My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 833 Qingzhou

"Fire!"

Following Zhu Zhanhe's order, a roar was heard from the artillery in front, and a shell flew out, hitting the target in the distance.

Mufas, who was accompanying him, thought it would be over when the cannonball hit the target, but he did not expect that there was another loud "bang" in the distance, and the cannonball exploded, sending the target stone wall flying in all directions.

"What...what's going on? Why did the cannonball explode?"

Mufas looked at the collapsed stone wall in the distance and couldn't help but asked in shock.

Ottoman also had artillery, but they all used solid bullets. This was the first time he saw the power of explosive bullets.

"This is an explosive shell. The shell is not solid inside, but contains gunpowder..."

Zhu Zhanhe gave a brief explanation of the principle of explosive shells. Mufas and Lal who accompanied him seemed to understand but they were very impressed by this exploding shell, and they could even imagine its appearance. Horrible scene on the battlefield.

Zhu Zhanhe then took Mufas to visit other places in the Second Arsenal. The reason why he took him to visit such an important place was to show his trust in Mufas and to show him the strength of the Han Dynasty.

After the visit, Zhu Zhanhe asked someone to bring a beautiful gift box to Mufas and said, "This is a gift I asked someone to prepare for you, for your self-defense!"

"Self-defense?"

Mufas was stunned for a moment, then curiously opened the box and saw a short gun inside, but there was a strange wheel on the trigger of the gun, which looked much more complicated than an ordinary gun.

"This is called a revolver. It contains a copper-cased bullet. This kind of gun is not very powerful and has a limited range, but the advantage is that it can fire continuously, which is enough to deal with some dangers that occur around you..."

Zhu Zhanhe said, picked up the revolver and explained it to Mufas in detail.

Although the research on copper-cased bullets is not going well, practical bullets can actually be produced. However, the cost of such bullets is too high and cannot be widely implemented in the military for the time being.

This kind of revolver was developed based on bullets. Zhu Zhanhe personally guided the people below to develop it. He planned to give it to some senior generals in the army for their daily self-defense.

After listening to Zhu Zhanhe's explanation, Mufas's eyes lit up. Then, under Zhu Zhanhe's guidance, he tried to fire a few shots at the target. As a result, he fired several shots in a row without any pause in between. This made him Mufas was also greatly surprised, and Lal next to him even showed an envious expression.

However, although the revolver is good, the biggest problem is that the bullets are too expensive. There are a hundred bullets in the box, and the value has exceeded the pistol itself. If Mufas runs out in the future and cannot be replenished, then this gun The pistol can only be used as a decoration.

Mufas loved the revolver so much that he thanked Zhu Zhanhe after accepting it, and then praised: "Your Highness, the arsenal of the Han Dynasty is really eye-opening. With such logistical support, it is no wonder that the Han army is invincible in the world. !”

"The invincibility of the world is a bit exaggerated, but with the sharpness of our current firearms, there is indeed no army that can stop our attack."

When Zhu Zhanhe said this, he also showed a confident expression.

In this era, although firearms have spread out, most of them are still in the era of front-loading smooth rifles and black powder. However, the Han Dynasty is about to enter the era of breech-loading rifled guns, and new gunpowder has also become practical. There are even several new types of gunpowder with different uses in the Yiren Yin. This is also the reason why copper-cased bullets can be made.

"I also know that the Han Dynasty has a strong military and cannot be defeated by our Ottomans, so I chose to cooperate with His Highness. I hope that Your Highness can help me achieve my wish in the future!"

Mufas finally brought the topic to himself.

In fact, since arriving at Beizhenggang, Mufas has wanted to discuss the follow-up of cooperation with Zhu Zhanhe several times. After all, he has handed over Egypt to the Han, and the next step is for the Han to support him in seizing the position of Ottoman Sultan.

But he didn't expect Zhu Zhanhe to talk about it several times without saying anything substantial. This made Mufas a little anxious, so he took this opportunity to change the topic again today.

"Haha, I know what you are worried about Mufas, but you don't need to think too much. I already have a preliminary idea about your matter. I will discuss it with you in detail after we return to Xijing!"

Zhu Zhanhe saw through Mufas's thoughts at a glance, and immediately said with a smile.

"This... I'm too impatient. When will we return to Xijing?"

Mufas admitted his mistake, but was obviously still worried.

"I have something to do tomorrow, so we'll set off the day after tomorrow. I've already arranged a train, and we'll be able to reach Xijing in one day."

Zhu Zhanhe laughed and said that he understood Mufas' anxious mood very well. If he were to change positions, he might be more anxious than the other party. "Great, I've long heard that Dahan has a car that sprays sparks and can travel thousands of miles in a day. This time I can finally experience it for myself!"

Mufas was very excited when he heard this. Of course, he was definitely not excited because of the train, but because Zhu Zhanhe was finally going to give him an accurate answer.

Early the next morning, Zhu Zhanhe asked Mufas to rest in the post house while he took people to the navy station.

"Zhan He, you're finally here. When can we set off?"

Zhang Zhong had been waiting for Zhu Zhanhe for a long time, and immediately stepped forward to ask when he came in.

"Don't worry, don't you want me to see your navy's drill? Let's talk about it after watching it!"

Zhu Zhanhe laughed.

After the Suez Canal was opened, the navy also needed to station a fleet at Port Mufas in order to expand the Han's influence in the Mediterranean. Zhang Zhong personally led the team. He had been preparing for this for a long time, but he never accepted it. to the order to depart.

"No problem, we haven't been idle in the past few years. We have become very proficient in steam battleship drills. Now it's time for actual combat!"

Zhang Zhong nodded immediately.

After the propeller steamships came into use a few years ago, the Navy began to change its equipment. The original sail warships were replaced little by little. Now the steam warships in the navy have accounted for less than half of the navy's warships. Zhang Zhong also uses steam warships in ordinary times. The pirates were wiped out, but a battle of this scale was simply not enough to demonstrate the advantages of steam battleships.

So Zhang Zhong took Zhu Zhanhe to the navy's military port, where they saw battleships docked one after another. Although sail battleships occupied the mainstream, there were more than a dozen steam battleships parked at the core, and there were dark holes on the battleships. The muzzles represent their strength.

Zhu Zhanhe and Zhang Zhong boarded one of the largest steam battleships together. This battleship is called Qingzhou. It is the largest battleship of the Han Dynasty. There are nine battleships of the same type. They are named after ancient Kyushu. This Qingzhou The number is Zhang Zhong's ship.

After boarding the ship, Zhang Zhong gave an order, and the remaining dozen steam warships slowly sailed out of the port along with the Qingzhou, and finally arrived at an uninhabited island not far from the port. This is the navy's training ground. There are many targets set up on the island.

More than a dozen steam warships lined up in a long line and suddenly stopped a few miles away from the island. Then Zhang Zhong was seen ordering: "Fire!"

As the flagship, the Qingzhou's cannons on the bow fired first, and then other steam warships also fired in sequence. At the same time, the muzzles on the hull also began to aim. At one time, hundreds of cannons fired at the same time, and the desert island in the distance was littered with rubble. Fly, fire is everywhere.

After several rounds of artillery fire, there were almost no complete targets on the island, and the rocks on the island seemed to have been plowed, with gravel and gun craters everywhere.

After demonstrating the bombardment, Zhang Zhong commanded the warships again and changed several formations for maritime combat. Although Zhu Zhanhe did not understand naval warfare, he could still see that these warships were operated very skillfully. Obviously, the soldiers on board were all It took a lot of hard work.

"It's really good. The performance of the steam battleship is enough to allow our big men to travel across the world. Brother Zhang, you have worked hard too!"

Zhu Zhanhe finally praised, after all, steam battleships are a new thing and have never been used in war before, so Zhang Zhong had to explore everything by himself. The ability to train battleships like this is obviously all Zhang Zhong's credit.

"It's not that I have to work hard. The main thing is that my soldiers are capable, willing to learn and not afraid of hardship. Only then can I train the steam battleship to what it is now."

Zhang Zhong did not take the credit, but praised his soldiers.

However, the quality of navy officers is indeed relatively high, because the recruitment conditions of the navy are set relatively high. Not only do they need to be physically good, but they also need to be mentally flexible. Especially for some specific positions, you need to learn some skills, such as gunners on ships. The salary is higher than that of gunners on land.

"Brother Zhang, if the imperial court sends you to garrison at Port Mufas, how many warships do you plan to bring with you?"

Zhu Zhanhe pondered for a moment, and then asked Zhang Zhong.

Although it was decided before that Zhang Zhong would lead the navy to Port Mufas, this matter was of great importance and Zhu Zhanhe had been considering it. Now he wanted to hear Zhang Zhong's opinion.

"As the northern port of the Suez Canal, Port Mufas is also the key to our entry into the Mediterranean. In addition to guarding the security of the port, the naval garrison must also have certain offensive capabilities, so I decided to send a mixed fleet..."

Zhang Zhong did not beat around the bush and simply stated his thoughts.

In his vision, he would bring eight steam battleships to Mufas this time, including the large battleship Qingzhou, and ten sail battleships. Although the sail battleships were slow and their steering was not flexible, they were There is still enough strength for defense.

The steam warships are used as an offensive force. For example, Venice has been waiting for this day for the next attack on the Ottoman Navy. Even after the canal was opened, they sent people to Dahan again, hoping that Dahan could send out the navy as soon as possible. Because in the past few years, they have slowly been at a disadvantage in the battles with the Ottomans.

(End of this chapter)