Da Wei Chun

Chapter 607
More than two miles?
In just a few breaths, the Tangqi behind the mountain ridge sent a message, and the cannon shot out more than 800 steps.

Two steps is one zhang, eight hundred steps is four hundred zhang.

Before Li Chengzhi improved the trebuchet, he used stone cannons to throw stone bullets weighing ten catties, and the longest distance was 150 steps.

And at least 30 people are needed to manage it, and six to eight horses or cattle are assisted.

But now, at most three or four soldiers are used, and the range is more than five times farther...

Li Zhang felt that his brain was not enough.

Eight hundred steps?
What is this concept?
Just as he was stunned, he heard Li Chengzhi yell loudly: "Li Zhang!"

"exist!"

"It's up to you this time, fight accordingly!"

Li Chengzhi pointed to a beacon about a mile away, "You can calculate the amount of gunpowder, the weight of the iron bullet, the angle of elevation, the range, etc., because I don't know, sir...but..."

After a short pause, Li Chengzhi gritted his teeth again, as if grinning: "If you can't knock down the pier today, you and your subordinates will be hungry. When I do what I want, when will you return to the camp... "

Li Zhang bared his teeth immediately, and couldn't close his mouth when he smiled.

Not to mention one hungry meal, what's the point of three or five meals?

Even if Li Chengzhi ordered him to sleep with a cannon tonight, Li Zhang was absolutely ambiguous.

He answered yes again and again, shouted to his cronies, got up and turned over the hillside, and ran towards the artillery.

Looking at the iron cannon emitting a cold glow, Li Zhang wished he could hug and kiss him.

Li Zhang has been the commander of the Firearms Battalion since its establishment.So his understanding of this thing is deeper and more comprehensive than anyone else except Li Chengzhi.

Compared with this thing, the trebuchet is not worth mentioning at all...

Suppressing the throbbing in his heart, Li Zhang hurriedly ordered his cronies to clean the barrel, dig the angle and stabilize the barrel.

It weighs nearly [-] kilograms, and the weight of the gun body alone can give the gun barrel enough stability.It was only because Li Chengzhi was not sure about the amount of gunpowder to be filled, and he pretended to be a little afraid that the gun might explode, that's why he let everyone hide so far.

However, because it was a temporary test of the gun, there was insufficient preparation, so it could only be erected on a soft soil beam.Every time a shot is fired, the foundation needs to be tamped and the elevation angle increased.

After it is installed on the city wall, it is fixed with anvils, stone drums, wood, etc., so there is no need for such trouble.

Seeing Li Zhang adjusting the angle, Li Chengzhi called Li Cong again: "You immediately return to the city to pass the order, ordering uncle and Li Song, and the commanders of the guards, deputy commanders, and the chiefs and deputy chiefs of all ministries to come here to obey orders...then go to the school grounds and discuss In the iron field, find some straw men, straw horses, iron nails, and barbed wire, and bring them together later..."

Li Cong responded repeatedly, and Fang was about to turn around and get on his horse when he heard another thud.

Li Chengzhi turned his head and saw a black dot flew over the beacon and flew to nowhere.

Looking at the cloud of dust and smoke rising from behind the mountain ridge, Li Zhangxiao's eyes narrowed into two slits: "Mr., this cannon will go farther, at least five hundred feet..."

Looking at Li Zhang standing behind the cannon, Li Chengzhi opened his mouth and scolded: "You stand so close, are you looking for death?"

Li Zhang still kept his mouth shut, pointing at the gun barrel and argued in a low voice: "It just sank, the left and right haven't shifted half a cent!"

It means that the gun body is so heavy, how could it be blown up and fly?
"Idiot, if your body explodes, just wait for your grandfather to collect your body?"

Li Chengzhi's face turned dark: "Besides, it's as good as a bird's feather to shoot. You have to shoot it accurately. You think it's a stone cannon, why did you put the cannon head so high?"

Li Zhang was used to fiddling with trebuchets, and unknowingly brought on inertial thinking, thinking that this thing required a large throwing angle.It was only after being scolded by Li Chengzhi that he covered his head and face, he realized: in a short distance, just aim at the bull's-eye like a direct bow when you draw a bow.

In this way, isn't it simpler than a trebuchet?
Li Zhang raised his eyebrows with joy, and hurriedly ordered his cronies to dig down the earth beam and lower the angle.

After trying a few more shots like this, Li Zhang found the trick.Then three shots in a row, without missing a single shot, knocked down half of the beacon wall a mile away.

Li Liang was dumbfounded.

It is impossible for Li Zhang to be approved three times in a row.

I remember that when I made the catapult, it took more than a month of practice before Li Zhang got some tricks.

But today is only the first time to test artillery, why can he shoot so accurately?

"Practice makes perfect, comprehend by analogy!"

Li Chengzhi explained indifferently, "This thing has the same effect as the stone cannon, so Li Zhang can adapt so quickly. Of course, it also depends on his hard work, tirelessness, and proficiency in handling the stone cannon, so he can Get twice the result with half the effort."

After being shocked for a long time, Li Liang came back to his senses, and asked hoarsely, "But I never thought that this thing is so powerful?"

The beacon tower was made of red clay transported from Nanshan (Qilian Mountain). Although it is not high, the wall is extremely thick, more than six feet.Moreover, Li Song personally watched the construction, and there was absolutely no cutting corners.

Li Liang estimated that even with gunpowder packs, hundreds of catties might not be able to explode.

And just now I watched Li Zhang refill the gunpowder, did he use ten catties three times?

In fact, these are two different things, not the same concept. Li Chengzhi taught Li Liang the secret recipe of gunpowder privately, and he mentioned it when he responded to the method of making firearms.

But Li Liang didn't turn the corner for a while: if explosives were used, at most they would throw the explosive package under the city wall.But if a hole is drilled in the city wall and then filled with explosives to seal it, perhaps only three to five catties will be needed to blow up the entire beacon tower.

Li Chengzhi was about to take the opportunity to explain the reasoning to him, but when he heard a faint rumbling sound behind him, he turned his head subconsciously.

I saw several lines of smoke and dust like yellow dragons, and the first flag attached to the letter flag was Li Shiliang's honor guard.

Li Chengzhi pondered for a while, and said solemnly: "Now you are also in charge of the Ministry of Industry, and you have to supervise the manufacture of many firearms, so you should pay more attention to it and study it carefully. Just like this artillery, if you have the heart, you will soon It should be seen that it is a fireworks tube that is many times larger..."

Fireworks?
Li Liang was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly realized.

It really is.

The same is used to seal the tail of the iron pipe, and then fill it with gunpowder.But the cannon shoots iron bullets, and the fireworks tube shoots firecrackers that fly out and explode with sparks.

He had an idea, and his face was full of joy: "If this is the case, doesn't it mean that this cannon can also be like fireworks, shooting the thunder canister a thousand steps away to blow up the enemy?"

It was no surprise that Li Liang could think of explosive bombs, so why didn't he think of artillery before?
Li Chengzhi knew very well in his heart that it was not that Li Liang was not smart, but that he was very measured and knew how to hide his clumsiness...

He sighed slightly: "Of course it can, but the workmanship requires more precision. At least it can't be fired before the gun is fired, but the bullet exploded in the chamber first..."

Li Liang responded from the side: "Just try a few more times!"

Li Chengzhi nodded slightly, and confessed in a low voice: "But you must be careful and careful... It's not easy to train a craftsman. If you can save one death, you must die one less..."

The hearts of the two lingered, and they immediately remembered the past when Li Liang organized Li's craftsmen to adjust the gunpowder when they first arrived in Zhenyi...

With just a few words, Li Shiliang and others ran ten feet away.Everyone got off their horses and saluted Li Chengzhi one by one.

There are more than a dozen people in Long, all of whom were confidantes who followed Li Chengzhi to fight in Jingzhou.Now they have their own responsibilities, except for Li Song who is only responsible for civilian affairs, the rest of them have both military and civilian positions.

There is no other way, we can only blame Xihai for its rapid rise and rapid development, and the serious shortage of talent reserves.

Everyone asked about the ceremony, and then stared at the things around them, their eyes full of curiosity.

A carriage was covered with boxy sacks. You could tell it was gunpowder just by smelling it.

Another cart was pulling iron pellets and stone bullets, all of which were three feet in size.In addition, there are buckets, linen, oxtail brushes and other things, but I don't know what to do with them.

Looking back, it was Li Zhang and several cronies who were fiddling with a black iron pillar, as if they were washing it with water.

"Just now in the Guancheng, I suddenly heard explosions like thunder and stopped. I was about to send someone to investigate. Li Cong came to Bing and said that you were testing cannons in the west of the city!"

Li Shiliang walked around the cannon, "I think it's this thing!"

"See you, uncle!"

Li Chengzhi responded with a smile, and pointed at Li Zhang again, "Why are you in a daze? Try the range first..."

Li Zhang bared his teeth and began to fill it himself.

After trying more than ten cannons, Li Zhang has roughly mastered the dosage, no more, no less, three catties is just right.

If there are more, the barrel of the cannon will shake, and naturally there is no accuracy at all.If it is less, the range and power will be reduced.

Those who can be summoned by Li Chengzhi have naturally seen the power of explosives.There is no need to remind at all, as soon as Li Chengzhi stepped back, everyone followed him in unison.

About five or six feet away from the gun, Li Chengzhi stopped.There is no mountain ridge here, Li Liang yelled anxiously, dozens of guards hurriedly took off the shields from the horses and protected three floors.

It will stand still, and there is a loud noise.

Li Zhang couldn't bear to wait for long, so he cut most of the fuze, leaving only a few feet, that's why it was so fast.

Feeling the shock under their feet, the necks of the cronies stretched longer and longer, and they followed the flying bullets to look into the distance.

When the smoke and dust rose, everyone was shocked: it's so far away?
Li Chengzhi asked calmly: "How much should there be?"

Li Zhang narrowed his eyes and said, "At least nine hundred steps!"

There was a sudden gasp from all around.

A three-inch-sized iron ball should weigh more than ten catties, how much force is needed to shoot it so far?

Li Chengzhi waved his hand, meaning don't make any noise, and looked up the mountain ridge again.

A Tang Qi held up a pennant and waved it vigorously.

Li Zhang's experience is very rich, his eyes are also very poisonous, and he is only [-] steps short of what Tang Qi reported.

It seems that the maximum range of this cannon is about a thousand steps, but it is completely enough.

Li Chengzhi waved his hand again: "Shoot at the beacon this time, aim more!"

Li Zhanggong's voice should be yes, and he kept shouting to several cronies.After about a moment, intermittent gunfire sounded.

Li Chengzhi specifically confessed, so Li Zhang was very cautious. The filling process was not fast, and it took about one word (5 minutes) to fire a cannon.

One is to cool down completely to avoid bombing.The second is to clean up the residue to avoid hidden wounds in the barrel.The third is to adjust the angle.

Therefore, before Li Zhang fired a cannonball, the smoke and dust on the mountain ridge cleared away, and everyone could see it very clearly.

Eight cannons were fired, three of them missed, and the remaining five cannons blasted the beacon tower, which was two feet high, to less than ten feet.

At this moment, how can I take a breath?

From Li Shiliang down, everyone was dumbfounded and dumbfounded.

To blow down a pier city with a wall six feet thick and two feet high at a distance of one mile, this is no longer shocking, but rather unthinkable.

Even if a thunderbolt really fell from the sky, would it be so beneficial?
It wasn't until Li Chengzhi called Li Cong and placed the grass man and grass horse a hundred steps away that no one came back to his senses.

But no matter how shocked and strange they were, no one dared to ask questions, but watched Li Chengzhi give orders.

Seeing that the ground was too soft, it would be troublesome to put a cannon under it every time it was fired. Li Chengzhi simply asked Li Zhang to dismantle a carriage and put it under the cannon.Pack the soil with hemp and stabilize it on both sides of the gun body.

Li Cong has also arranged grass men and grass horses, no more, no less, exactly [-], and they have also arranged into a small square array with a radius of about [-] steps.

According to Li Chengzhi's account, these were all brought from the school grounds, and they were specially worn with leather armor.

The reason why they didn't wear steel armor was because apart from Xihai, there was no other country in the world that was so rich that nearly [-]% of its troops wore armor.

Of course, it is also because Xihai has few soldiers...

It took a little longer this time, nearly half an hour.

Because Li Chengzhi was not sure how much medicine, how much broken iron, and iron nails to load each time, he ordered Li Zhang to fire a few shots into the empty space to test the amount of medicine.

When the gun was officially tested, everyone's eyes almost popped out.

Hearing a loud noise, more than half of the phalanx of four hundred men and horses collapsed immediately.

And that's only second.

Li Chengzhi led the crowd to check, and nearly half of the grass horses were shot down, and even their leather armor was shot through.And the few rows in the front are even crossed.

All the cronies couldn't help exhaling much less, looking at Li Chengzhi with fear in their eyes.

This is beyond human ability, but Li Chengzhi just did it?

Immediately, an uncontrollable joy appeared on the face that reacted a little faster.

In front of this thing, no matter how thick the armor you put on and how thick your formation is, it only takes one shot.

What if the most valiant tiger rider in the world came?

Even if it doesn't kill you, one shot can knock you down, and then two more shots...

Li Chengzhi has already passed the initial excitement, so he explained to Li Liang and Li Liang in detail: "Fifty cannons like this will be cast first, and twenty will be installed in Zhenyiguan City. in case for need……

In addition, you two need to study carefully after you go back, and then make some small cannons, as many as two or three hundred catties, and as little as one hundred catties, first each cast a bottle..."

Li Chengzhi wanted to cast a tiger squatting cannon.This kind only weighs more than a hundred catties to two to three hundred catties. As long as there are mules and horses, they can be pulled around, which is very convenient.

Li Liang was a little puzzled: "Dare to ask my lord, the bigger the thing, the stronger the force, and the farther it shoots, so why make a small cannon?"

"Do you think I don't know that the bigger the cannon, the more powerful it is?"

Li Chengzhi scolded with a smile, "However, there are so many places to cross mountains and ridges in an expedition of thousands of miles. If the cannon is too heavy, and there is no road or driving, can I still call you Li Liang to carry it across the mountains?"

Li Liang was stunned for a moment, but the eyes of Li Shiliang, Li Song and others became brighter: Don't need a car, can you go anywhere?

(End of this chapter)