The Rise of the European Emperor

Because they are going to attack Yevre, then there is a great possibility of encountering a tough battle. Therefore, it is very important to prepare special large-caliber siege artillery.

In fact, in this era, in addition to the rear-mounted bronze gun (Fran cannon) being the mainstream, there is also a very ugly gun with a large caliber and a short barrel, the mortar, which is also an important component.

A mortar is a short, thick, and ugly artillery, and its muzzle velocity is very low due to its short barrel. However, its caliber tends to be large. A large caliber means that the shell is very heavy, and it is very powerful to smash...

Generally speaking, in the siege, the mortar is the main force. Because the caliber of the Fran cannon was too small, the small iron ball hit the city wall and couldn't turn the waves at all. But the mortar is different. When an iron ball of dozens of pounds hits it, even if the initial velocity is not high, but the weight is there, it will make a huge muffled sound when it hits it, and the stone will be easily broken...

Moreover, because it is fired at a high elevation angle, the trajectory of the mortar is very tortuous, similar to the mortar of later generations. In fact, later mortars were developed from mortars.

The castle of Jevre, which Saul's spies went to investigate, was built very solidly. Of course, there is no artillery-resistant bastion structure yet. The bastion structure appeared in Italy at the beginning of the 16th century, mainly due to the Italian War. Because France is a big country of artillery, it can dispatch hundreds of artillery at a time. In order to resist shelling, the Italians invented the bastion structure. The bastions then slowly spread to the rest of Europe.

But the castle of Jevre obviously does not have a bastion structure, just an ordinary castle. But even an ordinary castle, the main gun under Marin's command, the three-pounder cannon in the front, is difficult to blast away, even if it is replaced with a six-pounder. Because, whether it is a three-pounder, a six-pounder, or even a 12-pounder, they are all field guns, suitable for battle. If it was used to bombard the city wall, it would be insufficient. Because the weight of the cannonball is too small, and it collides with the large stones that build the city wall, and the kinetic energy is not enough.

To give a simple reason, at the same speed, if a pebble hits a person's head, it will hurt at most, and it will swell up and swell up. Also killed on the spot...

Therefore, whether it is a siege of a city or an artillery attack on an enemy ship in a naval battle, the larger the caliber of the artillery, the greater the destructive power...

In a previous life, Marin had watched a btv military program, which was translated from Laomei, and it was about field artillery. In fact, Marin's three-pounder gun data also came from this old American Lee Elmy's program introducing the history of field guns. Even the barrel length of 0.65 meters was introduced by the old American host.

Marin was very impressed with the show about hitting watermelons with cannonballs, so he remembered a lot. In the program, a special kind of cannon was also mentioned - the Cohoun mortar...

The Cohoun mortar is actually a mortar. It's just that it looks better. According to the introduction of the American uncle host, the 24-pound Cohoun mortar has a diameter of 14.7 cm and a range of 1000 meters. It was invented by the Dutchman Barron Cohoun in the 17th century (1673).

Because it can fire large iron balls weighing up to 24 pounds, the destructive power is amazing. Even if the initial velocity is not high, such a large iron ball will shake the ground when it hits the city wall. Moreover, it is projectile, it is smashed from above, and it can also smash people in the city over the city wall.

The most important thing is that this mortar, with a total weight of only 82 kilograms, is made of copper and is very light. Two soldiers can easily carry it around and deploy. When marching, the carriage is also easy to carry around.

Speaking of which, it was shorter and lighter than the Karen gun that Marin ordered. However, it is precisely because the gun body is too short that it cannot be fired flat. Because the shorter the gun body, the lower the muzzle velocity. The muzzle velocity is low, and the shell will fall off soon after leaving the muzzle.

Therefore, it is not suitable for being a naval gun on a ship, only suitable for land warfare.

Because, when fired on land, relying on a large elevation angle, the Cohoun mortar can transmit recoil to the square base and then to the ground. And how stable is the earth? Therefore, after the Cohoun mortar is fired, the displacement caused by the recoil is very small. Even if there is displacement, as long as a line is drawn on the edge of the square base, after the displacement, the gunner can easily move it back to the original position. After all, it is light, with a total weight of only 82 kilograms...

But it is different when you get on the boat. The hull is swaying from side to side in the sea. The naval gun is close to 500 meters, and the hit rate is only 10% or 20%. If it shoots at a high elevation angle like a mortar, the ghost knows whether it is possible to hit. Moreover, the hull is constantly shaking. Shaking has a great impact on flat shots, and even more on curved shots.

Therefore, the Cohoun mortar is only suitable for infantry guns, not for naval guns. However, because its shells are too heavy, it is full of lethality. Therefore, from 1673, when it was invented, until the American Civil War, it was the main force used by both warring parties to attack fortifications. Although the Union Army still had the more powerful super mortar that General Grant loved to use. However, that heavy mortar, weighing 7 tons, was very difficult to maneuver on land and was often transported by rail lines. Unlike the Cohoun mortar, any wagon can be pulled around. Therefore, in the Civil War, when attacking city walls and fortifications, the Cohoun mortar was a very important fortification artillery.

It is only 1501, and the bastions against shelling have not yet appeared. If Marin came up with this kind of artillery that can fire a 24-pound iron ball, and can easily pull it away, it would be like a hang-up...

At that time, dozens of 24-pound Cohoun mortars were lined up. Which fortress could withstand a volley? Bombarding Vienna, perhaps a little harder. But the bombardment of the small castle of Yevre, is it a matter?

The firmness of the castle is also related to the strength of the family. Vienna is a fortress operated by the Habsburg family, the top royal family in Europe, for hundreds of years.

But what is Jever's castle? But it is run by a small local family, the Wilmken family. Although the area of ​​Yevre is not small, with several hundred square kilometers, it can catch up with the territory of many counts. However, it is not very fertile, and like the rest of East Friesland, there are many swamps. Therefore, the Wilmken family does not have much source of income, and can only rely on a small amount of arable land and fishermen to maintain it. Therefore, they naturally did not have much money to build the Jevre Castle. The structure of the castle, according to the investigation of Sauer's spies, is very general. Marin reckoned that if dozens of 24-pound Cohoun mortars were fired at a single burst, it would not be long before the city walls could be blasted away...

So Marin ordered the foundry to start researching the Cohoun mortar according to the indicators he gave. According to the data from the show Marin watched in his previous life, the Cohoun mortar had a caliber of 14.7 cm and used a 24-pound iron ball. In addition, its charge is said in the program to be 14.2 grams to 255 grams.

However, this charge is for the granulated black powder with higher purity in the 19th century. Marin estimated that the current black powder purification process is insufficient, and there may be errors. But that's not a problem. After the gunpowder is prepared, you can test the range and record it after the measurement. After that, the charge is immobilized. Even, the method of fixed gunpowder can be used to facilitate the aiming and adjustment of artillery.

For its total weight of 82 kg, Marin did not insist. As long as the caliber remains unchanged, even if the total weight rises to 100 kg, it is acceptable. Because it is not difficult to lift 100 kg of things, and it can still maintain high mobility.

As it happens, the copper that Columbus and Draka bought from India last time has not been used up, and the tin that was bought from Cornwall, England by counterfeiting silver coins last time has not been used up. It's just right to use it for bronze cannons.

Once the Cohoun mortars are successfully developed, Marin plans to get another batch. When the Danes have no time to take care of him, the Cohoun mortars will be lined up under the castle of Jever, using the sky-high 24 Pound "iron ball rain", smashed the walls of Yevre Castle in the shortest time, and quickly got the Wilmken family who separated here...