Chapter 527 27. Cannons Create a New Empire

Father William left, and Xiao Pingtai did not rush to Hamamatsu to see him off, because time was running out.

At this moment, there were four men kneeling in front of Xiao Pingtai. From the clothes, it can be seen that they were ordinary townspeople and craftsmen. Each of them pressed his head tightly against the ground, not daring to make the slightest sound.

"Do you know why I summoned you?" Xiao Pingtai dismissed all the idlers, and only Hosokawa Cainu, who was in charge of the mobilization of troops and military service households, and Murakami Yoshimitsu, who was in charge of the main city guards, were by his side.

All the attendants who had been serving in the vicinity were dismissed, and the hatamoto on duty were also transferred. Even Aji and Tatsuzo, who had been serving Xiao Pingtai, were ordered to go outside the house, both as guards and to prevent them from hearing or others from hearing.

"It's probably because the big barrel needs to be cast for the tanzheng." One of them answered carefully.

"The previous prime minister and Yulin Palace sent you to Nanban Town, Hamamatsu to learn how to cast Nanban cannons. Have you mastered it?"

Several people breathed a sigh of relief. Three of them were blacksmiths and iron cannon craftsmen who were selected and sent to Nanban Town, Hamamatsu a few years ago to learn how to cast Portuguese cannons.

Originally, Xiao Pingtai asked them if they could cast Portuguese cannons, so they were relieved. After two years of learning, the casting method has been fully mastered. A large Portuguese cannon weighing one thousand jin can be cast independently, not to mention small and medium-sized models weighing five or six hundred jin or two or three hundred jin.

"Please rest assured, we have mastered it!" The man was full of confidence.

"Very good!" Xiao Pingtai turned his head to the remaining man again.

"How many generations has your family made carts and wheels?"

"Ah, yes, my family has been making carts for four generations, more than a hundred years!"

"Then I want you to make a new cannon cart to hold the Nanban cannon. How long will it take you?"

"This..." The man hesitated.

"Is one year enough for you?" Xiao Pingtai didn't wait for his answer.

"Yes, it's enough!"

"I can give you a reference of the artillery cart made by Yuanjiang Palace in the past. Someone will take you to get it after you leave the city."

Hosokawa Cainu and Murakami Yoshimitsu, who were listening on the side, didn't understand why Xiao Pingtai summoned these four people and kept it secret. If he was asking about these things, there was no need to do this. They are all lice on the bald head, it's obvious.

This is certainly not idle, Xiao Pingtai is very busy, there must be a reason.

He is now summoning craftsmen who cast cannons and manufacture towing artillery carts, with the goal of manufacturing the "king's certificate" for the next three hundred years of field battles, a three-pound or six-pound field cannon that can quickly accompany the army to fight.

It is the Continental Army 1776 three-pound bronze field cannon that is said to have created an empire with a cannon.

Today's Portuguese mother-and-child cannons are not mentioned, there are too many materials and too many real objects, you can know them by searching Baidu.

In another thirty years, the red cannon that will appear in the neighboring Ming Dynasty and has been wildly popular for more than a hundred years is the long-barreled 12-pound shipborne cannon mentioned by Father William.

By thickening the gun wall and extending the gun barrel, a huge advantage in range is achieved. The longest one is even more than thirty times its caliber, reaching a terrifying gun length of four meters.

During the Anglo-Spanish naval battle, both sides were equipped with thousands of long cannons of different calibers. On the vast ocean, he is the king of victory at this moment.

However, this long-barreled cannon of Koffelin can also be used in field battles, but it has an obvious problem that it is impossible to move quickly, or it cannot move on the battlefield.

Inevitably, reducing the weight of the artillery, increasing its firing speed, and standardizing the caliber of the artillery have become problems that rulers of various countries must face.

Kobayata's requirement for these craftsmen was to make a bronze field gun that could adapt to the terrain of Japan's mountainous hills and poor road conditions, which could not only keep up with the troops' march, but also quickly deploy and advance in the battle, and always provide rapid firepower for the troops, with a longer range that the Portuguese gun did not have.

The goal is: skilled gunners, one shot every half a minute!

As for silk gunpowder bags, tubular gunpowder fuses, sponge brushing the barrel, and setting up the front car of the gun carriage to adapt to the ups and downs, all these crystallizations of wisdom of countless predecessors were cheap for Kobayata.

You know why Kobayata was still determined to train artillerymen when firing the Portuguese gun, a relatively early cannon. Be proficient in using gun gauges and gun rulers, calculate the firing angle and range, preset the charge, and choose the artillery position.

Which one should not be learned?

The skilled artillerymen will be trained soon, and then combined with the bronze rapid-fire field gun. No matter how strong your army is, or how strong your body is, you will be defeated by my ruthless cannon!

As for why we didn't cast 12-pound, 18-pound, or even 24-pound cannons, the reason is very simple, they are not used.

As for the level of this castle in Japan? The 6-pound cannon is really impressive.

Except for the Odawara Castle, which was five miles in circumference, ten meters high, with a slope of 50 degrees and a moat around the city. Now there is no other city that needs to use European 24-pound siege cannons to open the city defense.

Moreover, now that we have trained gunsmiths and skilled artillerymen, it is only a matter of course when we really need larger caliber cannons.

It is impossible that even Huang Taiji, who was outside the Great Wall with only two or three kittens, could imitate the red cannon, and Xiao Pingtai had people with money and foreign technology to buy, but he couldn't compare with him?

Now it happens that Koshin and Sogoshi have a one-year truce. No matter which family is recuperating and accumulating, it is time to resume the war once the wounds have healed.

Others increase their military strength and military power by expanding their territory and financial resources.

Kobayata was forced to, or more skilled in, cultivating internal strength, nourishing the people's power internally, accelerating the development of the production model of large handicraft workshops, expanding foreign trade, and increasing income, thereby also achieving the purpose of strengthening military power and expanding military power.

In the chaotic times of the Warring States Period, as long as you have money, you are still afraid of not having soldiers? Put up the flag of recruiting soldiers, and there will be people to eat.

Oda Nobunaga lost countless battles and suffered countless casualties. But in less than two months, with a lot of Yongle money and gold, he can regroup and fight again.

Just like the Hosokawa and Miyoshi families who controlled Sakaimachi before, by mobilizing huge financial resources, they can obtain military power that other daimyo families cannot have, and thus become invincible.

Kobayata has been constantly expanding and opening up new sources of income, ensuring that the Yamanouchi clan has sufficient military strength, and now he is trying to improve artillery technology. With the unparalleled coordination of the "Koshin Elite Soldiers", he will surely be invincible.