Chapter 81: New Type Field Gun

After reluctantly putting down the last item, Old Zhang exhaled a deep breath, his calm heart momentarily stirred, not by the substantial auction proceeds, but by the cultural value contained within these items. "Everything is genuine. There are 60 pieces, each a rare treasure. More remarkably, they span from the Song Dynasty's Jun kiln to the Ming Dynasty's Wanli period official kilns, a vast time span that is truly astonishing. Xiao Chen, it's not easy to gather all these." Old Zhang's words clearly conveyed the difficulty of the task. How difficult it was, however, was a matter of perspective.

"Since they are all genuine, there's no problem. I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. We have a cooperation agreement with Siyu, and Lili will handle the related matters." Chen Xie bluntly stated, taking a hands-off approach.

Chen Feng, who had not spoken much, smiled and gave a thumbs up: "Great courage!" His words were brief but to the point. Everyone was well aware of the value of these items. Chen Xie was operating entirely according to the agreement previously reached with Qian Siyu, entrusting the items to her for auction and having Yang Lili handle the financial transactions and future business dealings.

To trust everyone involved in each step so completely, this was not something a person without great courage could do. In fact, Chen Xie had little to worry about; he didn't have the time to wait for the auction in the modern world. There were too many items, and no one person could handle them alone. He had to trust these two women, even if it meant gritting his teeth. Of course, this trust was also a result of his growing status in the Ming Dynasty and the loyalty of his subordinates, which had cultivated a high level of confidence in him.

...

In Jianghai Province, a small town, Qingfeng Foundry.

As Chen Xie's largest current client, Han Qingfeng was undoubtedly delighted to see him. He was a gun enthusiast, but he was also a businessman, and profit was his nature. As for why Chen Xie needed so many antique cannons, Han Qingfeng didn't care. It couldn't be for a rebellion, and the thought of this made him chuckle.

The car was a rented, low-key Phaeton, driven by Wu Qi. How she obtained her driver's license, Chen Xie didn't know. The journey from Qianzhou, the provincial capital of Jianghai, to this small town was over 100 kilometers, but it took only 30 minutes on the highway. After getting off the highway, they didn't travel far before seeing the sign for Qingfeng Foundry.

"Mr. Chen! Thank you for your hard work!" Han Qingfeng glanced at the "Passat," a level of wealth he couldn't understand. He opened the door, and Chen Xie, who was in the passenger seat, got out and extended his hand: "Are the samples ready?"

Han Qingfeng's eyes were still red, and he nodded with a smile: "They're out. I've been busy for three days and three nights, but finally, they're done."

Wu Qi, who got out of the car, remained cold and emotionless: "Let's go see the goods."

Han Qingfeng knew that Chen Xie wasn't the one to inspect the goods; his past experience told him that this woman was the one in charge during transactions.

"Please follow me!" He led the two to the back of the factory, where a hill covered with artificial pine trees stood. In the open yard behind, a cannon with an ancient appearance was parked.

"Mr. Chen, please look. This is the field gun you requested, made of steel, with a 95mm caliber, firing a 4-kilogram lead ball. Since it's made of steel, I took the liberty of shortening the barrel and adding rifling. I've conducted several tests in the nearby mountains using granulated gunpowder, and the range can reach 1,500 meters." Seeing Wu Qi inspecting the cannon, Han Qingfeng whispered to Chen Xie: "Mr. Chen, the price of copper has recently increased, so I had to use steel. Please understand."

Wu Qi quickly finished her inspection and nodded expressionlessly: "It's a very good cannon, very light and portable. Three people can push it around easily. The downside is that it's relatively complex to operate, and a skilled gunner can fire only two rounds per minute."

Han Qingfeng felt uncomfortable hearing this, and he turned to laugh quietly. This woman was interesting, speaking so seriously. Do you really plan to use this cannon in battle? Is that appropriate? This is a cannon that uses granulated gunpowder.

Using steel instead of copper to save costs and adding rifling was a pleasant surprise for Chen Xie. The benefits of this type of cannon were obvious: it was light and had a decent range. With such a cannon, the "Great Qing" cavalry, which was usually beyond the range of rifles, would have to retreat further, giving more time for the cavalry to charge.

A firing rate of two rounds per minute was not a significant issue. In the age of cold weapons, there were no scattered formations, and maintaining formation was crucial during attacks. If you spread out and charged, it was like courting death.

Chen Xie had requested a light, front-loading field gun over the phone, which was the client's requirement. In this world, there were many people, and wealthy individuals who believed in feng shui were as numerous as cattle. It wasn't strange for someone to like a light cannon, perhaps even using it as fireworks during the New Year. This was not something Han Qingfeng should question. He only wanted to reduce costs, and using steel was much cheaper, especially with the shortened barrel, which saved even more.

"What's the price?" Wu Qi stood behind Chen Xie, indicating that she would not handle the remaining matters. Negotiating the price was Chen Xie's job. Han Qingfeng was well-prepared and frankly stated: "40,000 yuan per cannon. Making this thing carries some risk, so please understand."

What Chen Xie was most satisfied with was the 4-kilogram lead ball. It seemed that Han Qingfeng was quite clever. Lead balls could be easily purchased online from numerous manufacturers, as long as the diameter was specified. There was no limit to the quantity.

Regarding the risks, Chen Xie believed there were some. By law, privately holding crossbows was illegal. However, since Wu Qi didn't say it was impossible, it meant that many things were not as she said, that being illegal didn't mean they couldn't be taken to the Ming Dynasty. There were certainly rules, but Chen Xie wasn't clear about the specifics.

"Ensure the quality. Don't let it explode when someone wants to hear a bang during the New Year." Chen Xie said casually, and Han Qingfeng immediately smiled: "Rest assured, the quality of the steel is guaranteed. I sourced it from a reputable factory. I won't use substandard steel." Chen Xie was taken aback by this, as he was currently relying on a substandard steel factory to meet the steel demand in the Ming Dynasty. The difference was that Chen Xie placed more emphasis on quality, which could be controlled.

"Also, don't make any more bronze cannons in the future. Design a cannon that fires a 4-kilogram lead ball, and I'll decide the specific quantity after seeing the sample. Oh, and remember to copper-plate it; that shouldn't be difficult. Here's the order. Is the new contract, compared to the one with Shitian Factory, acceptable?" Chen Xie said, handing over a piece of paper. Han Qingfeng took it and immediately broke into a wide smile.

60 cannons, a 2.4 million yuan order, with half the payment made in advance. At the current production cost, he could make 5,000 yuan per cannon. At the current production rate, he could complete the order in a month.

"No problem, I can deliver in a month. Mr. Chen, considering the transportation issues, I've made the 24 bronze cannons already produced into disassemblable components, packed in wooden boxes. They can be easily assembled when needed." Han Qingfeng quickly added, to avoid any objections from Chen Xie.

"That's not a problem; assembly is not difficult." Chen Xie was easy to please. The 24 bronze cannons could be used for training and security. In the future, the rifled steel cannons would be the main force in the field. As for the Ming Dynasty, the large cannons and red-coated cannons were no match for modern rifled cannons.

After settling the matter, they didn't even eat before heading back. Han Qingfeng felt that Chen Xie was also a hardworking person. Holding the order, Han Qingfeng turned back with a delighted smile.

"Wu Qi, can rifled cannons be transported? Is it against the time-travel rules?" Chen Xie asked from the passenger seat, and Wu Qi, driving, didn't even turn her head: "Cannons using granulated gunpowder can be transported. However, have you considered the potential risks of relying too much on modern society for weapons? It's fine now with your small number of troops, but what about the future?"

Chen Xie was pleasantly surprised and asked: "Let's not worry about the future for now. Developing industry in the Ming Dynasty will take a long time. What about the Congreve rockets? Can they be transported?"

Wu Qi actually turned her head, and her usually expressionless face showed surprise and a look of disdain: "These rockets have almost no technical content; you can make them in the Ming Dynasty. Also, hand grenades are not difficult to make, though they are not very powerful. In large numbers, they can be a potent close-combat weapon. The key is how you improve the gunpowder formula in the Ming Dynasty. Don't you think your soldiers' gunpowder isn't maximizing its potential? Granulating gunpowder is not a difficult task, is it?"

Chen Xie was taken aback. Yes, it was just about granulating gunpowder.

"Another issue you haven't addressed correctly is the nutritional structure of the food in the Ming Dynasty. Don't you think it's necessary to improve this? If you can improve the living standards of the people in Zhangjiazhuang, you can improve the living standards of the surrounding areas. With this foundation, you can have qualified soldiers. I always thought that after increasing the grain yield per mu, you would consider this issue and improve the lack of meat and eggs in the Ming Dynasty."

Chen Xie's mind buzzed. He had indeed overlooked this issue. Currently, with a small number of people, the supply of pork and mutton was not a problem. In the future, with a larger force, this would be a serious issue. Fortunately, Wu Qi had timely reminded him. For a medical student to forget this was truly unforgivable.

Chen Xie went directly to Shitian Factory, met with Fang Gang and Wu Qing, settled all the payments, and requested a double-barreled pistol. Fang Gang said it was simple, and with the existing equipment, he could produce a sample in half a day. Chen Xie was very satisfied and placed the order immediately.

...

Morning! Ding Zixiong, standing at the guard post, held his gun, maintaining a vigilant stance. The thick fog in the morning made visibility very poor. The two hidden and one visible guard posts could not see more than ten meters ahead.

The sound of footsteps approached from a distance, and Ding Zixiong instinctively raised his gun, shouting towards the dock: "Who is it!"

"Idiot, you should ask for the password!" The voice in the fog was familiar, and Ding Zixiong reacted instinctively, standing at attention and lowering his gun. He shouted: "Good morning, Headmaster!"

Chen Xie, approaching, looked at Ding Zixiong and angrily said: "Where is Wang Qian? Get him out here. How did he teach you? What does the soldier's manual say? When you see a superior, you should call them 'sir,' and the guard post should have different passwords. This idiot treats it like a joke. Sound the whistle, emergency assembly!"