If the elves were still comparing it with the imperial firearms, He Guicai's hand holding the feather fan was already shaking slightly.
As a military representative, he felt the hairs on his back stand up.
How powerful is this thing? What's the range? This is the question he wants to know the most right now.
However, judging from the fact that the target was placed a hundred steps away and the one-finger-thick wooden board was smashed into pieces, it was no less effective than a crossbow in killing enemies.
The problem is the rate of fire.
What is the concept of dozens of rounds being fired in a row
If it could really be carried around like a gun, wouldn't a few flexible scout troops be able to pose a considerable threat to the enemy's main force
He knows very well that in a battlefield duel, it is not always about who has the most who will win.
Because to a large extent, the two sides cannot figure out each other's numbers and positions at all, which is also difficult to reflect on paper. No one knows the eternal problems that have troubled countless soldiers, such as "how far a sudden encounter will go before it stops" and "whether you can win if you persist." Therefore, when one side is beaten unilaterally and it is difficult to effectively fight back, morale will collapse particularly quickly.
This is also the reason why it is particularly easy to defeat many with less in ambush battles.
But if you want to ambush your opponent, you cannot do without special terrains such as valleys, dense forests, and rivers. As long as your opponent is not a fledgling, he will also take extra precautions against these locations.
With this kind of weapon, even on the plains, an "ambush battle" can be planned where the enemy is beaten unilaterally and is unable to fight back if he wants to.
This will undoubtedly greatly change the battlefield situation in the future.
"Master Mo, can this kind of weapon be mass-produced?" He Guicai couldn't help but ask Mo Yun, "How many people can it be equipped with in a year?"
In the past, the Ministry of Industry had provided some weapons that looked quite amazing at first glance, such as repeating sleeve arrows, machine crossbows, etc... But after asking, I found out that these things were all carefully made by the best craftsmen, and even the generals were not allowed to use them. You can definitely get one, let alone the soldiers under your command.
"The tools used to make it are all existing in the Machinery Manufacturing Bureau. After finalizing the idea, the trial product only took four days." Mo Yun answered succinctly.
"That is to say... one gun for four days?" He Guicai calculated. He could arm at least an elite reconnaissance team in one month, which is already considered very good.
"No, a special production line will be prepared after the final shape, and several can be produced in a day." She paused, and then added, "Until all the steel is used up."
"How many?" He Guicai suddenly felt like he had been hit by a pie.
Doesn't that mean that by the beginning of next spring, the new tactics he conceived in his mind will become a reality? What could be more exciting for an army staff officer than this? If the influence of the alchemists was not considered, even if a force of 3,000 people faced tens of thousands of enemy troops, he did not think that his side had no chance of winning!
"Your Highness, please let Mr. Xia make this kind of weapon." He Guicai excitedly said to the princess, "If he lacks anything, we can go grab it—no, collect it."
"Okay, this is not the border." Ning Wanjun smiled, "When did I get past his needs? But in my opinion, this thing is far less useful than a long knife. Mo Yun, my special Where is the machine beast? What progress is it now?"
"Uh..." Mo Yun's indifferent expression suddenly softened, "Actually, it's almost there. But Xia Fan said that since it's for special use, it needs to be modified to be more distinctive - probably it can be built within this month."
"Very good, I look forward to the moment I ride it." The princess nodded with satisfaction.
…
After the weapon test display was completed, everyone left the venue, and Xia Fan left Luo Qingqing alone.
"What do you think of this kind of long-range weapon?"
Luo thought for a moment, "What you want to ask is, how effective is it on high-grade alchemists?"
Xia Fan nodded, it was easy to talk to smart people.
A Qi senser like Qingshan Town Shikao, or a seventh- or eighth-grade entry-level alchemist in the Privy Council, is no more difficult to deal with than a battle-hardened veteran. However, the perception and abilities of alchemists at Wenwen and above levels will be greatly improved, and long-range weapons will not be so easy to use.
What he was curious about was how effective the air rifle would be against a good player like Luo Qingqing. Since the last conversation with Qian Yan, he has become completely curious about the listener's strength.
"Probably...it's hard to hurt me at all."
"Oh?" Xia Fan looked into her gray eyes, "Could you be able to 'feel' the trajectory of the bullet it fired?"
"It can be understood that every time it shoots, it will cause some disturbance to the Qi. Although it is not obvious, it is enough to react consciously." Luo said softly, "How about I personally demonstrate it to you. "
"You mean to shoot at you?" Xia Fan immediately objected, "No, this is too dangerous."
Although the kinetic energy of the gas tank gun is not as good as that of the gunpowder gun, the lethality of about 100 meters is enough to be fatal. Even if the alchemist's recovery power is far superior to ordinary people, being hit in the head and other parts will still be fatal.
Luo smiled softly, "I knew you wouldn't agree, so I thought of a compromise. You close the distance to about fifty steps, and then I stand ten steps away from the target, so that Eliminate the possibility of accidental shooting.”
Xia Fan thought about it for a while before agreeing. And for the sake of safety, he also deliberately fired a few rounds, and then fixed the bracket seat below after confirming the landing point.
When everything was ready, Xia Fan pulled the trigger.
Almost at the same time, four dragon scales suddenly appeared around the target.
They flew up and down, blocking all the bullets fired at the target. Of course, Xia Fan couldn't see this process. He could only see the fine sand splashing on the beach from time to time, and the intact target.
Gradually, the dragon scales flew faster and faster, almost becoming a continuous transparent band of light, and their number was also decreasing. When the second air tank could no longer provide sufficient air pressure, the other three dragon scales had withdrawn from defense and were floating quietly aside. Only the remaining one formed a watertight defense circle.
"Sure enough!" Xia Fan couldn't help but applaud. He found that Luo Qingqing's words "it's hard to get hurt at all" were actually a euphemism.
Is this more than difficult? It feels like it is impossible to threaten the opponent without a sneak attack.
"But not every high-level alchemist is a listener." Mo Yun questioned.
"The more experienced the alchemist is in fighting, the more sensitive he is to changes in qi." Luo Qing explained, "Even if they don't have dragon scales, they will use other techniques to defend themselves."
Xia Fan had heard exactly the same thing from Li's mouth.
The tapping training of traveling with the tail is designed to capture the changes in breath. After practicing until now, he can indeed avoid the sudden "attack" of the fox demon immediately.
"How is it?" Luo Qing looked at Xia Fan, "Did you get the result you wanted?"
"Well, thank you for your help." Xia Fan replied. Sure enough, air rifles can only solve the firepower problem of ordinary soldiers. Although they have avoided the difficult nut of the chemical industry, they cannot deal with all enemies once and for all. If you want to be able to fight against high-grade alchemists, the weapon must have a larger caliber and a faster rate of fire.
It's so fast that when it fires, even if the opponent reacts, they can't avoid it by their own will, just like when they faced the Onmyoji of Anjia who used the power of evil spirits in the battle of Jinxia City.
Miniaturization of electromagnetic weapons is imperative.