Chapter 556 This is the Ming Dynasty's national weapon
The Ming Dynasty inherited some systems from the Yuan Dynasty, such as the household registration system.
As the name suggests, military households are families that have served in the military for generations. Since the Song Dynasty, serving in the military was a choice that would bring shame to the ancestors. The saying "thieves serve the army" has been used for many years, and it remained the same in the Ming Dynasty.
The same is true for craftsmen. The father is a craftsman and the son is also a craftsman.
The advantage of this is that there is no need to hire or recruit.
All the descendants who should join the army will join the army.
All descendants of those who are craftsmen will be craftsmen.
This is the case with Feng Yuan. His ancestors have been craftsmen since the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, and the craft has remained the same until Feng Yuan's generation.
Feng Yuan's father was known as Feng Yichui in those days. He was very skilled in using a sledgehammer, and the weapons he made were all top-grade. Later, he was specially assigned to make weapons for generals.
Feng Yuan did not inherit his father's talent for making cold weapons, but instead took the path of firearms.
Ever since he got Jiang Qingzhi's flintlock design, Feng Yuan was completely obsessed with it. He spent the day in the Jiang family's courtyard thinking about and making flintlocks. He would go home at dusk, thinking about it all the way, and he was still thinking about it when he got home. So much so that his wife said he was obsessed.
Later, when Feng Yuan lay down at night, an idea suddenly came to his mind, and he would immediately get up to write and draw. Or he would suddenly wake up from his sleep and sit there thinking for a long time.
His wife couldn't stand his tormenting, so she said, "You might as well settle down in Xin'an Lane." Feng Yuan slapped his thigh, "I was just worried that I had an idea in the middle of the night but had no place to try it out. This is a good idea!"
So Feng Yuan packed up his bedding and left the next day, leaving his old wife dumbfounded.
——If you go, don’t come back.
The old wife roared.
But the wife would still take the prepared food and clothes to Xin'an Lane, but the food was not necessary, as it was all provided by the Bo's Mansion, and even the clothes would be washed.
Occasionally, when Feng Yuan returned home to reunite with his wife and children, his wife would sigh at her son, saying that as a family of craftsmen, they never had time to visit each other. Then she would complain to Feng Yuan, saying that you work so hard and forget about food and sleep, but you are still a craftsman. Your son is now working for others and earns a lot of money every month. You should live a few more years so that your son can save some money for you.
According to the Ming Dynasty's household registration system, Feng Yuan was a resident craftsman and had to serve the government for free for ten days every month. In other words, he had to work for the government for free for ten days a month.
Once Feng Yuan died, his son would take over and still have to work ten days a month without pay.
So my wife's words were not heartless, but helpless.
Yesterday, Feng Yuan went home to reunite with his wife and children. His wife told him that his daughter-in-law Liu was pregnant. Feng Yuan was overjoyed and asked his son to get some wine to celebrate. Later, his in-laws also came to congratulate him, but they seemed a little regretful.
Feng Yuan and his relative Liu Hu have a good relationship. When his son got married, the two families were of similar status. But now that the Liu family has improved their financial situation due to their business, they regret the marriage.
The descendants of craftsmen could not take the imperial examinations, and their descendants could only be craftsmen.
The atmosphere was fine at the beginning of yesterday, but after three rounds of drinking, Liu Hu brought up these two points and his wife burst into tears, saying that she had dragged down the Liu family and so on...
Otherwise, there is no way to appease the in-laws.
Feng Yuan was silent.
His son Feng Jian rubbed his hands and said he would work harder and save more money. Liu Hu said, what are you saving money for? If this baby is a girl, it's fine, you can use it as a dowry. If it's a boy, he will be a craftsman in the future and won't be able to take the imperial examination. What's the point of saving money?
Feng Yuan wanted to say that if he saved more money, he could be exempted from military service, and it would be good to be exempted for a few years. But seeing that Liu Hu's face was flushed and his eyes were wide open after drinking, he endured it.
Yesterday, the whole family was humiliated by what their relative Liu Hu said.
When leaving the house in the morning, his wife told Feng Yuan not to be embarrassed to talk about money and to make more money so that his son could pay to be exempted from military service in the future.
According to the rules, if a craftsman did not want to work for the government, he could be exempted from labor service by paying six cents of silver per month.
Feng Yuan nodded in agreement, but he knew in his heart that money was one thing. What his wife, daughter-in-law, and in-laws cared about was his status as a craftsman.
For the first time, he forgot about the flintlock rifle and thought about it all the way to Xin'an Lane.
When Feng Yuan saw several flintlock samples on the workbench, all these worries were thrown away.
The firing mechanism of the flintlock rifle was built according to the drawings provided by Jiang Qingzhi. Feng Yuan tried it many times and found it surprisingly easy to use.
He picked up the latest flintlock rifle, checked it first, then loaded it with powder and bullets.
He raised his flintlock and aimed at the gate with one eye.
Squeak!
The door opens.
Only then did Feng Yuan realize that he had not closed the door.
According to Jiang Qingzhi's instructions, the gate of the small courtyard must be closed and bolted at all times, and no unauthorized persons are allowed to pass through the gate.
Feng Yuan was stunned
But Jiang Qingzhi outside the door was even more shocked.
He saw Feng Yuan holding a gun, and the muzzle of the gun was...
Damn it!
It’s Taoist!
Jiang Qing subconsciously pulled Dao Ye over and stood in front of him.
As for the consequences... he forgot.
Dao Ye was a little dissatisfied with being pulled. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Jiang Qingzhi shout, "Put down the gun!"
The voice was actually trembling a little.
Daoye knows that Jiang Qingzhi is extremely daring, and the things that can scare him...
Feng Yuan was also frightened and held the gun in his hand, not knowing what to do until Sun Chonglou yelled, "Put down that... gun!"
Feng Yuan suddenly woke up from his dream and wanted to throw the gun away, but then he was afraid it might be broken, so he subconsciously pointed the gun downwards.
"I didn't know..." Feng Yuan looked at the Taoist priest, then he realized that the emperor had come.
Just now, I actually pointed the gun at Your Majesty?
Feng Yuan's legs went weak and he knelt down, begging for forgiveness in a panic, "I deserve death!"
The Taoist didn't know why this happened. Jiang Qingzhi went in and took the flintlock rifle in his hand. He took a look and found that it was loaded with bullets and powder. He couldn't help but feel cold.
If Feng Yuan had pulled the trigger just now, the Ming Dynasty might have had another emperor die inexplicably.
"What is this?" Emperor Jiajing came in and saw materials and some homemade machine tools all around.
"This is the treasure I was talking about." Jiang Qingzhi kicked Feng Yuan, and Feng Yuan stood up. Jiang Qingzhi said, "This man is called Feng Yuan. He is an old craftsman I asked for from the Armory Bureau. He is quite good at making firearms."
The Taoist picked up a flintlock rifle beside him and found that the two flintlock rifles were similar. "This is a rifled flintlock rifle." Jiang Qingzhi introduced it, "This thing can fire... Have you seen a Portuguese gun?"
The Taoist shook his head. He was an emperor and there was no point in him going to see the Portuguese guns.
This is also the reason why the Central Plains dynasty could not prosper.
The emperors of the old Russians in the north would disguise themselves and learn technology to strengthen their country. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty would pick up saws and do carpentry and build furniture...
"You can think of this as a small musket."
"Musketeer? I've seen this before." Huang Jin said, "Last time I went to the Armory Bureau to do some work, I happened to see them testing a musketeer. The air was filled with smoke and the power was amazing. Does Chang Wei Bo have any idea about this musketeer?"
Don't be unable to compare with the muskets of the Armory. When the time comes, throw this so-called treasure away and the Confucians will laugh their heads off.
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "In my opinion, the firearms of the Arms Bureau are just toys for children to play with."
Huang Jin was so excited that he smiled and said, "Then we'll have to wait and see."
Jiang Qingzhi checked the flintlock and asked, "Has it been tested?"
Feng Yuan nodded, "I have tested it more than ten times, and I can meet the standards that Master Bo has given me."
Jiang Qingzhi was overjoyed. He raised his gun and aimed at the test target on the right.
The distance from here to the target is about eighty meters in later generations.
The range of a rifled flintlock is much longer than this, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed at a longer distance. Only one shot hits the target after two or three shots.
Jiang Qingzhi held his breath and aimed at the human-shaped target.
Seeing how cautious he was, the Taoist couldn't help but feel more expectant.
Pull the trigger, the flint will produce sparks, igniting the primer...
Bang!
After a loud bang, a puff of smoke gushed out from the front of the gun barrel.
Jiang Qingzhi put down his gun and said, "Shi Tou, bring the target over here."
Sun Chonglou went over and picked up the human-shaped target with one hand.
The king and his ministers surrounded the human-shaped target and saw an extra hole in the chest and abdomen.
Daoye reached out and touched the hole, feeling some warmth, "This is..."
"This is a bullet hole." Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "The gunpowder was ignited, pushing the lead bullet out of the barrel and then hitting the target..."
The planks are not thin!
Daoye raised his head suddenly, "Maybe it can penetrate the armor?"
Jiang Qingzhi said modestly: "There are also armor targets."
The armor target was erected, and Jiang Qingzhi loaded the bullets somewhat awkwardly.
Raise your gun and aim.
"Oh!"
Before the smoke had dispersed, Dao Ye walked quickly to the target impatiently.
The target of the armor is still a human-shaped target, and this time the target was hit in the thigh of the armor.
A hole!
The Taoist looked at the hole, turned back, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
“This is a powerful weapon for the country!”
Jiang Qingzhi placed the flintlock on the workbench and said, "This is the national weapon of the Ming Dynasty!"
He smiled and said, "When teams of soldiers line up and raise their guns, firing at the enemy a hundred steps away..."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at Feng Yuan and said, "Although I provided the blueprint, without Feng Yuan, this musket would be delayed for a long time before it can be released."
Dao Ye looked at Feng Yuan with sharp eyes, "What do you want?"
Feng Yuan had already been overwhelmed by ecstasy, and at this moment he subconsciously said: "I want to..."
……
Today, Liu Hu came to Feng's house again and brought some food for his pregnant daughter. Feng Yuan's wife naturally did not dare to neglect him. As her son was at home, she prepared some snacks and asked her son to drink with her father-in-law.
While eating, Liu Hu scolded his son-in-law, his words were full of disdain. Feng Jian could only smile, pat his chest and say that he would definitely treat his wife and children well.
"It's useless!" Liu Hu was drunk, patted his son-in-law on the shoulder, and sighed: "Once you marry into a craftsman family, all your children and grandchildren will be craftsmen."
Liu couldn't help but say, "Dad, my mother-in-law is kind and my husband is considerate. My life is not bad."
"But what about my grandson?" Liu Hu glared. "When the baby in your belly is born, even if he has the talent of a prime minister, it will be useless if he can't pass the imperial examination! If I had known, I would have promised you to..."
"Dad!" Seeing Liu Hu's words becoming more and more outrageous, Liu couldn't help but say, "I don't regret it."
Liu Hu has made a lot of money in business over the past year. When people have money, they tend to show off. He came to his in-laws' place to feel superior.
So when he saw his daughter's unhappy expression, he couldn't help but get angry.
But I saw my daughter looking towards the door with a look of surprise.
Liu Hu was sitting opposite the door. He raised his head...
Outside the door, Feng Yuan was holding a bag. He threw the bag in with a bang.
"One hundred taels of silver!"
Everyone: "..."
Feng Yuan took out a document.
“This is a book of exile.”
Feng Yuan looked at his in-laws and said word by word: "From today on, my Feng family is no longer a craftsman family!"
(End of this chapter)
