It was dark, but the engineers responsible for assembly were still working hard.
Many officers, soldiers and civilians were watching the fun. They had never seen anything called a roller trebuchet.
As the thirteen trebuchets were assembled bit by bit, everyone exclaimed.
These trebuchets were made by Xincheng Iron and Steel Works. Countless metal components are built like building blocks. These parts are carried in caravans with a load capacity of 7 tons.
The steel was so heavy that each vehicle required a dozen oxen to drag it.
The carbide lamp illuminated the camp as bright as day, and the trebuchet gradually appeared in outline.
Yang Fan was unwilling to give advanced artillery to the emperor.
One is that the cost is too high and the emperor cannot afford it. The other is, what if one day the emperor is slandered and cannons are used to blast the walls of the new city.
Therefore, what Yang Fan gave to Jingying were the highest level cold weapons of this era. The cheapest plate armor, a small number of steel crossbows, and weapons made of high-quality steel.
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This time, before setting off for the expedition, most of the large firearms that could be used in the Beijing camp were taken away. After all, they were going to attack a fortified city. Including ten red cannons in the capital and seven large bronze cannons in Luzon.
This time, three Luzon bronze cannons thrown away by the Mongols were found from Zhangjiakou.
The commander-in-chief of Xuanfu sent an official letter to take back these three heavy cannons.
What a joke. Yang Fan and Zhang Shize's mouths were almost crooked in laughter. There are such naive people in this world. Is Hou Shilu a fool?
Why should we pay back the money we borrowed based on our ability?
Is this what was captured by the Mongols? You go to Tuxie Tuhan and ask for it. If you can find him.
In addition to these 22 heavy artillery pieces, there are also more than 300 large and small general cannons, engine cannons, Fran machine cannons, etc. There are also some mortars specially designed for siege.
To be on the safe side, Yang Fan brought 13 trebuchets from his warehouse. Used to enhance the technical equipment for siege. In addition to trebuchets, there are also watchtowers and nest carts assembled from steel components.
The trebuchet was finally completed, and the swing arm was twenty meters long. The chassis of the car body has eight wheels, which are actually rubber wheels.
This is made from refurbished scrap truck tires. The wheels have bearings, making it very effortless to push.
The counterweights are basalt blocks blown down by engineers who went to a nearby mountain in the afternoon.
There is a circular wheel-shaped space on one side of this trebuchet, into which a huge shire horse is driven. Let the horse run in it, the wheel turn, and then apply force to the winch.
Use the ratchet device to lift the counterweight high. Don't let the horse stop until the weight reaches the top. Then jam the winch.
Liu Sansi said to engineer Zhao Dazhuang: "You students are still more powerful. You have learned some incredible knowledge in the academy. It looks very powerful. How far can this thing hit?"
Zhao Dazhuang said: "Liu Tuanzuo, our trebuchet can throw 150 kilograms of stone bombs to a distance of 300 meters.
"Hey, it's so powerful. When I was in the martial arts school, the martial arts scriptures I learned said that the range of a human trebuchet is only fifty meters. It needs to be fired by bows and arrows."
"This is the most advanced trebuchet today. It can be launched outside the enemy's range. It is made of steel. It is lighter than wood, more durable, and has a longer range. Tomorrow, officers and soldiers from the martial arts battalion will also come to the site to observe the use of the trebuchet. .”
Liu Sansi was one of the first group training members. This time to reorganize the Beijing camp, Yang Fan and the emperor's request was to first use regiment training to become the officers of the Beijing camp. After returning from the Western Expedition, the regiment training officers withdrew. New officers were appointed by the emperor.
This time, the emperor organized a martial arts camp of 1,500 students from Jingwei Martial Arts. He also went on the expedition. Their number is not within the 80,000 people in the capital camp. They followed Yang Fan's Chinese army tent.
Chongzhen's purpose was also to train them through actual combat. It is also planned that after the Western Expedition, they will serve as grassroots officers such as the small flag, general flag, and hundreds of households in the Beijing camp. These people are all sons of nobles, senior military officers, and children from families with more than a thousand households in the local guard station.
The emperor summoned them through the special form of martial arts examination Enke, entered the Jingwei martial arts school, and trained them as grassroots officers of the Xinjing camp.
"It's assembled and needs to be tested." Zhao Dazhuang said.
"This is a blind light. No matter how you test it, you can't see it." Liu Sansi asked puzzledly.
Zhao Dazhuang snapped his fingers and said, "You can have this, just use incendiary bombs."
Liu Sansi called five hundred soldiers and drove Sharma to pull thirteen trebuchets to a place 250 meters away from the south gate of Jining City.
"Put down the hoe, yes, put it in the dug pit. Tread the soil firmly before burying it. Lock the wheels. Okay, that's it." Zhao Dazhuang directed.
"Get the Sharma into the runner. Work on the winch."
As Sharma moves forward in the wheel. The wheels spun rapidly. The Shire horse weighs 1,100 kilograms, far exceeding that of humans. Use a Shire horse to tow the trebuchet, and when it arrives, drive the horse into the wheel. Power up the trebuchet. The effect is much better than using six soldiers running inside. faster.
The mechanism and bearings of the trebuchet made a tooth-grinding sound. Workers used oil cans to lubricate everywhere. After all, it has been stored in the warehouse for a year, and it has been eroded by wind and snow along the way. It’s embroidered in many places.
Liu Sansi could see with the naked eye that the twelve-ton heavy counterweight box slowly rose and did not stop rising until it reached a height of fifteen meters. The workers below used the handle to jam the winch.
The caravan behind brought artillery shells.
In order to shoot accurately, it is necessary to prevent the trebuchet from shaking and moving during firing, and the irregularity of the shells to prevent the resistance from being messy and causing the missile to miss. This machine adopts the design of digging a hole and placing the hoe, and the overall center of gravity is lowered.
The stone bullets are quickly made by using quick-drying cement and small stones in molds. These quick-drying cements can set in half an hour. The trebuchet is completely available. Because the trebuchet takes ten minutes to launch once.
The 150-kilogram cement sphere made from a mold is so round that the wind resistance can be calculated.
"Wrap these cement spheres with straw bags, then pour gasoline on them, and put a fire tube. Pull the fire before launching. The stone balls will ignite in the air. Even at night, you can clearly see the falling of the stone bullets. Point." Zhao Dazhuang explained.
At this time, it was already midnight at night. On the tower opposite, there were only some patrolling Mongolian soldiers walking around. They can't see what's going on here. It's cloudy tonight and too dark.
"Mr. Zhao, we have finished the inspection. There are no problems and we can test-fire." A worker came over to report.
"Okay, each vehicle will target the south city wall and fire ten rounds each. If there are no problems, retreat back to the camp." Zhao Dazhuang said.
Then, following Zhao Dazhuang's order, the wrenches were removed from the thirteen trebuchets, and the buckles were immediately unlocked. The counterweight box roared down with a weight of twelve tons.
It hit the ground with a bang. The ground shook as it hit. The vibration was even transmitted to the legs, and the heels felt a little numb.
