Mark 114 Sea Trial

The next morning, the sky was clear and blue. The steam engine of the White Triangle had finished preheating and was belching out billowing white smoke.

The propellers turned slowly, and the white warship left Willow Leaf Island, leaving a long trail behind it. The fleet was scheduled to assemble at six o'clock the next morning, so they were not in a hurry and had plenty of time.

After bidding farewell to the Five Fangs and the Blue Ark, Su Ming had his skeleton servants pilot the warship to a sea area thirty kilometers away.

The three men conducted a full system check on the MK71 heavy artillery and confirmed that everything was normal.

Beianqi loaded five different types of propellants into the magazine, each with different proportions, detonation velocities, detonation pressures, and volumes of explosive gases.

"25 kg of propellant, 118 kg of solid warhead, load!" Beianqi issued the order; she was in charge of today's test launch.

"Loading complete." Su Ming completed the corresponding actions on the control panel. The MK71 is a detachable ammunition type, and the propellant and the shell need to be loaded separately.

Azimuth 85 degrees, elevation 10 degrees.

Zijin adjusted the turret and repeated, "Azimuth 85 degrees, elevation 10 degrees, done."

Beianqi pressed the launch button, and with a loud bang, the shell roared out and landed on the sea several kilometers away a dozen seconds later.

The laser sensor data came back. "Initial velocity 443 m/s, impact point distance 4.7 km."

"To be able to hit this far with a horizontal shot, that's a terrifying weapon." Beianqi exclaimed as she recorded the data.

"How much chamber pressure is left?" she asked Su Ming.

"About half the limit."

"I'll go adjust the propellant charge and increase it to 35 kilograms," said Beianqi.

After half a day of testing, the young artillery officer continuously changed the propellant formula and increased the loading to 43.8 kilograms.

The muzzle velocity of the artillery shells also increased to 740 meters per second, and at an elevation angle of 30 degrees, they could travel 23 kilometers.

"The first test is a complete success!" Beianqi jumped up and announced, "Congratulations! Maimai is ready for actual combat! Any enemy ship will become Maimai's cannon fodder!"

"Wait, when did it get this name?" Su Ming objected, "And it's so soft and sweet."

"My cat when I was little was named this," Beianqi said, jumping up and down happily. "They really look alike; their eyes and muzzle are the same black."

Your cat must be very fierce.

The completion of the first test of the heavy artillery system does not mean the end of the work. Several problems were discovered during the process, and everyone discussed and devised solutions, with each person taking the lead in resolving them.

The White Triangle then began its journey towards the convoy's assembly point. By nightfall, Su Ming could already see the twinkling lights of ships ahead. A hot air balloon with lights floated in the sky, guiding the ships in the distance.

Su Ming and Zijin climbed to the top of the bridge, where the flagship of the same fleet Golden Barrel, signaled.

"Su Ming, I'm starting to understand what you meant. All the fear stems from insufficient firepower." Zijin gazed at the dense fleet of cargo ships ahead. "If I had seen such a massive convoy before, I would have run as far away as possible."

"You're not itching to rush up there now, are you?" Su Ming chuckled.

"Hmm." Zijin pouted.

"No way, we're not afraid of naval battles, but we are afraid of a surprise attack by a large group of spellcasters."

Joking aside, the White Triangle didn't get too close, anchoring twenty kilometers away. Su Ming maintained radar alert for both air and sea conditions, activated sonar to monitor the water's sounds, and assigned two skeletons to stand guard at all times.

"Someone wants to board the ship for a visit." Zijin read the signal from the Golden Barrel. "They want to assess our capabilities."

"We can't ignore the patron's request," Su Ming thought for a moment. "How about we just demonstrate it directly, without them having to board the ship themselves?"

"How do you plan to demonstrate it? Which cannon do you want to use?"

"It's rare that Beianqi managed to get it working during the day," Su Ming admitted. "Now is not the time to hide our talents."

"Okay!" Zijin agreed, and she called Beianqi out of the cabin.

"I'm very busy right now, there's something burning in the pots." The girl walked to the hatch and called out to the two people upstairs. She had been experimenting with gunpowder all day, and according to her, there was still room for improvement in the propellant formula.

A sudden boom echoed from the cabin. A flash of fire followed, accompanied by the sounds of tables and chairs overturning and glass shattering. Thick smoke billowed from the cabin. The protective magic surrounding Beianqi glowed faintly. She glanced back warily through the smoke and dust. "Alright,

Now we don't need to keep an eye on the crucible anymore.

She dried her hands and climbed up the ladder.

"Hey! Do you explode like this all the time?" Su Ming questioned, this was the third time today!

"It's alright. They usually don't let me touch gunpowder." Beianqi stretched and let out a long sigh of relief. "It feels so good to have the boss reimburse me."

"Employees who frequently cause accidents will be fired," Su Ming said irritably.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful with large portions." Beianqi waved her hand. "What did you call me here for?"

Su Ming pointed to the hot air balloon floating ahead, "Can we hit that target?"

"So we're going to use the Maimai so soon?" the artillery officer girl said after observing through infrared binoculars. "The range isn't a problem, but the target is too small, the hit rate isn't high."

"How about using high-explosive shells with delayed fuses to allow the shells to detonate in the air at close range?" Su Ming proposed.

"The accuracy is still insufficient; the kill radius of high-explosive shells is limited."

Su Ming, "How about we switch to white phosphorus bombs, or a delayed-fuze airburst, and destroy the balloons with white phosphorus splash?"

Beianqi gasped, "Which ship do you dislike? I'll make all its crew come over here and kowtow to you as an apology!"

Large plumes of white phosphorus, trailing unquenchable flames, drifted down from the sky, below which were densely moored wooden sailing cargo ships—the very thought of it was too beautiful to bear.

"They want to test our abilities," Zijin explained. "We have to show something."

Beianqi ran to the communications tower, connected to the Golden Barrel, and then explained the plan to them in detail.

"Alright, it's resolved. They said there's no need for further investigation," said Beianqi, "And they are extremely grateful for your mercy in sparing their lives."

****

The following day at dawn, the fleet set sail, with hundreds of large cargo ships raising their sails together, creating a magnificent sight.

The deck was filled with groups of sailors bustling about, shirtless, lined up to pull the sail lines or operate the winches. The rising sun shone a golden-bronze color on their skin.

The White Triangle was an anomaly. With its bare hull and empty deck, it drifted aimlessly on the sea. While other ships were trying to stay in a straight line, it weaved back and forth among the convoy, like a street hustler at sea.