Chapter 238 Sugar-coated Bullet (Second update, please subscribe)

Target shooting!

The target of the torpedo shooting is not an ordinary target, but a ship!

Just after New Year's Day in 1866, a dilapidated wooden cargo ship was floating alone on the sea off the coast of Nanhua. This abandoned wooden cargo ship was specially purchased from Buenos Aires for testing.

Although it was not an iron-hulled ship, in order to achieve the test effect, it was towed into the dock beforehand and a two-inch thick iron plate was nailed directly below the waterline of the hull.

On this day, the weather was clear and Zhu Xianhai, who was on the small steamer, even felt that this was "the moment that decided his fate"!

This is the moment that determines the fate of the Royal Navy!

“Let’s get started!”

With his order, a steam boat sailed towards the target.

"Chairman, this ship is a temporary improved launch ship. It uses compressed air to launch the 16-foot-caliber No. 13 product. Its warhead is equipped with 67 pounds of picric acid explosives! The power is extremely amazing. Even a 10,000-ton ship cannot withstand one."

Although Speidel's tone was a bit exaggerated, Zhu Xianhai did not refute it, but just said with a smile.

"Then let us see for ourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the telescope and watched the small steamer approaching...it seemed a little close!

At most, it’s only about a hundred meters!

This distance is basically the distance for a bayonet fight.

Could it be the legendary cannon-bayonet fight?

Suddenly, there was a "bang" and a muffled sound came from the launch tube of the small steamer, and a black shadow rushed out of the launch tube.

Bubbles rise on the sea surface - according to the technical requirements of "Special Product Task Order No. 13", torpedoes use air power, that is, compressed air drives the engine. This is also the power of the first generation of torpedoes, and it was still widely used by torpedoes until the First World War.

"Chairman, did you see that? 10 knots! Its speed is a full 10 knots!"

Compared to Speidel's excitement, Zhu Xianhai was stunned.

That's it...that's what excites you?

Only 10 knots, this... is this a torpedo?

Looking at the bubble trail heading "fast" towards the target ship, Zhu Xianhai was a little speechless.

The next moment, a loud noise was heard on the sea, and a huge water column suddenly exploded from the left side of the target ship. The water column was hundreds of meters high, and it looked like it was going to swallow up the entire target ship.

When the water column fell, everyone stared at the target ship in astonishment. They saw a gap of at least four or five meters on the surface of the water. The gap below the waterline was even bigger. Seawater was constantly pouring into the hull. In just a moment, the target ship quickly sank into the sea...

Looking at the light yellow color on the sea... everyone was stunned!

"Chairman, this, this..."

Even the technicians from the Tenth Laboratory were stunned. They had not expected that such a "special product" could be so powerful!

An ironclad ship was sunk in one go!

"My lord, my lord..."

Swallowing his saliva, Sun Hu was speechless for a long time. This thing was too scary!

It completely overturned their cognition.

"Yes, with it, we don't have to worry about foreign warships anymore!"

Compared to the joy of others, Zhu Xianhai shook his head and said.

"Not yet. 10 knots is too slow. At most, it can only hit stationary warships. If the warship is fast enough, it won't be able to hit it accurately. And what about its range? How far is it?"

“150 meters!”

“Too close!”

When Zhu Xianhai said this, he had no idea that in another world, the distance at which White first used a torpedo to shoot a target was not only 134 yards, which is less than 120 meters. He also hit a wooden merchant ship and blew a hole more than six meters wide in the hull.

Nanhua’s 150 meters...is already an amazing distance!

"150 meters, let alone cannons, even rifles can fire this far. Using a torpedo boat to launch a torpedo attack is too close and the risk is too great."

"Chairman, based on the hundreds of tests we have conducted in the past, the performance is, on average, between 10 and 11 knots and a range of about 500 meters."

Speidel was a little unhappy. In his opinion, this could be a miracle.

"If the distance is further, it will definitely deviate. If two missiles are launched at the same time, at a distance of 300 meters, there will be about a 50% chance of hitting the target, which should be enough."

"We don't want enough!"

Zhu Xianhai shook his head and said.

"We need a secret weapon to defeat the enemy at sea. Its current performance is indeed excellent, and it is a weapon of amazing power. However, we need a better and more perfect weapon, 18 knots! We should first find a way to achieve this goal, and improve other problems little by little! I think I will wait for your good news..."

When making these demands, Zhu Xianhai did not think that his demands were too high. Only with demands can there be progress, right? Why did torpedo technology advance so rapidly in history? To put it bluntly, it was because of the technological competition between Germany, France, Britain and Austria-Hungary. Well, their technology was all purchased from White.

These countries improved their own products, which stimulated Whitehead to continuously improve his products. Robert Whitehead was definitely a complete profiteer. After he invented the torpedo, the navies of various countries quickly discovered the huge potential of this weapon, so the "Secret" became very popular. But as a shrewd businessman, Whitehead refused to sell the "Secret" exclusively to any country. Instead, he sold it to any country willing to buy it.

Of course, after these countries bought Robert Whitehead's technology, they invested manpower and financial resources to improve it. They competed with each other, learned from each other, and eventually led to rapid progress in torpedo technology.

Of course, Zhu Xianhai would never sell his trump card to any other country. He was still waiting to use the torpedo as a "secret weapon" to stab the British Empire when necessary.

Sell ​​to foreigners?

Isn't that seeking death?

Without pressure, there is no motivation, so we must urge them to actively improve it. Only in this way can we get the best performance weapons.

Of course, just encouraging people is not enough; material rewards are also needed. Even though Zhu Xianhai originally proposed this idea, it was the mechanics in the laboratory who helped him realize it. If you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass.

So, Boss Zhu gave them a bonus of 1,000 silver dollars each right away! This was almost equivalent to their annual income. As for Speidel and several important mechanics, their bonuses were doubled. Zhu Xianhai was always very generous in rewarding...

(End of this chapter)