The camp has been set up, and all three armies have returned to the camp. Then Li Chengzhi summoned all the heavy generals to the central camp and asked Li Song and others to demonstrate to them how to return the artillery.
The history books of the Song and Yuan Dynasties boasted that Huihui Cannon was amazing. Of course, in terms of human or animal-powered trebuchets before the Southern Song Dynasty, the counterweight trebuchet can indeed be regarded as an epoch-making product.
Just imagine the scene of dozens, hundreds, or even hundreds of people and horses pulling a trebuchet: it is not spectacular, but it is really heavy, and the chance of accidental injury is very high.
As for the power... it takes three hundred men and horses to operate a stone cannon to throw a stone projectile weighing fifty or sixty kilograms a hundred steps away.
If you don't be greedy for perfection and just use it as an ordinary auxiliary tool for siege, the counterweight trebuchet can still play a great role.
Like the one in front of you: the gun mount is nearly seven feet high, the pole is five feet long, and the iron counterweight weighs three hundred kilograms. It can throw stone bullets weighing eighty kilograms two hundred steps away.
If it is only used to destroy the city wall, you can halve the distance and reduce the stone bullet to fifty kilograms, which will definitely hit a hole in one shot.
And at such a long distance, even a city crossbow that can attack from a distance has very little damage to artillery and artillery.
So after watching Li Song's demonstration, the eyes of all the generals shone brightly, just like thieves who had seen a peerless treasure.
"Godly things... Godly things..."
Yuan Gui, Yuan Zhao and others were all excited and exclaimed.
Li Shao and Yang Jun were also very excited, but they were much calmer than Yuan Gui and others.
After all, they have already seen the sky thunder, and compared with it, the power of this thing is much inferior.
But fortunately, Li Chengzhi did not hide anything, and the manufacturing process was not difficult, so it could be used in wars very quickly.
After looking at it for a long time, Li Shao asked in a low voice: "Is this thing difficult to make?"
It's just that the man-pulled type has been changed to a counterweight type. It's pretty much the same as the previous trebuchet. A craftsman with a little more skill can understand it at a glance. What's so difficult to make?
Li Chengzhi replied without thinking: "It's extremely simple, so try not to fall into the hands of the enemy and thieves..."
"Then report it to the court as soon as possible!"
Li Shao persuaded Li Chengzhi firmly: "This weapon will definitely shine, and it is not impossible to leave its name in history. All the princes in the court are wise and will not let this thing be buried. Therefore, I concluded that no matter what
Whether you can make meritorious service in this battle, the imperial court will definitely reward you..."
We are all ready to rebel. What’s the point of asking for so much credit?
Just as he was thinking this, he accidentally saw Li Shao's eyes glancing outside. He saw Li Shixian standing behind the retainers, watching with interest Li Song and others playing with the trebuchet.
Yes, although I don’t need it myself, I can give it to my father.
In vain, I was still thinking hard about how to help my father accumulate some military exploits. Why didn't I think of using this thing as a tool for moving to the Jin Dynasty?
Historically, Alaowadin, who built the Huihui cannon, was awarded the title of General Xuanwu by Kublai Khan, and was hereditary Deputy Wanhu Marquis, which has been passed down for five generations.
If Meng Yuan had not been overthrown by Ming Taizu, it is estimated that it would have been hereditary for several generations...
This thing has now been advanced by a full seven hundred years by himself. Not to say it is unprecedented, but at least it is unprecedented. Looking at Yuangui and others, their faces are purple with excitement.
Li Chengzhi estimated that if he could exchange this for a county son or a county boy, he would be a sure shot. With a little more military exploits, it wouldn't be difficult for his father to move up to two or three ranks in a row.
He regained his energy a little and said: "Then submit the report. Later I will ask Li Da to seal the memorial and rush it to Beijing with a speed of 800 miles according to the drawings."
Yang Jun's face was full of disdain: "Your retainer has only been an official for a few days. What kind of official document format does he know? Why not come here? Just write it and let Li Huaide sign it..."
The relationship was already so familiar that Li Chengzhi nodded obediently and didn't bother to say thank you.
Seeing him staring at the group of people playing with the stone cannon, he seemed to be losing interest, and Yang Jun came over sneakily: "I asked you, apart from the thunder, do you have any other good things hidden?"
Li Chengzhi felt wary for no reason: "Why did you say that?"
Yang Jun pointed not far away: "Your father, Li Da, and many of the Li family's retainers are all in low spirits. It is obvious that they only learned about the power of this stone cannon today, but you are the only one who is bored and is too lazy to even look at it."
Take another look.
Therefore, I guess that this thing is dispensable to you. There must be something more powerful than the stone cannon..."
"You are thinking too much!"
Li Chengzhi replied calmly, but he was wondering in his heart: Is his expression so obvious?
Yang Jun's eyes are really sharp, and you can guess everything about his thoughts just by his expression.
If something obtained seven hundred years later is indeed considered an artifact in this era, what if it is obtained more than a thousand years later?
Of course, it can only be regarded as an antique and sighed with emotion. This is how Li Chengzhi feels now.
After the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, why did Huihui Pao disappear and rarely appear in history books?
Because not only is there a perfect substitute, but it is also restrained without leaving any room.
It's artillery.
He has already created a black powder with precise proportions that has almost maximized its power. Li Chengzhi only needs to move his mouth to take another step and create a muzzle-loading cannon.
It’s hard to say about the rest. With the smelting technology of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it is perfectly possible to cast bronze cannons. Taking a step back, pine cannons are definitely no problem.
With the current level of armor forging by Li's craftsmen, it is actually easier to make an iron hoop cannon: just like an onion, wrap it layer by layer with steel plates from the inside to the outside. Then seal the chamber and it is just a piece of steel.
Gun barrel.
It is not impossible to develop a breech-loading cannon if we put more effort into giving guidance to Li's craftsmen.
But Li Chengzhi didn’t dare.
The human heart is the most unable to withstand temptation. Now that they have just created gunpowder, the ambitions of Li Song and others have grown beyond the sky. They dare to defy the odds and kill him first and then force him into the palace.
If he is handed over again, it will be tantamount to encouraging Li Song and others to rebel against him...
Even if you want to build artillery, you have to wait until something happens and Li Chengzhi is in charge before you can start preparations.
By then, how many rammed earth city walls like Qianyuan can withstand the gunfire?
Seeing that he was so unconfident in denying it. And looking at his wandering look, it was obvious that he was reminiscing about something.
Yang Jun was about to ask, but Li Shao glared back. Yang Jun's face stiffened, and he said with a smile: "I'm just curious!"
In fact, since they witnessed the power of thunder that day today, they both knew: Compared with yesterday, although the thunder was not as loud as yesterday, it was more lethal. And it was extremely obvious, not as Li Chengzhi thought.
It is said that it is made from wheat flour.
Therefore, he was definitely not just hiding a little secret. In all likelihood, he was just blocking their mouths with wheat flour just like he had fooled the late emperor.
But Li Shao had no idea of getting to the bottom of it. Instead, he was extremely happy: This is how it should be.
The reason was that Yuan Ke was too impatient, which forced the Li family in Longxi to show signs of separation again.
The Hongnong Yang family is not much better: compared with the Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen, who had "one family with nine governors and three brothers serving as servants", today's Yang family can be said to be extremely dilapidated.
To say that these two people have a sense of belonging to the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, it is only average. It is more out of the psychology of self-preservation. And this is also the common psychology of the nobles during the period when clans, aristocratic families, and imperial power were equally important.
Therefore, compared to the imperial court, they were closer to Li Chengzhi, who was also a member of the Guanzhong gentry. Subconsciously, they had good things, and Li Chengzhi should keep them for himself.
It’s good to be able to present a counterweighted trebuchet to the imperial court...