Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 181  30 Kg Semi Breach Loader And 15kg Swivel Cannon

Dakshin Bharat Empire, Hampi

There is still a month left for the Western New Year 1655, and as for Ugadi, the Bhartiya New Year, it is still 5 months away. By the end of the fifth month, he will also turn 25, along with the army ready for war.

Vijay now wants to immediately build the capital of the Empire and improve its industrial foundation. However, for that, he must initiate economic reforms throughout the empire. Unfortunately, the government is not yet ready for economic reforms. Therefore, Vijay sets his sights on reforming the government and dividing the administrative territories of the Empire. Suddenly, the door opens.

*Kreak*

"Your Majesty, we received two messages from our armoury and the Bhartiya Academy of Military Sciences. The naval cannon and the swivel gun have been manufactured, and you have been invited to test their effectiveness and approve of them," Uncle Ravi informed him.

Vijay was happy that the navel artillery had been produced, but considering his current urgent task, he rejected the offer and ordered, "Have martial Kiran Pujari along with the admiral Gangadhar have a look at the guns. "

"As you wish Your Majesty," Ravichandra left after receiving the order.

Nagpur forward base, Maharashtra, Dakshin Bhartiya Empire.

Kiran Pujari had come to inspect the newly built forward base of the Empire. As Nagpur is in a central location at the northern border and has optimal transport station channels across the empire, it was decided as the main forward base of the Empire. The Nagpur forward base would connect to other forward bases in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

Kiran Pujari is walking across the fort, tapping on the wall to see how it is built. Along with him, Ramaiya Senapati also followed along. Ramaiya, surprisingly, despite being of noble birth and being the son of the old martial, did not have an arrogant expression on his face nor did he feel that he had been stolen from his position by Kiran Pujari; instead, he respected Kiran for his battle against the old man, Aamir Ali Khan, because Aamir Ali had left a shadow in his mind when he was a lot younger.

When he was still in his teenage years, Aamir Ali Khan had him kidnapped in order to negotiate a deal with his father. He felt very guilty at the time and also very scared of Aamir Ali Khan. As he got older, the fear disappeared, but still there was some waryness towards the old man, as he knew what that old man was capable of, and so he respected Kiran Pujari for defeating him.

Kiran Pujari, who was nodding along as he inspected the fort, suddenly stopped and frowned. He pointed at a location and said, "Reduce the angle of the opening in that location; it is too steep; it will be dangerous during wartime, a cannonball could come through."

Ramaiya looking at the slightly off window, responded " Yes martial sir"

Kiran Pujari nodded as he continued his inspection but suddenly footsteps were heard.

Tap tap tap.

Kiran Pujari and Ramaiya Senapati were disturbed by an approaching messenger, but before they could ask, looking at the royal family's seal on the letter the messenger brought, they both stood at attention and collected the letter. The messenger left as Kiran Pujari read the letter; his eyes lit up as if it were a letter to inspect the cannons. Although he knew that this cannon was not for the army, as it was specifically designed for the Navy, who knows, maybe in the near future, it could be modified for army use also. Excited, Kiran Pujari bid farewell to General Ramaiya Senapati and left for the capital.

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Sri Lanka, a southern military base.

Admiral Gangadhar is inspecting and guiding the new recruits of the southern naval base in their formations and Battle tactics.

Akhil, the commander of the base, is assisting him. Gangadhar, after becoming the admiral, did not stop studying because he was not fully educated when he joined the Navy. He was required on the battlefront right away, so he missed out on a lot of things. His thinking was still in a two-dimensional way when he was the commander. However, after going through the 'military tactics and Formations' book compiled by Dutch sailors, he has begun to think in a more three-dimensional way. Hence, he has been visiting the three military bases regularly. He has come to the southern base to practice and perfect his knowledge of stealth warfare. The southern base is very useful as it is in an advantageous location where many small islands can be found.

After his training drills, he came back to his office on the base to rest for a while. These government-provided offices were exclusive to him across all three military bases. To his surprise, a messenger awaited him in the office with a letter from the Emperor. Reading the message, elation surged through him. This was his first time inspecting a newly developed cannon, two of which were specifically designed for the Navy. Bidding Akhil a cheerful farewell and offering words of encouragement, Gangadhar set off for the royal capital as well.

The first stop: the Bhartiya Academy of Military Sciences.

First, Admiral Gangadhar arrived at Mangaluru port, having traversed the Arabian Sea swiftly. Kiran Pujari, travelling by land, arrived later that night. Following Vijay's instructions, they exchanged greetings the next morning.

"Marshall Kiran Pujari, hello."

"Admiral Gangadhar, hello."

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, please, let's go."

Their conversation was brief, which showed their lack of personal interaction with each other while maintaining mutual respect for their shared rank. Entering the academy, they were greeted by Hey Ram and his team of scientists.

"Welcome, Marshall Kiran Pujari and Admiral Gangadhar. Please, come in."

Formalities were brief before they were led to the swivel gun. Kiran Pujari, accustomed to standard army cannons, eyed the new weapon with doubt. It looked awfully similar to the normal 15kg calibre cannon used by the army. While the overall frame remained similar, the platform held subtle modifications. Admiral Gangadhar, however, having utilized swivel guns in the Navy, held a hunch about the implemented changes.

" Tell us about it, " Kiran Pujari asked.

" With pleasure sir, " Hey Ram responded with a smile.

"This is a 15kg calibre short- to medium-range swivel gun designed for the Navy. It features a 5-inch barrel with a barrel length of 9 feet." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The barrel weighs 1.75 tons, while the bridge plug and chamber weigh 250 kilograms and the swivel platform weighs 600 kilograms. The total weight of the platform and gun combined is 2.6 tons."

Kiran Pujari and Gangadhar nodded along, As Gangadhar asked, "What about its ammunition?"

"Yes," Hey Ram explained. "The projectile's weight can reach up to 16 kilograms, but that's the maximum for safe firing. Such a heavy shell wouldn't achieve high firing speeds. Therefore, we recommend using projectiles between 13 and 15 kilograms for optimal rate of fire.

This cannon can hit targets within a range of 600 meters, making it effective against ships approaching both close and medium ranges. But its most impressive feature is its fire rate of 6 to 8 rounds per minute. While an exceptional artillery crew could theoretically achieve a faster rate, 6 to 8 rounds is the more realistic benchmark with moderate effort and skilled personnel."

Finally, the time for testing the cannon arrived. Hey Ram led his trained artillery crew, who were permanently stationed at the academy for testing purposes, renowned as one of the Empire's top artillerymen, to test the cannon. Their performance would serve as a benchmark for potential Navy crews.

The gun was mounted on a Hampi-class sloop stationed in the academy's lake for the test. Three crew members worked in synchronized precision. One loaded the gunpowder-packed ammunition into the barrel, another adjusted the aim based on readings and targeted the designated point, while the third awaited the order. Finally, a lit fuse ignited, and a resounding "Bang" echoed across the lake.

A dull sound echoed throughout the calm lake as the sloop was pushed back a few inches. The test did not stop there; the artillerymen continued to execute the process of firing the same cannon again and again until the cannon became too hot to touch, as they worked tirelessly like machines.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang."

Six consecutive back-to-back shots were fired. The boulder 500 meters ahead had been turned into smithereens. Satisfied, Kiran Pujari and Gangadhar signed the approval for navel trials. Finally, both of them headed to the Raya Iron Works, where the 30 kg semi-breech-loading cannon was manufactured. They both received similar treatment to what Hey Ram provided them by the manager assigned by the royal family, They were quickly taken to the large naval cannon. It was then that they met Sai from the Sai Design Bureau, who designed this breech-loader cannon. He looked like a homeless person in his attire which could be considered as an offence but as he was the person chosen by Vijay both military bosses did not bother him. He then went on to explain the cannon with excitement, "This is the first cannon of its kind in the empire. Many innovations were utilized in manufacturing this cannon. It has a barrel width of 7 inches, a length of 16 feet, and a barrel weight of 4 tons. The weight of the wedge bridge and chamber is 600 kilograms, and the weight of the frame on which it sits is 1.2 tons, making the total weight of the cannon and the frame average between 6.2 to 6.5 tons."

"The projectile is a behemoth, featuring a 32-kilogram calibre with a range of up to 2000 meters and a rate of fire ranging from 2 to 3 rounds, depending on the experience of the crew."

"Many innovations have been made, such as this helical screw, which replaces the levers used as aiming support for the cannon. With this helical screw, we can easily change the elevation of the cannon just by turning this handle over here," he said, pointing to the round handle, as he later twisted it around so they could see the cannon rise in elevation.

"Unfortunately, these helical screws can only be crafted by the best craftsmen with their own hands, and there are only 50 craftsmen of such calibre in the empire. So, not too many cannons with such specification could be made."

"Moving on to another innovation, this cannon can preload a separate ammunition, with the help of the cartridge over here," he tapped on the rectangular box beside the barrel.

"This cartridge can hold a single ammunition shot along with the required gunpowder. After firing a shot, you just slide this back and load it inside the barrel from its breach, loading it into the cannon very swiftly," he explained, pulling the box and flipping it into the opened breach of the cannon. Kiran Pujari's eyes lit up; as an army person, he understood the convenience of this method.

"Finally, we also had some innovation in the gunpowder department. My dear friend, Manoj Reddy, was successful in granulating the gunpowder even more, making it more combustible and explosive. The power it packs has increased, so it is no longer necessary to use a large amount of gunpowder. The necessity of gunpowder has been reduced by 20% because of this improvement."

"Sir Sai, could you show us how it works in practice?" Gangadhar finally asked, realizing that the energetic man might go on forever if not stopped.

"Oh, look at me! Yes, yes, come along, come along," he said as he took Kiran Pujari and Gangadhar to a testing ground where another cannon was placed.

The same firing procedure took place, but this time only two people were required: one for loading the cannon and the other for aiming and firing.

"Bang!"

A deafening roar echoed from the cannon as the boulder, one and a half kilometres away, was blown into pieces. The boulder was actually the same size on which the 15 kg cannon was tested earlier in the day.

Satisfied by the demonstration, both Gangadhar and Kiran approved of its production and for a trial run in the Navy. It's just that Gangadhar felt unable to wait for the Vinayaka class frigate until he could actually see the wrath of the monster.

P.S. fuk, Missed the Deadline by 30 Mins