As soon as Yang Hao appeared in the shipyard, Jiao Hai hurried over and complained with an unhappy face: "Sir, hurry up and go to the test fort to have a look, that Master Zhang is looking for fault again, and he can't do the work." ”

"Zhang Peilun? What happened to him? ”

Yang Hao's brows furrowed slightly, and a greasy and crooked energy rushed up in his heart.

For this Qingliu leader, he doesn't have a good impression in his heart, his ability to do business is not very strong, and he has no professional ability at all, but he is used to nitpicking and talking on paper.

Li Hongzhang sent him with the intention of not only arranging his errand, but also by the way, a person who could not be bought to keep an eye on him to prevent him from being a moth. But the old man doesn't want to think about it, what kind of goods are Qingliu? Charging into battle, they dodged faster than anyone else, dragging their feet, picking faults, conspiring and framing, but they were stronger one by one. The matter of repairing the ship is related to the future and status of Prime Minister Li, so is it impossible to get along with him?

Yang Hao didn't object at the beginning, and he didn't hold back a good idea in his heart. Today, I heard Zhang Peilun find fault again, and he was in the middle of it. Originally, I had to find an excuse to delay time, but now, there are ready-made reasons.

He waved his hand calmly: "Let's go, take a look!" ”

Dad Yang Haiwei tried his best to avoid dealing with Qing court officials, and with his temper, he probably provoked a group of bastards to shoot and kill.

The test battery is a concrete fortress set up two kilometers north of the shipyard and looks like a steel-framed lighthouse. There are three floors above and below, almost as high as six stories in total, and a railroad track runs from the factory to the bottom of the wide fortress.

It was actually a fortified fort with a fortified bunker more than two meters thick, and also served as a test bed for heavy artillery produced in the shipyard's gunsmith's workshop.

Cannons weighing more than a dozen tons or dozens of tons at every turn are based on a large frame converted from a flatbed car of a train. A complete set of cannon cradle and brake and retraction mechanisms are installed on it. It can carry heavy artillery of various calibers into the fortress. Fire test.

Qingliu is all "patriotic". When Zhang Peilun first arrived in Rizhao, he was already very unhappy when he saw that Yang Hao's factory had no official capital, let alone the permission of the imperial court. Seeing that he actually hid heavy artillery privately, and also trained the local regiment so well, he suddenly became angry, and without saying a word, he wrote a bullet and impeachment.

Yang Hao immediately sued him: "Before reporting, consider Li Zhongtang's opinion." ”

The results speak for themselves, Li Hongzhang, who was about to be overwhelmed by the increasingly urgent situation. Without saying a word, he blocked back. Wouldn't impeachment implicate the old man? In any case, let him finish repairing the battleship first.

Zhang Peilun wrote this down in a small notebook, and then made many accusations during the entire restoration and transformation process, and intervened at every turn.

The transformation plan given by Yang Hao is already the smallest toss, but it is still unacceptable in Zhang Peilun's opinion (it is said that the civilian officials of the Qing Dynasty can become ships and war experts at critical moments). Almost every time he dismantled something, he had to block it and argue. Even Xu Jianyin, the contemporary No. 1 armament expert who came to supervise the work, couldn't help but speak out in support, and Master Zhang categorically promised to be meticulous, and everything had to be explained to him clearly in order to pass the test.

It seems that he is very serious and responsible.

But you have to explain the structure of the battleship and the principle of artillery to a former imperial history who can play tricks. That's not a difficulty, it's just self-inflicted!

So it's been twenty days or so. The first cannon has been built, and the "Zhenyuan" has just been demolished. As for the "Laiyuan", which could have been repaired similarly, it didn't even start much work.

Yang Hao was not in a hurry, he didn't plan to return the boat to Li Hongzhang at all. Rather than letting this old man use it as the capital of the caretaker's home, and wait for someone to be captured or sunk in the military port, it is better to play a role in his own hands. As for Mr. Zhang Leader inadvertently helping this favor, he still does not express his gratitude.

Thanks to Yang Hao's good secrecy work, except for the slipway and metal processing workshop, outsiders can't enter the place where the cannon is made. If Zhang Peilun knew that the cannon was made under his nose, instead of the so-called "imported from abroad", it is estimated that this upright and brave former imperial historian would definitely fight to break his bones, kill his relatives with righteousness, involve Li Hongzhang, and report to the imperial court.

Well, there is no need to guess, the last part of the excerpt must be to request the dispatch of heavenly soldiers to kill Yang Hao in one fell swoop, and eliminate future troubles.

Riding on the bicycle, Yang Hao and his entourage quickly rushed to the test battery, and heard Zhang Peilun's dry, energetic noise from afar. The young man in charge of the artillery test couldn't even insert the gap in reasoning, just hearing Master Zhang's endless gushing of various words.

Yang Hao couldn't understand the thing that dropped the bookbag at all, so he turned his head and asked Jiao Hai: "What nonsense did he say?" Why don't you try it? ”

Jiao Hai shook his head and said: "Master Zhang's knowledge is excellent, and every sentence is quoted from the scriptures, but you will definitely not like to listen to it." All in all, there is actually only one thing, he thinks that our cannon barrel has been lengthened, but the total weight has been reduced, which is cutting corners and shoddy. ”

"I'll ......." Yang Hao's cheeks twitched, and he said in his heart that your uncle, how good this reason is! Cow, Fata Cow!

He was also a little fed up with this kind of sour thing, and strode into it with a cold face.

There were a lot of people around to watch the excitement, and they were basically officers and gunners from the two ships of Zhenyuan and Laiyuan. Among them, there is Qiu Baoren!

Yang Hao was unhappy, and shouted loudly: "General Qiu, everyone present thinks that you have the highest rank, and you are not ignorant of armament technology. Can't you tell whether this cannon is good or bad? ”

Qiu Baoren smiled very sly and said: "I am a military attache after all, where can I persuade Master Zhang!" ”

The implication is that Leader Zhang doesn't pay attention to our pickles at all. What's wrong with you Qiu Baoren is a general, even if you are from the second grade, you still don't put it in the eyes of the civil officials from the third grade.

Yang Hao nodded, very good, this account will be calculated later.

He turned his head again to see that Xu Jianyin was also on the spot, and asked, "Mr. Xu, you were specially sent by Li Zhongtang to supervise the work, and I don't think anyone knows more about the matters than you." Why, can't you say a word to the point? ”

Xu Jianyin's black fat face is just embarrassed and helpless. He is even more unbearable, he is an apprentice, no matter how many books he has written about the best scientific enlightenment in contemporary China, in the eyes of civil officials who are from the formal imperial examination, they are nothing.

If it weren't for his luck, he was catching up with the Qing Dynasty to engage in foreign affairs, made many meritorious deeds along the way, and was praised by foreigners, where would he have today's official treatment?

But even so, in the eyes of civil officials, he is just a craftsman leader, still.

It seems that no one can suppress Zhang Peilun, and he will turn the sky upside down if he is not there. Yang Hao was sure that his people had not suffered, and turned to Leader Zhang, who was full of anger, with a sarcastic smile on the corner of his mouth, and stretched the tone and said, "Zhang-sir!" Are you the royal historian not happy if you don't find someone else to make a difference! Do you know how to make a cannon? ”

Zhang Peilun knew that Yang Hao had no good words in his mouth, and he also knew that this guy was neither afraid of himself nor looked down on himself, and he couldn't pull his face to quarrel, so he snorted coldly and pointed to the majestic cannon body and said, "This official doesn't have to understand that!" All I know is that you need to use as much material as you build a cannon! Like you, the weight has lost a full four tons, but it has grown by seven feet, and the hoop is so thin, it is simply a joke about the lives of the court officials and soldiers! ”

Yang Hao sighed: "According to your meaning, then we can simply replace all the 120 rapid-fire guns on the ship with the Shenwu General cannons." The general's cannon weighed 7,000 catties, but the rapid-fire cannon was only 4,000 catties, and the body tube was stretched from nine feet to sixteen feet four! Isn't that cutting corners? ”

Everyone present burst into laughter!

What is a general cannon? Cast copper cannon, the firing range is 2,000 meters, the accuracy is not there, it is inconvenient to move, and it cannot shoot a shot in half a day. The 120 rapid-fire gun, however, was built with modern technology, had a fast rate of fire and a range several times longer...... Can this be compared together?

Zhang Peilun didn't work hard at all, he blew his beard and stared: "How can the two be compared!" What kind of steel is used for rapid-fire guns, the general's cannon is only cast in copper! But how can this cannon be compared with the Krupp steel of the Germans? ”

Yang Hao understood, like Li Hongzhang, this guy recognized that the things of the Krupp family were the best. It is true that in this era, Krupp is less powerful than anyone in steelmaking, metallurgy, and artillery. But what the buddy gave was the refined steel of the 21st century!

Yang Hao didn't bother to talk nonsense with him, and said seriously: "Master Zhang, you have to know one thing, the world is constantly changing, and technology is always advancing. I don't even know where you've learned the teachings of the I Ching. ”

Ignoring Zhang Peilun's almost purple face - it is a great insult that you scold a world-famous Qingliu leader for not understanding the Book of Changes. Yang Hao waved his hand decisively and ordered: "Clear the field immediately!" Everyone exit the test battery and go to the bunker, and use this cannon to shoot a hundred rounds, if there is any crack, Lao Tzu will cut off your head! ”

Qiu Baoren first beckoned the officers and soldiers of the Navy Division to retreat, Jiao Hai and a few guards came over, and couldn't help but pick up Zhang Peilun and drag him to the back.

Xu Jianyin anxiously rubbed his hands at Yang Hao: "How can it be so!" Mr. Yang, if you have something to say slowly, why bother ....... ”

Yang Hao Huo Ran came back to his senses, looked directly at him and asked, "Mr. Xu, don't you think that talking nonsense with this kind of person is extremely irresponsible for your own life?" If he doubts, then we will speak with facts! ”

Everyone withdrew, and the artillerymen finally had to work in front of them. With the help of a semi-automatic loader, the original 329 kg armor-piercing shells were stuffed, starting with a semi-charge, ready to be opened, and the fire door was sounded.

"Boom!"

The huge test battery shook violently, and a puff of smoke and wind whistled all around, and the sea below was pressed into a crater. The cannonballs rumbled and roared, heading straight into the distance!

On a merchant ship sailing slowly 20 kilometers away, a middle-aged man who was peeping in this direction with a telescope was so frightened that he exclaimed in Japanese, "Have we been discovered?!" ”

The person next to him shook his head calmly: "Probably not!" Our ship is flying the American flag, and they won't care. In addition, the shells fell at least a dozen kilometers away, so there is no need to be nervous. They must be testing the gun. However, it's best not to let this affect tomorrow's attack! ”

Just two hundred kilometers away from here, the Japanese fleet of unprecedented scale slowly drove away! (To be continued......)

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