strictlysupreme Chapter 136 Model
Chapter 136 Model
If we were to ask what videos Zhou Dajiang watched the most in modern times, apart from those related to mechanical processing, they would be various military weapons and cars.
Drones, fighter jets, intercontinental missiles, nuclear submarines, there is nothing he has not seen, but these are not applicable in ancient times.
Furthermore, the Donghua Kingdom also had artillery, but at that time, it was not called a cannon, but a flintlock cannon. Composed of a barrel, a chamber, and a breech block, the smoothbore cannon was mostly front-loading. Made of copper, it was also called a copper fire gun. While copper fire guns were considered a very advanced invention during this dynasty, they were prone to bursting due to their front-loading gunpowder. This led to the Minister of Works debating the need for improvements.
However, Zhou Dajiang didn't know all this. He was also thinking of shooting artillery, but what he was thinking of was the more powerful modern six-in-one cannon and the twenty-six-in-one concentrated fire cannon.
Since they were both artillery, firing one shell would naturally be more powerful than firing six shells simultaneously. The power of the concentrated fire cannon was even greater, needless to say; it was the Gatling gun of the artillery world.
There is also a Gustav M2 recoilless rifle, which he also wants to develop. The biggest feature of this gun is that it is portable and has no recoil when fired.
The goal of "suppressing the Japanese" wasn't just a naval battle; it also involved a subsequent landing operation. While cannons could be pushed, they were heavy and required multiple soldiers to maneuver. Recoilless rifles were different; soldiers could carry them and walk, or fire them while crouching. They could be operated by two or more people.
These are the three types of shooting cannons Zhou Dajiang could think of that are currently most suitable for use in ancient times.
Having thought about this, in order to make what he came up with more convincing, he decided to make a few models first for demonstration purposes.
First, there was the steamboat. Because the steam engine was too large to manufacture in a short time, he thought of a simpler way to first let everyone know about steam power. So he decided to build a "Puff Boat."
Zhou Dajiang first asked Carpenter Tian to help him make a small wooden boat. Then he drilled two holes at the tail of the wooden boat, and asked his younger brother to make two copper pipes and two pieces of copper sheets for him.
One end of the copper tube is bent 90 degrees. A piece of copper sheet is then cut into a large circle and pressed to create the shape of a can bottom, with a raised center. Two holes are drilled into the circle, and the bent copper tube is inserted. The metal adhesive, made by Tian Carpenter, is then applied, reportedly made from glutinous rice mortar, and allowed to dry in the shade to ensure seamless edges.
Cut another piece of copper sheet into a size that fits perfectly on the bottom of the round can. Then press down the edge of the first piece of copper sheet to secure the second piece of copper sheet. Apply adhesive to ensure there are no gaps around it.
After the adhesive had completely dried in the shade, he blew air into the copper tube and found that there was no leakage. Then he passed the connected copper tube through the stern of the boat. In this way, the "Puff Boat" was ready.
After making the "Puff Boat", he used a mold and rubber to make a small lifebuoy and a rubber pad, and then used the hot melt method to glue the pad and the lifebuoy together, and a simple small life-saving valve was made.
Finally, there was the artillery. This was more complicated, and although it was just a small model, he still chose to separate the drawings and asked Tian the carpenter, Zhou Dahe, and Zhou Dahai to help him make it.
He gave the handle part at the back of the gun body to carpenter Tian; the middle fixing frame and wheels were made of brass, so he gave them to his two brothers, Zhou Dahe and Zhou Dahai, to complete them together.
He made a set of small sand casting molds himself, imitating the ancient bronze casting technique, and directly cast a barrel with six muzzles in the same arrangement as the revolver cylinder.
After casting it, he polished the barrel and installed the parts made by several people together. Only then did everyone know what he was going to do.
Carpenter Tian looked at the assembled cannon, his mouth trembling, "Fire, fire, flint cannon!"
Zhou Dahe and Zhou Dahai were also confused. They didn't expect that the parts their second brother asked them to make were actually used to assemble a flintlock cannon. If it were bigger, could it be used to bombard the enemy?
Zhou Dajiang cleared his throat lightly before saying, "It's just an idea for now. We have to test it to see if it works."
How else could this be tested? Of course, they needed black powder! However, this substance was strictly controlled by the Ministry of War, and ordinary people could not easily obtain it. Even Xue Ren, who they regarded as extremely powerful, was unable to help.
Zhou Dajiang had no choice but to go home and sort out the drawings. He also packed up the models he had made in his "Pass Every Exam" basket. These models took him half a month to make with great effort. He couldn't just put them in a backpack. What if they got broken?
After assembling the model and taking the blueprints, Zhou Dajiang went over in his mind what he wanted to say, and then he and Yu Fuan drove an ox cart to the county government office.
The county office was in chaos, a whirlwind of activity. Recruiting soldiers, stockpiling and transporting food, arranging medicinal materials, and procuring other supplies ordered by higher authorities kept County Magistrate Lin so busy that he wished he had eight hands.
As his "chief secretary", Master Yang was also too busy to take care of everything. He had to run around to eat every day. He almost hung a cake around his neck so that he could take a bite when he was hungry to avoid wasting time on eating.
So, when Zhou Dajiang walked into the county government office and found Master Yang, Master Yang just stopped and looked at him, then said as he walked away: "If you have anything to say, please make it short. I still need to deliver some information to the county magistrate."
Zhou Dajiang dragged his exam basket and followed him in. "That's perfect. Let's talk about it when we see the county magistrate. This matter of mine is very important to our Qingshan County!" He didn't mention Donghua Country because he was worried that Master Yang would think he was bragging, so he only emphasized Qingshan County.
After hearing what he said, Master Yang thought that Zhou Dajiang had developed some agricultural tool similar to a pesticide sprayer just like before, so he nodded and took him to the back of the county government office.
County Magistrate Lin Zhigao was listening to the County Magistrate's report on the third round of conscription. Seeing the two men come in, he dismissed the County Magistrate and looked at Zhou Dajiang. Without even a word of courtesy, he got straight to the point, "What do you have to report today, Mr. Zhou?"
It means I'm very busy, so if it's not important, don't waste your time.
Zhou Dajiang opened the examination basket, revealing the model inside. He then bowed to County Magistrate Lin and Master Yang and said, "I came here today to ask for your help, County Magistrate."
Then he paused and continued, "Now the whole court is preparing to attack Japan. Although I am not talented, I also want to do my part.
Because my idea is quite advanced, I was worried that it might not be convincing, so I spent half a month making several models. I also asked the county magistrate and the legal advisor to help consult and see if it is feasible.