"There are many kinds of guns and cannons. I don't know what kind of guns and cannons the Commander-in-Chief wants to forge."
Bo Yu frowned slightly, looking a little hesitant. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to have made some decision in his heart, and then spoke.
"With all due respect to the students, the Hongyi cannon is expensive to build. Although it is very effective when used to attack cities and destroy walls, it is not practical for formation artillery battles."
"The Hongyi cannon often weighs more than several thousand kilograms. It is extremely bulky, extremely difficult to move, difficult to load, has an extremely slow rate of fire, and is flashy."
Bo Yu looked solemn, bowed slightly and spoke in a deep voice.
Chen Wang's eyes moved slightly. Bo Yu's opinion was undoubtedly a heresy among heresies at this time.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army actually clicked on the wrong technology tree.
In the early and middle periods of Chongzhen, there was a craze for buying Hongyi cannons. From small Hongyi cannons to large heavy cannons, the price ranged from at least a hundred taels to several thousand taels.
The largest Hongyi cannon even weighed seven thousand kilograms, and the cannonball alone weighed twenty-three kilograms.
One kilogram in the Ming Dynasty was almost equal to 600 grams today, and one pound was about 450 grams. After converting the two, the cannon fired weighed thirty pounds.
Thirty-pound artillery can be regarded as a heavy artillery among naval guns, let alone on the road.
Let's not talk about the cost of the Hongyi cannon. Just say that its rate of fire and slow reloading make it difficult to form a dense vitality. It has limited killing effect on men and horses, so it is already unsuitable for land warfare.
Moreover, during the land battle, the two armies fought in formations facing each other, and the two formations strangled each other and attacked each other.
Naturally, artillery cannot hit just one place, and this also exposes another shortcoming of Hongyi cannon-slow turning.
The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. Because the Hongyi cannon turns slowly, it is often unable to provide timely fire support.
I think that due to the above shortcomings, the Hongyi cannon is actually not very useful when defending cities and fighting in the field. This does not mean that the Hongyi cannon is not good.
After all, such a heavy artillery was not designed for field combat and city defense. It was originally designed for confrontations between ships at sea, and... siege cities!
However, with the current situation in the north, the Ming army still has no strength to take the initiative. Only Qing troops have always attacked the city.
In April of the sixth year of Chongzhen, Kong Youde led the rebels and his family members to defect to Houjin from Dengzhou, Shandong.
The consequences of Kong Youde's defection were extremely serious, and even paved the way for the subsequent downfall of the Ming Dynasty.
When Kong Youde defected, he not only brought with him more than twenty Hongyi cannons, but more importantly, he also brought with him the fleet, cannon-casting craftsmen, and elite gunners that Houjin urgently needed.
It was precisely because of Kong Youde's defection that the ability of the Hou Jin Dynasty and later the Qing army to attack cities and forts was greatly improved.
The Qing court attached great importance to firearms and artillery. Not only did it form a firearms unit called "Wuzhen Chaoha", it even began to promote firearms and artillery on a large scale in the army.
The Ming army was also influenced by the Qing army's large-scale production of Hongyi cannons, and began to cast a large number of cannons. Both sides continued to innovate their armaments and weapons for more than ten years.
This is why, during the Battle of Songjin, both the Ming and Qing Dynasties used artillery and firearms to a terrifying degree.
In many cases, the most intense battle between the two sides is not the close combat, but the exchange of artillery.
"Originally, these artillery pieces were Hongyi's heavy artillery used on ships at sea, and were not suitable for field battles and marches on land."
Bo Yu didn't notice the change in Chen Wang's expression, but still persuaded him sincerely.
"Students do not recommend that the Commander-in-Chief build such heavy artillery."
"Moreover, most of the craftsmen who followed the students to build cannons stayed in Nanzhili. Only a dozen people came with them. Even if they wanted to build Hongyi cannons, it would be difficult to build them in a short time."
Chen Guang's first task when he went to Nanzhili was to invite Bo Yu. In addition, he also had a secondary task, which was to recruit craftsmen who could cast cannons.
However, recruiting cannon-casting craftsmen was very troublesome. After all, the craftsmen who could cast cannons at this time were all military craftsmen. Although Chen Guang had a lot of money, it was difficult to spend it without the connections, so these things could not be put on the table.
Several of the cannon-casting craftsmen who followed Bo Yu to Hanzhong Mansion were Bo Yu's students, and others were craftsmen who were familiar with Bo Yu. It cost a lot to bring them all together.
"Mr. Bo, there is no need to worry. I had no plans to build a Hongyi cannon."
Chen Wang never thought about building a Hongyi cannon from the beginning. The best field land gun at this stage is not that the heavier, the better.
Bo Yu's frown relaxed a little. When he cast cannons for Zhang Guowei, Zhang Guowei's first request was to make Hongyi cannons. He asked that the bigger the cannons, the better, so that they could all be used to defend the city.
His several attempts at persuasion yielded little results in the end. He was worried that Chen Wang would also go his own way and build the Hongyi cannon, which would be a waste of money and no use.
Chen Wang's words made Bo Yuxuan's heart relax slightly.
"The cannon I want to ask Mr. Bo to cast must first be light and strong, and not too heavy. It is best that it can be easily pulled by four or two horses, and can be pushed and moved by the artillery after entering the battlefield."
The target of field artillery on land is not the solid city walls but the enemy soldiers. If they are fighting against the Qing soldiers, they only need to consider their shield vehicles.
The caliber of the land battle gun does not need to be too large, it only needs to be powerful enough. It is best if it can be pulled by a few horses and travel easily.
After entering the battlefield, the artillery can be pushed forward. The key is to be able to quickly adjust and aim and turn, reload quickly, have a high rate of fire, and be able to quickly provide fire support.
According to the caliber of European continental guns during the Napoleonic Wars, land combat guns were generally in four categories: three pounds, six pounds, nine pounds, and twelve pounds. Cannons over twelve pounds were basically not suitable due to weight and other issues. Confront the enemy in land battles.
However, the Napoleonic War was already in the 19th century after all, and the casting process had to do with the weight of the artillery.
Under the current situation, there is no need for a twelve-pounder cannon. The heaviest cast nine-pounder cannon can handle most situations.
Chen Wang had memories of his time in Liaodong. There were many Hongyi cannons in Liaodong, and it was not that he had never seen them before.
Xu Guangqi once ordered a large number of Hongyi cannons from Westerners whose shells weighed ten kilograms. If converted into pounds, they were almost thirteen-pound cannons. This batch of cannons were later shipped to Liaodong.
These artillery pieces were extremely heavy, requiring more than six mules and horses to pull, and it was difficult to keep up with the marching team.
"I plan to make three specifications of artillery to serve as fire support at the bureau, department and battalion levels."
"Artillery at the bureau level should be able to fire three kilograms of artillery, five kilograms is better at the department level, and seven kilograms at the battalion level is better."
Converted into pounds, the bureau level is almost a four-pounder gun, the department level is almost a seven-pounder gun, and the battalion level is almost a nine-pounder gun.
Chen Wang did not fully apply the data, firstly because the conversion is inconvenient, and secondly because according to the standards of the European continent, the power of the three-pounder gun may not be enough to deal with Houjin's shield car. If it is increased to a four-pounder gun, the reliability bigger.
"It is not difficult to make the cannon that the Commander-in-Chief requested, and a prototype cannon can be produced soon."
Bo Yu's eyes brightened slightly, his worried heart finally relaxed, a smile appeared on his face, and he spoke.
"According to the requirements of the Commander-in-Chief, bronze cannons are the most suitable. Made of bronze, the cannon body is much lighter."
Bo Yu felt relieved, and so did Chen Wang.
He had spent more than two years on the few copper hairpins he had captured, and they were no longer ready for use.
Not to mention that the weight of those firing guns was quite heavy. Although the new gun mounts made transportation much easier, there were still a lot of troubles.
"By the way, I have encountered a problem here. The artillery in our army now uses firing cannons. After dragging the artillery carriage forward for a long time, the artillery carriage has problems in many places, so we can only stop and rest. Is there any way to solve this problem?”
Chen Wang didn't know why he had these problems when he directly imitated the gun mounts made during the Napoleonic Wars. After hesitating for a while, he still asked the question.
To Chen Wang's surprise, Bo Yu gave a solution after pondering for a moment.
"The new gun mount developed by the Commander-in-Chief has been used in many places. The gun mount bolts and iron sleeves cover the breech bead. The height of the muzzle can be adjusted. With the front sight and rear sight, you can aim quickly."
"If it takes many days for a Mercedes-Benz to turn in, there may be problems at the joints. It should be caused by long-term marching vibrations. Installing some shock-absorbing measures should solve the problem."
Chen Wang's face slightly condensed. He thought about a lot of things, but he forgot about the issue of shock absorption. After all, it was still dark under the lamp.
"Mr. Bo was of great help this time and solved a problem that had been bothering me for a long time."
Chen Wang hugged his fists and said with a smile.
Bo Yu also smiled, returned the salute, and said modestly.
"The Commander-in-Chief is very talented. Not only can he lead troops to fight, he also has a deep knowledge of ordnance and weapons, and has many unique insights."
"This time the students just couldn't come up with a solution. Mr. Commander-in-Chief can solve the problem even if he spends some time."
Bo Yu's words are modest and polite, and his flattery is not embarrassing or offensive. In fact, it is also a skill.
However, Chen Wang did not forget what he wanted to do with Bo Yu.
"Besides casting the cannon, there are two other things that require Mr. Bo's help."
Bo Yu bowed slightly and said seriously.
"If there is anything that requires the students' efforts, the Commander-in-Chief can just speak up and the students should do their best."
Chen Wang raised his hand and said.
"These two things do not require much energy from Mr. Bo. The future is long. Mr. Bo should focus on taking good care of his health first."
"The first thing is about the fire gun. I wonder if Mr. Bo has never heard of a self-generated fire gun?"
"Self-made firecracker?"
Bo Yu frowned again. Frowning was a habit of his. He usually frowned subconsciously when he started to recall and think about problems.
Chen Wang saw that Bo Yu was lost in memories and thoughts and was not anxious.
In the middle hall, someone had already made tea and put it on the table.
Chen Wang calmly picked up the tea in front of him, opened the lid and took a sip, patiently waiting for Bo Yu's answer.
Chen Wang didn't wait long before Bo Yu already answered.
"Cannons are inconvenient when encountering wind and rain. All cannons must be fired at the door before they can be fired at the enemy."
“Often there are those who are unable to make a single shot because they are wet by the wind and rain, and there are those who make a mistake in making the shot before it reaches the star.”
"The faucet must be modified so that the flint will hit itself and the medicine will be released to cause the stone to ignite spontaneously. The wind and rain will not make it wet. It can be used in emergencies."
"Students have seen the self-generating fire blunderbuss mentioned by the Commander-in-Chief in the "Weapons Illustrations". I wonder if they are the same thing?"
The self-generated fire gun also has a more widely known name, called the flintlock gun.
Compared with the matchlock gun, the flintlock gun is undoubtedly a huge improvement.
Because the matchlock requires the use of a matchlock to ignite, the shooter must maintain a large distance when shooting. Therefore, the frontal firepower density is not large and cannot effectively contain the enemy's charge.
However, the fusiliers did not have this concern. The fusiliers could stand as close together as ordinary infantrymen, and their frontal firepower was more than double that of matchlocks.
And because there is no need to use a match rope to light the fire, a piece of flint is clamped on the jaw of the hammer, and an anvil is provided next to the fire hole.
When shooting, the trigger is pulled, and under the action of the spring, the flint is hit hard on the side of the fire door, causing sparks to ignite the gunpowder and fire. Greatly simplifies the shooting process.
Therefore, the rate of fire is faster than that of a matchlock, and soldiers can become proficient in using flintlock guns faster and form an army.
Field artillery can only provide advantages on the battlefield, but flintlock guns can change the situation on the entire battlefield and even lead to the innovation of war.
The popularization of flintlock muskets and the introduction of bayonets made queuing and shooting eliminated all tactics in the following era and became the main theme on the battlefield.
Chen Wang was a little surprised. Bo Yu not only remembered that the self-made fire gun came from the "Illustrated Description of Weapons", but also said the original words recorded verbatim.
"Yes, it is the self-generating fire gun recorded in Bi Maokang's "Military Illustrations"."
Chen Wang's memory has become much stronger now, and he almost has photographic memory, but Bo Yu probably doesn't.
Sure enough, in this era, there were only a few mediocre candidates in the imperial examinations, even scholars. This memory is already astonishing.
"I have a few self-generated fire cannons here that can be used as a reference. I wonder if Mr. Bo has made new fire cannons based on these self-generated fire cannons."
"This is not difficult, this is not difficult..."
Bo Yu's eyes glowed, as if he had seen some rare treasure, and he said immediately.
"It's not a student's boast. Students can imitate ordinary weapons just by looking at the structure."
Bo Yu himself was extremely fascinated by firearms and ordnance.
He could calm down when talking about other things, but when it came to ordnance skills, it was difficult for Bo Yu to calm down.
Bo Yu had seen many new types of firearms in "Illustrated Weapons", but because of his identity, it was difficult for him to get access to the items.
He would like to buy a self-made fire gun, but hiding a fire gun privately is a serious crime, and there is no place for sale in Wumen, Suzhou and other places.
Now that Bo Yu heard that Chen Wang had brought several self-made fire guns, Bo Yu was naturally excited.
(End of chapter)
