Chapter 163 New Equipment (Part 1)

"Emperor..." The soldier on duty opened his mouth and was about to shout "The Emperor is here." Li Jun hurriedly waved his hand and signaled the soldiers not to say it. The soldiers were also clever and understood what Li Jun meant, so he quickly shut up his mouth.

Li Jun turned around and gestured to Wen Tianxiang, Li Tingzhi, Lu Xiufu, Liao Shenggong, Du Dae-yong, and entered the house lightly. Huang Yongshan in the house was burying his head on the paper and constantly drawing lines, concentrating on his mind, and he didn't notice that there were a few uninvited guests in the house.

Huang Yongshan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then drew on the drawings. Here, a big hand reached out, grabbed his pen and pulled it. The pen originally held in his hand changed hands and fell into someone else's hands.

"Who?" Huang Yongshan was shocked and asked, standing up, and then patted someone on his shoulder. A muffled voice sounded, saying, "Huang Laocai."

Who is Huang Laocai? Huang Yongshan couldn't understand it, and muttered in his heart. When he looked back, he almost fainted on the ground because his pen was holding Li Jun's right hand. Li Jun pinched his nose with his left hand, looking like a smile. Needless to say, the muffled words just now were exactly what Li Jun said. Huang Yongshan had never seen Li Jun's strange appearance, and it was impossible for him not to feel dizzy.

Not to mention that Huang Yongshan could not believe it, even Li Tingzhi and the others could not believe it was true. They knew that Li Jun was a calm and calm person, and that he would not believe anything he had not seen him in person. This only shows that Li Jun's mood was indeed very good.

"I'm going to see the emperor." Huang Yongshan was about to kneel down and salute Li Jun. Li Jun hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Huang Laocai, I won't promote this today." He spread his right hand and reached in front of Huang Yongshan and swayed, saying, "Get it."

Huang Yongshan was stunned and said, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

"Five thousand taels of gold." Li Jun blinked mischievously and looked like he was beating Huang Yongshan's autumn wind.

Huang Yongshan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you can't be worth 5,000 taels of gold even if you sell me. I can't even worth 100 taels of gold." He muttered, "Where is I worth so much gold?"

"I heard that you, Huang Laocai, have made a fortune. I want to hit you Qiufeng." Li Jun smiled and said, "What's wrong? It hurts?"

It’s not necessary to think that Li Jun is in a very good mood. Huang Yongshan should be happy, but he had a bitter face and said, “Emperor, where can I get rich?” He glanced at Li Tingzhi and said, “Emperor, there are also people who make money, not me, but Lord Li. Emperor, have you not seen that Lord Li has much less hair now?”

His words attracted a lot of laughter. Li Jun smiled happily, patted his right hand on his shoulder, and said, "Huang Laocai, I heard that you have created a lot of new equipment now. I'll come here to take a look. Don't hide it, take it out for me to see."

"So it's this, Your Majesty, you scared me to death." Huang Yongshan suddenly realized and said, "Your Majesty, haven't I done it according to your instructions? Please."

"Huang Laocai, please." Li Jun smiled and followed Huang Yongshan. Li Tingzhi and the others followed.

Li Jun heard from Liao Shenggong that Huang Yongshan has developed many new weapons now, and suddenly became energetic. He didn't care about the cold weather and the journey was exhausted, so he came to see it immediately. Li Tingzhi and the others had not met Li Jun for half a year. They had a chat and were very happy. They were reluctant to leave, so they naturally followed Li Jun. Unfortunately, the Queen Quan, who was looking forward to their ending the conversation early and competed for a wonderful time, could only guard the boudoir and wait for Li Jun's return.

A shiny steel cannon was quietly stopped on the cannon field, and the muzzle was larger than the cannons used by the Song army now. The entire cannon was painted and shiny, and was installed on the cannon stand, like a monster with a huge mouth open.

"Steel cannon!" Li Jun shouted happily, and slapped Huang Yongshan's shoulder with his right hand, and praised: "You Huang Laocai is really good. You actually made the cannon. It's amazing, it's amazing."

Compared with copper cannons, steel cannons have more advantages. The most important advantage is that their durability is greatly improved and their safety performance is greatly improved. Bedding accidents often occur during the use of copper cannons. The possibility of steel cannons blowing up the chamber is much less.

Li Jun would not know who is better or worse than the steel cannon or the copper cannon. Huang Yongshan was able to build such a steel cannon, which means that the industrial level of the Southern Song Dynasty had been improved again, and its significance was quite far-reaching. Li Jun could not stop being too happy. Li Jun was knowledgeable and knew a lot of technology, but it was limited to the industrial level of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time, and some things could not be produced. The emergence of the steel cannon was of revolutionary significance to the military industry of the Southern Song Dynasty.

"This is all the contribution of the emperor. It was only created by the emperor's guidance of the ministers." Huang Yongshan hurriedly said: "If the emperor had not given me the secret, I would not have thought of it even if I wanted to break my head."

Li Jun knew the disadvantages of bronze cannons and had long wanted to upgrade the artillery of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, it was limited to the industrial level of the Southern Song Dynasty. Before leaving Lin'an, he found Huang Yongshan and told him some knowledge of artillery. According to Li Jun, this is an important research direction. Huang Yongshan could not be built in a short time, and he did not have much hope. Unexpectedly, Huang Yongshan actually built it. There is no reason to be unhappy. He smiled and said, "You Huang Yongshan, you know how to be modest. I tell you that this credit is yours. If it weren't for your efforts, I would be useless even if I knew much."

He paused and said a very philosophical saying: "It is not difficult to know things, but the difficult thing is to achieve it."

As Li Jun said, there are many things in the world that are not difficult to guess, but not many things to be realized. Li Tingzhi and the others nodded in agreement and said, "What the emperor said is extremely true!"

Li Jun looked at the cannon carefully and commented on the Lun: "The barrel is much thinner, not as thick as the copper cannon. This amount has been reduced a lot and is easy to mobilize. This cannon stand is also well done, much more sturdy, more convenient than the current cannon driving, more practical, and much improved. It seems that you have put in a lot of effort. In other words, our artillery will have greater maneuverability and easier to implement maneuver. If Zhu Ruixiang knows, I will make sure that his chin will fall to the ground with a smile."

Liao Shenggong nodded and agreed, "Emperor, let alone General Zhu would fall to the ground with a smile, even me would be very happy. I was so happy when I saw this steel cannon for the first time. I dreamed of bombing the Tartars, bombing a large area, and I woke up when I was happy."

His words attracted a lot of laughter. Li Tingzhi, Wen Tianxiang and the others laughed. Li Jun smiled and said, "You General Liao, not only are you good at fighting, but you also tell the jokes."

"Your Majesty, I am not joking, it's true." Liao Shenggong said seriously.

Li Jun nodded and said, "I understand, you are really happy." He approached the muzzle, looked at the barrel, and said, "There is a double line in the barrel, and the shells will fly in a rotational manner, and the range will be longer. How far can it be fired now?"

Huang Yongshan replied: "Return to the emperor, the test results can be reached seven or eight miles."

"Excellent, amazing." Li Jun admired it very much, and said: "Now copper cannons can only hit three or four miles, and steel cannons can hit seven or eight miles, and their range has almost doubled. If the Mongol cavalry encounters steel cannons, the more casualties will be much greater." The longer the range of the cannons, that is, the more time it takes to kill, the greater the lethality.

Du Dayong analyzed from the perspective of a strategist: "According to my calculations, the power of steel cannons is three to four times that of the copper cannons used now, which means that a steel cannon cannons cannons now. For the court, this is a strategic leap, which can reduce the number of artillery artillery, and the mobility of artillery will be greatly increased, giving greater support to infantry and cavalry."

Indeed, the goal that originally took three or four hundred to achieve was now only one hundred to complete, which means that the same effect can be achieved with less manpower and material resources. In other words, the burden on the troops during maneuvering has been greatly reduced and flexibility has been increased a lot. This is actually a strategic leap.

"It makes sense." Li Jun pondered: "If we had this treasure when we marched into Guanzhong, we wouldn't have fought so hard." This is true. The bronze cannon is heavy and transported inconveniently. It is delayed in the Qinling Mountains. If it were steel cannons, as long as we transport dozens of them, the power comparison will change greatly.

Li Jun continued: "If you can't listen to his roar, it will make you feel itchy, like a cat scratching. Are there any shells? Let's try it." Your hands kept rubbing, looking anxious.

Liao Shenggong smiled and rubbed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, let me fight this cannon to the emperor. I have fought once, and now I see this treasure, my palms are a little itchy." This half-joking thing attracted a lot of laughter.

Adult beauty has always been Li Jun’s virtue, but now Li Jun does not intend to show this virtue, saying, “General Liao, it’s better to do it myself instead of letting you fight. Tell you, don’t steal my business after you fight. Come on, bring the shells.”

Huang Yongshan hurriedly picked up a shell from a wooden box. The shell was cylindrical, not the spherical cast iron shell used now. Li Jun took it in his hand and said, "Yes, it's such a treasure, I'm afraid it's not a dozen pounds."

Cylindrical shells have more advantages than spherical shells. One of the advantages is that they are shot out from the barrel, because they will rotate due to the action of the multi-line. In other words, their ballistics are different from spherical shells and will shoot farther. Huang Yongshan's ability to create such shells can only show one problem: the military industry of the Southern Song Dynasty has been greatly improved. To be more far-reaching: the industrial level of the Southern Song Dynasty has been greatly improved.

This means that the Southern Song Dynasty could produce more advanced equipment. With these advanced equipment, the military strength of the Southern Song Dynasty would be greatly improved. This is just from the perspective of military industry. If it comes to the entire national industry, the overall industrial level of the Southern Song Dynasty would be improved to a higher level and produce more civilian products. It will not only bring convenience to the lives of the people, but also use it for export, the Southern Song Dynasty would have a greater advantage in trade, and the benefits were self-evident.

Li Jun, an excellent strategist, had no unexpected reason. He was so happy that he almost sang: "Recharge!" With the help of Huang Yongshan and Liao Shenggong, the shells were loaded and sang: "Fire the cannon!"

As his words fell, a loud noise sounded, and a ball of fire flashed. The shells were dragging the bright tail flames into the distance. The sharp roar of the shells breaking the air barrier came from afar. It was originally sharp and harsh, and it was very hard for the ears to bear it. However, for Li Jun at this time, this was a wonderful music. Even the Tianyin Fairy Music was not so beautiful. He stared at the shells and his eyes moved forward with the flight of the shells.

From a distance, I saw a huge fireball appearing in the bounce, a ball of fire flashing and a ball of smoke. Li Jun, who had experienced modern warfare, knew that this was the mud and gravel that caused the shock wave. Li Jun had a good eye for it. Needless to say, the smoke formed by the splash of mud and sand knew that it was really much more powerful, and said, "It's really powerful. Let's go and take a look."

The shell flew seven or eight miles away. If it walked over, it would waste a lot of time. Duan Ganmu commanded the soldiers to lead the horse, Li Jun and Li Tingzhi jumped onto the horse's back and controlled the reins.

When he arrived at the bounce, Li Jun did not jump down immediately. He rode on the horse and observed the crater for a while, and said, "The crater is as big as five copper shell craters, which is really amazing." He jumped off the horse's back and picked up a piece of gravel to observe, and said, "The broken stones have shown that they are powerful. You see, there are a lot more cracks on the stones."

"The emperor is very clear!" Liao Shenggong and the others have to admire Li Jun's unique eyesight.

This kind of thing is simply common sense for Li Junwei, who has experienced modern warfare, and it is not surprising at all. He asked: "Huang Yongshan, how many steel cannons are there now? The more, the better, and build as many as possible. I'm afraid there are not a few hundred pieces?" Huang Yongshan is a magical person. He can always create miracles. It's not difficult to create hundreds of steel cannons.

Huang Yongshan said with a look of dismay: "Go back to the emperor, there are only five steel cannons now."

"Five Gate?" Li Jun thought he had heard it wrong and asked, "It's really only five Gate? Are you lazy?"

Huang Yongshan hurriedly said, "Emperor, there are only five gates now. The emperor, these are all incompetent ministers. Please punish them."

"Don't talk about this for now. Tell me what difficulties you encountered?" Li Junwei thought about it and realized that Huang Yongshan must have encountered difficulties, otherwise he would have made all his efforts to create such a good baby. Not to mention anything else, even Liao Shenggong and Du Dayong would put pressure on him. The number was so small, it must be that he had encountered difficulties or could not overcome them.

Huang Yongshan explained: "Master, the production of steel cannons is very difficult. One difficulty comes from the production of gun barrels. These are all gun barrels made by Zhang Chaoxuan himself. Second, the production of this system of equipment is not fast. With these two reasons, one to two cannons can only be made in a month."

Zhang Chaoxuan has a pair of skilled hands. He is a very excellent engineer with high requirements for gun barrels. Who else can he have if he doesn't do it himself?

After pondering slightly, Li Jun said: "You can't achieve anything by relying on one person's strength. As the saying goes, it's hard to support the building. Master Zhang has good skills, but he can't bet on him alone. You should find more skilled craftsmen to produce it."

"What the emperor said is very much." Huang Yongshan nodded and said, "However, there is still another difficulty. There are too few machine tools that can meet the production of gun barrels. So far, only two machine tools can meet the requirements." He is a smart person. He knew that Li Jun would ask him the reason next, and explained by himself: "This kind of machine tool is different from previous machine tools, and it is very difficult to produce."

His words boil down to this is that using current machine tools to produce steel cannons that were cutting-edge products for the Southern Song Dynasty was still very difficult to meet the requirements.

"This is a strategic issue. We must be done. We can increase our investment, find more people, and allocate more money." Li Jun said firmly: "No matter what, we must also form a scale during the Northern Expedition. Whatever you want, the court will give you what you want. How much can you produce in a month?"

From a military perspective, only a large number can form a scale and have combat effectiveness. The effect of only five steel cannons is very small and can be ignored under normal circumstances. It is precisely from this point of view that Li Jun was determined to build a large number of steel cannons.

Huang Yongshan was stunned for a moment and said in embarrassment: "The emperor doesn't know anything. Even if he creates more steel cannons, it will not be used. It will become a decoration, and it will waste manpower, material resources and financial resources."

For Li Jun, the steel cannon is the most urgent equipment. Such a treasure has become a decoration. Li Jun was very curious and blurted out: "Why?"

Liao Shenggong replied regretfully, saying, "Master, what really restricts the use of steel cannons is not the question of whether Huang Yongshan can produce it, but the insufficient number of shells."

"Oh, there are not enough shells?" Li Jun, a person who has always been smart, couldn't understand it, and he couldn't wait to say: "Tell me the reason."

Huang Yongshan continued: "Master, the shell is not made of gunpowder, but explosives, nitroglycerin. The power of nitroglycerin is much greater than gunpowder, but its production is very difficult. The nitroglycerin produced in a month is not enough for a steel cannon. Another point is that nitroglycerin is very expensive, and it can be said to be equal to gold. If this explosive is used in large quantities, the court will not be able to bear it."

The basic chemistry of the Southern Song Dynasty was just beginning. If it was necessary to produce nitroglycerin in large quantities under this situation, the technical conditions were really difficult to meet the requirements. Not to mention using modern craftsmanship, even the oldest methods were used to produce them, the difficulties were very great. In particular, the nitric acid required for nitroglycerin production was very uncomfortable. Therefore, the value of shells was terrible. Liao Shenggong's meaning was very clear. If this extremely expensive shell was used, the treasury of the Southern Song Dynasty would definitely not be able to bear it.
Chapter completed!