At the intersection of Ganning River and Dajiang River, three lucky boats are hovering quietly in the middle of the river.
In a small room on the ship, Chen Kan was tinkering thoughtfully with a pile of parts, which were firecrackers that he had dismantled into pieces.
Firegun, also called matchlock, as the name suggests, after filling the ammunition, you need to manually ignite the fuse extending from the ammunition.
A firegun usually requires two people to operate, which is very troublesome.
Chen Kan now has reason to believe that the three-stage shooting that was so popular in history was entirely a tactic invented as a last resort because the matchlock gun was difficult to control.
After Chen Kan tinkered for a while, he discovered that the craftsmanship of the Daming Fire Gun was actually very close to the muskets of later generations.
Although he didn't know how to make a gun, he had a vision that was six hundred years ahead of his time. It was not difficult to see the problem at a glance.
First of all, the shortcoming of the gunpowder lies in the filling of gunpowder. The Ming Dynasty's technology cannot make bullet casings, and can only be filled with loose powder. Secondly, the spring required for the firing device cannot be made with the current technology of the Ming Dynasty.
As for the biggest problem, it is that the purity of the gunpowder is not enough.
Based on the above reasons, although Ming Dynasty's firearms have been greatly developed compared with previous dynasties, their role in actual combat is actually very useless.
Especially in large-scale melees, it is not as useful as a bow and arrow.
Chen Kan stared intently at the pile of parts in front of him, constantly thinking about what materials could be used to replace the bullet casings and springs.
Firearms replaced cold weapons, which is an inevitable process of historical development.
If the Ming Dynasty could develop the Suifu musket a hundred years earlier than the West, then the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty's military system could be solved.
Not to mention the Tunguska wild boar skin that roared while riding on a horse, anyone else would have become a minority that was good at singing and dancing under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
These days, while making various plans and arrangements for Fozi, Chen Kan also carefully studied the Ming Dynasty's military system.
But reforming the military system cannot be accomplished overnight.
It was about improving the fire gun, and he quickly thought of a solution.
If bullet casings cannot be made by hand, then machines are used. Daming is rich in water conservancy resources, and there is no problem in achieving mass production through water truck stamping.
As for springs, the requirements for steel are relatively high. Daming's current steel-making process still remains in the category of charcoal steel-making, and the output is pitifully low.
But this is not a problem for Chen Kan. It is nothing more than refining pebbles into coke.
Chen Kan still knows how to make steel using local methods.
After returning to the capital, he could find a way to encourage Zhu Di and let him vigorously develop firearms.
Chen Kan was thinking about how to brainwash Zhu Di, when there was a rapid knock on the door.
"Come in."
Chen Kan responded to the door and put the parts of the gun together one by one.
In a few breaths, a musket took shape in Chen Kan's hand.
After getting the answer, Fang Xu opened the door and walked in.
Chen Kan put down the gun and asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Xu cupped his hands and said, "Sir, the reservoir upstream is full."
"So fast?"
Chen Kan was a little surprised at how big the barrier lake where gunpowder exploded was. He had seen it with his own eyes when he went down the mountain.
"Sir, according to the brothers who observed the water level, it was because when we blew up the rock wall to block the river, we also blew a hole in the underground river, and the water volume more than tripled."
After hearing what Fang Xu said, Chen Kan couldn't help but be overjoyed. For the first time, he felt that he was God's favorite.
What does it mean that God helps me? It’s me as expected!
"Okay, blow up the dam and send them into the river!"
Chen Kan did not hesitate and immediately issued the order to blow up the dam.
"yes."
Fang Xu took the order and left. Chen Kan walked to the deck with a blunderbuss and found Shan Baihu who was setting up defense.
Now the supreme commander of these three blessing ships is him.
When Shan Baihu saw that Chen Kan was holding a fire gun in his hand, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sir, can you still play with this thing?"
Chen Kan shook his head and smiled: "Just do some research."
"I heard that His Majesty has set up a special camp in the capital, and the main weapon used is firecrackers. Is it true?"
In response to Shan Baihu's question, Chen Kan nodded and said, "Yes, that unit is called Shenji Battalion, and it is now one of the three major battalions in the capital. The soldiers in Shenji Battalion are all elite. "
After listening to Chen Kan's story, Shan Baihu's eyes flashed with envy unconsciously, and then he smiled and said: "I don't know how long it will take for a miscellaneous army like us to be equipped with this thing."
Chen Kan could hear envy and regret in his words. He patted Shan Baihu on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't worry, soon all our troops in the Ming Dynasty will use firearms, not only firecrackers, but also cannons. "
"cannon?"
Shan Baihu shook his head and said nothing. Even he, a Baihu guarding Guizhou, knew how expensive the guns and cannons were.
Not to mention that all the troops are equipped with firecrackers, if the Ming Dynasty can equip 30% of the army, then the Ming Dynasty will be made of iron.
As for the cannon, he didn't even dare to think about it.
His Majesty equipped Zhenyuan Hou Gu Cheng with a Hongwu cannon. The marquis treated the cannon better than his wife. He would personally wipe the barrel of the cannon for maintenance every day. He wished he could sleep with his arms around him. He didn't give them these things easily. Qiu Ba took a look.
All Ming's troops wanted to be equipped with cannons, and he felt that he would not be able to see them before he closed his eyes.
Seeing that he didn't believe it, Chen Kan didn't say much.
After all, those things still exist in his conjectures, whether they can be achieved or not remains to be seen.
If you brag about your awesomeness but you can't do it, wouldn't it be a slap in the face?
So after Chen Kan went back, he decided to quietly grow up in obscene ways, and when the time came, he would become a blockbuster and blind their eyes.
"By the way, are you going to test the firecracker?"
Shan Baihu came back to his senses, looked at Chen Kan holding a fire gun and asked.
Chen Kan shook his head and handed the fire gun to him and said, "I have already tried it. If you are interested, you can try this fire gun."
"Can I?"
Shan Baihu happily took the fire gun from Chen Kan's hand, and the fiery color in his eyes was undisguised. He had long wanted to try this kind of weapon that was blown up to the sky.
However, the border army was really poor. The entire Zhenyuan Marquis had few muskets, which were not enough to be divided between the Marquis' personal guards and the thousands of households in the army. How could he, a small hundred households, get their turn.
"sure!"
Chen Kan nodded, pointed to a dried fish hanging on the mast of another lucky boat, and said with a smile: "If you can catch that fish, I will give you this musket."
Shan Baihu said in surprise: "Is this true?"
Chen Kan said calmly: "You can go to the capital to inquire about my reputation, Chen Kan. I always stick to my word."
