Chapter 2273
For Haihan, advanced weapon design is not a problem. Fort Victory contains information on various weapons and equipment that humans can produce in the next few hundred years. Although the manufacturing technology of these weapons is still in place for Haihan today. There are many problems, but the weapons and equipment that can be produced at this stage are enough to allow Haihan to maintain military advantages over other countries for a long period of time.
Of course, being able to manufacture it and being able to be installed in the army are two different things. For example, the imitation Maxim machine gun used for display today requires too many hours of work and high investment costs to allow it to be used at this stage. It has become a standard weapon in the military, and at best it can only be regarded as a sample used to verify the manufacturing process.
The purpose of showing off force is, after all, to avoid the use of force as much as possible. Haihan executives understand this very well, so even though the machine gun far exceeds combat needs and the manufacturing process is immature, mass production cannot be achieved in the short term. The ordnance industry department still found ways to build such a machine for combat display. Performance samples.
Although there was a ready-made design, since there was no previous experience in manufacturing this type of automatic weapon, the ordnance industry department still spent more than a year solving various technical problems while building it. After the assembly was completed, it took several months of adjustment. The actual combat performance of this machine gun was finally recognized by Yan Chujie and Bai Kesi, and it was just in time to make its debut during this competition.
Taking advantage of the time to set up the gun target, Bai Kesi continued to introduce the performance parameters of this machine gun to the audience: "This machine gun weighs about a hundred kilograms and uses canvas belts to feed ammunition. Each belt contains 300 rounds of ammunition. And the cartridge belt can be connected, so in theory it can fire bullets continuously until all the bullets in the cartridge belt are used up.”
"The thick barrel you see is not actually a gun barrel, but a heat sink wrapped around the barrel. Cold water is injected into it to prevent the barrel from overheating during continuous shooting. We designed it on this stand, regardless of the manual use or animal power can be moved more easily, which also facilitates flexible mobilization and deployment on the battlefield. ”
"Its actual effective range is actually longer than the shooting distance demonstrated next. If compared with the rifles currently equipped by the Haihan Army, at the same distance, this machine gun is much more lethal. Specifically The killing effect will be clear to you after watching the following shooting demonstration.”
The soldiers arranged five targets about three feet apart at the other end of the shooting range, put armor on the slaughtered pigs, and then fixed them on wooden stakes as high as a person. Judging from the distance, these targets are consistent with the targets shot when demonstrating the performance of the rifle. This also facilitates the verification of Baikes' statement about the lethality of machine guns.
The reason why more targets are not arranged is not because Haihan is afraid of trouble, but because such an arrangement allows the machine gun to concentrate its firepower and fire within a small area. If there are too many targets scattered too far apart, it will be easy to expose the machine gun's firing. The obvious shortcomings in accuracy are not what Bai Ke wanted to show to the audience.
The two soldiers walked to the machine gun holding the ammunition box, squatted down and began to load the strange-looking weapon. The several-foot-long ammunition belt immediately attracted the audience's attention. No one had thought of using such a method to achieve continuous shooting. Even if they saw what the Haihan people did now, they still didn't understand how to rely on such a belt. How to shoot the way Beks said.
Moreover, the bullets on the bandolier were obviously not ordinary spherical musket ammunition, but conical copper bullets one and a half inches long. Even an imaginative person like Li Nai still didn't understand it for a while. Why use this type of ammunition?
The operation of this weapon is also far more complicated than that of a rifle. It requires the cooperation of two people. One of them is responsible for aiming and shooting, and the other is on his right, responsible for pulling the large pile of ammunition belts dragged on the ground when shooting.
After receiving the firing order from Bai Kesi, the soldier pulled the trigger. As the gunshots rang out, a tongue of flame about a foot long suddenly appeared from the muzzle, and the bullets shot rapidly towards the target dozens of feet away. The armor covering the target was immediately clanged and sparks flew everywhere.
All the guests present, without exception, were shocked by the scene in front of them, as if they had seen a new world.
Guests who can be invited here to participate in this event, even if they know a little bit about military affairs, they also know that the Haihan Army, which has defeated all the invincible enemies in the world, uses muskets and artillery as its main weapons. The advantage of this type of weapon is that its damage range is large enough, and it can kill the opponent without the need for close combat.
The shortcomings of the musket are also obvious. The shooting frequency is slow, the accuracy is low, and the operation of loading ammunition is extremely complicated. If you cannot maintain a neat formation and a consistent firing rate during battle, you will easily overturn under the enemy's offensive. The firearms battalions of the Ming Dynasty were equipped with a high proportion of muskets, but they were still unable to defeat the Manchu cavalry. A large part of the reason was that the combat performance of their muskets was low, and they lacked reasonable tactical arrangements and were unable to maintain a high firing frequency to deal with the enemy. of repeated charges.
The repeating rifle shown by Haihan just now has been greatly upgraded to address the shortcomings of the musket, increasing the firing frequency of the musket by at least ten times. This will undoubtedly greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the infantry. It is no longer an unsolvable problem to defeat the enemy on foot.
In the opinion of the guests at the scene, this repeating rifle is the ultimate musket weapon that can be achieved so far. It has broken through ordinary people's understanding of this kind of weapon, and it can be said to be unique in the world. I have not heard of any country that has the ability to do so. Create similar weapons. If the Haihan Army installs this new weapon on a large scale, it may be easier to achieve external expansion through war.
But this view did not last too long, because the new weapon displayed by the Haihan Army was more than ten times more powerful than the rifle just now. Just hearing the gunshot was enough to make people feel... Desperate.
With such intensive firepower, even if hundreds of musketeers lined up to fire, it would be difficult to reach the same level. And this was just a weapon that required two people to operate. Its combat efficiency was even much higher than that of artillery.
After the machine gunner finished shooting one ammunition belt in one breath, he loaded another ammunition belt, pulled the bolt and loaded the gun, and then continued to shoot at the target. By the time the second ammunition belt was finished, the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke, and the armor-clad targets in the distance, along with the wooden stakes used to fix them, had all been shot in two by the bullets fired by the machine gun. part.
Bai Kesi made an invitation gesture and said to everyone: "Everyone, please move to the front with me and observe the killing effect of this machine gun shooting together."
The guests followed him towards the target. Before they even reached the target, they could already smell a burnt smell in the air. When I got closer, I saw that several targets had been smashed into pieces by the recent shooting, and the armor covering them was also broken into pieces, and bullet holes the size of little fingers could be seen on some of them. .
"You can check the quality of these armors. I can responsibly say that their thickness and hardness are not inferior to the armors equipped by the armies of various countries. But in the face of this new type of weapon developed by our country, it actually makes no difference whether they have it or not. Not big.”
Bai Kesi's tone was full of pride, and he was very sure of the lethality of his weapons. The people who had doubts about this had to admit Baikes' statement after leaning down to check the condition of the armor.
After the bullets fired from the machine gun penetrated the armor, they still had enough power to tear the pork into pieces at the back, making a hole as big as a fist on the other side, and also broke the calf-thick wooden stakes at the back that were used to fix the target. . If it were a person wearing this armor, he would be dead as well. As far as the result is concerned, it is no different from not wearing armor. If he takes a few more bullets, even if he has armor, it will be difficult to leave a whole body.
Hearing the constant gasps of admiration from the crowd, Bai Kesi was also very satisfied with the effect of this demonstration. The bullets used in machine guns are quite expensive and are more valuable than silver of the same weight. The cost of throwing out the six hundred bullets just now is really not small, but to achieve such an effect, it is already worth the money.
Su Keyi turned pale and threw a piece of armor stained with flesh foam back to the ground. He was not afraid of the bloody scene, but was in awe of the performance of the weapons displayed by Haihan. According to his understanding, the quality of this kind of armor is much better than the equipment of the Batavia garrison. He can hardly imagine what the battle scene would be like if an army faced such terrifying weapons on the battlefield. bloody.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, even if there was a record of such a weapon in the Sanya Library, Su Keyi probably wouldn't have believed that such a powerful weapon really existed in the world. The Haihan people actually had a way to increase the rate of fire of their muskets to the same as that of firecrackers, and their lethality continued to increase. In addition to the repeating rifles, sniper rifles, and grenades previously displayed... when the Haihan Army installed these new weapons After that, let alone the East India Company, who in the world would still be able to fight with it?
If the East India Company wants to stand up and get rid of Haihan's suppression, it seems that using force is absolutely not feasible, and it can only think of ways from other angles.
Also feeling desperate about this was Fei Cexian. He was not a military expert, but he could see the tremendous power of this new weapon from the target shooting demonstration just now. The shooting speed of this thing is so fast, it feels like it can destroy a hundred-man cavalry team in one breath, even heavy armored cavalry makes no difference.
Although Haihan people have made some small moves in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty in recent years, they have not extended their tentacles inland after all. The Ming court has a view on this, believing that the Haihan people's caution is due to their serious lack of military strength. If they extend their tentacles too far, , it is easy to be cut off, surrounded and annihilated by the Ming Dynasty in the inland areas.
The Ming Dynasty had an absolute advantage in military strength, so there was no need to fear a large-scale invasion by Haihan. Even if the Haihan Army is stronger, it will not be able to make up for the huge gap in military strength.
But the new weapons brought out by Haihan this time, especially the last heavy-duty rifle that can fire hundreds of rounds at a time, will undoubtedly change the strength comparison between the two sides. Even if they have a strength advantage, if the Haihan Formation is equipped with a large number of such weapons, even if the number of troops is ten times or a hundred times greater, they will only become dead souls in an instant.
Xu Yuxing's eyes were dazzled by the sight, and he wished he could pack up this killer weapon and take it away immediately. He is responsible for military intelligence work in the Xu family army, so he naturally understands the great military significance of this weapon.
With this kind of weapon, only a few people can block key passes and chokepoints in a defensive battle. The narrower the terrain, the greater the advantage of this weapon. As long as there is enough ammunition, it can completely block the attack of thousands of troops.
Moreover, this kind of weapon weighs only a hundred or so kilograms, and is equipped with wheels underneath. It can be maneuvered and deployed according to combat needs at any time, which is much more convenient than transporting heavy artillery.
Of course, these usage scenarios can only be imagined. Xu Yuxing also knows that the Haihan people will definitely not sell such powerful weapons to outsiders. The reason why they are displayed is to let everyone continue to maintain awe of Haihan, the boss. That’s all. If anyone tries to challenge Haihan's authority, it is best to first consider whether they can cope with these powerful weapons of Haihan's army.
"What a pity!" Xu Yuxing, while inspecting the beaten target, secretly lamented in his heart that this thing cannot be purchased directly with money. Otherwise, even if it was ten thousand taels of silver, he would have paid for it on the spot.
The young prince of Annan, Zheng Zhuo, also had the same idea. His first thought after seeing the weapon fired was to buy it, but he soon realized that this was by no means an option on Haihan's export weapons list. Haihan would definitely not sell such a powerful weapon to anyone else. He would probably just put it out for everyone to covet and know that Haihan had this murderous weapon.
However, Zheng Zha still refused to give up and planned to find an opportunity to ask Bai Kesi later to see if it was possible to buy this kind of weapon with money. As long as Bai Kesi's tone is a little relaxed, he definitely won't mind being the first buyer.
However, Li Nai had different ideas from these people. He did not have the idea of equipping the Golden Shield with such a powerful weapon. Instead, he began to ponder the shooting principle and gun body structure of this weapon in his mind. But after all, due to his limited vision, the mechanical structures he could think of were not enough to solve the problem. After much thinking, it was just a waste of work.
But there is one thing he sees more clearly than others. The structure of this weapon is obviously much more complicated than that of a musket, and its manufacturing process will certainly not be simple. It is still unknown whether the Haihan people can mass-produce this weapon. . Even if it can be made, with such a high ammunition consumption rate, it will definitely be a great test for wartime logistics.
(End of chapter)