Daqin Engineering Corps

Three, the fuze.

The first two are relatively easy, and the fuze is somewhat more difficult.

The difficulty is that there is no hard gunpowder that burns stably.

However, Shen Bing quickly found an alternative method:

The fuze is made into two layers, the outer layer is the same size, and the middle is also hollowed out.

The inner layer was supposed to be stuffed with hard gunpowder, but Shen Bing replaced it with a wooden tube wrapped with an ordinary fuse.

The disadvantage of ordinary fuses is that the burning speed is too fast and the speed varies... The solution to this problem is to carve spiral grooves on the inner wooden tube, and the fuse spirals up along the grooves.

So the fuse seems to be only the length of the fuze, but in fact it circles around its circumference to prolong the detonation time.

The production of this shell will be more complicated than ordinary solid shells, and it also requires a combination of blacksmiths, carpenters and gunpowder.

However, it was a trivial matter for the others, and within a few days, dozens of pieces were made according to Shen Bing's request.

Shen Bing tried a few times and was satisfied with the situation.

Of course, the so-called "test" is not to test with a shell, but to test the burning time of the fuse... The key here is whether the burning time of the fuse is slow enough.

So what Shen Bing had to do was to randomly pick out a few fuzes, and then ignite one end to see how long it took for it to burn to the other end.

Qiao reported to Shen Bing:

"The subordinates and others strictly follow the requirements of the general, and dare not slack off in the slightest."

"The amount of gunpowder in the fuze has been drastically reduced in order to make the fuze burn more slowly."

Shen Bing nodded.

The speed of the fuze can be said to be "rather short than excessive", that is to say, it is better not to let the fuze ignite than to let it ignite the explosive too fast.

Otherwise, if you are not careful, you will be destroyed by a cannon.

Fortunately, the Qin army had extremely strict requirements on craftsmen and equipment.

For example, these fuzes have detailed records of which craftsmen made them and who supervised them...Fuzes, shells, etc. are different from ordinary equipment.

For ordinary equipment such as bows, shields, and helmets, Qin Jun will engrave the producer on the equipment, and will directly pursue responsibility if there are quality problems.

But the shells and fuzes are useless even if they are engraved, they were blown to pieces after the last use, and the person responsible could not be found.

So the producer will register it in the register and pack it in separate boxes. For example, put the fuze made by XX into this box. If something goes wrong... the seriousness of this accident may be that the craftsman will copy it all over.

Therefore, where the craftsmen dare to shoddy, every step of the production is strictly in accordance with the requirements.

This also provides security for the use of artillery.

Then Shen Bing tried firing a few more shells... As soon as the shell passed, it exploded with a "boom" a few hundred steps away.

Wang Ben and others who were watching around didn't understand why Shen Bing was tossing this tossing at first, and they didn't understand the power of this shell until then.

They froze for a while, then cheered excitedly:

Wang Ben shouted excitedly:

"General, this thing...can this thing explode like a 'thunderbolt fireball'?"

Li Yan looked at the smoke blown up in the distance with an incredulous expression, and said:

"Is it just 'thunderbolt fireball'."

"It's probably several times more powerful than the 'Thunderbolt Fireball'!"

Li Yan is right, it is indeed several times more powerful than "Thunderbolt Fireball".

Because the charge of this shell is larger and the ratio of gunpowder is different, plus there are shrapnel that explode and fly...

Chapter 4 Seventeen

The appearance of the artillery gave the Qin army enough confidence to be precise, to be precise for several generals of the Qin army... At this time, the artillery was still a secret weapon and had not been announced to the public. Only a few people such as Wang Ben knew about it.

So when formulating their offensive strategy, they all chose Gushi, who was more difficult to attack, instead of Loulan.

Wang Ben said:

"When I have artillery, the city wall will not be a problem."

"So our army can easily enter the city and fight the enemy!"

"And our army has [-] Huns, but only [-] in Gushi, and our army is good at close combat...how can the Huns be our opponent?"

Li Yan also agreed:

"The captain's words are very true."

"Besides, the journey to Gushi is closer, and the road is more familiar..."

As he spoke, Li Yan glanced at Ji, and then said:

"With the help of the Pu Lei army who is familiar with the terrain, our army is really like a tiger with wings."

"The subordinates also suggest attacking my aunt."

It's no wonder Li Yan would say that. Shen Bing asked about this. His tribe, Pulei, is the easternmost country in the Western Regions. It originally bordered the Xiongnu, and the west is Gushi.

Therefore, Pulei became the first country in the Western Regions that was destroyed by the Huns and even fled everywhere.

Shen Bing turned his gaze to Jian and asked:

"What's Captain Jiang's opinion?"

At this time, Ji had been promoted by Shen Bing to be a school lieutenant to lead the Pu Lei Army... The Pu Lei Army was no longer considered the Pu Lei Army, and there were actually more Yuezhi cavalry troops newly joined.

But of course, these cavalry troops need to be trained by someone like Jiang who understands the rules of the Central Plains and the customs of the Western Regions.

After being silent for a while, he cupped his hands at Shen Bing and said:

"If the general wishes to attack the aunt first, his subordinates will certainly be able to ask for it."

"only……"

Shen Bing understood the meaning of what Jiang said.

If the Qin army can successfully capture Gushi, it will not be far from Pu Lei's restoration of the country.

But if they were attacking Loulan... it would be hundreds of miles away.

Shen Bing asked:

"Just what?"

Ke replied:

"It's just that although the road to Gushi is shorter and easier to walk, there is only one place where water can be replenished on the way."

"And the Huns may have set a trap here..."

After saying this, Shen Bing understood that the desert area is always the most important source of water.

The [-] Xiongnu army was echoing with Gushi in the north, so how could they not know that there was another source of water to replenish on the way?

If the [-] troops lay in ambush around the water source first, will they go to fetch water or not?

Shen Bing asked again:

"And what about Loulan?"

Ke replied:

"In Loulan, there are two places where water can be replenished."

"And one of them is very secret, even the people in the Western Regions don't know much about it, so I don't think the Xiongnu will be prepared."

Shen Bing nodded and said:

"So, I think we should attack Loulan instead of Gushi."

Li Yan objected:

"But General, if we attack Gushi, we can divide the [-] Huns in Loulan from their main force."

"At that time, Loulan will win without fighting!"

"I'm waiting for the benefit of the cannon, I think I can give it a try!"

Shen Bing shook his head and said:

"If you attack Gushi, it is possible to divide the Xiongnu in two, but there are Gushi in the west and Loulan in the south, and there are [-] main Huns watching from behind!"

"Our army is actually surrounded by the Huns."

"Although I have the advantage of artillery, I may not be defeated, but even if I win, it will be a miserable victory."

"And once our army's supplies are cut off... the artillery will become a pile of scrap metal!"

"Why should I be in a hurry?"

This is actually because Wang Ben, Li Yan and others were a little overconfident after seeing the artillery.

But Shen Bing knew that artillery still has its weaknesses and is not invincible.

On the other hand, Shen Bing knows that the most taboo thing about formulating a combat plan is that the strategic goal is not clear.

This battle is to gain a firm foothold in the Western Regions?

Or surround the Xiongnu's forces in Loulan?

Or is it a decisive battle with the Huns to annihilate their vital forces?

Obviously, Qin Jun's strategic goal is the first.

It's just that because of Shen Bing's operation, Wang Ben and others got so excited that they forgot about this main strategic goal.

It is true that the Qin army traveled farther along the southern route, but the main force of the Huns also traveled farther along the southern route.

And the Huns are used to riding horses to and fro like the wind, so let them ride camels into the desert for hundreds of miles... I'm afraid it will be a little difficult for them.

If you go into the desert on horseback, just the grass the horse eats can be a big problem.

Therefore, the pros and cons of the two lines are actually obvious:

The northern line is closer, but the supply line is right under the eyes of the main force of the Huns, and it is drilled into the encirclement of the Huns.

The southern line is farther away, but it is safer for the supply line to be far away from the main force of the Huns, and the attack is on Loulan, the farthest end of the Huns' reinforcement line, and its garrison is only [-].

After Wang Ben thought about it calmly, he nodded and said:

"What the general said is true."

"We should take Loulan first instead of Gushi."

"Even after taking Loulan, it's okay not to take Gushi."

"The reason why the Huns stationed in Loulan and Gushi is to prevent our army from entering the Western Regions."

"And once our army has taken Loulan, it will be meaningless for the Xiongnu to station Gushi."

"So the Xiongnu could only abandon the city and leave."

Wang Ben is right.

Especially after the first battle of Loulan, the Xiongnu knew that the Qin army had artillery that could forcibly blow down the earthen city... What did the Xiongnu, who were good at maneuvering and not good at defending the city, still guard Gushi?Waiting to die?

There may not be many Xiongnu annihilated in this battle, but they can easily defeat the Xiongnu's plot and save the two big countries in the Western Regions at a very small cost... Gushi and Loulan are already considered big countries in the Western Regions, especially Gushi, who is in the 36 countries of the Western Regions Only Yuezhi and Qiuci are bigger than it.

However, the Yuezhi is not actually counted in the 36 countries of the Western Regions, because during the Han Dynasty, the Yuezhi had moved westward to the Lanshi City, which was outside the Western Regions.

So after this battle, what will be the impact on the 36 countries in the Western Regions?

What about the impact on the Huns?

Coupled with the threat of artillery... the countries in the Western Regions should know who is the boss here!

After analyzing this, Li Yan had nothing to say, and immediately agreed to attack from the southern line.

It took more than ten days to prepare.

And the force is still decreasing...

This is mainly due to the fact that Shen Bing and others have no experience in desert marches, so they miscalculated.