I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 802: Artillery shows its might! Qing Deng becomes more arrogant! [Bao Geng 6K8]

The 11th Division is a brand new unit.

The unit number is new, and the team members are all new faces, with few old people to be seen.

Even the captain and deputy captain were new recruits who had just joined the army.

Unlike infantry and cavalry units that use great force to perform miracles, artillery is a technical branch of the military.

You can't use a cannon by relying on spiritual strength or brute force alone.

If you want to fire a cannon quickly and accurately, a solid foundation in mathematics is essential.

The angle of the muzzle, the arc of the shell's flight in the air...these are all knowledge.

In order to study cannons, the Western mathematical community even developed an independent discipline called "ballistics."

After intensive preparations, Qingdeng launched a selection across the entire army to select good candidates for artillery duties.

The selection method is very simple, which is to let the soldiers take tests to test their mathematical ability and talent.

With the help of two artillery instructors, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, a batch of mathematics papers were successfully produced and distributed to all soldiers.

  The final test results were just as Qing Deng had expected—very tragic!

The long-standing educational philosophy of "focusing on liberal arts and neglecting science" has led to a general lack of mathematical ability among the public.

Even children from prominent families who have abundant educational resources rarely come into contact with mathematics.

After a series of tests, it was found that the soldiers' math abilities were extremely poor. There is no worst, only worse!

If a math teacher saw their papers, his blood pressure would instantly rise.

Not to mention complicated formulas, there are countless people who can't even figure out "What is 13+19?" - the reason they can't figure it out is that the numbers in this formula exceed the total number of their fingers and toes.

  In comparison, Souji's math ability isn't even the worst!

After a long and difficult selection process, 6000 people with decent mathematical abilities were finally selected from 200 soldiers.

In this way, although the process was tortuous and difficult, the framework of the 11th Division was finally established.

It is no exaggeration to say that all the soldiers of the 11th Squadron are carefully selected treasures!

Not only do they have abundant physical strength, but they are also proficient in mathematics.

Of course, the "mastery" here is compared to other people who can't even do addition and subtraction within three-digit numbers.

  Although this "artillery selection" was like panning for gold in a sea of ​​shit, Qing Deng actually pulled out a big piece of golden yellow - one person stood out, and he got almost the entire paper right!

His name was "Abe Juro" and he was born into a farming family in Dewa Province in the northeast.

Not only is he a farmer, but he is also from the Northeast... According to the people of Kyoto, he is a country bumpkin among country bumpkins.

Before the "artillery selection" began, Juro Abe was just an ordinary soldier in the Shinsengumi, with nothing outstanding about him.

He is not tall, has dark skin, and is neither fat nor thin. At first glance, he looks like an ordinary person.

It was only by virtue of his excellent physical fitness that he barely passed the conscription examination.

However, it was this unknown person who won the first place in the "Artillery Selection".

After the selection was over, Qing Deng, who was surprised by his results, immediately called him over and questioned him personally.

According to him, he once learned arithmetic for half a year from an old man at the entrance of the village who could use an abacus.

After only studying arithmetic for half a year, he was able to answer the entire test paper correctly... Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi were amazed.

In order to further test his mathematical talent, Qingdeng specially sent out Elodie, who was the best at mathematics under his command, and ordered her to try to test this person.

Finally, after the assessment, Elodie gave a very high evaluation - this person has a high talent for mathematics! He has a very flexible mind and is very good at mental arithmetic!

  Since Elodie, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi all praised this man highly, is there any need to hesitate?

A real piece of gold was actually found from the sea of ​​shit... Qing Deng was so surprised that he firmly remembered the name "Abe Juro" and made him a key training target.

After the 11th Squadron was officially established, the first training the soldiers had to receive was to seriously study "ballistics".

It’s still too early to touch the guns and practice anything.

In order to teach "ballistics", Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, who were gunnery instructors and graduated from the Berlin Military Academy, specially opened a "crash course in artillery".

Juro Abe lived up to expectations and shined in the classroom.

It took him only two months to pass all the exams and graduate successfully.

After entering the practical stage, he once again surpassed all others.

With the skills he learned in the "artillery crash course" and his innate mental arithmetic ability, every time he fired a cannon, he only needed to take a glance at the target's position and could quickly calculate the best shot in his mind.

Compared with other comrades, his artillery skills have reached a level that is far ahead of others.

Therefore, not long ago, Qing Deng promoted him to the captain of the 11th Squadron.

From a mere farmer from the Northeast, he rose to become the leader of a team... This is another best proof of the "Shinsengumi dream" that as long as one works hard and unremittingly in the Shinsengumi, one can achieve success.

After Hijikata Toshizo, Abe Juro became the new role model for the Shinsengumi soldiers.

As long as we have talent, Lord Niou will not treat us unfairly!

Artillery is worthy of being called the "God of War". Whether it is its power or its price, Qing Deng's mouth twitched.

With the help of Huluwu, Qingdeng successfully got in touch with the arms dealer named "John".

At the beginning of this year, Qing Deng went to Osaka through the arrangement of Huluya and met this person at Huluya’s headquarters.

  Wearing a top hat, a monocle on the left eye, a big mustache under the nose, a round belly, and a cane in hand... This look is really classic! It perfectly fits Qingdeng's stereotype of Western businessmen!

The other party can speak Japanese, and although his accent is very heavy, I can still understand him.

  As soon as he saw Qing Deng, he immediately smiled warmly:

"Mr. Ju! I've heard a lot about you!"

"Mr. Tachibana! It's my honor to meet a young hero like you!"

"Mr. Tachibana! Please rest assured! Since you are Miss Kinoshita's grandson-in-law, based on my deep friendship with Miss Kinoshita, I will definitely help you with all my strength! I will never treat you unfairly!"

After saying all these nice New Year greetings, when it came to the real business... the purchase price of the guns and ammunition, his face changed into a serious and solemn expression, and he said a string of numbers with both zeros and integers.

It was okay for a musket, but when Qing Deng heard the price of a cannon, his eyes widened.

For a moment, Qing Deng almost thought that Kinoshita Lin had found a profiteer to harm him...

Finally, after Kinoshita Lin's detailed explanation, the misunderstanding was finally resolved.

The Parrot rifled gun is one of the most advanced artillery pieces available today.

This artillery is currently serving in the American Civil War.

From a certain perspective, John is a very conscientious businessman.

Not only does he guarantee sales, he also guarantees delivery.

The United States is its main source of goods.

Once the order was placed, his private fleet would cross the Pacific Ocean and deliver the guns to the port of Osaka.

As for the subsequent land transportation of guns and artillery from the port to Otsu, it all depends on Qing Deng himself.

Although current navigation technology is quite advanced, the power of nature is ultimately beyond human control.

That stretches across the entire Pacific Ocean, so shipwrecks are common.

If any accident occurred - for example, a storm occurred, the fleet suffered a devastating blow, and the ships and cargo sank to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish - then all the losses would be borne by John, and Qingdeng, the buyer, would not have to worry about it.

In this way, the price given by John is indeed a fair price.

Although the price is not low, it is far from enough to make Qing Deng feel embarrassed.

With Qing Deng's current strong financial resources, if he is determined to do so, he can buy more than a hundred artillery pieces at once.

However, there is a very obvious truth: no matter how many artillery pieces there are, they need enough gunners to operate them.

Qingdeng held an open audition throughout the army, and only selected 200 soldiers suitable to be gunners.

Moreover, these 200 soldiers are all "quick-trained soldiers" who were forced to join the team. They still need a long period of training before they can gradually develop combat effectiveness.

According to professionals Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, the current 30th Division can only operate artillery pieces at the same time, and it will be overwhelmed if there are more.

In a nutshell: Qingdeng doesn't need to buy too many cannons now.

If you buy too much, regardless of whether you can use them or not, the storage cost alone will be a considerable expense.

Therefore, after careful consideration based on the current situation of the Shinsengumi, Qing Deng placed an order for "80 Parrot rifled cannons" to John.

30 of them were deployed on the front line, and the other 50 were kept in the rear as backup.

  30 cannons...although the number is not large, but in Japan, which is still in the "chicken fighting" stage, an artillery group of this size is enough to create a suppressive effect on the battlefield!

……

……

"Hurry! Hurry! Don't dawdle! Lord Niou is watching us! Don't let him down!"

At this moment, under the command of Juro Abe, the cannons finally arrived at the designated firing positions one after another.

Juro Abe took off the telescope from his waist, stretched out the tube, and looked at the target in the distance.

In a short while, his lips opened and closed, and he uttered a series of precise instructions.

"Fire the base gun, target directly in front, 25 to the right, 10 up, distance 520."

  As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man standing beside him repeated loudly:

"Fire the base gun! Target right in front! Right 25! Up 10! Distance 520!"

Then, like an echo in the valley, the soldiers around opened their mouths and passed the order down one level at a time.

"Fire the base gun!"

"The target is right in front of us!"

"Right 25!"

"Up 10!"

"Distance 520!"

The sound of the rotating gun muzzle drowned out the rapid breathing sounds that filled the scene.

After receiving the order to "fire the reference gun", a gun crew not far away quickly took action.

They moved the muzzle of the gun with nimble hands and feet.

After a while, they adjusted the artillery parameters, then half-crouched on the ground, waiting for the next instruction.

Abe Juro: "Let it go."

Strong man: "Release!"

Instantly, a cannonball flew out of the wind, drawing a beautiful arc in the air!

When the shell landed, accompanied by a loud thunderous sound, a bright flower of fire burst into flames.

  Abe Juro once again raised the telescope in his hand, observing the landing point of the shells while giving new instructions loudly:

"Directly in front of the target, right 28, up 9, distance 500, one round to reload."

The burly man beside him loudly repeated the words without missing a word:

"Attention, all guns! Target is right in front! Right 28! Up 9! Distance 500! One shot to reload!"

Then, there was another scene like "echo in the empty valley" -

"Attention, all guns!"

"The target is right in front of us!"

"Right 28!"

"Up 9!"

"Distance 500!"

"One round to reload!"

This time, it was no longer just a certain artillery crew that was taking action, but all the artillery crews were following orders and adjusting their gun muzzles!

眼见各炮组全部就绪后，阿部十郎向身旁的那位壮汉点了点头。    壮汉当即拔出腰间的佩刀，举刀过顶。

"preparation--"

The gunners of each artillery group squatted down, tensed their nerves, and were ready to fire.

Abe Juro waved his hand.

The sturdy man took a deep breath and chopped the knife down.

"put!"

  boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!

The artillery roared! The ground was shaking! The command platform in the distance was shaking! Everything was shaking!

On the stage, except for Qing Deng, Asai Sheng'an, Shimada Kan'ichi and a few others, everyone else had an expression of inexplicable horror on their faces! Their eyes were fixed on the mighty artillery group!

Balls of light rose high up, and there were silver and red circles one after another. These shells were like meteors. After reaching the highest point, they roared and fell, hitting the target exactly!

In a flash, the targets were torn apart by the explosion, engulfed by the flames, and turned into powder.

The air was acrid as it was filled with cannon smoke and heavy fog.

The surging heat wave came back like waves, making people feel hot on their faces.

Abe Juro frowned slightly, and while enduring the discomfort, he raised the telescope in his hand for the third time to observe the target and the effect of the bombardment.

"Directly in front of the target, 31 to the right, 8 up, distance 480."

There is no need to elaborate on the following process.

Transmitting commands, repeating commands, adjusting artillery parameters, firing... the roaring barrage of bullets completely wiped out the "remaining enemies".

From the commander Abe Juro to the ordinary soldiers, all their actions follow the established regulations.

The commander observes the target and issues orders; the soldiers repeat the orders loudly after hearing them; who is responsible for adjusting the firing parameters; who is responsible for loading the shells; who is responsible for firing; who is responsible for cleaning the barrel...

Everyone did their part, and everything was in perfect order without any problems.

The entire team was like a sophisticated machine, operating according to the designed procedures and never making any unnecessary moves - and this was exactly the quality that artillerymen should possess!

Technical arms like musketeers and artillerymen must pay close attention to details, divide the combat process into extremely fine and rigorous parts, and implement systematization, so as to maximize efficiency while taking safety into account.

The sturdy man who always stood beside Juro Abe and repeated loudly what Juro Abe said, like a mouthpiece for Juro Abe, was named "Tosaburo Nomura".

He is the deputy captain of the 1844th Squadron. He was born in the first year of Honghua (20) and is years old this year. He is also a new recruit who signed up for the "Great Recruitment" at the beginning of this year and has just joined the army not long ago.

In terms of mathematical ability alone, his level is not particularly good.

The reason why he was able to gain Qing Deng's favor and become the vice-captain of the 11th Division was because Qing Deng was impressed by his extraordinary courage.

Perhaps because he was born in a farming family and had physical defects, Abe Juro always felt an indelible sense of inferiority when facing those tall and mighty samurai.

Therefore, whenever he faced a critical moment in commanding the troops, Abe Juro often appeared a little weak and found it difficult to suppress the arrogant and powerful soldiers under his command.

After all, the "class discrimination" that has accumulated for nearly a thousand years cannot be eliminated so easily because of Qing Deng's words or an order.

Abe Juro was just a farmer, but he was above all the samurai...some people would inevitably feel unhappy.

Compared to Abe Juro, Nomura Risaburo is almost his opposite.

He was the younger brother of a legitimate martial arts family, with a strong physique and outstanding skills. Just standing there, his majestic figure like an iron tower was enough to scare the little villains.

Before being transferred to the 11th Division, he was a soldier in the 2nd Division. Because of his loud voice, brave and heroic character, and courage, he was highly appreciated by Shinpachi Nagakura, who was also a reckless man.

What is even more commendable is that he acts decisively, rarely gets confused, and has a very firm will.

To sum up, he and Abe Juro are different, the former is good at making decisions, while the latter is good at making plans.

Qing Deng believed that letting Nomura Risaburo, who was bold and had no "class discrimination", serve as Abe Juro's adjutant would definitely achieve an excellent complementary effect.

It turned out that Qingdeng's idea was correct.

After Toshisaburo Nomura took office, he immediately brought significant changes to the 11th Division.

I don’t know if it’s due to genes or something else, but although the soldiers of the 11th Squadron are good at math, they are generally thin and not “strong” at all, and there are almost no macho men.

Therefore, when Nomura Risaburo was transferred to the 11th Division, it was like a wolf among a pack of tigers.

With his strong and sturdy physique and the reputation for bravery and courage he had accumulated previously, no one in the 11th Division dared to go against Nomura Risaburo.

He never felt any resentment towards Abe Juro because of his status as a farmer, and always loyally supported Abe Juro and assisted him wholeheartedly.

Whenever Nomura Risaburo stood next to Abe Juro, he became the other party's strongest support.

If any soldier was dissatisfied with Abe Juro's command, he only needed to glance at him and the other party would instantly shut up and dare not say anything more.

Juro Abe was responsible for calculating the bombardment parameters.

Risaburo Nomura was in charge of the on-site command.

The division of labor is clear and well organized.

Judging from the results, they are indeed a golden pair, and their cooperation has achieved the perfect effect of "1+1>2"!

……

……

With the artillery team's excellent performance, the musketeers' performance seemed insignificant.

  No matter how fast or loud a musket fires, can its visual impact ever surpass that of a cannon?

Admittedly, the Musketeers' performance was still very impressive.

After half a year of hard training, the 6th and 8th squads are no longer the half-baked teams that took a long time to load ammunition.

Under the orderly command of Inoue Genzaburo and Fujido Heisuke, the soldiers of the 6th and 8th squads formed neat rows and advanced slowly, like a solid wall.

"Raise your gun—"

As soon as the order was given, loud "click" sounds were heard.

"aim--"

The gun was suddenly laid flat, causing the "click" and "click" sounds to be heard again.

"put!"

  boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!

The muzzle spits tongues of fire.

The dense and terrifying barrage of bullets whistled through the air and smashed the targets in the distance into pieces.

  Even from a distance, I can still feel the indescribable sense of oppression!

Although the hit rate is still not commendable due to the limitations of the equipment, but... as long as you take a look at it yourself, you can feel sincerely: the hit rate is no longer important at all.

Even the most elite troops would find it difficult to maintain their morale under such terrifying barrage of bullets!

……

Today's entire martial arts performance lasted about an hour.

When the martial arts performance was over, the generals returned to the stage to review their generals.

Looking up, everyone's facial expressions were very strange. No one said a word. There was complete silence, so that the scene was filled with an indescribable atmosphere.

The reason is simple - whether it is veterans like Souji and Nagakura Shinpachi, or newcomers like Nakazawa Koto and Soma Shukei who have just joined the army, they were all shocked by the scenes and effects of this martial arts performance!

Everyone knew that today's military exercise was not only a test of the training results of the new recruits, but also a comprehensive survey of the current combat power of the Shinsengumi in order to prepare for the "Choshu Expedition" in the near future.

Therefore, everyone put in their best efforts and was determined to show their prowess in today's martial arts performance.

The unstoppable momentum of the infantry, the unstoppable force of the cavalry, the devastating power of the musketeers, the overwhelming force of the artillery...all these scenes were like huge hammers hitting everyone's heart!

In particular, the overwhelming destructive power displayed by the gunners was breathtaking.

  Coincidentally, everyone had the same thought: So our Shinsengumi... has become so strong? !

By now, the backward idea that "firearms are useless" had completely disappeared within the Shinsengumi.

After all...anyone with a normal mind and a conscience would not dare to say such nonsense as "as long as we can show the spirit of a samurai, we can defeat guns and cannons" after witnessing the horrific power of guns and cannons with their own eyes.

"Everyone, your performance today was great, I am very satisfied!"

Qing Deng's sudden voice attracted the attention of all the generals.

The generals looked up and saw Qing Deng with a calm smile on his face and a gentle expression.

"To be honest, your performance today far exceeded my expectations. I am very happy."

After hearing the words "I'm very happy", some people including Yoshimura Kanichiro and Abe Juro showed excitement on their faces, as if they had received a great reward.

They all came from the lower classes, and only thanks to Qing Deng's appreciation did they hold their current high positions.

In this way, it is impossible to understand their gratitude and respect for Qingdeng.

  Qingdeng’s words continued:

"I'm sure you've all heard about it by now. The 'Choshu Campaign' is imminent, and we, the Shinsengumi, will be the vanguard!"

"Making great achievements is just around the corner!"

"I hope you will keep up the good work! Don't slack off!"

"Maintain the current morale and further enhance combat effectiveness!"

"When we conquered Choshu, we won overwhelming and absolute military exploits, and our names will be written in the history books one by one!"

Simple but effective encouragement - the generals gradually began to show passionate expressions on their cheeks.

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, a huge "Yes!" immediately surrounded him in unison.

In fact, after watching today's martial arts performance, Qing Deng also felt his heart surging.

What he just said was all true and not a lie.

The current combat capability of the Shinsengumi is indeed far beyond their expectations.

He was shocked but also excited.

Qingdeng is not a butcher.

To put it bluntly, he was not keen on war.

He has personally experienced several wars and witnessed the cruelty of war. Anyone with a conscience would not easily mention the word "war" when seeing the scene of corpses everywhere and the stench of corpses.

But... after watching today's martial arts performance, although Qing Deng was still cautious about "war", he couldn't help but look forward to the "Changzhou Expedition" in half a year.

He couldn't wait to start the war, so that the people of Choshu and the people of the world could see it.

  Look at how powerful the Shinsengumi is!

When he thought of this, Qing Deng felt his heart beat a few more times.

……

Now that the military performance is over, there is no reason for the generals to get together again.

Qing Deng waved his hand and ordered the group to disperse.

When the generals retreated one after another——

“Eh?! Who are you?!”

This time, it was Koto Nakazawa's voice.

"It's me. Vice Captain of the 9th Division, Yamazaki Sho."

"Yamazaki...Zheng...Oh, yes...You are Yamazaki Zheng...I'm sorry, I..."

Before Nakazawa Koto finished her words, Yamazaki Shinji responded without hesitation:

"It's okay. It's my own problem. I'm just not good-looking."

The generals took a glance at this little episode and continued doing what they were doing - they were already quite used to it and didn't find it strange.

  *******

*******

Leopard has been working really hard lately! Look, today is another chapter with nearly 7,000 words! In recognition of Leopard's hard work, please vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: If this book is ever to be made into a comic, I have already thought about how to portray Yamazaki Shimo - never show his front face, always only draw his back.