If there is a kind of artillery that is lighter, has a range close to that of the Red Cannon, and can fire shrapnel, and then uses field fortifications, how strong would the Jiannu army have to be to capture it?
This kind of cannon does not need to be invented, as the poisonous fire flying cannon created during the Jiajing period is one of them.
This cannon is made of wrought iron and fires cast iron shells with delayed fuses. Its range is conservatively estimated to be 300 meters, making it a mortar of the Ming Dynasty.
Sun Yuanhua once suggested that the Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau manufacture this cannon and equip the troops.
However, Zhu Youxiao did not approve it because the range did not meet his standards. In addition, the production of round hollow shells was quite time-consuming and labor-intensive.
He didn't agree at the time, but the situation had changed. Zhu Youxiao was ready to produce mortars, which were called mortars at the time. But he had a better option than the poisonous fire flying cannon.
During the American Civil War, the M1852 twenty-four-pound mortar was very famous.
In fact, it is a weapon with a short and thick barrel that relies on large-angle deflection to fire shrapnel to kill.
Because the burning fuses of shells fired at night ejected sparks, the shells looked like meteors with flame tails in the night sky. It was also called the "Frankfort Meteor".
Excluding the thick wooden base, this mortar weighed only 156 kilograms, making it extremely easy to deploy and move. Its maximum range was around a kilometer, meeting Zhu Youxiao's standards.
At the same time, because of its extremely simple structure and light weight, the manufacturing cost of this artillery is very low.
To put it more vividly, this mortar is similar to a large vat, short and thick. It has gun ears that can adjust the firing angle. At 45 degrees, it can hit a distance of a kilometer.
Can you imagine that on a battlefield where both sides are fighting in formation, a thousand meters away is enough to bombard the enemy commander and flag. What kind of effect would that be?
The two armies have not yet engaged in battle, but the main generals have already been killed or injured. The resulting instability in military morale and panic among the people is probably inevitable.
To catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. Since the red cannon failed to kill me, let him taste the feeling of being bombed before the battle!
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