New Ming Empire mixed in America

"fire!"

Following Song He's order, the main guns of the two new warships began to fire salvos.

Because of the oblique arrangement, the four main guns can fire a salvo towards the front of the battleship.

After several salvoes, the wooden battleship with the English flag began to catch fire and began to sink.

"Black powder shells are still not powerful enough!"

After watching it, Li Mingqi couldn't help but sigh. He was used to the explosion scenes after the cannonball hit in the movies. Now when watching the shooting of the black powder artillery, there is always a feeling that he is still unfinished.

"Long live my lord, hasn't the Royal Research Institute already started researching a new type of explosive? It will definitely be more powerful and the shells will fly farther..."

Liu Erhe heard Li Mingqi's complaint and couldn't help but say something.

Regarding Liu Erhe's ignorance, Li Mingqi has a dark head.

"The warhead is filled with explosives. If explosives are used as propellant, wouldn't the barrel be useless?"

After scolding, Li Mingqi thought about Liu Erhe's words and realized that there were no major omissions. But now that he had scolded him, it could only be Liu Erhe's fault. How could His Majesty the Emperor be at fault?

"Did Nobel develop his diatomaceous earth explosive?"

Liu Erhe ignored the grievance and asked Zhang Yu, the director of the institute who was following him.

"Your Majesty, that kind of explosive has been produced, but it is still a bit unstable and cannot be used directly in artillery shells. It will take some time for experimentation."

After listening to Zhang Yu's words, Li Mingqi realized that he seemed to be lacking in theoretical knowledge.

He thought that explosives could be used directly in artillery shells, but now he found out that explosives are even classified.

After touching his nose, Li Mingqi decided to skip this topic and asked instead:

"How is the engine research going now?"

The engine was still in its infancy when I last looked at it. Now that it has been so long, it must be almost there, right?

Sure enough, Zhang Yu's words confirmed his thoughts: "The engine is ready for use. Although the power is not as powerful as the one you took out, it is enough."

Speaking of engines, Zhang Yu also got excited. Because Li Mingqi said that as long as the engines are developed, the New Ming Empire will usher in a new chapter.

"Can it be modified on a carriage so that the carriage moves on its own?"

Li Mingqi asked another key question. He remembered that he heard Zhang Yu say last time that in the future, he would install an engine on the carriage and let it run on its own.

"Not yet, the engine is a bit big, but it can already be used on an airship!"

Zhang Yu couldn't help but feel a little hot on her face when she heard Li Mingqi mention the things he had boasted about back then.

When the airship was mentioned, Li Mingqi's spirit was shaken.

After all, during the Civil War, the Northern Federation already had its own hydrogen balloon observers. Now they just turned the hydrogen balloons into airships.

"Is the airship ready for use?" Li Mingqi asked impatiently.

It was difficult to invent an aircraft that could be used for bombing during this period, but airships were easier.

Thinking about the scene of an airship carrying a large number of bombs constantly bombing the enemy's head, Li Mingqi's blood boiled.

"Not only the airship, but also your majesty's delta-wing aircraft was invented."

The delta-wing aircraft Zhang Yu mentioned is a combination of a motorcycle engine and a kite-like delta wing. (There are many modern ones like this.)

This is a theory given by Li Mingqi based on the principle that later generations used motorcycle engines to build small airplanes.

I never thought that the research institute could invent it, but now it seems that the research strength of the research institute has been greatly improved after those foreign scientists joined.

"How is the effect? ​​Can it be used in actual combat?"

Li Mingqi asked another question that concerned him.

At present, the scientific research direction of the Xinming Empire is mainly used for war, and as for people's livelihood technology, it has to lean back.

"It's not very feasible. If it's used for reconnaissance, the flying altitude is a bit low, and the distance isn't too far."

Zhang Yu answered honestly. That kind of delta-wing aircraft was only carried out by them to test the theory given by Li Mingqi.

There is no in-depth research at all, after all, their main energy is now spent on airship experiments.

Li Mingqi, who was happy for nothing, is not depressed, because even if the plane is available now, he will hide it.

If the population of the Xinming Empire now reaches tens of millions, then Li Mingqi has nothing to fear, but with such a small number of people now, it is impossible to establish colonies even if they defeat other countries.

"Let's just say an airship is an airship. Can we use it for combat now?"

Li Mingqi returned to the original issue. He was deeply impressed by the Zeppelin airships that bombed the British mainland.

"Your Majesty, the safety of this kind of airship has great hidden dangers. The Royal Research Institute has conducted a total of thirty-seven test flights..."

Having said this, Zhang Yu looked at Li Mingqi's expression carefully before saying the next words:

"Eighteen times it crashed, and thirteen times the flight height failed to meet expectations, only more than a hundred meters high..."

"There were three other airship engine failures that led to early landing. In the end, only three times the airship successfully flew to the predetermined altitude of one thousand meters, but the flight only lasted less than half an hour..."

Sighing, Zhang Yu said with a somewhat sad expression: "A total of more than a hundred white volunteers died, and more than sixty uniformed guards sacrificed their lives. Can your Majesty's airship really become a weapon on the battlefield?"

After hearing these data, Li Mingqi's face gradually became sad.

(If you see a novel that directly creates an airship or the like, you can complain about it, because it can’t be created at once...)

Li Mingqi didn't care about the loss of the white 'volunteers', but the sacrifice of the Jin Yiwei made him feel heartbroken.

In Li Mingqi's opinion, these Jin Yiwei who dared to devote their lives to the development of the Xinming Empire all died silently because of his words.

"If it doesn't require a height of one thousand meters and can fly more than five hundred meters, can it be put into actual combat?"

Li Mingqi thought about it for a long time, then gritted his teeth and decided to continue research.

In his mind, without dedicated anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft cannons, airships should not be able to fly too high.

"Your Majesty, if it flies too low, the enemy can easily shoot at the airship with a rifle and cause it to explode due to the huge size of the airship."

Zhang Yu once again poured cold water on Li Mingqi and reminded him that although there was no anti-aircraft machine gun, a concentrated rifle shot could easily hit a huge airship.

"Isn't there any way to get airships to fight?"

Li Mingqi also began to have a headache. If the airship cannot be used for combat, it will lose its meaning of existence.

"Your Majesty, if you give the institute another half a year, it should be able to develop a mature military airship by then."

After Zhang Yu saw Li Mingqi's disappointment, he directly patted his chest and made a promise.

Now that airships have had successful experience, it stands to reason that if you want to make an airship, you need to find suitable materials and gases.

But now Li Mingqi has provided a lot of mature information, and what the Royal Academy has to do is to turn it from drawings into real objects.

But even if you have the blueprints, it is extremely difficult to develop, and nothing can be smooth sailing.

There is also information on the gas that can replace hydrogen, and that is helium.

But now, although the Xinming Empire can produce helium, the cost is extremely high.

But if only a few airships are built for military use, the Xinming Empire can still afford it.