Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1360 The Heavenly Road (6k)

Three days later, four tracked vehicles arrived at an artillery position near the sea in a coastal city.

These four tracked vehicles look familiar, but they're different from the common ones. The biggest difference is their length!
The rockets from these two rocket launchers look similar to those from the already deployed Type 130 rocket launcher, but they are much longer.

The militiamen at the artillery position all gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Nobody has ever seen such a big machine before. Let alone this, even the militia rarely sees a Type 130 mortar; that's equipment for the regular army.

Due to the unique nature of the artillery battles here, the militia constituted a significant proportion of the force and played a crucial role. Some cannons were even operated not only by the militia but entirely by female militia members, who displayed remarkable bravery and skill.

"This tank looks really strange. It has so many gun barrels, but I can't see the turret." As the core militia of Binhai, the comrades are very familiar with tanks. Every year they practice fighting tanks.
"This isn't a tank, it's a rocket launcher." This thing looks a bit different from the rocket launchers in the militia training manual, but some imaginative comrades still recognized it.

"This cannon is different from others; with so many tubes, I wonder how powerful it is."

"This is amazing. Let me tell you, this cannon doesn't fire one shot at a time, it fires in swarms, just like bees, they all go out with a buzz."

"Let me count, one, two... three, nine, forty! Dad, Dad, this cannon has forty barrels!"

"If all 40 pipes were used in one place, that would be incredible. Who would be so lucky?"

"I heard they're here to conduct some kind of experiment."

"Oh? It's not used here long-term, what a pity."

The comrades looked at the four new machines with great interest. It was clear that these four machines had just rolled off the production line; the white rims on the wheels were still brand new, without a speck of dirt.

Each car smelled of paint.

As novel as it may be, the comrades didn't find anything wrong with it. It was perfectly normal to bring new weapons to the battlefield for testing; they had seen new things come to them before.

Don't forget, although the fighting here is sporadic, it's a real battle, the kind that involves bloodshed and sacrifice.

The militia comrades were just watching the spectacle, while the serious artillery comrades were really getting to the bottom of things.

The commander of the artillery position is exchanging information with the commanders of the four newly arrived vehicles.

"Commander Zhao, you've only brought these four vehicles this time. What about the ammunition supply vehicle? Do you need us to arrange logistical support?" If the comrades who came to conduct the experiment are not adequately prepared due to limited resources, the comrades here will provide assistance.

Although only four vehicles arrived, roughly the size of a company, the highest-ranking commander who came was actually a regimental commander. This test was definitely not simple; it was a major test, a very important test.

Although they weren't in charge of commanding rocket artillery, the commanders at the artillery positions were no strangers to rocket artillery. They could tell at a glance that these four vehicles were guzzlers, capable of consuming 40 shells at a time, and those were the long rockets. It would be strange if there wasn't an ammunition vehicle following behind.

Commander Zhao laughed and pointed to the front part of the self-propelled rocket launcher, saying, "No need, our vehicle carries its own ammunition."

Upon seeing the ammunition box, which was clearly different from the directional tube in the rear section, the commander of the artillery position realized that it was actually spare ammunition.

"Wow? So many? Eighty shells loaded on one vehicle?" He was quite envious; this thing would be awesome to use!
Our new weapons are becoming increasingly advanced and surprising.

With this, leaders at all levels will no longer be afraid of our lack of firepower.

Leaders at all levels: Young comrade, you're overthinking it. This disease is incurable.

Regiment Commander Zhao said proudly, "Yes, this has just been finalized. It was designed to solve the problems of fire suppression and continuous fire suppression, so not only are there many barrels, but also 40 rounds are prepared!"

Hmm? It's already finalized, but they still want to keep testing it? Tsk tsk tsk, it seems the testing of this equipment is really thorough.

While the local commander was thinking, Regiment Commander Zhao added, "However, this time we don't plan to fire 80 rounds. We'll fire 40 rounds and then leave. After firing 40 rounds, we'll withdraw and inspect the vehicle, mainly to test its performance under the salt spray conditions at the seaside."

That's too ruthless; it defeats the purpose of artillery combat. We're here to conduct experiments; we must remember that experimentation is the objective, not to linger in battle.

"This... when conducting experiments, shouldn't we try reloading?" The commander on this side was itching to try it out; he'd never seen anything like it before.

Commander Zhao shook his head: "The higher-ups have arranged for testing. Besides, the ammunition replacement has been tested elsewhere, so there's no need to test it here." Not only had it been tested, but it was also tested in a place with salt spray, and for a much longer time than here.

As for why the salt spray test duration was so short, that wasn't a question for Commander Zhao to consider. He just needed to follow the test plan issued by his superiors. Perhaps it was because they had conducted enough tests at other seaside locations, so the duration was shorter here.

The local commander seemed to understand it only vaguely, but since they were following orders and plans, there must be a scientific reason behind it.

The comrades who could make such a good cannon would naturally have arranged the best test plan as well.

"When do you plan to take action? Do you need our cooperation?"

"Yes, we need you. You'll fight alongside us, as long as you coordinate your timing. As for the rest, just follow your usual combat habits and arrangements," Commander Zhao said.

"Understood! This is the performance of the new equipment under the condition of testing joint operations with multiple artillery types! Testing through combat, promoting testing through combat, and combining combat and testing—good, our researchers' arrangements are excellent!" The local commander felt he had learned something new.

"When will it start?" We must cooperate well and not let the comrades who come to conduct the experiment, as well as the equipment researchers behind the scenes, laugh at us.

"It's expected to be 3 PM today, but we'll have to wait for further notice." Commander Zhao said, glancing at his watch as he watched the four 40-tube 122mm rocket launchers enter the position.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away!"

"Remember, nothing special, just like the ones you usually fight," Commander Zhao reminded him again.

"Understood, no problem, don't worry."

The artillery positions were making preparations for the test in an orderly manner, and in addition to the four visible vehicles, many other auxiliary equipment were also providing support for the test on the unseen battlefield.

Not far away, a platform was raised high on an armored vehicle. This vehicle looked somewhat like an armored reconnaissance vehicle that had already been put into service, but it carried more equipment.

Wind direction: XXX.X°

Wind speed: X.X m/s

Temperature: XX.X℃

"Air humidity: XX%"

In fact, combat with advanced weapons seems quite boring compared to traditional weapons, mainly because the atmosphere isn't as exciting, the sense of immersion isn't strong, and there isn't enough adrenaline.

Unlike traditional combat scenarios, after various meteorological data were collected on this reconnaissance vehicle, no one shouted into the microphone to report to the relevant units. Instead, the control computer quietly collected the data from the sensors, verified it, and then quietly sent it out.

Silently, the four self-propelled rocket launchers received a steady stream of reconnaissance data.

The fire control computer of the self-propelled rocket launcher is constantly receiving these parameters, and at the same time, it is manually or automatically acquiring its own direction, angle, coordinates and other data. It is constantly calculating in the fire control computer and is always ready to output. Once it obtains the clear target coordinates and receives the gun adjustment command, the computer will control the elevation and traverse mechanisms to adjust the gun angle to the appropriate state.

This battle... no, this experiment was really boring, not exciting at all!

Commander Zhao, who had been using both old and new equipment, felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Although he was not used to it, he knew very well what kind of murderous intent was hidden in this "silence" where there was no bustling human voices, only the sounds of engines and hydraulic equipment.

Each cannon has 40 rounds, so four cannons would have 160 rounds. If you include spare ammunition, that's 320 rounds!
At this moment, Commander Zhao's thoughts were somewhat like a classic line from a movie that a famous director filmed in Daiyan Town, Qiancheng, decades later.

In fact, not only on the ground, but also in the air, comrades were busy with this test.

A Be-6 seaplane patrol aircraft was lingering nearby. People on both sides were already used to this scene and took it for granted.

But today was a little different. Around 2 p.m., the optical observer on the patrol aircraft pressed his eye against the eyepiece of the optical reconnaissance system and carefully looked down.

Compared to the eyepiece, the display screen is still somewhat blurry. When not using the thermal imager channel, the observer still prefers to use the eyepiece.

"Yes, there are about 50 people who have entered a building next to the training field."

"Continue to observe."

Their reconnaissance report was quickly transmitted back to the test command.

"It seems the experimental conditions are good, and the supporting data from the pre-experimental plan are correct."

"Yes. Shall we begin?"

"No, wait. The warhead of the rocket has limited effect on buildings. We should test its effectiveness in an open field."

"If only we were allowed to test laser-guided bombs, we could drop two 1000kg ones and they'd hit their targets every time!"

"No, since we're conducting experiments on the battlefield, it's better not to upgrade our combat methods. The situation is special, hehehe."

Another half hour passed, and the optical observer on the Be-6 noticed that the situation was beginning to change.

“A large number of people came out of the building and sat down on the side of the open-air training field. It’s that open-air training field that’s full of chairs and banners.”

"how many people?"

"About 50 people, that means everyone inside has come out."

"Then there shouldn't be any problem. Distance measurement! Positioning!" By using the aircraft's own position, direction, distance, and other data, it's easy to calculate the coordinates of this seat.

The data obtained in this way is accurate enough, and even if the accuracy is slightly off, it doesn't matter. With 160 rockets, the experiment can be completed successfully no matter what.

At this moment, on the ground artillery positions, both the 122mm guns and the existing artillery were already in full battle readiness.

"Commander, the coordinates are down!" The operations staff officer next to Commander Zhao pointed to the monitor on the command vehicle.

Forward this to all vehicles!

"Yes!"

Moments later, the four 122mm guns received the final and most important firing data—the target coordinates.

As the gunner pressed the confirm button, the confirmed coordinate parameters entered the fire control computer, and together with all the previous parameters, the most needed data for the artillery—direction and angle—was calculated.

The launchers of the four rocket launchers began to rotate slowly, and soon they were ready to fire.

Unlike the four cannons, on the old-fashioned barrel artillery position, the comrades were issuing commands based on the data from the command post, while the gunners were rapidly adjusting the direction of the cannons by cranking the azimuth and elevation mechanisms.

The comrades were well-trained and fast, but compared to the four rocket launchers next to them, they were completely different.

Although their firing parameters differ from those of rocket launchers due to their range, this difference is not the reason why their performance is vastly different from that of rocket launchers.

The artillery position commander looked enviously at the four rocket launchers with their muzzles raised high in the distance, and couldn't help but say to his comrades beside him, "The new rocket launchers are really something else, so convenient, and the speed is incredible. I wish we could use these kinds of guns too."

His comrade next to him laughed and said, "That's probably difficult. The situation here is special, you know that."

Being too aggressive and driving people away would have resulted in something completely different from the original goal.

The commander laughed: "You're right, hahaha. But as long as the other comrades can use this kind of gun, that's good."

Meanwhile, on the 122mm artillery side, where the artillery had already been adjusted, the staff officer was making a final request to Regiment Commander Zhao.

"Commander, the artillery has been adjusted. Shall we fire or wait for the other comrades?"

Commander Zhao said, "Fire! We're ahead of them, which is a bit better. Their range is shorter, so their shells might land first, potentially causing undesirable consequences."

Anyone who lives in the countryside knows that if you throw stones into a pack of dogs, the dogs will run away as soon as the first stone lands, and the stones after that may not be effective.

"shooting!"

With a command from the command vehicle, the gunners of the four rocket launchers pressed the button to fire all the rockets.

The comrades in charge of the artillery were still operating the cannons when suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the air.

The comrades couldn't help but turn their heads to look, and saw that the four new rocket launchers were already shrouded in smoke, with long rockets trailing long tail flames and thick smoke, flying forward with a "whoosh" sound.

"Awesome! So awesome!" Most people are infected by the atmosphere when they see rockets firing.

The continuous stream of rockets flying out of the nozzle, the long trails of smoke forming in the sky, and the orderly clusters of bright lights from the rockets' tail flames moving forward at high speed within the smoke—all of this can bring people's emotions to their peak.

"Comrades, let's give it our all!" the position commander shouted to the artillery positions.

His comrade next to him laughed and said, "This cannon is good, but the dispersion is a bit large. Look, the trajectory of the bullets is no longer on the same line as they are fired. The direction changes."

Looking around, the commander could see that the muzzle of the rocket launcher was changing angles as it fired. Although the changes were subtle, it was clear that the trajectories of the rockets fired at different times were different.

He laughed: "Their rate of fire is too fast. There's no way around it; the artillery doesn't have time to return to its stable position before the next shot is fired. That's probably the price of a high rate of fire. But it's okay. Rocket artillery is for suppression, so a larger dispersion doesn't matter. I still prefer this; it's more exciting to fire with. It's like a single-shot rifle versus a burst-fire rifle. With a single-shot rifle, every shot is accurate, but with a burst-fire rifle, you can't control the recoil, and the later shots just go off somewhere. But if you were given the choice on the battlefield, would you choose single-shot or burst-fire?"

"Then it must have been fired in quick succession, is that even a question?"

From the Be-6 aircraft, even without optical reconnaissance systems, the comrades could see the rocket launchers flying through the air, trailing long plumes of smoke. There was no other way; rocket launchers needed to be cheap, efficient, and have a high specific impulse. To achieve this, the simplest method was to add Al and AP propellants to the double-base propellant, both of which produced considerable smoke.

"Hmm, this trajectory looks a bit scattered, why is it going up and down?" As a patrol aircraft, the Be-6 crew, who often provides target designation for artillery battles, is no stranger to artillery.

"Rocket launchers have a high rate of fire and a large dispersion, that's normal."

"The dispersion of rocket artillery is indeed greater than that of artillery, but this is ridiculously large," said one of the crew members.

"The new rocket launcher is still in the testing phase. Today's test was just for testing. It will probably be improved later." That's all the comrades could hope for. Otherwise, the trajectory of this rocket launcher did look ridiculous.

Fortunately, this is a test launcher, and there is still time. I believe the comrades who are researching rocket artillery will be able to solve the problem.

If it were Gao Zhendong's previous life, solving the dispersion problem with rocket launchers with a range of 30 to 40 kilometers would have taken forever, but this rocket launcher is different.

Not long after, when the rocket hit its target, the comrades collectively exclaimed "Eh!" in surprise.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?"

"How strange! I never expected this, I really never expected this!"

"Hahaha, amazing! The comrades who made this rocket launcher are absolutely brilliant!"

"..."

They were so surprised because they discovered that these rockets, which were launched at different times and had a total launch time of tens of seconds, landed at the same time!
These 160 rockets should have landed at different times due to their different launch times; this is a result that even a fool could figure out.

However, this batch of rockets was different. Despite their varying altitudes, they landed almost simultaneously, as if they had planned it together!

Sixty rockets exploded simultaneously in the target area, creating a dazzling display that left the comrades breathless.

This blessing is so great that it's almost overwhelming.

The dispersion of these rockets is typical of normal rockets, slightly larger than that of artillery shells, but not out of line. Considering the range of this test, this dispersion can even be considered excellent.

With 160 rockets and a small target area, this "slightly large" size was perfectly concealed.

Quantity is also a kind of quality.

That's a tiny patch of land. If 160 rockets were to hit it, even if they scattered, where would they scatter to?

"I understand, I understand. This was intentionally designed by the comrades who work on rocket artillery. By using different trajectories and resulting in different flight times, they make rockets that are not launched at the same time land at the same time, completely denying various combat targets any chance to escape by taking advantage of the time difference!"

"No way, they can even calculate this clearly?"

"Never mind that, just ask if you landed at the same time."

"Are we already that good?"

"Absolutely! We'll make all our enemies cry for their parents and never return!"

As expected, the rocket launchers stopped firing after firing 40 rounds, while the artillerymen had just fired their second shell.

To be honest, the comrades who were in charge of the artillery were already very impressive. Inspired and driven by the rocket launchers, they achieved their fastest speed except for the few major artillery battles. However, compared to the almost fully automatic rocket launchers, they were still far behind.

Seeing that the rocket artillery had begun to lower its launch tubes and withdraw from the position, the commander of the artillery position picked up the microphone.

"Commander Zhao, there's no need to rush. They won't dare to retaliate here."

As a modern war that lasted intermittently for 21 years in real history—the artillery battle—both sides had long been experienced, not to mention that things had changed along this front.

"Don't you dare?"

"Yes, we have an anti-artillery radar behind us. If they dare to attack our position, they will suffer the consequences."

If Gao Zhendong were here, he would definitely laugh. This is utterly a desperate attempt to escape. They were already afraid, but now they're even more afraid.

Commander Zhao understood; there was such a thing. As the commander of the artillery testing unit, he knew all too well how incredible this thing was; no wonder.

However, he still did not let his comrades stop withdrawing from the position: "Our operational regulations stipulate that we must withdraw after the battle. There is no other way, we cannot violate the regulations, and I can also use this opportunity to train my troops."

The artillery position commander then realized that not only were the weapons new, but their tactics were also new. New weapons with new tactics—that's normal, that's normal.

When he saw the new rocket launchers being orderly withdrawn from their positions, and then thought about the counter-battery radar 20 kilometers behind him that had provided powerful and accurate support for his previous operations, he was shocked and alarmed.

This is a feeling that all traditional artillerymen would have.

With the positioning speed of counter-battery radar, coupled with the firing speed of similar new rocket artillery, even if the rocket artillery is widely dispersed, no artillery unit would dare to remain on the position or slowly retreat after firing.

Although he was not familiar with rocket artillery, his expertise in artillery warfare allowed him to estimate how long it would take for a counter-attack to arrive under this system.

In extreme cases, it can be measured in seconds, since tens of seconds is still seconds.

(End of this chapter)