Struggle in Russia

Kornilov's worries are definitely not unfounded. With the development of science and technology and the competition between great powers, the later we enter industrialization, the greater the cost. Even in the 21st century, there will be almost no chance of industrialization. Then At that time, a country without industry and technical support would really be reduced to a leek, and could only be slaughtered by others.

If you look at the methods used by later generations to limit carbon emissions in the name of environmental protection, they are simply a fatal shackles for underdeveloped countries in the third world. It almost declares that they will no longer be able to industrialize and can only struggle at the bottom forever.

Speaking of industrialization in Russian history, it is actually not too early. If it weren’t for the October Revolution that overthrew the Normanov family with a cannon, and the steel father’s investment regardless of cost, it would have caught up with the Great Depression of the capitalist world. , otherwise Russia would not be able to catch up with this train.

As for the later rabbits, it was even more dangerous. If they hadn't driven away the bald man, and then took advantage of their good relationship with Big Brother to introduce a wave of people and lay the foundation, they really wouldn't be able to catch up later.

Therefore, the earlier you enter industrialization, the more advantageous it will be. The later it becomes, the more difficult it will be. There is no way to get started without paying a heavy price.

Of course, Kornilov did not take such a long-term view. He was more inspired by his experience. He saw that Britain and France had advanced steamships and almost unlimited use of explosive bombs, while Russia was inferior in these two aspects. They all had to work hard to get by.

Needless to say, as long as the explosive bombs can be used openly, the results they can achieve today in the face of the British and French siege will definitely be very scary. It can be said that as many British and French coalition forces dare to come up, they can send these guys to hell.

It is a pity that Russia does not have that capability, so it can only use a few explosive shells sparingly. It has to deploy some six-pound guns in advance and use old-fashioned grapeshot (grapeshot) to attack the enemy.

To be honest, the lethality of these six-pound cannons is very average. Although they are relatively light and can be pushed and maneuvered quickly by a few people, the projectiles are too light and the lethality is very limited. The range of the shotguns is quite limited, and the lethality is small at a distance. There are too few six-pound shotshells, and the enemy might break through. At that time, it becomes a cannon fighting with a bayonet, which is too dangerous.

Therefore, this batch of six-pound guns basically uses solid bullets, so that they can kill the enemy at a long enough distance. However, the solid bullet is just an iron lump, its lethality is just a line, and it cannot achieve full coverage.

Anyway, after this day's battle, Kornilov disliked the 6-pounder less and less, feeling that this thing was useless. Apart from being able to make do with mobility, he can't do anything else.

There is no comparison with the 12-pounder gun. Unfortunately, the 12-pounder gun is a bit too heavy. Facing the overwhelming advantage of the British and French artillery, the inconvenient 12-pounder gun will soon be attacked by the British and French artillery once its position is exposed. Concentrated fire attack.

Kornilov felt that what he needed most at the moment was a new artillery that was both flexible and lethal.

But he also knew that this requirement was a bit too much. If it wanted to be powerful, its mobility would be limited, and it would be impossible to get the best of both worlds.

However, Nassimov thought about it and said: "I seem to have heard Grand Duke Andrei mention that they have developed a new type of mobile support artillery. It seems that it has been put into production and is being trial-installed on a small scale."

Mobile support artillery?

Kornilov was a little moved. Every new weapon produced by Wallachia had proved to be of real value. If it weren't for Wallachia's new rifles, the two or thirty thousand people alone would not be able to do it. Maybe Ineada can be defended.

The new rifles proved to be extremely useful, which he deeply regretted. If only he could have ordered more and completely re-equipped the Black Sea Fleet!

"Then I'll go have a chat with him and get some of this new artillery to try out the effect!"

Kornilov said so, but in fact he didn't take Li Xiao's artillery seriously. Because making artillery and making guns are completely different concepts, the arsenal in Wallachia has too limited capabilities, so it is not easy to produce powerful artillery.

Especially after he arrived in Bucharest and saw the design drawings of this new artillery with his own eyes, he had no hope.

"Is this the new support artillery?"

Kornilov's face was full of surprise, and the reason was very simple, because this kind of artillery was completely different from what he imagined. It had no wheels and a short and thick barrel. The range was difficult no matter how you looked at it.

"Yes, this is the new support artillery!"

Li Xiao didn't think there was anything wrong with the new support artillery commander. He was quite satisfied with the finished product. The maximum range could reach 800 meters and the effective range was 600 meters. The most important thing was that the total combat weight was only 50 kilograms and could be dismantled into pieces. The three components, each weighing less than 20 kilograms, were carried on the backs of three soldiers, and the installation and erection took no more than five minutes.

"Why do I feel so weird?" Kornilov couldn't help but vomited, "Why are there no gun wheels? And what is this heavy iron felt used for?"

"That's not an iron felt, it's a seat plate!"

Kornilov wondered: "What is it for?"

"It's used to absorb recoil." Li Xiao introduced with a smile.

Kornilov added: "So this iron felt is placed under the body tube for support?"

"Yes!" Li Xiao nodded.

Kornilov checked it carefully again and suddenly asked: "So this kind of artillery can't shoot flatly, right?"

Li Xiao was surprised by Kornilov's observation ability. He could figure out the general information at just two glances. He was indeed a good general!

He explained with a smile: "Yes, this is a pure support weapon with curved fire, no need for horizontal fire!"

Kornilov immediately vomited: "Isn't this just a mortar!"

Li Xiao smiled. In a sense, Kornilov was right. This is indeed a lightweight version of the mortar, but unlike the traditional mortar, this support artillery can fire explosive bombs. , instead of throwing solid iron lumps to hit people.

Kornilov still didn't understand: "What's the use of this?"

"Of course it's useful," Li Xiao said confidently, "This kind of artillery is mainly used for support. It is used to kill the enemy's strength at the front of the position. The curved trajectory can hit the enemy behind the shelter, such as hiding in fortifications and trenches. The enemy, combined with the power of the explosive bomb, think about the effect?"

Kornilov thought about it for a moment, and it was indeed very useful. The curved trajectory means that the artillery can be fired from behind cover, making it impossible for enemy artillery to hit it. After seeing the power of explosive shells, he felt that improving the survivability of artillery would be an important task in the future, and the survivability of artillery that was naturally good at dodging would naturally be much higher!