latelenovela Chapter 172 New Type of Flying Thunder Cannon
Chapter 172 New Type of Flying Thunder Cannon
PS: Today is the National Memorial Day. Here, we pay our respects to the more than 30 compatriots who lost their lives.
Zhongshan sheds tears, Qinhuai River weeps blood!
Let the alarm bells ring forever; let us stand still in silence!
Never forget history, and strive for a better future!
Early the next morning, Tang Weiguo, accompanied by Tang Xiaolong, the battalion commander of the mountain artillery battalion, headed to the training ground behind the mountain. He planned to have...
"Commander, Battalion Commander Xiaolong, good morning." Wang Qiang saw Tang Weiguo walking over and quickly came to greet him.
"Director Wang arrived quite early. I see the site is almost set up." Tang Weiguo glanced at the few people busy at work in the distance.
"Everyone wants to get the test results as soon as possible, so they came over early this morning to start preparing."
"The sooner we manufacture them, the sooner our militia can get weapons, and the stronger we will be to fight the Japanese. Those of us in the rear can't personally go into battle, so we can only do what we can!"
"Director Wang, you've done so much already. Look how exhausted you've become lately. You look several years older than when I first met you."
Tang Weiguo looked at Wang Qiang, who appeared slightly aged from overwork, and said.
"Commander, now is the time for us old bones to give it our all and prevent the next generation from having to experience battle. Commander, do you think our generation can drive the Japanese devils out?" Wang Qiang asked with some anticipation.
Wolong Mountain was always well-informed about the outside world. Wang Qiang learned through newspapers that large swathes of land had fallen under the iron heel of the Japanese devils.
Although the commander led everyone to victory after victory on the land of Wolong, Wolong Mountain was ultimately a very small place.
After reading too much news, Wang Qiang, despite having full confidence in his regimental commander, couldn't help but feel a sense of despair about the future of the country.
"Don't worry, our generation will fight all the wars and ensure that our next generation grows up happily in a peaceful and stable environment." Tang Weiguo saw the anxiety in Wang Qiang's heart and said confidently and firmly.
"Therefore, Director Wang, you need to take more rest so that you can see the day we achieve victory and the day our country stands up again."
"Commander, that's great!" Hearing the commander's words, Wang Qiang's gloom was dispelled somewhat.
"Okay, after the morning tests are over, you old guys from the arsenal should take a few days off and rest up."
"Commander, no, the arsenal's production tasks are still urgent."
"It's settled then. What about those young people? This gives them a chance to develop," Tang Weiguo said firmly.
"Yes." Seeing the commander's resolute attitude, Wang Qiang agreed.
"I'll inform Dean Chu later so he can give you all another physical examination."
"Commander, you don't need to trouble Dean Chu with this. She gives us all a physical examination every month, and we are all in excellent health. Don't worry."
"Well, since Dean Chu has already done the monthly check-up, I won't say anything more. But you all need to take care of yourselves and get some rest. These young people still need your guidance."
"Yes, Captain."
"Commander, Factory Manager, we can proceed with the testing now," a young man ran over and said.
"Commander, this is Xie Zhuang. He specializes in mechanics. Last time he was assigned to our arsenal, I had Lao Li personally mentor him. This time, Xie Zhuang is mainly responsible for modifying the Flying Thunder Cannon," Wang Qiang introduced to Tang Weiguo.
"Commander, hello." Xie Zhuang said excitedly.
"Hello, thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard work, Commander."
"Once the test is successful, I'll give you a huge credit," Tang Weiguo said with a smile.
"What are you still standing there for? Go thank the commander." Wang Qiang patted the stunned Xie Zhuang and said.
"Thank you, Commander. Thank you, Commander."
"Alright, let's prepare for the test now," Tang Weiguo ordered.
"Yes." After answering, Xie Zhuang ran to the testing area to prepare to begin the operation.
"Xiaolong, keep a close eye on it and see if there's anything that needs improvement. Then bring it up with Director Wang and the others. From now on, this batch of new Flying Thunder God Cannons should be equipped first to your mountain artillery battalion."
"Yes, Captain."
"Commander, I'd better go and watch it live."
"can."
"Wang Qiang, tell the testers to have Tang Xiaolong cooperate with them."
"Yes."
Before long, Xie Zhuang ran back and brought Tang Xiaolong back with him.
"Commander, the signal ahead indicates that we can fire," Wang Qiang said, seeing the red flag raised at the test site.
"Okay, let's start the test."
"Yes." Wang Qiang instructed the soldier holding the flag to signal to the front.
After seeing the signal sent by Wang Qiang in front of the flying thunder cannon, Lao Li began to test it.
After stuffing the specially made explosive charge into the barrel of the flying thunder cannon, Old Li lit the fuse and immediately ran to the air-raid shelter that had been dug in advance. Xie Zhuang and the others behind him were watching nervously.
As the fuse burned out, there was a loud bang, and the explosive charge was launched, falling heavily into the distance before exploding with a loud boom.
"Wow, that's quite a range, probably three or four hundred meters," Tang Weiguo remarked, observing the trajectory of the explosive charge.
"Yes, Commander. We tested it before, and the maximum range is close to 500 meters, which is two to three times the distance before the modification."
"This distance is really significant in actual combat. The effective range of the Japanese rifles is only about 400 meters," Tang Weiguo exclaimed in admiration.
"How powerful was the explosion?" Tang Weiguo then asked.
"Now we've switched to a new type of explosive, which is two to three times more powerful than the previous one," Wang Qiang said.
"Great! With this range and this power, our militia now has our own heavy artillery!" Tang Weiguo laughed heartily.
The test continued, with Lao Li launching explosive charges again and again. After a total of 20 launches, the test was finally declared over.
To conserve the new type of explosives, only the first few days' explosive charges used the new explosives; the rest used ordinary explosives.
"Reporting to the commander, the test went smoothly," Xie Zhuang ran over to report.
"Very good, I am very satisfied with the Flying Thunder God after this modification. Well done, young man." Tang Weiguo patted Xie Zhuang on the shoulder and said.
"Thank you, Commander."
"Xiaolong, what do you think of this new type of flying thunder cannon?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"Commander, I just checked. With one person operating it, it can only fire about one explosive charge per minute. But with three people working together, firing four explosive charges per minute is no problem."
"Moreover, the newly modified flying thunder cannon has a relatively long range. I just checked, and the effective range of the flying thunder cannon is within 300 meters. It can accurately control the direction and strike the target with precision."
"After 300 meters, the flight trajectory becomes more difficult to predict. I just measured the maximum range, which is about 500 meters."
"Moreover, the current Flying Thunder Cannon is more than half the size of the previous one, making it easier to carry and deploy quickly. It's a huge improvement over the old version!"
"Commander, the new flying thunder cannon will definitely become a major weapon in our militia's war effort!" Tang Xiaolong said excitedly.
"Is there anything Battalion Commander Tang that needs improvement?" Xie Zhuang asked, standing to the side.
"It's about whether we can add something to the explosive charge, like sharp objects such as metal nails. You know, the main killing power of an artillery shell comes from shrapnel, so we should make the explosive charge as similar as possible to an artillery shell."
"Battalion Commander Tang, no problem," Xie Zhuang said.
The arsenal now has a large number of discarded cartridge cases and bullets from reloaded bullets, which can be easily modified.
“Speaking of this, we need to broaden our thinking and see what other items can be put in the explosive charge. For example, chili powder or anything that can harm the Japanese soldiers, we can try putting those in,” Tang Weiguo suggested from the side.
"Commander, I've got it. We'll study it carefully when we get back." Wang Qiang nodded in agreement.
"Commander, Factory Director Wang, Xiao Xie, I have another suggestion. Could we try to control the detonation time of the explosive charges? If we could detonate the charged explosive charges right above the Japanese soldiers' heads, the destructive power would be immense."
"Of course, we can also delay the explosion. The Japanese will think it's a dud and lower their guard, then suddenly it will explode, giving them a little surprise."
"Battalion Commander Tang, this suggestion is excellent. Our arsenal will prepare to develop it as soon as possible," Factory Director Wang agreed after thinking for a moment.
"We'll be waiting for your good news."
"Wang Qiang, what's the current production status of the new flying thunder cannon?"
"Due to limitations in manufacturing processes, only two doors can be modified per week."
"Hmm, two doors are fine too."
"Wang Qiang, arrange production as soon as possible. Tang Xiaolong, prepare to arrange personnel to receive the new flying thunder cannon and explore its combat methods."
"Yes, Commander." The two replied in unison.