During the Wanli period, there were successively the Battle of Ningxia to quell the Kuaibai Rebellion, the Battle of Korea to fight against the invasion of Japanese pirates, and the Battle of Bozhou to pacify Yang Yinglong's rebellion. They were known as the Three Great Conquests of Wanli in history. The three great conquests of Wanli all ended with the victory of the Ming Dynasty.
ended, but its negative impact on the Ming Dynasty was also huge.
The three major conquests greatly consumed the national power of the Ming Dynasty and caused the Ming Dynasty's economy to turn from prosperity to decline. When famine occurred due to large-scale natural disasters across the country in the late Ming Dynasty, the country could no longer organize effective disaster relief, which triggered
There was widespread unrest. Under such circumstances, the Jianzhou Jurchens marched straight in, which led to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
As a contemporary scholar who once served as a prefect, Li Zhi has more foresight than others. In his view, it is not difficult for the Ming Dynasty to quell the Kuaibai Rebellion. What is difficult is how to achieve it at the minimum cost.
The purpose is to reduce national fiscal expenditure. On this point, he coincides with senior cabinet officials such as Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue.
"Brother Gai, according to Guangqi's opinion, it is feasible for our army to take the initiative to go out of the city to find the enemy." Xu Guangqi, who had been silent, interjected from the side.
Su Hao asked: "Brother Zi Xian, what do you think?"
Xu Guangqi said: "Today's battle at the top of the city, Guangqi and Brother Hao were watching the battle. Afterwards, we discussed it and felt that in the field battle, with the firing speed and range of the flintlock, even if we encountered the Tatar cavalry, we
He also has the strength to fight."
It turned out that when Xiong Minyang led his soldiers to fight the rebels at the top of the city, Xu Guangqi, Hao Qing and others were also hiding and watching. They were not just people who watched the fun, but wanted to discover the existence of existing weapons from actual combat
defects and think about future improvement plans.
After the rebels retreated, Su Hao and others were invited to a banquet at Xiao Ruxun's house. Xu Guangqi, Hao Qing and others discussed what they had seen and heard today in the camp. They also found some sergeants from the reconnaissance camp and the Pinglu Station.
Understand the situation. Regarding war matters, front-line officers and soldiers have some instinctive intuitions, but it is difficult to rise to the level of theory, let alone precise calculations. Xu Guangqi is a mathematician, and he analyzes the opinions of everyone and the data collected on the spot.
Integrated. Several sets of combat plans were formed.
"Brother Gai, look, this is the result I calculated based on several different situations. Based on the number of enemy and our armies, the width of the battlefield, the enemy's charging speed, etc., we need to use different formations and choose different firing methods.
distance. We also need to use different combinations of solid bullets and shotgun shells. In these cases, our army's chance of winning is more than 70%." Xu Guangqi took out a stack of paper filled with writing and handed it to Su Hao, please
He looked over.
Su Hao took a rough look at these contents and couldn't help but be filled with emotions. A good person is a good person, no matter which field he is in. Every move is extraordinary. Xu Guangqi has not been exposed to the combat theories of later generations, but he can still rely on his own
With his ingenuity, he proposed accurate calculation models for using firearms to defeat enemies. Su Hao could not judge whether the conclusions of these models were completely correct, but he believed that as long as these results were given to officers and soldiers with combat experience such as Xu Guangzu and Deng Kui, they would definitely be able to gain from them.
Inspiration, but applying it to actual combat.
"Okay. Zi Xian, although you are just a scholar, your role in strategizing is greater than that of a general. By the way, it should be said that one Xu Guangqi is worth ten heavy armored divisions." Su Hao quoted with a smile.
An allusion to later generations.
"What is a reinstaller?" Xu Guangqi wondered.
Of course, Su Hao would not explain this concept. He then asked: "You have all gone to the battle today to see it. What does Brother Hao think of this battle?"
Xu Guangqi said: "After Brother Hao came back, he sighed and said that although the flintlock gun was good, it was still not perfect. He wanted to invent a new flintlock gun, preferably one that could fire ten or twenty times in a row. This would save money.
Loading it one at a time is a waste of time."
"Uh...brother Hao doesn't want to invent the heavy machine gun, right?" Su Hao was speechless.
In real history, there were indeed many craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty who were working on improving firearms. Historical records show that in 1598, the 26th year of Wanli, Zhao Shizhen, a firearms expert in the Ming Dynasty, invented a firecracker that could fire five times in a row.
It is called "Thunder Gun". However, this Thunder Gun is not the same thing as the heavy machine gun of later generations. It is a multi-barreled firearm, somewhat similar to the structure of a revolver. Since it needs to be equipped with five barrels at the same time, this kind of
Fireguns are relatively large in size and weight and are not suitable for actual combat, so they have not been put into practical use.
"Heavy machine gun? Has Gai Zhi also thought about this continuous firearm?" Xu Guangqi keenly discovered the new words coming out of Su Hao's mouth. In the process of interacting with Su Hao, he had become accustomed to catching Su Hao.
The sparks in the words, knowing that these sparks can often turn into heaven-defying inventions.
Su Hao sorted out his thoughts and said to Xu Guangqi: "I do have an idea, but to realize this idea, the process support required is too complicated, so I dare not put it forward. If Zi Xian is interested, I can do it
Let me talk to you first, it should be a discussion."
After that, he asked someone to bring a piece of paper, found a charcoal stick, and began to draw a schematic diagram of an automatic rifle for Xu Guangqi on the paper. Su Hao was not an ordnance expert, nor even a military enthusiast. He could only draw a diagram of an automatic rifle on the paper.
From the perspective of an ordinary science student, I taught Xu Guangqi the principle of automatic loading of a rifle, hoping that he could get inspiration from it.
"Use recoil?" Xu Guangqi's eyes were shining. He immediately grasped the essence of the problem and formed a rough idea in his mind.
In fact, the principle of automatic rifles is not complicated. It is nothing more than using the recoil generated when bullets are fired to achieve ejection and loading. As for various mechanisms, skilled craftsmen can naturally design and manufacture them. In the Ming Dynasty,
With the production process, it is still difficult to achieve mass production of this kind of automatic filling device, but if it is only manufactured in small quantities, it should still be possible.
"I understand, when a bullet is fired, it produces recoil, then the next bullet is introduced, and when it is fired again, there is a new recoil, and this cycle continues until infinity, then a gun can be fired continuously.
.The reloading of the machine is much faster than that of human hands, and one flintlock gun can be turned into ten or even a hundred. The ancients said that one man can guard the barrier and ten thousand people cannot open it, and it can really be realized." Xu Guangqi said excitedly.
said.
Su Hao was infected by Xu Guangqi, and he asked: "Why do you think we can make such a firearm first?"
"It's absolutely possible." Xu Guangqi said, "As long as given time, Guangqi will be able to modify and build this kind of... heavy machine gun. If there is such a sharp weapon, what should the Tartars have to fear!"
"How long will it take you to build it?" Su Hao asked.
Xu Guangqi frowned and said: "It's hard to say this. We need to discuss it with Brother Hao before we can decide. This steel-cased bullet and so many tricks are very difficult. Without three to five years, I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Take shape.”
"If you can make such a sharp weapon, what will three years and five years mean?" Li Zhi spoke up. He also knew a lot about military affairs. From the conversation between Su Hao and Xu Guangqi, he could hear the power of this weapon.
, and think about its impact on the military and even on the entire human history.
Su Hao naturally knew the power of automatic weapons. In history, after the invention of the heavy machine gun, the old imperialist countries were almost invincible in the war to conquer the colonies. There is a famous example of a battle involving 50 people.
With four Maxim heavy machine guns, the British army blocked the charge of 5,000 African natives, killing and wounding more than 3,000 of them. If such weapons had appeared on the battlefield of the Ming Dynasty, would the Ming Dynasty still have perished?
"I'll leave this matter to you, Zi Xian. However, don't make it public until the matter becomes clearer." Su Hao ordered.
"Guangqi understands." Xu Guangqi agreed.
The three of them chatted about other topics, until after three o'clock, Xu Guangqi said goodbye and left. Li Zhi watched Xu Guangqi go away, stood up, and cupped his hands to Su Haogong: "It's getting late.
I also said goodbye."
"Mr. Li, please rest early." Su Hao stood up to see him off.
Li Zhi walked to the door, paused for a moment, turned around and said to Su Hao: "In other words, can the heavy machine gun you talked about with me today really be made?"
Su Hao said: "In principle, there is absolutely no problem, but I can't guarantee whether it can be made with our current technology."
Li Zhi said: "Even if this thing can be made, I hope it will be used with caution. I'm worried that water can carry a boat or capsize it. Who knows whether this thing will be a disaster or a blessing when it comes out?"
"This..." Su Hao was stunned for a moment.
After Li Zhi said this, he didn't explain. He just gave Su Hao a fist and walked away, leaving Su Hao standing alone at the door, looking at the starry sky outside, lost in thought.
The emergence of every weapon of mass destruction will have a profound impact on human society. If such a heaven-defying artifact like the heavy machine gun appeared in the Ming Dynasty, what would it bring?
From the perspective of defending national defense, with such a weapon, the Tatars, Japanese pirates, and Jianzhou Jurchens will no longer be a threat to the Ming Dynasty, which will be conducive to the peace and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. But at the same time, this weapon
If it is controlled by a tyrant, then the people will no longer have a chance to speak, so who will benefit? In turn, when this kind of weapon flows into the civilian population, a small armed force can challenge the Ming Dynasty's million-strong army
, which will make the Ming regime face more dangers.
All of this means that history will deviate from its original track and move towards the unknown. A Pandora's box has been opened. Will what comes out be happiness or disaster?
Who can say whether it is right or wrong to change history?
Su Hao has deep doubts about his arrival. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile phone users please go to m. to read.)