shells do not have to be too heavy to avoid misfiring as much as possible.
As soon as Liu Chengzong finished speaking, he saw a figure outside the door and stopped, and the guard said: "Commander, there is a message from the east."
Hearing this, the Sky Monkey packed up his quiver and resigned to Liu Chengzong.
As soon as he left, the guards there led Cheng Yun's confidants back into the west building. After saluting, he said: "Shuaiye, the Lanzhou Division Staff General sent people to Hehuang to inform Shaanxi that a support army was marching to Lanzhou.
There are more than four thousand troops."
Returned and said: "The division staff general said that if the commander wants to sneak in and ambush them, he can detect his marching route on his behalf."
"Four thousand troops, who will lead the troops?"
Liu Chengzong nodded slowly at this number: "Is it practicing state affairs, Zhang Yingchang or You Shilu?"
"Come back, Commander, it's not them. They are practicing state affairs and stationed in Qinzhou. Zhang Yingchang was transferred to Henan. You Shilu was seriously ill and resigned and went home." After returning, he told the movements of the three Shaanxi generals who were leading the army in one breath.
He reported cautiously: "The person leading the troops is Yang Yanchang, the general of Yan'an Prefecture."
When I came back, I was a little afraid that Liu Chengzong would be furious when he heard this name.
After returning from victory, the two brothers were originally from the Songpan Guards Banner Army and knew a little about northern Shaanxi, but not much.
Chengyun didn't tell them in detail, but when he heard the name Yang Yanchang, he looked strange. After returning, he privately asked the Shaanxi Jiangbing soldiers stationed in Dongguan about who Yang Yanchang was.
Jiang Bing didn't know much, so he answered it simply: Mr. Shuai was beaten several times by a man named Yang Yanchang in Yan'an Mansion in his early years.
The old surrendered soldier came back with some advice: "Be careful when you report this to the handsome man. Enemies are extremely jealous when they see each other."
So I was always on tenterhooks when I came back.
As soon as he said Yang Yanchang's name, he saw that Liu Chengzong's expression was also extremely strange, and he was so frightened that he lowered his head and did not dare to look directly.
Liu Chengzong stared in disbelief and said, "Who sent him here?"
"Coming back to the commander-in-chief, it seems to be Chen Qiyu, the governor of Yansui."
"Chen Qiyu, Mr. Chen." Liu Chengzong nodded slowly with a sarcastic look: "I can't send anyone here. Why are you so afraid when Yang Shen comes back...?"
Returning cowardly: "I heard that he and the handsome man are old rivals."
"Hey... old rivals, we are indeed old acquaintances." Looking at his appearance, Liu Chengzong knew that Chengyun had not told him clearly. He smiled and waved his hand and said: "Go back and tell Chengyun. I heard the joke. Let him tell the teacher."
Xiang, there’s no need to stop you.”
Chengyun knew best what kind of relationship Yang Yanchang had with them. When he returned to Shuaifu Yamen to report the news, he just wanted him to hear a joke.
Liu Chengzong emphatically said to Hui Hui: "I just asked him to inquire about Yang Yanchang's four thousand troops. Send a list of generals above the general number as soon as possible."
After all, he was happy.
In fact, what he wants to know most is whether Ren Quan'er is here.
To be honest, he was not very reassured about Yang Yanchang and Ren Quan'er.
They are both generals of the imperial court. If he is still in northern Shaanxi, it goes without saying that they are inseparable under the common interests, but after all, they have not had much contact in the past few years.
Without common interests, small things may not have much impact, but in a life-and-death matter like war, if Chen Qiyu wants to send Yang Yanchang to guard Lanzhou, the problem will be huge.
Yang Yanchang was not homeless. The way Quan'er used to control Yang Yanchang earlier was to let him have children in the Acropolis. He could not take his wife and children with him when he went to war.
If he insists on attacking Lanzhou, I am afraid that this conflict will be difficult to reconcile. Yang Yanchang will not risk his wife and children being killed by surrendering to him, nor will he give up Lanzhou to him at the risk of being killed by the imperial court.
With this kind of risk, not to mention that Yang Yanchang may not be of the same mind as him, none of the officers and soldiers under Yang Yanchang will be of the same mind as him.
Liu Shizi shook his head. Chen Qiyu was quite annoying. He couldn't send anyone here, so he actually sent Yang Yanchang!
Isn’t this obviously difficult to do?
But compared to this, Liu Chengzong was more curious about why Yang Yanchang was sent... Xie Erhu captured Zhuanglang Acropolis, but the court was reluctant to send a governor to Lanzhou. Why was he stationed in Qinzhou to practice state affairs?
Liu Chengzong pulled down the map hanging on the wall and spread it on the table. He would practice state affairs and put Zhang Yingchang's troops in their proper positions one by one. Together with Yang Yanchang's troops who were marching to Lanzhou, they easily noticed that the imperial army was
The direction of deployment is not Lanzhou.
Northern Shaanxi seems to be safe for the imperial court, otherwise Yang Yanchang would not be transferred away from Yan'an Prefecture. Their troops are defending Hanzhong, Xingzhou and Huguang.
The troops that will appear in those directions at this time are obviously Gao Yingxiang and various anti-king forces.
Liu Chengzong did not want to break up with Yang Yanchang, so he had to give up the attack on Lanzhou. But if he gave up the attack on Lanzhou, he would lose the good opportunity to strategically connect with Gao Yingxiang and others.
After thinking about it, Liu Shizi's eyes lit up.
Yang Yanchang's mission is to defend Lanzhou, so how can he capture Lanzhou without failing his mission?
Then let this mission end before it even begins, and seize Lanzhou before Yang Yanchang leads his army to Lanzhou.
Liu Chengzong looked at the map and thought about the possibility of doing so and the chain reaction it would cause. If Tao fell, Lian Guoshi would definitely move northwest and leave Qinzhou, leaving Hanzhong empty and beneficial to Gao Yingxiang.
The dragnet laid by Hong Chengchou in the direction of Gansu will also be broken. Most of the time, he will drive his troops south to fight with him in the Zhuanglang Valley. Wang Ziyong can sneak back to Gansu to do his work and better coordinate with Zhang Tianlin.
On the other hand, Yang Yanchang, who failed to settle in Lanzhou, will probably join Lian Guoshi, who will probably rely heavily on this Shaanxi army.
Then practicing state affairs is over. He is not Lanzhou. Yang Yanchang does not need to take any risks by selling him. He only needs to defeat Liu Chengzong again like in the past.