Chapter 529 - Swift as a rabbit, swift as thunder

"You can buy sulfur ...... from Japan"

At the top of the workshop,.

"Japan?"

"Iwo Jima?"

Zhang Zhun subconsciously talked to himself.

That's right, Japan does have sulfur, the famous Iwo Jima! There are so many volcanoes in Japan, and the production of sulfur is indeed very large. However, this statement is not realistic at all, Iwo Jima is thousands of kilometers away on the sea, and with the strength of the Tiger Ben Navy, it will not be possible to reach it until at least a few years later. In addition, maritime trade with Japan is currently monopolized by the Zheng Zhilong pirate group. If you meddle in Japan's trade at this time, it will inevitably stimulate Zheng Zhilong and attract the other party's full suppression.

The current Tiger Ben Army Navy is not yet able to confront Zheng Zhilong's pirate group head-on, so it is not beneficial to overstimulate the other party. For now, the only way to collect sulfur is to collect as many ways as possible. As long as there is a certain relationship, there should be no problem in obtaining an adequate supply of sulfur from the imperial court. It is rumored that as long as there is money, there is nothing that cannot be bought from the imperial court, including official titles.

Improvements should also be made in the collection of nitrate. It has been suggested that composting, centralized treatment of manure, and regular sprinkling of urine can provide a steady collection of nitrate crystals. Among the black gunpowder ingredients, the content of nitrate is the highest. As long as the output of nitrate increases, the output of black powder can increase rapidly.

"We must strive to increase the output of gunpowder to more than 5,000 catties per day."

Zhang Zhun made a clear request.

The production of 5,000 catties of black gunpowder per day is close to 2 million catties a year, which should be able to temporarily meet the needs of the battle. Of course, the more war materials such as black gunpowder, the better. As long as there are conditions, we must desperately hoard in case of unforeseen needs.

The gunpowder used with the Mini bullet is, of course, gunpowder in a paper shell. In battle, the warriors simply bit through the paper shells and dumped gunpowder into the powder pool. The amount of gunpowder in the paper shell is fixed, which is conducive to the soldier to control the amount and will not have an explosion. Therefore, the production of gunpowder in paper shells is also a top priority.

A skilled worker can also produce more than 3,000 pieces of paper-shell gunpowder per day. As long as a hundred skilled workers are needed, they can basically meet the needs of the army. What needs to be improved now is the logistics distribution system. It is necessary to distribute ammunition in a timely manner according to the needs of the front-line troops.

The packaging of gunpowder in cardboard shells is box by box, and each box is 1,000 rounds, which corresponds to a box of mini bullets. A box of mini bullets is also a thousand. After the gunpowder is packaged, it is sent to the craftsman's workshop, and then it is matched with mini bullets. Three boxes of Mini shells, three boxes of cardboard gunpowder, were packed together in a larger box and sent together to the front.

According to the experience of use at the front, such a large box is just enough to meet the basic needs of a squad of fighters. The Tiger Army Army squad was about sixty people, and each person carried a base (50 rounds) of ammunition, which was exactly 3,000 Mini rounds and 3,000 rounds of paper-shell gunpowder. Therefore, such a large box is also called a squad base.

In general, each squad will have up to four large boxes of ammo in reserve, which is four ammo bases, but never more than five. Unless there is a big war, it must be fought continuously. The fact is that each fighter carries four base ammunition and can already hold out for a long time in battle. Troops stockpiling too much ammunition will only cause some unnecessary trouble.

In the Battle of Huangxian, the Tiger Ben Army consumed a lot of black gunpowder, mainly consumed by cannons, ** bags, and mines. The fighters didn't use many mini rounds. It seems that Liu Mang, who is definitely a fast gunner, a guy who can shoot six times a minute. However, before the Battle of Huangxian, the four base ammunition he carried still had a full 100 rounds after the battle. In other words, it can also support another Huangxian war.

Judging from the distribution of ammunition, it is already a bit like the army of later generations. The only pity is that the bullet and the propellant are still separated. This greatly delays the speed of the launch. In terms of firing efficiency, the breech gun lagged much behind the breech gun. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in the study of mine mercury, and I am afraid that in the next three to five years, breech guns will not appear.

However, with the powerful Mini gun, coupled with strict training and a clear system of rewards and punishments, as long as the commander is not very stupid, he should be invincible. The key factor that determines war is always people. The weapons and equipment of the Ming army are actually much more advanced than those of the Tartars, but they have been defeated repeatedly, and the reason is that the court is too ** and the army is too **.

After some Ming troops surrendered to the Tartars, their combat effectiveness increased greatly, because the Tartars' military merit rewards were relatively fair and effectively stimulated the combat effectiveness of the troops. This is a great irony for the Ming court. In fact, the Ming Dynasty finally failed at its own hands.

The biggest problem of the Ming army is that talented people have no chance of getting ahead. Like Huang Shijun of the Tianjin Water Division, like Li Zhaohui of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, they are all quite capable people. However, they looked out of place in the ranks of the Ming army. Because they don't want to go along with it, they are ostracized. Virtuous and talented people are excluded, and those without virtue and talent occupy high positions, which is the greatest sorrow of the Ming Kingdom.

After coming out of the gunpowder factory, Zhang Zhun went to the artillery factory next to him.

At the beginning, when arranging military production, Zhang Zhun consciously circled a large place in the remote open space outside the east gate of the city, near the foot of Laoshan Mountain, and set up the craftsman's workshop, gunpowder factory, and artillery factory here. Such a unified structure facilitates the coordination of the Ordnance Division, the communication between the various production departments, and the confidentiality of the department.

Idlers are not allowed to enter this area. Far outside, there are large warning signs and mobile sentry posts. Some new military facilities were also arranged here. Over time, this place has become a well-known military restricted area, and ordinary people will not easily approach this place to avoid accidents.

"Tom!"

As soon as Zhang Zhun entered the gunpowder factory, he heard a loud cannon shot.

The sound was very shocking, as if it was thunder. If the guess is correct, it should be the cannon sound of the Hongyi cannon. The average Wyvern cannon does not have such a shocking sound.

"Where's the gun?" Zhang Zhun asked.

"Lord Dudu, at the test artillery site in the back mountain, it is the Hongyi cannon." Someone next to him immediately replied.

It turned out that Sun Qinkai was test-firing the Hongyi cannon that was pulled back. On the same day, Sun Qinkai led people to pull a Hongyi cannon back from Huangxian County to study and copy the missing parts. Zhang Zhun had learned about the progress of the work before, saying that after a period of research, these parts have been basically copied, but some details are not up to par, and it is not possible to ensure the long-term effective use of the Hongyi cannon. Now, since the Hongyi cannon can be fired, it means that there should be no major problems with the parts.

Zhang Zhun excitedly sped up and quickly came to the test site in the back mountain.

The test site in the back mountain is a bit desolate, full of overgrown weeds. At first glance, it looks very messy. The test firing of the Hongyi cannon is not a trivial matter. The firing range of the Hongyi cannon is at least ten miles. To complete the ten-mile range test, the test artillery range had to have such a long distance. Therefore, this test artillery field, occupies the entire ravine. Anyway, Laoshan is mostly inaccessible places, and a ravine is carved out to test the artillery, and it is not a big problem.

At this moment, in the open space on the west side of the test range, a group of people were huddled together, surrounding a huge Hongyi cannon. The muzzle of the Hongyi cannon was still emitting white smoke outward, apparently, not long after it was fired.

The cannon was test-fired at the mountain. It may have been tested many times before, and the mountain on the opposite side looked bare, like the head of a leprosy, and it was very ugly. Most of the trees have been knocked off by grape bullets. Some of the trees were directly broken by solid bullets, leaving only half of the stump. More trees are broken by chainballs. Solid bullets break the trees, and the cuts are very rough and ugly. On the other hand, the cut of the chain bullet is very flat, as if it had been cut by a knife.

"The Governor is here!"

Someone spotted Zhang Zhun's figure and hurriedly shouted loudly.

"Lord Governor!"

Sun Qinkai and the others hurriedly turned around.

The test artillery personnel at the scene, in addition to the artillery factory's own craftsmen, also included Mo Ru and several other senior officers of the artillery battalion. It can be seen that they are also very excited. With the help of Hongyi artillery, the power of the artillery battalion will definitely increase. When you encounter the Tartars again in the future, it will be the Tartars' turn to enjoy the wrath of the Hongyi cannon.

Zhang Zhun jumped off the horse, held Sun Qinkai's hand, and asked happily: "Have the missing parts been copied?" ”

Sun Qinkai also said happily: "Live up to expectations, they have all been copied." ”

Zhang Zhun praised and said: "You are all meritorious heroes. ”

The other craftsmen were very happy and came up to shake hands with Zhang Zhun one after another.

In the past period of time, they have indeed made great efforts, and they have been studying the parts of the Hongyi cannon day and night. Despite the presence of the Hongyi cannon as a prototype, it was able to take frequent field measurements. However, after all, the Hongyi cannon is not an ordinary Franc machine artillery, and it is not something that can be easily repaired. In other words, it's really hard to replicate these parts. Some parts and components have been tried and tested repeatedly to finally achieve satisfactory results.

Zhang Zhun said excitedly: "Come on!" Three shots in a row and see the effect! ”

Sun Qinkai said: "Okay! ”

Mo Ru is a good hand at handling artillery, and the work of firing the cannon is naturally entrusted to him. He took a few other gunners and quickly adjusted the angle and distance of the cannon, and then loaded it with solid shells and propellants.

There is a detail that needs to be mentioned here. In the era of black powder, the firing range of the cannon, in addition to the high and low angles of the muzzle, also had a very important data, that is, the amount of propellant. Within the permissible chamber pressure, the more charges, the farther the firing will be. In turn, the less the charge, the shorter the firing distance. Only the inclination of the muzzle and the amount of gunpowder matched each other to determine the final firing range.

In the era when there was no dosing charge, propellants were generally measured using spoons, one, two, and three...... Range. Therefore, when firing a cannon, it is common to hear commands such as "20 degrees, 3 spoons" and "15 degrees, 5 spoons". In addition to professional artillerymen, ordinary people really don't understand. When Zhang Zhun first heard it strangely, he only found out what was going on later.

In the heat of battle, the spoon charge may be uneven, some more, some less, or with a shake of the hand, half of the gunpowder in the spoon will be scattered. It may also be because of nervousness that you forget the number of spoons. I wanted to hold five spoons, but I ended up with only four spoons. Or if you want to hold four scoops, you end up with five scoops. As a result, there will be an error in the firing range of the cannon.

Now, Mo Ru and Sun Qinkai have made detailed regulations on the amount of gunpowder charged by the Hu Benjun based on the experience of the Hu Benjun's paper-shell gunpowder. According to different chamber pressure requirements, they also used paper shells to pack gunpowder one by one. The amount of gunpowder that is loaded is different. When calculating the firing range, it is only necessary to use the appropriate amount of propellant according to the angle of the muzzle and the corresponding chamber pressure.

This kind of launch method is indeed a bit difficult at the beginning. As everyone knows, the level of education of the soldiers of the artillery battalion is not high, and it is even more difficult for them to count. However, based on his own research, Moru developed a table listing the twelve main types of launch that were most commonly used. Each one, what kind of muzzle height should be taken, what kind of bore pressure, has a corresponding code name.

This code name is the 12 zodiac signs that everyone likes to see, including Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The further the code is forward, the smaller the amount of gunpowder in the paper shell and the smaller the chamber pressure. The further back the code, the greater the amount of gunpowder in the paper shell, and the greater the chamber pressure.

For example, the amount of gunpowder codenamed "rat" is less than two catties, and it can barely drop a solid bullet half a mile away. The amount of gunpowder codenamed "Pig" is a full nine catties, and it can drop a solid bullet a full ten miles away. At that time, as long as the commander reports the height of the muzzle and the code name of the chamber pressure according to the needs of the firing range, the gunner can operate blindly.

For example, to shoot at a target at a distance of 5,000 meters (10 miles), the firing command of a solid bullet should be "45 degrees, pig", that is, the muzzle height is 45 degrees, and a charge codenamed "pig" is used. If you shoot at a target 300 meters away, the firing command of the solid bullet should be "five degrees, rat", that is, the muzzle height is five degrees, and a charge codenamed "rat" is used. Chain bullets and grapeshot bullets are different.

Over time, the officers and men became familiar with such an order, reflexively, and immediately reacted, which could greatly speed up the time of shooting. With such an order, the firing speed of the Hongyi cannon can be accelerated to about one shot a minute. This firing speed is fully doubled compared to the original.

"Tom!"

With a loud bang, the muzzle of the Hongyi cannon erupted into dazzling fire.

Solid bullets burst out and roared towards the opposite hill.

"Poof!"

On the opposite hill, a tree stump was shattered.

The stump, the trunk on top of the tree had been broken, and only a section of the stump remained, about the width of a person hugging each other. The solid bullet hit the top of the stump, causing great damage, and the wood chips flew everywhere, and the whole stake was knocked off a large part.

"Well played!"

Zhang Zhun put down the clairvoyant mirror and said with satisfaction.

For such power, Zhang Zhun is still satisfied. If you hit the wall, you can definitely smash a hole. An important purpose of the Hongyi cannon is to attack the city. For example, the attack on the city of Dengju. Therefore, the impact and destructive force are the stronger the better. As long as the power of the Hongyi cannon is enough to blast the walls of Dengzhou City open, Dolgon and Duoduo who are hiding inside will not have any ability to resist at all.

"Change the grape bomb!"

"Twenty degrees, snake!"

Mo Ru shouted quickly.

Soon, grapeshots and propellants were loaded.

"Tom!"

With a loud bang, the muzzle of the cannon erupted again into a dazzling fire.

After the grapes are ejected, they quickly stretch out.

"Whoa!"

On the opposite hillside, it was as if it was raining.

Lots of marbles splashing. Some splattered onto the remaining stakes, while others hit directly into the dirt. The marbles that hit the stake were bounced away, constantly beating and making a bang-bang sound. The marbles that fell into the dirt were deeply sunken in the dirt. The stake was obviously stronger than a man, and if there were any people on the mountain, he would have fallen to the ground with a lot of blood.

The caliber of the Hongyi cannon is much larger than that of the Wyvern Cannon, so the caliber of the grape bullet fired is also much larger than that of the Wyvern Cannon. One of these grapes balls contained at least three hundred finger-sized pig iron marbles. Once the grape bomb exploded, a dense barrage was formed around it, which could envelop all the enemies within a radius of more than ten zhang. As long as you are within the scope of grape bullets, there is no way to avoid it.

"Well, that's good!"

Zhang Zhun held the clairvoyant mirror and said in admiration.

Zhang Zhun was also satisfied with the power of the grape bullet.

In the face of the enemy's crowd tactics, grapeshotfire is indeed the most powerful weapon. It's like a Hongyi cannon, which can shoot grapeshotpie shells almost a thousand meters away. Even if it is used against cavalry, it is very powerful. Unfortunately, the Hongyi cannon was too heavy to maneuver quickly. In addition to besieging and defending the city, as well as naval battles, Zhang Zhun could not find the use of Hongyi cannons for the time being.

"Swap the chain!"

"Twenty-eight degrees, dragon!"

Mo Ru shouted again.

"Tom!"

With a loud bang, the chain bullet whistled out.

After flying a certain distance in mid-air, the chain bomb smashed the opponent's mountain, knocking down several trees. In order to show the power of the chain bullet, Mo Ru specially raised the muzzle of the cannon and hit those places where there were still trees. As a result, those trunks with thick bowl mouths were directly cut off by chain bullets, and they were broken in two and fell down with a bang. The scene was full of dust, and the momentum was quite amazing.

Chain shells are rarely used on land, mainly in naval battles. Such power is enough to inflict fatal damage on the masts, sails, and ropes of enemy ships. If the distance is close, the heavy chain bullet can even directly smash the side of the enemy ship. The main warship of the naval battle, as long as it has a displacement of more than 500 tons, will definitely be equipped with Hongyi cannons, which is also a powerful weapon that the Huben Navy will focus on developing in the future.

[Author's note: There are two types of chain bullets.] One is called a light chain bullet, and the two iron balls connected by the iron chain are hollow, and the launch distance is relatively long, and the trajectory is relatively floating. One is called heavy chain bullet, and the two iron balls connected by the iron chain are solid, and the launch distance is relatively close, and the trajectory is relatively stable. Professional navies, such as the British Royal Navy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, had clear regulations on the use of light and heavy chain bullets. 】

"Well, that's good!"

Zhang Zhun nodded and said in admiration.

At that time, the most powerful weapon must have been the Hongyi cannon. After mastering this weapon, the Tiger Army can make itself stronger. There are never too many advanced weapons. Especially the Navy. If you want to call Zheng Zhilong's pirate group head-on, it is impossible without a large gunboat equipped with Hongyi cannons.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhun added: "However, it is not enough. It is also necessary to continue to tap the potential of the Hongyi cannon, reduce the weight, increase the range and rate of fire. It would be even better if it could increase the mobility of the Hongyi cannon. ”

Sun Qinkai and Mo Ru both agreed.

Zhang Zhun asked again: "How is the study of Napoleon's cannon?" ”

Sun Qinkai hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please come here." ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and followed him.

The group went to the nearby foundry and entered a large house. There are a lot of cannon samples here, semi-finished products, defective products, waste products, all kinds of cannons. The appearance of some cannons is still very strange, and Zhang Zhun has never seen it. Many of the cannons are still only available in models.

Sun Qinkai is still working hard. Maybe he doesn't have any talent and can't learn it without a teacher, but his research on cannons is definitely persevering. Before he researched the Hongyi Cannon, he had been trying to see if other types of cannons could match the performance of the Hongyi Cannon. The various artillery pieces placed here are all masterpieces of his research.

Zhang Zhun saw a sample of Napoleon's cannon at a glance. This sample is at the forefront. Although somewhat rough, it was undoubtedly a sample of Napoleonic guns. The gun carriage looked similar, with rounded wheels, a supporting gun carriage, an ammunition cart, and a towing wooden wheel. The Napoleonic cannon in Zhang Zhun's impression is not much different from the sample in front of him. It seems that Sun Qinkai and Mo Ru's comprehension ability is still very strong.

The entire sample was made of wood in a one-to-one ratio. The parts of each link must be in charge of special people, and it is impossible to assemble them for the time being. Therefore, Sun Qinkai made this sample. According to his estimates, there is no problem in principle and composition. Now the key is the components. Especially the issue of the material of the barrel. The real Napoleonic cannon was made of bronze, and Sun Qinkai is currently using steel instead of bronze.

Zhang Zhun circled around the sample a few times and said affirmatively: "That's right, that's basically what it looks like." ”

Sun Qinkai breathed a sigh of relief, lifted his spirits and said, "That's good!" Let's just follow this pattern and experiment again and again until it can actually be put into use. Li Fenglai is adjusting the quality of the steel, and if there are no accidents, we may be able to cast the first barrel that can actually be put into use by the end of this month. ”

Zhang Zhun said encouragingly: "We Chinese never lose to foreigners in our minds. What foreigners can do, we can definitely do. We don't have bronze, we can use steel instead. As long as there is good steel, there is no fear that a good barrel will not be cast. ”

Mo Ru said beside him: "My lord, let's give this cannon a nice name!" ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "Ben Thunder Cannon...... What do you think? ”

Mo Ru pondered for a moment, clapped his hands and said: "If you move like a rabbit, if you are as fast as a thunderbolt, I think it will be made." What we want is the quick reflexes of the Thunder Cannon, as well as a high rate of fire. ”

Sun Qinkai naturally had no opinion, and felt that Mo Ru's explanation was very reasonable, so this copycat version of the Napoleon cannon was named the Benlei cannon. The name is a bit cheesy. Fortunately, the cultural level of the soldiers of the Tiger Ben Army is not high, and the more popular the name, the better. If you are too embarrassed to talk about the whole spring and snow, maybe everyone will not be able to remember it.

Subsequently, Sun Qinkai introduced the design data of the Benlei cannon in detail. According to Sun Qinkai's design, the caliber of this copycat Napoleon cannon is about 120 mm, and the firing range is about 1,000 meters, which should not be much different from what Zhang Zhun described. Of course, this is only a theoretical design, in fact, due to the material problems of the design to the barrel, this performance data cannot be considered true at present.

Zhang Zhun has some discrepancies in the performance data and is not very concerned. The most critical reason why he wanted to copy the Napoleon cannon was its good mobility and a complete set of formations that could be used to fight anytime and anywhere. Moving like a rabbit, swift as thunder, is exactly what he intended. To put it simply, everything has to be fast. The speed of movement is fast, the speed of firing cannons is fast, and the speed of continuous fire is even faster. It would be best if you could fire two shells in a minute.

This is a field artillery in the true sense of the word, which can be pulled and left at any time, and can be stopped at any time and fired on the spot. Even if you are suddenly attacked by Tartar cavalry in the field, you can quickly open fire. The Wyvern and Hongyi cannons, although they may surpass the Napoleonic cannon by a lot in other performance, have never been able to do so.

Considering the speed of the Tartar cavalry, in addition to requiring a quick entry into combat state, in terms of rate of fire, it is also necessary to be as fast as possible. Therefore, the shooting method of the zodiac code name should also be promoted to Napoleon's cannon. As long as everything is standardized, processed, and conditioned, the firing of the cannon does not need to go through the cannon at all, and the rate of fire will naturally accelerate a lot.

In the cannon foundry, Zhang Zhun stayed for two days, and Sun Qinkai, Mo Ru and others studied the problem of copycat Napoleon cannon (Benlei cannon) in detail, and passed on all the knowledge he knew to the two of them, so as to speed up the copycat of Napoleon cannon.

Two days later, Zhang Zhun returned to the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion in Fushan City.

The war against the Wenxiang Sect should also begin.