If the White Army wants to develop artillery, it should develop Napoleonic artillery. The redcoat cannon is too bulky and expensive, so it's better than a convenient and easy-to-use trebuchet. Napoleonic artillery was a typical bronze cannon, with specialized gun carriages and ammunition wagons, the speed of marching was fast, and the conversion of marching and fighting was also fast. Its power and range are quite good. In terms of rate of fire, it can also basically meet the needs of combat.

Of course, given the ultra-long range of the redcoat cannon, at some point, the presence of the redcoat cannon cannot be ignored either. If there is only a trebuchet and no redcoat cannon, the trebuchet will be contained by the enemy's redcoat cannon and will not be effective. There are many redcoat cannons, and even if they fire solid bullets, the power is quite strong. If the Redcoat Cannon and Trebuchet were mixed, it might be even more useful.

Zhao Mengji happened to be here, and Xu Xingxia talked to him about artillery by the way. There is no major change in the technology of the moon gun, only the continuous improvement of quality. None of this is worth paying attention to. The firearms of the white-clothed army can only be further strengthened, and they can only develop in the field of artillery. Zhao Mengji said a little embarrassed: "Lord Qianhu, with the ability of the craftsman workshop of Qianhu, it is impossible to cast cannons. Even if it is Wei's craftsman's workshop, it is impossible. Cannons can only be cast by the Ordnance Bureau or the War Bureau in the capital. ”

Xu Xingxia said with concern: "What is the reason? Can't or don't dare? ”

Zhao Mengji explained as easily as possible: "No. There are so many processes involved in casting a cannon that it is completely different from making a firecracker. Just casting the barrel of a cannon requires a high level of skill and a lot of specialized tools. In addition, the aspect of raw materials is also complex. General pig iron, wrought iron, or 100 steel, can not be used to make gun barrels. The steel used to make the barrel must be specially refined. ”

He further explained that the main types of cannons that can be cast by the Ordnance Bureau or the War Bureau at present are all relatively small-caliber artillery, such as the Franc machine artillery, the Tiger Squat Cannon, and the Big Bowl Gun. Among them, the number of casts of tiger squat cannons is the largest. The Franc cannon was brought by Portuguese craftsmen, and some of the core secrets were still in the hands of the Portuguese. If the Ming Kingdom wanted to cast a really good quality Franc machine artillery, it still had to invite Portuguese craftsmen to participate. If you cast it yourself, the quality is generally not very good.

As for the red-coated cannon, it was actually a British naval gun, which was salvaged by the Portuguese from a sunken British warship and then sold to the Ming Kingdom. It is estimated that some of the twenty red-coated cannons in the Ming Kingdom are installed on the walls of the capital, and some are ready to be transported to Liaodong. The Ordnance Bureau and the War Bureau have always wanted to imitate the red-coated cannon, but there has been no progress so far. Technical difficulties do not happen overnight.

For the ministers of the court who are more enthusiastic about imitating red-clothed cannons, one is Xu Guangqi and the other is Sun Yuanhua. Among them, Xu Guangqi is the most active. The missionaries from the West, Matteo Ricci, Xiong Sanba and others, were all good friends of Xu Guangqi. Under their lure, Xu Guangqi also joined the Catholic Church and became the first Catholic in the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that both of them are currently idle at home because they are being attacked by political opponents.

Xu Xingxia's eyes rolled, and the idea of abducting and selling Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua popped up in his mind. It's a pity that I had to give up regretfully in the end. He can't even kidnap Yuan Chonghuan, who is not a jinshi, so he wants to abduct two civil officials who were born as jinshi, which is too unrealistic. The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty had no contempt for military attachés. However, he still did not give up and said: "Can you dig up a few craftsmen who know how to cast cannons?" ”

Zhao Mengji said regretfully: "It's difficult. They are all compiled in a separate volume, and they are not under the jurisdiction of the Yellow Book, and it is impossible for them to leave the capital in normal times. If his subordinates had also participated in the research of cannon casting, it is estimated that they would not have had the opportunity to come to Ningxia Town. ”

Xu Xingxia had to shut up regretfully and didn't say anything more.

Suddenly, I thought of Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua. If you are paralyzed, you still have to be promoted! Only by constantly being promoted can you get in touch with those big shots, get more resources, and have more power! If you become the chief officer and stand alone, you may be qualified to quietly cast cannons, right?

"The chariot battalion drill is over, please give a lecture to Lord Qianhu!"

"The artillery battalion drill is over, please give a lecture to Lord Qianhu!"

After the joint exercise of the tank battalion and the artillery battalion ended, their respective commanders, Chen Shouwang and Lin Dacheng, came up one after another to report. Both of them just noticed that there were still many deficiencies during the drill. It is estimated that Xu Xingxia also noticed these shortcomings. This caused them to feel quite apprehensive in their hearts, and they didn't know if they would be scolded.

"Yes, everyone is working very hard!"

"As long as we continue to work hard, we will be invincible in the future!"

Xu Xingxia rode his horse to the ranks of the chariot battalion and the artillery battalion, and said loudly.

To be honest, he was not very satisfied with this exercise. How could he not notice the shortcomings that both commanders had noticed? However, for his subordinates, he must be encouraged. Building confidence is paramount for the newly formed troops. If you don't do well now, you can do better in the future!

In fact, from another point of view, the fighters of the tank battalion and the artillery battalion have done a good job. It is indeed a bit difficult for people in this era to accept so many new things. They also need more time and more practice. As long as the time comes, it will definitely be able to sweep in all directions. In this era, it is not difficult to be invincible in the world.

"My lord, Wang Qinian asks to see you!" Someone came to report.

"Let him in!" Xu Xingxia said.

The current Xu Xingxia did not hesitate to use Wang Qinian as an intelligence chief. He was originally a member of the Jinyi Guard, and he was very familiar with the situation in the prairie. Jinyiwei has a great function, which is to spy on intelligence. The white-clothed army currently has no intelligence leader, who is it if you don't look for Wang Qinian? Minghao is just the scout captain.

Wang Qinian came soon and said cautiously: "Xu Qianhu, there are some things ......"

Xu Xingxia nodded, motioned for him to follow him to the remote place next to him, and said calmly, "What's the matter?" Please speak. ”

Wang Qinian said with difficulty: "The Kylkin tribe has indeed ceased war with Lin Dan Khan. ”

Xu Xingxia frowned quietly. After learning the news from Cao Bianjiao, Xu Xingxia immediately called Wang Qinian and asked him to confirm the information of the Hellerjin tribe. In Wang Qinian's hand, there was an intelligence network of Jinyiwei in the prairie, and Xu Xingxia used it without hesitation. Wang Qinian obviously didn't have much assertiveness, and after hesitating for a moment, he agreed. As for the cost of using this intelligence network, it is naturally Xu Xingxia who pays out of his own pocket.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Xingxia asked slowly: "All the cavalry of the Hellerjin tribe have withdrawn?" How many thousand teams are there in total? Is there any secret agreement between them and Lin Dan Khan? Or is it an exchange of interests? Or is it a kiss or something? ”

Wang Qinian said cautiously: "The five thousand troops of the Hellergin tribe on the front line have all evacuated the Daqingshan area. Lin Dan Khan's iron lance soldiers also all withdrew to Naturalization City. For the time being, it has not been detected that there is any agreement between the two sides, and I have not heard of who is close to him. Namu Zhong, Tessna, and Uyunna didn't move either. It may be that winter is coming, and they have to temporarily stop fighting. As you know, winters in the prairie have always been cold. ”

Xu Xingxia shook his head, not very in favor of the truce because of winter. Perhaps, the arrival of winter is indeed one of the reasons, but it is definitely not the main reason. I have never heard of the rule that there is no war in the winter of the prairie. If the two sides compete fiercely, they will still fight to the death in the ice and snow. However, Wang Qinian's words still provide a lot of valuable information. The number of cavalry of the Hellergin tribe is actually not very large, and the five thousand troops have all withdrawn, indicating that they have indeed completely ceased fighting.

There are several possibilities. The first is that the two sides have reached a distribution of benefits and will no longer kill each other. Second, one side had to withdraw its troops. Third, it was a certain big force that came forward to stop the two sides from continuing to fight. Either way, it's not good for the white-clad army. Because, the Hellegin tribe is desperate to replenish its losses, and will inevitably find a way to go south to loot as soon as possible. Perhaps, this winter, they will make a move.

Winter in Ningxia Town is not a big problem at all for the Tartars, who are accustomed to the bitter cold. The Tartars went south to Ningxia City, quite like people in later generations, and going to Hainan Island for a vacation was itself an act of avoiding the cold. The pastures throughout the city of Ningxia helped the Tatars survive the cold winter. Therefore, fierce battles, perhaps before the Chinese New Year, will come.

Thinking about the time, it is now the end of the forty-fourth year of Wanli, and the New Year will be celebrated soon. If the development of history does not change much, Emperor Wanli should have more than three years to live. However, in the past three years, the Wanli Emperor has basically lost control of the country. He is indeed old and exhausted, and has no time to deal with government affairs. A large part of the reason for Sarhu's defeat was the result of the complicated situation between the DPRK and China, the struggle between various parties, and the disagreement between various parties. The courtiers poured into each other, and the front line was naturally in chaos.

"By the way, when will my lieutenant be replaced?" Xu Xingxia suddenly asked.

"It's coming. The experience department has been approved, and is only waiting for the issuance of the official confession, which will be fine before the end of the year. Wang Qinian said hurriedly.

Xu Xingxia nodded. If he can get the identity of Jin Yiwei done before the end of the year, he can do more. For example, doing business under the banner of Jinyiwei and the like. If it weren't for Jinyiwei's tiger skin, many things would be difficult for people with a heart. However, if there is a fur of Jinyiwei, it is he who makes things difficult for others.

"By the way, someone in the capital has written back to you." Wang Qinian said suddenly.

"Beijing?" Xu Xingxia felt that his heart was beating a little uncompromisingly.

……

(To be continued)