Chapter 40

At this point, it was already time to fire. The people around were all quietly watching, and Liang Xing and his group were watching as if they were at a play, completely engrossed. Liang Hong and Old Cai, however, were quietly discussing the price of the firelock, knowing that maintaining such a large group dedicated to manufacturing weapons must be quite costly. Only Wang Changfu, who had served in the border army and was familiar with it, knew that the firelock in front of him was far more powerful than an ordinary matchlock. Even in the Jizhen area, there were only a few such weapons. The young master's loading action was so familiar, almost like that of a seasoned matchlock soldier. He didn't know that the young master had come from another era, where he had used primitive guns in street fights, which, except for the flintlock ignition, were almost the same as the matchlock in front of him.

Zhang Han finished loading and looked at the wooden target opposite, then instructed, "Move the wooden target back fifty paces."

Wang Debang's face changed, feeling a bit flustered. The firelock had just been fired, and everyone had only fired a few shots. Moving the target back fifty paces to a total of one hundred and fifty paces, at this distance, an ordinary matchlock would hardly hit the target. Generally, at fifty to sixty paces, it could hit the target, and within fifty paces, it could penetrate armor. At one hundred paces, according to the "New Book of Military Efficiency," it could hit a human-shaped target, but Zhang Han found it difficult to hit even with several shots. This matchlock was finely crafted, made from the best Min iron, and Zhang Han didn't believe that Qi Jiguang's guns could be better. Hitting the target at one hundred paces was almost impossible for a matchlock.

As for this Lu Mi firelock, with its longer barrel, more gunpowder, and larger bullet, as well as a sight, Zhang Han decided to skip the one-hundred-paces challenge and directly aim at one hundred and fifty paces to see how it performed.

"Bang!"

A loud noise followed, but the wooden target at one hundred and fifty paces remained still. The bullet hit the ground a few steps away, raising a long trail of dust.

"Great shot!" Wang Changfu praised loudly.

He looked at the strange expressions on the faces of those around him and said disdainfully, "I'm not flattering. At one hundred and fifty paces, even an experienced shooter wouldn't have this much confidence. But this firelock is truly excellent. At one hundred and fifty paces, it can still knock a large chunk of mud out of the ground. If it hit an unarmored Tartar, it would certainly cause injury. It's truly remarkable."

With his explanation, the others realized how good the firelock was, and the young master's shot was also impressive. They all cheered in unison.

Zhang Han just smiled and, following the same procedure, loaded the firelock again.

He calculated in his mind that after firing once, he could reload in about one minute or one and a half minutes. If the situation was urgent and he was nervous, it might take two or three minutes to fire again. As for the Ming army, he hadn't seen what the matchlock soldiers were like, but according to Wang Changfu, matchlock soldiers in the army had no status, not even as good as household cavalry or even the pikemen, who were considered cannon fodder. The officers didn't like them either, and there was no training in any of the garrisons. As long as they could fire, they were considered good soldiers. Issues like poor quality of gunpowder, clogged ignition ports, inconsistent loading, and mismatched bullet sizes were common. The quality of firelock manufacturing was also getting worse. He estimated that these matchlock soldiers might not even be as good as himself.

Zhang Han's estimation was correct. In fact, the Ming army had no training, and his skill was among the best in the Ming army.

The second loading was quickly completed. This time, Zhang Han adjusted his position based on the previous shot, held his breath, and pulled the trigger.

The dragon's head placed the burning match in the flash pan, igniting the priming powder, which in turn ignited the main charge, and the bullet was fired with a loud noise.

"Bang!"

After the second shot, the wooden target opposite also made a dull sound, and the target body vibrated. This time, it indeed hit the target.

A bodyguard quickly ran to the target and reported, "The bullet penetrated, the target surface is shattered. The young master shot well, and this firelock is truly excellent."

A matchlock could not hit the target at one hundred paces; it could only penetrate the wooden target at eighty paces, causing effective damage. To hit an armored target, it had to be within sixty paces, which was about the same range as the Tartar's horse archery. The matchlock's power was slightly stronger, but if the Mongols used foot archery, the range of the bow was slightly better. If they encountered the Lu Mi firelock, whether horse or foot archery, they would be instantly killed.

Zhang Han put away the firelock and handed it to Wang Debang, smiling, "You did well. The seal is good, and the gunpowder should be granulated, not powder. How to make and use it is all in Qi Jiguang's book."

Qi Jiguang's book also included methods for making and using granulated gunpowder, but few people knew about it. Now, most military garrisons did not use granulated gunpowder. Zhang Han felt that the spread of information in this era was a big problem. Despite the vastness of China, there were many intelligent people. Not only was Zhao Shizhen's "The Divine Machine Spectrum" a great book, published in the 26th year of the Wanli era, but even after twenty years, the development of firearms had not advanced as much as it should have. In many places in the Ming dynasty, the manufacturing of firearms had regressed rather than progressed.

The country was large, but the court was weak. Even with the emergence of capable people like Qi Jiguang and Zhao Shizhen, what could be done?

"Third cabinet," Zhang Han turned to Liang Hong and instructed, "Give Wang Hu and his firelock team fifty taels of silver as a reward, and Wang Hu himself gets twenty taels."

Wang Debang had made matchlocks before, as had two others. However, the Lu Mi firelock, in both form and internal structure, was completely different from an ordinary matchlock. Zhang Han had bought many books, many of which were related to the development of firearms at the time. Not only did it include the works of firearms expert Zhao Shizhen, but also a chapter in "The Military Record" that described Western firearms in great detail, including various calibers and models. It was written in the 34th year of the Wanli era by a colonel. Zhang Han was amazed by the author, but he had never heard of this person. In the late Ming dynasty, it was a period of Sino-Western integration, with many Europeans coming to China, including envoys and missionaries, as well as ordinary people. The development of European firearms and tactics was also valued and learned by the Ming dynasty. Although the Ming dynasty was slightly behind the West in the late Ming period, in shipbuilding, firearms, astronomy, mathematics, and geometry, including the efforts of the Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi, the Ming dynasty had many people learning from the West. The Chinese did not have a sense of superiority or isolationism.

After reading about the Lu Mi firelock in the books, Zhang Han was no longer satisfied with using matchlocks. He appointed Wang Debang to lead a firearms team, with a few who had made matchlocks as the core and a few clever apprentices. After nearly a month of work by nearly ten people, they finally successfully manufactured the firearm. Not only was the craftsmanship excellent, but the practical effect was also top-notch. With such a firearm in hand, Zhang Han felt much safer.

"How many more can you make in a month?"

"Master," Wang Debang, who had received twenty taels, felt full of energy and answered spiritedly, "We now have five drill bits, and only five people can drill. Each day, they can drill one inch, so it takes a month to drill one barrel. Drilling the barrel is the most time-consuming part, but the other work is done quickly. So, we can make five a month. We also worry about drilling a defective barrel, so we need to drill several barrels at the same time to ensure quality. However, this will increase the cost. A matchlock costs less than three taels, but this Lu Mi firelock will probably cost six to seven taels."

"A bit slow," Zhang Han said, "But we can't make too many. If someone notices and reports it, it will be a hassle. Five is five. I won't stop you, Wang Hu. You keep making them. Don't worry about the cost; I can afford it."

Wang Hu smiled broadly, bowed deeply, and answered, "Yes, Master."

The Lu Mi firelock technology came from Turkey and was developed by the genius Zhao Shizhen in the capital. The Ming army had once equipped a few, but later no one used them. The main reason was the high cost and the time-consuming manufacturing process. The craftsmen in the capital's firearms bureau could hardly make a functional matchlock, let alone the more demanding Lu Mi firelock.

There were also a dozen or so other craftsmen nearby, each with a face full of envy and jealousy. Making firearms was a skill, and Wang Debang and his group had done it before, so others couldn't get the chance to earn this money.

As for teaching others, that was out of the question. In this era, skills were closely guarded secrets. Wang Debang, who had developed the Lu Mi firelock, would certainly pass it down to his children but not to outsiders.

Zhang Han put down the firelock, thought for a moment, and called Liang Xing over, smiling, "Take the matchlock I used before and practice. When you can load and aim as well as I do, you can come out and work for me."

"Ah?"

Liang Xing's mouth opened wide. He had been practicing diligently, following Wang Changfu's training with a saber and shield. As one of the most capable in the group, he was surprised to be suddenly asked to practice the firelock.

Zhang Han smiled and ignored him, walking forward. Liang Hong pulled his nephew aside and whispered, "You fool, just practice. Don't you see that among all the bodyguards, the master only chose you?"

"But this thing..."

Liang Xing wanted to say that it wasn't useful, but remembering Zhang Han's first shot and the power of the Lu Mi firelock, he couldn't say it.

"Whatever the young master asks you to do, just do it well. You won't lose out."

Liang Hong often gave advice to his distant nephew. In the past, Liang Xing was not ambitious, and he couldn't do much. He just wanted to give Liang Xing more opportunities to earn money. That's why he had Liang Xing block the young master. Now, with this situation, if his nephew didn't understand, he would be too foolish.

Fortunately, Liang Xing's bad habits were decreasing, and he seemed more steady. The young master was also increasingly trusting and relying on him, which made Liang Hong very happy.

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