Chang'an Instrument Division. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Early in the morning, the firearms battalion had already delivered the artillery from Qingzhou.

Fang Chengyou circled around the Qingzhou artillery and began to record the length and thickness of the artillery barrel, etc., his body was still a little sore, which was the trace left by yesterday's madness.

Carefully recording each size, Fang Chengyou's face was serious, yesterday Zhao Wang Shizi also promised him that if the imitation was successful, he would hand over the imitation technology, and he could get 100,000 taels of silver.

Thinking of this, he became more and more serious, money and beauty are what he yearns for.

After carefully recording the size of the artillery, Fang Youcheng said, "Now go and boil wax water." ”

The craftsman was ordered to start a fire at once, and the wax was removed from the storehouse and smelted.

Fang Chengyou prepared to use the lost wax method to imitate the Qingzhou artillery, which was to suspend the Qingzhou artillery in a pool and pour wax water in the pool.

After the wax solidifies, the craftsman will cut the solidified wax and assemble it, and a complete mold will come out at that time.

After that, he would fill the wax mold with clay and finally melt the wax mold, so that a cannon mold would come out.

In seven days, Fang Chengyou got a complete clay mold.

"As a supervisor, the iron quality of this Qingzhou artillery seems to be much higher than ours." Before pouring, a craftsman said.

Zhao Yuanliang had already told him about the explosion of the artillery, so in his opinion, pouring it with molten iron would not work, and he also understood that it was not easy to blow up the barrel with copper for a long time.

So he said, "Use molten copper, not molten iron." ”

"Copper? As a prisoner, this cannon is so heavy, how much copper is enough. The craftsman said.

Fang Chengyou knew that the use of ordinary molten iron would not work after learning about the explosion, and he naturally knew that the price of this copper cannon would be more than ten times the cost price of Qingzhou artillery.

But the most important thing at the moment is to imitate the Qingzhou artillery, in this way, he is equivalent to not only fulfilling his promise to Xiao Wenxuan, but also giving an account to Zhao Yuanliang.

So he said, "If I say copper, I will use copper!" ”

When the craftsman heard this, he had to collect the copper melting and casting pouring of the entire equipment division.

Fifteen days later, a bronze cannon of about the same size as the Qingzhou artillery appeared in the Equipment Division.

Upon learning of this news, Xiao Wenxuan was overjoyed and ordered the firearms battalion to immediately transport the copper cannon to the firearms battalion for test firing.

At the same time, a number of important officials also arrived at the firearms camp.

"This cannon is all golden, it can't be all bronze, right?"

Fiji almost gritted his teeth and said this, this is simply a loser, how much does such a big lump of copper cost.

When Xiao Wenxuan saw this golden cannon, the joy on his face disappeared.

"This is the artillery that the Instruments Division imitates? Sure enough, the atmosphere. ”

The prince laughed and said, in his eyes, this cannon was too perfect.

Zhao Yuanliang's eyes were blazing, thinking that this Fang Chengyou really had some ability, why didn't he think of using pure copper casting, but after looking at the size of the copper cannon, he couldn't help but feel a pain in his flesh, compared to the price of the copper cannon, he was still willing to buy the cast iron cannon in Qingzhou.

"Test firing." Xiao Wenxuan said coldly, if such an expensive artillery was not as good as Qingzhou's artillery, he would probably have the heart to kill Fang Chengyou.

After receiving Xiao Ming's order, the gunner carried out the loading of gunpowder and ammunition according to the procedure.

With a "boom", the shell shot out and flew directly into the woods, and with a "bang", the shell hit a tree and fell.

Seeing such a scene, the ministers couldn't help laughing, this power is not half a little worse than the Qingzhou artillery.

Xiao Wenxuan's face became even more ugly.

The crown prince and Zhao Yuanliang also showed a trace of puzzlement, this artillery is no different from the Qingzhou artillery in appearance, why is this power so much worse.

Fang Chengyou was also dumbfounded, and he didn't know what to say?

"Fang Chengyou, what should I say, the imitation seems to have failed, the price of this copper cannon is more than ten times more expensive than the iron cannon in Qingzhou, this power is even one-tenth inferior, what is the use of such an artillery?"

Fang Chengyou's forehead was sweating, and he said: "No, Your Majesty, this shouldn't be, this artillery is no different from Qingzhou's artillery, how can it be so powerful?" ”

"You ask me, who am I going to ask!" Xiao Wenxuan said angrily, now he completely lost hope in imitating Qingzhou artillery.

Fang Chengyou said at this time: "Could it be that the iron cannon is more powerful than the copper cannon?" Your Majesty, let the lower officials test it again, and this time the lower officials use iron casting? ”

Xiao Wenxuan was actually a little unwilling, he said: "Give you another chance, if it doesn't work out, this matter will be done." ”

Fang Chengyou immediately nodded and returned to the Instrument Division in a gloomy manner.

Zhao Yuanliang and the crown prince glanced at each other, revealing a disappointed look.

In the following month, Fang Chengyou began to switch to copper and iron, but he encountered the same problem as Zhao Yuanliang, the iron cannon only tested a dozen cannons before it exploded, and dozens of experienced craftsmen were killed.

Moreover, the range and power of the artillery are also inferior to the artillery in Qingzhou.

"Why? Why? After another iron cannon exploded, Fang Chengyou looked at the Qingzhou artillery and felt like ashes, no matter how he improved the process, the power of this artillery was not as good as the Qingzhou artillery.

Overnight, Fang Chengyou seemed to be a teenager old.

"As a prisoner, Your Majesty asked Feng Shilang to bring a message, saying that there should be no more waste of silver imitation." A craftsman said cautiously.

At this moment, Fang Chengyou was completely desperate, because Xiao Wenxuan was disappointed in him, which meant that his career would end here in the future.

And Zhao Yuanliang will not continue to see him, because he has lost the value of being used.

"Why? Why? Fang Chengyou muttered to himself as if he was suffering from hysteria, he never understood why the identical artillery was not as good as the artillery in Qingzhou.

The equipment department failed to imitate the artillery, and the news spread among the officials.

Many people with imitation ideas were disappointed at the same time, because it would mean that they would have to buy artillery from Xiao Ming.

At the same time, Xiao Wenxuan's matter of letting the equipment department imitate the artillery soon spread to Qingzhou.

Before this, the artillery of Chang'an had already told Xiao Ming the news of the test firing of the copper cannon.

"Your Highness, it is said that the bronze cannon imitated by the Chang'an Instrument Division is almost the same as the Qingzhou artillery, why is the power so much worse?" Pang Yukun asked puzzled after learning the news.

Speaking of which, Xiao Ming pinched a sweat, in fact, the copper cannon imitated by the Chang'an Instrument Division this time is a qualified artillery, because in the early stage, copper cannons and bronze cannons have always been the mainstream of artillery, until the quality of steel improved, cheap cast iron cannons and steel cannons appeared, and then copper cannons and bronze cannons were quickly eliminated.

The reason why the power of the copper cannon is so poor this time is not the problem of the artillery itself, but the problem of gunpowder.

According to the news brought back by the artillerymen who were sent to Chang'an to teach the firearms battalion, the gunpowder used by this Fang Chengyou was the gunpowder of the Instruments Division, and the gunpowder from Qingzhou was not used at all.

(To be continued.) )