1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 413 Cannons and Culture

April 1641, 8, Hanzhou, Montenegro Barracks.

"Boom!" A cannon sounded, and a projectile flew out of the cannon bore in an instant, and then hit a distance hundreds of meters ahead.

Bi Maokang looked back at the gun barrel next to him, um, everything was normal, without any cracks.

"How?" Bi Maokang asked.

"How many shells were fired in total?" Qi Tian asked.

"There are more than 120 rounds." Bi Maokang replied: "It seems that the barrel of this gun is still in good condition, maybe it can still fire dozens of shells."

Qi Tian nodded. Due to the strength and thickness of the gun wall during this period, this 3-pound cannon actually fired more than 100 rounds without any cracks or deformations in the barrel, which shows that this experimental silk-tight cannon has already Success.Then, in the future, the Heishan Arms Factory can continue to cast larger caliber artillery according to the silk tight tube technology.

The silk tight tube artillery technology, as the name suggests, is to use steel wire to wrap multiple layers on the gun barrel at a certain angle, and to accumulate pressure inward, so as to generate a prestress on the barrel that is opposite to the pressure in the chamber, and increase the strength of the barrel. life, but also reduce the chance of bombing.Compared with the current barrel and tight-fitting cannon, the silk-tight cannon can be casted more easily, and has lower processing difficulty and technical requirements.

Of course, this technology also has certain defects, that is, the longitudinal rigidity is poor, and the gun barrel is easy to bend under the action of shooting disturbance and self-weight for a long time, and the shooting accuracy cannot be guaranteed.But in this era, this silk tight tube artillery technology is far beyond the contemporary cast iron or cast copper artillery.

You must know that the technology of tight-fitting steel tube guns was invented by the British until the 19s. The square-section steel wire was tightly wound on the barrel, and the tension of the steel wire resisted the shooting stress of the barrel to enhance performance. It was used in many On the battleship gun.

As for the production of steel wire, it is nothing more than adopting the relatively mature iron wire manufacturing process in ancient China.The earliest period when iron wire appeared should be in the Northern Song Dynasty.Su Shi, a great writer at that time, once mentioned iron wire in the poem "Ghost Butterfly": "Two eyebrows curled up with iron wire, and two wings halo golden and green."

"In the near future, we can produce more light artillery that can be carried in land battles." Qi Tian said softly, "The weight should be as light as possible, and it is best to be able to mount it on the artillery cart, so that it can move quickly with only a few people."

"The cannon you produced isn't just to fight the Dutch." Bi Maokang asked, "They don't seem to have had a field battle with us in Hanzhou."

"How many Dutch people are there in Nanyang?" Qi Tian said with a smile: "The army that can be dispatched is no more than 600 people, and then hundreds of natives are added. Our Hanzhou Marine Corps only needs to gather a battalion of soldiers." , can be defeated in the wild with only muskets."

After more than two years of war, the entire Hanzhou has a relatively intuitive understanding of the Dutch land combat capabilities.To be honest, those soldiers hired from various European countries have relatively professional combat skills and combat modes, but in terms of fighting will, they are not a little bit worse than the Hanzhou Marine Corps.It is easy to collapse when encountering bitter battles or desperate situations.Historically, in the Far East, several land battles with the Spanish and Portuguese were fought back by the opponent's inferior troops and outdated weapons, which made people quite speechless.

With the increase in the population of Hanzhou and the gradual improvement of the performance of muskets, if Hanzhou can have absolute command of the sea, they can put their land combat power directly to Batavia, and the ownership of Nanyang hegemony will be determined in World War I.

"Then when will our Hanzhou be so proud at sea?"

"As long as you can produce explosive bombs for actual combat, we can gain an advantage over the Dutch in local naval battles."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to develop a safe and qualified explosive bomb in a short period of time." Bi Maokang frowned and said, "I have tried many methods, but they are not very safe. Either the fuse of the shell is too short and it explodes directly in the barrel." or the fuse is too long, and it will not explode after landing for a long time. In addition, when flying in the air, it sometimes happens that the fuse is extinguished."

"I heard that more than ten years ago, the Ming Dynasty won the victory in Ningyuan, and the Ming army seems to have used explosive bombs to injure the slave chieftain Nurhachi." Qi Tian asked curiously.

"Then do you know that when the gunners of Ming Dynasty used this kind of explosive bombs, they almost always fired with the determination to die." Bi Maokang sighed, "Of the ten guns, there can be two or three guns. It’s a lucky thing to be able to shoot it out smoothly. Don’t you think that the explosive bomb is to simply put the hand-thrown tin can bomb we are using now in the barrel and launch it?”

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the "blossom bomb" that would explode after being fired was indeed invented, but because the "flower bomb" did not have an advanced fuze, the fuze used to detonate it was usually a hollow reed tube with a built-in twister, and it was fired according to the needs before loading. The distance of the target is cut to the corresponding length. Before firing the gun, the fuze on the shell is ignited from the muzzle, and then the fuze on the fast-burning fire door is fired.

Therefore, such a firing method is very dangerous. The flame generated by igniting the propellant runs from the gap between the shell and the barrel to the front of the shell. Either death or serious injury.

"The kind of trigger fuze you mentioned is just some ambiguous words. As for the materials used and the production process, there is no detailed description. How can craftsmen develop this?" Bi Maokang said with a wry smile: "The old man is also strange. Why do you just think of a concept, but can’t figure out the corresponding production process.”

"There are thousands of things in the world, how can I know all of them?" Qi Tian was stunned for a moment, looked at the knowledgeable old man in his seventies beside him, and said, "Actually, I am just an ordinary person. , I am not as good as Duke Meng!"

"Talent and learning? Hehe..." Bi Maokang smiled, "Can talent and learning save my Ming Dynasty? Can talent and learning save thousands of people? This old man is dying, and now he has a bit of an epiphany. To revitalize a country and protect the people, we really need these cannons And muskets, need more steel. Moral articles, Confucian classics, it may be difficult to survive in this troubled world, and it is even more difficult to fight against wolves, tigers and leopards from outside the territory.”

"Duke Meng, for a country and a region, whether it is in a troubled world full of dangers or in a peaceful world of singing and dancing, strong military force is necessary. When facing enemies outside the region, only the artillery behind you, holding the gun in your hand Only with the best sword can you have confidence and can calmly go forward to argue with them. Otherwise, like the Han and Tang Dynasties, like the former Song Dynasty, no matter how many women and gold and silver are presented, it will only stimulate the greed and cruelty of the enemy in front of you. .”

"Hehe..., holding a knife in one hand and a book in the other. Is this the kingly way, or is it overbearing?"

"Domineering and domineering don't matter." Qi Tian shook his head, patted the barrel of the cannon beside him, and said proudly: "Justice and justice are only within the range of the cannon!"
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"Justice and justice are only within the range of cannons! Qi Tian completely disregards my Confucian tradition of gentleness, humility and humility!" Wang Zheng said: "Fighting against the Dutch, Westerners, and Portuguese can still protect the family. Weiguo, protect the people of China to explain this statement. But if Hanzhou continues like this, won’t it become a military state that relies solely on force.”

"Since Cao Xiong passed away and Qi Tian succeeded to the throne, his words and deeds have become more urgent." Bi Maokang also nodded and said: "It seems that he is worried about something and always wants to increase the military power of Hanzhou. Just now in the Black Mountain military camp, I also solemnly told many craftsmen that in Hanzhou, no matter what kind of industry skills, it is necessary to stay one step ahead of the times. As for the weapons manufactured, there must be a generation gap with Western countries in the same period, in order to form a weak trend of suppression. "

"The old man knows that he wants to make some arrangements when the Ming Dynasty is in danger." Wang Zheng said: "Whether it is emigrating from Daming, or collecting and rescuing more Chinese culture, it will be more convenient and the response will be faster. If Daming really arrives... at that time, our Hanzhou may directly send people into the territory of Daming."

"When the Great Tomorrow collapses, it is best to save all the books in Wenyuan Pavilion, Mingyi Pavilion and other libraries in the northern and southern capitals. That is the great fortune of my Chinese culture!"

"I'm afraid it's a little difficult to move all the books back to Wenyuan Pavilion and other libraries. There are more than 1 volumes in the Yongle Encyclopedia alone, which are divided into more than [-] volumes. To move these collections of books, how can we enter the northern and southern capitals?" Wang Zheng shook his head, "But if it is allowed to be destroyed in the flames of war, it will be the greatest catastrophe for our Han civilization!"

"There are silver mines in Hanzhou, maybe you can buy some of them." Bi Maokang said: "Those classics in the library are owned by the eunuchs in the palace, and there are many greedy people among those eunuchs. Hanzhou can send people to Wenyuan Pavilion in the two capitals, etc. If you spend more money, you may be able to smuggle out a lot of books."

"Smuggling classics?" Wang Zheng was stunned for a moment, and then smiled wryly, "Mr. Meng, you are..., this is the art of snakes and mice, and the righteousness of saints."

"How? Is your granddaughter-in-law willing to spend a little money to save my Han family's classics?" Bi Maokang said with a smile: "Didn't he often say that Hanzhou should inherit Chinese civilization and advocate Han family culture? If Hanzhou is to be strong , not only must the force be abundant, but also the culture shall prosper in order to conquer Siyi."
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"If we want to plunder the lands of Nanyang, I, Hanzhou, have some confidence. But if we want to go deep into the northern and southern capitals of the Ming Dynasty and rob those collected books, it is a bit difficult for a strong man!" Qi Tian said with a wry smile: "Even if the order of the Ming Dynasty collapsed, we How many people and how many boats are we going to send to smuggle those collections? Don’t forget, both Beijing and Nanjing are big cities with a population of several 10, and neither is by the seaside!”

"Grandpa said, let you start arranging people to go to Daming territory now, spend some money, and buy those eunuchs guarding the treasury, and smuggle them out bit by bit like a mouse moving house." Luo Yuru said: "If Daming really As you said, if they were wiped out by thieves, or replaced by Jiannu, those cultural books will be ruined!"

"Bribe eunuchs and smuggle classics from the library? Do you think those eunuchs are not afraid of death? If Emperor Chongzhen finds out, or if a minister finds out, they will definitely have their heads chopped off."

"Then how do you think to rescue those collected books?" Luo Yuru looked at her husband anxiously.

"Let me... think about it, this matter needs to be discussed in the long run." Qi Tian felt a little headache.

However, it is really necessary to smuggle the classics in the collections of the Ming Dynasty's northern and southern capitals to save Chinese culture.I still remember that some historical experts in later generations mentioned that when I was compiling the "Siku Quanshu", in order to ensure the legitimacy of its entry into the Central Plains, I destroyed many ancient books and tampered with many articles. Chinese culture has caused a certain degree of damage.

For this reason, Han Zhou really did something, even if he could salvage some of the classics of the past dynasties, it would still make a small contribution to the inheritance of Han family civilization.

(End of this chapter)