Zheng Chenggong boldly imagined a scene in which the Ming army's artillery beat the Manchus to pieces on the battlefield.
If they had such sharp artillery back then, how could they have been defeated so miserably?!
Zhu Hongyu smiled and said nothing, silently watching Zheng Chenggong operating the artillery before he spoke.
"Old Taishan, this is just a six-pound field cannon!"
"In addition to light field artillery like this, our Liberation Army also has the more powerful Guangfu II field artillery."
"The cannon weighs two thousand five hundred kilograms, and the projectile weighs twelve kilograms. It can be used with solid bullets, shotgun shells, and blooming shells..."
"The rate of fire will not be lower than that of a six-pound cannon!"
What Zhu Hongyu is talking about is the Napoleon twelve-pounder field gun, also known as the Big Napoleon Cannon.
Of course, since it was copied by the Guangfu Army themselves, the weight of the projectile cannot be measured in pounds, but in kilograms.
One pound is approximately equal to 0.454 kilograms, which is almost one kilogram.
There is definitely a gap between the performance and weight of the imitation Napoleon cannons produced by the Liberation Army and the real Napoleon cannons.
But even so, it is enough to destroy all the artillery of this era!
In addition to field artillery, the Liberation Army also overcame the technical difficulties of casting heavy siege artillery.
Heavy siege artillery weighing 20 kilograms or 30 kilograms can already be mass-produced on a large scale.
Heavy artillery such as forty pounds and fifty pounds, which are used on warships or fixed positions on coastal defense forts, can already be manufactured in small quantities.
Zhu Hongyu spoke again.
"Old Taishan, my arsenal here has produced a batch of explosive bombs. Do you want to buy a batch?"
Zheng Chenggong asked.
"Flower bomb?"
In his mind, flower bombs have never been reliable.
The explosion rate is frighteningly high!
Killing your own people is easier than killing the enemy!
Zhu Hongyu nodded and said.
"Don't worry, Lao Taishan, the explosive bombs I have here are different from the previous explosive bombs."
"Not only is the accuracy guaranteed, but the power, range, safety and other aspects have also been greatly improved."
The explosive ammunition of the Liberation Army has been improved. It is not the kind of rubbish that the Ming Army has that has poor performance and is extremely dangerous.
Regarding the explosive ammunition, the Liberation Army mainly made the following improvements.
The first is the fuze of the blooming bomb. The Liberation Army installed a wooden holder delay fuze for the blooming bomb.
Utilizing the self-stabilizing principle of badminton, the bullet is disguised as a wooden bullet support and is heavy-headed and light-footed, which can ensure the ballistic stability of the bullet to the greatest extent.
The shape of the projectile shell is no longer the traditional spherical shell, but a cylindrical shell.
The gunpowder filled in the projectile is all granulated black powder and a large number of fragments.
Zheng Chenggong said.
"Then give it a try. If it's really that useful, then I'll buy a batch!"
As he spoke, his true character as a rich man was revealed.
All I can say is that he is worthy of being the son of the world’s richest man!
Zhu Hongyu waved his hand and the gunners followed the order, and soon a box of artillery shells was brought up.
Opening the box, there are cylindrical streamlined artillery shells neatly stacked inside!
Solid shells rely on the kinetic energy carried by the shells to kill the enemy, so they are designed in a round shape. After the shells land, they can roll and rotate as much as they want, which can better inflict damage to the enemy.
However, the shells that kill the enemy rely on the fragments and shock waves generated after the warhead of the projectile explodes!
Therefore, the design of the projectile body of the explosive bullet must consider the stability of the ballistic trajectory, as well as the range and accuracy.
The head of the cannonball is a solid projectile body and is very heavy.
The middle and rear part of the cannonball is where gunpowder and fragments are loaded, and its weight is much lighter than the head.
Coupled with the wooden fuse fuse installed at the tail of the projectile...
These designs are all designed to take advantage of the top-heavy self-stabilizing principle of badminton.
Once the cannon is ejected from the chamber, the trajectory will be quite stable, and the range and accuracy can be guaranteed!
The gunners of the Liberation Army quickly cleaned the barrels and loaded gunpowder, and then finished adjusting the shooting of Zhu Yuan with a clumsy movement.
After all preparations were completed, the gunner took out the explosive ammunition, lit the fuse, and stuffed it into the barrel.
Ignite and launch in one go!
The fuse of the cannonball has been ignited. If the cannonball cannot be fired quickly, it will explode.
The gunners dare not delay at all!
With a loud bang, the cylindrical shell was propelled by the kinetic energy generated by the full combustion of the gunpowder particles.
Amidst the fire and smoke, a long projectile flew out of the barrel.
It drew an arc in the air and fell towards the predetermined target.
There was a bang, first the sound of a cylindrical cannonball hitting the ground, and a moment later, there was another roar.
The lead finally burned to the end!
Then the gunpowder particles in the projectile were ignited!
Amidst the earth-shaking roar, the shell of the explosive bomb exploded, and as the fire spread, fragments were scattered in all directions.
Amidst the roar, the human-shaped targets made of straw near the landing point were shot to pieces!
The armor and stomach worn by the scarecrow in order to test the power of the explosive shells were also completely torn into pieces by the splinters.
You can imagine how much damage it would cause if such a shell fell into the crowd!
Zheng Chenggong was speechless for a while, and then asked.
"How much does such a blooming bomb cost?"
Zhu Hongyu thought for a while and then said.
"The manufacturing process of these explosive bombs is very complicated!"
"One explosive shell suitable for the Guangfu Type 1 six-pound field gun, five silver dollars, or five taels of official silver."
"A shell suitable for the Guangfu II twelve-pound field gun, ten silver dollars, or ten taels of official silver!"
The price is very expensive, but to be honest, Zhu Hongyu really did not cheat Zheng Chenggong.
Although he made some money, he didn't make much.
Because the process of the explosive bullet is too complicated, just the manufacture of the bullet body and how to seal it after loading the gunpowder and fragments into the bullet body are a very troublesome matter.
It requires a large number of skilled craftsmen to operate it!
"What is the explosive rate of the explosive bomb? What is the probability of exploding the chamber?"
Zheng Chenggong asked.
For a blooming bomb, power is one thing, and safety is another.
Otherwise, a lot of skilled gunners would be killed in a battle, and Zheng Chenggong would be heartbroken!
Zhu Hongyu thought for a moment and then spoke.
"The explosion rate of the shell is about 70% to 80%!"
"It's hard to say the probability of explosion. Anyway, the Liberation Army has conducted many tests since the explosive bombs were produced. Hundreds of explosive bombs were fired one after another, and none of them exploded!"
Zheng Chenggong hummed and then spoke.
"First, let's get five thousand shells suitable for six-pound field guns!"
Although Zheng Chenggong also felt that the price was expensive, the lethality of the explosive bullets was there, so he couldn't help but be tempted.
He couldn't help but imagine the scene where the Manchu and Qing troops were beaten to pieces by the Ming army's artillery!
…
Zhu Hongyu and Zheng Chenggong finalized the arms purchase plan and prepared to return to Luzon City together.
Thanks to the efforts of many labor camps, a high platform made of cement and stones appeared out of thin air outside Luzon City.
The platform is three feet high and thirty feet in circumference. It looks very spectacular from a distance.
Craftsmen are already making final repairs to the platform!
On the New Year's Day, Zhu Hongyu will worship the ancestors of heaven and earth on that high platform in front of all the people in Luzon, and then ascend to the throne of prison!