Chapter 60

Five days later, the first matchlock gun was already in existence; although it was crude and even ugly, everyone was still very excited. The barrel was made by boring, which was very time-consuming, but it was very accurate.

Moreover, having magic was convenient; there was no need for flint or cigarettes. Rubbing the fingers together produced a spark to ignite the matchlock. The bullet inside the barrel could also be slightly modified with magic to better fit the barrel.

"Bang!" The sound was crisp and intense. Using yellow for the matchlock gun produced surprisingly good results; combined with the power in this world, which seemed particularly strong, the bullet instantly hit the stone wall in front.

A fist-sized indentation suddenly appeared on the stone wall, with debris flying everywhere, and a deformed metal bullet was embedded in the granite rock.

"Tsk..." Li Xian was a hundred percent sure that the power here was at least twice as strong as on Earth!

"What is the reason for this? Can it be increased further?" Human desires are insatiable, and Li Xian was no exception.

But while Li Xian was musing, the people around him were having a great time. All the high-ranking officials of the Brilliant Stars were vying for the "new toy," and even Xia Qingqing was eager to try.

Li Xian quickly held back Xia Qingqing. After leaving the palace, it seemed that her heart had opened up, and the princess's slight arrogance seemed to be reviving. This matter could not be left unchecked; it had to be suppressed.

Although Xia Qingqing was in the Foundation Establishment stage, she pulled a few times and found that Li Xian was holding her tightly. She huffed and ultimately stood by Li Xian's side.

"Grudgeful!" Xia Qingqing bit Li Xian's ear.

Li Xian ignored the commotion around him and focused his eyes on the gun being tested in front.

The first gun performed unexpectedly well, and the armory was greatly encouraged. They immediately worked overtime to research real guns.

Springs were made, triggers appeared, and cartridge cases finally emerged. Simple cast bullets were made, and compressed copper bullets also appeared... having cultivation was indeed beneficial!

More than twenty days after the successful research, the first real gun appeared: a wooden stock, single-shot, and without a sight. Even such a crude gun still gave everyone a great shock.

At 300 meters, one shot penetrated a two-centimeter-thick stainless steel plate!

"Damn, it's even more powerful than the legendary flying swords! At least the flying swords can be seen, but the bullets are completely invisible. Flying swords need to be recovered, but bullets don't need to be! Even a Golden Core expert would suffer!" Yang Qianjiang laughed triumphantly; he was the factory manager, and in the future, these weapons would be produced by his factory!

Seeing this, Li Xian immediately reminded Yang Qianjiang, "Yang Qianjiang, it's only worth celebrating when you produce a rapid-fire machine gun. My requirement is that the rapid-fire machine gun must fire at least 100 bullets per minute to form a bullet curtain.

In addition, the warehouse must always have a stock of 100 million bullets in reserve, just in case.

Furthermore, produce mini-guns, small, medium, and large pistols, portable submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles, fully automatic rifles, sniper rifles, and even dormitory machine guns as soon as possible.

Also, the cannons must be produced as soon as possible.

During this period, you must also establish ballistic models and data calculations. I've given you the foundation, so how you develop and research is up to you.

For mathematics, geometry, physics, and other knowledge, you can consult the research department."

"Ah..." Yang Qianjiang immediately wilted; learning these things was too headache-inducing.

Li Xian, who understood his feelings, still patted Yang Qianjiang's shoulder to "encourage" him, "Don't you want to prove your life's value? Don't you want to pursue the realm of the Nascent Soul? Don't you want everyone to fear you? Think about it, the weapons you manufacture can protect us and prevent our brave warriors from being injured!

Work hard, you can do it. The future is glorious, but you must overcome the difficulties now."

Yang Qianjiang, inspired by Li Xian's words, roared, "Yes!"

"Very good. First, arm a team of a dozen people to deal with any trouble that might arise during the bidding."

Xu Ren, standing beside him, sneered—Young Master's ability to persuade people was getting better and better; had he been persuaded before? It seemed, possibly, approximately, maybe... he had been persuaded several times!

——

Leaving aside Li Xian's smooth progress and the foundation he had laid, let's talk about Song Xing. After conveying the ideas of "bidding" and "general agency," many large merchants, especially regional governors and provincial administrators, began to take action. Who could be more suitable for regional general agencies than these people!

To be precise, Li Xian was targeting these people! Only they had the ability and the need to purchase large quantities of goods and pay in cash. Only in this way could Li Xian quickly gather funds and revitalize the group. And by doing so, he could quickly capture the market.

For industry and commerce, capturing the market is a very important matter! And by capturing the market, it naturally suppresses the rise of other factories—without a market, it's like a company losing its foundation.

But people were indeed attracted by Li Xian's cheap and high-quality goods! The starting bid was at a 70-90% discount.

Therefore, many people who were eager to obtain agency rights had already arrived early. On one hand, they were looking for opportunities to get to know people within the Brilliant Stars Group, and on the other hand, they were collecting any possible information.

Indeed, they managed to gather quite a bit of information. With so many people in the Azure Cloud Valley, it was inevitable that some information would leak through casual conversations and daily activities.

Outside the Azure Cloud Valley, a temporary building was constructed. Thanks to the convenience of magic, this temporary building was quite luxurious and served as the venue for the bidding for agency rights.

Gu Youcai from the Gu family, Liu Shuren from the Liu family, and Huang Youquan from the Huang family gathered together. These three had met at the industrial fair before the New Year.

At the moment, the three were exchanging information gathered by their subordinates.

"Recently, the Brilliant Stars Trading Company has completed reorganization and restructuring, and its official name is now 'Brilliant Stars Group.'"

"The Brilliant Stars Group has a commercial planning department, a scientific research department, a machinery factory, a textile factory, a smelting factory, a glass and lamp factory, a concrete factory, and many small workshops..."

"The goods the Brilliant Stars Group plans to sell include fabrics, steel plates, stainless steel weapons and ordinary weapons, glassware, lamps, bearings and shafts, standardized parts like screws and nuts, and something called a 'Big Ben.'"

"It's said that there is a machine within the Brilliant Stars Trading Company that can produce other machines."

...

After verifying the information, the three began to discuss and even planned to cooperate to win one or two projects. Their intentions were clear: although the three families were good, they still had a significant gap compared to the powerful regional warlords and the influential families that held power in the court.

"Fabrics, especially high-quality silk and low-quality ramie, are the most popular, while mid-range cotton is the least popular."

"Then we should focus on bidding for silk and ramie."

"Besides fabrics, there are also steel and weapons. With the chaos in the Great Xia Kingdom, preparing some steel and weapons will definitely not be a loss."

Thus, the three determined the goods and their priorities.

Not only did these three collaborate, but many merchants also formed alliances. The regional governors, provincial administrators, and representatives of large families were also exchanging and discussing their "product ranges."

However, with so many people gathered, some had ulterior motives—could they make a profit without any investment? The internal engines, stainless steel secrets, and the machine that could produce other machines within the Brilliant Stars Group made many people envious!

...