The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 580 The Smart Zhang Tao

Since the matter of visiting relatives in Yuanchun was completely over, Jia Lian put his main thoughts back on his official duties.

Bingma Sima has been sitting in town for two years, and he has managed it very well, which is not an exaggeration for the base camp.Therefore, apart from the daily routine work, and the occasional lesson to tidy up some plastered hakamas in Xicheng, there is nothing left.

Therefore, what consumed him the most was the matter of the Shenji Camp Firearms Bureau.

Today, he was in the Shenji camp, discussing with Wu Youquan and others how to connect gunpowder and bullets (bullets) to achieve the purpose of fast reloading and truly solve the disadvantage of long firing intervals of muskets.

"My lord, is it possible to wrap the lead ball and gunpowder together with oiled paper, and when firing, the soldiers only need to bite or puncture the paper bag, and then put it into the gun chamber, so as to save the lead ball from being loaded separately?" and gunpowder time..."

A senior craftsman from the Musketeer Battalion suggested this after receiving countless influences from Jia Lian.

Wu Youquan's eyes lit up, and he felt that the suggestion was good. He looked at Jia Lian and said, "Master Hou, this method seems to work too... I really don't understand what Master Hou meant. You need to use a copper or iron case to hold gunpowder and put it on a lead behind the bead, it’s not difficult, but then how to ignite the gunpowder inside?”

Although Wu Youquan is very passionate about firearms and has ideas, but his thinking is all about how to improve firearms. For things like "bullets", in his concept, they are round beads, whether they are iron, copper or lead beads, but It's a matter of cost and quality.

He couldn't imagine that bullets would create structures like firearms.

Facing Wu Youquan's rhetorical question, Jia Lian was also a little silent.He just knows that it is very low to simply use round beads as bullets. After all, although he was not a military fan in his previous life, as an ordinary person, he also knows that bullets are composed of bullets and bullet casings. Only in this way can the bullet be loaded into the firearm, and it can be fired immediately.

However, Jia Lian forgot how the gunpowder was contained in the metal bullet casing and how it was fired, or never understood it at all.Therefore, in the face of inquiries from "firearms pioneers" such as Wu Youquan, he was unable to come up with a practical solution.

So, facing the eyes of more than a dozen craftsmen eagerly yearning for advanced knowledge, Jia Lian still acted inscrutable after feeling guilty for a while:

"Well, this question, let the Marquis think about it again, and you can also think about it...For the time being, let's try it according to Deputy Worker Wang's idea and see how it works..."

I think the exquisite, efficient, and fast bullets of later generations were manufactured after countless pioneer tests and battlefield tests.Even if Jia Lian knew the existence of this thing, producing it from scratch was not as easy as imagined.

If a small problem is not clarified, it will hinder the pace of progress.

However, Jia Lian was not in a hurry. Originally, what he needed right now was that he only needed to be one step ahead of others.As for the advancement of ten steps and one hundred steps, it is naturally the best if you can do it, and it doesn't matter if you can't...

Come to think of it, if things like planes and rocket launchers were built, it wouldn't scare the "big powers" in the west to pee their pants.As far as he himself is concerned, he doesn't believe that he has this ability, and regrets that he didn't study a military industry or something.

While discussing, I suddenly heard a familiar voice from outside: "This is his office? This is too broken, what smell! Hey, tell me... um, what's your name?"

"Back to the Four Emperors, uh no, back to His Royal Highness King Xiao, the humble Bian Hong..."

"Haha, let me tell you, Mr. Bian, you didn't mean to make things difficult for Jia Lian on purpose because you were a senior official, so you exiled him to this corner, right?"

"His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was just joking, how dare he be in a lowly position, it is the Marquis of Zhenyuan who likes to study firearms himself, and is in charge of the Firearms Bureau on his own initiative, with his humble background, how dare he embarrass the Marquis of Zhenyuan..."

Through the wall, Jia Lian seemed to be able to see Bian Hong wiping his sweat.

No need to ask, Jia Lian knew who was coming, so he winked at Wu Youquan and others who were a little surprised, let them go to work first, and then got up and went to the gate.

Sure enough, I saw the other two commanders in the Shenji Battalion waiting and watching in the huge craftsman's room. When they saw him come out, they hurriedly reported: "My lord, His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince has arrived, and the Commander told you..."

"Well, I see."

Jia Lian raised his hand in response, he had already seen Zhang Su's brother and the fourth prince.

"Haha, Jia Lian, you are indeed here!"

It has been several years, and in Jia Lian's eyes, the Fourth Prince is still the same little brat as before.But this little brat can't offend him!

Shaking his head secretly, Jia Lian quickly stepped forward to meet him: "I have seen Prince Xiao and Second Brother Su."

It is obvious that the status of the prince is higher than that of the prince, but the fourth prince seems to like the name "Xiao Wang" very much, and he also likes the people around him to call him that.

"Hey, Jia Lian, what are you busy with all day long, it takes a lot of effort to find you!"

The fourth prince didn't mean to see Jia Lian at all, as soon as they met, he patted Jia Lian's saluting hand, looked around him, and even poked his head into the craftsman's room.Seeing that there are some rough men inside, with bare arms in Daqiu, they are burning boilers, blacksmithing, and bang bang bang bang, and they can't help curling their lips.

Looking back, he saw Bian Hong and the others staring anxiously at the side, and he waved again: "You all go, I've come here specially to find him, so you don't need to get in the way."

Bian Hong and the others wanted to say something, but when they saw the fourth prince's stare, they could only back away angrily.

"I heard from my imperial sister that you are improving the firearm. It is the kind of thing that makes a loud 'boom' and 'boom' when you play it. I heard that it is still very effective. Can you let me see it? Anyway, I don’t believe me. What Huang Jie said is so exaggerated, why do you need to rely on it to decide the outcome on the battlefield in the future, if you don’t fight with real swords and guns, can you win with two bangs of these black sticks? If that’s the case, it’s really boring.”

The fourth prince is obviously a passionate young man, and even has longing and longing for the battlefield, and has no idea of ​​the cruelty of the battlefield.Jia Lian didn't bother with him, anyway, he yelled loudly, but as long as Emperor Ningkang is still alive, the chances of this kid going to the battlefield to mess around are basically zero.

Zhang Su also took advantage of the situation and said with a smile: "We also came here to see the power of firearms."

"In that case, I will arrange it."

……

On the school grounds, when Jia Lian arranged for a hundred officers and soldiers to fire a round of volleys according to the "four-stage style", the fourth prince and the others looked at the pile of wooden rakes that had been beaten into a sieve.

"This, it feels different from the firecrackers I've played before...By the way, this thing is called a firecracker, right?"

"Returning to Your Highness, we will now call it 'fire gun' because it fires faster, has a longer range and is more powerful than the previous fire guns."

Leaving aside the identity of the fourth prince, even Brother Zhang Su, whose father is also a doctor of the Ministry of War, and is in charge of the department, has studied firearms for the past six months, and many things and materials have been collected and withdrawn thanks to the help of the second uncle.Therefore, Jia Lian naturally did not hesitate to show the power of firearms as much as possible in front of them.

People in this era despise firearms. If you study the origin deeply, you have to gradually change their views step by step.

The fourth prince went down to check it himself, and found that those wooden rakes were even thicker than ordinary bow and arrow targets, and he complained in his heart.

Zhang Tao even sneered directly: "What's the use of great power? It takes so long to shoot once. With that skill, I would have shot the enemy to death with a bow and arrow."

To Zhang Tao's words, Jia Lian did not explain and refute, but looked at him with a smile: "How about I give you one for fun?"

"really?"

Zhang Tao's eyes flashed subconsciously, and then he realized that his face was as red as a pig's liver, and he didn't know what to do.

It turned out that Jia Lian had already discovered that Zhang Tao was the most eager and curious one when those shiny muskets were put out.

Maybe he thinks it's true that the loading speed of this thing is slower than that of a bow and arrow, but among other things, as far as the momentum of the musket firing is concerned, there is no man who doesn't like it.

What he doesn't like is Jia Lian.

In the past, he was always disliked by the old man because of his small stature.Later when Jia Lian came over, it became even more obvious with the comparison.

In addition, Jia Lian always bullies him, which makes him always against Jia Lian.

Although he has "deep grudges" towards Jia Lian, he likes to study all powerful weapons.He thought that if Jia Lian was really willing to give him a musket for fun... Forget it, how could this cheapskate really give him something.

So he said disdainfully: "It's ridiculous to say nothing."

Because of his swollen appearance, it was obvious that he was so angry that he couldn't get what he wanted, not to mention Jia Lian, even Zhang Su and the fourth prince thought it was funny.

The fourth prince likes to meddle in this kind of thing the most, and said with a smile: "That's right, a real man must do what he says, Jia Lian, you can't take your word for it, no matter what people say, it's your cousin, right? You are a cousin Brother, you may be stingy."

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "It's true that I'm his cousin, but from the beginning to the end, this kid never really called me cousin. I'm also very embarrassed."

Jia Lian didn't lie either, unless he couldn't hide in front of the old man, Zhang Tao would reluctantly call him "Second Brother".Jia Lian felt that the child was a little out of sorts.

So Jia Lian deliberately ordered his men to take two wooden boxes.

"Hey, what is this?"

Following the fourth prince's question, Jia Lian opened the first one, revealing a gilt and colorful musket inside, which was only one-third the length of a normal musket.In the grid next to it are bottles of gunpowder and fire starters.

"This is a special musket made of fine copper mixed with gold by my artisans. Although it is less powerful, it is small and easy to carry and play with. If the Fourth Highness does not give up, I would like to give it to the Fourth Highness for entertainment."

The fourth prince thought about it for a while, and immediately smiled and said: "Okay, I just think this thing is a bit interesting..."

So Jia Lian taught the fourth prince how to use the musket on the spot.The fourth prince had a good understanding, and quickly figured out how to play this thing, and then looked at another box that looked similar.

"Then this is?"

"Oh, this one is only made of refined copper, which is far worse than this one Your Highness. If Your Highness likes it, feel free to take it. If you don't like it, I'll keep it and give it to someone else."

As he said that, Jia Lian opened the box casually, and showed everyone, especially Zhang Tao, the musket that was also bright yellow inside, except for the different colors, which was not bad at all in terms of exquisiteness.

The fourth prince couldn't see Jia Lian's intentions, he was very willing to cooperate after accepting Jia Lian's benefits, "Forget it, I have this one, so I don't want that one."

"it is good."

Jia Lian immediately closed the box and handed it to the subordinate next to him.

Zhang Tao was a little anxious.

If it is said that he does not like those three-foot-long spears, but this short, yellow musket is too eye-catching.

If only Jia Lian hadn't said that he was going to send him off, that's all.

He tugged on his brother's sleeve, but Zhang Su only gave him a helpless look.

"Take it."

"Yes."

Seeing that Jia Lian's personal soldiers had already taken a few steps, Zhang Tao finally couldn't bear it anymore: "Slow down!"

"Ok?"

Facing Jia Lian's suspicious gaze, Zhang Tao's face was distorted, and he finally took a step forward, clasped his fists at Jia Lian and said, "Little brother, I met Lian's second cousin!! Is this okay?"

The little eyes are full of resentment, like a little daughter-in-law who has been clearly bullied but has to make up for it.

Both the fourth prince and Zhang Su couldn't help laughing.

Jia Lian said: "What's all right? Oh, you want this musket, right? Well, it's okay to give it to you because it's rare for you to call me cousin, but..."

Zhang Tao was completely angry, and stared at Jia Lian, as if if Jia Lian dared to tease him, he would fight for Jia Lian.

"But this musket is for military use after all. You have no official position, and you have no quota for personal soldiers. This is really difficult for my cousin."

Jia Lian is bullying Zhang Tao's youth and ignorance.In fact, except for specific military weapons and equipment such as heavy crossbows and heavy armor, the imperial court absolutely does not allow civilians to privately manufacture or hide them. As long as the quantity and regulation of other weapons are within a controllable range, the imperial court will not pursue too much.

As for muskets... At least until muskets show an absolute superiority over bows and arrows, the imperial court will most likely not ban them from the people.

Even nowadays, there are folk hunters who use simple firecrackers to hunt in the mountains.

Zhang Tao didn't know what was going on inside, and felt that what Jia Lian said was reasonable for a moment, and his face was full of disappointment.This kind of thing that I obviously like is in front of me, but I am not qualified to have it. Anyone who has experienced it knows that feeling.

Zhang Su couldn't bear it anymore, and said: "You forgot, grandpa is a first-class uncle, and there is a personal soldier system under his command..."

"Well, that's right!" After all, Zhang Tao wasn't too stupid, he slapped his thigh, and then looked at Jia Lian:

"Jia Lian, it's in vain that Grandpa likes you so much, now that you have such a thing, you don't know how to honor his old man at all?
To tell you the truth, I don't care much about your boring stuff. I just think that my grandfather has been in the army all his life and likes to collect all kinds of weapons, so I plan to take it back and show him to the old man.

Just say whether you will give it or not! "

The more Zhang Tao talked, the more confident he became, and in the end he looked at Jia Lian with confidence, as if if you don't give it, I'll sue you for being heartless and unfilial.

"You really want it for the old man? Don't try to take it for yourself. I'll ask when the time comes."

"Of course, you can ask me whatever you want."

Absolutely not taking it privately, I swallow it clearly, and I am not afraid to ask, just say that I borrowed it from the old man.Zhang Tao felt that even though he fell out of favor, his grandfather still loved him and would not compete with him for such a gadget.

If grandpa likes it too, then let him come and rob Jia Lian again, forgive Jia Lian and dare not refuse.

Jia Lian smiled, waved his hand, and asked Zhang Yong to give the boy something.

Zhang Tao immediately felt like he had found a treasure, and hurriedly took it to the side for inspection.Didn't Grandpa say that he is small and suffers a disadvantage in fighting with others because his strength is not as good as others, but with this thing it is different. I feel that this thing was born for himself. Others are big, but it is easy to hit. Little, others can't hit it even if they want to, hehe.

(End of this chapter)