Chapter 2274
The vast majority of people present did not have the level of vision and insight of Li Nai, and they would not consider the cost of equipping and using this weapon at all. They were just surprised by the combat effectiveness of this weapon. And simply believed that since Haihan had been able to make a machine gun, it would be logical to equip it into the army.
And this is the main purpose of Haihan's official display event, which is to use this method to make the outside world think that the strength of Haihan's army has far exceeded what they can resist, and that they will obey Haihan honestly from now on. Just make arrangements, don't try to challenge Haihan's authority in military terms.
However, this is not the end of today's display event. After the firearms display, Baikes announced that he would also show Haihan's latest achievements in artillery development to the guests present.
A cannon pulled by a packhorse soon appeared in front of everyone. The caliber of this cannon did not look large, but the barrel was more slender than ordinary cannons. Baikes introduced to the guests present that this is the latest breech-loading rifled artillery developed by Haihan Ordnance Industry. Its combat performance in terms of effective range and shooting accuracy is significantly improved compared to the old artillery.
In fact, breech-loading guns have been under development for a long time, and this is not the first time that a semi-public combat demonstration of breech-loading guns has been conducted. The two main naval guns mounted on the naval experimental ship "Black Shark" have already used advanced breech guns. However, compared with the naval guns equipped by the navy, the gun displayed this time has been upgraded in performance, and it can be regarded as a recently updated version.
This is indeed the first time that the latest artillery that has just been developed has been demonstrated and explained to the public at close range. And daring to take out this secret weapon for a public appearance also shows Haihan's full confidence in the relevant ordnance technology. Even if the outside world sees the appearance and structure of this new artillery, it is impossible to have high enough ordnance. Use artificial manufacturing technology to imitate.
However, this kind of artillery with advanced design is still a bit difficult for Haihan's existing ordnance manufacturing capabilities. Just like the machine gun just shown, it can be done slowly without regard to cost and time. It will be pieced together slowly, but it is still difficult to achieve mass production relying on Haihan's existing industrial level.
Of course, this is the real military secret. The outside world only knows that Haihan has the ability to manufacture such weapons, but it cannot confirm Haihan’s production capacity. It is impossible to speculate when Haihan will deploy such weapons in combat. Go to the army.
The demonstration of the artillery's combat performance was as simple and crude as before. The target was a large piece of wooden piles located a hundred feet away, densely packed in about half an acre of land. One end of these wooden piles was buried in the ground, and the exposed part was about five feet high. , used to simulate enemy military formations.
Very few of the guests present had seen the Haihan Army display this unique breech-loading gun in previous military exercises, and most of them saw this loading method for the first time, and they couldn't help but have a look on their faces. A stunned expression. After all, in their understanding, weapons like cannons need to load shells from the muzzle, but this new type of artillery actually opens the back end of the barrel to load the shells. Wouldn't this cause the end of the barrel to be loaded when the cannon is fired? Exploded?
Of course, there are some smart people who think of the rifles and machine guns we just saw, which seem to load ammunition from the back of the barrel. The principles of these guns are similar, and the new artillery also adopts the same structure. This understanding seems very reasonable.
With the sound of a cannon, the wooden piles in the distance exploded, stirring up dust and wood debris several feet high, and the audience present also let out a roar of admiration.
The artilleryman opened the breech, ejected the shell, and then inserted the second shell. In this way, after firing three shots in a row, the operation stopped.
The wooden pile in the distance was now incomplete and had completely lost its previous appearance. Even if you didn't go close, you could clearly see the huge damage caused by these three shells.
The first reaction of insiders is not the destructive power of this cannon, but the accuracy of its shooting. This gun entered the scene after Baikes ordered it, and it quickly completed its positioning and aiming. The three guns almost hit the same place. The old artillery definitely did not have such accuracy.
Of course, it is also possible that Haihan has completed the positioning and calibration of the artillery before, so it can perform so well. However, considering that Haihan has no intention of promoting this new weapon, there seems to be no need to play such a small game. tricks.
Baikes walked over to the artillery and briefly introduced the relevant data, but in the end he did not talk about the arrangements for entering the army or selling it to external parties. Although several large arms buyers were greedy, they also understood that Haihan never sold the latest weapons, so they could only drool at the cannon from a distance.
It was getting late at this time, and the weapons display event ended. Although there were only three weapons in total in the afternoon display, each weapon can be said to be a powerful weapon that can change the strength comparison between the two sides on the battlefield. With the strength of the Haihan Army, if it is fully equipped with these three weapons, there will be no opponent that can fight with it.
According to the official arrangements of Haihan, the guests will take the boat back to Victory Port, and then they can choose whether to participate in the official dinner.
Today's dinner has no specific theme. For most of the guests, it is probably just a simple social interaction. However, the next few big buyers who will participate in the arms purchase will definitely take this opportunity to have necessary communication with senior figures in Haihan.
Fei Cexian and Su Keyi both chose to leave on their own and not attend the dinner. The weapons display event after today's competition was not really a good experience for them. The stronger Haihan's military power becomes, the less their respective camps will be able to stand firm when facing Haihan.
Su Keyi knew that it would be difficult for the East India Company to obtain permission to purchase arms from Haihan in the near future, so he simply went back early, sorted out what he had seen and heard in the past two days, and wrote a written report back to Batavia.
Haihan's main area of activity in recent years has been in the Ming Dynasty. Fei Cexian has reason to worry that after Haihan's military strength further grows, he will increase his actions in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, and even openly launch military invasions in some areas. When the time comes, it won't matter if Ming Dynasty fights or doesn't fight, it will inevitably fall into a dilemma.
At the dinner, someone also raised a similar question to Li Nai from the Ming Dynasty, that is, whether he was worried that the increase in Haihan's military strength would cause security problems to the Ming Dynasty.
Li Nai's view is different from Fei Cexian's: "I do not think that Haihan's equipment upgrade will pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, I think that in the future, the security of the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty will be better Guarantee... may not only be along the coast of Ming Dynasty, it should be said that Haihan's allies will benefit from this, and the chance of military conflict will be greatly reduced." Li Nai believes that all parties present today will have an impression of Haihan's military strength. New understanding, and will realize how risky it is to challenge Haihan militarily. This will reduce the possibility of armed conflict between parties and Haihan. Especially the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands, which have established diplomatic relations with Haihan but have not very harmonious relations, should more carefully examine conflicts of interest with Haihan and actively avoid them. Take drastic measures.
When Li Nai was talking, Tao Donglai came out from behind him and answered: "Does the third young master really think so? Aren't you afraid that our country will launch a surprise attack on the Ming Dynasty?"
Li Nai turned around and saw that it was Tao Donglai, and responded with a smile: "Mr. Tao is joking, if your country really intends to adopt certain military measures, there is no need to display new weapons on this occasion today, but it should be These powerful methods are well hidden and will be revealed suddenly when the action is taken, so that the effect will be twice the result with half the effort.”
Tao Donglai said: "It seems that the third young master has a thorough understanding of our country's strategies! You are right. The reason why we invite everyone to witness the launch of new weapons this time is to let all parties know that our country has not Today we are planning to start a war on the territory of various countries. What our country needs is a peaceful international environment, and we also hope that the positions of all countries can be consistent with ours.”
Tao Donglai specially emphasized the words "Be present today". If you listen to it, you will realize that Tao Donglai actually meant something. Countries that are not present today are obviously not included in Haihan's peace commitment. Guilty.
There are not many countries that have had war records with Haihan in the past two years. Anyone with limited information can immediately count them-Spain, Manchu and Qing Dynasty, Japan.
These countries had different reasons for being at odds with Haihan, but Haihan's method of dealing with them was very consistent, which was to send troops to go to war. Although the territories of these three countries are very far away from Hainan Island, Haihan made big moves whenever he took action, and successively captured the Manila area controlled by Spain and the Jinzhou Peninsula area controlled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Japan's luck was slightly better. The Haihan Army voluntarily withdrew after the battle and did not station any troops there. However, it still burned its most important foreign trade port to the ground before leaving.
The degree of conflict between these three countries and Haihan is obviously far greater than that of the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands, and there is currently no sign of reconciling the conflicts. If Tao Donglai then declares a continuation of war against one of them, it seems that it will It's not something unthinkable.
But no matter who the next unlucky guy Haihan is targeting is, just don’t let it be his turn. After seeing the new weapons and equipment Haihan displayed this time, no one has the courage to consider confronting Haihan again. Possibility.
Zheng Zha took the opportunity to test Bai Kesi's tone. As he expected, all the weapons and equipment displayed during this competition were not included in the sale list, and there were no exceptions or special treatment at all.
"My young prince, you are one of our own, and I won't hide it from you. The manufacturing process of these new weapons is very complicated, and the production capacity is far insufficient to supply the needs of our army. Moreover, the design of these weapons involves a lot of secrets. We have to wait until our country sells them. "That will probably be after our country has more powerful weapons. I can't give you an accurate timetable." Bai Kesi's response was more tactful, but his attitude was firm.
Zheng Zha still asked unwillingly: "Is it okay to buy a few repeating rifles here and there for my father's personal bodyguards to use?"
When Bai Kesi heard him mention Zheng Zhi's name, he immediately laughed and said: "The King of Qingdu holds a high position in your country. Who dares to threaten his safety? There is no need for such a weapon for protection. The young prince is joking."
After the Annan Civil War, Zheng Zheng actually controlled the Annan regime in the name of regent. The original Li royal family had completely become puppets, and the Nguyen family that controlled the southern region was also completely liquidated. Zheng Zheng overthrew Li The fact that he proclaimed himself king only lacked a suitable opportunity. No one in Annan could threaten his rule.
To put it bluntly, even if something goes wrong with Zheng Zhi, Zheng Zha, who has already paved the way, will definitely take over the power. Moreover, Zheng Zha also has the support of Haihan, and I believe that no one in Annan can compete with him. If viewed from this perspective, Zheng Zha is actually the biggest beneficiary of this extreme situation.
Zheng Zha had no choice but to find another breakthrough: "Since this kind of rifle cannot be sold, then more ordinary rifles must be sold to foreign countries. The 1,500 rifles ordered by your country last year have not yet been delivered. There are hundreds of guns, you have to rush them for me.”
Bai Kesi said: "I remember that the delivery period agreed with your country was one year. This is not yet the one-year period. Don't worry, young prince, everything will be delivered to your country before the deadline!"
The weapons that Haihan sells the most to the outside world are muskets, mainly front-loading flintlock guns that were finalized in the early years. At least two thousand muskets are sold to Fujian and Annan alone every year. Coupled with scattered orders from other places, Haihan has sold an average of more than 3,000 muskets per year in the past two years, which is a great test for the production capacity of the ordnance industry department.
At the same time, the ordnance industry department must give priority to meeting the Haihan Army's own weapons needs. Therefore, with limited production capacity, weapons for export can only be produced in batches and delivered in batches. The entire delivery period may be as long as more than a year. . Although buyers will be dissatisfied with this delivery speed, after all, there is only one branch in this store, and there is no other place to buy weapons with comparable performance. Even if Haihan's delivery is slow, they can only hold their noses and admit it. .
Of course, regular customers like Zheng Zha will also rely on their relationship with Haihan's senior management to deliberately exert some pressure during communication to force Haihan to deliver orders in a timely and sufficient quantity. However, when he met an old Jianghu like Bai Kesi who was good at Tai Chi, this trick was not so effective.
(End of chapter)