Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 64

From far away, you can feel the heat coming towards your face.

It is already winter, but the craftsmen responsible for taking care of the steel-making furnace are still sweating profusely even if they are shirtless.

Seeing this, Guo Dashan stepped forward and asked.

"How's it going? Can you turn on the stove now?"

Several craftsmen looked at each other, and one of them spoke.

"Sir, please let me turn on the furnace!"

The remaining few people spoke with exclamation in their words.

"To be honest, this is the first time that this villain has seen this kind of steel-making method. The output is too high."

“It’s an eye-opener, it’s really an eye-opener!”

Guo Dashan nodded and said.

"In that case, let's get ready to start the furnace."

Several craftsmen clasped their fists after hearing this.

"I will obey!"

Several craftsmen took the order and began to operate.

The red molten steel is poured into the mold prepared in advance through the guide trough.

It is worth mentioning that these molds are all sand molds.

The reason why sand molds are used is that sand molds dry quickly in the shade. It usually only takes five to ten days to dry in the shade.

Even if the mold is thicker, a few months is enough.

Compared with mud molds that require years of drying in the shade, sand molds are obviously more time-saving.

The second reason is that castings cast from sand molds are generally finer and of better quality than clay molds.

The reason why iron molds are not used is because iron mold casting is still in the experimental stage, and the technology has not yet been fully understood. No one knows whether it is suitable for use.

Therefore, I will use sand molds for the time being.

The red molten steel was poured into the mold, and the high temperature hit the face.

Zhu Jing'an stood there with his hands behind his hands, looking forward to the result.

The experienced master craftsmen began to pour cold water outside the mold, hoping to speed up the cooling and solidification of the molten steel in the mold.

Along with a burst of water being poured on the hot object, the rapid evaporation made a sizzling sound, and the workshop began to fill with smoke.

After a while, the mold was almost cooled.

The old masters stepped forward and smashed open one of the molds with their hammers. A set of single-sided breastplates inside the mold were revealed to everyone.

Several old masters continued to pour water on the breastplate to cool down, and with a squeaking sound, the breastplate finally cooled down completely.

Guo Dashan stepped forward, tapped his breastplate with his fingers, raised his head, and spoke.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness the Supervisor and the Grand Governor, the quality of this breastplate is very high. It is made of fine steel and has both strength and softness. Its protective performance is definitely not bad."

"As long as it is polished and burred, it can be equipped with troops."

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he also stepped forward and tapped the front of the breastplate with his fingers. Hearing the crisp clanging sound, his face was full of satisfaction.

Breastplate sounds good, it's easy to make and can be molded by direct casting.

The protective performance is also outstanding!
But he is not without flaws.

The only drawback of this breastplate is that it is too rigid and cannot deform.

If you say you can't put it on, you just can't put it on.

Many times, special customization is required based on the soldier's body shape.

And, more importantly, if the owner of the breastplate gains weight or loses weight, or his figure changes, there is a high probability that the previously customized breastplate will no longer fit.

Quite a scam!
The most typical example is that in France during the Napoleonic period, the first condition for selecting cuirassiers was not marksmanship and horsemanship.

It depends on whether you can find a suitable breastplate from the warehouse where the breastplates are stored.

If you can find it, great, congratulations, you will become a noble cuirassier.

If not, then sorry, you can only carry a rifle and be a line infantryman.

In order to solve this problem, Zhu Jing'an's idea is to create a single-sided breastplate.

Only the front is made of rigid material, and the back can be carried with a certain amount of elastic fabric.

This in turn gives the breastplate extensibility, making it versatile to a certain extent.

In other words, a set of breastplates can be worn by several people with similar body shapes.

And there is another reason why he did this, that is, on the battlefield, there is only one situation where you need to face the enemy with your back.

That's when it's time to rout and run away!
Therefore, the defensive performance of the back of the armor is far less important than the defensive performance of the front chest.

In order to improve the armor coverage rate of the army, the breastplate is made more versatile.

Then, sacrificing the defensive performance of the back is also an acceptable thing.

More importantly, Zhu Jing'an wanted to use this to give the Ming army a psychological hint that they could not retreat.

If they don't retreat, they have breastplates on the side facing the enemy that can provide some protection.

But if they retreat and escape, they will have to use their flesh and blood to face the enemy's swords, guns and arrows. In that case, they will only die faster.

Use this method to ensure the resilience of the Ming army on the battlefield.

Seeing this, Zhu Jianzhuo nodded and said with great satisfaction.

"Very good, what kind of weapons are in the other molds?"

Hearing this, Guo Dashan opened his mouth to explain.

"When we return to the prison country, we have prepared a total of five molds for the experiment we conducted this time."

"One is the mold for the single-sided breastplate, the second is the mold for the helmet pouch, the third is the mold for the spearhead, the fourth is the mold for the shield, and the fifth is the mold for the long knife..."

While explaining to Zhu Jianzhuo, Guo Dashan motioned to other craftsmen to open molds.

Not long after, helmets, spearheads, shields, knives and other weapons were all drawn out.

Zhu Jing'an began to step forward and inspect the quality of these directly cast weapons and armor one by one.

After a moment, Zhu Jing'an nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good, very good."

"The governor is very satisfied with the results you have made, and rewards will be distributed later."

Merit must be rewarded, mistakes must be punished!
This is a skill that a qualified leader must master.

Zhu Jing'an also studied this very well, and he was never stingy when it was time to give rewards.

Zhu Jing'an stood up from the ground, patted Guo Dashan on the shoulder, and then spoke.

"Nowadays, the scale of our Ming army continues to expand, and the gap in weapons and armor is getting bigger and bigger. Guo Shangshu needs to step up production and not slack off."

Hearing this, Guo Dashan nodded vigorously.

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I understand."

As if he remembered something, Zhu Jing'an asked again.

"By the way, how is the production of muskets and artillery at the ordnance workshop going recently? Has it produced any results?"

Hearing this, Guo Dashan spoke.

"When I return to the Grand Governor, firearms production in the ordnance workshop has officially started recently."

"First of all, we determined the ratio of gunpowder for guns and gunpowder for cannons."

"Secondly, the specific specifications of the muskets and artillery were determined, including the materials used, the manufacturing process, the barrel, the caliber, the size of the projectiles, etc., and strict regulations were made."

"And, we also produced finished products in accordance with corresponding regulations."

"There are five muskets and two field cannons..."

Zhu Jing'an nodded with satisfaction and said.

"Very good, lead the way and show His Royal Highness the Supervisor and the Governor to have a look."

In comparison, Zhu Jing'an is obviously more interested in firearms than cold weapons.

Because he knows that the future world will definitely be a world of firearms.

Cold weapons are destined to be eliminated.

The group of people soon arrived at the shooting range of the ordnance workshop. There were two artillery pieces and several muskets placed in the shooting range.

Guo Dashan walked in front and introduced.

"Now the muskets produced by our army are mainly flintlock muskets. In addition, the caliber of muskets has been unified to [-] mm."

"This type of musket is also equipped with unified paper-cased fixed bullets, which can greatly enhance the firing rate and power of the musket."

"Moreover, we have also prepared a slotted bayonet for this new type of uniformly produced musket..."

While speaking, he presented two muskets to Zhu Jing'an and Zhu Jianzhuo's father and son respectively.

Zhu Jing'an first checked the bolt mechanism of the musket, and then checked the overall structure of the musket.

Finally, I focused on checking the hammer and spring...

He broke it hard, felt the elasticity of the spring leaf, and nodded with satisfaction.

In general, he is quite satisfied with the flintlock guns currently imitated by the Ming army.

Although the craftsmen had previously produced matchlock muskets, they had no experience in producing flintlock muskets.

However, after Zhu Jing'an took out the detailed drawings of the flintlock gun, they could still do it according to the drawings...

The artillery is two light field guns.

The muzzle diameter is 65 mm, the shell weighs three kilograms, and the total weight of the gun body is no more than three hundred kilograms.

It can shoot both solid bullets and shotgun projectiles.

It's just that if you shoot solid bullets, the range is longer, and if you shoot shotgun, the range is shorter.

The biggest advantage of this kind of artillery is that it is light. When it is on the battlefield, two or three people can carry it around.

If you want to use it to attack a city, you definitely can't do it.

But if used in field battles, the practicality of these two artillery is quite good.

Moreover, under Zhu Jing'an's instruction, the ordnance workshop also equipped these two artillery guns with supporting facilities such as gun carriages, lugs, front sights, and rear sights.

This further enhances the practicality of artillery!
Seeing this, Zhu Jing'an nodded with satisfaction.

"Let's prepare for some target shooting experiments!"

Guo Dashan nodded to express his understanding, and then started to make arrangements.

Soon, bursts of thunderous roars sounded in Bauhinia Mountain.

While testing the new guns, Guo Dashan spoke.

"Please also ask His Royal Highness the Supervisor and the Grand Governor to name the new guns."

Zhu Jiazhuo pondered for a while, but he really had no inspiration, so he looked at his son and said.

"It's better for the prince to choose the name."

Zhu Jing'an pondered for a while, and then spoke.

"In that case, let's name the musket the Type 14 flintlock gun and the artillery the Type 65 field gun."

"What do you think, Father?"

When Zhu Jiazhuo heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched, but he still nodded.

"Not bad, at least it's... straightforward!"

At this time, Zhu Jiazhuo regretted leaving the naming of the new firearm to his son.

He really doesn't know how to name.

Take a look at the names of the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's firearms, such as the Great General Cannon, the Divine Power Cannon, the Crouching Tiger Cannon, the Lightning Cannon, the Divine Fire Flying Crow, and the Fire Dragon Out of the Box.

Just listening to it is amazing!But what about when it’s your turn?

Type 14 flintlock gun, Type 65 field gun.

It's a bit straightforward, but it doesn't sound impressive...

But now the deal is done. If Zhu Jianzhuo doesn't want to go back on his words, he can only admit it with his nose in his hands.

……

Guangzhou Prefecture, Panyu County Government!

He Qiang, dressed in rags and with a pungent stench all over his body, arrived at the gate of Panyu County Yamen.

Looking at the bright and decent county government gate and the majestic stone lion outside the county government gate, he recalled what he had experienced along the way and couldn't help but feel sad. He immediately knelt down and burst into tears.

"It's here, it's finally here!"

"My eldest son, I finally brought the master to you!"

From Wuxuan, Guangxi to Guangzhou, Guangdong, if you take the waterway, it can take up to ten days at most.

But He Qiang spent nearly two months on this journey.

The reason for this is ultimately because he was carrying a skeleton.

Because of such a corpse, no ship would let him board it!
Even, in order to avoid inspection by the prefectures and counties along the way, he could not even take the official road.

We can only take trails over mountains and ridges, and often we have to walk in the dark.

Because, if he was found running around with a corpse by the counties along the way, he would have no way to explain it.

Maybe he will be taken to jail!

As for burning the bones into ashes to make them easier to carry, He Qiang had never thought about it.

Master Yang was kind to him. It was already his fault that he failed to protect Master Yang and allowed him to die.

How could he be willing to crush his benefactor again? !
People in this era are pursuing the return of fallen leaves to their roots, and there is no such thing as cremation.

Burning the bones into ashes, in the eyes of many people, is like crushing the bones and spreading the ashes.

In addition, the situation in Guangxi has been quite tense recently. There are countless local rebels and bandits, and bandits and bandits are breeding.

He Qiang's journey from Guangxi to Guangdong can be said to have gone through many difficulties and dangers.

Now, having finally arrived at his destination, He Qiang couldn't hold himself any longer and cried with joy.

Tears flowed down his cheeks, creating obvious ravines on his stained face.

Several government officials from Panyu County government saw He Qiang, who was covered in stench, kneeling at the door of the county government office and crying loudly.

I thought it was another unscrupulous person coming to avenge him.

One of them immediately covered his nose and stepped forward to drive him away.

"For what? For what?"

"Do you know where this is?"

"This is the important place of the county government. No idlers are allowed to enter. You stinky beggar is rushing to the street. Get away quickly. If you dirty the eyes of this gentleman, you can't bear it."

He Qiang was insulted by the county officials, but he was not angry.

Under the training of this era, he has already become a docile citizen from the inside out.

You wouldn't dare to stab someone in front of officials!
Seeing the yamen coming to drive people away, He Qiang could only explain with a smile.

"My name is He Qiang, and I am a family member of Mr. Yang, the county magistrate. I am coming to Guangzhou this time, and I have something important that I need to inform Mr. Yang."

"Excuse me, all officials, please do me a favor and inform me."

The family He Qiang talks about here does not refer to his blood relationship with Mr. Yang.

Instead, he said that he was a servant of Mr. Yang's family.

The yamen servant couldn't help but frown when he heard this, but he heard that He Qiang was a servant of the magistrate's family, so he didn't dare to neglect it.

He turned around and greeted behind him.

"Boss Li, please come over here."

The head catcher Li Linxuan, who was taking a nap against the gate of the county government office, heard the greetings from his subordinates. He yawned, held a knife in his hand, loosened his belt, and walked to He Qiang loosely.

Smelling the stench coming from He Qiang's body, Li Linxuan subconsciously covered his nose and said with a disgusted expression.

"How do you prove your identity? If you can't prove your identity, we can't help you report it."

He Qiang nodded vigorously when he heard this.

"It can be proven, it can be proven."

While talking, he took out a jade pendant from his arms, presented it to Li Linxuan, and said.

"This... this is Mrs. Yang's personal jade pendant. As long as the official presents it to Mr. Yang, the county magistrate, Mr. Yang will definitely recognize it."

Li Linxuan looked at the jade pendant in his hand, which was exquisitely crafted and worth a lot of money at first glance, and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

But in the end, his awe for the power of the magistrate suppressed his greed, and he curled his lips and said.

"Xiao Wang, take the jade pendant into the Yamen and report to the county magistrate."

"Others, keep an eye on this beggar for me. Don't let him run away, otherwise we won't be able to explain to the county magistrate."

After saying this, he looked at He Qiang again and spoke with a threatening tone.

"You kid, just pray that you are telling the truth."

"If you kid dares to trick us and make me suffer, I will definitely make you walk around in pain."

He Qiang said with a flattering look on his face.

"Don't worry, sir. Everything I say is true, villain..."

The yamen officer surnamed Wang took the jade pendant and went in to report, and everyone was waiting at the gate of the county yamen.

Not long after, Yang Zhong, the magistrate of Panyu County, was seen running out of the county office.

Yang Zhong glanced around the door of the county government office and immediately saw He Qiang.

He Qiang also saw Yang Zhong, walked forward on his knees, hugged Yang Zhong's thigh, and cried.

"Master, I finally see you, I see you!"

Yang Zhong endured the pungent stench from He Qiang's body and asked, covering his mouth and nose.

"He Qiang, what's going on with you?"

"How could it be like this? Where is my father? Why did he give you his personal jade pendant?"

He Qiang took off the package from his body and kowtowed in front of Yang Zhong.

"My eldest son, you must avenge me. He died miserably..."

He Qiang cried as he unwrapped the package.

The dense bones in the package were displayed in front of Yang Zhong.

When Yang Zhong saw this scene, he suddenly seemed to realize something. His legs and feet went limp. If Li Linxuan hadn't helped him with a wink, he almost fell to the ground.

"This...this, is this my father?"

Yang Zhong's voice was full of disbelief and faint expectation, and he asked with a trembling voice.

I want to get a negative answer from He Qiang.

But under Yang Zhong's expectant eyes, He Qiang nodded sadly.

"To tell you the truth, sir, this is the master."

Then, He Qiang began to describe what happened to the Yang family.

After He Qiang finished talking about how Master Yang died in a tiger's mouth, and how he took his body all the way to the eldest son.

Yang Zhong knelt on the ground with a thud and couldn't help crying loudly.

He knew that his father was gone!

If it weren't for He Qiang, a loyal servant, he might not even be able to see his father's body.

Yang Zhong's mood collapsed...

On that day, white flags were hung inside and outside the county magistrate's house, and the funeral for Mr. Yang began.

After several days of playing and beating, Yang Zhong even invited monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals for his father, hoping that his father's soul could rest in peace.

On the second day after the funeral, Yang Zhong took his name card and asked someone to prepare a sedan chair as a gift. He was going to visit the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.

I want to ask Yang Jingsu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, to send troops to Guangxi to defeat the bandits and avenge his family.

There is a traitor in Guangxi, and the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi who governs Guangdong and Guangxi must be qualified to intervene.

For Yang Zhong now, since his family has been in trouble, he can no longer care about the unspoken rules of covering up the officialdom.

Exposing the matter and asking the governor to send troops to quell the thieves is his best choice at the moment.

Because, apart from that, he has no other way of revenge!
……

In a teahouse on the street, Li Mu and Fang Yuan sat opposite each other.

Outside the window is a bustling street, and inside the window is a clean and elegant teahouse private room.

The two formed a stark contrast!
Fang Yuan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then spoke.

"The saltpeter, sulfur, salt, medicinal materials and other materials you requested have been prepared and loaded on the ship."

"You can leave for transfer at any time. I wonder when Brother Li is going to leave?"

Hearing this, Li Mu withdrew his gaze from looking at the bustling streets outside and said with a smile.

"You can set off at any time!"

"I wonder how things went with the hired craftsmen I entrusted to Hall Master Fang, the purchase of foreign muskets and artillery, and the recruitment of a foreign mercenary?"

"As long as people and things are in place, the commission will not be small."

Li Mu said with a smile.

A group of them came from Guangxi to Guangdong, and they looked black everywhere.

Recruiting craftsmen, purchasing guns, and hiring foreign soldiers are definitely something they cannot do on their own.

Therefore, Li Mu simply entrusted everything to the Tiandihui.

Foreigners like Li Mu who are unfamiliar with the place will definitely not be able to do these things.

But for the Tiandihui, which has deep-rooted influence in Guangdong and Guangxi, it is not difficult.

As long as the matter can be completed, Li Mu will pay a large commission to the Tiandi Society.

Although as the saying goes, cars, boats, shops, feet and teeth, even if they are not guilty, they should be killed.

The so-called tooth people, that is, intermediaries, are not good people.

But many times, many things are really impossible without an intermediary.

Existence is reasonable. If an industry can always exist, it means that it must have its own value. I can only say that there is nothing wrong with this!

Hearing this, Fang Yuan pondered for a while and then spoke.

"It's easy to talk about hiring craftsmen from Foshan and buying foreign guns."

"I have already told my brothers to do it."

"It's not difficult at all. It will come out soon if you think about it."

"But it is really difficult to hire foreign soldiers. The government prohibits foreigners from landing inland. If foreigners want to do business, they can only do business with the Thirteenth Bank."

"If a foreigner lands inland, he will be slapped with a slap in the face if caught by the government."

"And the entry and exit gates at Hao Jing'ao are also very strict. Foreigners really can't come to the inland."

"Not to mention foreign soldiers!"

……

PS: The cold is not over yet, I still have a headache today, and I will have to go out for a sling later.

Therefore, there are only [-] left today, and the author will try to resume normal updates tomorrow.

It’s so uncomfortable to catch a cold. The weather has turned cold recently. Everyone should keep warm and be careful about catching a cold~
(End of this chapter)