Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After the victory in the Liaodong Campaign, Zhu Youjian's authority was significantly enhanced.

His assessment of artillery quickly drew responses.

Yuan Keli, the Grand Councilor, invited Sun Chengzong and other meritorious officials from Liaodong to inspect the Equipment Research Institute and see the artillery under development.

Lu Xiang, who is in charge of research and development, introduced it very enthusiastically:

"Currently under research is on a 150mm cannon."

"Its shells can hold more steel arrows, making the arrow-type shrapnel shells more powerful."

After learning that Western artillery was superior, Yuan Keli became particularly interested in Western cannons and inquired about them:

"How does it compare to Western artillery?"

"What kind of cannon from the West is it equivalent to?"

Lu Xiang was momentarily at a loss for words, so Equipment Minister Bi Maokang said:

"The cannons of the Ming Dynasty are different from those of the West, and cannot be completely matched."

"We mainly use breech-loading guns, which have a faster rate of fire, and because they are breech-loaded, they mostly use cylindrical projectiles, which are distinguished by caliber."

"The Western guns use muzzle-loading cannons, which typically use spherical shells and are distinguished by the weight of the shells."

(Illustration of an early type of exploding bullet; the bullet is spherical with a wooden base underneath)

As he spoke, he had two cannonballs of different shapes brought out and asked the ministers to examine them closely.

These people were confused, so Lü Xiang explained in detail:
"The spherical projectiles of the Western 12-pounder cannon require a cannon with a caliber of approximately 120 mm to fire."

"This caliber is similar to our 125mm artillery, but it's not the same thing at all."

“In terms of caliber alone, the 42-pounder cannon currently used by the West has a caliber of over 170 millimeters. If we develop corresponding weapons based on caliber, then we should develop a 175-millimeter cannon.”

"But in reality, cylindrical projectiles are longer and thinner than spherical projectiles, and for the same caliber, cylindrical projectiles are much heavier than spherical projectiles."

"For artillery of the same caliber, the shells we use are far heavier than those from the West."

Holding a 3-pound spherical shell, Lü Xiang said:
"This is a shell from a Western 3-pounder cannon, about 76 millimeters in diameter, which needs to be fired from a 76-millimeter cannon."

"But our 50mm artillery can fire shells weighing more than 3 pounds."

"In terms of projectile power, the two are almost the same."

"Our cylindrical bullets are loaded from the rear, and the rate of fire is even faster."

Now the ministers were intrigued, and Sun Chengzong said:

"In that case, our 50mm artillery is equivalent to the Western 76mm artillery."

"Is the 150mm artillery we are developing equivalent to the 176mm artillery of the West? That is, the 42-pounder."

This algorithm made a group of artillery researchers chuckle, and thinking about it made them laugh.

Because the weight difference between cylindrical and spherical bullets of the same diameter is not constant, the larger the diameter, the more obvious the difference.

Lü Xiang pointed to the shrapnel trajectory developed for the 125mm Lügong gun:

"This is a new type of ammunition developed for the Western 42-pounder cannon, with a projectile weight exceeding 42 pounds."

"Moreover, according to estimates, the 125mm gun is fully capable of firing projectiles weighing over 50 pounds, but it is not needed at present."

"No need? Why not?" Sun Chengzong pressed.

Seize this point and ask follow-up questions, completely setting aside your previous miscalculations.

Before Lü Xiang could answer, Zheng Zhihu interjected:
"The reason why it is not needed is that the Navy does not have warships that can carry 50-pound guns."

"Even if they switch to 42-pound shells, existing warships may not be able to fire them in salvo."

"Even a 500-ton deckboat looks like this, let alone a treasure ship." "Minister Yu is focused on building treasure ships; why would he need cannons like this?"

His tone was somewhat dissatisfied; he had been arguing with Yu Anxing a lot lately about what kind of ship to build under the Naval Act.

He believed in building more warships, while Yu Anxing thought they should build treasure ships. Each had supporters, leading to the stalled drafting of the Naval Act.

As the Minister of the Navy, Yu Anxing was also present and said:
"It's not that I'm unwilling to build warships, but what use are warships besides fighting?"

"Our Great Ming's three island chain defense lines rely on the garrisons on the islands, which require supplies to be transported to the islands."

"Treasure ships can be used for both warfare and as merchant ships, making them far more practical than warships."

"When Eunuch Zheng He sailed to the Western Ocean, he used a fleet of treasure ships."

His position was far higher than Zheng Zhihu's, but Zheng Zhihu, as an earl, was not afraid of him. He argued:

"Was it the same as it is now when Zheng He was a eunuch?"

"At that time, other countries did not have many warships and mainly relied on boarding operations."

"What is the current situation? Western warships are coming from the west and controlling the South China Sea."

"His Majesty also said that future wars will be artillery battles. The treasure ships can only fire 6-pound cannons at most. Any larger cannons will not be able to withstand the pressure. How can we fight a cannon battle with Western warships?"

Yu Anxing disagreed, saying:

"The future is the future. How many Western warships are there in Southeast Asia right now?"

"If we build three hundred treasure ships and put a few cannons on each ship, we can kill them."

"Then, garrisons will be established on the islands of Southeast Asia, and vassal states will be established. Treasure ships can then transport goods, and the navy will also benefit."

This view was shared by many officials, who didn't even want to build treasure ships, let alone warships that could only be used for fighting.

Now that the emperor wants to establish a three-chain defense line, they agree to build some treasure ships to facilitate communication between the three island chains and the mainland.

However, many people believe that building warships specifically is unnecessary. Not to mention that warships are so expensive, nearly ten times the price of treasure ships.

In their view, such a huge expenditure was a waste of resources and manpower.

It can be said that Yu Anxing's thoughts reflected the mindset of many civil officials in the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng Zhilong's previous use of numerous small boats to defeat the Dutch warships also supported their claim.

However, Zheng Zhihu disagreed with this after he used his warships to dominate Liaodong.

He had never fought a naval battle against Western warships and knew nothing about artillery warfare. However, he had already figured out how to use the sea to control the land through the battles in Liaodong.

He pointed to the newly developed artillery shells from the Equipment Research Institute and asked:

"As we all know, the advantage of a deckboat is its sturdiness, which allows it to carry stronger artillery."

"Without larger deckboats, where should we store these powerful cannonballs?"

"You should know that in the Liaodong campaign last year, the Liaohe Fleet relied on arrow-type shrapnel shells to control both banks of the river. Wherever the warships could reach, the Jurchens could only flee."

"If we abandon the use of these shells, how can the navy control the land from the sea? Are we just going to sit on the ships and watch the land, letting the enemy harass us?"

This was entirely from the navy's perspective, and the naval officers who agreed with him echoed his sentiments.

Those who fight at sea naturally prefer to command specialized warships.

Even some naval officials, after considering the idea of ​​using the sea to control the land, believed that some giant ships capable of carrying cannons should be built.

However, Yu Anxing was very stubborn and believed that the treasure ship was more practical and far superior to the warship.

The two groups began arguing within the Equipment Research Institute. (End of Chapter)