Chapter 580: Smart Zhang Tao

Since the Yuanchun wedding was completed, Jia Lian returned his main focus to official duties.

He has been in charge of the Bingma Division for two years, and he has managed it very well. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a headquarters. Therefore, apart from the daily routine work and occasionally giving lessons to some wealthy and wealthy people in Xicheng, it was nothing more.

Therefore, what consumed his most thoughts was the Shenji Camp Firearms Bureau.

On this day, he was in Shenji Camp, discussing with Wu Youquan and others how to connect gunpowder and bullets (bullets) to achieve the purpose of rapid loading and truly solve the disadvantage of long firing gaps of muskets.

　"Sir, can you wrap the lead balls and gunpowder together with oily paper? When firing, the soldiers only need to bite or puncture the paper bag, and then load it into the barrel of the gun. This way It can also save the time of loading lead beads and gunpowder separately..."

A senior craftsman from the musket battalion suggested this after receiving countless influences from Jia Lian.

Wu You’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... I really can’t understand the meaning of Master Hou. I want to use copper shell or iron shell." It’s not difficult to put gunpowder in the shell and put it behind the lead ball, but how to ignite the gunpowder inside?”

Although Wu Youquan loves firearms very much and has ideas, but he His thinking is all about how to improve firearms. In his concept, "bullets" are just round beads, whether they are iron, copper or lead beads. It is just a matter of cost and quality.

He couldn’t imagine that bullets had to create structures like firearms.

Faced with Wu Youquan’s rhetorical question, Jia Lian was also somewhat 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, bullet casings, etc. It is assumed that gunpowder is contained in the bullet casing, so Only then can the bullet be loaded into the firearm and ready to be fired.

However, Jia Lian had forgotten, or simply did not understand, how gunpowder was contained in a metal bullet casing and activated. Therefore, when faced with inquiries from "firearms pioneers" such as Wu Youquan, he was unable to come up with a practical plan.

So, facing the eyes of more than a dozen craftsmen who were eager for advanced knowledge, Jia Lian felt guilty for a while, but still acted enigmatically:

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

I would like to see the exquisiteness and efficiency of future generations. , fast bullets, tested by countless pioneers, and produced through battlefield testing. Even if Jia Lian knew the existence of this thing, producing it from scratch would not be as easy as imagined.

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

However, Jia Lian is not in a hurry. His immediate need is that he only needs to be one step ahead of others. As for advancing ten steps and a hundred steps forward, it will naturally be the best if you can't do it. It doesn't matter if you can't...

Think about it, if we really build things like airplanes and rocket launchers, let alone those "great powers" in the west. "I was so scared that I peed my pants. Speaking for himself, he didn't believe he had this ability, and regretted not studying military industry or something.

While discussing, I suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from outside: "Is this where he works? It's too shabby, what does it smell like! Tell me... Uh, what's your name?" What's going on?"

"Go back to the Four Emperors, uh no, go back to His Highness Prince Xiao, humble Bian Hong..."

"Haha, I said Master Bian, you should Didn't he deliberately embarrass Jia Lian because of his seniority, so he was exiled to this corner?"

"His Royal Highness Xiao was joking, how dare you take such a lowly position? He is really the Marquis of Zhenyuan. I like to study firearms, and I take the initiative to take charge of the firearms bureau. With my humble background, how can I dare to embarrass Lord Zhenyuan..."

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

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

Sure enough, I saw two other people in the Shenji Camp watching the command in the huge craftsman's room. When they saw him coming out, they hurriedly reported: "Sir, His Highness the Fourth Prince has arrived. Your Majesty, the Commander-in-Chief, let me... "

"Yes, I understand."

Jia Lian raised his hand and responded. He had already seen the figures of Zhang Su brothers and the fourth prince.

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

It has been a few years, and in Jia Lian's eyes, the fourth prince is still the little kid he was before. But this little brat can’t be offended yet!

Shaking his head secretly, Jia Lian hurried forward to greet him: "I have met Mr. Xiao and the second brother Su."

The status of the prince is obviously higher than that of the prince, but the fourth prince He seems to particularly like the title "Prince Xiao" and also likes 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 did not meet Jia Lian at all. As soon as they met, he patted Jia Lian's saluting hand, walked around and looked at him, and even poked his head.Look into the craftsman's room thoughtfully. I couldn't help but curl my lips when I saw that there were some rough guys with their arms exposed in the autumn, who were burning boilers and forging iron.

Looking back, he saw Bian Hong and others watching helplessly. He waved and said: "You all can go, I came to see him specially, so you don't need to be in the way."

Bian Hong and the others wanted to say something else, but when the fourth prince glared, they could only retreat angrily.

"I heard from my imperial sister that you are improving firearms, the kind of things that make a loud bang when you play with them. I heard that they are very effective. You can give me a try. No? Anyway, I don’t believe it is as exaggerated as what my imperial sister said. Why should we rely on it to decide the outcome on the battlefield in the future? If we don’t fight with real swords and guns, can we win with just two bangs of these black sticks? It would be really boring if that were the case."

The fourth prince is obviously a passionate young man, and he even has a longing and yearning for the battlefield, and has no idea of ​​the cruelty of the battlefield. Jia Lian didn't care about him. Anyway, he yelled a lot, but as long as Emperor Ning Kang was still alive, the chance of this kid going to the battlefield and causing mischief was basically zero.

Zhang Su also smiled and said: "We also came to see the power of firearms."

"In that case, I will make arrangements."

　……

On the school field, when Jia Lian arranged for hundreds of officers and soldiers to fire a salvo according to the "four-stage" method, he looked at the man who was carried over and was beaten into a sieve. There was a pile of wooden rakes, and the fourth prince and others looked at each other.

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

"Back to Your Highness, We now call it a 'musket' because it fires faster, has a longer range, and is more powerful than the previous muskets."

Leaving aside the identity of the fourth prince, even Zhang Brother Su, whose father is also a doctor in the Ministry of War and is in charge of the military department. In the past six months, he has been studying firearms and got a lot of materials, thanks to his second uncle's help in collecting and withdrawing them. 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 we look into the origin, we have to slowly change their views step by step.

The fourth prince went down to inspect it personally, and found that the wooden rakes were even thicker than ordinary bow and arrow targets, and he felt a bit grumpy in his heart.

Zhang Tao even sneered and said: "What's the use of being powerful? It takes so long to shoot once. With that skill, I could have killed the enemy with a bow and arrow."

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

"Seriously?"

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

It turned out that Jia Lian had discovered long ago that when those bright muskets were displayed, Zhang Tao was the most eager and curious one. He grabbed one and studied it, and couldn't bear to put it away for a long time.

Perhaps he thinks it is true that the reloading speed of this thing is slower than that of a bow and arrow, but if nothing else, the sound of the musket being fired is something that no man would dislike.

What he didn’t like was Jia Lian.

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

In addition, Jia Lian always bullied him, which made him always against Jia Lian.

Although he has "deep resentment" against Jia Lian, he likes to study all powerful weapons. He thought to himself that if Jia Lian was really willing to give him a musket to play with...forget it, how could this stingy guy really give him something as a gift?

So he said disdainfully: "It is ridiculous to be dishonest in what you say."

Because of his angry look, it was obvious that he was angry because he wanted something he couldn't get, let alone Jia Lian. , even Zhang Su and the fourth prince found it funny.

The fourth prince liked to get involved in this kind of thing. He smiled and said: "That's right. A man must do what he says. Jia Lian, you can't keep your word. No matter what others say, it's you. Not my cousin. You, a cousin, may be stingy."

Jia Lian shook his head and said: "It's true that I am his cousin, but this kid never really said "I am his cousin" from the beginning to the end. It's very difficult for me to call him cousin."

Jia Lian didn't lie either. Unless he couldn't hide in front of the old man, Zhang Tao would reluctantly call him "Er" "Brother", in private, it's considered good if you don't glare. Jia Lian felt that this child was a bit needy.

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

　“Hey, what is this?”

Following the fourth prince’s question, Jia Lian opened the first one, revealing a gilded and colorful musket inside. , the length is only one-third of that 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 craftsmen. Although it is less powerful, it is compact and easy to carry and play with. If the Fourth Highness does not give up, I am willing to give it to you. Your Majesty the Fourth Prince is playing for fun."

The Fourth Prince thought about it for a moment and immediately smiled and said: "Okay, I just happen to think this thing is a bit interesting..."

So Jia Lian Teach the fourth prince how to use it on the spotThis musket. The fourth prince had good understanding and quickly figured out how to play this thing, and then looked at another box with a similar appearance.

"Then what is this?"

"Oh, this is just made of fine copper, which is far inferior to your highness's. If your highness likes it, feel free to take it. Go, if you don’t like it, I’ll keep it and give it to others.”

As he said that, Jia Lian opened the box at will and showed it to everyone, especially Zhang Tao, that it was also golden inside, except The colors are different, but the quality of the gun is not bad at all.

The fourth prince still couldn’t see Jia Lian’s intentions. He had already accepted Jia Lian’s benefits and was very happy to cooperate. “Forget it, I have this one, so I don’t want that one.”

"Okay."

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

Zhang Tao was a little anxious.

If he likes those three-foot-long spears, he is limited, but this short, golden musket is too eye-catching.

If only Jia Lian had never said that he would send him off, it would be so frustrating to do so.

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

"Take it away."

"Yes."

Seeing that Jia Lian's soldiers had already taken a few steps away, if it was too late, he would With no chance at all, Zhang Tao finally couldn't bear it anymore: "Slow down!"

"Hmm?"

Facing Jia Lian's confused gaze, Zhang Tao's face twisted and he finally took a step forward , clasping fists at Jia Lian and saying: "Little brother, I have met second cousin Lian!! Is this okay?"

The small eyes are full of resentment, like a man who has clearly been insulted but has to compromise. little daughter-in-law.

The fourth prince and Zhang Su couldn't help laughing.

Jia Lian said: "What's all right? Oh, you want this musket, right? Well, for the sake of you rarely calling me cousin, it's okay to give it to you, but... ..."

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

"But this musket is a military object after all. You have no official position and no quota for personal soldiers. It is really difficult for me to call you cousin."

Jia Lian was bullying Zhang Tao because he was young and ignorant. In fact, except for specific military weapons and equipment such as heavy crossbows and heavy armor, which the court absolutely does not allow private production and possession by the private sector, the court will not pursue other weapons too closely as long as the quantity and regulations are within a controllable range.

As for muskets... at least until muskets show their absolute superiority to bows and arrows, the court will most likely not ban them from the public.

Even nowadays, there are hunters among the people who use simple fire guns to go into the mountains to hunt.

But Zhang Tao didn't know what was going on inside. He felt that what Jia Lian said was reasonable, and his face was full of disappointment. Anyone who has experienced this feeling of having something that he obviously likes is placed in front of him, but he is not qualified to have it.

Zhang Su couldn’t bear it any longer and responded: “You have forgotten that grandpa is a first-class uncle and has soldiers under his command...”

“Well, yes Ah!" At last Zhang Tao was not too stupid. He slapped his thigh and 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 care at all. Do you know how to honor his old man?

To be honest, I don’t care about your useless stuff at all. I just thought that my grandpa has been in the army all his life and likes to collect all kinds of weapons, so I am going to take it back to him. Take a look at him, old man.

Just tell me 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. If you don't give it, I will sue you for being heartless and unfilial.

"You really want it for me? Don't think about keeping it for yourself. I will ask you when the time comes."

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

I will never embezzle it for myself. I will embezzle it openly and I won’t be afraid to ask. If asked, I will just say that I borrowed it from the old man. Zhang Tao felt that although he had fallen out of favor, his grandfather still loved him and would not compete with him for such a gadget.

If grandpa really likes it, he can just let him rob Jia Lian again, and Jia Lian will not dare not give it to him.

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

Zhang Tao suddenly felt like he had found a treasure and hurriedly took it to the edge for inspection. Grandpa didn't say that he was small and suffered a loss when fighting with others because he was not as powerful as others. But with this thing, it was different. He felt that this thing was made for him. If others were big, it would be easier to hit him. He was bigger. It's so small that others can't hit it even if they want to, hehe.