Chapter 76

On the 28th of February in the fourth year of the Yingli era, all members of the穿越 team's committee, along with relevant members of the security and technology groups, gathered at the "Quiet Garden" located at the foot of Baojin Mountain to prepare for the first test firing of a tubular firearm in this timeline. The test site was chosen to be in a garden behind the "Quiet Garden," originally built by the Qi family. Apart from the穿越 team members, no one else was allowed to enter the test area. The servants in the "Quiet Garden" were all informed that the Daoists were cultivating magical weapons and that approaching the area would be life-threatening. Although this explanation seemed technologically unsophisticated to the穿越 team, the servants all believed it without doubt, and not a single servant dared to approach the backyard during the entire test.

This garden was much larger than the one in the city's "Clear Garden" and had a more rugged style. The firing point for the flintlock rifle was set in a small pavilion in the garden, with the target being a human-shaped paper target fixed to a large tree fifty paces away—the farthest distance that could be achieved within the garden. To ensure safety, the穿越 team did not operate the flintlock rifle directly but instead fixed the nearly 1.5-meter-long, twelve-pound gun on a specially made stand and used a long rope to trigger it from about ten paces away. They were mainly concerned about the gun barrel being too weak and exploding, as they had little confidence in the metallurgical technology of this era.

Zhou Lei, responsible for the remote firing, was a former firearms expert from a munitions factory and was in charge of the flintlock rifle's development. Li Junwu, the head of the technology group and an expert in firearms, mainly provided guidance and coordination.

After everyone hid behind a large rock, Zhou Lei, wearing a helmet borrowed from the security group, hid behind a thick wooden board held by Cheng Fei and Wu Peng. He pulled the long rope with all his might. The rope tightened, pulling the trigger of the flintlock rifle, which released the hammer. The flint on the hammer struck the iron anvil on the pan cover, creating sparks that ignited the priming powder in the pan. The sparks then traveled through the touch hole into the barrel, igniting the main charge of gunpowder. The gunpowder exploded, producing high-temperature, high-pressure gas that propelled the lead ball forward through the 11mm barrel. With a loud "bang," a cloud of smoke spewed from the muzzle, completing the firing process.

After a while, as the smoke was blown away by the wind, the prototype rifle remained intact before everyone. Although the shooting effect was unknown, it at least indicated that the gun's structure was successful and the barrel was sufficiently sturdy. Zhou Lei was the first to run over, taking the flintlock rifle off the stand and examining it carefully. After confirming there were no cracks, he handed it to Li Junwu. Li Junwu checked it again and then passed it around for everyone to inspect.

While everyone was examining the gun, Zhou Lei went to retrieve the paper target. A clear round hole in the center of the target showed that the bullet had hit the mark accurately. Wu Peng then found the hole in the tree trunk where the lead ball had entered and, with great effort, dug the lead ball out with a knife.

Seeing the intact flintlock rifle and holding the still warm lead ball, Zhou Lei's heart finally settled. Although this was just the beginning of the test, this first successful shot, which could be called a "good start," clearly indicated that today's test would be a complete success.

Subsequent tests confirmed Zhou Lei's premonition. Each of the three guns was fired ten times, all of which were successful. Then, the members of the technology and security groups discarded the rope and began firing the guns themselves. In the end, even committee members like Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin personally tried the guns. The garden of the "Quiet Garden" was filled with the sounds of gunfire throughout the afternoon, which made the servants, who dared not approach, even more convinced that the Daoists were cultivating magical weapons, increasing their reverence for them. This would save a lot of trouble for future research and testing in the garden.

During the later part of the test, a fine crack appeared on the barrel of one of the guns. At the strong suggestion of Li Junwu and Zhou Lei, the test returned to the remote firing method using the long rope.

The test lasted nearly three hours in total. After each gun was fired over a hundred times, almost exhausting all the prepared ammunition, the three guns could no longer withstand the intense and continuous firing and eventually exploded. Although all three barrels were scrapped, the test met the initial expectations, proving that the materials of this era could indeed be used to manufacture firearms suitable for practical use.

Of course, this test was just the first step in the development of the flintlock rifle. In the following time, the technology and security groups would conduct many more tests, including the optimal powder charge test, effective killing range test, killing effect test under various conditions, and durability test of each component. After a series of tests, the technology group would provide a detailed user manual for the gun before it was officially put into use, to facilitate the security group's use. This would help new security members, who were unfamiliar with firearms, to fully master the use of the gun, maximize its effectiveness, and minimize the potential risks of use.

However, as the chief designer of the gun, Zhou Lei also frankly admitted to everyone that due to the current parts being produced through outsourcing, and the low production efficiency of the few contractors—only enough parts to manufacture fifteen rifles were provided in over a month—it was impossible to supply enough parts for the technology group to use in a short time. As a result, the mass production of firearms by the technology group could not be achieved. Therefore, until the team established its own smelting, metal processing, and gunpowder manufacturing capabilities, the technology group could only provide a limited number of firearms for the team to use at a low speed.

Moreover, due to the extremely limited availability of saltpeter, a key ingredient in black powder, the ammunition supply for the flintlock rifles would not be good for a considerable period of time until a suitable supplier was found. The committee and the security group were asked to prepare mentally for this situation.

Despite these unsatisfactory aspects, the committee and the security group still praised and affirmed the work of the technology group. They also required the trade group to work harder on the procurement of saltpeter to solve the raw material supply problem as soon as possible, so that these firearms could achieve their maximum effect.

In response, Fan Wucheng, the head of the trade group, stated that the trade group was actively handling the matter. They had already contacted some merchant teams from the Western Regions and Longyou through the city's pharmacies, and had reached a preliminary agreement for these teams to supply saltpeter to the team. The trade group would continue to negotiate with these teams to reach a supply agreement as soon as possible. Additionally, based on the suggestions of the technology group, the trade group had communicated with the magistrate of Liangxiang County, Hu Zhixian, and hoped to collect naturally formed saltpeter from the toilets and pigsties of all households and inns in the county through the county government. This would, after some time, at least meet the team's short-term needs.

The active work of the trade group was also praised by the committee and other groups, especially by the technology group. Its head, Li Junwu, and the chief designer of the flintlock rifle, Zhou Lei, repeatedly thanked Fan Wucheng and other members of the trade group. They also expressed gratitude on behalf of the technology group for the recognition of their work and promised to do their best to speed up the production of the flintlock rifles, aiming to provide enough guns before the establishment of the new security team. This would enable the team to achieve the decentralized living arrangement based on functions, allowing everyone to use their abilities and resources to the fullest and better contribute to the team's development.

After the test, everyone returned to the "Clear Garden." The members of the technology and security groups resumed their respective work, while Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin went to the committee's small meeting room and called Fan Wucheng, You Yuan, and the "Clear Garden" steward, Deng An, to discuss what gifts to send for Zhong Shiwen's wedding. After consulting Deng An's suggestions and referring to the gifts received at Wang Feng's wedding, they finalized the gift list. They required the trade group and the material management group to complete the purchases within three days, without delaying the wedding on the second day of the third month.

Fan Wucheng and You Yuan knew this was an urgent matter, so they did not delay for a moment. They set out immediately while it was still light and headed to the major shops in Liangxiang City, completing the purchases in less than two days, demonstrating high efficiency.

On the morning of the first day of the third month, the Flying Dragon Fort in Xayun Ridge transmitted a message via radio that Xing Buduo, the former fourth leader of the Five Tigers Fort, had passed away the previous evening. The fort's留守 group hoped that the "Clear Garden" base could send someone to the Flying Dragon Fort to attend Xing Buduo's funeral, as a sign of respect for the old leader, Liu Wanbao. Additionally, a grand funeral for Xing Buduo would help to better rally the hearts of the fort's soldiers. According to custom, Xing Buduo's funeral would be held on the seventh day of the third month. If the base agreed to attend, they should arrive at the Flying Dragon Fort before this date.

The "Clear Garden" base approved the留守 group's suggestion. After discussion between the committee and the security group, it was decided that committee members Wang Xiaojun and Xu Shaowan, along with Liang Ziyue, who had frequent contact with the people of the Flying Dragon Fort, would represent the base at Xing Buduo's funeral to show the team's importance of the matter. Additionally, Wang Feng and Cheng Fei would accompany them to provide security. The date for the condolences was tentatively set for the fourth day of the third month, after Zhong Shiwen's wedding.

According to Wang Xiaojun's idea, he and Xu and Liang all had martial arts skills and could travel without security personnel. The security forces in the city were relatively weak, and if they took more people, it might affect the security of the "Clear Garden." Xu Shaowan and Liang Ziyue also agreed, but they ultimately failed to persuade Zhang Weixin and Li Junwu, especially Zhang Weixin, who used the team's security regulations—committee members must be accompanied by security personnel when traveling—as an excuse to block their arguments.

For Zhang Weixin, establishing Wang Xiaojun's authority and status, especially in front of non-team members, had become the most important part of his work. Bringing security personnel, in his view, was also a way to demonstrate his identity, and he was not willing to give it up easily. The others could not argue with him or did not want to argue over such a small matter, so they went along with his idea.