Sun Chengzong finally knew how the New Army's artillery was used.
When they received the order to fight, they saw the soldiers quickly running to the gun positions. Then two people shook the wheel and brought up the shells and cartridges prepared by the ammunition group.
One of the soldiers took out a thin iron needle from the side and carefully inserted it through the small hole in the cannonball's head.
Sun Chengzong was curious when he saw that the cannonball was not an iron ball, but an oval arc at the front.
"What is this iron needle used for?"
Zuo Mengeng explained it to him personally.
"This is called the firing pin. When the cannonball flies out, no matter what object it hits, the firing pin will impact inside, detonating the explosive and completing the killing."
Sun Chengzong thought about it in his mind and couldn't imagine the scene, so he had to endure his curiosity for the time being.
The soldier loaded the firing pin and inserted the warhead into the barrel, followed by the cartridge.
Sun Chengzong noticed that the medicine cartridge was wrapped in mulberry paper and was in the shape of a cylinder, like a small piece of wood.
Zuo Mengeng took the initiative to introduce the mystery to him.
"Look, Mr. Ge, this thing is called a flash cap. The firing pin in the warhead also needs to hit this thing to detonate the explosive."
Looking at the small piece of copper at the bottom of the medicine cartridge, Sun Chengzong was amazed. However, he also knew that this should be Xia Jun's secret, so he didn't ask any annoying questions.
The warhead and cartridge were loaded, and the soldier began to close the breech.
Seeing the structure of the breech block, Sun Chengzong sighed in despair. He knew that Ming Dynasty would never be able to create such ingenious parts.
When the artillery loading was completed, it was time for the surveying and mapping staff to show off their skills.
Because the heavy artillery was on the bottom deck, the field of view was limited and was not conducive to observation, so the navy invented a new method.
That is, the surveying and mapping staff will convey the observed data on the command podium. The heavy artillery only needs to adjust the firing angle and height according to the data, and then complete the firing.
They don't need to see the target with their own eyes.
Seeing this series of actions, Sun Chengzong couldn't help but take two steps forward and personally lay down at the gun window to look out. As a result, all that could be seen was the vast sea, and the target ship was completely missing.
"Can I hit the target like this?"
Sun Chengzong's knowledge was greatly impacted.
Regarding this, Zuo Mengeng could not guarantee it.
"Not bad, it should be fine."
Seeing that all the preparations were completed, he said again: "Mr. Ge, let's go out and go to the deck to see the shooting effect."
Sun Chengzong shook his head.
"I want to see with my own eyes how this cannon is fired?"
Zuo Mengeng quickly stopped him.
"Mr. Ge doesn't know. Once this cannon is fired, it will sound like a thunderbolt and shake the heaven and the earth. It will hurt you."
When the heavy artillery was being tested, no one discovered the problem at first. As a result, when the heavy artillery was fired in a confined space, the powerful volume directly deafened the soldiers.
Only then did I realize how terrifying the heavy artillery was when it was fired.
Sun Chengzong didn't believe it.
"These soldiers are staying here well, why can't I?"
Then he saw the artillerymen taking out strange things.
The thing had a curved iron frame with a round, soft package at both ends.
I don’t know what’s inside, but the outside is wrapped in leather and the inside is dented inwards. When worn on the head, it just covers the ears completely.
People in future generations will definitely smile knowingly when they see it.
Isn't this just headphones?
Yes.
This is what Zuo Mengeng developed in order to solve the problem of shelling volume.
This is just an earmuff. Of course, it cannot have the function of making calls like later generations of earphones.
But after testing, the effect of isolating the sound of shelling is very good.
And it’s easy to make.
The iron frame can be made by any craftsman, and the inside of the earcups are covered with several layers of cotton, which is very effective for absorbing sound.
The outside is wrapped in tanned leather. At first glance, it looks very similar to later generations of headphones.
"You see, these soldiers have protective measures. Besides, you are old and cannot bear it."
Seeing this, Sun Chengzong was extremely regretful, but he had to follow Zuo Mengeng and others out of the cabin and onto the deck.
But here, after using a telescope, you can see targets very far away clearly.
"You really treasure the good things."
The telescope used by Sun Chengzong here is binocular and has a higher magnification. Even things five thousand meters away look clear.
The telescope he saw at Lu Xiangsheng's place was only a single-tube one, and the range it could see was extremely limited.
Zuo Mengeng laughed, but did not explain.
Of course, good things should be reserved for your own use.
At this moment, all gun positions were reported and ready.
After receiving the reply, Shang Kexi suppressed Zhu's excitement and issued an order.
"Battle positions 1 to 5, fire!"
Although this command is short in words, it is important. Such an order means that the five heavy cannons need to fire in sequence instead of firing at the same time.
No one knows how much the Linqing can withstand. You must be careful when firing live ammunition for the first time.
Even so, I saw a cloud of white smoke rising suddenly from the side of the hull, followed by a second and third cloud...
Sun Chengzong only felt the deck beneath his feet shaking violently, making him stagger. Fortunately, Zuo Mengeng and others next to him were prepared and carefully supported him.
Even across the deck, Sun Chengzong felt as if his ears were going deaf. I don’t know what kind of pain the soldiers who stayed next to the artillery suffered.
He finally understood Zuo Mengeng's good intentions.
But at this moment, he couldn't care so much. After regaining his balance, he quickly picked up the telescope and looked into the distance.
The telescope could clearly see five black spots flying towards the target ship at lightning speed.
In just one breath, these five black spots fell around the target ship, and not a single shell hit.
But even so, the sea area suddenly started churning, and five huge waves completely broke the calmness of the sea surface, throwing the ship high into the air, and then quickly disintegrated into a pile of fragments.
Seeing this scene, Sun Chengzong was stunned.
He had personally boarded and inspected that target ship. In terms of strength, it was no worse than the Ming Dynasty's Fortune Ship.
In the past, even if such a ship was hit by a cannonball, as long as it was not below the waterline or hit a vital point, it would only be damaged at most and still be able to move.
How could it be like this now? Although the cannonball missed, a good ship was completely destroyed.
Sun Chengzong finally felt the power of Xia Jun's artillery.
