Chapter 228 The Development of Artillery
The situation in Antioch City has stabilized, but only in Antioch City.
Unlike the previous acquisition of new territories, this unification of Antioch was the only unification that relied almost purely on force.
Even if Gallis is thrown away, the various Norman princes in the Principality of Antioch are nothing but scattered sand.
In Lance's view, it can be said that every time you insert a bid and sell it first, just wait for the east wind to blow at auspicious times, and then you can kill everyone in one go.
This auspicious time, according to Reims' standards, firstly requires Tucopo to complete the assembly, and secondly, it requires Garris to leave Antioch.
Tukopo is the knife in Lance's hand, and Lance is the knife in Garris's hand.
In Lance’s eyes, Gareth is the Holy One of Jerusalem and an undoubted prophet.
The presence of such a person will lead to a subtle consequence.
As a prophet, as long as he stands on the battlefield and performs a miracle, the enemy will tremble.
As long as Garris declares his identity and displays unrivaled power, who would dare to resist?
As long as the other party kneels down to beg for mercy and express repentance before Gairis takes action, will Gairis kill someone or not?
Gairis is a saint. A saint must be merciful and can endure what ordinary people cannot endure. The other party kneels down and begs for mercy, saying that he has changed his past. So, does Garis still have the nerve to kill someone?
Since the opponent has already surrendered, he is also a local snake and knows this area well.
So, does the religious group need to rely on the strength of the other party to integrate the resources of this land?
Later, after the other party shows that it is very valuable, will the religious group recruit the other party to join?
"What's wrong with this?" Standing on the city wall, Russell asked Lance. He must ask Lance clearly about the issues here.
Because after Galis leaves Antioch, it will be them who will take the lead in Antioch.
After these days of meetings and discussions.
It has been confirmed that the Antioch region will establish a Governor's Palace. The Governor's Palace will be responsible for tax collection in the Antioch region, training the Antioch army, suppressing local rebellions, and promoting the progress of reforms...
In short, he is almost fully responsible for all situations in the Antioch area, and will not consider abolishing the Governor's Palace until the order has a sufficient talent echelon.
In essence, the Governor of Antioch is almost identical to the original Prince of Antioch.
Such a powerful organization will be led by Lance in the next few years.
As for the original 2nd and 3rd companies of the standing army, they may need to be reorganized and expanded from two companies to two battalions.
People like Joes and Russell are bound to hold important positions in the Governor's Mansion.
As Lance's colleagues, they must understand the specific thoughts of their leader to avoid disagreements within the Governor's Mansion.
"Indeed, it is a good thing that everyone likes to say that sinners repent and repent because of the prophet."
"But I don't believe it."
When he heard this, Russell was stunned. , he did not expect that Senior Lance, who used to look quite amiable and not like a knight, would say such a thing.
“Gairis is a prophet. He has his own principles. In his principles, everyone can be saved. It only depends on whether the saved are willing to change their past mistakes, because God is there. There.”
"This principle, and other similar principles, must be 'eternal' and cannot be changed. If there is no such pillar, then the sect will lose its bottom line and be blown to pieces in the tide of history."
“But I don’t believe it.”
Another piece of disbelief was spit out by Lance, and Russell was stunned again.
If the former unbelief refers to the fact that sinners will not really change their past, then the latter unbelief refers directly to the teachings of the sect.
"Russell, you are still too young. You have been following Gareth for the past two years."
"So, you don't know how bad people can be, and you don't know how hopeless people can be."
"I tell you again, a camel that passes through the eye of a needle can reach a higher level than a rich man. It’s not easy to live in the country!”
“Perhaps, some people can really repent, but there are very few such people. Few."
"The vast majority just saw Garris and fell in love with the 'miracle'. Sooner or later, they will relapse."
" In short, they believe in miracles, not in the 'Kingdom of Heaven'."
"Whether it's evil people or sinners, I can still kill them all when they are outside the cult, but what should I do when one day they sneak into our midst?"
Russell is indeed He is a young man who has been with Garris for two years and has become the oldest member of the cult.
But no matter what, he is still too young and does not have life experience like Lance.
The image of Garris is completely different for the two of them.
In the eyes of "apostles" such as Lance, John, and Pulverk, in fact, even Garris is actually a bit younger.
They certainly recognized Garris's prophetic status and went to testify about Garris's resurrection miracle.
But after all, they are Garris's predecessors. When getting along with Garris, they will not regard Garris as an absolutely infallible existence.
Many times, they also have their own reservations.
Of course, if Gareth makes a decision, they will fully agree with it.
Now that Gareth has delegated power to Lance, he is actually tacitly allowing him to do some "extraordinary" things.
Antioch was far away from the southern front, so even if something happened, Garris would still have the opportunity to remedy the situation.
“In the eyes of Garris, people must be saved and can certainly be saved, so he is a saint.”
“In my eyes, most people in this world are But despicable people and so-called nobles are nothing more than beasts in clothes... So I am a bad person, and bad people don’t need to cherish their feathers."
Lance’s figure and face are very round, but the words he said are indescribable. Russell couldn't help but feel a little bloody when he heard it.
……
Lance said that he was waiting for two opportunities. This is actually not true, because there is a third opportunity that is happening.
It is actually quite difficult to simply clean up the old aristocratic group in Antioch without relying on Garris.
Therefore, something must be strengthened.
To put it directly, that is: artillery.
However, Lance did not know the current artillery supply situation in the entire war, so he did not prioritize it.
But at this time, Isabella and Balian from Tire City took advantage of the center.
When Cyprus was captured by Gehrys, Isabella and the others accepted Gehrys's suggestion about bronze cannons and recruited more mature blacksmiths with cannon forging skills from the Transjordan region, such as Marwan. They traveled to Cyprus.
At the same time, Walter's caravan was also asked if it could send another batch of artillery from Transjordan.
The number of new batch of artillery pieces is actually not many, but there is nothing we can do about it.
When Walter arrived in Tire, he could feel that the atmosphere here was constantly changing.
During the spring harvest two or three months ago, the Second Kingdom of Jerusalem fulfilled its promise.
Near the city of Tire, the three territories that originally belonged to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, in this spring's tax collection, only 30% of the field tax was levied and the head tax was cancelled.
Moreover, unlike the past, this time it did not rely on the tax collector system as in the past. After eliminating middlemen exploitation as much as possible, it also effectively improved the kingdom's tax collection efficiency.
In addition, in order to prepare for the parliamentary election, a preliminary population survey was conducted, and a number of hidden households were dug out.
Therefore, the actual land tax received by Tire City did not drop much compared to previous years.
In addition, in order to meet the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the soldiers in Tire City and to produce handicrafts, some state-run handicraft factories were opened in the Second Kingdom.
State-owned handicraft factories naturally create more jobs.
On the Second Kingdom's side, relying on the continuous large-scale throwing of coins, it continues to stimulate the economic prosperity of Tire City and surrounding areas.
On the one hand, the burden on farmers has been reduced, and on the other hand, their income has been increased. Farmers with surplus funds can naturally buy more consumer goods.
As a result, it also led to a boom in the commodity market in Tire, successfully digesting the ironware and daily necessities produced by state-owned handicrafts.
Walking on the street, Walter could feel that the city did not seem to be affected by the war, but instead smelled of prosperity.
It is completely different from the chaos that Walter experienced along the way.
Even Waldo on the side couldn't help but be surprised after arriving in Tire.
In fact, Saladin is now a little anxious and angry.
In order to assemble more troops in a shorter period of time, Saladin took the initiative to invite a large number of nomadic tribes to come to Palestine.
By dividing the Iqta system, the nomadic tribes were allowed to make a living on the land of Palestine.
But as a hero of the generation, Saladin naturally understands the negative effects of this behavior.
When he was in Egypt, he carried out reforms in the Iqta system, deprived the Muslim lords of their power, turned them into generals under his command, and sent officials to govern and tax various places.
The reason why the nomadic tribes are allowed to run rampant in the Levant is actually just a temporary measure. Unsurprisingly, the negative effects of this expedient measure also came back.
To put it simply, the Iqta system only gave Muslim military leaders the power to seize agricultural output from the land, but it did not give them the power to govern the land from generation to generation.
They only need to collect taxes to raise soldiers, and don’t need to worry about the farmers’ livelihood...
When the Crusader lords collected taxes, they would also decide on the specific amount, and when the Muslim warlords collected taxes... a saying was born. "A single word from the tax collector can bankrupt several families."
The Franks are bad enough these days, but the Muslim warlords can be even more cruel and unkind.
For the nomadic tribes among Muslims, obtaining an Iqta fiefdom is not an additional fixed territory.
In fact, it is equivalent to having a fixed plunder area, and plundering farmers in the area will not be sanctioned.
In fact, in their eyes: taxation = robbery. Given the Levant's relative affluence, the allure was great.
After a large number of nomadic tribes gathered, the trade routes between various cities naturally became dangerous and chaotic.
With the wanton behavior of the nomadic tribes, the number of refugees in various places has also increased significantly. Unsurprisingly, the total land tax in the Levant region will decrease in the next few years.
Saladin actually expected these things, but there was one thing he didn't expect.
This spring, the Franks changed their temper and only collected 30% of the tax!
Such a cruel trick that Saladin had never thought of was suddenly used by Garris and his group.
When he first heard the news, Saladin's face couldn't help but become distorted.
This second kingdom is much more difficult to deal with than before. As soon as the 30% tax was released, the Muslim villages on the border with the other kingdom also became dissatisfied.
If this trend persists, wouldn’t it mean that none of those villages want to pay taxes?
It stands to reason that just like the Nithari Ismailis, after they launched the banner of paradise to resist taxes and rent reduction, they were immediately about to be violently raped by the warlords in the surrounding areas.
If the Second Kingdom dares to talk about a 30% tax, Saladin should deal with it with the harshest attitude.
However, it is not easy for him to attack the city of Tire right now. After all, the city of Tire is now well-armed. It is not only defended by city walls, but also can be supplied with food and unknown weapons by sea from Cyprus.
In addition, the main force of his army are nomadic light cavalry, so it is really difficult to deal with.
We can only think of a way first to launch an attack on Transjordan and gradually erode the enemy's power.
Of course, that's all for later.
......
Walter, Waldo and others did not stay in Tire for too long. After loading the supplies onto the ship, they headed north.
But they did not rush directly to the Port of Latakia in Antioch. Instead, they took a detour to Cyprus on the way.
In Cyprus, Walter is going to meet an old friend.
Compared with the scorching summer in Transjordan in August, August in Cyprus seems to be much more livable.
At this time in 1188, the proportion of forests on the island of Cyprus was much higher than in the 21st century.
But when Walter followed the guide and walked into a valley, the lush forests were significantly reduced, and a large number of smoke pillars jumped into the air.
Since coal mining technology has not yet become popular in this era, the metal smelting industry on the island of Cyprus has long relied on charcoal.
Not long after entering this valley, Walter saw Marwan.
A few months ago, he sent Marwan to the port of Tire and separated immediately.
When we met again now, the young man in front of me, who was covered in coal black, had already started his own business in Cyprus.
When he was in Skaar Village, it was Walter who took Marwan to forge, and he was considered his mentor.
When Marwan saw Walter, he was also very happy, with a simple smile on his face, and touched the back of his head not knowing what to say.
Walter went up and punched Marwan on the strong chest, and then greeted him warmly.
"Good boy! He's gotten a lot stronger. Life is good here!"
Marwan just smiled. He felt that he had been living a fulfilling life since he joined the cult.
Every day I eat, sleep and go to blacksmithing. I eat and drink with my brothers every now and then, although the order does not strictly require any kind of prayer every day.
But Marwan is still very grateful, thanking Gairis for changing his life, and prays that everything goes well for Gairis every day.
After seeing that Marwan was doing well, Walter's originally worried thoughts improved a lot. He also noticed that Marwan now had a slightly exquisite cross hanging on his body. Pendant.
It seems that this young man is living a good life here on the island of Cyprus.
"How about, everything goes well, I mean about the bronze cannon."
This time Marwan gave the reply: "Everything goes well."
He made a gesture and took Walter to visit this workshop gathering place.
Although, artillery casting technology cannot be recruited casually because it needs to be kept confidential.
However, as an island country, Cyprus has a large number of metal craftsmen, so it naturally has advantages in this regard.
After Marwan came here, he didn't spend much time building a basic framework.
Under Marwan's guidance, Walter saw a large number of smelting furnaces burning under the sheds beside him.
Several craftsmen gathered around one of the furnaces, with sweat on their faces. They used long-handled bellows to add power to the fire while looking at the molten metal in the furnace.
Beside the smelting furnace, a mold has been placed, which is carefully made of moist sand and clay.
This mold is divided into two parts. The inner mold is used to form the inner cavity of the gun barrel, and the outer mold is used to form the shape of the gun body. It will be erected later, and the liquid alloy is poured into it through a simple pulley block and sling.
In the early days of the development of firearms, artillery can be roughly divided into two types according to the way they are built.
One is spliced, while the other is cast. The former is usually made of wrought iron, while the latter is mainly made of copper alloy.
A little knowledge is that bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. It does not mean that it is bronze as soon as it leaves the factory. As time goes by, a green patina will form.
And brass is not pure copper, it is actually a copper-zinc alloy.
The spliced wrought iron cannon, also known as barrel cannon, is the main output of the Transjordan region. It is relatively easy to build and the cost is relatively low.
But the reliability and power are very insufficient.
I can only say that it’s really fun to use it to bully enemies who don’t have cannons.
But considering the circulation possibility of technology and the fact that artillery technology is not complicated, Garris did not expect that the secret of artillery could be kept for a particularly long time.
Therefore, instead of expecting the enemy to be stupid and unable to come up with knowledge about artillery, it is better to prepare in advance.
Use artillery with better effectiveness, more advanced technology, and more quantity to deal with the enemy's potential firearms.
It can be said that after Garris came to Cyprus, bronze cannon casting became a matter of course.
Compared with wrought iron barrel cannons, bronze cast cannons mean better air tightness, better chamber pressure withstand capacity, and can be loaded with more gunpowder, making the fired shells more powerful, but It also means higher process requirements.
Casting technology itself is not a new thing. It can be said that six thousand years ago, humans began to use casting technology to create metal tools.
After all, the melting point of iron is 1538 degrees Celsius and that of copper is only 1083.4 degrees Celsius.
The difficulty of casting between the two can be said to be worlds apart. Using copper for casting can significantly reduce the difficulty of metal casting.
Due to the demand for church bells, in the 12th century, the large-scale bronze casting technology in the Mediterranean region was also very mature.
Since a copper bell can be cast, as long as the opening is narrowed and the wall of the bell is thickened, a short and thick cannon body can be naturally obtained. Then by extending the cannon body, a long cannon body can be obtained. Double diameter bronze cannon.
In fact, for the early artillery craftsmen, casting church bells in times of peace and melting copper bells into bronze cannons in times of war were their living skills in themselves.
Cyprus, the Island of Copper, will surely become the Island of Copper Cannons in the future. In the future, it will continue to shine because of the conductivity of copper.
"If you use copper to cast a cannon, although it is a bit expensive, it has many advantages over iron."
"Copper has a lower melting point and good fluidity, making it easy to cast complex-shaped gun barrels. , you also know this.”
“And the copper material has good toughness and is not prone to explosion accidents. , Copper cannon fragments are not easy to fly, which means that the gun barrel can be thinner, the overall weight is reduced, and it is easier for soldiers to carry.”
“At the same time, copper is not easy to rust, has strong corrosion resistance, has a long service life and reduces maintenance costs. Low..."
Walking in this construction site, Marwan started talking non-stop when he mentioned technology.
In other words, Walter himself knew how to blacksmith, but if someone else came to inspect the situation, he would probably faint under Marwan's endless technical description.
After walking this way, Walter saw a real object made by Marwan, which may be the first bronze cannon in the world.
This copper cannon has a strong experimental flavor. According to the chamber pressure multiplication theory provided by Garris, this copper cannon was cast to be as slender as possible.
The caliber of this artillery is roughly the same as the index finger of an adult male. Including the wall tube, the diameter is about the same as a household registration, but its overall length is almost the same as the height of an adult male!
“Uh…”
When Walter saw this thing at first glance, it was hard for Walter to imagine that it was a cannon. At least in his impression, cannons should be relatively thick and short.
“30x diameter! We succeeded!”
Marwan’s excitement is easy to express!
“What the prophet said is right! Sound really has speed! And the flying speed of the shells fired by this cannon is faster than the sound!”
“ For such a long-diameter gun, although the wall tube must be made very thick and the gun body is heavy, it is also very difficult to load.”
"But I want to tell you, this cannon comes out faster! It has a longer range! The cannonball is more powerful!"
When he heard this, Walter noticed a huge rock not far away. The boulder has obvious signs of being cracked.
"How powerful? How big is it?"
"So big that it can destroy the city wall!"
The problem with the title of the book is not that I want to change it, and the reason is not suitable. It says here...
Since I am not willing to change, everyone should know why, ε=(ο｀*))) alas
Then, I would like to emphasize again that I am a firm materialist. At the end of the year, he was also the secretary of the Communist Youth League of the university.
Studying religion is just an interest in the ideology of religion. It is based on critical thinking and thinking about its significance in the historical process. I do not believe in any religion, and this book does not attempt to do so. Any missionary act.
By the way, a lot of interpretations of religious doctrines in this book are purely the author’s own nonsense. The teachings of the protagonist’s religious order, as well as many prayers that appear in the text, and some quotations from "Scriptures" "Article", quite a few of which are made up by myself and have nothing to do with actual religion.
There is no need for any justification in this post. Thank you very much for your support.
If you can join the group, please do so. It is really difficult to write this book... maybe you will really lose contact.
(End of this chapter)