Chapter 802 Artillery shows its power! Qingdeng becomes more and more arrogant! [Leopard update 6K8]
The 11th Squadron is a brand new force.
The unit number is new, the team members are all new faces, and there are few old people.
Even the captain and vice-captain are new recruits who have just joined the army.
Different from the infantry, which can produce miracles with great strength, the cavalry and artillery are technical arms.
Relying on the power of the spirit, or simply relying on brute force, cannons can't be fired.
If you want the cannon to fire quickly and accurately, a solid foundation in mathematics is indispensable.
The angle of the muzzle, the flight arc of the cannonball in the air... these are all knowledge.
In order to study cannons, the Western mathematical community even derived an independent discipline called "ballistics".
After intensive preparations, Qingdeng launched an army-wide selection process to select good candidates suitable for artillery service.
The selection method is very simple, that is, the soldiers are asked to take papers to test their mathematical ability and talent.
With the help of two gunnery instructors, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, he successfully produced a batch of mathematics papers and distributed them to the entire army.
The final test result was just as Qingdeng expected—very tragic!
The long-standing educational philosophy of “emphasis on literature and neglect of theory” has resulted in a general lack of mathematical ability among the public.
Even the children of famous families with abundant educational resources rarely come into contact with mathematics.
After some tests, it was found that the soldiers' mathematical abilities were extremely poor. There was no worst, only worse!
If any mathematics teacher saw their papers, their blood pressure would rise instantly.
Not to mention it is a complicated calculation, there are countless people who can’t even figure out “How much is 13+19”? The reason why they can’t figure it out is because the number in this equation exceeds the sum of the fingers and toes.
.
In comparison, Souji's math skills are not the worst!
After a long and difficult selection process, 200 people with acceptable mathematical abilities were finally selected from 6,000 soldiers.
In this way, although the process was tortuous and difficult, the 11th Squadron was finally put up.
It is no exaggeration to say that the members of Team 11 are all carefully selected treasures!
Not only do they have abundant physical strength, but they are also proficient in mathematics.
Of course, the "proficiency" here is compared to other people who cannot even understand addition and subtraction within three digits.
Although this "artillery selection" was a gold rush in a sea of shit, Qingdeng actually took out a big piece of yellow gold - one person stood out, and he got almost the entire paper right!
His name is "Juro Abe", he was born a farmer, and his hometown is in Dewa Country in the northeast.
Not only is he a farmer, but he also comes from the Northeast...According to Kyoto people, he is a country bumpkin among country bumpkins.
Before the "Artillery Selection" started, Juro Abe was just an ordinary soldier in the Shinsengumi, with nothing outstanding about him.
He is not tall, has dark skin, and is neither fat nor thin. He looks like a passerby.
He barely passed the conscription examination solely due to his excellent physical fitness.
However, it was this unknown soldier who won the first prize in the "Artillery Selection".
After the selection, Qingdeng, who was shocked by his results, immediately called him over and asked him personally.
According to his own words, he once learned arithmetic for half a year from an old man at the entrance of the village who knew how to calculate an abacus.
After only studying arithmetic for half a year, they were able to answer the entire paper correctly... Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi were amazed.
In order to further test his mathematical talent, Qingdeng specially sent Elodie, the best at mathematics under his command, and ordered her to try to test this person.
In the end, after the assessment, Elodie gave a very high evaluation - this person is very talented in mathematics! He has a very flexible mind and is very good at mental arithmetic!
Since Elodie, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi have all praised this person, is there any need to hesitate?
He actually found a piece of real gold from the sea of shit... Aoto was so surprised that he firmly remembered the name "Juro Abe" and set him as a key training target.
After the 11th Squadron was officially established, the first training the team members had to receive was to seriously study "ballistics."
It's still early to touch the gun, practice it, etc.
In order to teach "ballistics", Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, who are gunnery instructors and graduated from the Berlin Military Academy, specially opened a "gunnery crash course".
Juro Abe lived up to expectations and shined in the classroom.
It only took him 2 months to pass all the exams and graduate successfully.
After entering the practical stage, he once again surpassed the others in skill.
Through the skills he learned in the "Crash Course in Artillery" and his innate mental arithmetic ability, every time he fired a gun, he could quickly mentally calculate the best bombardment by just taking a glance at the target position.
Compared with other comrades in arms, his artillery skills have reached the level of a knight.
Therefore, not long ago, Qingteng promoted him to the captain of the 11th Division in one fell swoop.
From a farmer in the Northeast to the leader of a team... this is another example of the best evidence of the "Shinseng Dream" that as long as you work hard and work hard in the Shinsengumi, you can become a successful person.
After Hijikata Toshizo, Abe Juro became a new role model for the Shinsengumi officers and men.
As long as we have talent, Niou-sama will not treat us badly!
Artillery is indeed the "god of war". Whether it's power or price, Qingden's lips twitch.
With the help of Huluwu, Qingdeng successfully connected with the arms dealer named "John".
Just at the beginning of this year, through the arrangement of Calabash House, Qingto went to Osaka and met this person at the headquarters of Calabash House.
Wearing a top hat, a monocle on his left eye, two big beards under his nose, a round belly, and a cane in his hand... Such an appearance is really classic! It perfectly fits Qingdeng's view of Western businessmen.
Stereotype!
The other party can speak Japanese, and although the accent is very strong, I can barely understand it.
As soon as he saw Qingdeng, he immediately smiled enthusiastically:
"Mr. Tachibana! I have long admired your name!"
"Mr. Tachibana! It's such an honor to meet a young hero like you!"
"Mr. Tachibana! Please rest assured! Since you are Miss Kinoshita's grandson-in-law, based on my deep friendship with Miss Kinoshita, I will do my best to help you! I will never treat you badly!"
After saying a lot of these nice New Year greetings, when he got down to business...that is, the purchase price of the guns, he seemed to change his face, changed to a serious and serious expression, and said a series of partial and complete words.
of numbers.
It was nothing more than a musket, but after hearing the price of the cannon, Qingden's eyes suddenly widened.
For a moment, Qingto almost thought that Kinoshita Rin had found a profiteer to trap him...
Finally, after Kinoshita Rin's detailed explanation, the misunderstanding was finally resolved.
The Parrott rifled gun is one of the most advanced artillery guns today.
This artillery is currently showing its prowess in the American Civil War.
From a certain perspective, John is a very conscientious businessman.
Not only does he guarantee the sale, he also guarantees delivery.
The United States is its main source of goods.
Once an order was placed, his private fleet would transport the guns across the Pacific to the port of Osaka.
As for the subsequent land transportation of the guns from the port to Otsu, it was entirely up to Qingteng himself.
Although the current navigation technology is quite advanced, the power of nature cannot be stopped by manpower.
It spans the entire Pacific Ocean, and shipwrecks are common.
If something unexpected happens - for example, a storm hits the fleet and the fleet suffers a devastating blow, and the ship and its cargo sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish - then all the losses will be borne by John, and there is no need for Qingden, the buyer, to go there.
worry.
In this way, the price given by John is indeed a conscientious price.
Although the price is not low, it is far from being a problem for Qingdeng.
With the strong financial resources Qingdeng now possesses, if he is determined, he can buy more than a hundred artillery pieces in one go.
However, there is an extremely simple truth: no matter how many artillery pieces there are, enough gunners are needed to operate them.
Qingdeng conducted an army-wide audition, and only 200 soldiers were selected who were suitable to be gunners.
Moreover, these 200 soldiers are all "quick soldiers" who are rushing to the shelves. They still need a long period of training to gradually develop combat effectiveness.
According to professionals Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, the current 11th Squadron can only operate 30 artillery pieces at the same time. If there are more, it will be too busy.
In a nutshell: Qingdeng does not need to purchase too many cannons now.
If you buy too much, regardless of whether it is used or not, the storage cost alone will be a large expense.
Therefore, after careful consideration based on the current situation of the Shinsengumi, Seito placed an order for "80 Parrot rifled guns" to John.
30 of them are put into the front line, and the other 50 are reserved in the rear as backup.
30 cannons... Although the number is not large, in Japan, which is still in the "rookies pecking each other" stage, a group of artillery of this size is enough to create a suppressive effect on the battlefield!
…
…
"Quick! Quick! Don't wait! Lord Niou is looking at us! Don't let him down!"
At this moment, under the command of Juro Abe, the cannons finally arrived at their scheduled firing positions.
Juro Abe took off the telescope from his waist, stretched the barrel, and looked at the target in the distance.
Within a moment, his lips opened and he spat out a series of precise instructions.
"Fire the base gun, target is directly in front, 25 to the right, 10 up, distance 520."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man standing beside him repeated loudly:
"Fire the baseline cannon! Target is directly ahead! 25 to the right! 10 up! Distance 520!"
Immediately afterwards, just like the echo in the valley, the surrounding team members opened their mouths wide and passed on the instruction level by level——
"Fire the baseline cannon!"
"The target is ahead!"
"25 to the right!"
"Up 10!"
"Distance 520!"
Crack, rattle, rattle...the sound of the muzzle turning overcame the sound of rapid breathing that filled the scene.
After receiving the instruction to "fire the reference gun," a gun crew not far away quickly took action.
They moved the muzzle quickly.
After a while, they adjusted their bombardment to Zhu Yuan, and then squatted on the ground, waiting for the next order.
Juro Abe: "Let it go."
Strong man: "Let go!"
In an instant, a cannonball shot out of the wind! Drawing a beautiful arc in mid-air!
When the cannonball hit the ground, a bright flower of flame ignited with a loud thunderous sound.
Juro Abe raised the telescope in his hand again, and while observing the impact point of the cannonball, he issued a new command loudly:
"The target is directly in front, 28 to the right, 9 up, distance 500, one shot to load."
The strong man next to him recounted loudly without missing a word:
"Attention, every gun! The target is directly in front! 28 to the right! 9 up! The distance is 500! One shot to load!"
Immediately afterwards, there was another scene like "echo in the empty valley"——
"Attention, every gun!"
"The target is ahead!"
"28 to the right!"
"Up 9!"
"Distance 500!"
"One shot reload!"
This time, it is no longer a certain artillery crew that is taking action, but all the artillery crews are following orders and adjusting their muzzles!
After seeing that all the artillery groups were ready, Juro Abe nodded to the strong man beside him.
The strong man immediately pulled out the saber from his waist and raised it above his head.
"preparation--"
The gunners of each artillery team crouched down one after another, tensing up their nerves and getting ready to go.
Juro Abe waved his hand.
The strong man took a deep breath and chopped down the knife.
The volley of artillery roared! It made the ground tremble! It made the commander's platform in the distance tremble! Everything was shaking!
On the general stage, except for a few people such as Aoto, Asai Moriyasu, and Shimada Kanichi, all of them had expressions of horror and incomprehensible expressions! Their eyes were fixed on the powerful artillery group!
Balls of light rose high one by one, circles of silver and red, and these cannonballs were as straight as meteors. After rising to the highest point, they roared down and hit the target without hesitation!
In an instant, the targets were torn apart by the explosion, engulfed in fire, and turned into powder.
The air was acrid and pungent, filled with thick cannon smoke and heavy fog.
The surging heat waves are transmitted back like waves, making people feel hot on the face.
Juro Abe frowned slightly, and while enduring the discomfort, he raised the telescope in his hand for the third time to observe the target and the effects of the bombardment.
"The target is directly in front, 31 to the right, 8 up, and the distance is 480."
The following process does not need to be described in detail.
Pass the order, repeat the order, adjust the bombardment, fire the cannon... the roaring barrage completely wiped out the "remnants of the enemy".
From Juro Abe as the commander to the ordinary soldiers, all their actions follow the established regulations.
The commander observes the target and issues instructions; the soldiers must repeat the instructions loudly; who is responsible for adjusting the bombardment elements; who is responsible for loading the shells; who is responsible for firing; who is responsible for cleaning the barrel...
Everyone did their part, everything was so orderly and there was no trouble.
The whole team is like an extremely precise machine, operating according to the designed procedures and never making unnecessary moves - and this is exactly the quality that artillery soldiers should have!
Technical arms such as musketeers and artillery must pay close attention to details, divide the combat process into extremely fine details, be extremely rigorous, and implement systematization in order to maximize efficiency while taking into account safety.
The strong man who always stands beside Juro Abe and repeats his words loudly, who looks like Juro Abe's mouthpiece, is called "Nomura Risaburo".
He is the deputy captain of the 11th Division. He was born in the first year of Honghua (1844). He is 20 years old this year. He is also a recruit who signed up for the "big conscription" at the beginning of this year and has just joined the army.
In terms of mathematical ability alone, his level is not particularly outstanding.
The reason why he was able to gain Qingteng's favor and become the vice-captain of the 11th Squadron was all because Qingteng fell in love with his extraordinary courage.
Perhaps because of his peasant background and his physical limitations, Juro Abe would always have a lingering sense of inferiority when facing those tall and powerful samurai.
Therefore, at critical moments when commanding troops, Juro Abe often seemed a little weak and found it difficult to suppress the arrogant and capable generals under his command.
After all, the "class discrimination" accumulated for nearly a thousand years will not be so easily eliminated with a word or order from Qingdeng.
Juro Abe is just a farmer, but he ranks above all samurai... It is inevitable that some people will feel unhappy.
Compared with Jusuro Abe, Risaburo Nomura is simply his opposite.
He is the younger brother of a serious martial arts family, with a strong body and outstanding skills. Just walking to that station, his majestic figure like an iron tower is enough to scare the rats.
Before being transferred to the 11th Division, he was a member of the 2nd Division. Because of his loud voice, bold personality, and courage, he was highly appreciated by Nagakura Shinpachi, who was also a reckless man.
What's even more commendable is that he acts decisively, rarely gets confused, and is very determined.
To sum up, between him and Juro Abe, the former is good at making decisions, while the latter is good at planning.
Aoto believes that if Nomura Risaburo, who is bold in action and at the same time has no "class discrimination", serves as Abe Juro's adjutant, he will definitely achieve complementary and excellent results.
Facts have proved that Qingdeng's idea was correct.
After Risaburo Nomura took office, he immediately brought considerable changes to the 11th Squadron.
I don't know if it's due to genes or something else. Although the members of the 11th Division are very good at mathematics, they are generally thin and have no connection with the word "strong". There are almost no strong men.
Therefore, when Nomura Risaburo was transferred to the 11th Division, he was like a wolf among tigers.
With his strong, muscular body and the reputation he had accumulated for being brave and courageous, no one in the 11th Division dared to confront Risaburo Nomura.
He never had any problems with Abe Juro because of his identity as a farmer. He always supported Abe Juro faithfully and assisted him wholeheartedly.
Whenever Nomura Risaburo stands beside Abe Juro, he becomes the opponent's strongest support.
If any team member is dissatisfied with Juro Abe's command, he only needs to look away, and the other person will shut up instantly and dare not say anything more.
Juro Abe was responsible for calculating the bombardment of various elements.
Risaburo Nomura is in charge of the on-site command.
The division of labor is clear and organized.
Judging from the results, they are indeed a golden pair, and their cooperation has achieved the perfect effect of "1+1>2"!
…
…
With the artillery team in front, the performance of the musketeers seemed very inconspicuous.
No matter how fast or loud the musket fires, can its visual impact still be better than that of a cannon?
It is true that the performance of the Musketeers is still very impressive.
After half a year of arduous training, today's Sixth and Eighth Squadrons are no longer the half-assed teams they once were, even loading ammunition took a long time.
Under the orderly command of Genzaburo Inoue and Heisuke Toudo, the soldiers of the 6th and 8th divisions lined up in a neat queue and advanced slowly, like a solid wall.
"Raise the gun——"
As soon as this order was given, there was a loud clang of "click" and "click".
"aim--"
The gun body was suddenly flattened, causing "click" and "click" sounds to be heard one after another again.
The thick and terrifying barrage roared through the atmosphere, smashing all the targets in the distance to pieces.
Even from a distance, I can still feel the indescribable sense of oppression!
Although due to the limitations of the equipment, the hit rate is still not worthy of praise, but... as long as you take a look at it in person, you can feel sincerely: the hit rate is completely unimportant.
No matter how elite the troops are, they may not be able to maintain their morale under such a terrifying barrage!
…
Today's entire martial arts performance lasted about an hour.
When the martial arts performance is over, the generals return to the general stage.
Looking up, everyone's facial expressions were very strange, they were all silent, and there was silence, so that the scene was filled with an indescribable atmosphere.
The reason is quite simple - whether they are old people like Souji and Nagakura Shinpachi, or newcomers like Nakazawa Qin and Chief Souma who have just joined the army, they are all fascinated by the scene of this martial arts performance.
The effect is shocking!
Everyone understood that today's military exercise was not only to test the training results of the new recruits, but also to get a thorough understanding of the Shinsengumi's current combat strength, so as to prepare for the "Changzhou Expedition" in the near future.
Therefore, everyone is working hard and is ready to show their talents in today's martial arts performance.
The infantry's overwhelming momentum, the cavalry's unstoppable power, the musketeers' overwhelming power, the artillery's overwhelming power... These scenes are all like a giant hammer that hits everyone's heart!
Especially the overwhelming destructive power displayed by the gunners is even more breathtaking.
Coincidentally, everyone had the same thought: So our Shinsengumi...are we already so strong?!
By now, the backward thinking of "theory that firearms are useless" has completely disappeared within the Shinsengumi.
After all... as long as anyone with a normal mind and a little conscience, after witnessing the terrifying power of guns and guns, would not dare to say nonsense like "As long as you show the courage of a samurai, you can defeat guns and gunfire."
"Everyone, your performance today is very good, I am very satisfied!"
Qingdeng's sudden voice attracted the attention of the generals.
The generals looked up and saw Qing Deng with a calm smile and a gentle expression.
"To be honest, your performance today far exceeded my expectations. I am very happy."
After hearing the words "I'm very happy", Yoshimura Kanichiro, Abe Juro and other people showed excited expressions, as if they had received a huge award.
They all came from a lower class background, and thanks to Qingdeng's appreciation, they are able to reach their current high status.
In this way, we cannot understand their gratitude and respect for Qingdeng.
Qingdeng’s words continued:
"You must have heard about it by now, right? The 'Changzhou Expedition' is about to begin, and our Shinsengumi will fight as a vanguard army!"
"Making great achievements is just around the corner!"
"I hope you will continue to work hard! Don't slack off!"
"Maintain current morale and further improve combat effectiveness!"
"When we conquered Changzhou, we used overwhelming and absolute military exploits to write our names one by one in the history of history!"
Simple but effective motivation - the generals' cheeks gradually became filled with impassioned colors.
As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, a huge "Yes!" from the back immediately surrounded him.
In fact, after watching today's martial arts performance, Qingdeng also felt excited.
What he just said was all the truth and not lies.
The Shinsengumi's current combat strength is indeed far beyond their expectations.
Apart from being shocked, he was also very excited.
Qingden is not a butcher.
To put it bluntly, he is not keen on war.
He has experienced several wars and witnessed the cruelty of war with his own eyes - as long as a person with a conscience sees the scene of corpses strewn in the fields and the smell of corpses, they will not easily mention the word "war" on their lips.
But... after watching today's martial arts performance, although Qingdeng was still cautious about "war", he couldn't help but look forward to the "Changzhou Expedition" half a year later.
He couldn't wait to start the war as soon as possible, not only for the people of Changzhou to see, but also for everyone in the world to see.
Look how capable their Shinsengumi are!
At this thought, Qingdeng felt his heart beat a few more times in his chest.
…
Now that the martial arts performance is over, there is no reason for the generals to get together anymore.
Qingdeng waved his hand and ordered the group to disperse.
When the generals retreated -
"Eh?! Who are you?!"
This time, it was Nakazawa Qin’s voice.
"It's me. Deputy Captain of Division 9, Yamazaki Hao."
"Yamazaki... Hao... Oh, yes... you are Yamazaki Hao... I'm sorry, I..."
Before Nakazawa Qin finished speaking, Yamazaki Hao consciously answered:
"It doesn't matter, it's my own problem. It's because I look too inconspicuous."
The generals glanced at this little incident and then continued to do what they were supposed to do - anyway, they were quite used to it and didn't notice anything strange.
*******
*******
Bao Baozi has been working really hard recently! Look, today is another big chapter with nearly 7,000 words! For the sake of Bao Baozi working so hard, please be sure to vote for this book! (Leopard Baozi's head in tears.jpg)
Please give me monthly votes! Please vote for recommendations! (Leopard Head Cries.jpg)
PS: If this book is destined to be turned into a manga, then I have already thought about how to express Yamazaki Hao - never show his front face, and always only draw his back.
