While he was talking, a soldier suddenly came to report that the cannon sacrificial ceremony had been prepared. In order to deal with the firearms of the Kun thieves, ten newly cast Hongyi cannons were sent from Foshan. He Rubin asked someone to choose an auspicious day to sacrifice the cannons in person.
Test gun.
Today is an auspicious day. He Rubin and his staff came to the school grounds. All the main generals under his command were here. Lu Yizhong also came and was looking around. He saw ten gleaming blue cannons mounted on newly made old guns.
The cannon carriage with two wheels and two legs made of elm wood looks very solid and sturdy. In front of the cannon, there is an offering table with a red paper tablet on it, which reads "God's Table for the General Cannon". In front of the tablet are placed three animal offerings, sake, incense burner and candlestick.
etc.
He Rubin took the garrison with firearms and the camp commander Li Mo Dao washed his hands and burned incense, and bowed devoutly to the God of Artillery three times. He also recited a prayer prepared by his staff in advance, then picked up the wine jug, filled the cup, and poured it on the ground.
The ten gunners first knelt down to salute the commander-in-chief and others, then walked to the cannon, knelt down and kowtowed three times, and then came to push the cannon.
Next is the artillery demonstration - the so-called "fire the gun". Newly minted cannons must be trial-fired as usual. This is a common thing in weapons manufacturing, but once the cannon is used, the siege machinery and trebuchets originally used in China will
Such traditional weapons were immediately outclassed, and inevitably became tainted with mystery and various rituals were performed. Since the Yuan Dynasty, cannons have been titled and sacrificed.
He Rubin attaches great importance to the cannon sacrifice. On the one hand, he believes that it will help improve morale, and on the other hand, he also wants to know how powerful the Hongyi cannons made in this province are. He came into contact with the Hongyi cannons earlier, and was the first to do so during the Tianqi years.
When the Hongyi cannon was first introduced, he watched test firings, learned Western gunnery, and even made a firearms book of his own.
At that time, the technology for imitating Hongyi cannons was quite mature. The cannons produced in Li Luoyou's foundry were modeled on cannons borrowed from Macao, and he had a German missionary named Ma Yangchun who was harboring in his family to provide guidance at any time.
After returning from Lingao, based on what he saw and heard at the Lingao Artillery Factory and the advice of the Europeans around him, he made some earth-made equipment and also applied the technology of boring the cannon bore with a boring knife. Therefore, the red cast iron
The Yi artillery is obviously superior to other artillery fields.
"These cannons are well made," he praised. He could already tell that these cannons were relatively light Hongyi cannons. "Who made these?"
"My lord, this is made by the Li family foundry in Foshan." Li Modao reported, "His foundry is different from others, and the cannons are particularly well-cast."
He Rubin thought for a moment and asked, "Is it that Li Luoyou?"
"Exactly. I was very flattered when I heard that he was making cannons. I specifically asked Fu Jun to write a letter and let Fo Langji lend him cannons to imitate."
"No wonder he makes good cannons. Shopkeeper Li is half a foreigner." He Rubin said with a smile, "I heard that when he was young, he worked as a waiter for the foreign monk Fo Langji in Haojing, and he was quite close to the foreign monk.
What’s the difference between Fo Langji’s love and affection!”
Everyone laughed. Everyone knew that He Rubin was very disgusted with foreign religions. Of course, he was very disgusted with people who were Catholics and had deep connections with the Catholic Church in Macau.
"Please tell me," Li Mo said, crossing his hands with a knife, "Do you want to perform cannon immediately?" After receiving He Rubin's consent, Li Mo waved his flag:
"My lord, you have your life, test the cannon immediately!"
Following the order, ten gunners immediately ran over and pushed one of the cannons out. The Hongyi cannon was very heavy. Even a light cannon like this that fired five kilograms of shells had a body of 1,500 kilograms. Cannons were manufactured at that time.
In order to be durable and load-bearing, the vehicle was made of extremely heavy materials, and many iron nails and hoops were added to the gun wheels. The entire artillery was very heavy and heavy, and it was quite difficult for ten gunners to push it.
The gunners pushed the cannon into position, and one of them first used a musket to measure the angle. The Hongyi cannon was actually a cannon, and generally fired at a smaller firing angle to achieve maximum range.
The gunner loudly reported: "The gun gauge is six points higher!" Then a gunner used a hammer to hammer the triangular wedge between the barrel and the gun frame, causing the gun body to gradually rise.
The gun gauge is six points higher, which is roughly equivalent to a 45-degree angle of fire, which is the elevation angle used by the smoothbore cannon at its maximum range.
"The cannon is six cents tall, and its projectile can reach one thousand and fifty-three steps." He Rubin said to his staff and generals, "If it is seven cents tall, the projectile can reach a short step." He himself wrote "Western Fire Attack Artifact",
I know this stuff by heart.
Li Modao said respectfully: "What you have seen is very true."
After the gun body was raised to its position, the gunner shouted again: "Two pounds and six ounces of medicine!"
The other two gunners quickly picked up a porcelain jar from the pit. This kind of porcelain jar is specially used to hold gunpowder. It is glazed on the inside and outside, has a tie neck for fastening, and a cane and bamboo cover on the outside for easy handling.
The gunner opened the sealing clay of the can, uncovered the sealed porcelain plate, used a wooden measuring spoon to measure the gunpowder one spoon at a time, and poured it into the gun barrel. A gunner used a long pestle to poke the gunpowder into the bottom of the gun chamber, and fired at the gun near the bottom of the gun chamber.
Inside the door, I used a fuse made of paper and gunpowder, continued to charge the gunpowder, pushed it tightly, and installed a wooden code, and then loaded the iron bullet.
Li Modao asked everyone to retreat ten feet away, and many other soldiers also retreated far away, making preparations for emergencies. Li Modao only stepped back ten feet, waved the small flag in his hand, and said:
"point!"
A gunner lit the fuse with a torch. The gunners immediately retreated to Li Modao, looking nervously at the fuse that was hissing and sparking and quickly burning short.
Although the cannon was very powerful, the cannon casting at that time lacked process management, and the materials for cannon casting were also mixed, so the quality could not be guaranteed; the gunners who lacked experience studied Western artillery books that were translated without considering the conversion of weights and measures... This made
Many artillery pieces will explode the first time they are fired, often killing and injuring many people.
The fuse burned into the fire door with hissing sparks. Suddenly, the fire door flashed red, and then the muzzle erupted with fire and made a loud noise. Everyone felt that the ground beneath their feet shook, and suddenly there was a thick smoke in front of the cannon.
When the cannon fired, the staff and soldiers instinctively ducked their waists, and the gunners also squatted down.
Li Modao bent over and opened his mouth quickly when he saw the red light. After the cannon sounded, he quickly ran to the cannon, checked it and touched it with his hand. Feeling relieved, he hurried over to report:
"Sir! The cannon body is intact."
He Rubin, his staff, and generals came closer. They inspected the cannon body and mount, and found that they were as strong as ever. They were very satisfied. After a while, a soldier galloped back from the mound two miles away to report: Cannonballs
Fly over the mound and break a tree behind the mound.
"Kun Thief claims to have sharp firearms, how does it compare to this cannon?" He Rubin said with a smile.
"No matter how sharp the Kun Thief's cannon is, it can't be more sharp than this." Chang Qingyun said.
"Haha, this is just a small cannon with five kilograms of bullets. If it were a cannon that fired fifteen kilograms of bullets, it could destroy three or four miles with one shot. No matter how sharp the Kun thief's firearm is, it can only be like this." He Rubin said confidently, "Li
Guard, how many cannons does the firearms battalion have now?"
"Reporting to your lord: together with these ten Hongyi cannons, the total number of new and old cannons is one hundred and sixty-four."
"Tiger crouching cannons and the like are not included. Excluding these small cannons, how many are there?"
"Reporting to your lord: there are thirty-eight of them."
"Okay!" He Rubin was quite satisfied. "Here are the latest samples of Western artillery shells sent by the Ministry of Industry. You can try them one by one. If they are useful, please immediately order the artillery factory to make more."
"Yes, sir."
This batch of new artillery shells was cast under the auspices of Tang Ruowang and distributed to Liaodong, Gyeonggi, Shandong, Fujian, Guangdong and other places to equip the armies with Hongyi cannons for trial firing.
This batch of artillery shells have different names, including the so-called roaring dragon shells, refined shells, drilling shells, and chipping shells. There are all kinds of shells, and they all look strange. Li Mo's knife was loaded and fired one by one, but no one could see the newly delivered shells.
The weird cannonballs have no specific function, and their range is much shorter. Only the huge whistling sound made when the roaring dragon bombs are fired makes everyone think that they have a certain deterrent effect.
As for the chain bullet, which is divided into two parts after being fired, with a chain in the middle; the split bullet with a fixed iron bar in the two hemispheres, and the broad bullet with the four hemispheres connected to the iron button in the middle by a chain, look at
They were very powerful, but the range was much shorter. The staff felt that instead of firing these shells, it would be better to fire ball shells and shotgun shells directly.
"Li Shoubei, what do you think of these shells?" He Rubin asked.
"Sir, the sound of roaring dragon bullets is like a dragon's roar, which is useful to intimidate the enemy. However, it is not the right way. As for other things..." Li Modao felt that these strange-shaped shells were of no use. "It can be used for humble purposes, but it is a waste of work.
It’s a waste of material and the shot can’t reach far.”
"Foreign monks know how to come up with some weird stuff to deceive people." He Rubin said with a smile, "We don't need this bunch of messy stuff."
He Rubin then inspected the firearms camp. This firearms camp was specially set up to deal with the Kun bandits. It mobilized many artillery and built many new artillery carts. He Rubin saw that the firearms camp was neatly organized, with excellent armor and equipment, and soldiers.
Whether it is practicing or maintaining equipment, I am busy and there is no idle soldier. I feel very satisfied.
"Li Shou Bei!"
"Sir!" Li Modao hurried up.
"You lead the troops well!"
"All thanks to the power of the tiger!"
"Yeah." He Rubin nodded, "I heard that you are good at using firearms. Kun Thief has a reputation for being sharp with firearms. What do you think?"
"Reporting to your lord," Li Modao said cautiously, "I have never seen the firearms of the Kun thieves. I have only heard that they have huge cannons, and one cannon can reach more than ten miles. In my opinion, these rumors are often exaggerated.
place."
"How can I see it?"
"Bizhi has been in the army for sixteen years. He started as a three-eyed gunman and has handled countless large and small firearms. However, the range of firearms is often exaggerated. Based on what I have seen from the cannons I have used over the years, the range of the Zhongflang machine gun is
It only takes two hundred steps, and the tiger's crouching cannon only takes thirty or forty steps. In the book, it is said that it can reach several miles or dozens of miles. That is to say, in terms of the Hongyi cannon, it has a difference of one thousand kilograms, two thousand kilograms, and five thousand kilograms.
, in fact, the farthest the projectile can be fired is only three miles. Even if the cannon is huge, it may not shoot far."
He Rubin admired his words quite a lot, thinking that they could only be spoken by someone with actual combat experience. He looked at this thirty-year-old officer. He had a Chinese character face, a tall and muscular body, and a handsome face.
He is strong in military force. At first glance, he looks like a general who is good at fighting in battle.
"Have you ever fought in battle?"
"Reporting to your lord, Beizhi once accompanied Lord Zhou in the Xi barracks to conquer the Sarhu. After the defeat of the Eastern Route Army, Beizhi led his brothers to defend the high hills and defended the enemy with firearms until it was getting late and the soldiers were slacking off.
, just now he broke through the siege in one go." Li Modao was very proud of this period of history.
"The defense in Liaodong relies heavily on the power of firearms." He Rubin asked, "Now that the firearms of the Kun thieves are not under my control, and the enemy and we are both in danger, how should we arrange the firearms?"
Li Modao's face turned red with excitement. The Commander-in-Chief asked him for advice, and it would be a great honor to tell him. He had thought about this many times before, and at this time he composed himself and said:
"Based on my humble opinion, although the Kun thieves have tens of thousands of troops, they are either Fujian and Guangdong traitors or coerced common people. They are a rabble. They will not dare to fight with our army in the field. The Kun thieves' plan is nothing more than what Hong Mao did in Penghu.
The trick is to set up a fortified stronghold and install heavy artillery to defend a corner of the territory. Our soldiers always surround the area. The enemy's artillery range is almost the same as ours. Our soldiers can dig trenches and move forward to half a mile in front of the enemy's stronghold wall and end one mile away. The trench must be wide.
It is deep enough for the artillery carriage. My artillery moves forward from the bottom of the trench and approaches the wall of the village gate to fire. My artillery can reach the enemy, but the enemy's artillery cannot hurt me."
"What if the bandits go out of the city to seize the cannon?"
"At each artillery position, two teams of infantry are deployed, equipped with squatting tiger cannons and three-eyed muskets. They are ready to fight at any time. Our soldiers have deep trenches to hide themselves, and the enemy's artillery cannot reach them. If there is a shortage of troops, fresh troops can be sent as replacements at any time."
He glanced at He Rubin and quickly added: "It's just a humble opinion to work in a humble job."
He Rubin had never heard of such a tactic: digging a trench in the ground, and having artillery soldiers walk at the bottom of the trench. I originally thought it would be dismissed as "ridiculous"! After thinking about it, this method may not be useless, if the Kun thieves refuse to retreat
, you might as well give it a try.
But he didn't say yes or no. He left expressionlessly among the stars.
Li Modao carefully sent the Commander-in-Chief away. He felt a little uneasy: He didn't know whether his remarks made the Commander happy or unhappy, and whether he had any appetite for him. Mr. He himself was a member of his army for sixteen years.
I got a garrison rank and recently became a battalion general again. I am very concerned about my future.
"Sir! Are you satisfied with the firearms camp, sir?" As soon as He Rubin left, several of his closest confidants, Mr. Qian, gathered around him.
"How do I know?" Li Modao said impatiently, "You just need to take care of the brothers one by one! It seems that our firearms camp is going to have a big fight this time."
After his men dispersed, Li Modao took a look at the various strange-shaped cannonballs waiting for the soldiers to recover. He walked over and squatted on the ground, carefully looking at the cannonballs cast by the foreign monk. Although the new cannonballs did not perform well when fired.
Good, but Li Modao vaguely felt that these cannonballs had their own uses, but he didn't know it.
"If there is someone around me who knows Western artillery skills, I can ask him clearly." Li Modao thought to himself.
When it comes to Western artillery, He Zhen is certainly the number one person in the Guangdong and Guangxi armies, but he is just a small guard, how dare he casually ask the master of Zhentai for advice.
"Once the gun barrels have been cleaned, prepare to harness the horses and return to camp." He ordered the soldiers to clean the gun barrels and pack away the items.
The soldiers brought in the newly purchased Sichuan horses and harnessed them to the cannon. The Sichuan horses were small and weak. This kind of artillery carriage was very heavy and heavy, and there was no artillery front carriage. The horses pulling it not only had to pull forward, but also
Bear the weight on the back. The efficiency of using animal power is very poor, and it takes seven or eight horses to pull it. Li Modao knew that local Mongolian horses were very rare, and Jiangnan and Guangdong did not raise mules, so he had to use Sichuan horses to make up the numbers.
"This horse is too weak, not as strong as a mule," said the boss next to him.
"This is a small Sichuan horse from the south, smaller than a donkey from Shandong." Li Modao said, "It can't even equal a donkey when it pulls a cart. It can still carry goods on mountain roads, but it can't even pull a cart or a cannon."
"I see there are a lot of cattle here, so I might as well use them."
"Cows are too slow." He shook his head, "and they are easily frightened. When a cannon is fired on the battlefield, if the cow is frightened, wouldn't it be bad immediately?"
However, oxen are strong, and their strength is greater than the Sichuan horse that can barely drag the cannon. However, there are more than 30 cannons in the camp that weigh more than 1,000 kilograms, and each person needs more than 100 oxen if they use four.
Cattle, and corresponding servants. I don’t know if He Zhen is willing to spend this extra expense.
After returning to the camp and setting up the cannon, Li Modao went to the gunpowder factory at the foot of Yaxie Niang Mountain. About five or six miles away from the military camp fort, there was a large shack that was a workshop for manufacturing gunpowder. There, day and night, ships were shipped from all over the place.
Materials for making gunpowder were brought: sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter. Occasionally, other things were also brought, including dried human feces, poisonous Chinese herbal medicines such as aconite, and lime tung oil.
As the commander of the firearms battalion, Li Modao was most concerned about the supply of gunpowder. Although there was no shortage of gunpowder for the army, the quality of the gunpowder varied widely. The gunpowder could only emit a puff of black smoke, and the cannon fell off as soon as it was ejected from the barrel.
Things have also happened. Sometimes the medicine is too strong and directly explodes the barrel, often causing heavy casualties to the gunner.
During this expedition, He Rubin entrusted him with the task of manufacturing gunpowder projectiles. He was in charge of the firearms camp. Gunpowder projectiles were a matter of life and death and must not be ignored.
There were many large iron pots set up in the shed, and something was being boiled, emitting an unpleasant smell. Li Modao knew that they were purifying nitrate and sulfur.
Not far away, there are three large stone mills, led by Sichuan horses, crushing charcoal; there are many folk workers pounding the ashes there, and many people are sifting the ashes to sift out fine black powder.
.Some people add sulfur, nitrate and other things to charcoal powder according to the prescribed proportion to make gunpowder.
The prepared gunpowder powder was put into the stone trough, and the craftsmen used thick wooden pestles to continuously pound the gunpowder powder in the stone trough. An old craftsman sat aside, twisting the powder with his hands from time to time, and adding some water.
The gunpowder powder should be pounded as finely as possible. Li Modao remembered that the book stipulated that it should be pounded for more than five thousand times, and he didn't know how the craftsmen counted.
Some craftsmen spray slightly viscous water soaked in wheat onto the spread gunpowder powder, and then use a bamboo sieve to shake out gunpowder particles of various thicknesses.