Chapter 218

Gunpowder is one of the four great inventions of China, and it is the pride of the Chinese people.

Some people also say that our gunpowder is black powder and has nothing to do with modern gunpowder - this is of course true and cannot be denied.

However, no matter how powerful today's gunpowder is, it was developed based on our old black gunpowder!

A tall building rises from the ground, and scientific and technological progress is built on the shoulders of giants.

After the invention of gunpowder, it was first used in military affairs in the late Tang Dynasty, but it was not better than bows and arrows.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the development of gunpowder became more advanced and more powerful, and the addition of some other ingredients made it increasingly flammable and explosive.

For example, a thunder bomb was invented in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was filled with gunpowder, the outer shell was wrapped with pig iron, and a fuse was installed.

After detonation, the cast iron shell is blown into fragments, which fly everywhere and cause damage to the enemy.

This is a grenade.

According to historical records, in the first year of the Jing Kang period, Li Gang used thunder cannons to repel the Jin soldiers. "Thunder cannons were fired at night to attack the enemy, and the soldiers all screamed in surprise."

In the 31st year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song army equipped the navy ships with thunderbolt cannons. When Wanyan Liang, the King of Hailing of Jin, tore up the Shaoxing Peace Agreement and attacked the Song Dynasty, Yu Yunwen fought back against the Jin army crossing the river at Caishiji:

"Suddenly a thunder cannon was fired in the boat. It was made of paper... and it fell from the sky... Its sound was like thunder. The paper broke and the lime dispersed into smoke, which blurred the eyes of the people and horses, making it impossible to see each other... and they were defeated."

The thunder cannon that Zong Ze mentioned is actually not the cannon as modern people know it.

But a catapult.

The only difference is that the stones used as shells were replaced with gunpowder packs, which greatly increased the lethality.

In Liangshan’s Leibu, Liu Huiniang has made some achievements in the development of artillery.

Compared with later artillery, the appearance is almost the same, both are long-barreled, spindle-shaped muzzle-loading cannons.

However, the sealing still needs to be improved and the range is still slightly insufficient.

As for artillery, as long as the correct path is known and there is sufficient scientific research funding, it is not difficult to copy it with scientific researchers with outstanding skills like Liu Hui Niang.

It's just that copper cannons are too damn expensive.

A thousand-jin cannon can only be considered a light firearm, but do you know how much a thousand-jin copper is worth?

The cannons at Humen Fortress weigh eight thousand kilograms. If they were made purely of copper, how many could you afford to build?
In terms of cost-effectiveness, bribing officials from the Song Dynasty is simpler, more crude and more effective.

But if we use iron, there is no corresponding technology.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, red-haired cannons were mainly made of copper and iron. Although copper had advantages such as being less likely to explode, less likely to have air holes, and even having a longer lifespan, its high cost and heavy weight were fatal problems. Therefore, a considerable proportion of cannons were cast in iron.

Liu Hui Niang was carefully recording the experimental data. Next to her, several artillerymen from the Thunder Department were carefully cleaning the barrels of three cannons.

The muzzle-loading gun has a relatively slow firing rate because after firing once, the gun must first be reset, then a brush with a hook must be used to hook out rags and other items that have not been completely burned, and then a wet brush must be inserted into the barrel to clean and extinguish the sparks.

Then insert the gun barrel wrapped in dry cloth into the barrel to wipe it dry before filling it with gunpowder and placing the cannonball.

Sometimes you need to stuff something in to fix it, and finally insert a red-hot iron rod into the fire door and light it.

These actions are extremely cumbersome, and do not include correcting the gun position.

This is a common problem with muzzle-loading artillery. It is good enough to fire one round every two minutes.

The firing rate is slow and the gun is too heavy, but it has a long range and great power, making it suitable for siege and defensive battles.

These three light artillery pieces were five hundred years ahead of their time.

Soon, Zong Ze strode over across the gravel.

"Were you the ones firing the thunder cannon just now?"

When Zong Ze saw that it was a woman, he finally slowed down his pace and spoke in a more polite voice.

"Thunderbolt Cannon?" Liu Huiniang looked up at the reckless old man and frowned, "Who are you? Don't you know that this is the forbidden area of ​​my Thunder Department? What are you doing here?"

"Ministry of Thunder? What a big tone..."

Zong Ze stared at the three huge copper cylinders without blinking, wondering, "What is this? A giant musket?"

The fire lance and the swarm of bees in "Wujing Zongyao" can be regarded as the ultimate application of gunpowder, and these two things are also known for being unreliable.

There are countless examples of muskets being unable to fly out due to poor cast iron or being blown apart, and ending up hurting their own people instead of others.

Cao Jie followed closely and knocked on the big, thick, hard cannon with his hand, and asked: "I just heard the cannon sound, the power is still good, right?"

"The range is only two miles, so it needs further improvement."

Liu Hui Niang glared at Cao Jie angrily and said, "Where have you been these days? If you don't come back, be careful that cousin Li Qing will regret it. When that happens, don't say that I didn't help you."

Cao Jie touched his nose and said, "I went to Dengzhou to invite this old gentleman, which delayed me for a while."

"Who is he?"

"Defeat Zong Tongpan of Yuanbi Village."

"Oh, it turned out to be him."

Zong Ze stroked the heavy gun body and interrupted them again: "Boy, were those gunshots just now fired by this thing? Quick, fire another one for me to see..."

"Humph!"

Liu Hui Niang snorted: "This experiment is over. Take the cannon back for maintenance. Also, the cannon is a confidential firearm and outsiders are not allowed to view it."

Zong Ze didn't bother to argue with the woman and just stared at Cao Jie.

Cao Jie spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "Sir, I can't do anything about this! The Thunder Department is under her management, I can't interfere."

"The entire Liangshan is yours, and you're telling me this?"

Zong Ze was extremely angry.

Fearing that the old man might get sick from anger, Cao Jie quickly said, "How about we invite you to watch the next artillery test? It won't take a few days."

Zong Ze said nothing and walked away.

Cao Jie took one look and followed with a smile.

In any case, the old man probably has no desire to die.

As for how to get him to abandon the Song Dynasty and join Liangshan, Cao Jie has not yet figured out a solution.

But as long as you work hard, you can grind an iron rod into a needle. Take your time and don't be impatient.

That night, after comforting the old man, Cao Jie returned to the backyard exhausted.

At this moment, Liu Hui Niang was PUAing Chen Liqing.

"Sister, you won't go back on your word! Now that my husband has saved my uncle, you should fulfill your promise."

Chen Liqing was more nervous than ever before. Her hands, which were strong enough to draw a bow, twisted the corners of her clothes and whispered, "I promise to repay you with a favor..."

"Who needs you to beg for mercy? Just listen to your sister and serve your husband well, and your uncle will no longer have to worry about his life. Think more about your uncle."

"Okay... okay!" Chen Liqing gritted her teeth and nodded.

There is bright moonlight in front of the bed, and two pairs of shoes on the ground.

"what!"

Cao Jie was breathing heavily and felt like he was about to be pinched off!
(End of this chapter)