Chapter 520: The artillery was built?
In this case, Xixia did not dare to use the troops to prevent the Song Dynasty before she had to.
After all, the Song Dynasty launched a sneak attack not long ago, capturing the capital of Xixia and even robbing Queen Liang.
There are 400,000 or 500,000 soldiers in Xixia, but these soldiers are almost half of them in Xixia.
In addition to leaving 100,000 troops to guard against the Song Dynasty, only more than 300,000 can be used.
Hehuang sent only more than 200,000 troops this time, which seems to be lower than that of Xixia.
But Xixia is the defensive side. After Hehuang seized the Xixia border city, Xixia is now facing a situation where there is no danger to defend.
There are many cities that need to be defended, and the Xixia is not in harmony, which allows Hehuang to gain more than a dozen cities in a row.
Even if this situation came, Xixia did not dare to use the troops to guard against the Song Dynasty.
This shows the fear of the Western Xia towards the Song Dynasty.
But it would be different if the Song Dynasty put Queen Liang back.
The Song Dynasty was unwilling to let go of people before, but now it is obvious that it is because it is unable to intervene in the war between Xixia and Hehuang. It is also unwilling to see Hehuang annex Xixia, so it let Queen Liang go back to stabilize the situation in Xixia.
Even if the Dangxiang nobles in Xixia would not think so, the Liang family would think so.
In other words, the Liang family itself used this as a threat to let the Song Dynasty relax.
As long as the Song Dynasty did not want to see Hehuang annex the Western Xia, it would have to release people.
When Queen Liang returns to Xixia and controls a certain situation, she will also mobilize the troops defending the Song Dynasty to deal with Hehuang.
Before, Xixia faced Hehuang, and retreated step by step. When Queen Liang returned, she could turn defeat into victory and build momentum for Queen Liang.
It is of great benefit to Queen Liang's complete control of the situation in the Liao Kingdom.
At that time, as long as the Song Dynasty sends troops to attack at a critical moment, it is very likely that the Western Xia will be destroyed in one fell swoop.
The people present were all smart people. As soon as Zhao Xing said that, they understood Zhao Xing's intention.
"Your Majesty!"
Shen Xianggong said with a serious expression: "Although the Northern Expedition was the victory of the Song Dynasty, the manpower and material resources were consumed greatly. In addition, the Central Plains rebellion, it would cost a lot of money and food to resettle the people. The pressure on the court is still very great. If a war is launched, the court will be unable to provide relief if there is any natural disaster."
"Your Majesty, Shen Xianggong's words are reasonable. The military strategy is obvious. If the country is so big, it will be destroyed if it is wary. Please think twice!" said Mr. Han.
Zhao Xing didn't say anything, and looked at Zeng Gongliang. "Your Majesty, I also believe that the army should not be sent for the time being, and should rest first." Zeng Gongliang said.
Zhao Xing was silent when he heard this, and he knew that what the three of them were justified.
The foreign war must first settle the country, and this is not right.
But with the current situation in the Song Dynasty, we should indeed maintain internal stability first.
Otherwise, once a natural disaster occurs and the court is unable to provide relief, it will cause a series of chain reactions.
But now it is indeed a god-given opportunity to destroy Xixia.
After a long silence, Zhao Xing gritted his teeth and said, "This is a good opportunity to destroy the Western Xia. Once it is missed, when the Liao Kingdom recovers its vitality, the Song Dynasty will face the alliance between the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia."
The Song Dynasty captured dozens of cities of the Liao Kingdom. If the Western Xia is not destroyed at this time and when the Liao Kingdom recovers, it is inevitable that the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia will unite.
At that time, you will fall into a vicious cycle again.
But it would be different if it could destroy the Western Xia. If the Western Xia was annexed, the Song Dynasty could completely digest the Western Xia while the Liao Kingdom was resting and recuperating. "Your Majesty, I also agree that it is a good opportunity to destroy Xixia. But no one can tell the truth about the war. Moreover, even if the Liao Kingdom is seriously injured, it will not allow the Song Dynasty to annex the Western Xia."
"Unless the Western Xia can be destroyed quickly, the Song Dynasty will fall into the quagmire of war. At that time, the Song Dynasty will not be able to truce the war just if it wants to."
"A one move moves the whole body. If it is dragged for a long time, if there is any problem inside, the Song Dynasty will be in danger!" Mr. Shen said bitterly.
He thought Zhao Xing was completely betting, and now there is indeed a chance to destroy Xixia.
If you can do it, even if you can succeed, how long will it take to destroy Xixia?
Unless it can quickly destroy the Western Xia, it will be very unfavorable to the Song Dynasty regardless of whether the Liao Kingdom intervenes.
Zhao Xing frowned when he heard this. He really wanted to fight, but judging from Han Zhang and others, he didn't agree with this matter.
Although he could force his troops, if he really wanted to do this, the news would not be hidden.
He originally wanted to convince Han Zhang and the other two that as long as the three of them agreed, he could not pass through the court, so that Xixia would not notice it.
But the worries of Han Zhang and the other two did exist. Even Zhao Xing himself was not sure that he could quickly destroy Xixia.
At this moment, an eunuch walked in through the side door.
When Sanshui saw it, he quickly got off the imperial platform and walked over.
The eunuch leaned over to Sanshui's ear and said a few words. Sanshui waved his hand, came to Zhao Xing's side, and leaned over to Zhao Xing's ear and said, "Your Majesty, the Firearms Department Cao's envoy sent someone to report that the cannon had been built and had been tested!"
"What?"
Zhao Xing exclaimed when he heard this, "It's really built?"
Han Zhang and the other two rarely saw Zhao Xing lose his composure, but Zhao Xing's face was full of joy. It should not be a bad thing.
"Reply to Your Majesty, what the people sent by the envoy Cao said," Sanshui said.
Zhao Xing took a deep breath, waved his hand and asked Sanshui to retreat, looked at Han Zhang and the other two and said, "I want to go to the Firearms Department, let's go with you."
"Yes!" The three of them were confused, but could not refuse.
Zhao Xing immediately ordered people to prepare a car, and took Han Zhang and the other two out of the city to go to the Firearms Division.
For safety, Zhao Xing moved the Firearms Department a hundred miles away from Bianjing.
Safety is safe, but it is inconvenient to go back and forth.
Han Zhang and the other two were riding in a carriage without saying a word.
Shen Xianggong took the lead in breaking the silence and said, "Your Majesty wants to launch a surprise attack while Hehuang and Xixia are fighting. I just learned the news. I am so happy that I let us follow you. It should be related to sending troops to Xixia. I have some understanding of the Firearms Department, as if I were studying some firearms. Nominally, it is under the jurisdiction of the military weapon supervision, but in fact it is under the direct jurisdiction of Your Majesty. I really don't know what news, which makes Your Majesty so happy!"
"I don't know much about the Firearms Department." Han Zhang shook his head slightly. "I understand a little." Zeng Gongliang said.
Seeing Han Zhang and Shen Xianggong look over, Zeng Gongliang said, "When fighting with the Liao Kingdom before, a military was used as an ordnance called a musket. The musket is activated with gunpowder and can spray dozens of gravel stones at a time. Both the power and accuracy of these stones cannot be compared with crossbows."
"However, the range of the musket is almost equal to that of the arrows, and it is slightly more than that of the heavy armor. It is almost useless to deal with light armor, but it is quite powerful. That time, on the battlefield, thousands of muskets were fired at once, and the lethality was very high."
"Is there such a magical thing?" Han Zhang said in surprise.
Compared with Xianggong Shen, he has led several soldiers.
Although Zeng Gongliang said that accuracy and power cannot be compared with crossbows, and can only deal with light armor.
But even in the Song Dynasty, there were not many heavy soldiers.
Raising heavy armor is too expensive. Heavy armor is heavy and ordinary soldiers cannot afford it.
A person who needs strong bodies can bear the weight of heavy armor and can fight on the battlefield.
In order for the heavy armored soldiers to maintain their physical strength, their food and treatment is also very good.
Raising heavy armored soldiers is no worse than cavalry.
But the most important thing about cavalry is war horses, and they can always be found as long as they are willing to spend money.
But there are very few soldiers who can focus on armor.
What's more, the existence of heavy armor itself is to guard against crossbows, that is, the killing of crossbows on heavy armor is minimal.
Is it a defect that the sudden musket has poor accuracy and insufficient lethality?
The accuracy of archers on the battlefield is actually just that, relying on winning by quantity.
The rifle gun completely satisfies this. As for lethality, it is not a problem.
It is not necessarily more effective to kill the opponent's soldiers directly on the battlefield.
Soldiers are injured and need not only treatment, but also meals.
There are actually not many soldiers who died in battle on the battlefield, and most of them died of injuries and untreated.
In ancient times, medical conditions were backward and slightly infected, and almost no one could save it.
But even though I know this situation, I have to refuse to save it. Otherwise, what would the other soldiers think?
Killing will have a greater blow to the enemy than killing.
So, in Han Zhang's eyes, the shortcomings of the raid musket are simply advantages.
"What did Your Majesty say before? Didn't it mean that the Firearms Division made something similar to a rifle gun?"
Mr. Shen had never led a soldier. Although he had read some military books, he was just talking about military affairs on paper. Naturally, he did not understand the meaning of a firearm.
However, when he saw Han Zhang also praised the storm, he also understood that the storm had a very great effect.
If something like a rifle gun can appear again, it will be a good thing for the Song Dynasty.
The most new ⊥小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小� "I don't know either." Zeng Gongliang shook his head.
Zhao Xing didn't know what the three of them were talking about, and he was also very excited at this time.
He had never thought about building the cannon, but he just told Chen Kui about the theory of the cannon and the clay molding method with the idea of trying it out.
I didn't expect Chen Kui to cast the cannon.
Although he had not seen the cannon, since Cao Mian reported it, it must have been tested.
Otherwise, Cao Mian would not report it easily.
…………
Fire Equipment Department
"Master Chen, although the range of the cannon is much further than that of the catapult, it is not as powerful as that of the catapult. Moreover, the cost of casting the cannon is too high, and it also requires iron eggs. If so, Your Majesty may not be satisfied and it must be improved."
Cao Mian is discussing the issue of artillery with Chen Kui.
The reason why he did not report it in person, but sent someone to report it was entirely because he was not satisfied with the power of the artillery.
Because casting artillery uses bronze, it costs a lot and uses solid bullets.
When Chen Kui was studying artillery, the casting was not very large.
In this way, although the range of the artillery is three times that of the trencher, its power is not as powerful as that of the trencher.
As for the cost, the cost of casting a cannon can build more than a dozen trenchers.
In Cao Mian's opinion, it is better to build a trencher than to use it.
When siegeing the city, it is clear which one is more intimidating, or dozens of catapults.
Although artillery has the advantage of range, the range of the catapult is rarely threatened in this era.
The important thing is that the catapult is cheaper. Even if several damages are damaged, the cost is cheaper than the iron eggs shot from the cannon.
So in Cao Mian's eyes, artillery has little effect, and Zhao Xing will not be satisfied.
He didn't know at all that Zhao Xing hadn't seen the person he sent, so he rushed here when he heard the news.
"Sir, I understand what you said. In theory, you can build a cannon with thicker barrels, and this will inevitably increase its power." Chen Kui said. "But in this way, the cost will also increase greatly." Cao Mian frowned.
If the iron egg used by artillery is used in the siege, it will almost never be used again.
Because after the iron ball lands, the violent collision will cause the iron ball to be damaged.
In this case, you can only melt and then cast.
He is an official and a military general. Although he is in charge of the Firearms Department, he has a very different view of the problem with craftsmen like Chen Kui.
Chen Kui only thought about casting things, without considering the cost at all.
But Cao Mian had to consider it.
Chen Kui frowned slightly when he heard this, and the cost issue was unsolvable.
He really can't do it if he wants to be powerful and increase costs.
Just as Chen Kui was trying to say something, a soldier hurried in and saluted, "Sir, a team of imperial guards came to inform him just now, Your Majesty is already on the way here."
"What?"
Cao Mian was stunned when he heard this, came back to his senses, and quickly ordered, "Go and let the soldiers be alert!"
"Yes!" The soldier who reported the message bowed and retreated. "Master Chen, Your Majesty must have come for the cannons. When Your Majesty looks at the cannons later, you must ensure that there is no problem with the cannons!" Cao Mian said.
In his opinion, the power of the cannon is not good and cannot be changed for the time being, but the cannon cannot have problems.
Otherwise, the cannon will not only be powerful, but Zhao Xing will come from far away to see the cannon, and it will also have a malfunction. So how can he explain it? "I understand!" Chen Kui said quickly, "I'll check the artillery situation now!" "Go!" Cao Mian nodded.
Cao Mian arranged the matter of the Firearms Department and took people to the door of the Firearms Department and started to wait.
After waiting for half an hour, I saw a large group of imperial guards coming here with two carriages.
When the carriage came near to stop, Zhao Xing got out of the carriage, Cao Mian hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "I pay homage to Your Majesty!"
"No gift!"
Zhao Xing smiled and waved his hand, "Thank you for your hard work to build the cannon in such a short time. I will reward you on my merits!"
"Thank you, your Majesty, but this is all Master Chen's credit. And..." Cao Mian was about to tell Zhao Xing about the shortcomings of the cannon, but Han Zhang and the other two got out of the carriage and walked over, bowing and bowing. "Your Majesty!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and looked at Cao Mian and asked, "What did you say just now?"
"Reply to Your Majesty..." Cao Mian said the flaws of the cannon.
"Take me to see it first."
Zhao Xing didn't care at all after hearing this. Solid cannons can not only be used to siege and defend cities.
The most important thing is to be used for frontal combat.
The range of catapults and crossbows is limited, so the artillery is different.
According to Cao Mian, the range of the cannons made this time is three times that of the catapult.
The current range of catapults is about four or five hundred meters, so the range of the cannon is 1,500 meters.
The cannon uses round iron eggs, which will roll after landing.
After the stone thrown by the trencher lands, even if it rolls, it cannot roll much distance.
It can be imagined that on the battlefield, the enemy formed a battle formation and rushed over.
After a long distance, artillery can hit the enemy, and after landing, it will roll for a while, destroying the opponent's battle formation.
(This chapter ends)