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Moreover, to cast a cannon, it takes a lot of wrought copper. [Full text reading]

With so much copper, isn't it good to use it directly to mint money?

Zhu Xuanshui: "I can understand this battle, Sun Yuan, you are also a master of the art of war, can't you even understand this truth?" A deep puzzle. ”

"What kind of art of war is Sun Xiaothief, as soon as he sees his thief's eyebrows, he makes people angry." Zhu Ting next to him couldn't help but sarcastically say something to Sun Yuan.

Although she had a foot injury, she was in good health, and she was not only able to walk, but also rode fast horses.

It's strange to say, since he set off until now, Zhu Ting hasn't said a word.

Sun Yuan couldn't figure out why she suddenly turned her face, and said a few times: "Yes, yes, Miss Zhu is right, Sun Yuan is not a master of the art of war, but he just knows how to train soldiers." ”

Zhu Ting snorted, ignored Sun Yuan anymore, gave the war horse a whip, abandoned him, and ran straight ahead.

Zhu Xuanshui glanced at Sun Yuan vigilantly: "Ting'er, what's wrong?" ”

Sun Yuan smiled bitterly: "I can't figure it out, it is estimated that Miss Zhu is so active and tired of being quiet, and the wounds on her body are not good, so she is irritable, right?" ”

Zhu Xuanshui sighed: "I gave birth to such a girl, and it is Zhu's life that is bitter...... By the way, Sun Yuan, you go on, tell me why you got into the heart to tinker with artillery? ”

Sun Yuan walked side by side with Zhu Xuanshui, and at the same time put together what he was thinking and thinking for a while: "Zhu Qianhu saw it in the last Chuzhou War, and he unceremoniously said that the military discipline of my Ningxiang Army is also first-class in the world. But as soon as the cavalry of the thief brigade was attacked, the formation was still a little chaotic, and the casualties were also heavy. ”

"Actually, I also thought that it would be possible to form a dense fire curtain in front of the battle by firing muskets alone, but this was still not enough to stop the enemy's attack. Therefore, after the Battle of Qingliu Pass, I recruited a thousand spearmen on the battlefield, and only then did I barely defeat the cavalry of the thief army. ”

"yes." Zhu Xuanshui said: "Judging from the performance on the battlefield, the spear phalanx you got has a good effect, and it is very good to restrain the cavalry!" Moreover, more than half of your troops are new recruits, and they can fight like this, but they are shocking and terrifying, and they are awe-inspiring and fearful. Rampant in the world, it should be a problem. ”

Sun Yuan shook his head: "The combat effectiveness of the thief army is low, and there are many people who rely well in every battle." And the army of my Ming Dynasty, to put it mildly, is really not what it looks like. But even so, when our army encountered thieves, it still suffered a lot of losses. This is still a thief army, what if it encounters the main force of Jiannu and the cavalry of the Mongols in the future? I'm afraid that our army will not be able to bear such heavy casualties at that time. ”

"Haha, you're too worried." Zhu Xuanshui laughed: "After half a year to a year of training, how can your soldiers still be as embarrassed as the last one." ”

Sun Yuan said lightly: "It would be good if there were fewer casualties, my consideration is to place a few cannons in the spear musket phalanx, and as soon as the enemy cavalry charges, bombard it with cannons to reduce his morale first." When the enemy approached, he was greeted by a volley of muskets, and even when they did, I had spearmen holding him down. ”

Zhu Xuanshui thought for a while and said, "This is reasonable. However, the Hongyi cannon was too heavy and was obviously not suitable for field combat. If you want to get artillery, you have to reforge it. I understand what you mean, and you just want to ask me where qualified gunners and artillerymen can be recruited. But it's a pity, there are no good artillery on the Liaodong side, to put it mildly, they are just decorations. When there was a war, they only fired shells indiscriminately. As for whether it will be able to hit the enemy, God knows. ”

Sun Yuan smiled bitterly, such artillery is really useless.

According to the different ballistics, artillery is divided into direct fire cannons, howitzers that perform curved fire at ground targets, and mortars that curve fire at shielded targets. But no matter what kind of cannon, it is necessary to use basic geometric principles to calculate so that it can accurately hit the target.

To tell the truth, such as the Liaodong soldiers, who rely purely on experience ***** artillery, Sun Yuan didn't look down on it at all.

So, where to look for qualified gunsmiths and artillery officers?

This question has been hovering in Sun Yuan's mind for a while, and it is about to become a demonic obstacle.

Ordinary gunners can be trained, and they can learn if they don't know how to calculate parabola and angle of fire, but you have to find a suitable instructor for them?

Today's intellectuals in the Ming Dynasty are all liberal arts students, and few people understand geometry and mathematics.

Sun Yuan thought as he grabbed his head: geometry, geometric principles...... Pregnant...... Xu Guangqi ...... How did I forget this man?

This is a famous scientist in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, by the way, he and the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci seem to have collaborated on a book of "Geometric Originals...... No, I guess it's translated...... The memory is not very clear.

In any case, this Xu Guangqi should be the first person in China to open his eyes to the world, he must be proficient in mathematics, and he must have come into contact with many Westerners. Why not use him to recruit some foreigners who know how to cast cannons and how to make cannons enrich the Ningxiang army?

Xu Guangqi

Thinking of this, Sun Yuan became excited, he patted his head sharply, and couldn't help but ask Zhu Xuanshui: "Zhu Qianhu, have you been back to Beijing all these years?" ”

"How can you not go back to Beijing, Zhu's hometown of Beijing, will go back every year to worship the ancestors." Zhu Xuanshui replied unhappily and asked again, "What's wrong?" ”

"I think of a person who is a master of mathematics and science, and who often comes into contact with Westerners, and through him, I may be able to find useful artillery talents." Sun Yuan asked expectantly: "Zhu Qianhu, when you were in Beijing, did you hear of a person named Xu Guangqi, he seems to have made any books, right?" ”

Xu Guangqi, a great scientist of the Ming Dynasty, was a native of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, and his ancestral home was located in Xujiahui, Shanghai.

"How come I haven't heard of Xu Ge, he has been a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, a deputy assistant to the cabinet, and a person from Songjiang."

"Yes, yes, it's Xu Ge Lao, where is he now?" Sun Yuan said repeatedly: "If nothing happens, I will go to Xuanfu in a year, and I can come to meet you when the time comes." ”

"I'm afraid you won't be able to see Xu Shangshu."

"How?" Sun Yuan was taken aback and hurriedly asked.

Zhu Xuanshui: "Xu Ge Lao Chongzhen was seriously ill when he was five years old, and he died the following year, three years ago. ”

"Ah, dead!" Sun Yuan opened his mouth wide, and asked unwillingly for a long time: "So, have you heard of a foreign monk named Matteo Ricci?" ”

"Yes, but this man is also dead."

"Ah, why are you dead?"

"He died earlier than Xu Ge Lao, as if he died in Wanli Year."

"Damn!" Sun Yuan clenched his whip in annoyance, and the depression in his heart was indescribable.

"Isn't it just to find a few monks who know how to count Western arts, what's the difficulty?" Zhu Xuanshui suddenly said this.