Chapter 160: The Frightened Generals

"Your Highness, can this Artillery really fire an Iron Ball three or four li?"

After the mold was removed, the Artillery was placed at a forty-five-degree incline.

Wang Ying stood before the muzzle, peering into the barrel.

In his view, this thing was just a bit heavier and longer than a Firearm.

Zhao Xu looked toward Wang Chong, whose eyes were shining.

The firing of Artillery is a comprehensive system.

The cannon body, Gunpowder, and projectile are all indispensable.

Now that the cannon body was finished, all that remained were the Gunpowder and the Cannonball.

And he had entrusted this to Wang Chong.

So he said, "This will depend on whether the Gunpowder and Cannonball Wang Chong made are up to standard."

Regarding craftsmanship, Wang Ying was never careless; he looked at Wang Chong with a stern expression, "If you botch the task His Highness entrusted to us, I will surely break your legs."

Wang Chong shuddered in fear.

He could tell his father was serious; he always had extremely strict requirements for tasks entrusted by the Yan Wang.

And he had entered the Armory Bureau under his own father's recommendation.

If he lost face this time, it would be equivalent to losing his father's face.

From then on, he could forget about staying in the Armory Bureau.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Wang Chong said, "No need for you to say it, I would break my own legs."

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

At this moment, Wang Chong trotted all the way to the side of the Blast Furnace.

When he returned, he was cradling a black Iron Ball the size of a tennis ball in his hands.

Under the gaze of the crowd, he placed the Iron Ball against the muzzle to measure it; the Iron Ball and the muzzle fit together seamlessly.

"The Cannonball is just right." Wang Chong let out a soft sigh of relief.

Turning to Zhao Xu, he said, "Your Highness, the Gunpowder is also prepared; can we test the Artillery now?"

Wang Ying was just about to ask this question.

Having painstakingly built the Artillery, they were very eager to witness the true power of this thing, otherwise, there would always be some regret in their hearts.

"We can test the Artillery, but not in this place." Zhao Xu looked around.

If this cannon were fired, the Cannonball could go straight through a wall and fly out onto the main street.

Moreover, he also wanted to let Chang Wei and the others come to observe.

The matter of Kutu had left them feeling very stifled.

Although he had declared that as long as one is strong enough, the Grassland is nothing but a cage.

But he still had to give them hope.

So he said, "I will pick a place, and we will test the Artillery tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness." Wang Ying and Wang Chong looked delighted.

Zhao Xu patted the heavy Artillery, instructed Wang Ying to think of a method for transport, and went to the North Camp under the escort of Xu Lie.

"Open, uninhabited, and good for secrecy?" Chang Wei frowned.

As soon as the Yan Wang arrived at the camp, he threw a difficult problem at him.

"There is such a place, though it is a bit far, twenty li from the East Gate; that place is called Matishan."

Before Chang Wei could think of one, Lv Chang spoke up.

He was a native of Yan Commandery and was more familiar with this area than Chang Wei.

Chen Hu slapped his forehead, "Right, there is such a place; this low mountain is shaped like a horseshoe, and there is a large open space between the mountains, surrounded by mountains on three sides."

Zhao Xu's eyes lit up.

This was exactly the place he needed.

He was personally looking for this location not just to test the Artillery, but also to prepare to use this place as a training ground for Artillerymen in the future.

"Why is Your Highness looking for such a place?" Chang Wei looked puzzled.

"Gather all the generals and assemble at this place tomorrow; you will know when the time comes."

Having said that, he offered no explanation and left directly.

"Is His Highness always this mysterious?" Mo Yu looked at Zhao Xu's retreating back.

Chang Wei, Lv Chang, and the others exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously, "Just get used to it."

The next day.

A flatbed cart pulled by three horses slowly left the Armory Bureau and headed east.

The cart was covered with a huge piece of burlap, making it impossible to see what was inside.

The carriage traveled straight east along the road from the East Gate.

After five li, it veered off the main road and headed southeast along a small path.

Finally, it stopped in front of a ring-shaped low mountain.

Wang Ying and Wang Chong followed the carriage the whole way, and accompanying them were the craftsmen who had participated in the Artillery's manufacture.

The Artillery had been cast by their own hands, and they had pestered Wang Ying to come and see it.

Wang Ying had therefore agreed to them.

"Quite a few people have come." Wang Ying looked over; there were many horses on the open ground in front of the mountain.

The generals were gathered together talking about something.

Seeing them arrive, all eyes turned toward this side.

Wang Chong became excited; these were all high-ranking officers of the Prince's Personal Army.

In Yan Commandery, they were all figures worshipped by the young and strong.

"Push the Artillery over." Wang Ying was much calmer; he often dealt with Chang Wei and the others.

Chang Wei had always been attentive to him, though he was just a bit fond of urging him for Armor and Weapon.

Leading the carriage to Zhao Xu, Wang Ying stopped and said, "Your Highness, the Artillery has arrived, and all the necessary tools have been brought as well."

Zhao Xu nodded and pulled the cloth off the carriage, revealing the Artillery.

Chang Wei and the others had been wondering why Yan Wang had brought them here.

At this moment, their gazes immediately gathered on the Artillery.

"Is this a Firearm?"

"It looks about the same, but it appears more refined."

"It should be able to fire a Stone Bullet three hundred meters, this thing."

"..."

The officers spoke one after another.

Chang Wei remembered that Yan Wang had once said that a new Weapon would be created soon.

This must be it.

However, now that he saw it, he was somewhat disappointed; wasn't it just a lengthened and thickened Firearm?

Zhao Xu saw the expressions of the officers; he did not explain, but instead said to Wang Ying, "Lead the Warhorse away, and aim the Artillery at the mountain in front."

Wang Ying replied in the affirmative and immediately directed the craftsmen to turn the flatbed cart, aiming the muzzle straight ahead.

Because the Artillery was tied to the heavy flatbed cart, the cart itself was equivalent to a gun carriage.

After doing this, Zhao Xu pointed to three craftsmen.

He had one of the craftsmen take the long rod with pig bristles tied to the front.

One craftsman guarded the Cannonball and the Gunpowder.

The Cannonball was the Iron Ball that Wang Chong had been holding, while the Gunpowder was wrapped in paper, like a large firecracker.

In the contemporary sixteenth or seventeenth century, the Gunpowder for Artillery was stored loose in boxes.

During battle, it was shoveled directly into the muzzle.

Some soldiers were nervous, which would lead to too much or too little Gunpowder.

Too much would easily lead to a barrel explosion, while too little would result in insufficient power.

Having absorbed contemporary experience, he naturally solved this problem easily.

He had Wang Chong make them into paper packets in fixed quantities.

This was convenient for loading and would reduce the error rate.

The third craftsman stood behind the Artillery, holding a torch in one hand and a fuse in the other.

The fuse passed through a hollow, sharp-tipped tube, so as long as it was inserted through the touchhole, it could pierce the powder packet, and lighting the fuse would allow it to fire.

"Clean the bore." Everything ready, Zhao Xu called out.

Hearing this, the craftsman immediately extended the wooden rod into it to clean it.

"Load the ammunition."

The second craftsman pushed the Gunpowder into the bore and then inserted the Iron Ball.

"Fire!" Zhao Xu commanded.

Upon receiving his order, the craftsman lit the fuse.

At this time, the officers were watching with great interest, thinking this set of actions was quite amusing.

Finally, their gazes rested on the burning fuse, and they chatted and laughed, betting on how far it could shoot.

Zhao Xu ignored them and silently covered his own ears.

Wang Ying, Wang Chong, and the craftsmen saw Yan Wang do this and also covered their ears.

The officers did not take it to heart; instead, they straightened their chests one by one, appearing very brave.

"Boom!"

The moment light and smoke flashed from the muzzle, a loud noise rang out like a thunderclap overhead.

The flatbed cart collapsed directly under the huge recoil of the Artillery.

The Iron Ball flew out, leaving an afterimage in the air.

"Hiss!"

The huge sound startled the Warhorse; with a series of neighs, the Warhorse fled in all directions.

Chang Wei and the officers were frightened into a shiver, and some sat directly on the ground.

"Thud!"

After flying five hundred meters, the Cannonball snapped a small tree as thick as a bowl and continued to bounce forward on the ground.

At this time, Zhao Xu said to the shocked Wang Ying, "Go and find the Iron Ball."

Turning around, Zhao Xu said to Chang Wei, "How is it? How is the surprise I gave you this time?"

"This... is too much of a surprise." Chang Wei struggled to keep his voice from trembling.

He finally understood that this thing was by no means as simple as a Firearm.

This was simply a lethal Weapon for killing.

If one were to fire a shot into the ranks of the Northern Di Cavalry, wouldn't it cause devastation for miles?

The expressions of Mo Yu and the others were no better.

They looked as if they had seen a ghost, not even chasing after their own Warhorse that had run away.

Zhao Xu chuckled twice; he was deliberately trying to scare this bunch of fellows.

An hour later, the craftsmen who went to look for the Cannonball returned.

The craftsman was panting from exhaustion and said, "This one paced it out; it is about four li away."

"Four li." Upon hearing this number, Chang Wei and the generals gasped in unison.

Chang Wei was stunned for a long while before slowly exhaling, "His Highness is truly a divine man."