The Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal doesn't seem to have changed much, but in fact the changes are quite big.
The underground space dug inside the mountain has been greatly expanded, which cannot be seen from the outside. The underground passages on the east and west sides have been opened, and the internal hall has also taken shape. This makes the structure of the entire arsenal more three-dimensional and more compact.
Many people have always been puzzled by Zhang Yanling's insistence on digging underground space in Wild Dog Ridge. In the view of these people, it is unnecessary to do so. Because they simply cannot see that it takes a huge amount of manpower and dozens of craftsmen work all year round.
What is the practical significance of constantly digging underground space?
At first they thought it was just to expand the space of the arsenal, but because the surrounding land was owned by Zhang Yanling, if they wanted to expand the size of the arsenal, they could just expand the area around it. There was no need to expand underground. Doing so was obviously unnecessary.
Including people close to Zhang Yanling have also asked this question and expressed their confusion. Zhang Yanling did not explain his thoughts to them in detail, but just ignored him and did not give a positive answer.
Things have to be pushed forward. Every time Zhang Yanling comes to the arsenal, he will definitely come to supervise the progress, study the layout of the underground space, etc.
Zhang Yanling's inner thoughts are not humane to others. The reason why he spent so much energy to build this place is naturally not because of a whim.
You must know that Zhang Yanling put a lot of effort into the Yegouling Arsenal, and it can be said that it was the most correct investment decision Zhang Yanling made. The various firearms manufactured in the arsenal are the guarantee that Zhang Yanling can be invincible and obtain his current status and reputation.
Base.
The existence of Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal is the backing that makes Zhang Yanling strong. It is a place where Zhang Yanling can continuously enhance his military power, making it difficult for everyone to reach.
In such a place, absolute safety must be ensured.
The existence of the arsenal is no longer a secret within a certain level. The existence of such a place is a great threat to political opponents and in the hearts of some people. To protect the arsenal, it is
It's like protecting your own lifeline.
What's more, the significance of this place is more than that. Zhang Yanling actually built this place as his last fortress. Once a huge change occurs, this place will be the last fortress and the last chance to stand up.
Although it seems that no one can shake Zhang Yanling's status at present, and no one can threaten the safety of Zhang Yanling and those around him. Zhang Yanling is now at the height of his power and is a god-like figure.
But Zhang Yanling knew very well that her status and power did not actually belong to her. It relied on the power and status given by others. It was the power and status given by people. And this is the most vulnerable point.
Just like Liu Jin, Liu Jian, Xie Qian and others. When power is in their hands, they can do whatever they want. But once their power is deprived, their reputations will be ruined immediately, and it will be difficult for them to escape intact. This is the way of the feudal dynasty.
fact.
Zhang Yanling must take this into consideration. When the worldly power given by man is taken away, then these cold, ruthless and powerful partners produced by the arsenal are needed to protect him.
As a person who traveled through time in later generations, Zhang Yanling never believed that she was absolutely safe under the current imperial power structure. Because the power granted by the imperial power was beyond her control. A person with the power of life and death could decide his own life and death at will.
, this is of course unacceptable to Zhang Yanling.
Just like the fate of Zhang Yanling who possessed him, even if his life was not in danger during the Zhengde Dynasty, he would be imprisoned and executed after Jiajing ascended the throne. This is the uncontrollable result of relying on the power bestowed by secular imperial power.
Because he knows that reality is cruel and uncontrollable, it is extremely important to control some things that he can control and protect himself and his family at critical times. Zhang Yanling will not be willing to be killed, and he does not want to see himself and his relatives
Their heads fell to the ground one after another, leading to a tragic ending.
When your own destiny is out of your control, you have to be prepared for danger in times of peace and prepare for the worst. Perhaps it is better to be superfluous than to be prepared.
In view of this, the Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal was built by Zhang Yanling as a strong refuge fortress. As a strong fortress, the area cannot be too large, and the expansion space must rely on the mountains of Wild Dog Ridge, otherwise it cannot be defended at all. Underground space
It is obviously the best choice. Expanding the area outwards will increase the difficulty of defense, which is unrealistic.
In addition, sufficient shelter space and material storage space are needed. There is nothing more secure than underground space to store these things.
When he first came to Xishan Manor during the time travel, Zhang Yanling had already fallen in love with this place. Although the altitude of Wild Dog Ridge is not high, it is very suitable as a fortress.
It is close enough to the capital and can be reached quickly when something unexpected happens. This is one of them.
The second is that Wild Dog Ridge is the highest point in a radius of more than ten miles. There are no high points around it that can pose a threat to Wild Dog Ridge. It has an advantage in terrain.
The most important point is the geological structure of the solid bluestone terrain below. The underground fortress will be extremely strong. Even if the ground is flattened by artillery, it will not be able to damage the underground space at all.
The only shortcoming here is the lack of water source, but this is completely solved by the construction of Xishan Reservoir. According to Zhang Yanling's design, the underground space is dug southward, directly to the underwater position on the north side of the reservoir. In this way, the underground space
The water problem will be completely solved. It is extremely convenient to get water directly from inside.
The entire arsenal will store a large amount of food and supplies, and a large amount of equipment and supplies, and will become a solid and unshakable shelter. When danger comes, it can be defended with very few troops and manpower, allowing the opponent to
There is nothing you can do. No matter how many soldiers and horses you come to attack, they will never come back and cannot be shaken.
In addition to the progress of internal expansion, defense facilities at key locations are basically in place. Two walls in the core area of the factory with the blacksmith workshop as the base and upwards have been completed, forming a stepped defense.
There are sixteen large-scale shooting fortifications built on the stairs, all of which are solid, capped 180-degree arc shooting bunkers.
In addition, the thirty forts built around the tall walls in the core area have been completed. The Tiger Roaring Cannon and the Dragon Roaring Cannon have been installed in place.
In this way, a solid castle-like building composed of cannons and artillery was formed surrounding the core area of the Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal.
It is no exaggeration to say that under this kind of firepower network defense, it is probably an impossible task to capture this place with the current level of weapons.
Unless human lives are at stake, unless the life and death of soldiers are completely ignored, there is no possibility of conquering Wild Dog Ridge.
After inspecting the construction and defense measures of the entire Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal, Zhang Yanling was very satisfied. With this fortress here, he had a safe retreat. No matter what kind of dangerous situation he encountered.
, at least you can ensure the safety of yourself and your family.
The size of the escort organized by Zhao Yuancheng is also expanding, and daily shooting training has begun. Such a fortress can actually fully meet the defense needs with only more than a thousand troops. This is in line with Zhang Yanling's ability to achieve the maximum with the least manpower.
The purpose of defensive effect.
A strong fortress may not be able to be breached from the outside, but the most dangerous thing is the inside, the human factor. Therefore, Zhang Yanling had already asked Zhao Yuancheng to organize the people of the manor and expose them to military training and the use of firearms.
In times of crisis, you may not have many men available, and you may lose all those who support you in an instant, even your most loyal subordinates. Only by adapting to local conditions and choosing a defense system that can operate with the least number of manpower is the best solution.
Effective and wisest choice.
The people of Xishan Manor are Zhang Yanling's most trusted defensive force. They are often more reliable than some of his soldiers and horses. He only needs to control some of the soldiers and horses who are loyal to him, and with the people here, he can be fully qualified to control the fortress.
of persistence.
Of course, Zhang Yanling hopes that all these preparations will be useless. If it reaches any point, it means that everything has collapsed and the situation has become extremely bad. His ambitions and ideals may also be completely in vain. Of course, this is what Zhang Yanling least wants to see.
The ending reached.
However, as the saying goes, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and under the insecurity that is never absolutely safe, this place, as the last cunning rabbit's hole, will bring a sense of security to Zhang Yanling psychologically, and it will also play a real role in substance.
All the construction and defense system arrangements were within Zhang Yanling's design plan. But in the late afternoon, Xu Youtang showed Zhang Yanling something that was a real surprise.
In the afternoon, everyone in the Zhang family set up a tent on the grass next to the reservoir and started to play around, take a boat trip on the lake, and enjoy the scenery. Zhang Yanling was dragged by Xu Youtang to the secret room where she worked.
On the long, solid and heavy wooden platform, Xu Youtang slowly uncovered the heavy oilcloth covering something, revealing something she wanted to surprise Zhang Yanling.
The moment he saw that thing, Zhang Yanling's heart beat violently and his breathing became rapid. He was stunned in place, or in other words, he was shocked.
That is a firearm. To be precise, it is a firearm that Zhang Yanling wanted to make but has never put it into practice. It can also be said that it is because Zhang Yanling has no idea how to start and does not know how to solve some of the key problems, so he cannot make it for the time being.
of firearms.
That's a machine gun.
Based on its appearance, Zhang Yanling immediately recognized that it was a multi-barreled rotating machine gun similar to the Maxim machine gun. The eight long barrels in the front were clustered together, and the middle section was a somewhat complicated mechanical device. The rear section was
It is a Z-shaped rocking handle.
Zhang Yanling can definitely conclude that it is a firearm similar to the Maxim machine gun. Shake the rear crank and rotate the barrel to fire. It is a multi-barreled firearm that can fire continuously in a short period of time. What is that if it is not a machine gun?
Zhang Yanling was really shocked. But he quickly calmed down. Based on many technical problems that were difficult to solve, he was not sure whether this machine gun was practical. If it was not practical at all and it was not as convenient as a blunderbuss, then there would be no manufacturing
It's necessary.
This thing is obviously expensive.
Xu Youtang immediately began to explain the structure and principles of this machine gun without waiting for Zhang Yanling to ask.