Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 138: Nine-Section Ten-Fire Cannon, Re-Discussing Firearms
Chapter 137 Nine Sections Ten-Point Cannon
The sound of "bang bang bang" gunfire was heard not far away. It was the craftsman calibrating his gun at the shooting range.

Bi Fangji introduced that the gun factory referred to the regulations of the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty. Every time a matchlock gun was made, it was required to fire three bullets continuously. If there were no problems, it would be considered qualified, and the batch number could be engraved and wait for delivery.

What is qualified? The regulations of the Ministry of Industry in the Ming Dynasty stipulated that a new gun must fire three bullets in a row without exploding. The regulations of the gun factory were more stringent. In addition to requiring that the gun must not explode, at least one bullet must hit the target and penetrate the target.

Danchu had seen the sample guns, and his personal guards had also replaced thirty new muskets. Just as he wanted to check out the flintlock sample guns on site, he walked to the shooting range with everyone else.

Next to the matchlock target, there was a hunchbacked craftsman, probably in his forties, smoking a yellow pipe as if no one was around. Next to him was a young apprentice, busying around, handing over the gun, loading the bullets, and cleaning the gun chamber.

There were three piles of matchlock guns scattered on the ground, one pile was qualified after calibration, one pile was unqualified after calibration, and the other pile was waiting for calibration. Not far away were piles of gunpowder, lead bullets, matchlocks, etc.

During the Ming Dynasty, tobacco was introduced to China and gradually became popular. From the upper class to the common people, and even in the army, there were many smokers. Even the Manchu Eight Banners, which were known for their harsh military discipline, were also very popular with tobacco. The Qing government had no choice but to turn a blind eye despite repeated bans.

However, how could he smoke in this important shooting range, surrounded by gunpowder and fuse? The craftsman seemed to have no manners at all. Even when the guards were calling him, he remained indifferent.

Danchu looked displeased, and Liu Tongchun quickly said, "Please forgive me, Marshal. This is Master Liu, my fellow villager. He has been making guns since he was a child and has a unique skill. If there is a problem with the gun, send it to him and he will fix it. For new guns, you can test fire three times to tell whether they are good or bad.

"Master Liu dealt with guns every day, and his ears were deafened and he couldn't hear other people talking. His wife and children were killed by the Qing soldiers, and he was disabled and couldn't have children. His only hobby was smoking. However, he was thoughtful and never made mistakes."

Bi Fangji also said: "Master Liu is indeed a firearms wizard. The guns he has calibrated never have any problems. We are all very relieved."

Danchu then turned his anger into joy, thinking, there are many talented people in the Jianghu. To do great things, one must learn to unite talents, and to be a commander, one must make good use of talents.

He summoned Master Liu.

Liu Tongchun gestured to him and explained loudly, and finally explained his purpose. Master Liu was shocked and knelt down to pay his respects to Danchu.

Danchu helped him up. Seeing his sharp eyes, he knew he was no ordinary man. He said, "Master Liu, please stand up. Please stand up. You are a hero of our Zhaoyong Army. Here is five taels of silver as a reward. It is a small gift from me. Please accept it."

The personal soldiers presented five taels of silver, but Master Liu refused, and Danchu refused.

Liu Tongchun said, "Old Liu, the Marshal is very kind to you, why don't you show him some of your skills?"

Master Liu smiled innocently and said, "I am so sorry for showing off my ugliness."

The worker took a piece of iron plate and used it as a new target. Master Liu took a calibrated matchlock gun and skillfully loaded it with gunpowder and bullets, firing three times in succession. Although he was old, his gun skills were still good, and his shooting speed was faster than that of a skilled shooter.

The guard took the iron plate and found three bullet marks in the middle, no more than five inches apart.

"Absolutely!" Danchu was very happy and ordered to reward Master Liu with another ten taels of silver.

Master Liu was also very happy and said with a smile: "General, to be honest, I have been dealing with muskets all my life, and I have never seen such a good musket. It is accurate, lightweight, powerful, reliable, and not prone to explosion."

"Haha," Danchu said, "What are the shortcomings and deficiencies? I mainly want to hear this. Master Liu is an old hand, so please speak frankly."

Master Liu is hard of hearing and has difficulty communicating with others. Despite this, Danchu is still willing to talk to him.

He thought for a moment and said, "This gun is good, but the barrel is too long and too hard, making it difficult to drill and using a drill bit. There is a process in eastern Zhejiang that can divide the gun barrel into several short tubes, making it much easier to drill holes in the longer tubes. The tubes can then be forged and spliced ​​together, which is very efficient."

This? Obviously not desirable. Danchu asked: "Does the gun produced by this process need to be charged less?"

"The handsome man is wise."

Danchu shook his head and smiled bitterly, “We made the barrel very long, three feet long, and used steel to make the barrel in order to increase the chamber pressure, increase the charge, and improve the power and accuracy of the musket.

"Only in this way can we surpass the Jiangwan bow in range, power and accuracy. Only in this way can the soldiers seize the advantage and kill the enemy first when fighting against the Manchus.

"If we follow what Master Liu said and divide the long gun barrel into several short gun barrels and then forge them together, the joints will definitely be fragile. In this way, the gun barrel cannot withstand the high chamber pressure and the charge will have to be reduced. The bullets fired out will not be able to penetrate the Ming armor and will have less killing power than a bow, which goes against the original purpose of the musket."

This was said very professionally, and Bi Fangji, Liu Yuchun, Master Liu and others were convinced.

The autumn weather was crisp and the cool breeze was blowing. Master Liu's words inspired Danchu: It is indeed not feasible to make a gun barrel in sections, but is it not feasible to make a cannon barrel in sections?

He suddenly thought of a story: During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the Qing army conquered the Jinchuan region. The terrain was rugged and difficult to navigate, and the Qing army suffered heavy casualties. As a last resort, the Qing army invented the "Nine-section, Ten-component Cannon" and only then did they defeat the chieftains of the Jinchuan region with difficulty.

"Nine sections, ten complete guns", as the name suggests, the gun barrel is divided into nine sections, each section is the same length and thickness, one end is engraved with a male thread, and the other end is engraved with a female thread. When in use, the nine sections are screwed together to form a complete gun barrel. The greatest significance of this gun is that it can be carried in sections, which greatly improves its mobility. It is no problem to cross mountains and ridges, and it can be carried by horses or people.

"Quick! Bring paper and pen!" Danchu shouted loudly as inspiration came.

Secretary Yang Yunqing had the habit of carrying a pen bag with him, and he quickly took out paper and pen from it.

The accompanying personal guards brought a chair, and the craftsman placed an iron plate on it to serve as a desk.

Dan Chu couldn't contain his excitement. He half-knelt on the ground and used pen and paper to draw the outline of the nine-section, ten-stage cannon.

He put down his pen, looked at it proudly for a moment, and said, "Master Liu, thank you very much. Just now, your words inspired me a lot. The barrel is too thin, and it is not feasible to make it in sections, but the barrel is very thick, so it may be possible to make it in sections.

"Look, everyone. The gun barrel I designed is divided into nine sections, each of which is threaded. For easy transportation, it can be carried in sections, with each section weighing dozens or even hundreds of pounds. During combat, they can be screwed together to form a complete gun barrel.

"At present, the Red Coat Cannon is very powerful and can blow down the city walls, but it is too heavy and inconvenient to transport. Although the Tiger Crouching Cannon, Weiyuan Cannon and other cannons are easy to carry, their power is too small.

"This cannon is easy to carry and can maintain its power, making it a powerful weapon for field battles. Once manufactured, it will surely become a powerful weapon for our army."

Bi Fangji, Liu Yuchun, Master Liu and others applauded and respected Danchu even more.

Chapter 138: Firearms Again

Inspired by the Nine-Section Ten-Performance Cannon, Danchu realized again that the Eight Banners were equipped with a high rate of firearms, which was more advanced than the Ming army. Even in the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, when the Qing emperors advocated riding and shooting, the Eight Banners were also vigorously equipped with firearms. The excellent riding and shooting tradition, coupled with advanced firearms, made the Eight Banners the most powerful cavalry in Asia.

The dense rice fields in the south were not conducive to the cavalry's galloping, which could weaken the cavalry advantage of the Eight Banners. The Zhaoyong Army lacked horses. In order to defeat the Eight Banners, it had to develop more advanced firearms and create more intensive firepower. In addition to the nine-section 10-combination cannon, what other firearms could be widely promoted? Danchu racked his brains and recalled the development of firearms in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Red Cannon? The Red Cannon technology was mature, but this type of cannon was too heavy, weighing hundreds of pounds at the lightest and thousands of pounds at the heaviest. It was usually used for attacking and defending cities, and was not suitable for field battles.

Skyrocket? Yes, the skyrocket can fire shrapnel, which was highly valued by the Qing army. It was named Weiyuan Dajiangjun Cannon by the Qing court. It was only allowed to be equipped by the Eight Banners, not the Green Camp, and only allowed to be produced in the capital, not in other places. After Jiaqing, the technology of shrapnel was lost.

The Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming system, and the Ming army had long been able to skillfully produce red-haired cannons and sky rockets. However, this did not give the Ming army much advantage on the battlefield.

Matchlock gun? This is indeed a direction we should strive for. The Ming army called it bird gun, and the Qing army called it bird gun. The Qing emperor once selected soldiers from various flags to form Jianrui Battalion, Bird Gun Battalion, Firearm Battalion, etc., equipped with a large number of light and heavy matchlock guns, and made great contributions to the expansion of the territory of the Qing Dynasty.

Danchu was already vigorously developing the matchlock rifle and had begun to improve the flintlock rifle.

By the way, there is another type of firearm that should be taken seriously: the mountain-splitting cannon.

As the name suggests, the mountain-splitting cannon means that the cannon is powerful enough to split the mountain. This is of course an exaggeration. The Qing army began to equip the mountain-splitting cannon very early, but it did not attract much attention at first. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the mountain-splitting cannon played an outstanding role in suppressing the Taiping Army, the Hunan Army, and the Northwest Hui Rebellion, and was regarded as a sharp weapon by the Qing army.

But in fact, the power of the mountain-splitting cannon is not great, but it is light and easy to carry. It is a light artillery that is relatively balanced in terms of mobility, portability, power, etc., and is suitable for field battles.

Or to put it more bluntly, the mountain-splitting cannon was suitable for civil wars, to deal with weak domestic enemies. The Qing army was good at civil wars but not at foreign wars, which can be seen from this.

The mountain-splitting cannon evolved from the Weiyuan cannon and the Hudun cannon of the Ming Dynasty. It fires lead bullets with weights ranging from dozens of kilograms to six or seven hundred kilograms. Its prominent feature is that the barrel is relatively slender and its power is greater than that of the Weiyuan cannon and the Hudun cannon.

Thanks to the advancement of iron smelting technology, the mountain-splitting cannon can withstand higher chamber pressure. When firing, dozens or even hundreds of lead bullets burst out, forming a fan-shaped shooting surface, like a large spray gun, which is very effective against dense enemy formations. The mountain-splitting cannon weighing six or seven hundred kilograms can reach a range of five miles.

We must seek truth from facts when doing anything. We must also combine reality with the development of weapons. The most advanced and superior weapons often have deficiencies in cost, reliability, etc., and are not suitable for equipping the military.

The Nine-Section, Ten-Complete Cannon and the Mountain-Splitting Cannon may not be very advanced, but they are very suitable for the national conditions and have withstood the test of history.

What Danchu needs to do is to use his knowledge advantage to point out the right direction for the Zhaoyong Army, and avoid taking detours in the development of firearms like the Ming army did.

He drew a picture of a mountain-splitting cannon on the spot and said to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen, I name this cannon a mountain-splitting cannon. In the past, iron smelting technology was not up to standard, and the ratio of the cannon barrel length to the caliber... By the way, what is this called in cannon casting?"

"Twice the diameter." Liu Yuchun blurted out.

"Yes, it is the caliber. The caliber of the Hudun Cannon and Weiyuan Cannon is relatively small, the gunpowder is easy to deflate, the chamber pressure is low, the range and power of the shells are insufficient, and the effect of hitting the Tartars is not good. Now that our iron smelting technology has improved, we might as well increase the caliber, make the barrel slender, and thus increase the power of the cannon."

The progress of materials technology often drives the overall progress of science and technology.

A very realistic example is that the Ming Dynasty's shrapnel shells could only be fired with a mortar. Because the shells were hollow inside and the outer iron shell was relatively fragile, they could only be fired with a mortar (a cannon), which had a relatively short range, with the maximum range generally being around two miles. If the shrapnel shells were fired with a red cannon, the barrel would explode.

The advancement of iron smelting technology made it possible for the Shoei Army to cast harder shells. By then, the Shoei Army could use light red cannons to fire shrapnel shells, which would not only expand the use of red cannons, but also increase the range of shrapnel shells.

Since we are talking about artillery, Danchu simply talked more about it, and especially emphasized the mobility of artillery: "During the Jiajing period, the country was faced with unprecedented border troubles from the Japanese in the south and the barbarians in the north. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was still strong, and many famous generals emerged.

"Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang were both outstanding at the time, and both had guarded the northern border. Yu Dayou made chariots and trained chariot camps to resist Mongolia. Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang were in charge of the northern border defense, and the chariots made by Yu Dayou were of great help.

"However, the chariot battalion organized by Yu Dayou was actually a firearms battalion. Yu Dayou once said that the chariot "can resist the trampling of horses, and it also has powerful weapons such as guns and cannons, elite soldiers for stabbing, and cavalry for chasing. It is a chariot with the advantages of both horses and infantry, so it is not something that the enemy can defeat."

"As time went by, the Tartars rose up in the northeast, coming and going like the wind, and were more ferocious than the Mongols. Yu Dayou's chariot camp tactics could resist the Mongolian cavalry, but could not resist the Manchu Tartars.

"The Ming army was still clinging to its weaknesses and sticking to the chariot tactics. It was repeatedly defeated by the Tartars and eventually the overall situation was ruined. Why? The Tartars were good at horseback archery and firearms and moved around like the wind. The Ming army's chariots were too heavy. They had compartments and guards. They could carry people and baggage, but their mobility was too weak and they were very expensive.

"Our army currently has no tanks, and will not be equipped with tanks in the future. The baggage carts used by the baggage battalion will be ordinary large carts, mainly used to transport baggage. The gun carriages used by heavy artillery will be renamed gun carriages in the future. They should be light and practical, and only used to carry artillery. No other functions may be added at will."

Flintlock rifles were of particular interest to Danchu. Today at the gun factory, Bi Fangji showed a sample rifle and introduced it, "Marshal, this self-propelled rifle..."

Danchu interrupted him and said, "Mr. Bi, from now on, let's change the term. Don't mention the musket anymore. Call it 'flintlock rifle' instead."

"Yes," Bi Fangji replied, "Compared with other flintlocks at home and abroad, this flintlock has three advantages. First, the spring is made of higher quality steel, which makes it more powerful when hitting the flint, and ignites more reliably. Second, most of the parts are compatible with the current matchlock guns. Once they are mature and finalized, the ignition method can be changed and the matchlock gun can be converted into a flintlock gun. Third, a bayonet can be installed at the muzzle without affecting shooting."

“How many times can the existing springs be used?”

"It can be used at least twenty times, and some springs can be used up to thirty times."

Twenty times is obviously too few. Danchu asked again: "Is the quality of flint reliable?"

"The quality of flint needs to be improved. However, the batch of flint that the Marshal brought back from Wutunso is of good quality and has a high ignition rate."

"The tempering and quenching processes need to be improved. We may try some new methods. For example, for quenching, try using water, oil, salt, etc. to see if it helps."

In ancient times, there was also a tempering process, which was generally done by quenching with charcoal. As for tempering, there are many methods, such as simmering, roasting and soaking.

"promise."

The unreliable quality of springs is ultimately a material problem. To improve the quality of springs, we must produce good spring steel. Adding other elements to make alloys is undoubtedly a feasible way.

But which element should be added? Danchu could only blame himself for his lack of knowledge of chemistry. He really couldn't remember. He only knew that adding chromium could increase the hardness of steel, and tungsten, manganese, cobalt, etc. were all essential for making high-quality gun barrels.

The question is, how to prepare these rare metals in this era? Where are the rare metals in China distributed? He only remembered that Jiangxi should have a lot of rare earth resources.

There is no other way but to try them one by one using the stupid method.

"Mr. Bi, you can think of some ways to add other elements to the molten steel and try them one by one to see if you can make high-quality spring steel. For example, add a small amount of silver, copper, zinc, or even sand. The service life of the spring must reach more than 100 times before it can be finalized and produced into flintlock guns."

"Yes. We will definitely find a way to make a spring that is durable."

(End of this chapter)