weaving

Chapter 353 Wooden Pipe
The artillery shooting range of the Jiangying on the west bank of the Baihe River in the north of Yunzhou Fort occupies a very large area. Just less than a hundred meters to the west on the west bank of the Baihe River, there are various large and small earthen fortresses of different heights.

It wasn't until we got closer that we found that there were several gun carriages and side tank chariots placed between these forts, and straw sheds were erected on top of them, presumably for shelter from the wind and rain.

Li Chengmao, head of the Artillery Bureau, introduced: "Marshal, according to your instructions, the villain has prepared some No. [-] guns and rockets. There are also No. [-] guns, tiger squatting guns, and mortar guns.

Now I have borrowed four chariots from the Vehicle Frame Bureau. According to the previous design, two No. [-] guns are installed on each chariot. Two sets of rocket boxes and No. [-] guns can also be installed on the chariot. , just considering its relative portability, it can be equipped with artillery positions at any time according to the needs during the battle. "

"Well, that's right, it's very thoughtful, let's go up and have a look."

As Zhang Cheng said, he walked forward, and he could clearly see that this side is a side tank. The board supports two No. [-] guns.

In addition, the upright panel on this side is also quite thick, which can prevent strong bows and crossbows from being pierced, and several perforations are preset on the panel, so that sergeants can drive guns behind the panel to shoot enemy.

The lower layer is the rocket, the middle layer is the No. [-] gun, and the upper layer is the perforation of the bird gun. The three-layer firearms defense array has different shooting distances, and the real three-dimensional firearms strike force.

Zhang Cheng nodded straightly, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, if this kind of chariot is equipped with hundreds of vehicles, why should we be afraid of the tens of thousands of Tartars, I have [-] elites, which can be compared to tens of thousands.

"Marshal, let's try the cannon!" Li Chengmao asked.

Zhang Cheng waved his hand. He pointed to the cannons mounted on the earth fortresses of varying heights, and asked Li Chengmao, "No hurry, what kind of cannons are there?"

"Back to Commander, there are also No. [-] and No. [-] guns on those forts, as well as tiger squatting guns, mortar guns, and the guy called the flying gun that the general said." Li Chengmao said a little proudly.

"Oh, the flying cannon is made?"

Zhang Cheng was also excited, he had only heard that there seemed to be such a thing, but he couldn't say anything about the specific content, he didn't expect it to be made.

"Yes, Commander, we made a flying cannon."

"Try shooting, how is the effect?"

"Returning to the commander-in-chief, Master Shi and the villain personally presided over the test shooting, and the effect is very good, not far from what the commander-in-chief said."

Looking at the many cannons in front of him, Zhang Cheng beckoned to Shi Tiegen, and asked, "Have you recorded the test firing data of other cannons and rockets?"

Shi Tiegen replied: "Back to Commander, they have all been recorded truthfully. The test firing results of each cannon are different, and some have been improved twice."

"Choose one of each cannon and shoot it to see."

Following Zhang Cheng's order, the sergeants who were preparing for the test shot immediately moved into action. They were divided into several groups, each guarding a cannon, starting with the No. [-] cannon, followed by the No. [-] cannon, the tiger crouching cannon, and the mortar cannon.

There was a bang, and there were bursts of smoke rising, and the firing range of the artillery shooting range was filled with gunpowder smoke. Everyone covered their mouths and noses one after another, and some of them coughed uncontrollably.

Looking at the distance, the small mounds or straw man targets standing upright were staggered by the bombardment of solid cannons, but Zhang Cheng stepped forward and reached out to touch the barrels of the cannons.

"Well, yes, this cannon is useful."

As he spoke, he asked Shi Tiegen, who was always by his side: "Master Shi, in your opinion, is there room for improvement in these cannons?"

"Return to Commander, the cannons erected here are all improved. Each cannon has been test-fired three times, and the temperature of the barrels has been measured to be very uniform. It should be possible to mass-produce it." Shi Tiegen Back aside.

"Well, let's finalize the shape first, and speed up the production of the No. 120 gun. Before the end of the year, we must ensure at least 120 No. [-] guns, [-] boxes of rockets, at least [-] No. [-] guns, and no less than [-] tiger squat guns and mortar guns.

The production progress of the cannons here must not be lower than that of the chariots at the Frame Bureau. At least the chariots must have cannons. Supplies and heavy vehicles can temporarily not be equipped with cannons, but chariots are not. "Zhang Cheng said firmly.

He continued: "Now, let's see what's going on with that flying cannon."

"This flying cannon is said to be powerful, but it is not troublesome to make. This cannon is made of cast iron. The barrel is one foot and four inches long, the muzzle is three inches wide, and the belly is slightly thicker. A wooden handle of two feet and three inches is enough.

The cannon fired by it is cylindrical, only four inches long and two inches and a half thick. The outer wall is made of iron, and the inside is mixed with poison, iron slag, or flying stones. At the same time as the powder is ignited and the cannon is fired, the fuze is ignited, and the cannon flies into the middle of the enemy's formation and explodes, causing extensive damage.

But this flying cannon has one flaw, the fuze of this cannon is not easy to prepare, either it was blown up early, or it was blown up late, it is difficult to grasp the timing accurately, and it may even blow up the chamber. "

"Bomb?"

Zhang Cheng pondered for a while. He hadn't thought about this problem at all. He only vaguely remembered the name of such a bomb, and he only knew the outline, but now the problem of the fuze is really difficult.

"Go, let's go and have a look at the flying cannon and the cannon first."

Everyone followed behind Li Chengmao to a cannon that looked like a hammer. Lin Fangping just glanced at it and said, "Why does it look like a hammer!"

"Back to Mr. Lin Qian, this Flying Cannon is indeed a hammer. If the enemy is close, it can really be used as a hammer to hit the enemy." Li Chengmao hurriedly explained.

Zhang Cheng carefully observed the flying cannon, and suddenly said: "Li Chengmao, can this be fitted with a bracket?"

"Returning to the commander, the villains have indeed considered this matter, but this flying cannon needs to be adjusted back and forth to select a suitable shooting area, but it is not suitable for placing fixed legs." Li Chengmao replied.

Zhang Cheng thought for a while, and it was indeed the case. Only then did he recall that the early mortar brackets in later generations were all angle-adjustable. It was really difficult to solve it in the Ming Dynasty. It seemed that they could only be supported by sergeants.

He squatted down again and picked up a cylindrical cannon, held it in his hand and began to observe it carefully. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and Zhang Cheng stood up abruptly.

Shi Tiegen and Li Chengmao hurried forward a few steps, wanting to hear what Zhang Cheng had to say, but Zhang Cheng didn't say a word, and walked around the launch site with the cylindrical cannon in his hand.

After a long time, he stopped and asked Li Chengmao, who had been following behind him all the time: "After the cannon is fired, is it stable when flying?"

"Back to the commander-in-chief, most of them are stable, and some are unstable."

"Muto, it is Muto..."

Zhang Cheng began to talk to himself, and suddenly exclaimed again: "Wooden pipe, hahaha, the wooden pipe will do..."

"Wooden support...wooden pipe...?"

(End of this chapter)