Chapter 106： naval gun test

Paul also brought 20 naval guns, including 4 12-pound guns, 12 6-pound guns, and 4 swivel guns, plus 2 6-pound guns and 4 swivel guns used in previous training. , Now the navy already has 26 artillery pieces.

The swivel gun is a small-caliber artillery, which is placed on a bracket that can rotate 360 ​​degrees. It is very light and flexible. It is used to support jumping gang operations and make up for the dead angle of firepower of sideboard guns.

When the Hope was built, gun ports for the artillery had been reserved on both sides of the upper deck. Because it was the first construction, it was not clear how many guns could be loaded. Only 8 gun ports were opened, 4 on each side. indivual.

After returning to port from the trial voyage, Austin commanded the sailors to receive the new artillery brought by Paul. Four of the 6-pound guns were immediately loaded onto the ship, followed by a box of shells and barrels of gunpowder.

Installing naval guns is not an easy job. The space on the ship is limited, and a reasonable artillery retreat mechanism must be constructed using ropes and pulleys. The navy has been experimenting on land for a long time before finding out a more feasible solution.

"Let's go, take me around the sea! Let's fire two cannons to try." After the sailors set up the cannons, Paul couldn't wait to order to go to sea.

The sailors hoisted the sails, and several sailors pushed the anchor winch hard together to retract the anchor. Driven by the wind, the "Hope" slowly sailed out of the port again.

Among the people who came with Paul, many of them were sailing on a boat for the first time, and everyone looked at this and that excitedly, as if the Hope was a novel big toy.

"That's what I want!"

Facing the sea breeze and sailing towards the boundless sea, Paul seemed to be in the age of great navigation on earth.

In one corner of the deck, two female advisors were whispering.

Irene was thoughtful: "It turns out that you can run so fast without paddling a boat."

Ladi also said: "That's right, it's really rare to see such a large ship that props up so many sails and is driven entirely by wind power."

As an adventurer, she has seen the world, but the kind of boats that do not rely on human paddling are generally small boats that sail along the coast or inland rivers, and can only accommodate a few people.

Irene said mysteriously: "Let me tell you, apart from the paper and porcelain we use in our daily life, and the canned food we ate that day, this Earl Greiman has also produced a lot of things."

It's a woman's nature that she can't wait to share what she sees with her companions: "There's something very scary in his army..."

She stopped suddenly because she remembered the "non-disclosure agreement" she had signed.

oops! This feeling is so uncomfortable.

Irene remembered the artillery and musket shooting scenes she saw during the semaphore drill. She wanted to describe it to Ladi, but she was deeply impressed by the power and momentum of the firearms.

"It would be great if we could equip the kingdom's army with this kind of weapon in large quantities. In the face of that kind of power, the rebel army in the south will definitely be defeated."

She wondered in her heart more than once, should she reveal her identity as a princess and ask the lord to contribute the manufacturing technology to the royal family.

But the fear of marriage made her dismiss the idea again and again. .

Ladi tilted her head and asked suspiciously: "What's scary?" The gesture was very cute.

Eileen smiled brightly and said, "I can't say it now, but you should be able to see it later."

Before setting sail, she heard Paul's words "Try firing two cannons", and saw the 4 cannons deployed on the deck, which should be fired during this trial voyage.

Sure enough, after a while, she heard Paul order: "Drive the boat to the vicinity of that rocky cliff, and let's try the effect of the ship's artillery."

Austin immediately relayed Paul's order to Quick, and the Hope turned around and sailed towards the rocky cliffs on the shore.

The gunners began to load the guns, and they quickly loaded the two 6-pounders on the port side with ammunition.

Soon the Hope sailed to a position about 500 meters away from the cliff, and turned its port side towards the cliff.

Austin ordered loudly: "Gunner ready!"

Irene immediately pulled Ladi's clothes and reminded: "The sound will be loud, cover your ears tightly."

Ladi did as she said, and tightly covered her ears with her hands, and looked at the other people on the boat, they also covered their ears.

"Fire!"

As soon as Austin's voice fell, the two gunners lit the fuses of the artillery in front of them respectively.

Accompanied by the huge roar from the artillery, everyone only felt that the hull of the ship shook violently.

Looking forward, the power of the ship's artillery at this distance is impressive. The rocks are splashed on the cliff, and one of the shells just hit a huge abrupt rock, smashing it to pieces on the spot.

"Good... so amazing!" Ladi, who saw the artillery shooting scene for the first time, was a little stunned.

Irene introduced to her: "This is artillery, which can shoot from a long distance like a ballista or a trebuchet."

Ladi secretly thought: This power and range are much stronger than ballistas and trebuchets.

She recalled the day when Paul recaptured Port of Flanders, there was a thunderous sound outside the town, and Arda's army broke into the city not long after.

I think that the loud noise that day was made by this weapon. Such a level of power could indeed directly blast the city gate open. No wonder the pirates' defense did not work.

There are four openings on each side of the ship After all the guns are arranged, how powerful is this ship.

Against a galley of the same size, a round of shells hits the past. If all hits, there are still a few paddlers left.

Ladi also learned that Arda was facing the threat of the Kent family in the neighboring territory, but Earl Greiman has never shown any signs of panic. Is this the strength he relies on?

The gun on the port side fired three consecutive rounds before stopping firing.

Austin ordered loudly: "Check the condition of the hull!"

It was just a volley of two cannons, and it would be bad if the ship was damaged by the shock, which meant that the Hope was a failure.

"Everything is fine in the bilge!"

"Everything is fine on the front deck!"

…

As the reports came over, the hearts of everyone were relieved.

Austin handed the telescope to Paul, and the Earl carefully observed the situation on the rock wall.

"This power should be no problem against those crispy ships of pirates." The navy commander confirmed.

Paul thought of something, he turned to look at Hansel, only to see that the director of the Ministry of Agriculture is in a very bad state.

Hansel held a railing tightly with his hands in a panic-stricken look. Seeing Paul looking at him, he said with a sad face, "Sorry, this is the first time in my life to go out to sea by boat."

"Oh, sir, we're not going out to sea, it's just a few rounds around the port."

"Why don't you wait a few more days and go south on the Hope when everything is ready?"

Hansel quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I'll go south by land this time, I don't dare to delay Lord Graeman's business."

There was laughter from everyone on the deck.