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Lu Chengqi nodded and said, "Don't get in the way, let's go and see how far this cannonball can hit." ”

The emperor's words are the holy decree, and as soon as Chrysostom opens, who dares not to obey? And the errand work naturally fell on the two apprentices. The Ordnance Superintendent also has stables, which is so that the latest news can be delivered in a timely manner. I never thought that it would come in handy at this time.

A thinner apprentice took the horse from the stable, then turned on his horse, waved his whip, and let the good horse, which was not so good, jog away in the direction of the gun.

The wait was long, Lu Chengqi picked up a solid cannonball from this artillery, weighed it in his hand, it was no different from the solid iron ball of later generations, it was heavy in his hand, and he estimated that this solid cannonball had to be five or six catties.

Tang Xun saw Lu Chengqi's interested appearance, and hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, this is a six-catty cannonball, and there are eight-catty shells, ten-catty bullets, twelve-catty bullets, and sixteen-catty bullets......"

When Lu Chengqi heard this, he didn't say anything, but put the heavy cannonball in his hand back in place, and then took a closer look at this huge artillery, which was almost the same as the Qing Dynasty cannon seen in Humen and Gate in later generations, except that it was not loaded and pushed.

And it is not the rear-loading gun that Lu Chengqi imagined, nor is it rifling, and the shooting accuracy is not flattering. If Lu Chengqi was familiar with history, he would definitely know that such a cannon type was the most popular Hongyi cannon in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The advantages and disadvantages of this kind of artillery are very obvious. But it is not treated well by Lu Chengqi, because its shortcomings are that it is coarse, big, and stupid, although its power is good, it can't hit people, it can't be used in field battles, it can only be used to defend the city, and it's useless. Lu Chengqi believes that no matter how sharp the artillery is, if it is not mobile, it will also be cracked by the enemy. In addition, this artillery uses solid bullets, and the lethality is low. Except for firing a few cannons when the enemy is unprepared, so that they are frightened and retreat, there is no large-scale lethality. Once the enemy figured out the characteristics of this artillery and adopted the tactics of crowds, this Hongyi cannon would not be able to defend it at all. In the end, you still have to rely on bows and crossbows, and rely on melee combat to solve problems. So what is the point of developing artillery?

Lu Chengqi was silent for a while, then turned his head to Shen Kuo and said, "Shen Qing, you also felt the power of this cannon just now, right?" ”

Shen Kuo nodded, and Lu Chengqi continued: "Then Shen Qing thinks that such an artillery can be equipped with a new warship?" Shen Kuo was a rigorous scientist in the end, and he carefully estimated it before he said slowly: "Your Majesty, if it is a single such artillery, there is absolutely no problem. Kechen remembered that according to His Majesty's requirements, this new warship had to be loaded with at least ten guns. But if they are all such artillery, the minister thinks that it will definitely not work. Although the new warship has a keel that fixes the hull, the power of this cannon is also felt by Shicaichen. Even from a hundred meters away, the ground trembled slightly. It would be strange if ten of these cannons were mounted on a new warship, and the hull would not be shattered! ”

It is said that the bystanders are clear, and the authorities are confused. As soon as Su Song and Tang Xun heard this, they knew that this artillery had been judged to have failed. Their original intention of casting cannons was also for the new warship. But after the actual operation, they went into the misunderstanding and began to be obsessed with the power of artillery. So they lengthened the barrel of the cannon to one zhang, and the barrel became thicker and thicker, in order to hold more gunpowder. And the actual effect is also amazing, after adding the ratio of black and gunpowder of six taels of nitrate, twelve taels of sulfur, and four taels of charcoal, loaded with ten catties of solid shells, it can shoot ten miles away. This is the theoretical range, and the actual effective range should be about three or four miles. But such a power has already fascinated them, and after only a day of experimentation, they went to Lu Chengqi in a hurry and said that the artillery had been cast.

As everyone knows, such an artillery is 108,000 miles away from the ideal artillery in Lu Chengqi's mind! In Lu Chengqi's opinion, this artillery can have a range comparable to that of a bed crossbow, which is already very good. Of course, the premise is that such artillery must have a range of lethality. Otherwise, there is neither lethality nor long range, and such artillery is equivalent to waste, and it is not as useful as a bed crossbow!

Tang Xun smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, the ministers are guilty!" ”

Lu Chengqi didn't feel much disappointed, after all, there was no reference. Just based on the seemingly right and wrong artillery theory taught by Lu Chengqi, as well as an abstract design drawing, Tang Xun and Su Song drummed up such a big guy, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a genius.

Seeing their loss of confidence, Lu Chengqi hurriedly spoke: "This artillery is just my idea, and it is already very unexpected that the two Qing families can really build this artillery." Seeing that the apprentice has not yet turned, the range must be extremely amazing. If the two ministers seriously improve and reduce the weight and recoil of the artillery, the speed of firing will be faster, and the firing range will be two miles away. It can be used in field battles and can be mounted on warships, which is a successful artillery. ”

The subtext in Lu Chengqi's sentence is that this artillery can only be used to defend or siege cities. As for the field battle between the two armies, not to mention dealing with the enemy's cavalry, even against the enemy's infantry, it is enough to choke. If it is a flowering bomb, the situation is better, at least with a certain lethality. But it's still a solid bullet, so it hurts. Just like eating chicken ribs, eating it without meat and discarding it tastes, in real field battles, it is not as practical as a bow and crossbow.

After Lu Chengqi's point, Tang Xun and Su Song pondered how to improve this artillery.

Shen Kuo also understood the principle of artillery, and he also frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not easy!" "Shen Kuo is a person who doesn't speak much, and his subconscious meaning is that it is probably not easy to make the artillery that Lu Chengqi said. The characteristic of the front-loading smoothbore gun is that it has a slow reloading speed, and the mere increase in the rate of fire can only cultivate the proficiency of the gunners. The rest is good to say, cut weight, recoil or something, as long as the barrel is thinner, the barrel is shorter, and the black and gunpowder are less charged.

Su Song also agreed: "Chief Shen is very right, the minister and Tang Shilang have tried many times, and the rear-loading artillery that Your Majesty said is stupid and dull, and it can't be cast." Only front-loading artillery can have such a stable range, even if the loading shells are a little slower......"

Tang Xun nodded and said, "That's right, the cannon door of this rear-loading gun will deflat, and it won't shoot far at all!" ”

Frowning, Lu Chengqi asked suspiciously, "How is it possible?" ”

Su Song saw that he didn't believe it, and in order to prove that he was right, he swore and said: "If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, the ministers will immediately take out the waste cannons that were cast a few times before, and you will know it at a glance with Your Majesty!" ”

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