diskusbooks Chapter 287 What a cannon looks like!
Chapter 287 What a cannon looks like!
The so-called braised meat includes the Shunfenger with a fragrant aroma of sauce, and then there is a chicken cooked in sauce with an attractive color.
Just spread it on the table and start eating.
The wine was not some fine wine, just a little stronger in alcohol content.
"Come on, come on, try this wine first and see how it tastes." Pu Xuesong filled the wine bowls of several people and then held up the wine bowls and said.
"Brother, you are so generous! We will not embarrass you today. Let's drink first!" Wang Tiezhu said, and he picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. However, the wine was quite strong, and he drank too much, and suddenly he started coughing loudly.
"Brother, you are so generous. Big brother can't show weakness, so I'll drink it too." Pu Xuesong was not willing to be left behind. He drank a bowl of wine in big gulps, then put down the bowl, picked up the wine jar, and filled it up for them again.
He tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Wang Tiezhu, saying, "Eat!"
Wang Tiezhu took the chicken leg without hesitation, put it in his mouth and tore off a piece of meat, trying to suppress the wine he had just gulped down.
It took a while for Wang Tiezhu to recover.
"Brother, this wine is really strong. It's much stronger than the wine in the restaurant."
The other two just smiled foolishly and nodded, as if the wine was still stuck in their throats and they kept burping.
"This is how a man should drink, it's fun!" Pu Xuesong didn't even use chopsticks, he just reached out to grab the pig's head and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Brother, how do you make a living in this county? I hope our coming here today won't hinder your livelihood."
"No, we are trafficking some coal. Now it's the beginning of summer and we don't need the coal anymore. We occasionally take on some odd jobs. We happen to have nothing to do today." Pu Xuesong said casually while picking up the wine bowl again.
"Drink slowly, brother. There's plenty of wine for today."
Wang Tiezhu and the other two picked up their wine bowls again and drank from them in big gulps.
After three rounds of drinks, Bian Lao San brought up the steaming hot dish of mutton stewed with radish.
"Brothers, you don't have to worry about your lives when you fight now. The weapon that made the rumbling sound some time ago will definitely be able to repel the invading enemy." Pu Xuesong saw that they had almost finished drinking, so he started a conversation at the right time.
"That's not a rumbling sound, that's called an infantry gun." said a soldier on the side.
"Oh, that's called infantry gun? What is a gun?" Pu Xuesong asked pretending to be confused. As soon as he said that, he thought to himself that it was not good, fearing that he appeared too eager. But when he looked at the few people carefully, he found that they were already drunk.
"A cannon is just an iron tube, loaded with a cannonball filled with gunpowder, and fired with a 'puff' sound." Wang Tiezhu said casually while drunk.
"Gunpowder, 'puff'?" Pu Xuesong asked with a puzzled look on his face. After he said it, he realized that he had lost his composure. But when he looked at these people again, they were all confused.
"Originally, there was gunpowder in front, a bullet behind, and a primer. It was fired after it was ignited!" Wang Tiezhu was probably really drunk, and he blurted out everything in his mind.
Bian Laosan and Pu Xuesong, who were standing aside, looked at each other and seemed to understand something instantly.
"So, your cannons are so powerful?" Pu Xuesong asked again, pretending to be confused.
"Of course!" Wang Tiezhu picked up the wine bowl, took a sip and said, "A dozen is a big piece!"
In an instant, a picture emerged in Bian Laosan's mind: an iron pipe filled with gunpowder and the front filled with bullets. Once it was launched, it would be incredibly powerful.
He looked at Pu Xuesong, blinked a few times, and then quietly left the yard alone.
……
After Bian Lao San went out, he informed another group of people about the situation here, including Xia Shao.
"This situation is extremely important. Bian Lao San and I will leave first. You stay here to support Pu Xuesong. If anything unexpected happens, evacuate immediately."
"Yes, Master Xia!" several people responded in unison.
Xia Shao arranged everything and quickly left Jing County with Bian Lao San.
Shi Li was ecstatic when he learned that Xia Shao had brought back the method of making cannons.
"My most loyal little shrimp, I was right about you. You got the recipe for the artifact so quickly. That's great."
"Chief, I only have a rough idea of the method. I don't know if it is feasible. I need to make it to confirm it." Xia Shao did not dare to be proud of his achievements. After all, this was just a rough description, not a detailed production drawing.
"Okay, okay, tell me quickly, what kind of object is it?" Shi Li urged impatiently.
"Bian Laosan, please tell the chief in detail what is going on."
"Yes." Bian Lao San saluted respectfully and said, "What they can fire is called an infantry cannon. It is a thick iron tube filled with gunpowder and loaded with some cannonballs that can take lives.
The gunpowder explodes just like our clay pots, propelling the iron balls in front of it, which they call cannonballs."
Bian Laosan's description was quite detailed. Although Shi Li still didn't quite understand it, he felt that he should be able to make it according to this description.
"Young Master Xia, Third Brother Bian, the task of manufacturing this...whatever cannon is now your responsibility."
"It's an infantry cannon. Thank you for your trust, Chief. I will contact the craftsmen to start making the infantry cannon."
Xia Shao knew very well that this was Shi Li's trust in him, so he accepted the task of manufacturing the cannon with a solemn vow.
……
It is not difficult to make a cannon with cast iron. After several days of preparation, they finally designed an object similar to the Tiger Barrel Cannon. At first, the front was filled with stones, but later it was felt that the power was not enough, so they replaced it with iron cast projectiles.
"What? You have already built that infantry gun?" Shi Li's face was full of surprise when he heard Xia Shao coming to report.
"Yes, Chief, we have tested a few rounds and the results are good. The range is about four hundred steps."
"How lethal is it?"
"The projectiles are made of iron ore with a lot of impurities. They explode when they hit a hard object, and their lethality is quite impressive, but their effectiveness is greatly reduced on soft ground."
Seeing Shi Li's unhappy expression, Xia Shao hurriedly added, "If it's in a mountainous area, or during a siege, it's as effective as a catapult. Infantry guns have wheels installed underneath, so oxen and horses can pull them forward."
Shi Li had never witnessed the true power of the infantry artillery, so he shouted to the outside, "Go and call General Hou Lin, so we can go and see if the infantry artillery we have manufactured is as effective as he said."
A few miles outside the tent, there was a city defense structure built of stone.
Four hundred steps away, two cannons were mounted there, and two craftsmen were wiping the ashes remaining in the barrels during the test. This was because the gunpowder developed by Shi Li did not burn completely.
Hou Lin hurried over with his men, and when he saw the familiar-looking cannon, he asked happily.
"I heard we've also created a powerful weapon here. Let me see how powerful it is."
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Bian Lao San asked for instructions and then said to the craftsmen, "Load the cannons and fire at the fortifications ahead."
The craftsmen set to work, loading the two cannons with gunpowder and bullets, and inserting a bamboo fuse into a round hole at the rear end, preparing for firing.
Seeing that the preparations were complete, Bian Lao San asked again, "We are ready and can conduct the test launch at any time."
Seeing this, Shi Li nodded and said, "Fire!..."