At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the competition for the deer in the world

Chapter 179 Academy of Sciences Tests Firearms

To Zhengzheng 12 June [-]th.

Sizhou City Academy of Sciences is located in a suburb south of Sizhou, about eight hundred feet away from Sizhou City.

It used to be a desolate place, but now houses have sprung up from the ground.

Since the Academy of Sciences is related to the core military technology of the Sizhou Army, Cheng De sent [-] elite Sizhou Army guards here, and built a wall around the Academy of Sciences, just like a small city.

There are only two gates in this small city, one at the front and one at the back, and there are soldiers patrolling the walls every day.

Cheng De came to the Academy of Sciences to see the power of the cannon improved by Ni Zan and others.

Ni Zan and the others were already waiting at the gate of the Academy of Sciences.

When Cheng De and his party first appeared in front of the gate of the Academy of Sciences, Ni Zan, Chen Shangde, Ding Ju, Zhang Dingsheng, and Jia Heng saluted Cheng De one after another.

Cheng De swept across the faces of Ni Zan and the others one by one, with a smile on his face: "You are very good. The Academy of Sciences has only been established not long ago, and you have made a name for yourself. I am here today to see the new How powerful is the researched cannon?"

Ni Zan said: "General, this is only the first time we have made improvements. Several of us have discussed this cannon, and there is still room for improvement. Of course, we are also studying the fire gun, trying to tinker with it. Something new comes out."

Cheng De nodded: "In this case, you lead the way, and I will personally operate and fire the cannon."

Ni Zan and the others paused, but they fell silent when they saw the eager look on Cheng De's face.

Ni Zan and the others walked in the forefront, and soon, Cheng De and his party came to the cannon test site.

"General, that is the cannon newly researched by us." Chen Shangde pointed to a cannon placed in the middle of the test site.

Cheng De nodded lightly, and walked quickly to the cannon.

Ni Zan walked up to Cheng De and introduced, "The inner diameter of the muzzle of this cannon is nearly four inches, it weighs about 28 kilograms, and it is thirty inches long."

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, 1 zhang = 312CM, 1 chi = 31.2CM, 1 inch = 3.12CM, one catty was equivalent to 596.82 grams, and one tael was equal to 37.30.

Cheng De looked at the cannon, it was a bowl-shaped cannon, installed on a special long wooden bench.

"There are several improvements to this cannon."

"First, its gun barrel is made of bronze, which replaces the original cast iron. Although bronze is expensive, it is worth it. Several of us have done tests, and the quality of the gun barrel made of bronze Tough and not easy to burst, but the barrel made of iron is easy to burst and even hurt your own people."

"Secondly, although the cannon is still mounted on a long wooden plank, we have improved it a bit and added a front cart to it, making it easier to move quickly and pass through undulating terrain."

Hearing Ni Zan's two points in one breath, Cheng De's eyes fell on the front car of Da Pao, and his eyes lit up.

In the past, there were huge wheels on the left and right sides of the cannon. It was not convenient for one person to push the cannon, so usually at least two people pushed it. Now that a front cart has been built, it is much more convenient for one person to push the cannon.

Seeing the satisfied expression on Cheng De's face, Ni Zan continued, "Currently, we are studying how to increase the firing speed and accuracy, and how to simplify the aiming and loading process?"

Cheng De looked at Ni Zan and his party with satisfaction: "Then try the power of this cannon! Find an artilleryman to demonstrate."

After a while, the artillerymen who tested the power of the cannon arrived.

Fifty paces directly in front of the cannon stood a thick wall.

The artilleryman pushes the cannon by himself so that the barrel faces the thick wall, and then the barrel is filled with gunpowder. After the bulk gunpowder in the ignition hole is loaded, the artilleryman continues to aim at the thick wall, and finally ignites.

"boom!!"

The thick wall immediately collapsed under the bombardment of the cannon, and debris was splashed all around.

Cheng De fell into silence after observing the whole process of the artillery from ignition to cannon launch, and recalled some memories about the cannon in his mind.

"Just now I watched the firing process of the cannon, and I found that there are problems with the firing speed and shooting accuracy of the cannon. If a new recruit is operated, I am afraid that the shooting of the cannon will be distorted just now. Also, the process of aiming and loading It seems time consuming, on the battlefield, one step faster means life, one step slower is likely to be death. Perhaps, I figured out how to increase the firing speed and improve the shooting accuracy, and how to simplify the aiming and loading process.” Cheng De said suddenly.

As soon as the words fell, Ni Zan, Chen Shangde, Ding Ju, Zhang Dingsheng, Jia Heng and others turned their eyes to Cheng De, their eyes were full of shock.

Ni Zan even said: "General, I wonder if you can talk to me and others."

Cheng De thought for a while: "First of all, let me talk about how to increase the firing speed and improve the shooting accuracy. Just now I watched the whole process of the artillery igniting and firing the cannon. The gunpowder at this point is all in bulk. I was wondering if it can be used What about the way of explosive packs to improve the firing speed and shooting accuracy?"

Ni Zan and others' eyes lit up, and they looked at Cheng De with surprise and admiration.
This method, in their opinion, might really work.

Why didn't they think of this method?

At the same time, they paid more attention to how to simplify the process of aiming and loading, and their eyes stayed on Cheng De, showing a look of listening to the following.

Cheng De didn't pay attention to the expressions of Ni Zan and others, so he continued to say: "As for how to simplify the aiming and loading process, I thought about it, why not try to replace the bulk gunpowder in the ignition hole with a tube filled with gunpowder, so as to simplify aiming. and the loading process?"

Ni Zan and the others suddenly realized, and they all praised: "The general is wise!"

Cheng De waved his hand and said, "It's up to you to realize the details. I'm just offering an idea. By the way, if this cannon is improved according to what I said, how many such cannons can be produced in a month?"

Ni Zan and the others were silent when they heard the words.

Jia Heng said: "General, this kind of cannon requires more bronze, and there are only a few craftsmen who are familiar with this skill. If you don't sleep for a month, you can only make three such cannons at most."

Cheng De frowned, and said: "In my opinion, the process of making cannons can be greatly improved."

Ni Zan and the others were stunned and looked at Cheng De fixedly.

"I don't know what the process improvement method the general said is?" Ni Zan looked at Cheng De with an open-minded and studious look.

Cheng De did not hesitate at all: "For example, I will take this kind of bowl-mouth barrel gun as an example. Unify the standard weights and measures of all the components that make up the cannon. Take the front car as an example. The front car can be handled by three people. , one person is responsible for making the frame of the front car, one person is responsible for making the front wheel of the front car, and one person is responsible for making the rear wheel of the front car. By analogy, the production process of the cannon barrel can also be divided into several steps, and a part of the explosive package can be specially arranged One person makes the explosives, fills the tubes with gunpowder and some people can be assigned to do just that.”

"All the production processes are in accordance with the standard. Can you understand me when I say this?"

Ni Zan and the others stood in place one after another, lost in thought.

In their opinion, the biggest advantage of this method is that it can be kept secret.

Seeing this, Cheng De didn't make a sound to interrupt, but thought about watching the improvement of the firecracker later, and meeting Tao Chengdao by the way.

not long time.

Ni Zan was the first to speak out: "The method of improving the technological process that the general just said, the subordinates already understand. The general can come up with such a method, which really makes the subordinates deeply admire."

Ding Ju also said: "General, this method can be applied to other aspects. If we follow this method, we can get a lot of convenience."

Jia Heng: "If this method is followed, at least ten cannons can be produced in a month. If the materials are sufficient, perhaps more."

Chen Shangde: "According to this method, a lot of people are needed. However, how to make those craftsmen willing to participate in this matter?"

When Cheng De heard Chen Shangde's words, he turned to look at Ke Shancai behind him: "As for how to get the craftsmen to participate in this matter, it is up to you. Remember, you must make them willing. As for the treatment, maybe you can improve it." Some, how much to improve is up to you, but you have to grasp a certain degree.”

After hearing this, Ke Shancai hurriedly replied: "This subordinate will definitely try his best to complete it, and I hope the general can rest assured."

Cheng De glanced at Ke Shancai with satisfaction, then turned to look around at the people present: "This cannon will be improved according to the discussion just now, after the improvement, remember to send someone to inform me, and I will come back to observe the improved power of the cannon at that time. If it is confirmed that there is no problem, the cannon will be mass-produced in the future. The more cannons, the better. Of course, I also know that this cannon is troublesome to build, especially those materials. If there are any materials missing, just tell Ke Shancai, and then Ke Shancai After summarizing, hand it over to me, and I will find a way to solve this matter."

"Follow the order!" Everyone present responded.

Cheng De looked at Ni Zan and the others and said, "You guys continue to study, and Ke Shancai also stays to discuss with you about craftsmen participating in the production of cannons."

"As for Zhang Dingsheng, you will take me to meet Tao Chengdao. I want to see how powerful his improved firecrackers are. By the way, the manufacturing process of firecrackers can also be done according to what I just mentioned Ke Shancai is still in charge of this matter, and Ke Shancai will arrange it. All in all, after the cannon is improved, I want to meet the craftsmen involved in the manufacture of firecrackers and cannons, and all arrangements must be made." Cheng De looked at everyone added.

When everyone heard this, they nodded.

Later, Cheng De met Tao Chengdao under the leadership of Zhang Dingsheng.

Tao Chengdao and his disciples led Cheng De and his party to a simple shooting range.

Tao Chengdao took out an improved firecracker, pointed it at a target within fifty paces of the shooting range, and then made a "bang", the sound was extremely loud.

Tao Chengdao pointed to the target in front of him, and said to Cheng De: "General, please take a look. The target has already been hit. Of course, according to the ability of his subordinates, he can only hit within [-] steps. As for the skilled firecracker Soldiers can reach two hundred steps."

"The firecracker I used just now is a small firecracker. The small firecracker is actually a copper handgun, weighing only 4 catties and only nine inches long. It can be put in a pocket or hidden in a sleeve without a handle. As for the copper gun of a medium-sized firecracker , weighs 9.5 jin, is more than [-] inches long, and can be used by a single soldier after the rear handle is installed. (Remarks: Here, jin is calculated using the weight unit of the Song and Yuan dynasties.)”

"The gun is composed of three parts: the front chamber, the medicine chamber, and the tail. In order to increase the pressure in the chamber, a round hoop is cast on the outer edge of the mirror body; in order to make the gunpowder more loaded with gunpowder, the medicine chamber protrudes into an oval shape. ;In order to facilitate hand-held launch, the tail is hollow to facilitate the installation of the handle."

"Besides, since there are fewer such improved firecrackers currently produced, each firecracker is numbered, and the number in the hands of the subordinates is one. Every numbered firecracker has been registered by the subordinates. , and there are nearly [-] firecrackers of this kind that have been manufactured.”

Cheng De listened to Tao Chengdao's words and said with a smile: "You did a good job in this matter. Remember this credit first. After my Sizhou Army takes Jinling City, I will reward you together. However, I will reward you master and apprentice first. 100 taels of silver, I hope you all will continue to work hard.

When Cheng De said this, he couldn't help pausing for a while, and then continued: "As for the improvement of the technical process of the current production of firecrackers, Ke Shancai will communicate with you when the time comes. Later, you and Ke Shancai will assist, Try to make [-] firecrackers every month. If you don’t have enough manpower, you will continue to recruit. If you are short of money, send someone to tell me that these things will be handled by me. What you do is to continuously improve the firecrackers until Until there is nothing to change. I don’t know, do you have such confidence?”

With a bright smile on Tao Chengdao's face, he patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, general, I will lead my apprentices to continue to improve the firearm. Currently, the range of the firearm is [-] paces. In the next direction, I will continue to improve it." Research a method to increase the firing range of the firecracker to [-] steps. Also, regarding the shooting accuracy and speed, I will also improve it when the time comes."

Cheng De walked up to Tao Chengdao, slowly raised his right hand, and gently placed it on Tao Chengdao's shoulder: "I will leave this matter to you. If you really do a good job in this matter, in the future , I will guarantee you wealth and honor for the rest of your life. I will also send someone to take care of your family. If I pacify the world in the future, your contribution to the development of firearms will be enough to make you a marquis. I say this. I hope you will continue to work hard. The Sizhou Army's firecrackers use the firecrackers you developed to kill the enemy, and perhaps this troubled world can be ended early."

Tao Chengdao was extremely excited in his heart, and he couldn't believe it on his face.

At this time, Tao Chengdao vowed in his heart that he must develop the most powerful firecracker in the world for the general.

Seeing Tao Chengdao's expression, Cheng De knew that he had listened to his words.

Afterwards, Cheng De watched several times when the firecrackers were operating the firecrackers, and he was even more satisfied with the improved firecrackers.

Perhaps, when attacking Jinling City, the firecracker and the newly developed cannon by Ni Zan and the others could all come in handy.

At present, in terms of equipment, he can be said to be crushing the Yuan Dynasty.

Moreover, there are too many people under him now.

Cheng De's confidence in winning Jinling City was even greater.

Of course, in order to win Jinling City in World War I, what his Sizhou army can do now is to continue to accumulate strength.

Also, on Liu Futong's side, it's time to send people to lurk.

Among the various forces in the world, Xu Shouhui, Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, Yuan Dynasty, he sent people to sneak in, but Liu Futong did not.

If he remembered correctly, it turned out that a few years later in the historical world, Liu Futong was about to divide into three northern expeditions.

However, with his arrival, the time for Liu Futong's three-way northern expedition will definitely be advanced, but the exact date is unknown.

If he integrates the troops of the Northern Expedition and brings them under the command of the Sizhou Army, then who else in this world is his opponent?

But, who should be sent?

On the way back to the General's Mansion, Cheng De was full of thoughts about who to send to Liu Futong's forces to lurk, so as to lay a pawn for winning the world in the future.

Cheng De firmly believes that all things can be established without forewarning.

When he returned to the General's Mansion, Cheng De finally decided on the candidate - He Sanwu after careful consideration.

(End of this chapter)