The bright sunshine fell from the sky, illuminating the bronze cannon with golden light. The rainy season has ended, the sky is cloudless, but the rolling thunder echoes in the mountains and hills, like the roar of a giant beast. Continuous roars continued, and the villagers within dozens of miles looked horrified. While they prayed to the supreme god, they looked in the direction of the roar.
In the nearby villages, the preaching priests had just received instructions: to appease the villagers under their jurisdiction and to prohibit going to the place where the thunder came. Because there, the Divine Enlightenment Priests are performing sacred rituals and receiving the divine power granted by the Lord God! After hearing the news, the village priests prayed devoutly for a few breaths, and then hurriedly left with their apprentices and militiamen to appease hundreds of villagers.
In the gun range, Shulot stepped back dozens of steps. Wearing a bronze helmet, he stood behind a chest-high earthen wall, patiently watching the gunners' operations.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Soon, the thunderous roar sounded again! Countless stone bullets flew out from the muzzle, and bursts of white smoke rose into the sky. After a round of shelling, the gunners began to load nervously.
They first added half a cannon twist at the fire door, which was the fuse that was about to be lit. The position of the fire door is about 6.5 cm from the bottom of the gun, about 4 cm long and 1.3 cm wide. There is a ring around the fire door that collects gunpowder. This was a design proposed by Shulot to facilitate ignition. The Condor Cannon also has the same fire door, which is much more convenient than the previous wooden cannon.
After adding the gun twist, the gunners carefully added half a kilogram of gunpowder from the muzzle, two inches of soil apart, and nearly a hundred stone pellets. The so-called soil separation is to use soil to separate gunpowder and stone pellets. Because it uses a solid bronze Tiger Cannon, the charge is slightly larger than that of a cast iron Tiger Cannon.
After loading, a gunner quickly checked the claw nails in front of the gun and the iron trip behind the gun to make sure the gun body was stable. This is a lesson learned with blood. The body of the Crouching Tiger Cannon is too light. If it is not fixed properly, the gun body will directly retreat several meters as soon as the gun is fired. In the initial test firing, two of Tiripi's apprentices were directly hit by the retreating gun barrel. Their ribs were broken and they vomited blood and died on the spot. From then on, Tiripi never dared to stand behind the cannon again.
After the inspection, the gunners carefully lit the barrel with torches, then quickly covered their ears and crouched on both sides of the gun body.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The terrifying thunder sounded again! A thick plume of smoke rose up, obscuring the cannon. When the smoke dissipated, the wooden target 100 meters away was already full of holes. The ultimate shooting range of the Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannon is about 500 meters, the effective shooting range is about 200 meters, and the optimal shooting distance is within 100 meters. And if you are pursuing armor-breaking, you can even get closer. In fact, it is a large "spray" that becomes more powerful the closer it gets. Fire shotguns at close range, one dozen will create a large area!
The king knew that in Qi Jiajun's tactics, the firing of the Crouching Tiger Cannon was arranged after the cannons and rockets with a range of about 100 meters, which was the decisive weapon.
"Good! Very good! Great!!"
Seeing the shooting effect of the Crouching Tiger Cannon, Shulot's eyes gradually shone with light. He was full of joy. In Central America, which lacks armor protection, this kind of light artillery is a lethal weapon that sweeps across infantry battle formations!
"If I were to fight against the Royal Army of Tarasco, if I had ten of these tiger squatting cannons and placed them among the warriors of the personal guard, Tarasco's bronze axe guards would not be able to charge at all!"
The king sighed in his heart, and the memories of the hard battle came to his mind. With bronze cannons, future battles will be much easier to fight! Especially when facing the shield-holding battle formation formed by elite warriors such as the Broken Hair Guards, Eagle Chapter, Jaguar Chapter, Bronze Ax Guards, etc., there is no need to invest in elite warriors to bite hard!
Later, he conceived the use of this light artillery based on his experience in the battle formation.
Due to range limitations, the Tiger Crouching Cannon must be placed at the front of the array and fire under the cover of the infantry formation. The firing of artillery will raise smoke and obstruct the sight of the archers, so let them accompany the shield-bearing infantry. On both sides of the artillery, brave assault infantry were deployed. After several rounds of bombardment, the enemy's position is loosened, then launch a charge to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop! ...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shulot thought about it for a long time, until the thunder suddenly exploded in the third round! He came to his senses and estimated the firing speed of the artillery. Although the gunners' operations are skillful, they are not simple and can be further optimized. The Condor Cannon fires slightly faster than the Wooden Cannon, about two rounds per quarter of an hour; while the Tiger Crouching Cannon fires slightly faster than the Condor Cannon, about three rounds per quarter of an hour.
"Well...this launch speed..."
The king was silent. From this point of view, the first round of shooting is the most important. You need to get as close as possible and shoot directly into the enemy's face!
"Your Majesty, do you think the Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannon is powerful?"
Tiripi straightened his chest and pointed at the wooden target in front of him. Shulot heard the sound and walked away. After three rounds of shelling, the target 100 meters away had been broken into pieces and scattered on the ground. The ground was covered with scattered pieces of stone pellet wood. According to the spread area, five Tiger Crouching Cannons can effectively cover an infantry front of a hundred people wide on the battlefield.
"Praise be to the Lord God Most High!"
Shulot smiled.
"This is an artifact given to the alliance by the Lord God to rule the world!"
"Praise the supreme God! Praise also His Majesty the Divine Enlightenment!"
Chalape came forward and pulled Tiripi to kneel down and salute. Then, Chalape raised his head respectfully and looked at His Majesty.
"We dedicate the artillery to you, the only sun in the world! This is an artifact given to the kingdom by the Lord God to rule the world!"
Hearing this, Shulot was slightly startled, his heart heaving. His face was calm as usual, he smiled and nodded.
"Get up! You are all heroes of the Kingdom and the Alliance!"
Hearing this, the two forging masters and technocrats stood up, waiting for the king's instructions. A few steps away, Bertard watched this scene calmly, with a smile on his lips.
The smoke dispersed, and the bronze cannon shone golden again. The king sniffed his nose and asked in a deep voice.
"Tiripi, what is the success rate of Tiger Crouching Cannon casting? If the supply of copper material is sufficient, how many cannons can be cast in a month?"
Tilipi stretched out his fingers and calculated for a long time.
"Your Majesty, the Crouching Tiger Cannon is relatively easy to make. It has a simple model, a short range, and low air tightness requirements... The success rate is about 60 to 70%! And with the manpower required to build one Condor Cannon, we can make ten. There are more Crouching Tiger Cannons! So, if we don’t build the Condor Cannon, we can produce 20 Crouching Tiger Cannons a month.”
Hearing this, Shulot was stunned. He chewed on the meaning of Tiripi's words and raised his brows.
"Are you saying that the entire bronze workshop, with a thousand craftsmen and apprentices, can only produce two condor cannons or 20 squatting tiger cannons a month?"
"Your wise Majesty, most of the people in the bronze workshop have to make bronze armor and weapons. There are only one or two hundred people in the cannon casting bureau. What's more, the output of the workshop is currently restricted, mainly copper material output.”
Chalape explained quickly with a smile on his face.
Hearing this, Shulot thought for a while and nodded slowly. After all, the copper gap is too big!
Director of Industry and Mines Necali wrote many times, saying that the miners were running out too fast and asking for more manpower in the mines. The huge mining area is like a greedy underground beast, constantly devouring fresh life on the ground and spitting out the dusty wealth underground. Now, there are more than 3,000 miners working in the copper mines in the mining area. The average monthly mining and smelting of copper materials by 1,000 people is more than 6,000 jins, which means that 20,000 jins of copper materials can be produced every month. Twenty thousand kilograms of copper sounds like a lot, but in fact it's just over ten tons.
All in all, the kingdom can only produce about 130 tons of copper a year. And the kingdom needs copper to cast cannons, build ships, use copper for armor, use copper for weapons, need copper for farming tools, and even need copper for arrowheads! Once these copper materials are divided into various expenses, there will not be much left at all.
Although the Alliance has exploited copper mines in the Huetamo Mountains, the copper output is probably less than half of the kingdom, and it is not enough to meet the needs of the Valley of Mexico. If you add the large-scale copper mines mined by the Zapotecs in the remote Oaxaca region, and the sporadic open-pit copper mines mined by the Mayans even further away...the copper production in the entire Mesoamerican world is irresponsible to the king. According to speculation, it should be less than 300 tons per year. But if we want to drive the entire Mesoamerican civilization forward, this kind of copper production is far from enough!
By comparison, the copper production during the Xining period of the Song Dynasty was 20 million jins, or 10,000 tons. This is only the recorded official production, and it is unknown how many private purchases are not included in the figures. In the Edo period, the copper production of Ashio Copper Mountain at its peak could reach 1,200 tons per year.
In fact, the Qinganbat mining area is located in the Copper Mountain and giant mineral vein belt, with reserves of tens of millions of tons, exceeding the Ashio Copper Mountain, and can continue to be mined until the 21st century! Its mining potential is far from being unleashed. What it lacks are miners, or mining slaves.
Thinking of this, Shulot lowered his eyes. The entire kingdom is filled with hunger for war. This is the extreme desire for resources, land and manpower when a country is developing rapidly.
"His Majesty?"
"Well. Tilipi, starting from this month, we will cast 1 condor cannon and 10 tiger crouching cannons every month! If there is insufficient copper material, we will suspend the casting and study the casting process of larger artillery. After the test, all bronze cannons will be cast. Just hand it over directly to the artillery battalion. A new group of gunners will be recruited in the artillery battalion. You have to send skilled craftsmen to be stationed in the artillery battalion. On the one hand, they are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the artillery, and on the other hand, they teach the operation of the artillery. All the points of attention must be paid attention to. It needs to be summarized into a written document!”
"I obey you, Your Majesty!"
Tiripi knelt down and saluted.
Shulot reached out his hand and shook the foundry master's hair. Then, he smiled gently and announced loudly.
"Tiripi, you have made great achievements in forging cannons! From today on, I canonize you as a hereditary noble of the kingdom! From now on, your family has the right to participate in political affairs and live with the kingdom for generations! Praise the Lord God!"
"Ah! Thank you! Thank you for your generosity! Praise the Lord God!"
Tilippi looked excited and his eyes were a little moist. Two years of hard work day and night have finally paid off!
Beside him, Chalape lowered his head and sighed softly. From today on, the metal family will be divided into two branches.
"Remember, the Condor Cannon and the Crouching Tiger Cannon are just the beginning! Next, you have to continue to explore the art of casting cannons! Improve the clay mold making, improve the quality of the cannon body, modify the length and shape of the barrel, and add a more stable cannon Frame...more importantly, make a bigger, thicker and longer artillery!"
Shulot ordered in a deep voice. Many images flashed in his mind. Although they were only fragments, they pointed out the direction of the future.
"When I get back, I will draw some pictures for you as a reference!"
"The Lord God bless you! Your Majesty!"
Tilipi bowed his head respectfully, praised sincerely, and his thoughts were far away. Although, most of the time, His Majesty's guidance is like a mess of slag, there are always some exquisite ideas, just like good materials produced by luck, which can inspire people and save a lot of effort... Well, It must be that Your Majesty did not study carefully when he was inspired by God! If it were me...
"Tiripi!"
"Ah, there!"
The casting master hurriedly responded.
"How many bronze cannons are there in the bronze workshop now? When will the next batch of cannons be delivered?"
"Ah! Your Majesty, there are currently 10 Sun God Eagle Cannons and 30 Rain God Tiger Squatting Cannons. The new batch of clay molds are being dried in the shade. Due to the arrival of the rainy season, the air is humid, so there has been a delay..."
"Huh? Another delay?"
Shulot raised his brows and stared at the casting master in front of him. The other party is in middle age, but has begun to go bald, and his figure is much thinner than two years ago. The king exhaled and said calmly.
"Tiripi, if you promise me, try to do it on time and don't delay it for too long."
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."
Tilipi grimaced and nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but lament in his heart.
"Your Majesty, when will you go on another expedition..."
As if hearing his heartfelt voice, the king's voice came again.
"Tiripi, before October, test all the artillery in stock and deliver them to the artillery battalion. Next, I will be of great use!"
"I obey your will, Your Highness!"
Tiripi smiled brightly. He looked at Chalape with a smile, his brother looked at Bertard with a smile, and the warrior captain looked at His Majesty with a smile. There was a smile on everyone's face. Because the war is coming again!
