Anyone who has seen the performance of artillery knows that the imperial court will definitely need a large number of artillery, and the Navy will definitely need all large warships to be refitted. Due to cost issues, there will definitely not be as many first-class ironclads as the Jiaolong, but that's not the case.
Not less. Based on the fifty cannons per battleship, dozens of main battleships will require thousands of cannons. If other auxiliary warships are included, the navy alone will probably need several thousand cannons. Of course.
Most of them must be small and medium-caliber artillery, otherwise the imperial court would not be able to equip them.
This is only the needs of the navy. For such powerful siege weapons, the army must also need a lot, as well as those border fortresses and large cities. Calculated in this way, thousands of artillery are needed, which adds up to
So he went up to the 10,000 cannons.
Although the raw material of the artillery is copper, which is not a very precious metal, there is a shortage of copper in the Central Plains. Such a large amount of copper will inevitably cause a certain shortage of copper, which will definitely increase the cost of the artillery.
Wan Huojing came here in person, actually on behalf of the Ministry of War, to inspect the artillery. He had always heard people describe it. The big shots in the court had not seen real artillery yet. They also needed to verify it in person. The result of the verification was of course to let
Wan Huojing was very surprised and shouted at that time, "With this artifact, the dynasty will be forever, God bless Her Majesty the Queen!"
"Master Wan! How about it? We have seen the power of artillery. We are not bragging, are we?" Zeng Yi said looking at the excited Wan Huojing.
"Mr. Ni is joking. We have never heard of artillery being so powerful. Such artillery requires a lot of equipment. If artillery can be popularized throughout the army, then the court will no longer be afraid of anything like the Persian Navy or the Four-Nation Alliance.
power."
Zeng Yi smiled and shook his head: "Master Wan, if we can equip the entire army, that would be great! But in a short time, it is basically impossible. Sir, please don't forget that the imperial court's financial problems have just been resolved.
To alleviate the situation, we simply don’t have that much money to equip the entire army.”
Wan Huojing frowned for a moment: "Is the cost of artillery very high? But I think these artillery are all made of copper. Although the value of copper is not bad, it is not too high?"
"It's true what you said. A single artillery can be purchased for a few hundred taels of silver. It's cheaper than a ballistae, but the ammunition is very expensive. Take the Jiaolong as an example, it is equipped with eighty artillery pieces, even if only half of them are used.
An artillery fire requires forty shells and forty gunpowder in one salvo. Based on the current hit rate of the artillery, if you want to sink an enemy ship, the shells and gunpowder required will be very large. These consumables are very expensive.
!”
After hearing what Zeng Yi said, Wan Huo Jingcong fell silent for a while, then said: "Hey, it seems we thought it was easy!"
Zeng Yi nodded, "With the current financial capacity of the imperial court, it can prepare up to several thousand artillery pieces. This requires a choice, whether to prepare the entire navy first or allocate part to the army."
Wan Huojing sighed again, "This matter is not something I, the Minister of War, can determine. This requires the ministers of the imperial court and Her Majesty the Queen to make a decision." Wan Huojing looked at Zeng Yi and said, "Master Ni,
, this matter is of great importance, you should come back to the capital with me as soon as possible."
"Of course, I also need to go back and report to your Majesty the ministers on the situation of the artillery."
Soon Zeng Yi and Wan Huojing returned to the capital. This time the boss and the three of them did not go back together. The three of them had to keep an eye on the Jiaolong.
On the day she returned to the capital, the little princess held a court meeting. After Zeng Yi reported on the artillery and equipment issues, a quarrel broke out in the court hall. The quarrel was mainly between the generals and the navy and the army.
The navy said that the artillery was originally developed to solve the navy's ship-based weapons. Now that it is developed, it should be re-equipped for the navy first according to the plan. The army was not happy when it heard that. How could such a powerful weapon be equipped with only
The navy immediately retorted, saying that what they needed most was the army. As long as the army was equipped with artillery, the four-nation coalition would never be able to cross the border. They also said that the navy was still stronger than the Persian navy. Taking a step back, even if the navy
If we cannot defeat the Persian navy, it will not affect the internal situation of the Central Plains. If we cannot defeat the four-nation coalition on land, we can guarantee the absolute security of the Central Plains.
The navy was not happy when they heard this, and immediately retorted that after the navy was completely redressed, it could not only defeat the Persian navy and ensure the safety of maritime trade routes, but also attack Persian coastal cities and contain the four-nation coalition. Artillery should be equipped first
Navy.
The navy and army were arguing very fiercely. No one wanted to miss such a weapon. However, after arguing for a long time, they could not argue with each other. Finally, after research by the big guys in the court, the little princess, the queen, made the decision.
After receiving the plan, the imperial court decided to prepare the navy first, but not all the equipment. Instead, the first-class ironclad ships of the navy were prepared first, and the remaining artillery was equipped with the army.
Although the Army was a little dissatisfied, they also knew that this artillery was indeed developed for the navy at the beginning, and they were not unreasonable. And now that the little princess, the queen, had made the decision, they had gained nothing, and finally the navy agreed with the court.
this distribution plan.
In order to build that batch of artillery, the imperial court allocated several million silver at one time, which was already more than half of the national treasury. The national treasury only left basic financial needs. Fortunately, the imperial court had recently increased revenue and reduced expenditure, and the imperial court had accumulated another sum.
silver,
The navy and army were arguing very fiercely. No one wanted to miss such a weapon. However, after arguing for a long time, they could not argue with each other. Finally, after research by the big guys in the court, the little princess, the queen, made the decision.
After receiving the plan, the imperial court decided to prepare the navy first, but not all the equipment. Instead, the first-class ironclad ships of the navy were prepared first, and the remaining artillery was equipped with the army.
Although the Army was a little dissatisfied, they also knew that this artillery was indeed developed for the navy at the beginning, and they were not unreasonable. And now that the little princess, the queen, had made the decision, they had gained nothing, and finally the navy agreed with the court.
this distribution plan.
In order to build that batch of artillery, the imperial court allocated several million silver at one time, which was already more than half of the national treasury. The national treasury only left basic financial needs. Fortunately, the imperial court had recently increased revenue and reduced expenditure, and the imperial court had accumulated another sum.
Silver, the navy and the army were arguing very fiercely. No one wanted to miss such a weapon. However, after arguing for a long time, they could not argue with each other. Finally, after research by the big guys in the court, the little princess, the queen, made the decision.
After finalizing the plan, the imperial court decided to prepare the navy first, but not all the equipment. Instead, the first-class ironclad ships of the navy were prepared first, and the remaining artillery was used to equip the army.
Although the Army was a little dissatisfied, they also knew that this artillery was indeed developed for the navy at the beginning, and they were not unreasonable. And now that the little princess, the queen, had made the decision, they had gained nothing, and finally the navy agreed with the court.
this distribution plan.
In order to build that batch of artillery, the imperial court allocated several million silver at one time, which was already more than half of the national treasury. The national treasury only left basic financial needs. Fortunately, the imperial court had recently increased revenue and reduced expenditure, and the imperial court had accumulated another sum.