Cao Yuan's arrival is just a trivial matter for Lin Ziran, and its importance can't even be squeezed into the top ten.

The basic training of the troops, the training of officers, the recruitment of prisoners of war, the perfection of new tactics, and the continuous transportation of supplies to the north are all more important than the arrival of Cao Yuan.

Even aside from the military, Tsingshan Petroleum's many affairs, such as the continuous expansion of oil refineries, the exploration and drilling of oil wells, and the sale of kerosene, are also very important.

After letting Luo Mazi arrange for Cao Yuan to be put under house arrest, Lin Ziran also left him behind.

Therefore, when Cao Yuan looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window in the town guard's mansion, Lin Ziran would be meeting Zhou Li of Hongxiang Commercial Bank.

At present, Hongxiang Commercial Bank, represented by Zhou Li, is Lin Ziran's most important strategic partner.

The vocabulary of this strategic partner is not boastful, but real.

At present, Lin Ziran still purchases a large number of various military supplies through Hongxiang Commercial Bank, and Hongxiang Commercial Bank is also the largest channel for Tsingshan Petroleum Company to sell kerosene to foreign countries.

At present, Tsingshan Petroleum Company gives Hongxiang about 300 barrels of kerosene every month, and these 300 barrels of kerosene alone are worth 18,000 Hengyuan.

And a lot of this money is used to purchase all kinds of military supplies from Hongxiang Commercial Bank.

Between this entry and exit, Lin Ziran got a large amount of military supplies, and Hongxiang Commercial Bank made a lot of money, and at least a few thousand yuan of net profit from Lin Ziran every month.

It's about net profit, and nothing else!

In the face of Lin Ziran, a big customer, Hongxiang Commercial Bank attaches great importance to it, not only to solve the transportation problem of Sanyang Ferry for Lin Ziran, but also to provide some help as much as possible in other aspects.

Even Zhou Li, the manager of the Sanyo branch of Hongxiang Commercial Bank, recently ran to Qingshan Town when he had nothing to do.

No, this time he personally escorted a batch of military supplies purchased by Lin Ziran to Tsingshan Petroleum Company.

"Lord Lin, look at these two field cannons, but our trading house transported them directly from the state city!" Zhou Li patted one of the five-pound field guns and continued: "This thing is a new product that has just been finalized by the South China Sea Machinery Bureau, it's not that someone in my Zhou is boasting, even if it is our Luo An Army, we are not equipped with this new artillery now!" ”

Hearing Zhou Li say this, Lin Ziran became interested.

stepped forward and took a closer look, but he couldn't see any doorway, and the two five-pound field guns in front of him were really different from the previous four five-pound field guns.

Although the barrels are all front-loading smoothbore guns cast in bronze, the gun carriage is cast in iron, and the caliber is also 90 mm, but the barrel is a little longer.

But it seems that this is just like this, although this tube is a little longer than the old gun, but it is only a little longer, and the impact will not be too big.

Zhou Li said: "Don't look at this cannon is similar to the previous cannon, but you see how thick it is, and how well it is made!" ”

"And the most important thing is that when this cannon is cast, a new process is used, which can make the bronze barrel withstand higher chamber pressure, and the barrel is smoother and can be hit more accurately!"

"This cannon, let the old cannon commander come to fight, I dare not say if it is far away, but where to hit it within a kilometer!"

"I've seen with my own eyes that the test gunner of the Machine Bureau hit the predetermined house target with one shot at a distance of 1,500 meters!"

Zhou Li's boasting made Lin Ziran interested.

He also has some knowledge of the smoothbore guns of this era, basically the smoothbore guns used in each feudal town are almost the same, although the caliber and body barrel may be different, but they are all smoothbore guns.

For field artillery, the best, and at the same time, the most common is still made of bronze artillery, although it is a little heavier, but it is durable, and the bore pressure is also higher, so both the accuracy and the range are better.

The only problem is that it's more expensive and generally heavier.

However, any feudal town with a little money on hand will try their best to equip a bronze smoothbore cannon.

Because even if it is a little more expensive and heavier, but the range is long, the accuracy is high, and the service life is longer, and the cost performance is still quite high.

And iron-cast smoothbore guns, there are also in Daheng all over the country, and there are many, but they are generally large-caliber artillery, especially those large-caliber naval guns of dozens of catties, almost all iron-cast guns, and short-barreled mortar guns, which are generally also iron-cast artillery.

But in the case of field artillery, it is relatively rare, because although the iron cast artillery is cheap, the performance is far inferior to the bronze artillery of the era.

The artillery company under Lin Ziran's command has four five-pound field guns, which are also bronze artillery.

But even these five-pound bronze cannons can't hit the house within 1,500 meters as Zhou Li said, and it's very good to be able to get a hit within a kilometer.

The five-pound field gun in front of him is also a bronze smoothbore artillery, no matter how good it is, it can't get any better.

However, Zhou Li seemed to be befriending Lin Ziran, and immediately smiled: "If you don't try it, don't worry, the cost of this test gun is ours, and it will be regarded as an inspection!" ”

As soon as he heard that he didn't want money, Lin Ziran naturally said: "Then try it!" ”

This ammunition is very expensive, there is nothing Lin Ziran naturally will not try randomly, he purchased five catties of specifications from Hongxiang Commercial Bank, using the grenade of the metal disc fuse commonly used in contemporary times, one worth more than ten constant yuan.

Even if you use a solid shell, the propellant is very expensive!

In order to test the gun, Lin Ziran specially called HD Talent over.

This person was originally an old artillery commander in the Guang'an Army, and he had fought countless cannons.

After becoming a prisoner of war, he was persuaded by Luo Mazi to surrender, and is now awarded the sergeant title by Lin Ziran, serving as an artillery instructor in the Qingshan Patrol Battalion, teaching a group of new gunners to control artillery in this way these days.

This person's artillery skills are within a radius of several miles, and if he dares to say second, it is estimated that no one will dare to say second

Sergeant HD Cai will look in good spirits, and he doesn't seem to give in as much as he did the other day, but he often shows an unwilling expression.

However, after eating, drinking, and sleeping well for several days in a row, this person seems to have let go of the past, anyway, Lin Ziran also heard that this person is an old bachelor, and his family has long died in the war.

After he came, Lin Ziran said: "Old Gao, you come and try this cannon!" ”

Gao Gao Cai said: "Humble obedience!" ”

After saying that, HD stepped forward and reached out to touch it, not the surface of the gun, but the inside of the barrel.

This touch, HD is interested, he is an old artilleryman, this look is to feel that this cannon is different from the original, the barrel is thicker, and the interior is smoother, just from these two points, it is better than the previous artillery.