Guo Shao received a report that the Military Equipment Bureau had forged an iron cannon and had successfully tested the ability to fire a stone.
He went to the Beiyuan Firearms Workshop to watch it himself, and asked Zan Jurun to accompany him. When he arrived, Guo Shao saw several short and thick cannons, all made of iron, with six iron rings on the barrels. They looked very strange, completely different from the cannons he had imagined; this thing in front of him did not look like a cannon, but more like a long oil barrel.
Zan Jurun said: We have cast two kinds of cannons according to the order. This one is the largest, weighing 500 kilograms, with a muzzle diameter of 9 inches and 6 points, about 320 millimeters, and a length of 4 feet.
Guo Shao nodded to indicate that he was listening carefully, thinking that the ratio of the caliber to the length was only a little more than four to one, no wonder it looked like a barrel. There was also a base at the bottom of the barrel, which was a wooden base to fix the gun body, so it looked very strange and did not look like a cannon.
Zan Jurun continued: It can fire stone bullets weighing more than 100 kilograms and has a range of 600 steps.
It should be a cannon shot from the muzzle, Guo Shao asked immediately. Because such a short caliber and such a big stone could not be shot too far, it must have hit the ground directly before it went far.
As expected, Zan Jurun said: This is the only way, just like the catapult. But I think this cannon is far better than the catapult, with a longer range and heavier and more powerful stone bullets. Moreover, the cost of casting an iron cannon is less than that of making a catapult, and it is not easy to break; the catapult is easy to break. The only disadvantage of the gunpowder cannon is that it is very slow to load.
Guo Shao ordered a test. The craftsmen came up to tinker with the loading, pouring the gunpowder into the pot with a dustpan, and then a big man held a round stone and put it in, and filled the gap with soil. Guo Shao sat down at a wooden table in the distance, observing and calculating. According to Zan Jurun's description of the size, the volume formula was used to calculate the spherical volume of the stone bullet, and the density of the stone was about three times that of water. Guo Shao quickly estimated that the weight of the stone was indeed about 100 kilograms.
The craftsmen put a red powder wrapped in paper into the small hole at the bottom of the cannon and shouted: Your Majesty, we are ready to ignite it.
Guo Shao put down his brush and plugged his ears with his fingers. After a while, someone lit the fuse with a torch and burned it quickly. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the brush on the wooden table jumped. Then he saw flames spurting out of the muzzle, thick white smoke rising, and a stone flew into the air with a visible trajectory. After a while, it landed on the grass in the distance.
Guo Shao looked into the distance and saw a brick-covered earth wall that served as a target. Everyone fired several more cannons, one of which hit the wall. The sound of stones hitting each other could be heard from far away. Guo Shao then jumped on his horse and rode to the landing point with a group of people to watch. The three large pits on the grass were all caused by stone cannons, and the earth wall in front was hit by a stone. Although it was impossible for it to collapse, the parapet and bricks on it were smashed to pieces.
The scene before him immediately made Guo Shao realize that this thing could be used to attack the city, which was better than a catapult.
Then Guo Shao watched the test of another small cannon. The casting shape was similar to the big cannon just now, but it was smaller, weighing only more than 50 kilograms, and was also like an iron barrel, with a thinner wall and hooped with an iron ring.
This type of cannon is used to break rocks. It can be loaded with dozens of pieces of gravel at a time and used to strike an area.
But the effect of shotgun shells is a bit disappointing, it can only cover an area of 20 steps away, and the coverage width is less than 10 steps; it has no killing power at a distance, because the gravel flying out of the large-caliber muzzle has uncertain directions, some flying upwards, some hitting the ground at close range, and there are not many stones that can be at the correct height at a distance. It is also for this reason that the gravel can form an area attack. If it is all in one direction, the coverage area is narrower.
Guo Shao estimated that if the front was cavalry, because the cavalry would be relatively sparsely spaced to prevent collisions when charging, one shot could probably hit two or three cavalry, but the close-range casualties to the densely packed infantry might be greater.
The shotgun is much less useful than Guo Shao imagined, and it seems not very practical; perhaps the cannon made by the Military Equipment Bureau is not as good as Qi Jiguang's Tiger Cannon. But it makes sense if you think about it. If the shotgun can kill far and wide, then what is the value of the musket volley
So Guo Shao personally named the cannon that could throw big stones the Dragon Roar Cannon, but did not give a name to the cannon that could shoot small stones.
Guo Shao spent a lot of effort to make firearms, but most of them were not as effective as cold weapons. Only the Dragon Roar Cannon was the most useful and could replace the catapult to attack the city.
But he still did not give up firearms. The bronze guns cast by the Military Equipment Bureau had an effective range of 40 steps and a range of 20 steps for more lethality. When they were put into practical production, the firing method was similar to that of a cannon. A very small hole was drilled at the back, and the fuse was put into the hole and then ignited with an open flame. Then some iron rings with iron spikes were added to the barrel. A handle was cast at the back, which was supposed to be used as a mace after firing the lead bullet.
The musket has completely deviated from Guo Shao's original intention and its appearance is becoming more and more weird, but he has no choice because with the current performance, it is more practical to do it this way.
However, he felt that this bronze gun still needed to be improved, that is, the ignition method. It can be imagined how inconvenient it would be for each person to hold a torch to light the fuse on the battlefield. If the torch goes out, it will really become a mace.
Guo Shao thought of the matchlock ignition method. He had temporarily given up the flintlock method because that part was too difficult to make, and he couldn't remember what the structure was, so he couldn't figure it out for a while.
The craftsmen in the firearms workshop could not make such a thing in a short time because they had never seen it before. Guo Shao designed the mechanism himself in the iron shop of the Xu'en Hall. The principle to be realized was very simple: use a mechanism to press the lit fuse into the gunpowder; then achieve the firing.
However, Guo Shao fiddled with such a simple thing for several evenings but still couldn't figure it out. He found many problems. For example, if he pressed the fuse directly into the barrel, the ignition hole would be larger, affecting the airtightness and further reducing the performance of the musket. In addition, the fuse was exposed near the gunpowder, which was prone to accidental discharge because gunpowder ignites easily. Ordinary hemp ropes or cloth ropes burned too quickly.
Also, the firing mechanism is not that complicated, but it is placed behind the barrel, so it is easily damaged if used as a mace; it is also not very convenient to use.
Guo Shao felt a bit troubled, thinking that even the most backward technology in the eyes of later generations would not be easy to improve. But he was still unwilling to give up this path, so he had to be patient and slowly explore it by himself and the people of the Military Equipment Bureau.