Chapter 568: Tsar Cannon (3rd update, please subscribe)
"boom!"
Accompanied by a thunderous cannon shot, a short and thick barreled heavy artillery was instantly shrouded in smoke. In the orange-red smoke, a huge cylinder flew out with a "whoosh".
The sound of the shells rubbing against the air when they flew out was a bit harsh, like a locomotive roaring in the air. It screamed into the sky, like a train passing through the air. The sound alone was enough to shake people's hearts.
Ten seconds later, the shell landed on a concrete fortress in the wilderness, first smashing through the top of the fortress and then suddenly causing a violent explosion, which directly razed the fortress to the ground.
“This, this…”
Colonel Grove stared at the scene in amazement, then turned around and asked.
"Manager Li, what kind of gun is this?"
"The M1871 280mm howitzer is a short-barreled rear-loading howitzer. The barrel is made entirely of high-quality steel and has a reinforcing hoop. It uses a screw-type bolt and fires sub-packed, bagged charges and shells. Its elevation angles are: minus 10 degrees to 68 degrees, and its horizontal angle is 360 degrees. It can fire 250-kilogram pointed iron bullets that can destroy stone fortresses with a thickness of up to one meter on top. Colonel, this is a cannon specially developed for attacking fortresses."
Li Chenqin smiled at Major Grove.
"With the M1871 howitzers, all the fortresses! Whether it is the Turks' Pleven Fortress on the Danube or their Kars Fortress in the Caucasus, they are all vulnerable. With just a dozen of them, the long siege can be shortened to a few weeks, or even a few days."
The M1871 280MM howitzer is called a howitzer, but in fact it should be more accurately called a siege gun. During the Russo-Japanese War in history, the Japanese army used it to destroy the Russian fortress in Lushun. Now the 280mm siege gun came out a few years ahead of schedule.
Well, to some extent, it was prepared for Russia - in order to make it easier for them to conquer the Turkish fortresses. With the assistance of siege guns, the road blocking Russia and Constantinople was unblocked.
A few days!
Colonel Grove looked at the heavy artillery in astonishment. As a weapons engineer, he knew very well the significance of such siege artillery appearing on the battlefield - all the fortresses became decorations!
And what does this mean?
It means that Russia can avenge its loss of Crimea!
Without waiting for Colonel Grov to speak, the accompanying Russian officer asked directly.
"Manager Li, how many doors do we need to purchase before you will transfer its production technology?"
God bless them, they arrived in Nanhua, this... is simply God's hammer! God's hammer that can destroy everything!
Just as Colonel Grove and his party were astonished at the tremendous power of the 280mm siege gun and directly requested the introduction of a patent, Zhu Xianhai was playing chess with Zuo Zongtang in the pavilion of the royal villa in the southern suburbs of Yingtian Prefecture.
"For Russia, the direction of their expansion is either the East or the West. Compared with the East, Russia is more eager to attack the West, the Balkans, and Constantinople."
Zhu Xianhai said with a smile while playing chess.
"As the defeated party in the Crimean War more than a decade ago, the Russians felt that they had lost face, prestige and influence. They needed to find an opportunity to return to the Balkans and restore everything they had before. For that war, Russia sacrificed a tsar, and the whole of Russia was eager for revenge. Not only revenge, but also... Constantinople. Once they captured Constantinople, the Russians' thousand-year dream would come true!"
Why in the past two hundred years, Russia and the Turks have fought as many as nine wars, ostensibly for land, but in fact, the real reason is that Russia wants to become Rome!
Ever since Ivan III married Princess Sophia, the niece of the last emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantine XXI, Russia has believed that it has inherited the religious status and political identity of the Eastern Roman Empire, and changed its national emblem to the double-headed eagle emblem of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Constantinople was considered their spiritual capital and the Eastern Roman Empire was the spiritual home of Russia.
Although Russia calls itself the "Third Roman Empire", Western European countries simply look down on this Eastern European barbarian. "Third Roman Empire"?
Where is the legal system?
"…But once Russia recovers Constantine, Russia can legitimately take over the Eastern Roman legitimacy and become the successor of the thousand-year glory of the Roman Empire, the successor of Caesar, Augustus, and Constantine, and the owner of the city on the hill, Constantine!"
In fact, Russia's "Eastern Roman Empire" complex is well known, even Zuo Zongtang knows it. After all, he has conducted research in Russia.
"It is true. All over Russia, whether nobles, commoners, or even serfs, they all longed to retake Constantinople and to have Orthodox masses held in Hagia Sophia again."
After a pause, Zuo Zongtang agreed.
"Your Majesty, this is the mental preparation you mentioned!"
As he made his move, Zhu Xianhai nodded.
"They have been preparing for spiritual mobilization for four hundred years, but more importantly, it is the need for interests. Russia is eager to control the Bosphorus Strait, the throat from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, by controlling the Balkans, so as to open up the only outlet to the southwest that it has long sought. Therefore, once the opportunity arises, it will definitely pounce on Turkey like a wolf - General!"
General, Zhu Xianhai smiled.
"And what we need is to create a possibility for Russia to defeat the Turks. We export the most advanced rifles, artillery, and all weapons including airships to Russia. If possible, we can even export warships. In the end, the highly motivated Russian army will use them to destroy Turkey, Ji Gao!"
Leaning back on the chair, Zhu Xianhai asked with a smile on the calm lake.
“What do you think will happen when the double-headed eagle rises from Constantinople, when the Orthodox Mass is once again celebrated in Hagia Sophia, when Russian military boots are washed in the warm Mediterranean?”
Looking at the chessboard where he had already lost thoughtfully, Zuo Zongtang was silent for a while, then said.
"Britain! Britain will never tolerate Russia occupying Türkiye, let alone allowing them to enter the Mediterranean. By then, confrontation between Britain and Russia will be inevitable, and Russia..."
Looking up at His Majesty, Zuo Zongtang said in surprise.
"This is our chance! Britain's power will be tied down by Russia, and they may even take action themselves. In this way, no one will be able to stop our expansion in America!"
(End of this chapter)
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