The 11th Squadron is a brand new force.

The unit number is new, the team members are all new faces, and there are few old people.

Even the captain and vice-captain are new recruits who have just joined the army.

Different from the infantry, which can produce miracles with great strength, the cavalry and artillery are technical arms.

Relying on the power of the spirit, or simply relying on brute force, cannons can't be fired.

If you want the cannon to fire quickly and accurately, a solid foundation in mathematics is indispensable.

The angle of the muzzle, the flight arc of the cannonball in the air... these are all knowledge.

In order to study cannons, the Western mathematical community even derived an independent discipline called "ballistics".

After intensive preparations, Qingdeng launched an army-wide selection process to select good candidates suitable for artillery service.

The selection method is very simple, that is, the soldiers are asked to take papers to test their mathematical ability and talent.

With the help of two gunnery instructors, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, he successfully produced a batch of mathematics papers and distributed them to the entire army.

The final test result was just as Qingdeng expected—very tragic!

The long-standing educational philosophy of “emphasis on literature and neglect of theory” has resulted in a general lack of mathematical ability among the public.

Even the children of famous families with abundant educational resources rarely come into contact with mathematics.

After some tests, it was found that the soldiers' mathematical abilities were extremely poor. There was no worst, only worse!

If any mathematics teacher saw their papers, their blood pressure would rise instantly.

Not to mention it is a complicated calculation, there are countless people who can’t even figure out “How much is 13+19”? The reason why they can’t figure it out is because the number in this equation exceeds the sum of the fingers and toes.

.

In comparison, Souji's math skills are not the worst!

After a long and difficult selection process, 200 people with acceptable mathematical abilities were finally selected from 6,000 soldiers.

In this way, although the process was tortuous and difficult, the 11th Squadron was finally put up.

It is no exaggeration to say that the members of Team 11 are all carefully selected treasures!

Not only do they have abundant physical strength, but they are also proficient in mathematics.

Of course, the "proficiency" here is compared to other people who cannot even understand addition and subtraction within three digits.

Although this "artillery selection" was a gold rush in a sea of ​​shit, Qingdeng actually took out a big piece of yellow gold - one person stood out, and he got almost the entire paper right!

His name is "Juro Abe", he was born a farmer, and his hometown is in Dewa Country in the northeast.

Not only is he a farmer, but he also comes from the Northeast...According to Kyoto people, he is a country bumpkin among country bumpkins.

Before the "Artillery Selection" started, Juro Abe was just an ordinary soldier in the Shinsengumi, with nothing outstanding about him.

He is not tall, has dark skin, and is neither fat nor thin. He looks like a passerby.

He barely passed the conscription examination solely due to his excellent physical fitness.

However, it was this unknown soldier who won the first prize in the "Artillery Selection".

After the selection, Qingdeng, who was shocked by his results, immediately called him over and asked him personally.

According to his own words, he once learned arithmetic for half a year from an old man at the entrance of the village who knew how to calculate an abacus.

After only studying arithmetic for half a year, they were able to answer the entire paper correctly... Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi were amazed.

In order to further test his mathematical talent, Qingdeng specially sent Elodie, the best at mathematics under his command, and ordered her to try to test this person.

In the end, after the assessment, Elodie gave a very high evaluation - this person is very talented in mathematics! He has a very flexible mind and is very good at mental arithmetic!

Since Elodie, Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi have all praised this person, is there any need to hesitate?

He actually found a piece of real gold from the sea of ​​shit... Aoto was so surprised that he firmly remembered the name "Juro Abe" and set him as a key training target.

After the 11th Squadron was officially established, the first training the team members had to receive was to seriously study "ballistics."

It's still early to touch the gun, practice it, etc.

In order to teach "ballistics", Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, who are gunnery instructors and graduated from the Berlin Military Academy, specially opened a "gunnery crash course".

Juro Abe lived up to expectations and shined in the classroom.

It only took him 2 months to pass all the exams and graduate successfully.

After entering the practical stage, he once again surpassed the others in skill.

Through the skills he learned in the "Crash Course in Artillery" and his innate mental arithmetic ability, every time he fired a gun, he could quickly mentally calculate the best bombardment by just taking a glance at the target position.

Compared with other comrades in arms, his artillery skills have reached the level of a knight.

Therefore, not long ago, Qingteng promoted him to the captain of the 11th Division in one fell swoop.

From a farmer in the Northeast to the leader of a team... this is another example of the best evidence of the "Shinseng Dream" that as long as you work hard and work hard in the Shinsengumi, you can become a successful person.

After Hijikata Toshizo, Abe Juro became a new role model for the Shinsengumi officers and men.

As long as we have talent, Niou-sama will not treat us badly!

Artillery is indeed the "god of war". Whether it's power or price, Qingden's lips twitch.

With the help of Huluwu, Qingdeng successfully connected with the arms dealer named "John".

Just at the beginning of this year, through the arrangement of Calabash House, Qingto went to Osaka and met this person at the headquarters of Calabash House.

Wearing a top hat, a monocle on his left eye, two big beards under his nose, a round belly, and a cane in his hand... Such an appearance is really classic! It perfectly fits Qingdeng's view of Western businessmen.

Stereotype!

The other party can speak Japanese, and although the accent is very strong, I can barely understand it.

As soon as he saw Qingdeng, he immediately smiled enthusiastically:

"Mr. Tachibana! I have long admired your name!"

"Mr. Tachibana! It's such an honor to meet a young hero like you!"

"Mr. Tachibana! Please rest assured! Since you are Miss Kinoshita's grandson-in-law, based on my deep friendship with Miss Kinoshita, I will do my best to help you! I will never treat you badly!"

After saying a lot of these nice New Year greetings, when he got down to business...that is, the purchase price of the guns, he seemed to change his face, changed to a serious and serious expression, and said a series of partial and complete words.

of numbers.

It was nothing more than a musket, but after hearing the price of the cannon, Qingden's eyes suddenly widened.

For a moment, Qingto almost thought that Kinoshita Rin had found a profiteer to trap him...

Finally, after Kinoshita Rin's detailed explanation, the misunderstanding was finally resolved.

The Parrott rifled gun is one of the most advanced artillery guns today.

This artillery is currently showing its prowess in the American Civil War.

From a certain perspective, John is a very conscientious businessman.

Not only does he guarantee the sale, he also guarantees delivery.

The United States is its main source of goods.

Once an order was placed, his private fleet would transport the guns across the Pacific to the port of Osaka.

As for the subsequent land transportation of the guns from the port to Otsu, it was entirely up to Qingteng himself.

Although the current navigation technology is quite advanced, the power of nature cannot be stopped by manpower.

It spans the entire Pacific Ocean, and shipwrecks are common.

If something unexpected happens - for example, a storm hits the fleet and the fleet suffers a devastating blow, and the ship and its cargo sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish - then all the losses will be borne by John, and there is no need for Qingden, the buyer, to go there.

worry.

In this way, the price given by John is indeed a conscientious price.

Although the price is not low, it is far from being a problem for Qingdeng.

With the strong financial resources Qingdeng now possesses, if he is determined, he can buy more than a hundred artillery pieces in one go.

However, there is an extremely simple truth: no matter how many artillery pieces there are, enough gunners are needed to operate them.

Qingdeng conducted an army-wide audition, and only 200 soldiers were selected who were suitable to be gunners.

Moreover, these 200 soldiers are all "quick soldiers" who are rushing to the shelves. They still need a long period of training to gradually develop combat effectiveness.

According to professionals Asai Moriyasu and Shimada Kanichi, the current 11th Squadron can only operate 30 artillery pieces at the same time. If there are more, it will be too busy.

In a nutshell: Qingdeng does not need to purchase too many cannons now.

If you buy too much, regardless of whether it is used or not, the storage cost alone will be a large expense.

Therefore, after careful consideration based on the current situation of the Shinsengumi, Seito placed an order for "80 Parrot rifled guns" to John.

30 of them are put into the front line, and the other 50 are reserved in the rear as backup.

30 cannons... Although the number is not large, in Japan, which is still in the "rookies pecking each other" stage, a group of artillery of this size is enough to create a suppressive effect on the battlefield!
To be continued...