Chapter 307: Volume 1, Chapter 307 — Because Having Money Is Confidence

Making cannons was not simple, but for Rong Luoge it was somewhat easier than building various kinds of looms; the knowledge she had acquired covered more in the way of weaponry.

Production technology and economic development were the foundations of a society's progress. Even she had no way to make ancient people leap directly from 2G to 5G, because this was a long process of production technology driving social development, and it was unavoidable.

She could only improve upon the current highest production technology as much as possible, and being able to achieve the most advanced level already left her fully satisfied.

Just as with making cannons, she could not leap straight from crude cannons to the most advanced technology all at once. In ancient times, large cannons used a Mold Casting Method, which she thought could serve as a reference.

The Mold Casting Method involved, before casting a large cannon, first making an outer mold and an inner mold, then fitting the outer mold over the inner mold so that the axes of the two molds aligned, then pouring molten bronze or steel into the gap between the outer and inner molds. Once cooled, the inner and outer molds were removed, leaving the rough blank of the cast cannon. Cannons cast using the Mold Casting Method had no casting seams, possessed good structural integrity, were sturdy and durable, had strong pressure resistance, and delivered great firing power—a new method of cannon casting that improved cannon performance.

This method did not require very high production technology and was well suited for her to adopt at present.

Before that, the cannon's caliber size still had to be determined first, with the dimensions of each part—length, size, wall thickness, and so on—designed as multiples of the caliber.

The advantage of doing this was that when casting cannons, it comprehensively accounted for parameters such as material quality and the cannon's lethal and destructive power. Therefore, cannons were classified into three types—Field Cannons (field artillery), Siege Cannons (siege artillery), and Defense Cannons (city-defense artillery). Because the purposes of these three types of cannons differed, the proportions among caliber, length, weight, and wall thickness were also not the same.

In addition, knowledge from natural sciences such as metallurgy and casting, mechanics, chemistry, and dynamics had to be applied to determine the ratio of projectile weight to gunpowder charge and the relationship between firing angle and range.

For example, a Cannon Quadrant was used to measure the cannon's firing angle. This Cannon Quadrant was shaped like a right-angle triangle ruler; the two perpendicular sides were called the gou and the gu, each about one chi long. The right-angle vertex where the gou and gu met was the quadrant center, and the two sides were connected by a quarter-circle ring, then divided into twelve equal parts, each part being 7.5 degrees. A plumb line was suspended from the right-angle vertex for use in measuring the firing angle.

When measuring, one perpendicular side was inserted into the cannon barrel. If the cannon body was parallel to the ground, the plumb line formed a 90-degree angle with the central axis of the barrel. Firing at this angle was called a Level Shot.

If the cannon's breech was lowered, the muzzle would rise, thereby changing the cannon's firing angle. Counting from the Level Shot position, the range increased gradually as the elevation angle increased. When the elevation angle on the Cannon Quadrant showed the vertical bisector of the right angle (i. e., the 6th division line at 45 degrees), the range was farthest. Beyond 45 degrees, "the projectile would be fired too high and fall from above, losing its force and instead landing closer."

After the cannons were truly built, firing tests still had to be conducted to record the relationship between firing angle and range, and a batch of cannon operators had to be trained. Even if they could not hit the target every single time, their accuracy rate had to be at least eighty percent.

Did practicing with cannons not cost money?

Where would these military expenditures come from?

Just thinking about it made Rong Luoge's heart bleed. The family fortune that she and Han Xinglan had painstakingly built up over so many years would probably all have to go into it.

So why did noble houses have confidence?

Because they had money!

Because they could afford to maintain armies!

Rong Luoge had not drawn this kind of diagram in a long time, so she was inevitably a bit out of practice. Moreover, without drafting tools to assist her, relying entirely on her hands and her mind, she was exhausted to the point of dazedness after an entire morning.

In addition, she also had to make notes and subdivide every aspect of cannon processing—including inspection techniques, defect patching, repairs, maintenance, the development of accessories, the construction of cannon carts, the preparation of gunpowder, and the operation of cannons. This was a considerable undertaking.

By reckoning, this should be the largest workload she had taken on since arriving in this world.

As long as it could truly be successfully built, with a cannon in hand, the world would truly be hers.

As long as she thought of these things, Rong Luoge no longer felt miserable. For the sake of a better life in the future, she still had to work!

When Han Xinglan returned, he knew Rong Luoge was in the study, and he could not help recalling what she had said to him before. His pace instantly quickened.

The moment he entered the study, Han Xinglan was stunned. The floor and the desk were entirely covered with paper. He watched Rong Luoge sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back to him, murmuring to herself as the brush in her hand occasionally swept across some sheet of paper.

Seeing quite a few sheets of paper crumpled into balls in a corner of the room, he knew those were discarded drafts.

A hard-to-describe emotion surged in his chest. He walked over gently, crouched beside Rong Luoge, and seeing that she was lost in thought, knew he could not disturb her at this moment. He waited quietly. He did not know how long had passed—his legs had gone numb from crouching—before he finally saw Luoge's eyes light up. She picked up the brush and quickly wrote down a line in the notebook in her hand. That line… he could not understand it.

Only when Rong Luoge snapped out of her thoughts did she sense someone beside her. She turned her head and saw Han Xinglan. "You're back?"

Han Xinglan nodded. "Get up and rest a while."

Rong Luoge nodded. "Wait until I finish writing this bit."

Han Xinglan waited quietly. When she finished writing, he reached out to help her up. Only then did Rong Luoge feel her legs go numb. The moment Han Xinglan saw this, he picked her up. "I know you're anxious, but you still need to take care of your body."

Rong Luoge hurriedly nodded. As she exited the study, she called out loudly to Rong Xin, "Don't touch anything in the study. Lock the door well. Don't let anyone in."

Rong Xin hurriedly agreed and personally went over to lock the study door.

Han Xinglan set her down in the inner room and looked at her with a smile. "So nervous?"

Meeting Han Xinglan's teasing expression, Rong Luoge said in all seriousness, "Of course. This is the foundation we'll rely on in the future, so of course we must be careful."

"Are your legs still numb?" Han Xinglan asked as he massaged her legs.

Rong Luoge shook her head. "They're fine. What time is it? I feel so hungry."

Han Xinglan said, "It's a quarter past noon."

Rong Luoge was startled—it was already nearly one o'clock? No wonder she was starving.

Han Xinglan could not help feeling pained seeing her like this. He had a meal laid out immediately and personally took Rong Luoge to wash her hands.

Rong Luoge was extremely excited and told Han Xinglan about the Red Barbarian Cannon she was going to build, describing its power. "One shot against a city wall, and half the wall would be blown apart."

Han Xinglan's eyes lit up. "Is it truly that formidable?"

The previous Fire Thunder had already been enough to inspire awe, but its power was far too small compared to this.

"Naturally." Rong Luoge grew very confident when speaking of this. "Once the thing is built, we'll also need to train a batch of cannon operators. If they can't use them well, these cannons amount to nothing but waste."

Han Xinglan gave a slight nod and was instantly filled with anticipation. "When can we start building?"

Rong Luoge thought for a moment. "At the earliest, half a month from now. Let me first draw out the detailed blueprints. Have Official Kang's side prepare the materials in the meantime. When the time comes, it will certainly make you a sensation."

Han Xinglan looked at Luoge's excited expression and could not help smiling along with her.

Meeting her was indeed his greatest fortune and blessing.