Chapter 711: Howitzer

"Westerners, trenches."

In the Prince's study, Zhao Xu read through the battle report sent by the Cavalry, his brows knitting together slightly.

In contemporary history, the Ming Dynasty had once hired Portuguese mercenaries during its final years.

This was the age of firearms, the first time the West participated in a war in the East.

After the Qing Dynasty was established, its connection with the West was basically severed until the Taiping Rebellion.

After investigation, Western countries believed that the Taiping Rebellion's ban on the opium trade and its insistence on an independent policy would seriously damage the interests of Western nations.

Thus, they decided to support the traitorous Qing government in this civil war, lending troops to assist in the suppression.

Afterward, there were the infamous Ever Victorious Army and Ever Triumphant Army.

Both of these armies were mercenary forces recruited from indigenous people and trained by colonists in the Nanyang colonies.

In addition, there was the Ever Victorious Army, and at the time, Russia, France, and America also contributed men and resources, actively building foreign gun detachments to suppress the Taiping Rebellion.

This was the second time Western countries intervened in an Eastern civil war, and it went deeper than the first.

Now, due to Dongying's ambition toward Da Song, and the collusion between the powerful clans and the forces of Dongying and the Western Lands, Da Song will face a war involving external forces for the first time in history.

These Westerners and trenches are just the beginning; it is not impossible that their colonial armies and mercenaries in Dongtu will land on the soil of Jiangnan next.

After all, he would never betray his country for glory until his death, engaging in heavy taxation and extortion internally while acting obsequiously externally.

To exhaust the resources of China to curry favor with the Great Powers!

He believes that after the investigations by Dongying and the Western countries, they will soon understand this point as well.

With conflicting interests, unless one side retreats, a bloody clash with bayonets will be unavoidable.

Furthermore, after Sam Country was founded, it expelled the colonial nations of North America and South America, incorporating them into its own sphere of influence.

Naturally, he could not tolerate Western countries continuing to throw their weight around in the territory of Dongtu.

When the time comes, once he moves against their colonies, it will trigger even more intense warfare.

In short, he is currently at the stage of a great power's rise.

And in order to contain the rise of an emerging great power, they will certainly exhaust every means.

The Napoleonic Wars and the First World War were, in essence, conflicts of interest between emerging great powers and established great powers.

What's more, at present, the Western Lands are at the peak of white supremacy; the rise of a nation with a different skin color is, to them, a nightmare.

"Since that is the case, let the storm come more fiercely." Zhao Xu clenched his fists tightly, his expression resolute.

In fact, his situation is not too bad; at the very least, he has mastered technology not inferior to the Western Lands and established a powerful army.

Before long, the various technologies in Yanzhou will even achieve a reversal.

This is nothing compared to Liu Bang being besieged by the Xiongnu or Emperor Taizong of Tang signing the Alliance of Wei River with the Turks.

And he, like them, will build a prosperous Han and Tang era of his own!

"Your Highness..."

Seeing Zhao Xu lost in thought,

the Cavalryman reminded him cautiously.

The war was urgent, and he still had to take Yan Wang's orders back to report.

Zhao Xu came back to his senses; Chang Wei's ultimate goal was still to ask for his instructions on the next strategy.

So he said: "There is no need to rush; try to win the victory with the smallest cost. The most important thing is to stabilize Jiangbei and coordinate with Ma Han to take down Southern Liang."

Trench warfare is a very disgusting tactic that appeared after the advent of firearms.

During the contemporary American Revolutionary War, the American and British armies often dug trenches around cities to fight for control of them.

In the Civil War, this tactic was pushed to the extreme.

So much so that the Civil War is called a dress rehearsal for the First World War.

And in the First World War, trenches combined with machine guns claimed the lives of millions of soldiers.

Trenches greatly increased the difficulty for the attacking side.

Enemy soldiers hiding in trenches could avoid the gunfire and shelling of the opposing side.

When the enemy approached, they would then expose their bodies to fire at the other side.

In the struggle for trenches, casualties on both sides would be very high.

Therefore, he did not want the Prince's Personal Army to recklessly launch an attack for the sake of one Yang City.

And not launching a strong attack meant consuming more time in a standoff.

Since that is the case, it is better to take Southern Liang, stabilize Jiangbei first, and then plan slowly.

"Yes, Your Highness." The Cavalryman replied.

Zhao Xu nodded and added: "Also, go back and tell Chang Wei that he already has a weapon advantageous to himself in trench warfare, and soon, this Prince will send him another type of weapon suitable for trench warfare."

Having said that, he let the Cavalryman return.

Immediately, under the protection of Xu Lie, he went to the Workshop.

The first type of trench warfare weapon he spoke of to the Cavalryman was the hand grenade already equipped in the army.

Hand grenades are very flexible, can be carried by individual soldiers, and are quite useful when fighting for trenches.

And the second type of weapon is the improved mortar he discussed with Wang Ying last time.

That is, a howitzer with high-angle fire, capable of throwing explosive shells into trenches to kill the enemy.

With these two types of weapons, the Prince's Personal Army will find it easier to wear down the enemy in trench warfare and win the victory.

But even so, the Prince's Personal Army still cannot return to the glorious period of taking a city in a day or two.

A war will inevitably require spending more time on the struggle for trenches, followed by sieges.

"Your Highness." As soon as Zhao Xu arrived, Wang Ying hurried over.

Upon learning Zhao Xu's purpose, he led Zhao Xu to the Artillery Workshop.

"Your Highness, I have always kept this matter in mind. As soon as the Steel Workshop smelted the first furnace of Converter Steel, I took a portion of it to improve the Mortar, and this is it," Wang Ying said, pointing to an improved Mortar in the warehouse.

These Mortars were no longer the hand-carried Mortars as thick as water buckets and fixed to iron plates.

Instead, they were modern muzzle-loading Howitzers, as thick as a bowl, fixed on wheels, with the muzzle pointed sixty degrees toward the sky.

Zhao Xu nodded; the quality of the Converter Steel was excellent, allowing it to withstand more Yellow Gunpowder while reducing weight and the thickness of the barrel walls.

Although these Howitzers were still "beggar versions" compared to the howitzers around the First World War.

They were absolutely lethal weapons on the battlefield during this period, especially for dealing with enemies in a Trench.

Thinking of this, he said, "How is the range of this Howitzer?"

Wang Ying said, "I have tested it; it can fire a Cannonball about 1,500 meters."

Zhao Xu nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad, it is sufficient."

This range was about the same as a Smoothbore Cannon, but for a Mortar, it was definitely a huge breakthrough.

After all, previously, the range of a Mortar was less than 500 meters.

However, due to the issue of steel materials, the production of the Howitzer had clearly only just begun.

This one was merely experimental in nature.

So he said to Wang Ying, "The new Rifled Musket cannot be delayed, and this Howitzer must also be accelerated; produce one hundred of them as soon as possible."

Regarding the point of Yangcheng, although he told Chang Wei not to be anxious, he still intended to take it eventually.

After all, leaving such a stronghold of a powerful clan in Jiangbei would make him feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, Yangcheng was the Yangzhou of this era, and the Canal also extended to this place.

Without taking this place, his Warship would be unable to travel down the Canal.