Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 178 Artillery Bureau

"Then keep an eye on me here and be responsible for this matter." Lin Hai said to He Liangtao.

If fifty 9-pound guns could be built within a month and a half, it would increase the firepower of the Admiralty's old lock fleet by almost half. In the next battle with Zheng Zhilong, this will undoubtedly increase the chances of winning for Huiyou Company.

Compared with Zheng Zhilong's fleet, the company's naval department's current advantage lies in its firepower, and its numbers are far inferior to that of the other party. What's more, Zheng Zhilong's men are all fierce pirates. Many of the company's sailors were fishermen not long ago, and their combat effectiveness is not that bad.

"Okay, seat manager." He Liangtao regretted that he shouldn't have been such a mean-spirited person. He left the fragrant nephrite on the Guandu flower boat and went to this place where no one shits to hang out with a bunch of stinky blacksmiths. What the hell Why bother?

But then he thought about it, the reason why he could lean on the red and green every day was not thanks to Lin Hai. His salary is among the best in the company, higher than that of his immediate boss Lun Yi, and probably second only to those on the board of directors.

"Come on, let's take advantage of others' short-handedness and soft-spoken words. I, Marquis He Lie, will just live a hard life for a few days." He Liangtao thought.

He only heard Lin Hai say to him again: "Then please leave it to Deputy Director He. Cannon building is of great importance. The company will have a decisive battle with Zheng Zhilong before the end of the year. These thousands of kilograms of forged iron cannons are particularly critical to the navy."

"What? The company is going to attack Zheng Zhilong?" He Liangtao was surprised when he heard this. Before he set off from Haojing, it was when Zheng Zhilong was plundering Chaozhou and Huizhou. At this time, the name of the Zheng family was very popular on the southeast coast. No one knows it.

"That's right, we will carry out the suppression together with the Fujian Navy. Don't forget that I am also a member of the imperial court." Lin Hai added, "But you also know the virtues of the imperial navy. This suppression will mainly rely on the company." army."

He Liangtao has been in Haojing for a long time. These days, the Guangdong Navy is even worse than the Fujian Navy. It relies almost entirely on the Macau Portuguese to support the situation, so he takes Lin Hai's words seriously.

"Don't worry, sir, I will go all out to build these thousand-jin forged iron cannons." He Liangtao Surong replied. He was born as a scholar of Li Zhizao. In fact, he still has the traditional scholar's thoughts in his heart. This time he returned to his hometown from Haojing. It may not be that he has no idea of ​​​​serving the imperial court.

What's more, he is very satisfied with everything he has now. He has received generous treatment in the company that he never dared to expect, and Lin Hai's personal favor and respect for him make him feel very happy. A scholar will die for his bosom friend, and all arrogant intellectuals have this feeling to some extent.

"Very good. If you need anything, please tell Director Lun." Lin Hai said to Lun first, "In the near future, you will also focus on these thousands-jin forged iron cannons. What is Deputy Director He missing?" , we must do our best to satisfy you. If there is a problem that the Construction Department cannot solve, send someone to me at any time."

"Yes, Chief." Lun Di paused and said for the first time, "I immediately started allocating manpower and supplies, and worked with Deputy Director He to prepare a list of the required supplies as soon as possible and reported it to the Civil Affairs Yuan."

"Don't save money. The first priority is to prepare for war. You first allocate personnel and do a good job in mobilization. Work overtime when it is necessary. Pay overtime pay to the craftsmen. You can also light a lamp to work at night."

Lin Hai said and added: "Don't worry about the material list for the time being. I would like to ask the Navy Ministry to come over and talk to the Construction Department to determine how big the gun will be built. The general principle is to quickly increase combat power in a short period of time."

"Yes, Chief." Lun Yi thought for a while and then said, "Do we need to hire some people to cook? There are many craftsmen in the Construction Department who are single and cook by themselves every day."

"What you are saying is that logistics must be fully guaranteed. You are responsible for this matter personally. Don't let Deputy Director He worry about it." Lin Hai nodded and replied. In fact, the leadership lineup of the Construction Department is somewhat similar to some military industrial institutes in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The first-in-command is an old revolutionary who does not understand technology, and the second-in-command is a technical master who has returned from overseas.

Facts have proved that this model is very efficient and can liberate technical masters from tedious transactional work. Later, the same was true of the two-general system in military model management. The commander-in-chief was responsible for managing people, money, plans, and logistics, and the chief designer was responsible for technology. Just like the political commissar and the military chief, the division of labor was clear and they could cooperate tacitly.

At this time, Viper, who was following Lin Hai like a follower, came over and reported: "General Manager, Director Jin of the Navy Department has arrived at Guandu and is waiting to be summoned."

The Director Jin that Viper was talking about was Peter Kim, the fire control officer on board the Bowang when the mission was hijacked. He is currently the Director of the Gunner Division of the Naval Department of Huiyu Company. This division is currently mainly in charge of the Navy's gunner training. The Army has not yet equipped with artillery.

"Ask him to come to the Firearms Bureau." Lin Hai nodded and said, "Also, call the rest of the board of directors."

"Chief, Commander Shi and Deputy Commander Wu have left for Yilan early this morning." Viper replied from the side.

"Oh, I forgot about this. Let Deputy Commander Mi and Director Jin come over first." Lin Hai said and added, "Send someone to Yilan to call Deputy Commander Wu back. The war over there will be handled by Shi The commander can provide unified command."

That night, Miguel and Jin Nao came to the Firearms Bureau, and Lin Hai held a meeting overnight.

He first introduced the thousand-jin forged iron cannon, and then said: "Everyone, I think we should determine the inner diameter of the cannon now to facilitate the subsequent production of the Construction Department. Director Jin, first tell me how many cannon shells are currently used by the Navy. Just some specifications?"

Jin Nao's Chinese was not as smooth as Miguel's. The latter took over the conversation and said: "I know this very well, let me tell you. The navy's existing artillery has different shapes and internal diameters, but I have unified the diameter of the cannonballs." Several specifications have been set, and currently, except for the Dingyuan and Bowang, the four main types used are three-inch, two-inch and eight-minute, two-inch and five-minute, and two-inch and two-cent."

The caliber of artillery in this era has not yet been standardized. The artillery in Western Europe also has a bunch of messy names such as cannon, half-cannon, snake cannon, half-snake cannon, falcon cannon, and eagle cannon. It is far less concise and clear than the names used in poundage in later generations.

As far as Huiyou Company is concerned, the shape of the artillery is even more of a disaster, because Shibi and Miguel were buying and making them in Haojing at that time, patching things together, and finally managed to get half of the artillery together, among which were produced in various places. There are all of them, let alone any standardization.

In view of this, Miguel implemented a certain degree of standardization in artillery shells, otherwise the transportation of ammunition during wartime would definitely be a mess. Anyway, the artillery of this era must have some play. The smaller the caliber, the greater the proportion of the play to the inner diameter.

Because most of the gunners and craftsmen were Chinese, Miguel used Ming Dynasty weights and measures when determining the specifications of the cannonballs. The four diameters of cannonballs he mentioned can roughly correspond to the 4 pounds, 6 pounds, 8 pounds and 9 pounds in later generations. The pounder gun was also a type of gun used more frequently in Western Europe during this era.

"The Construction Department can make wrought iron cannons that can fire the last three types of shells, but we are not sure about the first one." He Liangtao said after hearing this. The inner diameter of the largest wrought iron cannon he had built in Haojing was three inches, and it would definitely not be able to fire. A three-inch diameter cannonball.

"Then we don't need the first one. Now is not the time for trial and error. Is there a big difference in the forging yield of the latter three?" Lin Hai then asked. "A two-inch eight-cent cannon shell must use at least a three-inch inner diameter gun. The yield may be lower. There is not much difference between the latter two, but the smaller the gun, the faster it can be made." He Liangtao replied.

Lin Hai nodded, and then asked: "What is your opinion from the Navy Department?"

"Then let's mainly build the two types in the middle. The inner diameter of the artillery should be three inches and two inches and seven-quarters. The last one is too weak. It is just a make-up and has little meaning." Miguel said and asked Jin again. Pooh, "What do you think?"

"I agree." Jin Hao's Chinese was not fluent enough, but his hearing was still fine.

"Then it's settled." Lin Hai let out a sigh of relief. The low level of standardization of the company's artillery was really a headache at the moment, and he could only make do with it for now.

Everyone discussed the production quantity ratio of 6-pound guns and 8-pound guns, and finally decided to produce them in a ratio of one to two. In terms of quantity and power, the Navy Department chose power.

The reason is simple: there are not enough gunners. The company has only more than 500 gunners in total.

According to a gun crew of five people, each gun crew is responsible for the configuration of two guns. The Dingyuan alone will need nearly a hundred gunners, and the Bowang will also need fifty gunners. If the remaining old lock ships are equipped with all the artillery, If so, more than five hundred people would be needed.

"Then it's settled." Lin Hai said to Lun Yi and others, "Don't let the craftsmen in the foundry shop idle, hurry up and cast the cannonballs, and ask the Navy Department to make a list of what specifications of the cannonball gaps If it is larger, it should be replenished first.”

Lun Diyi quickly replied: "Yes, the main seat."

Miguel also said: "I will make a list as soon as possible, and I will also reserve more gunpowder."

"I'll find a way." Lin Hai planned to go to the Fujian Navy to fight in the autumn, and he couldn't just work for others.

Sulfur and charcoal are abundant in Taipei, but saltpeter cannot be produced on its own. You can't scrape much by scraping toilets. It is also difficult to achieve a large output using the saltpeter field method. That requires experts in microbiology. In this age of the earth, There are no talents in this field in the world, so we still have to rely on saltpeter mines.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty was not very short of saltpeter. Although there were no saltpeter mines as large as those in Bangladesh and Chile, the amount added up was still terrifying. In the late Ming Dynasty, when firearms were widely used, the price of saltpeter was not very high. expensive.

"In addition, Director Jin, I need you to select fifty of the best gunners from the Navy Department. I have other appointments." Lin Hai originally wanted to say a hundred, but considering that the Navy currently has insufficient gunners, he gave Folded in half.

"Chief, the war is about to begin. I don't think the Navy Department has any spare gunners." Miguel was a little anxious when he heard this. He wanted one-tenth of the gunners at this time, and he was anxious to replace anyone.

"Then I leave these fifty gunners to you. Does the navy dare to fight Zheng Zhilong in an offshore bay?" Lin Hai asked immediately.

"This..." Miguel was choked when he heard this. At the same time, he also realized what Lin Hai wanted these fifty gunners to do. "The commander-in-chief wants to transfer these fifty gunners to the Army Department?"

"That's right, if Zheng Zhilong huddles on the island and doesn't come out, it's impossible for me to let the navy go to their anchorage for a decisive battle. At this time, we can only use the army to drive them into the sea. Now you understand why I want to fight when the navy has insufficient gunners. In this case, we have to transfer manpower to the Army."

"Yes, Chief, you are very considerate. If the company's navy fights an opponent in a small bay, it is likely to fall into a gang war from the beginning, or be defeated by the opponent with an arson ship. In short, this situation is We must avoid it." Miguel said, spreading his hands, "Unfortunately, the company's purpose is to drive Zheng Zhilong away from Fujian, so the choice was not ours at the beginning."

"That's right, and if the battlefield is offshore, Dingyuan and Bowang will probably not be able to participate in the battle." Lin Hai remembered that during the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, the Dutch flagship Meadeburg was unable to rush to the battlefield because the draft was too deep. He still doesn't know much about the hydrological conditions of Dongshan Island. He also needs to obtain information from Fujian.

"Is that possible?" Miguel thought for a moment and then asked, "If the army needs to be relied on to drive the opponent into the sea, the navy will temporarily transfer a group of gunners to the army. After all, the army also needs to rely on navy ships to transport them. We should not weaken the Navy in the first place."

"No, the army has an army command system. These gunners must be familiar with the army's golden drum flag, otherwise they will not be able to form effective cooperation with the infantry." Lin Hai continued, "So they must be transferred to the Army Department. I It is intended to establish a Bureau of Artillery in the War Department.”

In fact, from the perspective of Europeans in this era, Miguel's suggestions are completely reasonable. At this time, Europe was an era when mercenaries were prevalent. If a monarch wanted to fight a war, he would first appoint a well-known military strategist as the general contractor, who would then summon his own team of subcontractors, and then go to war after gathering enough numbers. .

Generally speaking, there are no artillerymen in the subcontractor's team. The artillerymen are hired by the general contractor from the artillery industry association and are directly responsible to the general contractor.

Therefore, artillery and other mercenaries are two distinct groups in Europe. The former are often regarded as engineers rather than soldiers. Although they are well paid, their status in the army is very low. Whether they are cavalry or infantry, they are highly consistent in their disdain for artillery. They believe that artillery is just doing some tedious work and does not have the heroic temperament of soldiers.

Until the late 19th century, the artillerymen in the Prussian army were still inferior. For example, after a war with France, the horse artillerymen had to take off the white feathers on their hats before entering the Berlin Gate, otherwise they would be considered inferior. Provoking the cuirassiers.

Of course, the clear distinction between artillery and other armies was changing. King Gustav Adolf of Sweden sent light field artillery to infantry regiments, under the direct command of the colonel of the infantry regiment. This is the origin of the so-called regimental artillery.

This is of course a great progress in Europe, but it is nothing in the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Ming Army's light field artillery was decentralized to grassroots troops from the beginning. In addition, Qi Jiguang's carriage camp when he was in Jizhen was actually an artillery unit. There was never such a thing as artillery that was not a regular army.

　Thanks to the flying little pig for the reward of 1000 taels!

　　

　

(End of this chapter)