Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 704 - 371: The Creation of the Military Workshops, the 2-pounder Divine Eagle Cannon!

Chapter 704: Chapter 371: The Creation of the Military Workshops, the 2-pounder Divine Eagle Cannon!

At the end of September, the corn in the Lake Region had just matured, bending the green stalks. The fragrance of the grains carried in the wind, along with flocks of birds that came attracted by the scent.

The farmers of the village were mobilized, sleeping in the fields day and night, to kill the birds and beasts that stole the corn. These hard days would last for more than ten days, until the corn was fully ripe, and only then would the farmers begin to harvest.

In this era, to maximize yield as much as possible, corn was always harvested late. Tender corn was a luxury for the nobility, while the majority of the common people ate corn that was old, yellow, and hard, biting into which could chip a tooth. From an agricultural perspective, this was to fully utilize the after-ripening process of the crops. It wasn’t until the leaves turned yellow, the husks white, and the stalks died completely, that one or two more dou could be harvested.

On this day, southeast of the Capital City, a large group of samurais clad in armor and carrying bows, accompanied by strange golden-brown copper beasts, passed through the fields. The farmers along the way knelt down in awe, not daring to cast a glance at the samurais. The villagers of the Capital Region always had a bit more insight, and even without any flags flying, today’s display was certainly that of the highest-level nobility, or even the lofty King himself!

Soon, the samurais vanished behind the hills to the southeast. The villagers whispered to each other for a moment, then continued guarding the village fields. As the sun reached its zenith, suddenly, a mighty roar arose from those hills to southeast, followed by two more!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound was as magnificent as thunder, yet it carried a low metallic tremor. What followed was the crackling of large trees breaking. The villagers lay prostrate on the ground in terror, facing southeast and praying devoutly to the Chief Divine.

"Chief Divine, protect us!..."

"Chief Divine, protect us!"

Seeing the result of the shooting, the King’s expression was one of extraordinary excitement. He bellowed out with excitement, like the roar of a Jaguar. Behind him, Bertade’s mouth fell open in shock, lost in a rare moment of astonishment.

"Your Majesty, this is the blessing of the Chief Divine! An invincible Divine Artifact! The Sun Divine Eagle Cannon!"

The Director of the Bronze Bureau, Tilipi, was brimming with excitement, his face revealing uncontrollable joy. He walked out from behind the craftsmen who had operated the cannon, touching the golden-brown copper beast that was still emitting smoke. Its surface glittered with gold, and where one touched it, it was searing hot, just like his burning chest.

"The cannon weighs 500 jin, the shot approximately 2 jin, the caliber is 8 centimeters, with a length of 1.2 meters. It has a purposed range of 500 meters, and a maximum range of 2-3 li!! Within 2 li, wherever the stone shot falls, there is no warrior in the world that can withstand it! To stand in its way means certain death, just like the large tree in front of us!!"

As he finished speaking, he pointed ahead. The last shot that was fired flew for 1 li, hitting a large tree on the hill and breaking it cleanly in two. He had once tried, and even the sturdiest of bronze heavy armor, before this Divine Eagle Cannon, was as fragile as newly made paper!

"A 2-pound Eagle Cannon, a 2-pound Eagle Cannon, I have finally created a truly era-defining weapon! A real Bronze Fire Cannon!!"

The King’s excitement could not be calmed. Because only he truly understood what this Bronze Fire Cannon meant for the civilization of America!

"This is the weapon in my hands that can truly shatter the colonizers’ plate armor! In its presence, even groups of plate armored infantry lose their invincible aura, becoming cumbersome and fragile! It is also the only weapon that can threaten the colonizers’ sailing ships! Even if it is only 2 pounds! With it, I hold the truth and justice to resist the Westerners! It will grow even stronger!..."

The Deputy Director of the Armament Division, Chalape, widened his eyes, watching the supreme king with caution. It was the first time he had seen the king lose his composure.

"Haha, the Sun Divine Eagle Cannon, the true bronze fire cannon!"

A few steps away, Tilipi equally exploded into laughter, like a child who had created a beloved toy, shaking with happiness. This was truly not easy!

Since September of the year before last, he had started casting cannons and had met with hundreds of failures; he made over a hundred clay models alone! As the half-year deadline set by His Majesty approached, he was under enormous pressure and had even contemplated taking his own life. Fortunately, His Majesty had led the army to the north, which granted him enough time to continue his slow exploration.

He had been living and sleeping in the workshop, forcing the craftsmen and apprentices to work overtime day and night. After countless difficulties and innumerable hardships, they finally succeeded in producing the first qualified Sun Divine Eagle Cannon in June of the last year! The weight of the Divine Eagle Cannon kept increasing, from 250 jin to 500 jin, and the bore diameter from 6 centimeters to 8 centimeters. They managed to turn a 1-pound cannon into a 2-pound cannon, which eliminated any air leakage from the barrel, not even a bubble rose when it was submerged in water.

After producing the first Divine Eagle Cannon, they immediately sent a report of the belated good news to the north. Following that, they adjusted the clay models and the casting process based on this successful experience. They cast and remelted bronze cannons until August of this year, when they finally cast 10 usable Divine Eagle Cannons out of more than two hundred clay models!

His Majesty once said, "To cast cannons from clay models, achieving two or three successes out of ten is deemed a master! "

Thinking of this, Tilipi almost wanted to spit in His Majesty’s face. Clearly, achieving one success out of ten would be a rare blessing for a craftsman! He generously promised his subordinates—craftsmen and apprentices alike—that "as long as one could cast a qualified Eagle Cannon from ten clay models, regardless of their original status, they would be directly promoted to a First Level Divine Revelation Priest!"

And in the whole two years, he had managed to promote only eight individuals, producing 10 cannons! Right, out of those 10 cannons, he had cast two himself.

Chalape glanced at the excitedly mumbling king, then back at his brother who was still grinning foolishly, unsure of what to say. He cautiously approached Bertade and asked in a low voice.

"Respected Head Warrior, should we call out to His Majesty..."

"Shush!"

Bertade put out his hand to stop him, gently shaking his head with a look of pure joy on his face.

"Let His Majesty enjoy the moment a little longer."

"Right, you are correct!"

And so, the two of them quietly waited in the cannon testing field. The field contained three Divine Eagle Cannons, three Tiger Squat Cannons, and over thirty craftsmen operating the cannons. Beyond the field, there were as many as five hundred personal guard warriors, vigilantly securing the perimeter. Even farther out, there were patrols of warriors driving away merchants or villagers trying to get close.

After a long while, Xiulote finally calmed down. He stepped out from behind the protective earthen wall and approached personally, touching the 2-pound Eagle Cannon. Both the internal and external surfaces of the Eagle Cannon were polished smooth, shining with the golden glow of bronze. After examining it carefully for a while, he asked in a solemn tone.

"Tilipi, have you estimated the lifespan of this Divine Eagle Cannon?"

"Lifespan?"

"That is, how many shots can the barrel take?"

Tilipi blinked, thought for a moment, and smiled.

"Your Majesty, we have fired over a hundred shots, and the barrel of the Divine Eagle Cannon hasn’t shown any damage; it seems to have stabilized even more. I estimate that firing over a thousand shots shouldn’t be a problem!"

"Over a thousand shots?"

Xiulote pondered for a while and nodded his head. The cannon before him was merely 2-pounder, with a mere 2 pounds of charge and a barrel length of 1.2 meters. The chamber pressure of the cannon was not high, the barrel was extremely thick, the quality of the bronze was very good, and since it was a smoothbore cannon, there was no need to consider wear from rifling... Indeed, over a thousand shots shouldn’t pose any problem.

Although the caliber of current bronze cannons is still very small, they have already formed a comprehensive crushing advantage over the wooden cannons used by the Alliance. The range, accuracy, and service life of bronze cannons are all far superior to those of wooden cannons. Moreover, the airtightness of wooden cannons is low, the kinetic energy attenuates significantly, and their lifespan is generally only a few dozen shots, with a range of no more than a hundred meters, belonging to simple temporary firearms. Overall, the two aren’t products of the same era at all.

"Tilipi, what is the current success rate of casting cannons? How long does it take to cast a qualified Divine Eagle Cannon?"

"Your Majesty, the current success rate of cannon casting... is about one in ten. But the craftsmen are making rapid progress."

Although Tilipi was internally complaining about His Majesty, he didn’t dare show any of it outwardly. At this moment, he slightly bowed his head with an expression of utmost respect.

"As long as we have enough copper, we can start work on dozens of clay molds simultaneously... On average, can we produce 1 Divine Eagle Cannon per month?... Ah, no, if we work overtime, producing 2 wouldn’t be a problem!"

Seeing His Majesty’s eyebrows raise slightly, Tilipi quickly added.

Xiulote concentrated in thought and slowly nodded his head.

"A success rate of one in ten... two cannons per month..."

In the early stages of technological leaps, the success rate of production is always very low. After all, this is the first successful attempt at cannon casting in the entire civilization of Central America! As long as a breakthrough from zero is achieved, technical experience will accumulate continuously, and the success rate of production will steadily increase.

"Tilipi, did you say earlier that this Divine Eagle Cannon weighs 500 catties?"

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

"Can you cast it lighter? A 500-catty cannon is too difficult to carry with the army; I’m afraid there will be problems traversing mountains and ridges."

Xiulote’s brows furrowed slightly. Now without reliable beasts of burden, they surely couldn’t expect llamas to carry cannons, could they?

"Your Majesty, the Bronze Workshop can try to reduce the weight of the cannon. But first, we must ensure that the barrel doesn’t leak air..."

Tilipi’s face showed difficulty as he carefully replied.

Hearing this, Xiulote understood. The kingdom’s technology and craftsmanship weren’t up to the task, so they could only develop in the direction of rough and crude, just like the later Jin dynasty’s approach. Without considering mobility and cost, if the Divine Eagle Cannon’s size were doubled to weigh four thousand catties, creating a 10-pound-long cannon would also be feasible.

In this era, Europe has already witnessed the emergence of "terrifying" 18-pound long-cannons (culverins) and 10-pound demi-cannons (Demi-culverins), which have replaced stone shot with iron shot, used in the fierce fortress sieges.

A standard 18-pound long-cannon weighs 4500 catties, with a calibre of 13-14 centimetres, a length of 3.5 meters, firing a shot that could "rot away" twelve or thirteen miles. Of course, the effective aiming distance was only about three miles. The common 10-pound demi-cannons weigh 3000 catties, with a calibre of 10-11 centimetres, a length of 2.6 meters, a maximum range of nine miles, and an effective range of one and a half miles. These represent the most advanced level of cannon crafting in current Europe and are making rapid, continuous progress.

However, for the rough terrain of Central America, there is yet no need to worry about these European "heavy cannons". The challenging rainforests and complex mountains would render all heavy artillery immovable scrap metal.

Xiulote, from the beginning of cannon foundry, had a clear direction in mind. The Empire’s future artillery would inevitably be dominated by lightweight infantry cannons. With this in mind, he looked again at the side of the Divine Eagle Cannon, where there were three 0.4 meters long, 4 centimetres in calibre, and weighing around a hundred catties—short, small, and lightweight Tiger Squat Cannons. The Tiger Squat Cannon body was tightly bound with copper hoops and fitted with fixed copper claws. The casting difficulty of this kind of cannon was much easier than that of long cannons, and they were also easier to transport.

"Tilipi, how powerful is this type of Tiger Squat Cannon?"

The King asked with a smiling face.

A confident smile appeared on Tilipi’s face. He extended his hand in an inviting gesture, pointing towards the earthen wall behind.

"Chief Divine’s blessing! Your Majesty, please step behind the earthen wall. I will now have the gunners test fire the Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon!"

"Good! Chief Divine’s blessing!"

The long wind blew, bringing the smell of gunpowder in the air. The King sniffed it twice, revealing a sincere smile. This scent was so intoxicating, filled with the power of brightness and righteousness.