220: Chapter 220 Pillar, you son of a bitch, you've hit their rear guard!

In the artillery crew, Zhuzi served as the gunner.

The other two members of the crew were the ammunition handler and the loader.

The ammunition handler was responsible for managing the ammunition and checking its quality to ensure safety and effectiveness.

The loader was responsible for placing the mortar shells into the mortar in preparation for firing.

The ammunition handler brought over the crate of mortar shells and opened it.

The loader set up the mortar at the spot Zhuzi indicated, and Zhuzi began to operate it.

The mortar he used was a modified version capable of both high-angle curved fire and direct fire.

When hitting close-range targets, it used direct fire.

When attacking long-distance targets, it used high-angle projectile fire.

This was because projectile fire reached further than direct fire.

A 45-degree angle of fire provided the maximum range.

Zhuzi used the barrel of the gun to perform a rough aim.

This was mainly done through visual observation, roughly aligning the barrel with the target's direction.

This step heavily tested his judgment of the target's position and his experience, bringing the barrel's orientation close to the target's bearing.

By turning the handwheel of the traversing mechanism, the barrel could be rotated horizontally to point the muzzle more accurately at the target.

Simultaneously, based on the target's distance and approximate height, he adjusted the barrel's pitch via the elevating mechanism so the muzzle's elevation met the firing requirements.

During the rough aiming process, Zhuzi used the relative positions of the target and the surrounding environment, as well as obvious terrain features, to assist his judgment.

Without precision sights, whether he could hit the target was a significant test of the gunner's practical skills.

The leaders Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and Jin Tu, along with Lu Jia, Jin Xishan, and Cao Jiacheng, were all watching Zhuzi work with curious gazes.

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know!"

The leaders like Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and Jin Tu had no idea what Zhuzi was up to.

Lu Jia, however, looked thoughtful.

He had witnessed artillery demonstrations before.

But this was his first time seeing a mortar being fired.

He was also curious: could this mortar really hit a target over two thousand six hundred meters away?

Jin Xishan suddenly asked, "Da, are they going to use this mortar to attack the central army where the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King are?"

Jin Tu was stunned.

Leaders like Qing Ying, Chi Yan, and Lie Yun were also taken aback.

Wasn't Jin Xishan's guess a bit too bold?

Was she serious?

They were about four li away from the central army where the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were located.

What kind of weapon could hit from that far away!

"Da."

Jin Xishan asked, "Do you remember Captain Tian once said he had a weapon that could hit from twelve li away?"

"Mm."

Jin Tu nodded.

He did indeed recall Tian Ju saying such a thing.

Previously, he had just treated Tian Ju's words as a joke.

But seeing Zhuzi and the others busy over there, it seemed they really did have a weapon that could hit from twelve li away!

"No way!"

"Are you guys serious!"

The ones most shocked were naturally the leaders like Qing Ying, Chi Yan, and Lie Yun.

They were shaken to their cores.

Was Great Qin so fierce now that they had built a weapon that could hit from twelve li away?

If Great Qin had truly built such a terrifying weapon and used it against them, wouldn't they be finished too!

Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other leaders were still unwilling to believe Great Qin possessed such a terrifying weapon.

Jin Xishan's beautiful eyes lit up as she said, "His Majesty the Head of State could create a wonder like the revolver; perhaps he really could create a weapon that hits from twelve li away!"

Her eyes were full of expectation as she watched Zhuzi and the others.

This can't be possible, right!

The leaders like Qing Ying, Chi Yan, and Lie Yun still didn't want to believe it.

This was too far beyond their scope of knowledge.

Even with Great Qin's most powerful ballistae, they had only heard of them firing one li.

A weapon that could fire twelve li—such a thing shouldn't exist in this world!

If such a weapon truly existed, then no matter how fast their horses were, what use would it be? The opponent could attack from twelve li away.

By the time they crossed those twelve li, who knew how many times they would be hit or how many people would die!

The advantage they took pride in would vanish into thin air!

In the future, would they be reduced to nothing but singing and dancing?

For the people of the grasslands, this was an absolute and massive blow.

They hadn't even reached their peak of glory yet, and were they already heading toward decline!

Amidst the complex emotions of the leaders, Zhuzi finally finished the aiming process.

The ammunition handler took a mortar shell out of the crate and handed it to the loader.

After taking the mortar shell, the loader prepared to drop it into the barrel.

Then, Zhuzi, the loader, and the ammunition handler all covered their ears.

Tian Ju and Lu Jia had both seen artillery demonstrations and knew the massive noise thermal weapons made.

Therefore, they both covered their ears tightly with both hands.

Jin Xishan had also seen Zhao Fusu use the revolver; that thunderous bang had made her eardrums ache at the time.

Could this thing be even louder than the revolver?

She quickly covered her ears as well.

Just as Jin Tu was hesitating whether to cover his ears, the loader had already dropped the arm-thick mortar shell into the barrel.

Boom!

A flash of fire appeared as the propellant detonated, and massive kinetic energy propelled the mortar shell out of the muzzle toward the distance.

The noise of the firing was immense, and the recoil was transmitted through the baseplate into the ground, making the entire earth tremble.

Lu Jia, Jin Xishan, and Tian Ju were already prepared; the massive noise of the firing was within their acceptable range.

Jin Tu, Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other leaders were left with their heads ringing and blank; the sound of the firing just now was louder than a clap of thunder, making their eardrums throb with pain!

Boom!

In the distance, the mortar shell exploded, sending several warhorses flying into the air.

Wow!

This!

By the eternal blue sky!

Jin Tu, Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other leaders were dumbstruck, unable to believe their eyes.

There really was a weapon so terrifying that it could attack from four li away with such horrifying power!

This was simply terrifying beyond belief!

Jin Tu, Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other leaders felt their worldview shattering.

They had never imagined that such a terrifying weapon existed in this world!

Tian Ju said with a dark expression, "Zhuzi..."

"You motherfucker, you hit their rear army!"

Although Zhuzi was the most accurate shot among all the artillerymen, his opportunities to fire had been limited; he was merely the best of a mediocre bunch.

He took a deep breath.

The bearing was correct; he had just fired a bit too far.

He continued to use the elevating mechanism to adjust the barrel's pitch, lowering the muzzle to shorten the range so he could bombard the central army where the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were.