"Master Hou!"
"No courtesy, you are busy with your business, I just came in to take a look."
Chen Kan nodded to several busy craftsmen and walked towards the innermost without stopping.
If an outsider comes in, they will see at a glance that the houses built halfway up the mountain are just the surface. The craftsmen of the Military War Bureau and the Ordnance Supervision have dug out a huge cave on the mountainside.
The cave relies on smokeless fish oil lighting, so it looks a little dark, but it is very cool.
This cave is the real place where fire guns are developed.
Including the hydraulic stamping device for making firecrackers, water is also diverted from the waterfall into the cave cavity, and it has no influence on the hydraulic stamping device of Baochao Company.
In the innermost part of the cave, several craftsmen were discussing something.
After seeing Chen Kan's figure, several craftsmen looked happy.
A craftsman stood up and saluted Chen Kan: "Master Marquis, you are here. The villain is talking about looking for you."
Chen Kan came to a few people, looked at the parts on the table, and asked with a smile: "What's wrong, Old Zhou, what problem did you encounter?"
"Master Marquis, the toughness of the steel sheet is too poor. After filling it with gunpowder a few times, it will lose its elasticity..."
Lao Zhou is the head of all craftsmen and the person in charge of research and development of new fire guns.
After listening to Lao Zhou's question, Chen Kan asked thoughtfully: "Isn't there a steel with better toughness to replace it?"
"No, we are already using the best steel from Ming Dynasty."
Lao Zhou shook his head, with a hint of distress on his face.
He could confirm that the Hou Ye's theory was correct. Using mild steel and flint to create a flintlock device could indeed greatly increase the firing speed and range of the musket.
But the biggest problem now is materials.
The flexibility of the steel plate is too low. After three or four shots, the firecracker completely turns into a fire stick.
If it can only be fired three or four times, it is better to continue to use manual ignition and firing. At least there is no limit on the number of times.
"If you think about it again, there will definitely be a solution."
Seeing this, the only thing Chen Kan could do was to encourage them and comfort them.
There is no way, when it comes to making firecrackers, these craftsmen are much more professional than him.
The only theoretical support he could provide had been told to them.
Now he has really been hollowed out, with nothing left.
"Failure is the mother of success. What's more, now that you have proven that it is feasible to launch a fire gun, the next thing to do is to continuously optimize and re-optimize. I believe in you."
"You can try any method, don't be afraid of failure, I am waiting to ask your Majesty for your credit."
When Lao Zhou and several craftsmen heard this, they immediately patted their chests and promised: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I will make the Suifa Fire Gun and I will never embarrass you."
After giving Lao Zhou and several core craftsmen a bowl of chicken soup, and seeing that their self-confidence was gradually regained, Chen Kan patted Lao Zhou on the shoulder: "Do you have a finished product? Give me one to try the effect. "
"Yes, yes!"
Lao Zhou responded and led Chen Kan to a dark room.
This room is specifically used to store gunpowder and various raw materials.
Fireworks are absolutely isolated within a hundred meters of the room, and no more than five people have the authority to enter this room.
"Sir, please see, this is the latest fire gun we have made. Unfortunately, it can only fire four bullets at most, and the folded mild steel will lose its effect."
Lao Zhou spoke sadly, but his face was full of pride.
The fire blunderbuss was fired, which saved the time of loading ammunition and igniting. The old-fashioned fire blunderbuss was fired once, and all four bullets were fired.
This is definitely a huge progress in the history of firecracker research.
Chen Kan reached out to take it and looked at this new type of firecracker from beginning to end.
Pretty much what he imagined.
After all, the improved drawings were drawn by Chen Kan.
"Try the power."
As soon as Chen Kan finished speaking, Lao Zhou ran to arrange the shooting range and other matters.
When experimenting with the power of a new type of firecracker, Chen Kan would naturally not borrow it from others.
Although things like explosive barrels still existed, Chen Kan didn't think that the fireguns made by craftsmen based on the drawings he provided would still have such low-level problems.
In a fenced-in open space, Lao Zhou erected a straw man, and Chen Kan raised the firecracker and prepared to start the experiment.
"Bang bang bang bang..."
Four dull sounds echoed, and the straw man not far away had turned into a pile of broken grass.
Chen Kan was about to take the fifth shot, but when he pressed the trigger, the expected fifth gunshot never came.
"Smoothbore?"
Chen Kan dismantled the gun into a pile of parts based on the drawings in his memory, and saw that the soft steel that had been folded to redo the spring had separated from the barb on the trigger.
"Sure enough, it's still not as good as a spring."
Chen Kan shook his head thoughtfully.
With the current steel-making technology of the Ming Dynasty, it is basically impossible to develop steel suitable for making springs.
but......
Chen Kan pondered for a moment and waved to Lao Zhou: "I have read it. The problem is that the elasticity of steel is too poor and the hardness is too high. You can ask the steel-making craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry to try to reduce the carbon content in the steel. .”
"In addition, you can also try to improve the bullet and try to increase the gunpowder content in the eggshell as much as possible."
"The purity of the glass on the scope is too low..."
"..."
As soon as Chen Kan spoke, Lao Zhou took out a small notebook from his arms and quickly recorded it with charcoal pen.
Because these problems are all problems they ignored during manufacturing or were not discovered at all.
Returning the fire gun to Lao Zhou, Chen Kan shared with him his feelings about using the fire gun.
What needs improvement, what can be done better.
Even though Chen Kan didn't know how to make firecrackers, his vision that was six hundred years ahead of his time was here, and every opinion he spoke was something that these craftsmen had never been exposed to before.
Seeing that Lao Zhou had written down all his opinions, Chen Kan encouraged the craftsmen a few more words before walking down the mountainside towards his wooden villa.
The progress of the fire gun was slower than that of the treasure notes, which was something Chen Kan had expected.
However, Chen Kan was slightly surprised that Lao Zhou and the others were able to make a firecracker comparable to later generations of shotguns with just a few drawings and a bunch of specious theories.
Sure enough, the Han people are indeed the most creative nation.
As long as they provide an idea, they can follow this idea to create many unexpected things.
It seems that within a few years, Chen Kan will be able to sweep across the grassland with the Maxim heavy machine gun made in the Ming Dynasty.
Returning to the wooden villa, my mood instantly became very good after being affected by Zhu Di and the ministers in the morning.
Chen Kan decided that if nothing happened in the future, he planned to live here permanently.
...
In the capital's Qinhuai River Fireworks and Willow Alley, a woman with peerless appearance suddenly appeared recently.
The woman's surname was Tang, and she caused an uproar in the Qinhuai River as soon as she appeared.
Without him, the woman is so beautiful.
It's so beautiful that the prodigal sons who have been lingering in the place of Fireworks and Willow Lane all year round have changed their past wandering attitude.
Countless young men and nobles squandered their gold and silver just to see her.
Those who do good things even call women the Nine Heavens Fairy.
Tang Xian's name quickly became famous in the capital.
There are even rumors that even the two princes are eager to meet this woman.
On an unknown painting boat, a woman holds a pen, like a clear lotus, emerging from the mud but not stained, and washing the clear ripples without being demonic.
It didn't take long for a picture of hibiscus emerging from the water to appear under the woman's pen.
Beside the string of the boat, the pretty maid's naked feet were constantly stirring in the cool Qinhuai River, making waves of water splash.
Even the fish swimming in the water were attracted by the girl's feet, and they swam in groups between her feet.
This should have been a beautiful picture, but there was an old lady wearing heavy makeup on the boat, which completely destroyed this beautiful picture.
Seeing that the woman finally put down her pen, the old woman stepped forward, waving her round fan and twisting her bucket-like waist.
He said with a bitter face: "Oh, my little aunt, Marquis Wuyang has been waiting on the river bank all morning. He is also your Majesty's nephew after all. You can give me a chance to meet him."
"not see."
The woman had a calm smile on her face, but her mouth was filled with an indifference that could make people feel distant.
The pretty maid turned back to look at the old madam, with a charming smile on her face: "The lady said, she's gone."
But just such a charming smile made the old madam shiver unconsciously.
It was as if she was not facing a cute and innocent girl, but a savage beast that ate people without spitting out bones.
"Oh, this, this, this, miss, Marquis Wuyang has spoken out. If you don't see him, he will dismantle my broken ship."
The old bustard looked bitter.
At this moment, she was not the old madam who could determine the life or death of many women with one glance, but just a poor woman threatened by the powerful.
But the woman remained unmoved.
"well!"
The old madam suddenly sighed, twisted her waist as thin as a bucket in an exaggerated way, turned around helplessly and walked off the boat.
These days, there are countless people asking to see Tang Xian.
As the owner of this boat, the old bustard should theoretically make a lot of money.
However, Tang Xian was even more generous and bought the boat directly.
The old bustard also changed from the owner of this unknown painting boat to the old bustard working for Tang Xian.
Seeing the old madam leaving, the pretty maid got up and walked barefoot to the woman: "Miss, what are we going to do? After buying this boat, we don't have much money now."
The woman turned to look at the maid, her teeth slightly opened: "It doesn't matter!"
The maid stamped her foot: "Oh my lady, we are really about to run out of money."
"There will be."
The woman always has a calm smile on her face, as if the things the maid is worried about are just trivial things.
"Okay, okay, you are the lady, you have the final say."
When the maid heard this, her eyes almost rolled to the sky, and her words were even more disrespectful.
The woman didn't care about her rudeness and rolled up the dried hibiscus water picture: "Take it and sell it and we will make money."
The maid's mouth twitched: "Who are you selling it to?"
"Isn't there the emperor's nephew under the boat?"
The woman raised her head, the meaning of her words was obvious, of course she was selling to the wrongdoer.
The maid tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Okay then."
"Well, tell them that in half a month, the Oiran Convention will be held on the Qinhuai River."
"Oiran convention?"
The maid was stunned for a moment, then frowned: "Miss, do you want to participate in person?"
The woman shook her head: "You can just go."
The maid shrugged and muttered, "I knew it."
"Go ahead."
"I know, I know."
The pretty maid walked off the painting boat with the painting in her arms, and saw the old madam explaining something with a greasy-haired and pink-faced man accompanying her, but the young man had an impatient look on his face.
The young man was naturally Zhu Di's great nephew Xu Jingchang. As a veteran of the flower field, he was deeply attracted by Tang Xian's coldness and aloofness at the first sight.
He has now given up on the vulgar life on the Qinhuai River. Whenever the time comes every day, he comes to stay under the boat, just to see the beauty.
If Chen Kan were here, he would definitely spit at him: "Bah, licking a dog will lead to a bad death."
Today is already the third day that he has asked to see Tang Xian.
Given his status, if it were an ordinary woman, she would have climbed into his bed and let him pick her.
However, this Tang Xian not only had no interest in money, but also did not take his identity seriously.
Three days passed, and even with Xu Jingchang's cultivation, he was getting a little impatient.
"Master Marquis, this bitch doesn't know how to show appreciation. Do you want my subordinates to dismantle her broken ship?"
The bodyguards beside him saw that their Marquis had been languishing here for three days in a row, and he immediately had the mentality of humiliating his minister to death, and stared at the old bustard fiercely.
But as soon as the guard finished speaking, he was kicked in the butt by Xu Jingchang.
He said angrily: "Idiot, what nonsense are you talking about?"
He actually wanted to demolish the boat, but the key was that it was now in public.
The dignified prince of the imperial dynasty actually humiliated a group of women for his own selfish purposes. If this spreads out, how can he still hang out in the circle of nobles in the future?
Feeling irritated in his heart, Xu Jingchang looked at the old bustard impatiently: "Xian'er really doesn't want to see me?"
"Oh, Lord Marquis, it's not that Miss Xian'er doesn't want to see you, it's really..."
The old madam was on the verge of crying. On one side was the Marquis, and on the other was the young lady who had a super scary maid. She couldn't afford to offend either of them.
"Master Hou, it's not that my young lady refuses to see you."
Just when the madam was thinking about how to make excuses, the maid's voice suddenly sounded.
"Who are you?"
Hearing this voice, Xu Jingchang was stunned for a moment, and then a lustful look flashed in his eyes.
This cute girl also looks very promising.
Although his appearance is a bit inferior to that of Tang Xian, compared with the vulgar fans on the Qinhuai River, he has a more agile feeling.
He was moved again.
If I can't see Tang Xian today, it seems like a good idea to take this woman back.
"Master Hou, Xiaoqing from the slave family is polite."
The maid came to Xu Jingchang with the scroll in her arms and bowed to him.
Then, Xu Jingchang's breathing became heavier.
When Xiao Qing saw this, two dimples instantly appeared on his smiling face, and then he deliberately puffed out his chest.
She knows very well how attractive her figure is to a man
