12dz Chapter 288: Gun Test
Chapter 288: Gun Test
At Shi Li's command, the two cannons fired towards the target almost simultaneously.
One of the cannons hit the target accurately, and the splashing stones and broken iron balls instantly flew out in different directions like flowers scattered by fairies, raising billowing dust.
The projectile from the other cannon did not directly hit the stones on the fortification. Instead, it fell to the ground first, then bounced slightly, rolled towards the fortification at an angle, and finally hit the fortification, achieving almost the same effect.
Although the second projectile rolled and hit the ground, the destructive power it displayed on the ground was still astonishing.
"Good, powerful! If this falls into the enemy group or attacks the city wall, it will definitely cause great destructive power." Although Shi Li had never seen the power of Luancheng infantry artillery, the scene before him made him quite satisfied.
Hou Lin had been frightened by infantry artillery fire, and although this test firing was not perfect, from the perspective of the attacker, he also felt that it was unsatisfactory.
"It's really powerful, but I wonder if it can shoot farther?" He clearly remembered that when he was being attacked, the infantry artillery had a range of one thousand steps, so he had this question.
"Add more gunpowder and you can shoot farther." Bian Lao San said proudly.
"Okay, then let's add more gunpowder and see how far it can be launched." Shi Li was full of confidence in the object in front of him, and at the same time was eager to know the final result.
Xia Shao hesitated to speak. He remembered a famous craftsman once said that their cast iron cannons could only withstand a limited amount of pressure inside the tube, and it was not recommended to fill them with too much gunpowder.
However, since this was still an experimental phase, it seemed reasonable to fill it with more. Ultimately, he said nothing more and let the craftsman work on his own.
The craftsman was already worried, so he didn't fill the cannon with too much gunpowder. Seeing this, Bian Lao San strode forward and personally poured a lot more gunpowder into the barrel, causing the amount of gunpowder to be doubled.
"Loading is complete, we can test fire." Bian Lao San said excitedly as he ran over to ask for credit.
"What are we waiting for? Fire!" Shi Li ordered without hesitation.
"Fire!" Bian Laosan hurried over again and shouted loudly to the craftsman.
"Boom~"
"boom……"
The two cannons exploded almost at the same time, and one of the cannons exploded instantly.
"coax……"
After the barrel exploded, it ignited a nearby can of gunpowder, causing another explosion. Fortunately, the power this time was not too great.
The craftsman next to the cannon was blown to pieces and died on the spot. Bian Laosan was not spared either. A piece of cast iron fragment flew like an arrow and hit him in the face, and blood splattered everywhere in an instant.
"Ah..." After falling to the ground, Bian Lao San did not die immediately. He rolled on the ground and wailed in pain.
The tragic scene at the scene really scared everyone out of their wits. The other craftsmen who had luckily escaped the explosion were so frightened that they trembled all over and turned pale when they saw the bloody corpse.
The raised dust and the black air wave made Xia Shao and others look like charcoal.
When they recovered from their shock, they were all stunned and at a loss.
Among the soldiers rushing to the rescue from afar, only one sergeant said, "It's over, there's no hope, the brains are all splattered out."
After a while, Bian Laosan could no longer make any calls.
"What's going on?" Shi Li roared angrily after he woke up.
"Chief, Bian Lao San added too much medicine, causing it to explode." Xia Shao's voice became hoarse due to the smoke, and he had some difficulty speaking.
"Damn it, why did you add so much gunpowder? It almost killed everyone."
"Chief, one of the cannons didn't explode, and the shells were fired about six hundred steps away."
A soldier in charge of the test reported tremblingly.
The quality of the gunpowder they manufactured was uneven, and the cannon that luckily did not explode was due to insufficient gunpowder power, but it still shot a long distance.
"Chief, if you use fine iron to cast the cannon, it won't explode, but..."
"But what?" Shi Li asked impatiently when he saw Xia Shao hesitating.
"The cost will be twice as high." Xia Shao explained hurriedly.
"I want a good, powerful cannon. It doesn't matter if it's a little expensive. It'd be best if it could fire 800 steps."
"If it's made of fine iron, I can guarantee it can be launched eight hundred steps away."
The reason why Xia Shao dared to make such a guarantee was because an experienced old craftsman had told him so before.
The ? people were not actually wealthy, and the cost of using fine iron to make cannons was too great.
After returning to the camp, Shi Li was well aware of the high cost of making cannons with fine iron.
"So expensive? We don't have that much iron!"
Shi Li finally realized his own shortcomings and that it would cost a huge amount of money to build a sophisticated cannon.
Kui Zheng and Shi Li had worked together for over half a year at Qiu You, and they had developed a certain camaraderie. Although he and Shi Li didn't share the same ideals, they had a surprising degree of similarity in some areas.
"Chief, we can ask the prefect, Lord Wang, to come up with a solution. We can also sell him some weapons at a high price. As long as he's interested, some things can be discussed."
After Shi Li became the chief, Kui Zheng became his think tank. Shi Li felt that this statement made a lot of sense.
"Could you elaborate on this, Mr. Puppet?"
"The Wang family is a wealthy family in Bingzhou. They have both money and mines."
The mines referred to by Da Zhou are basically iron mines. The first three types of mines, gold, silver, copper and iron, are all strictly controlled by the court.
"Is there a mine?" Shi Li thought thoughtfully.
"And then?" he asked eagerly.
"As for what happened next, I am not in a position to say more."
Given Shi Li's personality, who knows what will happen next. Kui Zheng feels that it is extremely difficult for him to come to this point.
It is inconvenient to say more, which means to do something that is inconvenient to say clearly.
Shi Li understood instantly.
He looked at Kui Zheng with a smile, thinking to himself, this guy is indeed the one I have chosen, he is really smart and shrewd...
"Mr. Kui, please go and negotiate this matter. I will definitely not treat you unfairly afterward."
"Ugh! This..." Kui Zheng groaned inwardly, but it was difficult to refuse: "This old minister can only play the role of matchmaker. How you want to discuss it later will probably depend on fate."
"Okay, thank you for making this trip, sir. I will send a team to protect you as you head to Jinyang City."
……
Shi Li's experiment attracted attention from many parties, including Luancheng and Bingzhou. Of course, the Dark Cavalry Division also obtained relevant information.
However, Kui Zheng's mission to Bingzhou was kept extremely secret.
Three days later, Kui Zheng met Wang Danwang, the prefect of Bingzhou.
"Your Excellency, the artifact Shi Li crafted is truly remarkable. He intends to establish a good relationship with the Prefect, or rather, with the Wang family. That's all I can say about the rest of the matter."
In the prefectural yamen, Kui Zheng cautiously explained to Wang Danwang the purpose of his trip.
"You are just a small county magistrate, yet you are helping the clan to discuss this matter. What are your intentions?"
Wang Danwang was intimidating without even getting angry, and his powerful aura made Kui Zheng below feel a little guilty.
"My Lord, I think this is a good thing. Who wouldn't want such a powerful weapon? And what Shi Li lacks is precisely what you possess, my Lord. That's why I've dared to come here."
Wang Danwang was deeply moved by Kui Zheng's words. Seeing that what he said made sense, he relaxed his guard a lot.