Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 705 - 372: The Creation of the Military Workshops, the Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon!

Chapter 705: Chapter 372: The Creation of the Military Workshops, the Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon!

The brilliant sunshine fell from the sky, making the bronze cannons shine with a golden light. The rainy season had ended, the sky was cloudless, yet the rumbling of thunder echoed among the hills, like the roar of a giant beast. The continuous roars kept coming, leaving the villagers within dozens of miles in a state of shocked awe. While praying to the Chief Divine, they looked towards the direction from which the roars emanated.

In the nearby villages, the Preaching Priests had just received instructions to calm the villagers under their jurisdiction and prohibit them from approaching the source of the thunder. For there, the Divine Revelation Priesthood was holding a sacred ceremony, receiving the Divine Power bestowed by the Chief Divine! Upon hearing the news, the village priests prayed devoutly for a few moments before hurrying off with their apprentices and militia to soothe the hundreds of villagers.

In the artillery range, Xiulote stepped back dozens of paces. He wore a bronze helmet and stood behind a chest-high earthen wall, patiently observing the operations of the gunners.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Soon, the thunderous booming sounded again! Countless stone projectiles flew out from the cannon’s mouth, and plumes of white smoke billowed up. After a round of firing, the gunners began to load anxiously.

First, they added half a length of slow match at the touch hole, the pending fuse to be lit. The location of the touch hole was about 6.5 centimeters from the bottom of the cannon, with a length of about 4 centimeters and a width of 1.3 centimeters. Around the touch hole was a ring designed to gather the gunpowder—an innovation proposed by Xiulote to facilitate ignition. The Divine Eagle Cannon also featured such a touch hole, which was much more convenient than the previous wooden cannons.

After inserting the slow match, the gunners carefully, in turn, added half a pound of gunpowder, a two-inch layer of earth, and nearly a hundred stone balls to the muzzle. The so-called "earth-separating method" involved using mud to separate the gunpowder from the stone balls. Since they were using the sturdy bronze Tiger Squat Cannon, the charge was somewhat larger than that of the Cast Iron Tiger Squat Cannon.

After loading, a gunner quickly checked the claw nails at the front of the cannon and the iron fetters at the rear, ensuring the cannon’s stability. This lesson was taught in blood. The Tiger Squat Cannon was too light; if not secured properly, it would recoil several meters upon firing. In the initial test firing, two apprentices of Tilipi were directly hit by the recoiling cannon, dying on the spot with broken ribs and coughing up blood. Since then, Tilipi dared not stand behind the cannon anymore.

After the check, the gunners cautiously lit the slow match with a torch and then quickly covered their ears, crouching on both sides of the cannon.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Once more, the terrifying thunder crackled! A thick plume of smoke rose, shrouding the cannons. And when the smoke had cleared, the wooden target 100 meters away was riddled with holes. The extreme range of the Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon was about 500 meters, with an effective range of around 200 meters, and the optimal firing distance was within 100 meters. If aiming for armor-piercing, the distance could be even shorter. In fact, it was a large version of a "blunderbuss," the closer the target, the greater its power. Firing buckshot at close range would take out a large swath with a single shot!

The King knew that in the battle tactics of Qi’s troops, the firing of Tiger Squat Cannons was arranged after a range of about 100 meters, following the bird guns and Fire Arrows, acting as the decisive killer move.

"Good! Very good! Excellent!!"

Watching the firing effects of the Tiger Squat Cannon, Xiulote’s eyes gradually shone. His face radiated joy; in Central America, where armor protection was lacking, such light cannons were slaughterous weapons to sweep through infantry formations!

"If I had ten such Tiger Squat Cannons during the battle against the Tarasco Royal Army, arranged among the trusted Samurai, the Tarasco Copper-axe Guards wouldn’t be able to break through at all!"

The King contemplated with emotion as memories of the arduous campaign flooded his mind. With the bronze cannons, future battles would be much easier to fight! Especially when facing the Tonsured Guard, the Eagle Warrior Battalion, the Jaguar Warrior Brigade, the Copper-axe Guards... these shield-bearing Battle Groups formed by elite warriors would no longer need to be stubbornly chewed through by elite Samurai!

Afterward, he used his experience with battle formations to imagine the use of these light cannons.

Due to their range limitations, the Tiger Squat Cannons had to be placed at the forefront of the battle line, firing under the cover of infantry formations. And since the cannons’ fire would raise smoke, obstructing the Archers’ line of sight, they would advance alongside the shield-bearing infantry. On either side of the cannons, valiant assault infantry would be positioned. After several rounds of bombardment, when the enemy formation became shaky, a charge would be launched to break the enemy in one fell stroke!...

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Xiulote contemplated for a long time until the third round of thunderous booms suddenly exploded! He snapped back to reality, estimating the firing speed of the cannons. The gunners were skilled, but their operations were not yet succinct; there was still room for improvement. The Divine Eagle Cannon fired slightly faster than the wooden guns, approximately two shots per quarter hour; the Tiger Squat Cannon fired faster still, about three shots per quarter hour.

"Hmm... This firing rate..."

The King mused silently. It seemed that the first volley was of utmost importance. They would need to get as close as possible, firing right in the face of the enemy formation!

"Your Majesty, what do you think of the power of the Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon?"

Tilipi stood up straight, gesturing towards the wooden target ahead. Xiulote followed the gesture, seeing that the target, after three rounds of firing, was already shattered and scattered on the ground, with stone balls and wood fragments all around. Judging by the spread, five Tiger Squat Cannons could effectively cover a front of a hundred men wide on the battlefield.

"Praise be to the Chief Divine!"

Xiulote spoke with a smiling face.

"This is the Divine Artifact given by the Chief Divine to the Alliance, to command the world!"

"Praise be to the Chief Divine! And praise the King of Divine Revelation!"

Chalape came forward, pulling Tilipi down with him to kneel and salute. Then, Chalape respectfully raised his head to look at the majestic King.