Chapter 157: The Terrified General

"Your Highness, can this cannon really fire iron bullets three or four miles away?"

After the cannon mold was removed, the cannon was placed at a 45-degree tilt.

Wang Ying stood in front of the muzzle and looked into the barrel.

In his opinion, this thing was just a little heavier and longer than a fire gun.

Zhao Xu looked at Wang Chong, whose eyes were shining.

The firing of a cannon is a comprehensive system.

The cannon body, gunpowder, and projectile are all indispensable.

Now that the cannon body is complete, the remaining ones are gunpowder and projectile.

And he asked Wang Chong to do it.

So he said, "It depends on whether the gunpowder and projectile made by Wang Chong are up to standard."

Wang Ying never slacked off on the matter of craftsmanship. He looked at Wang Chong with a serious face, "If you mess up what your Highness asked me to do, I will break your legs."

Wang Chong shuddered with fear.

He could see that his father was serious. He always had extremely strict requirements for the tasks assigned by the King of Yan.

And he entered the Armory with the recommendation of his father.

If he loses face this time, it is equivalent to losing his face.

From now on, he will not be able to stay in the Armory.

Swallowing his saliva, Wang Chong said: "You don't need to tell me, I will cut off my legs."

Everyone laughed when they heard it.

At this time, Wang Chong trotted to the blast furnace.

When he returned, he held a black iron bullet the size of a tennis ball in his hands.

Under the gaze of everyone, he put the iron bullet on the muzzle and measured it. The iron bullet and the muzzle just fit seamlessly.

"The bullet is just right." Wang Chong breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning to Zhao Xu, he said: "Your Highness, the gunpowder is also ready. Can we test the gun now?"

Wang Ying was about to ask this question.

After working hard to make the cannon, they really want to see the real power of this thing, otherwise there will always be some regrets in their hearts.

"You can test the gun, but not in this place." Zhao Xu looked around.

If this gun goes down, the cannonball can go directly through the wall and fly to the street.

Moreover, he wanted Chang Wei and others to come and visit.

They were very upset about Kutu.

Although he said that as long as they were strong enough, the grassland was just a cage.

But they had to have hope.

So he said: "I will pick a place and test the gun tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness." Wang Ying and Wang Chong looked happy.

Zhao Xu patted the heavy guns, asked Wang Ying to think of a way to transport them, and went to the North Camp under Xu Lie's escort.

"It's empty and uninhabited, and the confidentiality is good?" Chang Wei frowned.

As soon as the King of Yan arrived at the camp, he threw him a difficult problem.

"There is such a place, but it's a bit far, twenty miles from the east gate, and the place is called Horse Hoof Mountain."

Before Chang Wei could figure it out, Lu Chang said something.

He was from Yan County and was more familiar with this place than Chang Wei.

Chen Hu patted his head, "Yes, there is such a place. This low mountain is shaped like a horse hoof. There is a large open area between the mountains, and there are mountains on three sides."

Zhao Xu's eyes lit up. This was exactly the place he needed.

He personally found this location, not only for testing the gun, but also for preparing to use this place as a training ground for artillery in the future.

"Why did your highness find such a place?" Chang Wei looked puzzled.

"Gather all the generals and gather here tomorrow, and you will know then."

After that, he left without explaining.

"Is your highness always so mysterious?" Mo Yu looked at Zhao Xu's back.

Chang Wei, Lu Chang and others looked at each other and nodded at the same time, "Just get used to it."

The next day.

A three-horse carriage slowly left the Bingzhang Division and headed east.

The carriage was covered with a huge linen cloth, making it difficult to see what was inside.

The carriage went straight east along the main road of the east gate.

Five miles later, it deviated from the main road and went southeast along the small road.

Finally, it stopped in front of a circular low mountain.

Wang Ying and Wang Chong followed the carriage all the way, and they were accompanied by craftsmen who participated in the manufacture of artillery.

The cannons were cast by themselves, and they asked Wang Ying to come and see them.

Wang Ying agreed to their request.

"There are quite a few people here." Wang Ying looked around and saw horses on the wide land in front of the mountain.

The generals were gathered together and talking.

Seeing them coming, they all looked over here.

Wang Chong was excited. These were all senior generals of the royal family's personal army.

In Yan County, they were all figures admired by young and strong men.

"Push the cannons over." Wang Ying was much calmer. He often dealt with Chang Wei and others.

Chang Wei was always attentive to him, but he just liked to urge him for armor and weapons.

Pulling the carriage in front of Zhao Xu, Wang Ying stopped and said, "Your Highness, the cannons have arrived, and the tools needed have also been brought."

Zhao Xu nodded, lifted the cloth on the carriage, revealing the cannons.

Chang Wei and others had been wondering what the King of Yan brought them to do.

At this time, their eyes were immediately focused on the cannons.

"Is this a musket?"

"It looks similar, but it looks more sophisticated."

"It should be able to fire a stone bullet three hundred meters away, this one."

"..."

The generals spoke one after another.

Chang Wei remembered that the King of Yan had said that a new weapon would be made soon.

This must be it.

But now that he saw it, he was a little disappointed. Isn't it just a longer and thicker musket?

Zhao Xu saw the expressions of the generals. He did not explain, but said to Wang Ying: "Take the horses away, and aim the cannon at the mountain in front."

Wang Ying said yes, and immediately instructed the craftsmen to turn the cart and point the muzzle of the gun straight ahead.

Because the cannon was tied to the heavy cart, the cart itself was equivalent to the gun carriage.

After doing this, Zhao Xu ordered three craftsmen.

Let one of the craftsmen take a long stick with pig hair tied in front.

One craftsman guarded the cannonball and gunpowder.

The cannonball was the iron bullet that Wang Chong took, and the gunpowder was wrapped in paper, like a big firecracker.

In the contemporary sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the gunpowder of the cannon was bulk in boxes.

When fighting, shovel it directly into the muzzle with a shovel.

Some soldiers were nervous, which would lead to either too much or too little gunpowder.

Too much would easily cause the barrel to explode, and too little would be insufficient in power.

After absorbing contemporary experience, he naturally solved this problem.

Let Wang Chong make a paper package in a fixed amount.

It is convenient to load and reduce the error rate.

The third craftsman stood behind the cannon, holding a torch in one hand and a wire in the other.

The wire passes through a hollow spiked tube, so that as long as it is inserted from the firing port, it can pierce the powder bag, ignite the fuse and fire.

"Clean the barrel." Everything is ready, Zhao Xu shouted.

Upon hearing this, the craftsman immediately put the wooden pole into it to clean it.

"Put in the ammunition."

The second craftsman pushed the cannon into the barrel and stuffed the iron bullet in.

"Fire!" Zhao Xu shouted.

After receiving his order, the craftsman lit the wire.

At this time, the generals watched with relish and thought this set of actions was quite interesting.

In the end, their eyes stayed on the burning wire, and they talked and laughed one by one, betting on how far they could shoot.

Zhao Xu ignored them and covered his ears silently.

Wang Ying, Wang Chong and the craftsmen saw the King of Yan doing this, and they also covered their ears.

The generals didn't care, but straightened their chests one by one, showing that they were very brave.

"Boom!"

The moment the muzzle flashed with fire and smoke, a loud noise sounded like thunder above their heads.

The cart collapsed directly under the huge recoil of the artillery.

The iron bullet left a trail in the air and flew out.

"Hiss!"

The huge sound startled the war horses, and they neighed and fled everywhere.

Chang Wei and the generals shuddered with fear, and some of them sat down on the ground.

"Bang!"

The cannonball flew out 500 meters and broke a small tree as thick as a bowl, and continued to bounce on the ground.

At this time, Zhao Xu said to Wang Ying, who was shocked: "Go and get the iron bullet back."

Turning around, Zhao Xu said to Chang Wei: "How is it? How about the surprise I gave you this time?"

"This... is too surprising." Chang Wei tried to keep his voice from shaking.

He finally understood that this thing is definitely not as simple as a fire gun.

This is simply a weapon to kill people.

If a cannon is fired into the Beidi cavalry team, it will be rotten for several miles.

The expressions of Mo Yu and others are not much better.

They acted like they had seen a ghost, and didn't even chase their horses when they ran away.

Zhao Xu chuckled twice, he just wanted to scare these guys.

After an hour, the craftsman who was looking for the shells came back.

The generals immediately surrounded him, and Chang Wei asked, "How far did the shell fly?"

The craftsman's face was full of horror, and he swallowed hard.