"General, general." Not far after Gao Heng went out, there was a shouting voice behind him. Gao Heng looked back and saw that Wu Rong was chasing him. Gao Heng said, "What, is there anything else?"
Wu Rong scratched his head and said, "I'm humble. I'm really curious. I'd like to ask the general to answer a question."
Gao Heng knew that Wu Rong couldn't hold himself back and wanted to find out what his name was Chen Ying and the others were doing, so he explained: "This is a kind of local cannon, which I learned from home. This kind of artillery There are not many applications, and it is just a folk method, so it is normal that it has not been spread. You have been an artilleryman, so it is not surprising that you have not heard of it. "
Wu Rongdao: "Actually, when the general gave me the sketch that day, I vaguely guessed it, but I really couldn't understand the principle."
Gao Heng said: "The principle is very simple. It's just that many people have entered a blind spot in their thinking, so they can't imagine the wonderful use of this weapon. Let me ask you, what do you think the artillery fires?"
Wu Rongdao: "This is too simple. Artillery, of course, fires cannons. There are many types of Ming artillery. Just the ones we have used on the battlefield these few times include the Tiger Crouching Cannon that fires loose cannons and the Folang Machine that fires solid bullets. In addition, there are mother-and-gun cannons that can replace the muskets. In fact, the heavy artillery is also equipped with blooming bullets, hammer bullets, etc., to deal with different targets."
Gao Heng nodded and said: "You are right. The artillery uses the power of the gunpowder explosion to boost the cannon and launch it to kill the enemy. But the earthen cannon I want to build is not used to fire cannonballs, but It’s used to fire gunpowder.”
"Huh?" Wu Rong stood stunned on the spot. This sentence was beyond the scope of his cognition. He used gunpowder to launch gunpowder. What was the leader talking about.
Gao Heng picked up a stone, squatted on the ground and gestured to Wu Rong: "Look, the long object I drew is the cannon body, which is equivalent to me cutting it in half from the middle to show you the structure inside."
"As we all know, the artillery propellant is loaded first. We pour a certain amount of propellant. It doesn't need to be too much. One or two kilograms is enough. Too much will blow up the gun body. This is a conventional operation for firing artillery shells. Then Put in the paper balls and put in the partition, but this partition is different from the ones we usually use. The thickness needs to be increased, otherwise it will affect the cannonballs in front." Gao Heng said.
"Boss, didn't you say there are no shells?" Wu Rong said.
"Yes, I'm talking about cannonballs that are not made of lead or iron. Our cannonballs are the explosive packets I asked you to make a while ago. In order to make it safer when launching, you can make some improvements. First, wrap a certain amount of gunpowder with oil paper. , what we have made before is a five kilogram medicine bag, just use this amount, pour the gunpowder and wrap it, then wrap it with a layer of cowhide, then a layer of linen, more if there is silk, and finally use a thick rope If it is tied tightly, it will become a cannonball. If it is made like this, it will be better protected from moisture." Gao Heng said.
"After placing the propellant and gunpowder package in this way, drill a small hole in the cannon body and insert the lead wire. This is considered to be completed. Such a native cannon can launch the explosive package to a position a hundred steps away. Once it hits, , which is equivalent to our explosive pack exploding directly in the opponent's crowd. Think about it, what power it will be. If it is used to attack the enemy's fixed target, what power will it be." Gao Heng stood up, threw away the stone, and patted it. He clapped his hands.
"If it is used properly, I can conclude that there is probably no living person within a radius of twenty or thirty steps. Even if there is no direct hit by the lead gravel, a medicine pack of this magnitude will explode and the internal organs will be shattered, even those far away will be It can damage organs. So the ancestors of the family gave this kind of cannon a vivid name."
Wu Rong asked curiously: "May I ask what your name is?"
"Heartless cannon!" Gao Heng said with a smile.
"This is so appropriate, so appropriate." Wu Rong exclaimed. This is a brand-new way of thinking. The medicine packs Gao Heng taught them are extremely powerful. After adding sugar, the lethality is more than doubled. However, they can only be placed in a fixed position each time, waiting for the enemy to approach and then ignite the attack, using the contents inside. The loaded shotgun can kill the enemy. If you have a heartless cannon, you can deliver the explosive package to any position within a hundred steps. How domineering this weapon must be.
Gao Heng said: "However, this heartless cannon is a local cannon after all, and it is not very convenient to use. First of all, the firing angle cannot be adjusted. We can only test it first, calibrate the distance, and then fix the gun emplacement to the crenellations of the city wall with thick rivets. place, offset its recoil, and wait for the enemy to reach the position before firing. If you want to adjust the shooting angle, you can only equip it with a gun carriage, like the Folang aircraft. But we don’t have the conditions or the time now, maybe in the future. , when conditions permit in the future, we can equip it on a large scale.”
Wu Rong went back with satisfaction, but Gao Heng did not stop. It was true that a big stone fell to the ground in his heart, but there was another more important thing he wanted to see, which was how well Lu Tao and the others selected the candidates.
The great men of later generations have said that it is people who ultimately determine the outcome of a war, not one or two new weapons. Heartless artillery is just a substitute when they do not have regular artillery. Before they have the ability to produce artillery, they can only make do. However, the outcome of the next war can only be determined by these expatriates who were slaves of the Annamites the day before. How to let them realize their potential is Gao Heng's biggest problem at the moment.
"Idiots, why are you so stupid? How can you defend the county just by doing this? You can't tell the left from the right, what a waste of time." Before he reached the temporary camp, Gao Heng heard a loud noise. The voice was vaguely mixed with curses.
The county seat of Tuo County is not big, but there is a large open space in the north of the city near the city gate. This open space is not innate, but after the governor arrived, in order to accommodate his own people, a large area of residential houses in the north of the city were demolished. , drove the residents into the city and set up a temporary military camp.
As it happened, this place became Gao Heng's temporary training camp. Among the ten thousand expatriates, women, children, and the elderly were excluded, and about two thousand young adults were gathered in this open space. Age is the dividing line. Those between thirty and fifty, excluding those who are injured and sick, serve as reserve troops. Those between sixteen and thirty years old serve as regular soldiers. In a life-and-death battle, no one can retreat.
Lu Tao, Wang Qi and others, as the chief officers of the selection, asked those under thirty years old to stand on the left and the rest to go to the right. After giving the order, Wang Qi clearly saw some people with white beards standing on the left. , some half-grown children stood on the right side. These people couldn't even tell the difference between left and right, which made him so angry that he began to curse people with his characteristic loud voice.
Gao Heng came to the camp. When Lu Tao and others saw him coming, they all stepped forward to greet him and said, "Boss."
Gao Heng briefly inquired about the situation and found out the whole story. These people had just completed their identity transformation from civilian slaves to soldiers. It was normal for them to be unable to adapt. In later generations, he would often recruit new soldiers in the Southern Excalibur. The recruits had just graduated from It is normal for students to be unable to adapt to their new identities after coming out of campus. The key is to unite them and find the goal of joining the army.
Gao Heng said hello and said to Lu Tao: "Lu Tao, go clear the general station and prepare a solid red flag. I want to go up and speak."
Lu Tao said: "Boss, look at them, whether they are standing or sitting, they are not the material to be soldiers. Do you want to go up here?"
"No need to say more, just prepare as I said." Gao Heng said.
Immediately, he tidied up his clothes. At this moment, Gao Heng was still wearing the Xiaoqi military uniform issued to him by Zuo Bin. Inside was a bright red mandarin duck battle coat, and outside was a worn-out cotton armor. , I didn’t know which soldier had died in the battle, so I simply gave it to him. There was still a lot of blood stains on it that had turned brown.
What he wears on his head is a bowl helmet that is different from ordinary soldiers' brave helmets. Although the Zhennan Guan Ming Army is also known as the frontier army, it cannot be compared with the nine-border elite, the kind seen in movies and books in later generations. Don't even think about the handsome six-petal iron-pointed helmet. It's already great to be able to wear a bowl helmet.
He held down the handle of the Yanling knife at his waist and strode onto the makeshift general ordering platform.
Lu Tao and others had already moved away the tables and benches. As soon as Lu Tao stood up, the voices below him became much quieter. Obviously, the people in the audience knew Gao Heng.
Gao Heng cleared his throat, raised his head and looked at the two thousand civilians below, and shouted: "Soldiers! Please allow me to call you this. From today on, you are no longer traffickers and lackeys, nor blacksmiths or carpenters, nor miners and farmers. , you only have one title now, and that is soldier!"
There was a commotion among the people, obviously they were still a little unfamiliar with this identity. The weapons and armor had not yet been distributed. The people below were all bare-handed and did not wear military uniforms and armor. Under the guidance of Song Zhi, Fan Yu and others, the two thousand people barely gathered together. The team stood crookedly, and there was no trace of anything. The soldiers looked like two thousand civilians standing together in a mess.
Gao Heng did not care so much and continued: "On Chengmen Street, I have explained the current situation to everyone, and you all understand that there are only two roads left in front of you, that is death or life. Aren't you shouting for life? Based on your current performance, I can tell you that you won't survive!"
The people below were shocked. This was really on point. They were organized precisely because they wanted to find a way out. Who would want to lose their lives in vain?
Gao Heng said again: "If you are alive, you have everything. You have the opportunity to live a stable life. You don't have to be as worried as you are now. If you die, everything will stop. If you don't care about your own life, don't you care about your parents, wife and children?" Life? I am high-ranking but not talented, and was elected as the leader by everyone. From today on, all of you must change your thinking. Since you are soldiers, you must have the consciousness to be soldiers. Since our goal is to survive, then, we The army should be called the Survival Brigade!"
"The Survival Brigade? The Survival Brigade?" Everyone looked at each other, the name was too straightforward.
"Yes, maybe you think this name is too simple, but I, Gao Heng, am just like you. Now that I'm here, I want to live with you and live a good life!"
He winked at Lu Tao, and Lu Tao handed over a makeshift red flag. It was actually nothing special, just an ordinary piece of red cloth tied to a bamboo pole.
Gao Heng took the red flag and waved it twice, "Do you see clearly what this is? The Ming Dynasty is a fire virtue, so it is red. Although we are not in the Ming Dynasty, we are also descendants of the Yanhuang and the people of China. From today on, the Qihuo Brigade will So we took this red flag as the base and wrote the word "Pray for Life" as our flag. I heard that besides you, there are tens of thousands of expatriates in the entire Annan territory. Are you willing to continue to be enslaved by the Annan people and die miserably, with your bones attached to them? Are you going to feed the wild dogs on the roadside?"
No one spoke, it was obvious that Gao Heng had touched their sore spot.
"In the future, all overseas Chinese will unite under this flag. We must take this survival flag as a guide and survive! Try to let more people survive!" Gao Heng slammed the red flag on the ground and said.
Wang Qi clenched his fist and shouted: "You are all fucking men with eggs! You are all men who pee standing up! The Annan people won't let us live! Let's fight with the stupid Annan people!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The two thousand soldiers were completely emotionally aroused. They felt as if their chests were going to explode at this moment. All the humiliating scenes in the past came to mind. They waved their fists angrily and shouted, "Fight!" .
Gao Heng took advantage of the situation and shouted: "Yes! We are going to fight the Annan people, but hatred and courage alone are not enough. We also need skills and wisdom. On the battlefield, only by preserving ourselves can we better eliminate them. The enemy charges mindlessly and fights head-on with the enemy at every turn. This is the behavior of a reckless man. Therefore, we must be organized, we must have discipline, and we need training to eliminate more enemies. Remember, I have three things for you. Require."
Gao Heng raised three fingers and said: "First, he is alive, second, he is alive, and third, he is still alive!"
"You tell us what we should do!" "We all obey you!" "Give us the order!" the crowd below shouted.
A smile appeared on the corner of Gao Heng's mouth. That's right. Fully mobilizing the emotions of the soldiers was just a prelude. Coming from a later generation, he understood that an army must be united, must be organized, disciplined, and most importantly, have Military spirit, otherwise it is just a piece of loose sand.
Gao Heng said: "Very good, since everyone has said so, from now on, the Qiuhuo Brigade will be officially established. Based on the military system of Shang, Zhou and Spring and Autumn Period, a brigade of 3,000 people. Since we have less than one brigade, we will first divide it into two parts, one A battalion of a thousand people will be divided into a vanguard camp and a reserve battalion for the time being, and then there will be a company of two hundred people, a row of fifty people, a team of ten people, and each will have a commander."
