After Chen Ying left, Concubine Wang came slowly and slowly, carrying the brewed tea.
"Your Highness, are you going on a long trip?"
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said, "I may have to go out for a while."
Concubine Wang asked again: "Where to go?"
Zhu Qiyu thought for a while and said: "It is a matter of national importance, so it is not convenient for us to tell you at the moment."
Concubine Wang seemed to sense that something was wrong, and her voice trembled a little: "Are you...going to fight?"
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said, "Don't ask. During my absence, someone needs to be in charge of all matters in the palace. Also, you need to take more care of Concubine Hang. Seeing that the child Ji is weak, they
The mother and son will be left to you."
Concubine Wang nodded and said softly: "I remember."
Early the next morning, Zhu Qiyu went to the morning court as usual, but did not go to the Wenhua Palace, but went directly to the artillery test firing base in Xishan.
There is no problem with the strategic layout and the march route. As for supplies, Champa rice is harvested three times a year, so the logistics are fully guaranteed.
The only thing that needs to be confirmed is how powerful the new artillery is.
Thinking about going out to lead the army to fight soon, I felt very excited.
Now is the time when spring and summer alternate, and on the way to Xishan, there is a lot of singing birds and the fragrance of flowers.
I vaguely remember that when I was a child, I went out for an outing and the surroundings were very desolate.
But things have changed a lot now. The quarries and cement workshops are very busy. Explosions can be heard in the distance from time to time. Some are blasting rocks and some are experimental artillery.
Chen Ying had been waiting here very early. When he saw Zhu Qiyu coming, he hurriedly saluted.
"I have met His Highness!"
Zhu Qiyu replied: "You're welcome, how are you preparing?"
Back then, Emperor Xuanzong was very fond of firearms. In Zhuqi Town, when the two brothers Zhu Qiyu were very young, he took them to the military camp to see cannons.
If you get interested, you'll even stuff them into the cannon and play with them.
Zhu Qizhen was very excited about this, while Zhu Qiyu would be so frightened that he howled.
Today, Zhu Qizhen has become the emperor, personally leading the army to conquer the north and south, opening up territory for the Ming Dynasty, and making great military exploits. However, he can only stay in the Forbidden City and become a full-time steward.
Last night, he carefully studied the drawings of the new artillery, but he had many questions.
For this reason, I made a special trip here this morning.
Chen Ying was still waiting for an on-site demonstration, but someone came up with a drawing.
There are many numbers marked on the drawing, including the size and thickness, as well as rough graphics. Even the inside of the gun barrel has been compared in detail. It is obvious that a lot of effort has been put into it.
"This is the design drawing of the lightweight Flying Tiger Cannon provided by Wang Gong Factory. The dimensions marked on the barrel are too thin. Although this can reduce the weight of the cannon itself, is it so thin that it is not afraid of exploding the barrel?" In this era, the thickness of the artillery tube wall gradually thickened from the muzzle to the breech, which was consistent with the principle that the chamber pressure went from high to low when gunpowder burned.
Another reason is the quality of current cast iron.
Before the emergence of fine steel, the hardness, brittleness, compression and shear resistance of cast iron were relatively backward. The only way to prevent the bore from exploding was to increase the thickness of the pipe wall.
When Zhu Qiyu saw the drawings of the Feihu Cannon, his first reaction was that the barrel was too thin.
According to common sense, such a barrel can easily explode.
You can't take the Shenji Battalion across the ocean to Annan and blow up your own people before killing the enemy.
Chen Ying scratched his head, not knowing how to explain it.
"Your Highness, why don't you go to the venue and try shooting?"
He is a rough man, and he is not very clear about the principles of new artillery, but he understands one truth, facts speak louder than words.
You said no, right? Let’s fire it and see!
Zhu Qiyu nodded and went to the back mountain shooting range with Chen Ying.
A light flying tiger cannon has already been set up here.
Chen Ying came forward and carefully wiped the cannon body.
Baby, baby, it’s finally coming in handy!
Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on the artillery, and then he looked at the drawing in his hand. They were basically the same.
However, the fine iron used in this cannon body is actually more refined than ordinary artillery.
He circled around the cannon and asked in surprise: "There are no air holes in the cannon?"
Chen Ying shook his head and said: "Back to Your Highness, this is fine iron cast in a forge. It has no pores."
Zhu Qiyu was amazed. It should be noted that iron needs to be tempered because there is air inside, so there are bubbles inside the iron. The general method is to keep hammering it. In the usual sense, the blacksmith holds a hammer and keeps hammering it.
Beating the wrought iron is like kneading one side of dough to knead the air out of the dough.
This is how the term "hundred-forged steel" comes into being. This "hundred-forged steel" actually describes this kind of forging method.
If you are making swords, there is no problem using this method.
But the casting of cannons is different. A cannon weighs thousands of kilograms. Is it true that such a large amount of work cannot be completed after repeated hammering?
Therefore, the vast majority of artillery is cast out of very ordinary steel, because there is air in the steel. Over time, the bubbles form a hollow, and the barrel is also bumpy, so the strength of the barrel is limited.
It’s easy to imagine.
But it doesn’t matter, the strength is not enough, you can use thickness to make it up. In order to prevent the fragile barrel from being unable to withstand the impact of the gunpowder explosion in the barrel, so as not to explode the barrel, the craftsmen invented a very clever method, which is to continuously increase the
The thickness of the gun barrel is too big to be stacked up with a pile of iron lumps. If it doesn't work, put a ring of iron hoops on the outside. No matter what kind of gunpowder you use, just blow up the barrel and try it.
In Zhu Qiyu's impression, artillery should have pits and bumps, and when knocked, there would still be a slight hollow sound inside. Artillery with such a smooth surface is very rare.
So, looking at this thin barrel, my eyes were full of doubts.
This thing...isn’t it really afraid of exploding?
"I wonder what the range of this flying tiger cannon is?"
Chen Ying replied: "Back to Your Highness, the one you see is a light cannon with a range of about 180 feet. There are heavy artillery over there, with a range of about 300 feet."
Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. Can this thing have a range of 180 feet?
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He had read previous records. During Emperor Taizong's Northern Expedition, the range of ordinary artillery was about one hundred feet. There were several cannons with a maximum range of one hundred and fifty feet. But the light cannon in front of him looked nothing like it.
……
"That's a test shot!"
Although I am full of doubts, I will know it once I fire the cannon.
Chen Ying nodded and said: "Your Highness, please designate a target!"
"Specify...what?"
"It's just a test target to test the accuracy of the artillery."
"Accuracy...what is it?"
In fact, smoothbore artillery also has air holes in the smoothbore, so it is impossible to expect an accurate range. Whether it can hit the target depends entirely on luck.
Chen Ying had no choice but to point forward and said: "Your Highness, please look at the top of the mountain opposite."
Zhu Qiyu covered the arbor with his hands, tried hard to look ahead, and asked, "I only saw a pine forest."
"Your Highness, please see, there is an open space in the pine forest. The general sent people to build a pavilion there. It has been dyed red to make it more eye-catching."
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said: "I see it!"
Chen Yingdao: "The target of this shot is the pergola!"
Zhu Qiyu was a little speechless. The hilltop opposite was about two hundred feet. How could he hit the target from such a long distance?
I'm afraid it's not a dream...
Of course he didn't believe it, but he couldn't make it too obvious in front of the soldiers of Shenji Camp.
"In that case, let's get started!"
"Get the order!"
Chen Ying nodded, and then said: "Get ready for test firing, target, target position No. 1!"
"Received, target, target position No. 1!"
"The wind is southeast, weak, direction, seventeen miles to the left!"
"The distance is two hundred feet, plus five for the height!"
"Filling completed!"
"Report, ready!"
Chen Ying waved decisively: "Fire!"
The fuse was ignited, causing sparks to fly and making a chirping noise.
Boom!
With a huge roar, the shells shot out quickly.
Zhu Qiyu squinted his eyes and tried hard to capture the trajectory of the cannonball. He saw the cannonball whistling in the sky, like a meteor, and hitting the opposite target.
Boom!
Zhu Qiyu opened his eyes wide because he saw that the cannonball hit the small red house in the pine forest and exploded.
From such a long distance, it actually hit?
Zhu Qiyu took a breath. With such range and accuracy, if put on the battlefield, it would be a magical weapon!
"Jingguo Gong, you are so awesome!"
Chen Ying had a confident smile on his face: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. This is just a light cannon. Do you want to see a heavy cannon?"
Zhu Qiyu shook his head and said, "Don't worry, take me to the top of the opposite mountain to have a look."
It hit, and it could explode, but I don’t know how powerful it is.
Chen Ying nodded and said: "Your Highness, please come this way!"
Zhu Qiyu is very excited, today is an eye-opener.
This cannon does not explode, has a long range, and is accurate. All worries in my heart are swept away, leaving only surprises.
In his mind, countless thoughts popped up in an instant. If the emperor is not bullied, he just needs to take this thing to Annan, Qinghua City, Shenglong City... any city cannot withstand a bombardment. Here’s your chance to make a difference!
When we arrived at the hilltop opposite, the temporary shed had already been blown to pieces.
The nearby trees were shaken by the impact of the explosion.
Looking carefully, I found that there were many shrapnel embedded in the tree trunk and it was riddled with holes.
If these trees were made of flesh and blood, I am afraid they would have died long ago.
Even if the distance is farther, as long as they are hit by shrapnel, even if they are not killed on the spot, the injured people will continue to consume the enemy's rations, which is a huge burden to the enemy.
At this time, the ability of the opponent's generals will be tested.
If you abandon them, morale will inevitably be low, and everyone will have a sad heart. If you don't abandon them, let them consume the army's rations and medicines, and even slow down the overall march speed, which will become a bottomless pit. p>
With such a murderous weapon, why worry about Annan being unfair!
Ancestors, I, Zhu Qiyu, am also going to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty!
…………
PS: I got a good job today, and I coded 6,000. When will we make 10,000 a day~~