Li Xuan was quite satisfied with the performance of this artillery, which weighed 1,300 kilograms, and began to think about how to use this artillery reasonably and efficiently on the battlefield.
Due to its excessive weight, this kind of artillery is obviously unable to maneuver quickly in the southwest, which is full of mountains and hills. This also means that this kind of artillery cannot accompany the troops in long-term rapid maneuvers, and it is very difficult for them to maneuver quickly.
It is difficult to participate in some sudden battles.
In this case, the battlefields where this kind of artillery can be used can only be preset battlefields, such as city assault and defensive operations, and it can also be used in some large-scale strategic decisive battles in the wild.
In this case, this kind of artillery cannot and has no way to carry out dispersed operations. It must be concentrated and then use a large amount of logistics forces for transportation.
Therefore, to a certain extent, this kind of artillery is not suitable for strengthening a certain infantry regiment to fight alone. It is more suitable for large-scale operations. It belongs directly to the artillery battalion and then to the division and brigade level headquarters.
Combat.
Just when Li Xuan began to think about how to use this heavy cannon that weighed 1,300 kilograms and fired nine-pound shells, the test of this heavy cannon continued.
It's just that the tests are no longer normal parameters, but extreme tests, such as high-intensity rapid fire, continuous fire without pause in the middle.
After intensive rapid fire, we began to gradually increase the amount of charges and conduct extreme range test firings of strong charges.
There were no surprises in the results of this extreme test. After this prototype gun was subjected to multiple high-intensity firings, especially the last few times of extreme testing with strong charges, tiny cracks appeared in the barrel.
When cracks appear in the barrel, it basically declares that the artillery is scrapped. If you continue to test-fire, it will completely explode in just a few times.
However, this prototype gun was continuously tested until it was scrapped, which was originally expected. Without extreme testing, it would be impossible to specify the gun's control manual and establish a safe operating range.
Moreover, even if the cannon is scrapped, at most it will only result in the loss of some labor. The barrel can still be recast.
Weapons like artillery require a large amount of precious copper materials to be cast. If there is a mistake in the manufacturing process and the barrel becomes a scrap, then the bronze will have to be recast. It is impossible to just throw it away as scrapped.
Otherwise, the cost of this artillery would not be a few hundred taels, but several thousand taels.
After this prototype gun has completed the ultimate test and developed a safe operation manual based on the data obtained from these extreme tests, then this prototype gun has completed its mission. In the future, the barrels that have been scrapped will be
It will be recast, and it won't take long before it becomes a brand new nine-pound cannon and appears in the artillery combat sequence of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty.
After watching the test firing of this prototype gun, Li Xuan quickly issued a formal order to the artillery workshop of the Ministry of Industry: Let the Ministry of Industry build six of these heavy cannons first!
These six heavy artillery pieces will form a heavy artillery team, which will be under the jurisdiction of the artillery battalion.
These thousand-jin heavy artillery and the 800-jin artillery in the artillery battalion together constitute the main force of the Tang artillery.
The future artillery battalion will be a heavy field artillery battalion consisting of eighteen six-pound long guns and six nine-pound long guns. This artillery battalion will provide strategic artillery fire for all the new armies of the Tang Dynasty now and in the future.
support.
However, it is difficult to fully staff this artillery battalion in a short period of time. At present, except for the five 500-pound artillery pieces that have been strengthened for the First Infantry Regiment and the Second Infantry Regiment, the current
The artillery battalion is actually an empty frame. There are currently three 800-pound artillery pieces, and one of them is an old cannon. Since the capture of Xingquan Mansion, the artillery battalion has only received it from the artillery workshop of the Ministry of Industry.
Just two 800-pound artillery pieces.
Because during this period of time, among the two artillery workshops of the Ministry of Industry, the artillery workshop in Zhengtai County has been fully converted to produce 150-pound shotgun cannons, and has developed and designed short-bore barrels with larger caliber and more power.
Shotgun.
All craftsmen with experience and ability to make long-barreled cannons have been transferred to the artillery workshop in Fucheng, Xingquan Prefecture, and have begun full-scale production of 800-jin and 1,000-jin cannons.
If the artillery battalion wants to get a full complement of cannons, I'm afraid it will have to wait for a long time!
The expansion of the artillery force was only part of the expansion of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty. Compared with the expansion of artillery, the expansion of infantry was obviously more important.
After confirming the plan to establish the Qianjin Heavy Artillery Corps, Li Xuan also officially approved the plan to establish the Fifth Infantry Regiment. The new commander of the Fifth Infantry Regiment will be Li Xuan's deputy battalion commander of the Guards, who also serves as deputy director of the Privy Council Operations Department.
Zhou Yibao served as commander and was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Li Xuan's mission to Zhou Yibao can be said to be beyond the expectations of many people, because although this Zhou Yibao was also from the Guards in his early years, he was transferred to Li Xuan's side as a personal guard very early and served as the platoon leader of the Guards.
,team leader.
A month ago, the Guards was expanded into the Guards Battalion. Many people originally thought that he would naturally become the battalion commander of the Guards Battalion, but unexpectedly, Li Xuan transferred Bai Yunqi to serve as the battalion commander of the Guards Battalion. This
Zhou Yibao only served as a deputy battalion commander, and Li Xuan also arranged a part-time job for him as deputy director of the Operations Department.
At that time, many people just couldn't understand Li Xuan's arrangement for Zhou Yibao, but how did they know that Li Xuan had long wanted to release this personal guard who had been with him for more than a year to serve as the commander-in-chief.
The promotion of Zhou Yibao to the position of commander of the Fifth Infantry Regiment was not just because of his outstanding abilities. In fact, his abilities were very average. In terms of abilities alone, many infantry battalion commanders were better than him, but
Who makes him the close person who follows Li Xuan every day?
Li Xuan was able to entrust his personal safety to Zhou Yibao before, but now he is promoted to be the leader of a regiment and to control the army is no exception.
As for issues such as lack of experience and qualifications, it is not a problem. Zhou Yibao was the deputy battalion commander of the Guards Battalion before, and because of Bai Yunqi's lack of ability, in fact, all matters in the Guards Battalion of more than 400 people were completely ignored.
He's in charge.
And in the Second Battle of Lanjiang, he also led the personal guards at the time to fight. This was an experienced officer with barely adequate abilities.
What's more, the Fifth Infantry Regiment is a newly built unit, there is no airborne landing, and then there will be a group of capable people under his command to stir up trouble. As long as Zhou Yibao organizes the Fifth Infantry Regiment, then there will be no inability to command and so on.
question.
After Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yibao accepted the appointment, he quickly took several other officers of the Fifth Infantry Regiment to Liping Mansion.