The artillery workshop failed several times. Finally, under the guidance of Li Zhi, it took twenty days to figure out the technology and successfully made a copper cannon using iron billet. The copper cannon made by this new method did not have honeycomb pores.
, the quality is much better than that of copper cannons cast from mud blanks, which not only improves the success rate of cannon casting, but also reduces the probability of blasting and boring of the finished cannon.
Moreover, the iron billet used to cast the cannon can be reused, which saves the time of casting molds. The speed of cannon casting is greatly accelerated. A copper cannon can be cast in three days.
However, Li Zhi was not satisfied with this. Li Zhi asked the craftsmen to cast the iron core copper body cannon. The so-called iron core copper body cannon is to first cast the gun core with wrought iron. After the gun core cools down, the gun core is wrapped in a mold and placed in the mold.
A layer of bronze is cast on the outside of the core.
This cannon-making method was an invention in China in the late Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately it was not widely promoted in the original history. China's casting technology in the late Ming Dynasty did not lag behind that of the West. The long-term war between the Ming Dynasty and the Hou Jin Dynasty produced a desire for advanced technology.
In response to the demand for weapons, the iron-core copper body cannon came into being. This new type of artillery can withstand higher chamber pressures with less material, reducing the weight of the artillery. At the same time, wrought iron has a higher melting point and better wear resistance, so
This technology increases the life of the artillery. Not only that, because bronze is relatively expensive, the iron-core copper body gun saves copper and also reduces the cost of casting the gun.
Li Zhi asked the gunsmiths to explore this method and make artillery.
The first field artillery chosen by Li Zhi was the Mining light long gun of this era. This was an 84 mm caliber, six-pound shell, and two-meter-long muzzle-loading gun. The direct range of this artillery was 400 meters.
, the maximum projectile range is 3200 meters, and the standard gun weighs 900 kilograms. However, Li Zhi used iron core copper body technology to cast the gun, and the gun weight may be reduced a lot.
The reason for choosing this kind of artillery is that the weight and caliber of the artillery are more suitable. Most of the battles Li Zhi will face in the future will be field battles with enemies who are a mixture of infantry and cavalry. Both the Houjin in the northeast and the flow thieves in the northwest are good at field battles.
, and rarely defend in fortified cities. Li Zhi does not need heavy artillery that can destroy enemy fortresses, but needs light artillery that can cooperate with riflemen in field battles.
Under such needs, a six-pounder gun is more suitable.
The 900-pound artillery can also be made lighter using iron-core copper body technology, so that it can be dragged by a horse-drawn carriage and transported more easily.
The gunsmiths had to conduct various experiments and manufacturing, and it was estimated that it would take some time before they could produce a finished product that met Li Zhi's requirements. Li Zhi went to TJ to hire five blacksmiths to Fanjiazhuang, and asked them to serve as apprentices to the five gunsmiths.
Then Li Zhi handed over the task to the gunsmiths and went to do other things himself.
On January 11, the eighth year of Chongzhen, the rammed earth city wall of Fanjiazhuang New City was completed.
The new city wall has a circumference of three thousand meters, covering the entire Fanjiazhuang New City. The city wall is five meters high, four meters wide at the bottom, and three meters wide at the top. Every twenty meters there is a horse face protruding three meters outward. There is a moat outside the city wall, and the moat is wide.
Five meters, three meters deep.
The city wall is covered with bricks on the inside and outside, and there are crenellations on the outside, but these have not yet been repaired. There are sixteen heavy artillery forts on the city wall, four on each wall. The heavy artillery needed on these forts will be produced by the cannon casting workshop in the future.
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There are four hole-type city gates built in the four directions of the city wall, southeast, northwest, and are all completed. The four gates are called Xichun in the east, Chongwen in the south, Qingfeng in the west, and Shangwu in the north. There are towers on the four gates.
The second floor, five meters high, uses a double eaves gable roof. The roof is made of gray tube tiles with green trim, and the ridge made of green glazed is decorated with animal heads. There are arrow windows on the outside of the building, which looks very majestic from a distance.
This era is not peaceful, and the people all look forward to the protection of the city wall. On the day when the city wall was closed, many people in Fanjiazhuang took out firecrackers and set them off, and they were very happy.
After the city wall was encircled, the civil work of the two thousand soldiers of the Selection Corps came to an end, and they began to train queues, fighting skills and field marches. Some companies assigned to rifles went to the shooting range every afternoon to practice shooting.
After the rammed-earth city wall was encircled, Li Zhi was ready to officially move his family to Fanjiazhuang's Deputy Thousand Household Office. In the past few months, Li Zhi and his younger brother Li Xing had been living in Fanjiazhuang for work, and their mother Zheng had not been able to see her for half a month.
The two met once and missed their two sons very much. Now that the city wall has become Fanjiazhuang, it is safer, so Li Zhi is ready to take his old mother to Fanjiazhuang.
Li Zhi took four servants, rode horses, and drove a carriage back to Jingbianfang. Along the way, the people saw a military attaché coming from the west, so they quickly got out of the way and stood on both sides of the road to watch the excitement.
"Hey, isn't that Li Cheng's son Li Zhi?"
"Is Li Zhi such a high-ranking official? Look at that guy, he's a fifth-grade military attaché!"
"Hey, you don't know, Li Zhi built a city in the west, as big as the county seat, called Fanjiazhuang!"
"It's true that things are changing. This time last year, Li Zhi still owed money and couldn't pay it back!"
Li Zhi rode on his horse, ignoring everyone's comments, and rode home in a swaggering manner. The Li family's yard had been repaired, and there were two servants holding sticks standing at the door, who were also very impressive.
Li Zhi rode to the door of his house and just jumped off the horse when he saw Cui He, wearing a jade-colored cloud satin jacket and a gauze-green Luzhu skirt, walking over with a maid.
After Cui He, he chased Xiao Guangwei, who was still lingering.
When Cui He saw Li Zhi, he smiled and said happily, "Li Zhi, you haven't been back to Jingbianfang for a long time. Now you are a high official?"
Before Li Zhi could answer, Xiao Guangwei caught up with him and said breathlessly: "Cui He, don't pay attention to Li Zhi. He has moved out of the city now and is no longer my descendant from Jingbianfang!"
Cui Heyi stamped his feet and said: "Xiao Guangwei, if you pester me again, I will ask my father to deal with you."
Xiao Guangwei smiled and said: "Your father has no background. He is not as familiar as my father in the Yamen. How can your father deal with me?"
Cui He was so angry that his mouth was knotted, and he turned to Li Zhi and said: "Li Zhi, you are an official now, help me deal with Xiao Guangwei!"
Li Zhi smiled and said, "What's the benefit of me helping you deal with Xiao Guangwei?"
Cui He blinked and said, "Then I will be good friends with you!"
Li Zhi spat: "What do you mean by good friends? You are my sweetheart, even closer than good friends!"
Cui He asked anxiously: "Then what do you want?"
Li Zhi said: "I will help you deal with Xiao Guangwei, then you can marry me!"
Cui He was stunned when she heard this, and her face suddenly turned red. She subconsciously pulled the corner of her clothes and pretended to be calm and said: "Then you go to my house for matchmaking and see if my father agrees."
Li Zhi nodded and said: "Then I will help you deal with Xiao Guangwei first, and then go and propose marriage to your father."
When Cui He heard this, his blood-red face became even redder, but a smile appeared on his face. She stood aside and stopped talking, looking even brighter.
Li Zhi then turned to look at Xiao Guangwei and shouted loudly at the dandy boy: "Xiao Guangwei, you chase the girl's family Cui He every day and harm others' reputations. What crime should you do?"
Xiao Guangwei was stunned, looked at the official robe on Li Zhi, and said in a panic: "Li Zhi, what do you want, my father knows Father Chen!"
Li Zhi waved his hand to the four servants and said loudly: "This animal harassed my fiancée, which is an unpardonable crime! Take this animal down for me and beat her twenty times."
