"The art of doubling the caliber of artillery? What kind of art is this? How come we have never heard of it before? How dare the foreigners call it the fundamental principle of artillery? Our ancestors didn't know about this artillery doubling caliber technology before, but they still made artillery. To be honest, the foreigners learned artillery from our ancestors."
Zhang Hong grumbled a few words in dissatisfaction, but before Zhu Pingan could speak, he narrowed his one eye again, then nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, foreigners are good at calculations, always talking about Sainz. When I was stealing from Southeast Asia, I saw that foreigners always took out a book of ghosts and talismans to calculate before making artillery parts. At first, I thought that foreigners believed in religion and had to chant spells before making artillery. Now I think it's probably to calculate the caliber of the artillery."
Zhu Ping'an nodded without comment and said softly, "Maybe. I have never seen foreign craftsmen and don't know their habits, but according to the records of foreign firearms, they do like to use public calculations to calculate."
"Please teach me the art of increasing the caliber of artillery." Zhang Hong pleaded, "If it is really as the foreigners said, I will definitely be able to make artillery that is not inferior to the foreigners and not bring shame to our ancestors."
"Of course, firearms originated from China. I believe that you, Master Zhang, will be able to develop firearms that are not inferior to those of foreigners. I will tell you everything I know. However, I only have a vague understanding of the art of gun caliber doubling. I know the fact, but not the reason. The so-called art of gun caliber doubling refers to the thickness of the wall of the gun barrel at various places, which is how many times the caliber of the muzzle, mainly referring to the ratio of the length of the gun barrel to the thickness of the muzzle. I still noticed it in the latest and most advanced artillery book in my Ming Dynasty, which states: "The foreigners cast guns and guns, and the length, size, thickness and measurement are really careful. The method is not based on size, but only on the bore of the muzzle, because each gun has a different size. I have read many books and understood that only by designing the size of each part of the artillery according to a scientific and fixed ratio can the artillery achieve the best balance between weight and power. Otherwise, the gunpowder wall will either be too thick, which will increase the weight of the gun body, or not thick enough, which will easily cause the risk of explosion. "Zhu Ping'an nodded and said slowly.
Zhang Hong listened seriously. He was filled with emotion and was greatly inspired. He quickly asked, "So there is such a saying in the manufacture of artillery. No wonder I always thought that artillery was either too heavy or easy to explode. I don't know what the best balance is."
"I don't know how to calculate the specific ratio of artillery caliber. I didn't understand it when I read it, so I can't remember it. But I saw a summary in the book, which said that after countless tests, the ratio of the caliber of the gun body to the muzzle is about 22 times, and the power and range can reach a relatively ideal value. In addition, the latest and most advanced artillery book in my Ming Dynasty records that, 'the foreigners have a method of proportional calculation, taking the caliber of the barrel as a guide. For example, for a cannon, the muzzle caliber is agreed to be one inch, then the gun wall should be one inch thick near the tail, seven and a half centimeters thick near the ear, and five centimeters thick at the edge of the mouth. Therefore, from the outside, the gun has a sharp muzzle and a thick tail. The diameter of the ear and the length of the ear should both be one inch, and the proportion is used as a constant to deduce..." Zhu Ping'an said a little embarrassedly. There was nothing he could do because he was a liberal arts student. As for firearms, they were all seen on the Internet out of interest in modern times.
It was thanks to my good memory that I managed to remember some of it, otherwise it would have been even more embarrassing.
"The gun barrel and muzzle are about 22 times the gun caliber, and the power and range have reached an ideal value. Excuse me, sir, does the gun barrel here refer to the length of the gun barrel or the overall gun length?"
Zhang Hong asked for advice.
As expected of someone who secretly learned artillery technology from the red-haired barbarians, this question is asked professionally.
"It refers to the length of the gun barrel." Zhu Ping'an thought about it and made sure that he had not given the wrong answer.
"Thank you, sir. If the art of measuring the caliber of artillery is correct, it will be a great technology. The length of the barrel, the power, and the amount of iron and copper required will all be solved. In the past, when developing artillery, people always thought that the heavier the gun, the thicker the muzzle, and the thicker the barrel, the more gunpowder loaded, and the more powerful the gun would be. Therefore, artillery was made with thick barrels and muzzles, but the length of the barrel was ignored. No wonder people always thought that although artillery was heavier and thicker, its power was not satisfactory, and it often exploded. It turns out that the thicker the gun, the better..."
Zhang Hong said excitedly, and the more he spoke, the more excited he became. "This cannon caliber doubling technology is incredible. No wonder the red-haired barbarians' cannons are better than ours. No wonder I always feel that the size and length of the red-haired barbarians' cannons are something special. It turns out that there is something special. At present, the cannons of my Ming Dynasty are too heavy and have limited power. The cannons used for city defense need to be powerful, and the cannons used for siege and field battles need to be flexible and easy to carry. With the cannon caliber doubling technology, I can find a balance between weight and power, reduce the weight of the cannon, increase the power of the cannon, and greatly improve the city defense cannons and field battle cannons..."
Zhang Hong was so excited that he was ready to work hard to improve the city defense artillery and field artillery.
"Master Zhang, the main enemy at present is the Japanese pirates. I want Master Zhang to help me develop a light artillery that is suitable for the terrain of the south of the Japanese coast, which is rich in water, forests and hills. It is easy to carry and transport. Although the current falconet cannon is powerful, it is too heavy. The range of the bowl-mouthed gun is too short and the power is limited. We urgently need a new light artillery to fight against the Japanese pirates."
Seeing that Master Zhang was so ambitious and wanted to develop and improve city defense cannons, field cannons and other artillery, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but sweat on his forehead. Even if he had the technology to increase the caliber of artillery, improving artillery could not be accomplished overnight. It would take at least ten or eight years to complete.
At present, we cannot afford to delay in dealing with the Japanese pirates. The Japanese threat is becoming increasingly corrupt and serious. We do not have much time left.
So Zhu Ping'an directly pointed out the direction and asked Zhang Hong to develop a cannon suitable for the terrain in the south of the Yangtze River in a targeted manner.
Instead of spending time, effort and money on developing a wide variety of artillery, it is better to carefully develop one artillery. Jiangnan is mostly hilly, forested and paddy fields, so heavy city defense artillery and field artillery are not suitable. Only light artillery is suitable.
"I was browsing European and other foreign books in the Hanlin Academy's library, and found a sketch of a cannon in one of the books. It was a light cannon that the foreigners were developing. To make it easier to shoot, the cannon was placed in a fixed position, like a crouching tiger, and fired at an elevated angle."
Zhu Ping'an briefly described the tiger squat cannon that Qi Jiguang would often use in the future, and asked Zhang Hong to use more advanced artillery caliber multiplication techniques to improve and develop it, believing that he would not be disappointed.
"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely live up to your expectations." Zhang Hong clenched his fists tightly, pounded his chest hard, and said in a loud voice.