Chapter 521: The Leading Musket Design in the West
After a sleepless night, Jiang Qingzhi returned home, ate two meat patties, washed up, and went to bed.
In a daze, he heard maids talking outside.
"...They said that someone framed Li Sicheng!"
"It's not like it's set in stone, it's just someone is framing it."
"who is it?"
"It is said that there is another secretary of the Taichang Temple, Yuan Ze."
"My goodness, this must be to seize power, right?"
"That young minister didn't come to the Taichang Temple to manage things, and the Taichang Temple is ruled by Li Sicheng. Peng Ze is so jealous that he wants to find a way to frame Li Sicheng..."
Those who know don’t speak, and those who don’t know talk nonsense. This is how the world is always.
Just before he was about to fall asleep, Jiang Qingzhi felt that he had forgotten something. He wanted to think about it, but sleepiness came over him and he saw Zhou Gong.
Duoduo was at the end of the bed, waiting proudly for the owner to open the door for him...
But after waiting for a long time, what came was not the owner opening the door, but a slight snoring sound.
Master Meow is angry!
Jiang Qingzhi had a dream in which he returned to the afterlife.
His mother and father rarely got together after their divorce, and they seemed to have gone back to when he was in school, and they joined forces to criticize him.
Just criticize if you want!
Jiang Qing's high school entrance exam results were not ideal and he could only enter an average high school, which made his parents quite annoyed.
Jiang Qingzhi was also very confused. He felt that he had worked hard, but why was there no reward?
Everything was fine until he discovered the undercurrent between his parents.
Once he went out saying he was going to meet up with his classmates, but halfway there he received a WeChat message from his classmate saying he had something to do that day and would meet up another day.
Jiang Qingzhi went home without caring. When he arrived at the door, he heard a fierce quarrel inside.
"If it weren't for the child, I would have divorced you long ago!"
"Do you think I'm willing to live with you? Bah! If it weren't for Qingzhi, I wouldn't be able to stay in this house for even a day."
The two quarreled endlessly, but they were very restrained and did not smash things or fight.
Jiang Qingzhi stood outside the door for a long time until he heard the noise of his neighbors getting ready to go out, and then he quietly left.
That day he went to a pine forest in the suburbs and sat there blankly until it got dark before going back.
From then on, this pine forest became his refuge. Whenever he felt confused or sad, or whenever he accidentally heard his parents arguing, he would come here to stare blankly.
The ground was covered with pine needles and pine cones... He smashed them open, but there were no pine nuts, not even any pine cones.
He sat under the tree, trying not to think about anything, just staring blankly...
He was like this throughout high school.
People say that you get as much as you put in, and Jiang Qingzhi firmly believed this when he was young.
As expected, the college entrance examination results made him very happy. Although the school was not ideal, the distance made him comfortable...it was more than a thousand kilometers away from home as the straight line.
"I am leaving."
He was carrying a suitcase, a large backpack, and a plastic bag in his hand, which contained dry food and drinks for his journey.
His parents wanted to send him to school, but seeing how they seemed to be incompatible, Jiang Qingzhi refused. He even refused their offer to send him to the station, saying that he had made an appointment with his classmates to leave together.
When he reached the door, he looked back.
I felt relieved when I saw it.
Yeah.
He walked out of the house.
Snapped!
In the dream, his father suddenly slapped him.
Jiang Qingzhi was stunned and covered his face, "You..."
"Little beast!"
That face turned into the middle school class teacher, an old man who was addicted to alcohol.
"Monkey, monkey, can't you just be quiet?"
That face suddenly turned into Daoye...
Jiang Qingzhi woke up slowly.
Why are you still slapping yourself in the face?
He opened his eyes blankly.
He saw Duoduo sitting on his chest, patting his face with his paws.
"Fuck!"
Jiang Qingzhi grabbed the little guy and slowly sat up.
He felt some aches and pains all over his body. It seemed that although this body had gotten much better, staying up late was still not its strong point.
I got up and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, Duoduo ran away.
"This little beast." Jiang Qingzhi laughed.
The maid said, "Master, they said Duoduo has a companion outside."
No wonder I'm so impatient, it turns out spring is here.
Duoduo’s spring is about finding a companion, while Feng Yuan’s spring is about having new and novel firearms to study.
Jiang Qingzhi came in with two meat patties. Feng Yuan was still concentrating on looking at the drawings.
"Are there any problems?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Uncle!" Feng Yuan looked up and saluted hurriedly.
"Go ahead and do your thing." Jiang Qingzhi pressed his hand.
Feng Yuan was waiting for him to eat, and he couldn't stand waiting any longer, so he said carefully: "Master, I have a problem now. I have tested it many times, and the lead bullet and the gun barrel can't fit completely, and there will be leakage..."
"If there's a leak, it won't shoot far."
"That's right." Feng Yuan said, "In addition, I found another problem. If the muzzle is pointed downward, the lead bullet will fall out accidentally, and the same is true for gunpowder."
Feng Yuan scratched his head and said, "I have been thinking about it for several days... Never mind, I will think about it again."
He had been thinking about it for several days but couldn't come up with a solution. How could he expect Jiang Qingzhi to come up with a solution right away? Jiang Qingzhi swallowed the meat pie and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"
Feng Yuan frowned, "I thought... why not make the lead bullet bigger? Lead is soft, and I can use a rod to push it in hard. This way, the lead bullet will deform and fit the barrel..."
Historically, the West was the first to use this method, but in actual practice they found that this solution was somewhat useless and troublesome.
There are not many soldiers who can remain calm and composed in a combat situation. When they need to reload, they take out lead bullets and stuff them into the muzzle, but because the diameter of the lead bullets is larger than the caliber of the barrel, they have to use force.
Then you have to use a rod to poke the lead bullet into the barrel of the gun, but sometimes the diameter of the lead bullet is a little large and it can't be pushed in no matter how hard you poke it, so you have to take out the ultimate weapon... the wooden hammer.
Just think about it, the enemy is not far away, but you still have to use a wooden hammer to reload in a clumsy and hasty manner. If you don't have that much time, the opponent can shoot you into a hedgehog even with a bow and arrow.
"Soldiers, take your muskets and load them as quickly as possible. With enlarged lead bullets, have you ever tested how long it takes to load them?"
Feng Yuan said dejectedly, "Yes, I only thought about fitting it into the gun barrel, but I forgot that it would take a long time, and there were even a few times when I couldn't put it in..."
The opponent didn't even use a bow and arrow, he just used a knife to chop people.
At this time, Western muskets were all smoothbore muskets, with impressive range and even more impressive accuracy...
Therefore, Western counterparts adopted the method of queuing and shooting to solve these problems.
If the range is not enough, then get closer and shoot at a distance of 100 meters or even closer.
Not enough precision?
simple.
We line them up, and if we lack precision we make up for it with density.
In this way, rows of musketeers marched forward and fired at the enemy at close range.
In the thick smoke, they had no time to even look at their fallen opponents and comrades before they had to retreat and reload their weapons. Their comrades behind them lined up and continued to line up to be shot...
This firearm, which many people consider stupid, has gradually evolved into a powerful weapon for ruling the planet with the continuous development of technology.
Demand will stimulate technological development, but first you have to be brave enough to take that step.
In Jiang Qingzhi's view, the Central Plains dynasty had no shortage of talent or vision for invention and creation. The only problem was that in an environment where Confucianism was dominant, everything was stable.
The best strategy is to avoid making mistakes.
For all problems, solutions can be found in the writings and words of our ancestors.
What is innovation? What is the purpose of innovation?
The ancients said...
Our ancestors said...
When the rulers of a dynasty take the words of sages and ancestors as their guiding principle, no matter how creative the dynasty is, it will be ignored.
Be conservative and stick to your ways.
Don't want to make progress!
Jiang Qingzhi swallowed the last bite of meat pie and clapped his hands. "Before loading the bullets, place a small gasket at the muzzle. The material can be cotton or linen. Then put the lead bullet on it. A barrel..."
Feng Yuan was startled, then ecstatic, "The lead bullet is wrapped in cloth, so it can fit tightly against the gun barrel. Not only is it tight, but there is no need to worry about the lead bullet and gunpowder falling off when the muzzle is pointed downward. When the gunpowder ignites, it will burn the gasket... Great!"
Feng Yuan's eyes were burning with anger. He stared at Jiang Qingzhi and praised him, "I have been thinking about it for days but couldn't come up with a solution. But you just casually gave me an idea... This is really... really..."
The old man didn't know how to praise his new boss, and finally slapped his thigh and said, "When I first came to the Earl's Mansion, the old craftsmen in the Armory mocked me, saying that I was currying favor with the powerful. If they knew about the Earl's understanding and attainments in firearms, they would regret it."
Jiang Qingzhi laughed. Feng Yuan said, "My Lord, if this musket is made, it will surely go down in history. I... I am shameless... I am just daydreaming."
Seeing him lower his head, Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Your name will definitely go down in history."
Instantly, Feng Yuan's eyes sparkled with a strange light, "I will sell my life... to you, uncle!"
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the yard with a smile, wondering how history books would describe him in the future.
He revolutionized the invention of new muskets, cannons and countless other firearms...the God of Firearms?
After Jiang Qingzhi left, Feng Yuan drew a simple diagram. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this method was ingenious.
He suddenly slapped his forehead, "Oops!"
When Feng Yuan chased out, Jiang Qingzhi had already disappeared.
There was a shed in the yard, with a few homemade machine tools "borrowed" from the Armory.
Feng Yuan walked to the drilling machine, picked up a finished gun barrel, squinted his eyes, and said with a sad face: "Although it is straight enough, if it can be straighter, the range and accuracy will definitely be improved. But this thing doesn't work!"
He thought about it for a long time, but finally came to no avail, so he went out to ask about Jiang Qingzhi's whereabouts.
"The Lord has entered the palace."
……
"The Imperial Observatory said that the prince's tomb must be decided within ten days."
Emperor Jiajing did not show up, so Huang Jin relayed, "Your Majesty's intention is to ask Chang Wei Bo to preside over this matter."
The Taoist priest seemed to be afraid, fearing that more trouble would happen and his beloved son's soul would be left without a place to rest.
"Your Majesty has calculated it himself, and it will be within twenty days." Huang Jin said: "After deciding on a tomb as soon as possible, bury him immediately..."
The Imperial Observatory cautiously said ten days because they were worried that if something went wrong they would be blamed.
Jiang Qingzhi was unable to return home, so he left the capital with dozens of people.
Although my father-in-law escaped the disaster, in order to show his determination to make meritorious contributions after being sentenced to prison, he volunteered to go and investigate.
When the father-in-law and son-in-law met, they couldn't help but sigh.
"Please take care of Tian'er." Mr. and Mrs. Li Huan have always been worried that their daughter would be rejected if she had no children after marriage.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "It's not easy to be a woman, don't worry!"
"Who says it isn't?"
The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and both laughed.
Suddenly there was a scream from the city gate ahead, and then someone shouted, "Catch her!"
A young girl rushed out from the crowd, and then two men dressed as grassland people chased after her with gnashing teeth and shouting.
"Stop that bitch!"
The girl fled in panic, but was blocked by the cavalry led by Jiang Qingzhi and others.
She looked up and knelt down in panic, "Help!"
The pronunciation is very standard with a southern accent, and it’s the Suzhou accent!
Two grassland people chased after him. Just as one of them was about to raise his whip to lash him, Jiang Qingzhi said coldly, "Go ahead!"
The sound of a bowstring was heard, and as Li Huan was stunned, an arrow flew out from Jiang Qingzhi's side and hit the grassland man's right arm.
The archer Huang Bing drew his bow and arrow again, staring at the two grassland people with sharp eyes. With just one order from Jiang Qing, he could take their lives in an instant.
(End of this chapter)
