Infrastructure masters in the red building

Driving along the high cliffs along the coast, there is a blue sea under the cliffs on one side of the road.

From a distance, Jia Fang can see a row of bungalows on the top of the cliff in the distance. From a distance, it even looks a bit like a resort built by the seaside in later generations.When I walked in, I found that this row of bungalows was more like a barracks, and it was also equipped with a sentry post.

When the car arrived, two sentry guards had already greeted him and saluted Shui Xian.

Shui Xian first asked if there was anything unusual today, and the guards shook their heads together, and then took Jia Fang and Shui Xian to look at the terrain here.Jia Fang immediately understood Shui Xian's intentions for this place.

Looking down along the top of the cliff, I saw a flat beach protruding out of thin air under this section of the cliff, about [-] steps long and [-] steps wide.From the cliff to the beach, a wooden ladder was built and turned down.

On the other side of the seaside cliff is a depression in the mountains.Along a gentle slope, you can reach the bottom of the valley. The bottom of the valley is gentle and long, about the same size as the beach.There are no other buildings at the bottom of the valley, only a few grain stacks.

The best view is the row of huts on the high cliff.Looking down from the top of the cliff, you can have a panoramic view of every plant and tree on the beach and in the depressions.

"How did you find out such a place?" Jia Fang admired sincerely.This place is far away from the hustle and bustle, the beach and the depression are long and narrow, and checkpoints are added at the entrances of the two sections to control access.On the high cliff, he is condescending, and can clearly see the situation of the two places.

Shui Xian smiled: "How did you come up with the names of Oujing Pavilion and Tubi Mountain Villa?"

Jia Fang immediately laughed, thinking that these two names really fit the terrain here—as for how did he come up with it?He just thought that he might often hear the sound of chug here, and he thought of the word "convex" for "bump", and then he came to these two places.

"Let's not talk about that," Shui Xian tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Which place should I look at first?"

Jia Fang said, "Look at the cannon first."

Shui Xian took him with him and went down the ladder to the beach.About a hundred people who looked like guards followed behind them. After arriving at the beach, they went to the bottom of the high cliff and lifted a thick layer of tarpaulin one after another.

Only then did Jia Fang suddenly realize: Earlier he had been guessing where Shuixian's people hid their things.After all, the beach is surrounded by water on three sides and high cliffs on one side, so transportation is inconvenient.It is impossible for things to be transported frequently. They must be hidden on this beach.

Now the answer is revealed: it turns out that there is a row of concave caves under the high cliff on the beach, and a layer of oilcloth that is exactly the same color as the rocks is spread over the entrance of the caves, completely covering up the hidden things in the caves.

The guards pushed out the cannons made of wrought iron one by one.

Jia Fang took a look at these cannons, each of them looked ordinary, like the red cannons left over from history in his time and space.But he once learned from Shui Xian that in this time and space, people saw this kind of thing for the first time.

"You mentioned casting rifled guns from refined steel, but the technology has not passed the test, and the rifled guns have not yet been manufactured. The smoothbore gun you mentioned has been manufactured. I ordered them to demonstrate it." Shui Xian said.A middle-aged craftsman followed closely behind him. He was nervous and cramped at the moment, and his eyes never left Jia Fang for a moment.

Jia Fang nodded and said "hmm".

Shui Xian gave an order, and the guards began to load the gun barrel with ammunition.The craftsman who had been following Shui Xian also ran to help.When the lead wire was touched, only a "boom" was heard.The smoothbore gun in front of Jia Fang and Shui Xian sat back heavily, the muzzle flashed, and a black shell flew out with a "swish", landed on the beach in the distance, bounced twice, Finally stopped in the sand.

On the side of the high cliff on the beach, people have stepped over the scale line in advance.Immediately, a guard ran over to check, and reported back: "850 steps!"

Shui Xian raised his chin, looked at the guard who was in charge of correcting the angle of the barrel, and asked, "How?"

The guard held a corrector in his hand, and said loudly: "I tell the lord, it is indeed 850 steps."

Jia Fang immediately extended his hand and praised: "Very good."

The batch of guns that Tubi Mountain Villa is currently testing should be called "front-loading smoothbore guns" to be precise.There is no pre-rifling in the barrel, so the more powerful "shotgun" cannot be placed.The shell is a solid lead bullet, which is equivalent to throwing a solid ball far away.

Therefore, the effect of this smoothbore cannon is essentially equal to the trebuchet that Shui Xian had supported for Jia Fang before.The effect of a trebuchet throwing stones is actually the same as that of a medicine ball.

But the difference is that the "solid ball" fired by the smoothbore gun has a range several times that of manpower, animal power, and the possible elastic force.Seeing the cannonball fired just now, it easily fell [-] steps away, which was unimaginable before.

In addition, the last time Taoyuanzhai encountered bandits, Gui Xiaxue invented a small tool for calculating ballistics when manipulating the trebuchet, and now it is also used on smoothbore guns—after all, this smoothbore gun has no front sight and rear sight, it all depends on A parabola is used to calculate the trajectory, which is similar to a trebuchet.

Hearing Jia Fang's praise, the middle-aged craftsman finally heaved a sigh of relief, grinned, and a happy crease appeared on his face.

"This smoothbore gun is all made of copper?" Jia Fang looked at the body of the gun and asked the craftsman.

"No, not all. This cannon is now a copper body with an iron core. The cannon core is made of iron, and the cannon body is made of copper, which saves materials." The craftsman replied.

Jia Fang nodded, ordered someone to fire three bombs in a row, and then carefully inspected the cannon body: "It is quite good to this extent."

After firing three rounds, the barrel of the smoothbore gun was already very hot, but it didn't turn red, deform, or crack.It proves that the craftsmen of Xiaoyuan are mature and exquisite in a series of craftsmanship such as casting iron, copper casting, and quenching.

This kind of cannonball, which is specially responsible for throwing long-distance solid balls, is quite limited in power to be honest.But for people who have never touched fire|arms in this time and space, this is simply a miracle——

Who would have thought that just combining the materials used to make fireworks and firecrackers during the Chinese New Year with steel and cast copper would have such power?

Shui Xian frowned slightly, and said: "It seems that this kind of artillery is suitable for siege, not good for field battles." His requirements are quite high.

But Jia Fang said: "But it is actually the most suitable for shipboard defense equipment."

This is the conclusion he drew from the history of his own time and space.Early artillery was widely used on ocean-going ships, and smoothbore guns were a powerful weapon whether defending against attacks from rival ships or from shore.The solid ball carried with the ship can also be used as a ballast stone to adjust the weight of the ship.

When Shui Xian heard about it, his eyes lit up immediately, and he clapped his hands and said, "Great. In recent years, the ships going south along the coast of our country have been harassed by pirates every day after passing through Guangzhou and Yazhou and entering the border of Nanyi. Once you have this, you will no longer be afraid of pirates."

Nowadays, sea trade is gradually developed, and the cost of shipping goods by sea is low. There are more and more freight ships going south along the coastline.Shuixian also has a large fleet, but this fleet only goes as far south as Yazhou (Hainan), and seldom goes south, because the pirates in the south are rampant and difficult to defend.

Although some ships in his fleet are equipped with paddle wheels, the effectiveness of paddle wheels is limited in rough seas or when approaching unfamiliar ports. The only thing that can really deter pirates is these smoothbore guns .

Shui Xian called the craftsman over again, and talked about the breech-loading rifled gun that is currently being developed.

Once the craftsman talked about his profession, he talked with eloquence without any fear or shyness.I only heard him speak with great confidence. It must be that the technology of breech-loading rifled guns is also advancing rapidly, and there are not many technical difficulties that need to be overcome urgently.

Jia Fang listened but lost his mind, thinking that as long as these smoothbore guns have defects, people will be motivated to develop more complex solutions: smoothbore guns will one day become rifled guns, and shells will no longer be Instead of a medicine ball, it will become a more powerful "□□"... The greater the power, the more dangerous the war will be, and more and more young people of his age will die because of these weapons... …

He is a pacifist.

A look of unbearable expression appeared on Jia Fang's face, and he couldn't help thinking: Is it right or wrong to bring these technologies to this time and space.

Shui Xian was beside him, and immediately saw through Jia Fang's mind, and immediately said: "Zi Fang, we have discussed this matter."

"As the saying goes, you must not have the intention to harm others, and you must not have the intention to guard against others. When we do righteous things, if others attack us with such weapons, if we don't have such weapons to fight back, we will just wait to die."

Shui Xian looked at Jia Fang and seemed to be saying: Do you still remember the see-off booth outside the capital?Do you still remember that Rong Guogong was in Dongping Palace?

Jia Fang immediately nodded solemnly, thinking that since conflicts are inevitable, he should take up arms to protect himself.Beyond that, there is no way out.

"Besides, do you still remember the story you once told me about... the story of great powers intimidating each other?" Shui Xian added.

Jia Fang nodded again.

He once told Shui Xian the story of the United States and the Soviet Union's struggle for global hegemony, and described the super weapons in the hands of the two superpowers as the most terrifying weapon anyone could think of—but when the two superpowers When they all realized that the other party was holding that terrifying weapon, they all knew what the outcome of the war would be, so they had to give up their plan to fight and sat down at the negotiating table again.

When Shui Xian talked about this story, he also reminded Jia Fang that owning does not mean using it.Subduing the enemy without fighting is the ultimate ideal of war, and being able to successfully achieve deterrence is also an important capability.

Jia Fang immediately figured it out completely: he remembered the opponent who was hiding in the dark.

If only opponents in this world have weapons like firecrackers, then this is a world where ordinary people are at their mercy.The other party can completely rely on the weapons and violence in their hands to rule the entire world from top to bottom, let the wealth of the world be enjoyed by one person, and the people of the world provide fish for one person.

But now, once the opponent knows that he also has such abilities, he dare not act rashly.The two sides will form a balance to a certain extent, and this balance will not be broken until one of the parties takes the lead...

"Let's go, go to the col... Let's take a look at the Au Jing Pavilion!" Shui Xian saw Jia Fang's eyebrows had returned to Qingming, and immediately pulled him away.

Jia Fang made a calculation: Since Tubi Mountain Villa is a cannon range for cannon drills, the Oujing Hall should be a shooting range for gun drills.

While the two returned to the top of the cliff along the wooden ladder, the craftsman led the guards to hide all the smoothbore guns used for practice into the shallow caves under the cliff.

Shui Xian introduced to Jia Fang: "These craftsmen and guards are carefully selected and absolutely reliable, and I have complete confidence in them."

"This place is remote, and the road has just been built in the past year. Other than that, everything is rough and difficult. Therefore, this pair of martial arts arenas is absolutely safe at present."

Jia Fang followed Shui Xian to the top of the cliff, where they followed a small path down the gentle slope to the depression.

Shui Xian's people had already torn down the earlier grain ricks and found targets made of straw.The emotional shooting range usually looks like a desolate mountain depression, but once the grain stacks are dismantled, it immediately becomes a shooting range.

Arriving at the shooting range, Shui Xian immediately changed a group of people around him.Jia Fang deduced that the "Oujing Pavilion" and "Tubi Mountain Villa" were composed of two completely different teams, and they had no communication with each other, nor did they know what the other was doing.To a certain extent, this can protect the secrets of the two places. Even if one is leaked, the other can be alerted and prepared.

"Let's try the armor first!" Shui Xian said.

Immediately, someone put the armor made by the stamping technology brought by Shui Xian and Jia Fang on the target made of straw.

"I also want to see the power of the firecracker." Jia felt itchy in his heart: he really wanted to know how far he had researched the firecracker's technology.

According to Jia Daishan's dictation, as well as Jia Fang's and Shui Xian's personal experience, the firecracker used by the other party is a smooth-bore firecracker with a very short effective range. That day in Shuixian's garden, the killer was about forty paces away. Only then did he dare to raise the firecracker.But the firecracker in his hand can hit a large amount of iron sand at close range, and it has no aim, but it can cause huge personal damage to the opponent.

According to the latest news received by Jingli, the two firecrackers appeared in Gewu Academy and were handed over to the Fourth Prince.

It seems that the other party made the "evidence" public in this way in order to prove the crime of the third prince.

But there is also a second possibility: it is also possible that the other party has also developed a more powerful weapon, so they gave up the two firecrackers.

Jia Fang thinks that the second hypothesis is very likely, so he hopes that the level of firecrackers on his side will be higher than that of smoothbore firecrackers.

"Prepare!"

The guards in charge of the shooting range shouted in unison.The steel armor was put on the target and placed in the distance, and all the people evacuated immediately and returned to a safe position.

"Fire!"

I only heard a few crisp sounds of "bang bang", just like the sound of firecrackers during the New Year's Eve.The firecrackers carried on the shoulders of the guards in charge of the drill shot out flames one after another.

Jia Fang noticed for a moment that these guards were about a hundred steps away from the target—this distance was far better than the two firecrackers used by the opponent back then.

Looking at the scope of the iron sand shot by the firecracker, all of them fell on the iron armor opposite.This not only proves that the skill of the firecrackers has passed the test, but the shooting skills of these shooters who are carrying the butts of their guns and waiting for the results are also quite good.

There was a burst of applause behind the shooter: "Not bad, not bad!" Shui Xian's people encouraged each other.

Immediately, someone dragged the armor mounted on the target to Jia Fang and Shui Xian for inspection.

Earlier in the distance, Jia Fang saw that these armors were riddled with holes, like pockmarks.But when he dragged it closer, Jia Fang found that most of the iron sand was embedded in the armor, or left small pits one after another on the armor, but they did not penetrate the armor made of refined steel plates.

"Wow!--"

"Okay—"

The cheers sounded again.Shui Xian's guards jumped up, seeming more excited than Jia Fang.

Jia Fang couldn't help laughing, thinking that these guards were really innocent people.They use their "spears" to attack their "shields". They cheer when the spear is done, and they cheer when the shield is done.

But after thinking about it, these guards saw that the armor could resist the most powerful weapon in their minds, and it seemed that they would also be protected on the battlefield in the future-it is human nature to be happy.

Shui Xian didn't smile, but just lightly clapped his hands.The guards in charge of shooting immediately switched to another type of firecracker.Jia Fang paid attention, and saw that the muzzle of the firecracker was thin and long, and there was a front sight on the muzzle——Jia Fang was immediately refreshed.

Then, the guards put a new layer of armor on the target again, and then dragged the target away.One hundred steps, two hundred steps...

The guards dragging the target turned around and asked, "Is it all right?"

Shui Xian made a gesture, and his subordinates immediately shouted: "Continue!"

Three hundred steps, four hundred steps...

This time, even the shooter with the firecracker on his shoulder showed a look of apprehension - if he shoots incorrectly at such a distance, wouldn't he be throwing his lord in front of the little prince?

Finally, Shui Xian gestured, and the people around him finally shouted: "Stop!"

The target had been dragged to a position five hundred steps away from them.

The guards carrying the targets set up the targets and ran back quickly.After running to a safe area, the person in charge of giving orders shouted loudly again: "Get ready—"

The shooters lay down on the ground one after another, resting the butts of the firecrackers on the ground to keep them stable.

"put--"

This time there were two light sounds of "sud" and "sud", and the two shooters shouted at the same time: "Target hit!"

Jia Fang couldn't help being astonished: he can hit the target at such a long distance, which means...

"Is this a rifled gun?" He even shouted excitedly.

"Yes!" Shui Xian replied, "The shooting range can reach five hundred paces, and soldiers can aim correctly after practice."

The difference between smoothbore and rifled is whether the inside of the gun is smooth or pre-rifled.The barrel of the rifled gun has a spiral rifling engraved in advance, which allows the bullet to rotate along the rifling at high speed, so it is more accurate and stable than the smoothbore weapon, and has a longer range.

It can be seen from the experiment just now that the smoothbore type can only support a range of one hundred steps, but the rifled type has reached a range five times that.

But Shui Xian frowned, as if he was not particularly satisfied with the result.

Sure enough, when the target in the distance was sent back again, two gun holes appeared on the armor at the same time, and the armor was directly pierced.The two warheads penetrated the target almost directly to the other side of the target.

Now no one cheered. Seeing this result, everyone kept silent, probably because they felt the terror and deterrence brought by the powerful weapons.

Jia Fang and Shui Xian looked at each other and nodded.Both of them knew that with the rifled gun in hand, if the other party only had the smoothbore gun, then they would be able to deal with it.

But what if the opponent also develops the rifled version?

Everything is possible, Jia reassuredly thought, he must not take it for granted that the other party has no chance to develop to this level.It would be really bad if the opponent also used this kind of weapon to give oneself a "beheading action".

So Shui Xian waved his hand and said: "Go and fetch the burden I brought."

Immediately, someone took the order and ran quickly to fetch the burden that Shui Xian had handed over to a special person to take care of it.Shui Xian opened it and took out a piece of clothing from inside, to be precise, it was a waistcoat with no sleeves, which looked very thick.Judging from the material, it should be silk or brocade, and the surface is bright and colorful, very beautiful.

Unexpectedly, Shui Xian stretched out his hand, and put this vest on the target made of straw, and tied the belt tightly.Then he reached into his sleeve, took out an ink pen, and drew a large ink circle on the heart of the human-shaped target.

"Aim here later." Shui Xian ordered the shooter in a calm tone.

The shooter replied blankly, obviously not understanding - the armor made of fine steel just now couldn't hold it up, and now this little vest... Prince Beijing Jing is tailoring his clothes without scissors, so he has to use firecrackers? ?

But having been ordered, the shooter did as he was told, hitting the bull's-eye.

When carrying the target back, Jia Fang and Shui Xian both looked nervous and checked the condition of the vest together.

The rest of the guards and shooters also came up curiously.

I saw that the place where the surface of the vest touched the warhead was completely blackened by the warhead.There was a round black hole in the blackened cloth.

But then the shooter who fired the bullet himself let out a "huh", pointed to the little vest and said, "How did I see the bullet?"

Everyone hurriedly untied the vest.I saw that the vest was made of dozens of layers of thin silk, and the outermost layers of fabric were scorched with a big hole.But the bullet hole gets smaller as you go further in, until the innermost layer of silk seems to bind the bullet tightly, making it difficult for it to penetrate even half an inch.

Therefore, the difference between this human-shaped target in a small vest and the previous armored target is very obvious.It was almost completely pierced just now, but this time the warhead just went into the small vest.If you imagine the target made of straw as a human body, you can imagine that the armor cannot protect against rifled guns, but this thick vest made of real silk is not. It has an unexpected effect.

Shui Xian stretched out his hand, and immediately slapped Jia Fang.

And Jia Fang let out a "huh" breath, and finally let go of a big stone in his heart.

The thick, colorful little vest in front of him is really not for keeping warm, looking good, or showing off wealth—this is an early, body armor!

The author has something to say: Dozens of layers of silk are indeed the material of early body armor, but don't worry, it will be further improved in the future.