Start Being a Vassal King Today - Chapter 698

[Chapter 698 Howitzer]

“Western natives, trenches.”

Zhao Xu read the battle report sent by the cavalry in the palace study, and frowned slightly.

In contemporary history, Portuguese mercenaries were hired in the late Ming Dynasty.

This was the age of firearms, the first time the West was involved in a war in the East.

The Qing Dynasty was established, and the connection with the West was basically interrupted until the Tianping Heavenly Kingdom Movement.

After investigation, Western countries believed that the Tianping Heavenly Kingdom banned the opium trade and insisted on an independent policy that would seriously damage the interests of Western countries.

So he decided to choose to support the traitorous Qing government in this civil war, and use his teacher to help suppress.

Then there was the notorious Ever Victorious Army, Chang Jie Army.

Both of these two armies were mercenaries trained by the colonists in the Nanyang colonies.

In addition, there was a Chinese-British mixed army. At that time, Tsarist Russia, France, and the United States all contributed their efforts to actively build foreign gun teams to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

This is the second time that Western countries have intervened in the Eastern Civil War, and it is deeper than the first.

Today, due to Dongying’s ambitions for Dasong and the collusion between the Shizu and Dongying and Xitu Shizu, Dasong will face a war involving external forces for the first time in history.

The Western natives and the trenches are just the beginning, and it is not impossible for their colonial troops and mercenaries in the Eastern land to land in the south of the Yangtze River.

After all, until his death, he would not sell his country for glory, extort money at home, and be servile to others.

Measure the material power of China and win the favor of the great powers!

He believed that after the investigation of the Eastern and Western countries, they would soon understand this.

With conflicting interests, unless one party backs down, it is inevitable that the bayonet will become popular.

Furthermore, after Sam’s country was established, it expelled the colonial countries in North America and South America and brought them into its sphere of influence.

Naturally, it is impossible for him to tolerate the Western countries showing off their power in the East.

At that time, once he moves their colony, there will be an even more intense war.

All in all, he is now in the stage of the rise of great powers.

And in order to curb the rise of a rising power, they will use all means.

The Napoleonic Wars and the First World War were essentially conflicts of interest between emerging powers and conservative powers.

What’s more, the West is currently at the peak of white supremacy, and the rise of a country with a different skin color is even more of a nightmare for them.

“Since that’s the case, let’s make the storm more violent.” Zhao Xu clenched his fists tightly, with a firm expression on his face.

In fact, his situation is not too bad, at least he has mastered the technology that is not inferior to that of Xitu, and built a powerful army.

It won’t be long before Yanzhou’s various technologies will even overtake.

This is nothing compared to Liu Bang being besieged by the Huns, and Tang Taizong signing the Weishui alliance with the Turks.

And he will, like them, build a prosperous Han and Tang Dynasty of his own!

“Your Highness…”

Seeing Zhao Xu in a daze, the cavalry carefully reminded him.

The battle was urgent, and he had to go back with King Yan’s order to return. ,

Zhao Xu came back to his senses, Chang Wei’s ultimate goal was to ask him for instructions on his next strategy.

So he said: “Don’t be in a hurry, try to win the victory at the lowest cost. The most important thing is to stabilize Jiangbei and cooperate with Ma Han to take down Nanliang.”

Trench warfare is a very disgusting tactic after the appearance of firearms.

In the contemporary American Revolutionary War, in order to compete for the city, the U.S. and British troops often dug trenches around the city to fight.

This tactic was used to the extreme in the Civil War.

So much so that the Civil War was a rehearsal of the First World War.

In World War I, trenches and machine guns claimed the lives of millions of soldiers.

Trenches greatly increase the difficulty of attacking one side.

The opponent’s soldiers hiding in the trenches can avoid the shooting and shelling of the opponent’s muskets.

When the enemy is close, then expose the body to shoot at the opponent.

In the struggle for the trenches, both sides will suffer heavy casualties.

Therefore, he didn’t want the royal army’s troops to launch a reckless attack for Yangcheng.

Not attacking by force means that it will consume more time to confront.

That being the case, it is better to take down Nanliang, stabilize Jiangbei first, and then slowly plan it.

“Yes, Your Highness.” The cavalry replied yes.

Zhao Xu nodded, and said again: “Also, you go back and tell Chang Wei that he already has a firearm that is beneficial to him in trench warfare, and soon, this king will send him another weapon suitable for trench warfare.” Firearms.”

After that, he sent the cavalry back.

Immediately, under Xu Lie’s guard, he went down to the Military Division.

The first trench warfare weapon he mentioned to the cavalry was the hand grenade already equipped in the army.

The grenade is very flexible and can be carried by a single soldier. It is very useful when fighting for trenches.

And the second weapon is the improved mortar that he and Wang Ying talked about last time.

That is, a howitzer fired at a high elevation angle can throw flowering bombs on the trench to kill the enemy.

With these two types of firearms, it will be easier for the royal army to consume the enemy in trench warfare and win the victory.

But even so, the royal family’s army still couldn’t return to the glorious period when they won a city in a day or two.

A war will inevitably spend more time on the contention of the trenches, and secondly on the siege of the city.

“Your Highness.” As soon as Zhao Xu arrived, Wang Ying hurried over.

Knowing Zhao Xu’s purpose, he led Zhao Xu to the Artillery Workshop.

“Your Highness, I always remember that the first batch of converter steel was smelted in the Iron and Steel Workshop, and I took part of it to improve the mortar. This is it.” Wang Ying pointed to an improved mortar in the warehouse.

These mortars are no longer as thick as buckets and fixed on iron plates with hand-held mortars.

It was a modern front-loading howitzer as thick as a bowl, fixed on wheels, and with its muzzle facing the sky at 60 degrees.

Zhao Xu nodded, the quality of the converter steel is excellent, and it can withstand more yellow powder while reducing the weight and wall thickness of the gun bore.

Although, these howitzers are still a beggar version compared to the howitzers before and after World War I.

But in this period, it is definitely an enemy-killing weapon on the battlefield, especially against enemies in the trenches.

Thinking of this, he asked, “What’s the shooting range of this howitzer?”

Wang Ying said, “I tried it, and it can shoot the shells about 1,500 meters.”

Zhao Xu nodded in satisfaction, “Not bad, it’s enough.”

This shooting range It is almost the same as the smoothbore gun, but it is definitely a great breakthrough for the mortar.

After all, before, the range of the mortar was less than 500 meters.

However, due to steel problems, the production of howitzers has apparently just begun.

This door is only experimental.

So he said to Wang: “The new rifle can’t be delayed, and this howitzer has to be stepped up. Make a hundred of them as soon as possible.”

Although he told Chang Wei not to worry about Yangcheng, he still wanted to take it down in the end.

After all, leaving such a stronghold in Jiangbei would make him feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, Yangcheng is the contemporary Yangzhou, and the canal also extends here.

Without taking this place, his warships would not be able to sail down the canal.

(end of this chapter)