Now Li Chengqi knew how to use gunpowder. In addition to making big Sky Cracker Monkeys, it could also be used in catapults.
When attacking a city, the enemy could only use ballistas and catapults to fight against them.
"Brother Yi, make a big bag. Put some iron and ceramic pieces in it. Calculate the time and toss them up. Boom! One piece will fall."
Li Chengqi didn't need Li Yi's introduction. He had already thought of it.
"It's good for defense. I designed a small catapult that can change direction. It's called Whirlwind Cannon." Li Yi said and turned around.
Qing Song took out a few pieces of paper from his bag and handed them to Li Chengqi.
Whirlwind Cannon was a small catapult that could rotate 360 degrees and had wheels at the bottom.
When defending a city, it could be thrown from a high position and the shooting range was longer than when thrown from the bottom.
Whirlwind Cannon had a fast firing speed, and it was easier to calibrate the direction and distance. It was a convenient weapon to attack the enemy.
This was not the Whirlwind Cannon that was invented during the Three Kingdoms period. It relied on rotating centrifugal force to throw the cannon.
It was developed during the Song Dynasty to deal with the enemy's mobile troops.
Especially the cavalry. Fixed catapults were not used in that area.
"This catapult is good. It's not a spoon at the back, but a bag. If you miss, you can find the right position by turning it slightly."
Li Chengqi admired the blueprint. It was simply a work of art.
Li Longji came back a little late for dinner. He smelled good and went to take a bath first.
The main dish for dinner was Beggar's Chicken. Zhuangzi killed a batch of chickens. If he didn't kill them, the meat would not be delicious.
The chickens were too weak in the summer and could not produce as many eggs as their companions. Therefore, they were listed in the Investiture of the Gods.
This kind of braised chicken had less water vapor and was not as hot as roasted chicken.
Zhuangzi did not use the method of drinking the chicken alive. He put seasonings in the wine and made it into cooking wine.
Then he poured the wine into the chicken and the chicken would be drunk. At the same time, the blood would circulate and the seasonings would be absorbed more easily.
Instead, he killed and bled the chicken as usual and kept the chicken blood and offal.
The chicken head and claws were not put together and the chicken tip was taken off.
Then he put the seasonings into the stomach of the chicken, smeared the wine on it and wrapped it in mud with lotus leaves.
Next, he heated it slowly with charcoal in a big stove. He did not dig a hole to bury it.
The top of the hole would take a long time to cook.
A Beggar's Chicken was smashed open, and a fragrant smell came out. Li Longji tore off two wings and a chicken thigh for Empress Wang.
Empress Wang did not use chopsticks. Instead, she grabbed it with her hands and took a big bite.
"It's delicious. This is the first time I've heard of it. You can even wrap a chicken in mud and cook it." Empress Wang was full of praise.
"We've harvested quite a lot of lotus leaves this year. They've all been dried in the shade. There are also some vegetables that have been made into dried plum vegetables.
This year, the people of Chang 'an earned a lot of money. It was written in the newspaper that everyone should collect more vegetables and dry them under the sun or in the shade.
The price of salt this year was very low, and it would not rise again in the future. Let's talk about the people in other places later. "
Li Yi knew that many of the commoners did not have time and threw their time into the fields.
There was a problem with the allocation of land. Each person was given so much land that they couldn't plant it all. They even had to collect rent according to mu.
If there was a tillering machine, a seeder, a combine harvester, or a small pesticide plane, it would be possible to plant 10,000 mu of land.
"Third Brother, Brother Yi took out something good today." Li Chengqi did not want to think about how the commoners would live. He had no choice.
"Something good?" Li Longji repeated.
Li Chengqi took out the blueprint and showed it to Li Longji: "Pack the gunpowder and install a circle of sharp objects on the outside."
"Okay, can we install wheels underneath? It's easy to move and can be dragged along. It can cooperate with the army.
Even if the infantry encountered the enemy cavalry, they would be able to fight. If they cooperate with the cavalry, it would be even more powerful. "
Li Longji quickly finished reading and had his own ideas about it.
The Whirlwind Cannon was equipped with wheels underneath and could be dismantled. It was a carriage that could pull itself.
If it was pulled by livestock, it could also bring some of the provisions.
One or two of them might not be useful, but hundreds and thousands of them would make a difference.
"There is a lot of saltpeter in Shu County, so we need to increase the mining. There are also livestock pens, latrines, and places for composting. We can use the soil to make saltpeter. "
The proportion of saltpeter in the black gunpowder was large and the consumption was high.
If the commoners helped to collect the saltpeter, there would be a lot of it.
"Good idea, I will write a letter to the imperial court and the commoners to buy it. War is money." Li Longji finally said a famous sentence.
Gunpowder was useful, but it also cost a lot of money.
"Brother Yi, don't sell the firecrackers and fireworks. Keep them and use them in the war."
Li Longji also talked to Li Yi about the strategic reserve.
"Well, don't sell the firecrackers. Zhuangzi is not short of money." Li Yi agreed.
If a beautiful firework could be exchanged for an enemy's life, it would be a pity to keep it for fun.
In Li Yi's view, black gunpowder was a transitional product. He could produce nitroglycerin now.
As long as he was willing, he could make most of the gunpowder with the help of the equipment in the hospital.
But it was meaningless. The gunpowder was enough for the war. He planned to use the rest for mining and road construction.
Road construction was not only for trade, but also for the stability of the country.
From Chang 'an to Leizhou, the road conditions were good. The cavalry could reach in half a month, which was different from the army that could not reach in three months.
Li Longji did not expect his brother Yi to be so good at saving people and killing people. He had so many skills.
He was in a good mood, thinking about the large number of war weapons that would be sent to the border.
Some of them would be used in the city to guard against the Turks. Most of them would be carried to fight against the Tubo.
Empress Wang was also interested. She wiped her hands and took a look.
"Aiya, this small catapult, when operated by a few people and used gunpowder, is much more powerful than the ballista.
The ballista only has a long range and cannot be used in large quantities. It is not easy to transport, especially the arrows.
For this arrow, the range and flying stability are the most important. If it can hit the enemy and be difficult to pull out, it will be even better. "
Empress Wang was indeed from a family of generals. She spent all day thinking about this.
Li Yi was stunned for a moment and said, "There is a type of arrow that uses wood as its feather and has a thin iron bar in the middle. It is very sharp.
Because it is made of wood, it can fly further. After it hits the enemy, the front part will enter the body.
The back part will fall off and break if you pull it out. The front part is still in the body and can only be cut open and pulled out with pliers. "
He mentioned another item from the Song Dynasty, the wooden feather arrow.
The body of the wooden feather arrow should have three parts. The front part was made of metal, the middle part was made of bamboo, and the back part was made of metal with small wooden wings.
If the back part is too light, the arrow will sink and it will be difficult to fly.
The middle part is made of bamboo or wood. After it hits the enemy, a part of it will enter the body.
It is attached to the front and back. When it is pulled out, the front part will be in the body.
The arrow is thin, the head is hard, and it can pierce through armor.
"Uncle, draw it out and let us see." Empress Wang did not want to eat anymore.
Li Yi could only find an empty table and sit there to draw the structure.
There were a total of four parts. The front, middle, and back of the arrow shaft, plus the small wooden wings next to it.
This was the ancient armor-piercing bullet. After it was shot, the useless parts would fall off and only the last part would enter the body.
Li Chengqi saw it and muttered, "This, this is too sinister. Good, good stuff."
Li Yi drew another one. "Actually, this wooden feather can be made into a spiral shape. It will spin faster and more stable when it flies out. It will also increase the penetration power when it hits the target."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
