However, the look on Wu Ping's face was very excited, "The new artillery is ready for test firing. Your Majesty, please move to the back hillside."
Li Xingchen raised his eyebrows: "Why, I can't stand here?"
Wu Ping said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, this place is really dangerous. If something unexpected happens, it is very likely to cause an explosion."
Artillery is not a new thing. When the musket was born, artillery had already been researched at the same time, and samples had appeared very early. However, because the smelting technology was not up to par, the musket was still able to withstand the power of the gunpowder burning and exploding in the barrel.
, but the barrel of the artillery was not good, so the barrel often exploded, resulting in the artillery being unable to be installed properly for several years.
Coupled with the army's increasing demand for muskets, the research on artillery naturally had to be postponed.
However, with the Han Dynasty's southern expedition, the storm in the south increased, and muskets often had problems. In addition, from the beginning of the northern expedition to the present south, the weakness of muskets that was difficult to attack became more and more obvious, and large-scale attack equipment such as thunderbolt chariots were difficult to attack on muddy roads.
Walking is also quite difficult, so the military also needs a firearm that is lighter than the Thunderbolt vehicle, but equally powerful or even has a longer range. This has once again accelerated the development of artillery.
Things have been ups and downs. It is only now that the Ministry of Industry has developed high-quality copper materials suitable for artillery and cast new artillery, which effectively reduces the possibility of the artillery exploding. Today is the first official test firing of the artillery.
Although many tests have been carried out before, this is the first time that it has entered the comprehensive assessment and acceptance process. The next time it will be the military acceptance inspection.
This time, it was mainly for the internal acceptance of the Ministry of Works. All the craftsmen from the Ministry of Works came, even Ouyang Mo came. As for the students of the Academy, as disciples of the emperor, Li Xingchen asked them to come, mainly to provide these future big men.
The pillars of the army cheered them up and told them that the Han Dynasty had new weapons. This was the imperial court's trump card and a sharp weapon to support them, whether they faced threats from enemies on the border or conflicts between the mainland and local evil forces.
, with the support of the imperial court and new firearms, there is no need to be afraid.
This is the first time that a new type of firearm has been officially tested, so even if preparations have been made before, no one dares to joke with His Majesty's life now.
Li Xingchen looked around: "Everyone is standing here, which means that you, Wu Ping, are confident, so why should I step back?"
Wu Ping suddenly became anxious and looked at Ouyang Mo next to him.
Ouyang Mo still wanted to persuade him, but Li Xingchen waved his hand: "Do you want the master to retreat?"
Unexpectedly, Li Xingchen would ask back. Ouyang Mo was silent for a moment, shook his head and said decisively: "Since the birth of gunpowder, the Ministry of Industry has devoted its efforts here. The old minister will not retreat. With the old minister here, these disciples and grandchildren can feel at ease."
Li Xingchen laughed and said, "The same is true for me."
Wu Ping's eyes widened, this was not possible.
Ouyang Mo also wanted to speak, but Li Xingchen said directly: "Let's get started."
Wu Ping took a deep breath and stood in front of Li Xingchen. Even if there was any accident, he could still block it for His Majesty: "Start!"
Everyone in the entire school grounds held their breath.
"Load!"
"ignition!"
Li Ping and Li Jing took a step forward at the same time, ready to throw Li Xinchen to the ground at any time.
"boom!"
There was a roar, fire and smoke billowing, and the wooden target in the distance flew into the air, and it could be seen with the naked eye. The wooden target had broken into two parts before it flew up. The power of the explosion can be imagined.
It goes without saying that the first test-fired projectile was the explosive projectile that Li Xinchen and the military had high hopes for, but whose development had encountered bottlenecks for a long time.
Explosive shells are explosive artillery shells. After the shells are fired, they will explode into pieces and cause fan damage to the enemy. In fact, later artillery shells, grenades and the like are similar to them. However, in this era, if you want to develop blooming shells,
, not only is it a matter of starting from scratch, but it also involves many areas that craftsmen have never set foot in before.
In addition to explosive bombs, there are also solid artillery shells. A solid artillery shell is just a big iron ball. This is not difficult. In response to the needs of the navy, chain bombs were also developed. As the name suggests, two solid artillery shells are connected with an iron chain.
Connected together, this is mainly to effectively attack the enemy's hull and mast during naval battles. In particular, high-speed flying artillery shells may directly cut off the enemy's ship's mast.
However, among the many artillery shells, the most difficult to develop is the explosive ammunition. In particular, the filling amount and fuse length of the explosive ammunition are difficult to control. This is another reason why previous artillery guns often had problems with chamber explosions.
, after all, the shell exploded directly in the barrel, and even the strongest artillery could not withstand it.
But if there are no explosive shells and only solid shells, it is actually difficult for the artillery to compete with the Thunderbolt Car.
It's not that the power of solid artillery shells is inferior to that of explosive shells. Solid artillery shells also have their advantages. Whether it is killing the enemy's cavalry vertically or attacking a city, solid artillery shells have advantages over exploding shells. When this kind of artillery shell is hit, it is like a bullet.
Remember that if you hit a person with a heavy punch, even a thick city wall will be affected.
The main reason is that the solid artillery shells functionally conflict with the stone projectiles thrown by the Pili Cart. The stone projectiles of the Pili Cart are also used to attack the enemy's large equipment and city defenses. Although the range of the artillery shells fired by the artillery is almost the same as that of the Pili Cart, and even
It was better than a thunderbolt chariot, but it was impossible for the Han army not to consider the issue of cost.
Nowadays, the Pili Chariot has been produced in a streamlined manner, and the unit cost of a Pili Chariot made of wood is not much smaller than the body size, but the cost of artillery made of copper and iron is much higher, so it is a huge expense to set up a separate production line for the artillery.
Naturally, it cannot arouse the interest of the military, especially now that the Han army is ahead of the surrounding countries in terms of weapons and equipment. This absolute advantage will be difficult to make up for in the short term.
For the Han Army, although this southern expedition was defeated in the high mountains and dense forests of the south, this is not a problem that must be solved now, because the enemies in the south have been conquered, and future battles will still be fought in the mountains and dense forests in the south.
The combination of thunderbolt vehicles and muskets that broke out in the vast wilderness of the north has been able to meet the needs of the army.
If the artillery had no way to demonstrate superior performance to the Thunderbolt vehicle, then Lu Jun would never support investing in the production of such a more costly weapon.
Of course, just because the Army doesn't support it doesn't mean that others also have opinions.
Each military branch has its own needs in response to different situations.