"Ah...it turns out to be you!"
Zuo Mengeng pointed at Zhang Jimeng, which was quite rude.
No wonder he is.
Zuo Mengeng was really shocked by what he discovered.
The memory in my mind, as an expert in the history of military weapons, of course I have a deep study of Bi Maokang and "Illustrated Description of Military Weapons".
But the main research content is naturally Bi Maokang and the achievements and significance of "Military Illustrations". I may have seen the rest of the details, but I'm sure I didn't have a deep impression.
At this time, Zhang Jimeng and Bi Maokang were standing together, which suddenly made Zuo Mengeng think of what he had overlooked.
After Bi Maokang completed "Illustrated Description of Military Weapons", he asked his disciple Zhang Jimeng to write a preface.
That Zhang Jimeng is this Zhang Jimeng.
Zuo Mengeng never thought that the boss who was protecting him would actually have a teacher-student relationship with Bi Maokang, the master of weapons.
If he wants to build a weapons station and new muskets, he will definitely not be able to bypass Zhang Jimeng.
As a student of Bi Maokang, Zhang Jimeng naturally did not know anything about firearms, although he had been in high and low officialdom throughout his life.
Zhang Jimeng was shocked when he saw Zuo Mengeng's flintlock concept.
Thinking that his teacher had been hesitant to advance on the concept of new fire guns, Zhang Jimeng wrote a letter to Bi Maokang informing him of the principles of the flintlock gun.
While the letter was still on its way, Bi Maokang received a call from the imperial court and went to Nanjing to serve as general envoy.
As a result, the letter first arrived in Shexian County and then was transferred to Bi Maokang in Nanjing, which was really delayed for a long time.
The general affairs envoy has a high position and is a key position.
It's a pity that Bi Maokang works in Nanjing...
Who doesn’t know that the various yamen in Nanjing are places for elderly care?
After Bi Maokang, the general political envoy, took office, he was doing nothing.
However, Bi Maokang's leisurely position allowed him enough time to develop firearms.
It can be said that most of the contents of "Illustrated Description of Military Weapons" were completed by Bi Maokang while he was in Nanjing.
Bi Maokang's development of self-generated fire guns has actually come to an end. After receiving Zhang Jimeng's letter and seeing the drawings in it, it really became clear instantly and there was no more obstruction.
He enthusiastically summoned craftsmen and trial-produced a flintlock gun. The effect is very good. It can be fired three times within sixty breaths, and the efficiency is much higher than that of a matchlock gun.
Bi Maokang, who was worried about the country and the people, quickly wrote a memorial to the court, explaining the benefits of the flintlock gun. I hope to be able to equip the armies as soon as possible to fight against the Donglu.
Unexpectedly, after the memorial was gone for more than a month, there was no storm.
This result greatly disappointed Bi Maokang.
I wrote to ask again and again, but nothing came to mind.
Seeing how boring his job as a general officer is, coupled with the difficulty in researching and developing firearms.
After all, he is a general envoy, not an official of the Ministry of War, let alone the person in charge of firearms. What does he want to do by making firearms in private?
Under the rumors, Bi Maokang was quite depressed.
When he thought that far away in Linqing, there was a young man walking ahead of him, he couldn't bear it anymore and simply submitted his resignation.
Although he was well-known in the government and the public, he was insignificant as a Nanjing envoy, so the imperial court approved it quickly.
Chongzhen pretended to order him to go back and make various firearms to strengthen Ming.
But if you have this intention, let Bi Maokang serve in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry. Is there any reason in the world that you have to let people go home to make it?
Ironically, according to original history, Bi Maokang did later serve as the right minister of the Ministry of War.
What was the result?
Spin away and avoid returning...
It's useless.
Therefore, it makes no sense to say that the Ming Dynasty will not perish.
Bi Maokang, who has become a mature man, does not believe a word of Chongzhen's words.
He makes firearms just because he loves it.
Without an official position and a light body, he immediately went north and appeared in front of Zuo Mengeng.
What shocked him was that the "Linqing boy" was actually a real boy.
"I have already learned about my little friend's talent. I wonder where the fire gun made by my little friend is. Can I have a look at it?"
Bi Maokang!
How many people read the most regrettable figure in history!
Obviously, Chinese firearms had the opportunity to catch up with the West, but it was a pity that it was missed in the original history.
Now he appeared in front of Zuo Mengeng alive.
For this old man, Zuo Mengeng was more excited to witness the great power.
As for Bi Maokang’s ability in firearms...
Is there anyone stronger than Zuo Mengeng in this world?
However, Zuo Mengeng didn't have any pride and felt that Bi Maokang was not important.
In any case, Bi Maokang is an extraordinary talent.
Especially after the manufacturing of flash cap guns was spread, the shortage of talents made Zuo Mengeng feel even more urgent.
All links and departments require his own hands-on work, which seriously hinders his deployment in other areas.
The craftsmen were indeed very skilled, but their lack of knowledge made it very difficult for them to accept new technologies.
Only Zuo Menggeng said it over and over again and taught you step by step how to make it. But knowing what is happening and not knowing why, it is impossible to proactively think about and improve technology, let alone systematically summarize and pass on technology.
Although some of those scholars have already participated in industrial manufacturing, it is not yet known when these people, who are educated but not skilled, will become qualified industrial talents.
Bi Maokang doesn't have those troubles.
He is not only a technical master, but also a great scholar.
If we get help from this person, the military manufacturing field will definitely develop greatly.
But he wants to rebel. Will this Ming official help him?
After deep thought, Zuo Mengeng decided to throw out a bait.
"Don't you know what Mr. Dongjiao has to say? During this period, the juniors have made further improvements to the muskets, which are more powerful than ever before."
If you're a man with an engineering degree, you can't talk about technical skills with him. As soon as I mentioned this, I immediately couldn't care about anything else.
"Oh, where is it? Come and see with me."
Zuo Menggeng said with a smile: "As the saying goes, it's better to come early than to come by chance. Originally, today is the time for the new muskets to be assembled, so I would like to ask Mr. Dongjiao to give me some advice."
Zuo Mengeng took the two of them to the musket manufacturing factory.
The tension here has reached the extreme.
All the parts have been made, and now they are put together, just waiting to be installed together. It is a complete flash cap gun.
Bi Maokang is like a studious student who is curious about everything. He takes the parts and asks them one by one, and will not give up until he understands their uses.
"This reed is actually made of fine steel, which is expensive, but the casting is clever, which greatly simplifies the structure of the firecracker."
This is an expert. As soon as Zuo Menggeng explained the purpose of the reed, Bi Maokang immediately understood it.
Unlike those craftsmen, Zuo Mengeng didn't know how to integrate the reed into the firing device until he explained it with drawings and demonstrated it with a real object.
"Let this junior prepare the musket and present it to Duke Dongjiao."
Bi Maokang nodded, stepped aside, and watched the craftsmen busy attentively.
But he noticed something different.
"Musket? Isn't this a gun?"
While supervising the work of the craftsmen, Zuo Menggen said: "Juniors are more accustomed to calling them guns and muskets."
Bi Maokang shook his head and did not argue.
Call it a firecracker or a musket, it just needs to be easy to use.
The craftsmen first install screws on the tail of the finished barrel.
Yes, you read that right, there were screws in the Ming Dynasty, and they were used to seal the barrel.
It can be seen from this that the craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty craftsmen in carving rifling is absolutely perfect.
The rifling cannot be compared with the exquisiteness of the thread!
After installing the screws, the barrel and wooden frame are assembled together.
To fix the new gun, Zuo Mengeng used iron sheets to hoop the barrel and the gun body together, and then drilled screws into the gun body from both sides to tighten them.
The biggest advantage of this method is that it is quick to disassemble and assemble and easy to maintain.
Then put the firing device in, secure it, and a flash cap gun is ready.
Holding a brand new musket, Bi Maokang was dazzled and did not understand more things.
"Why is there no medicine pool?"
Zuo Mengeng pointed to a small bump on the right side of the upper part of the gun barrel and said: "This gun does not need to be ignited with gunpowder, but the gunpowder in the barrel is triggered from here."
Bi Maokang was shocked.
"Is there any primer in this world that doesn't need to be lit?"
Zuo Mengeng took the flash cap gun and said, "Let's go to the shooting range and try it out. Duke Dongjiao will understand what he means."
A large group of people came to the shooting range to test the gun for the first time.
The person who tested the gun could only be Zuo Mengeng.
After all, no one except him knows how to use a flash cap gun.
The muskets, bullets, and flash caps were all ready and placed on the table for anyone to see.
Everyone is looking forward to whether this completely different musket is easy to use.
Zuo Mengeng stood in the shooting position, quietly feeling the new gun.
The gun is 1.3 meters long and weighs 7.8 pounds. It is equipped with a gun bar and a bayonet.
The bayonet is made of steel, a material better than the barrel. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the bayonet to penetrate the armor.
The caliber is 12.83MM, which cannot be smaller.
After all, lead bullets are fired. If they are too small, the bullets will lack mass and lose accuracy.
There is a rear sight and front sight above the barrel. The rear sight can be erected and is of frame type. Equipped with a sight ruler, it can be used for long-distance shooting.
The general structure of the gun is imitated by the British 1851 type, except for the butt. Zuo Menggeng used the butt of a bolt-action rifle from World War II.
In this way, the ergonomics of the gun are more reasonable, making it more comfortable for the shooter to use.
From the appearance, the whole gun shines silver in the sun, which is very dazzling. It is not an exaggeration to call it a work of art.
But what determines the quality of a gun is always its performance and power.
The next test launch is the top priority.
