12dz Chapter 304 Weapons
Chapter 304 Weapons
Among the artillery used by his own army, Zhao Sheng was most proud of the mortar.
There are two types of shells currently in use.
One of them is a fixed bomb with a tail that can be equipped with explosives, and its maximum range can reach more than one mile.
The other type also uses fixed explosives, but the shells are much larger than the first type. They can be launched as far as more than 500 steps away. They are filled with hundreds of iron balls. Once exploded, the killing range can reach more than 100 steps.
This was inspired by the amazing Heartless Cannon.
The artillerymen are basically equipped with revolver shotguns, which are very suitable for close-range self-defense.
The infantry used a replica of the Schrader-Enfield rifle, which was loaded from the back with fixed bullets and round projectiles, and its accuracy was still quite good at a hundred steps away.
It was just that the primer was always a problem for Zhao Sheng, so they used the rebound red phosphorus friction ignition method, so the bolt was not hit by the primer, but by the side impact.
This slowed down the production of bullets, but fortunately these cartridge cases could be reused.
The speed at which Gatling guns can supply ammunition is truly astonishing. Nowadays, all the major armies have an extremely urgent need for weapons. Now bullets are all manufactured in workshops, but only more than 20,000 rounds of bullets can be produced each month.
Artillery shells can now be manufactured in Guangchang County and are currently mainly supplied to Weizhou for use. Zhao Sheng feels that this situation is already good.
At present, whether in Weizhou or Dingzhou, the most scarce things are food and money.
……
After Jinyang was captured, Wang Danwang led his men to Xiurong, where the famous Yanmen Pass was located.
Normally, there are 20,000 defenders here and 5,000 government soldiers. The general of the defending army and the magistrate Xiurong are both members of the Wang family, and this place can be said to be their sphere of influence.
However, after all, the number of people here is limited, and the army that escaped from Jinyang is only 10,000. The rest of the people probably also escaped, but did not follow them to Xiurong.
"Sir Wang, what should we do next?" Wang Kui saw Wang Danwang's gloomy face and walked forward cautiously to ask.
"We're waiting for the troops from Jinzhou. They have 50,000 men, and there are also troops from Jinyang outside the city. By the way, have you contacted Lu Zhi? What's going on with those 50,000 men under his command?"
Hearing Wang Danwang's words, Wang Kui said again, "Sir, the people in the camp outside the city have retreated. They simply couldn't withstand the artillery fire brought by Shi Li. After a fierce barrage of fire, they couldn't bear it and retreated."
"Hmph! Retreating? I think you are scared after being beaten!" Wang Danwang said unhappily, glancing at Wang Kui.
Li Ke, who was standing by, overheard their conversation and didn't know what to say. He had never imagined that Shi Li would be so bold as to attack Jinyang.
However, he knew that Wang Danwang had built a cannon before, and he knew that it was heavy. He really couldn't understand how Shi Li could leave Jinyang defenseless, so he cleared his throat and said:
"Lord Wang, I have a question. Can we still create weapons like before? Why don't we continue to manufacture them here?"
Wang Danwang naturally understood Li Ke's suggestion and asked thoughtfully, "Wang Kui, what do you think?"
"This is not a difficult task. Xiurong also has craftsmen. We can just make it here." Wang Kui said confidently.
Li Ke felt that he should express all his concerns to avoid wasting manpower and money during the march and battle.
"My Lords, have you ever considered modifying this cannon into a more portable design?"
"Easy to carry?" The two kings said in unison, surprised.
"Exactly. Although I'm not entirely clear on the structure of this cannon, judging by the cannons on the city walls, it can be made smaller, weighing just over a hundred pounds, so one person can carry it."
"Hiss!" After hearing this, the Second King took a deep breath and began to think about how to modify the weapon.
"I think what Li Tongzhi said makes sense. Let's try to make a small one first and see how much its power is reduced. Since they can carry it around, we should be able to do it too." Wang Danwang gritted his teeth as he spoke, his heart full of hatred, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"Okay, let's do as the prefect wishes." Wang Kui deliberately said Li Ke's suggestion was Wang Danwang's opinion, making it clear that he was acting in accordance with the order.
……
For a skilled ironworker, the craftsmen at the Jinyang Ironworks could produce ten smoke cannons in a single day. In just twenty days, over a hundred cannons were successfully manufactured.
The gunpowder produced using the new technology was also quite quick, with several thousand kilograms of gunpowder piled up in the workshop.
Unfortunately, even the best cook cannot cook without rice, and soon Jinyang ran out of iron and raw materials for making gunpowder.
"What should we do with the gunpowder and cannons without the materials?" Hou Lin asked anxiously.
"We have enough cannons. We have a hundred, and I'll give you fifty. The key is the sulfur and saltpeter. We have to buy them, and after distributing the stolen silver, we won't have much left."
The ? tribe always rewards people according to their merits after a war, which is why there are people from other tribes following them. This is tantamount to looting, and whoever loots more can get more.
"I think we should sell some of the cannons, not for money, but in exchange for some saltpeter or sulfur. This time we can't just exchange with one person." Yu Shaoqin suggested.
This time in Jinyang, Kui Zheng did not come, and he and Mu Hui were stationed in Pingyang County.
"Well, what Yu Shaoqin said makes sense. We should indeed exchange some supplies this way, but the question is who should we find?"
Shi Li thought this idea was good, but he didn't know who to sell it to.
"Since we can't sell it to the generals in Bingzhou, I think we should sell it farther away, especially to places with less iron production."
Hou Lin was not a stupid man. He could also realize that if these cannons were sold to Bingzhou, they would most likely fall into the hands of the Wang family.
"I'll go ask the merchants in the city, maybe I can find a way." Yu Shaoqin said.
"Well! This is the best way, but this matter must be handled quickly." Shi Li said approvingly, and his eyes looked at Yu Shaoqin more kindly.
After some time, Xia Shao brought some gunpowder to Jinyang, and Shi Li took the opportunity to keep him in Jinyang. After all, Pingyang County was also short of resources, and he also needed to learn the new technology for making gunpowder here.
Jinyang, after all, was the capital of Bingzhou, a place of prosperity and thriving merchants since ancient times. Upon learning of this, the merchant from Xiliang spoke earnestly, his eyes gleaming with determination as he announced to everyone that he had a unique channel for obtaining precious sulfur.
He immediately exchanged two smoke cannons from Yu Shaoqin. Firstly, the cannons were too heavy and difficult to transport, and secondly, merchants thought that the cannons were easy to imitate.
As for gunpowder, the merchant was not stingy and bought a full 200 kilograms of it in one go.
In order to ensure the safe arrival of this dangerous and precious cargo in Liangzhou, he specially hired two sturdy carriages and engaged a well-known escort agency to escort it all the way, being extremely cautious.
However, things are unpredictable. Before this batch of weapons even reached Liangzhou, they encountered an accident in Shangjun, a transit point. As soon as the weapons arrived in Shangjun, they were purchased by Conicoda, saving half of the shipping cost.