Five miles west of Xinye City, there is a large area circled specifically for the study of artillery. Casting and testing are all done here, and it is a place with a very high level of confidentiality in Wang Xiao's hunting army. When Xinye Military City was established, Wang Xiaolie established this place for more than two years.
In the yard outside the official hall, under a large ginkgo tree. Song Yan brought several of the most important researchers to introduce the performance of the artillery to Wang Xiaolie, Li Yanxian and Wang Ruohai. On the elm tree outside the courtyard wall, the first cicada of the year appeared at some point, and it chirped twice from time to time.
Song Yan said: "In compliance with the order of the town, the general and others have determined three types of artillery shapes through many tests. Samples of cannons have been produced."
Wang Ruohai asked: "What is the power of each of these three types of cannon?"
Song Yan said: "According to the order of the town, all three types of artillery must be able to march with the army. The largest one weighs 1,100 kilograms. Including the gun mount, gun carriage, etc., it weighs a total of two thousand kilograms. During war, ten kilograms are used. Projectiles, shot three hundred paces. When marching, three good and healthy mules are needed to keep up with the army. The cannon weighs 700 kilograms, and with the gun mount, gun carriage, etc., it weighs about 1,500 kilograms. The same is true. Use three healthy mules. The small cannon weighs fifty kilograms, and the gun carriage is omitted, and only the simple gun mount weighs only seventy kilograms. It can be dragged by one strong mule, which is enough to catch up with the army."
Li Yanxian said: "A seventy-pound cannon can be carried by a person. Why need a strong mule?"
Song Yan said: "The governor requires that the artillery must go with the army, and it still needs mules. However, when pulling, gunpowder and projectiles can be placed on the cart."
Li Yanxian nodded. Several other cannons require a separate vehicle to pull gunpowder, which is equivalent to more than two vehicles. This kind of small cannon can be loaded with gunpowder and shells in one vehicle, which is indeed much more convenient.
Wang Ruohai said: "You said the cannon shoots three hundred steps, how many steps can the other two types shoot?"
Song Yan said: "Both the large cannon and the medium-sized cannon can reach a maximum range of 800 steps, and when used, they shoot 300 steps. The small cannon is different. Most of the time, it fires many small projectiles, and the maximum range is 400 steps. Normally, Fifty steps to two hundred steps.”
Wang Ruohai nodded. He said to Li Yanxian: "It's enough. The Jin Army's bows and arrows are all fired within a hundred steps. Most of the time, they shoot arrows within fifty steps. As long as they are beyond a hundred steps, they can stop the Jin Army."
The function of the cannon is largely similar to that of the powerful crossbow in the army in the past. Before starting a battle, select a safe distance based on the range of the artillery and set up your own formation. If the military formation is within the range of the opponent's artillery, it will be easily blown away by the volley, and the battle will be impossible to fight.
Wang Ruohai and Li Yanxian didn't know how to use the artillery. So what they focused on first was range and power. As long as the range of the artillery exceeds that of the Jin Army's bows and arrows, it must be of great use.
Wang Xiaolie said: "In the past, there were stone cannons and bed crossbows in the army, which were powerful but consumed manpower. But it is different now. The stone cannons have been changed to artillery, which is much more convenient to fire. It is also lighter and can move with the army. . The resulting changes in combat methods cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. Therefore, when I asked them to make cannons, I particularly emphasized that they must march with the army and be truly usable."
Wang Ruohai said: "Ten kilograms of projectiles are really not small. I just don't know what it will look like in real use."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Shao Ling and Niu Gao will arrive tomorrow, and we will test-fire at that time. Today, let's take a look at the cannon to get a better understanding."
In Wang Xiaolie's plan, in addition to field artillery, there are actually city defense artillery. However, the Jin army is not capable of attacking fortresses. As long as there is a fortified city, it makes no difference whether there are city defense artillery or not. The limited resources are first placed on the manufacturing and equipment of field artillery.
Having cannons and not having cannons is a qualitative change for the army. With the advent of artillery, the entire army's formation, organization, formation, and defensive and offensive formations will undergo great changes. At this time, Wang Xiaolie was reorganizing the army, and the artillery matured very timely.
Asked some more miscellaneous questions. Wang Xiaolie said: "In the shed over there is the newly made artillery. Let's go and take a look."
A bamboo shed was built on the west side of the yard, and soldiers guarded the door to prevent anyone from approaching. There were three cannons inside, and seven mules tied outside the shed. Everything was in a complete set.
Entering the shed, Wang Ruohai asked Song Yan: "Is this your new artillery?"
Song Yan said: "Back to the counselor, yes. This side is the big cannon, and the gun mounts and gun carriages have been installed. Over there are the medium and small cannons, both of which have been installed. As long as you drive a healthy mule, you can Pulled away."
Walked forward and took a look. Li Yanxian asked: "Why are the colors different? The small cannon seems to be made of iron, while the other two cannons are made of copper."
Song Yan said: "The commander-in-chief has a sharp eye. The two larger ones are both made of copper. The small cannon is made of wrought iron."
"Why?" Li Yanxian asked strangely as he stepped forward to take a closer look.
Song Yan said: "If it's easy to use, of course it's made of iron. It's not only light, but also very strong and won't explode—"
"What is a barrel explosion?" Wang Ruohai interjected and asked after hearing this.
Song Yan said: "The so-called explosion means that too much gunpowder explodes in the barrel. This is extremely dangerous, and it will hurt people if it is not done well. If the barrel is not strong, it will be even more terrible. If it is not done well, the gun around it will be damaged. Human life is not guaranteed!”
Wang Ruohai was stunned when he heard this: "Is it so powerful?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Gunpowder is a sharp weapon, and it is no small matter to blow it up. You cannot use artillery as casually as before."
Wang Ruohai nodded. Said: "Since iron is good and iron is much cheaper than copper, why aren't cannons made of iron?"
Song Yan said: "I don't know, counselor, but it takes a lot of work to make a cannon barrel from iron. And even if we don't take into account the cost, it is impossible to make such a large cannon barrel with our current technology. So the cannon has to be cast, and it has to be made of copper. .If cast with pig iron, the quality will be too poor.”
Wang Ruohai and Li Yanxian nodded.
After walking around the cannon, Li Yanxian asked: "Since the thicker the barrel of this cannon, the farther it can hit and the more powerful it is, why not make a bigger cannon? I just heard you say that the cannonball was hit over there. The pill is half the size of the cannon, but the weight is about the same, so wouldn’t the bigger cannon be better?”
Song Yan said: "The governor made it clear in this matter that it must be able to march with the army. The cart we have now is suitable for being pulled by three horses. A cart with three horses can pull two thousand kilograms, which is a lot. Any more will be too much." It’s hard to pull.”
A three-horse carriage, or three-horse carriage, in China has a horse in the middle driving the shaft, and a horse on each side to help pull it. After marching for a period of time, the horse in the middle driving the shaft is moved to the side, and the horse next to it is moved to the middle. And so on.
This is a characteristic of Chinese two-wheeled carriages. The horse driving the shaft not only has traction, but also has to bear part of the gravity of the car, which is particularly tiring. After switching to the side, it is equivalent to taking a rest and changing the horse next to it. This allows you to travel long distances without resting.
European four-wheeled carriages are different. All three horses are used for traction, and changing positions is of little use.
After the founding of New China, China introduced three sets of carriages from the Soviet Union. After arriving in China, the four wheels were changed to two wheels. The load capacity of the car increased a lot and it could work for a long time.
Four-wheeled carriages can improve comfort, but in most cases, the load capacity is much lower than that of two-wheeled vehicles. If you are transporting goods, it is of course better to use a two-wheeled vehicle. If you are pulling people, a four-wheel vehicle is better.
The carts of the Song Dynasty included Taiping carts, some with four wheels, and some with more wheels. This is a big cart, and most of it uses human power instead of animal power. Vehicles used to move goods over long distances are mostly two-wheeled.
This principle is very complex and difficult to explain in just a few words. Working people have long understood this in practice. For example, when the wheelbarrows commonly used in rural areas used to transport heavy goods, the side they were pushing would be loaded heavier. To make it easier, a cloth strap is tied to the handlebar and hung around the neck of the person pushing the cart. This cloth belt is called a cart loop, and it is a common agricultural tool.
In order to adapt to this kind of two-wheeled carriage, the vehicles under Wang Xiaolie can only have three horses at most. It will be difficult to arrange more horses. The weight of a cart pulled by one horse does not exceed one thousand kilograms, and that of three horses weighs two thousand kilograms.
