Xujiazhuang, Harbor City, Military R&D Department.
A piece of great good news came out.
After half a year of delay, the 75mm caliber tube retractable rapid-fire cannon was finally successfully developed and finalized. A cannon with qualified quality and reliable performance was created, adding another weapon to Xujiazhuang.
Weapons performance testing site in the north of the city.
boom!
boom!
boom!
In just one minute, in high-rate mode, this cannon, named the "Quick Destroyer Cannon," fired 15 rounds of high-explosive shells, hitting a target set on a hill 8.5 kilometers ahead.
The explosion was a mess, and everything was swaying here and there.
The power is amazing.
"Not bad, very good."
Xu Yuan put down the telescope, nodded repeatedly and said.
"Master, our gun has fully reached the set performance indicators, and even exceeded it. We have successfully controlled the gun weight within one ton, only 892 kilograms. It is very suitable for use on naval warships. In addition, as long as the gun wheel device is added
, it can also be used by the army. It is a universal artillery. As for power, accuracy, range, etc., it is much stronger than the 80mm mortar. It is an invincible weapon!"
Qian Shuangfu, the chief engineer in charge of the development of the gun, introduced at the side.
It's not easy. For him, the chief engineer, the research and development of this gun is much more difficult than that of a mortar, such as the casting of a qualified barrel, the research and development of the hydraulic station and retraction mechanism, the research and development of the shell delay fuse, etc.
These are all 'high-tech' to him.
Although there are various reference materials, material formulas, and specific process flows provided by the owner, they play a very important role.
But the actual hands-on process is very different from the technical information.
You will encounter more troubles and problems, and you may even have no reference, so you can only continue to trial and error and explore.
Delay in finalization is also a matter of course.
Fortunately, all the technical problems were finally solved and this qualified "quick-killing cannon" was created.
In fact, the object of imitation of this "quick-killing gun" is the modern French m1897 75mm artillery, also known as the "75 Miss Cannon". Once it came out, it set off a wave of artillery revolution and was criticized.
Countless imitations were made, and later mountain cannons, Italian cannons, etc. were all imitated on this basis.
Although this is a sexy lady, she is not someone to be trifled with.
Extremely fast rate of fire.
Considerable power.
Precise hit rate.
Relatively light and easy to carry.
And artillery shells that are slightly smaller in caliber but can be carried in large quantities put less pressure on logistics and consume less resources.
These are all advantages that Xu Yuan attaches great importance to. It is the first choice weapon suitable for equipping naval warships. It is much easier to use than mortars. If the Marine Corps encounters a difficult battle on land, it can also directly disassemble this naval gun.
Come down, put it on the gun mount, drag it to the shore and use it to kill any opponent in a solid defense facility. It can be called a dual-purpose gun.
In the late Ming Dynasty, a time and space with relatively backward technological level, this "quick destroyer", like the previous mortars, was an invincible super artifact that no weapon could challenge.
However, in the history of modern society, the '75 Miss Cannon' that the French had high hopes for did not realize their beautiful wish of 'conquering the world and defeating their old enemies'. Instead, after the outbreak of World War I, it was detonated by German 105mm cannons and 150mm cannons.
, the advantage of fast rate of fire was not brought into play at all, and it was destroyed by larger caliber artillery at a farther place. It can be seen that caliber is king and range is king for artillery, so there is a saying that "caliber is justice and range is truth"
statement.
Of course Xu Yuan also likes thicker and bigger guys, but the cost is too high and it is too expensive to use. It is not affordable for the time being. Miss 75 is enough for now and can be used for more than twenty years. Research and development
The team can continue to develop larger artillery, but the actual equipment used is mainly mortars and quick-killing cannons, unless more difficult opponents appear in the future, and then the big ones can be used.
"Well, you R&D staff have worked hard. I will reward you with 200,000 silver dollars. Let everyone have a good rest and relax for a few days." Xu Yuandao said. He saw that many R&D staff looked exhausted. It must be that they often worked hard to complete the project.
Work overtime.
"There's no rush, owner. We'll have a good rest for a few days after we complete the task of manufacturing twenty prototype cannons and deliver them to the battleship 'Yaowu'."
However, Qian Shuangfu shook his head and said, you must know that in order to get new equipment, the captain and crew of the Yaowu were urging and expecting it almost every day, and they wished they could live in the artillery casting workshop. There was simply nothing they could do.
Fortunately, they have already built twelve doors, and there are still eight more to go. They can finish it with a few extra days of work.
"Okay, don't work too hard, you have to pay attention to your health."
Xu Yuan shook his head secretly, feeling a little helpless. Although the Chinese nation is diligent and hard-working, there is one shortcoming that has been criticized and resented by countless people, and that is that it is too curly. It is known as the king of curly rolls and has enemies all over the world, but it still cannot understand why foreigners
He hates himself so much. He obviously has no grievances and is happy to cooperate. Why is his hatred suddenly twisted like that?
The reason can be found in Qian Shuangfu and others. Under almost no external pressure, they all voluntarily worked overtime, unwilling to be better to themselves, putting the needs of others before their own needs, and all of them loved others.
Work hard and have a sense of responsibility.
Of course, it is not possible to lose this spirit of involution. Every Buddhist type lies flat, is careless and has no sense of responsibility, and is lazy every day. So Xu Yuan would rather they become more involved than become the third brother.
If the Middle East becomes princely, Africa becomes indigenous, and Europe and the United States become welfare, it will be completely finished.
…
July 25th.
Harbor City, the third fishing fleet is back.
Two electric fishing boats, eighteen low-power ordinary fishing boats, and an accompanying refrigerated cargo ship "Shiyun No. 20" all returned safely.
However, the third fishing fleet that went to Tsushima fishing ground this time only brought back less than half of the fish caught.
There were also two ordinary fishing boats that were obviously damaged and showed signs of being attacked by artillery fire. Weeping sounds were heard from the boats. After they docked, the bodies of two fishermen were carried out.
The entire Harbor City exploded that day.
After receiving the news, many navy generals rushed to Xu Yuan in a swarm, each of them acting extremely angry.
"Master, our fishing boat was attacked!"
"They were fishing smoothly in Tsushima waters when they were suddenly surrounded and attacked by North Korea's Busan Navy. Our unarmed fishermen were caught off guard and had to stop fishing and return immediately, but the Busan Navy was still hot on their heels.
put!"
"Master, two of our fishing boats were damaged, two fishermen were killed, and seven were injured. If it weren't for running fast, I'm afraid the losses would be even more severe, and we might even not be able to come back."
"It's too much to deceive people. The Tsushima sea area is a public sea and the wind and waves are quite strong. Except for our fishing boat, no other boat dares to fish here. However, our fishing boat went fishing several times and was attacked by the Busan Navy.
We coveted the fishermen and were attacked for no reason, even with the intention of plundering and snatching the boats. This is a blatant violation of our property, and many fishermen were killed and injured. This is intolerable, this must not be tolerated!"
"Master, let us dispatch naval warships. With only three or five warships, we can wipe out the Busan Navy, avenge the fishermen, and defend our fishing rights!"
Heard so much excitement.
After learning the cause and effect of the attack on the fishermen, Xu Yuan was also very angry, but not to the point of being passionate.
After thinking about it carefully, I realized that the fishing fleet of Harbor City could actually go fishing as far away as Tsushima waters. This is almost at the doorstep of North Korea and Japan, right?
The reason is also very simple. The fishery resources within 300 kilometers of the coast of Harbor City are limited, and unlimited fishing is impossible. The upper limit of fishing for one year is about 500,000 tons. Overfishing will lead to a significant decline in fishery resources in the coming year, and even
Difficult to recover.
Therefore, Harbor City has established three mid- and offshore fishing fleets to fish in waters 400 to 500 kilometers away.
They are the First Yellow Sea Fishing Ground Fleet, the Second Zhoushan Fishing Ground Fleet and the Third Korean Fishing Ground Fleet.
I just didn't expect that the third fishing fleet would go as far as Tsushima Strait in order to catch more fish. After all, this sea area is extremely rich in fishery resources.
But even so.
This is not the reason for the Busan Navy to violently attack the third fishing fleet.
It also led to the death and injury of fishermen in Xujiazhuang!
Unforgivable!
It cannot be forgiven and severe punishment must be imposed.
However, if it is just out of anger and pure revenge, and then kills the Busan Navy, it will be cool and it will be a good sigh of relief, but it is meaningless and will not bring substantial benefits and benefits. On the contrary, it will cause
Greater confrontation will lead to a lack of peace.
So Xu Yuan looked at the map for a moment, and his eyes fell on Jeju Island, which is only 500 kilometers away from Harbor City.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
This island covers an area of 1,825 square kilometers, plus more than 20 surrounding small islands. In Chinese legends, it is the so-called Penglai Fairy Island.
As for the resources on the island, there are no important resources. Because the climate is humid and warm, the soil is fertile, the terrain is relatively flat, and there are many high-quality pastures, it is very suitable for animal husbandry. There is no problem in raising hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses.
Of course, the most important thing is that the location of Jeju Island is very critical. It is located in the area between the Ming Dynasty, North Korea, and Japan. The shortest distance from North Korea is less than 100 kilometers, and the shortest distance from Japan’s main island is 200 kilometers. If it can be built here,
A seaport is stationed with a squadron, so whether it is going to North Korea or Japan, at a speed of 20 knots, it can reach the offshore waters of the two countries in three to five hours, and it can show its muscles at any time.
For example, when the third fishing fleet encountered an attack at Tsushima Fishing Ground, they could arrive as quickly as possible, or send warships to accompany the fishermen to protect the fishery. No force would dare to provoke it!
After thinking about it, Xu Yuandao said: "Direct retaliation is the last resort. Let's first publish a report in the Oriental Times, accusing the Busan Navy of the barbaric behavior, introducing the tragic experiences of our fishermen, and arousing the anger of our public opinion. As for
Regardless of the public opinion in North Korea, we have suffered a loss anyway and we are very angry. We share the same hatred and fully support retaliation."
"The next step is to formulate a plan to capture Jeju Island in the name of protecting fishermen, and then take military action to capture the island, recruit workers, and build a 'fishing protection port.' If North Korea refuses to accept it, targeted military action will be taken."
Action, then we will sink as many naval warships as they send! In short, in order to protect our fishermen, we will defeat as many provocations as they dare, and we will never allow the tragedy of fishermen to be killed to happen again."
"As for the Busan Navy that caused the accident, even if we don't attack them severely, the North Korean monarchs and ministers who have suffered great losses probably won't let them go."
Listen to what Xu Yuan has to say.
All the naval admirals nodded in agreement, but in order to compete for the opportunity to go to Jeju Island, they immediately started to fight with each other and made a fuss.
…
On July 27, the front-page headline of the "Oriental Times" [My fishermen were killed for no reason, the Busan Navy is so barbaric], coupled with the tragic situation of dead and injured fishermen, triggered countless anger and curses in the Ming Dynasty.
The envoy from North Korea was almost beaten in the capital.
July 29th, morning.
At the port of Harbor City, through the crane equipment, the twentieth 'quick destroyer cannon', which had just been manufactured in the military factory, was hoisted onto the 'Yaowu' battleship, and carefully installed on the reserved
After the side gun emplacement.
"Set sail and set off!"
Captain Zuo Xianfu gave the order.
The three-cylinder steam engine immediately increased its horsepower and accelerated out of the port, heading towards the ship that had left the port half an hour earlier. There were a total of twenty-five ships (including five armored warships and twenty shipping cargo ships, all of which were fully loaded).
men and supplies) and a fleet of steamships pursued him.