Arms Race
Harald listened to his younger brother Asgeir's clear and coherent analysis, and felt deep agreement in his heart.
He is an extremely pragmatic leader and knows that under the current predicament, "solve the problems first, and then pursue the advantages and disadvantages" is the wisest choice.
What the Sauron Army regiment needs most urgently now is long-range support firepower that can quickly form combat effectiveness. This kind of iron cannon that can be produced in large quantities, quickly and at a relatively low cost is undoubtedly a timely help.
Seeing the light shining in Asgeir's eyes, thinking about the future of the tribe, Harald felt a burst of indescribable relief and emotion in his heart.
Asgeir is his half-brother, born to his father and a captured slave girl Broomflower after a robbery.
Because of his mother's humble background and alien blood, his father had always disliked his son and was even a little indifferent to him.
As the eldest brother, Harald has shown pity and care for this thin and marginalized younger brother since he was a child. He almost raised him personally, taught him to ride horses, archery, and fight, and watched him grow step by step into the brave and loyal Corps Commander that Bear Corps is today.
This deep friendship and absolute trust that transcends ordinary brothers, cultivated in a difficult environment, are one of the few soft spots deep in Harald's heart.
Asgeir has never failed to live up to his expectations and has always been his steadfast and most capable arm.
"Okay! Just do as Asgeir said!" Harald no longer hesitated and made the final decision.
He turned to the two uneasy craftsmen who were still kneeling on the ground, and his tone was much gentler than before, even with a hint of encouragement. "Klaus, Richard, the Mud-mold Cannon Casting Method you proposed, the idea is very good! It is very suitable for our current needs!"
He raised his voice and announced the formal decision and appointment, "From now on, I officially appoint you two as the chief craftsmen of the Sauron coalition gun foundry!"
"I will allocate a special site for you and allocate enough manpower and materials. Whether it is pig iron, charcoal or other required materials, we will give priority to supply! Your task is to cast me a qualified and usable Cannon as soon as possible!"
He gave a clear promise to reassure people, "As long as the cannons you build are of high quality and can play a role on the battlefield, I, Harald, will never treat you badly! Starting from this month, you will receive generous salaries every month, and your family members will also be received by Frosgard, and receive the best placement and care. You don't have to worry anymore!"
Klaus and Richard couldn't believe their ears when they heard this sudden reuse and generous treatment, as if they had risen from hell to heaven in an instant.
The two of them were so excited that they were trembling all over, crying and kowtowing desperately. Their foreheads hit the stone ground with a thumping sound, and they said repeatedly, "Thank you Great Chieftain for your grace! Thank you Great Chieftain for your grace! I... I will do my best and serve Great Chieftain to the death! I will never slack off!"
Harald nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand to indicate that they could leave and get ready.
Then, he turned to Asgeir beside him and solemnly told him, "Asgeir, the casting of cannons is of vital importance to our clan's future combat power. It is not safe to rely solely on these two captured craftsmen. You must also pay more attention to this matter and keep an eye on it yourself."
"Choose reliable personnel to assist them to ensure a smooth process and prevent technology leakage. If there are any progress or difficulties, please report to me at any time."
"Don't worry, brother!" Asgeir nodded vigorously, his eyes full of trustworthy energy, "I will definitely handle this matter well, and there will never be any mistakes!"
Looking at Asgeir's tall figure as he followed the order, Harald's plans for the future became clearer in his mind.
Having his own Cannon, even the most junior one, will be a key step for the Sauron Army group to move into a new era. Only when this important task is given to the supervision of his most trusted brother can he truly feel at ease.
Perhaps, the key step for Sauron to become stronger begins with this simple clay mold and hot molten iron.
Although the starting point is very low, at least they have taken this difficult first step.
Just as Sauron Great Chieftain Harald in the north began to plan secretly, trying to build his own Cannon power from scratch, Carnford and Karl in the south are also working hard to improve the military strength of their territories. His eyes are also focused on Cannon, the decisive weapon.
Karl knew very well that the six-pound copper long-barreled cannon given to him by Earl Rochefort played a vital role in the previous defense battle and could be said to have turned the tide.
He desperately longed to imitate or even mass-produce this powerful regular Cannon. However, the real dilemma was before him.
With Carnford's current extremely weak heavy industry foundation, lack of blast furnaces, lack of large-scale forging equipment, and lack of experienced cannon-casting craftsmen and engineers, it is simply an impossible task to imitate long-barreled copper cannons with complex structures and extremely high process requirements.
Forcibly mounting the horse will only waste precious resources and time, and the gain will not be worth the loss.
It is worth mentioning that Six-pound Cannon and Count, who had done meritorious service, seemed to have "forgot" to ask for them back afterwards, and had stayed with Carnford.
Not to mention Count, Karl is naturally happy to pretend to be ignorant and regards it as Carnford's treasure.
After calmly analyzing the current situation, Karl shifted his thinking to a more pragmatic and easier-to-implement direction.
He recalled what he knew about the cannons commonly used by the Ming army in his previous life. The most famous ones were three, Crouching Tiger Cannon, Fo-Lang-Ji Cannon and Hongyi Cannon.
Hongyi Cannon is Six-pound Cannon. Now he does not have the ability to manufacture it, but Crouching Tiger Cannon and Fo-Lang-Ji Cannon can be trial-produced.
Crouching Tiger Cannon is the simplest. It is just a short and thick copper or iron pipe. The manufacturing process is very low. The ordinary Blacksmith Shop can be mass-produced. It has excellent maneuverability. It only weighs less than fifty kilograms and can be carried by two soldiers. It can perfectly keep up with the rhythm of the army.
Its destructive power is not bad. It fires shotgun shells made of iron sand or broken iron fragments, which can be used to attack exposed infantry groups. It has a shortcoming, that is, the range is extremely short, and it is basically useless beyond fifty meters.
Fo-Lang-Ji Cannon, known as Eagle Cannon in Europe at the time, was slightly more difficult to make. It was divided into a mother gun and a child gun. The mother gun was the barrel, and the child gun was the ammunition compartment. A rectangular hole would be opened at the rear of the mother gun for loading the child gun.
Five to ten sub-guns are usually prepared for a battle. Each sub-gun is an independent ammunition unit, pre-loaded with gunpowder and projectiles, and has a lock at the mouth to lock it with the mother gun. After firing, it is quickly drawn out and replaced with a new one.
The advantage is obvious, that is, the rate of fire is extremely fast, and a skilled gunner can fire several rounds in one minute. And because the Sub-Mother Cannon is separated, most of the heat is isolated in the sub-gun during firing, which reduces the pressure on the mother gun, that is, the barrel, and greatly reduces the possibility of the barrel exploding.
Of course, there are also disadvantages. There must be gaps in the separation of Sub-Mother Cannon. The gas when the gunpowder explodes will leak, resulting in a very low initial velocity of the shell, and the range and penetration are not as good as traditional muzzleloader guns.
In addition, loose air-holding also results in unstable ballistics, poor long-distance accuracy, high manufacturing process requirements, and high cost.