I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 222 Procurement
"Don't worry, everyone. New firearms are under development. The new firearms have a longer range, greater power, and faster loading speed. This bird gun is just a transition during this period of time," Zhu Houxuan explained.

The Ming Royal Group has started to develop flintlock rifles, but the firing rate of the flintlock rifles cannot be guaranteed. They are currently optimizing the trigger firing device of the flintlock rifles, but it will take some time before they can have truly usable flintlock rifles.

The reason why we choose bird guns now is that with current technical conditions, matchlock guns can be made very reliably, and the firing rate can be guaranteed to be 100%, which is much better than the immature flintlock guns.

In this day and age, a well-made bird gun is still very threatening on the battlefield. Soldiers did not dare to use the crudely made bird guns of the late Ming Dynasty at all, because once the barrel exploded, their eyes would most likely be blinded. Therefore, the bird guns of the late Ming Dynasty left psychological trauma on everyone.

"There is such a thing? Then I will wait for good news from my brother." Zhu Houzhao said in surprise.

Zhu Houxuan nodded silently.

"Then let's make 10,000 bird guns first for the new army to use," Zhu Houzhao said.

Zhu Houxuan frowned and said, "These 10,000 are a little too few. How about ordering 20,000 first?"

Zhu Houzhao was stunned, "Then let's order 20,000 first, and the unused ones can be given to the border troops."

Zhu Houxuan nodded silently. He did this to increase the rate of firearms equipment of the new army. The bird guns he made were of sufficient labor and materials. As long as the gunpowder was loaded according to the rated amount, it would not explode at all.

In fact, 20,000 guns are not too many. Even if 50,000 or 60,000 are made, it will not be wasted at all. This thing will not be outdated for a long time. It can be distributed to second-line troops, which can greatly improve the combat effectiveness of second-line troops. After all, second-line troops may not have the courage to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but they still have the courage to fire cold shots from a distance.

Even if it is eliminated by the second-line troops, it can be used for a long time by the public.

There has always been a demand for the use of firearms among the people, because there were many places in the Ming Dynasty where tigers and leopards were rampant, and the number of tigers and leopards was beyond the imagination of modern people.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Sichuan's population dropped sharply due to years of war, so Emperor Kangxi had to use the population of Huguang to fill Sichuan as an official immigration measure.

As a result, a group of 600 immigrants arrived in Sichuan, and within three months, 285 people were abducted by tigers and leopards. This shows how many tigers and leopards there were. This is true, because the local officials wrote this matter into a memorial and submitted it to the emperor.
When facing agile tigers and leopards, accurate bird guns can play a big role.

Zhu Houxun was also organizing various immigrations, and immigrants also needed a large number of weapons to guard against wild animals. Zhu Houxun now had more than one immigration direction. The Northeast had now become his new immigration direction, and he wanted to develop the Northeast in advance.

Now, the number of Siberian tigers and black bears in the old forests of Northeast China is tens of thousands, which is an underestimate. In addition, there are various tribes and immigrants, and the demand for firearms is also great.

Zhu Houxuan is now engaged in armed immigration.

"I also know the problem of the firing rate of the bird gun, so in order to increase the firepower density, I have also prepared new artillery." Zhu Houxuan said, and finally it was the turn of the Portuguese cannon to appear.

With the previous things as a foundation, everyone is full of expectations for the final new artillery.

A six-man artillery crew pushed a cannon cart over. Their clothes all had the logo of the Ming Dynasty Royal Group, and a strange cannon was placed on it. The crew fixed the rear of the cannon cart, unloaded five small iron cans from the cannon cart, and then loaded gunpowder and cannonballs into them. After loading, they asked Zhu Houxuan whether to fire the cannon.

Zhu Houxuan looked at Zhu Houzhao, who ordered without hesitation: "Fire!"

The six men started moving instantly, one loaded the musket into the gun body, one used a hammer to wedge the breech block that fixed the musket, and then they lit the gun and fired. After firing, one took out the musket, one wiped the barrel with a mop dipped in water, and then started loading again.

The remaining two people were specifically responsible for loading the submachine gun with powder and bullets. The six people had a very clear division of labor and cooperated with each other very skillfully.

They fired three shots smoothly in less than 20 seconds amid the surprised gazes of the crowd. Then, for the sake of heat dissipation in the barrel, they gradually reduced the frequency of firing, but still fired one shot every 20-30 seconds. They fired more than shots in a row before stopping to cool the main barrel and sub-gun. At this time, the main barrel and sub-gun were already extremely hot.

The Ming emperor and his ministers watched this process in amazement. This frequency of bombardment was beyond their imagination. It was like a violent storm to them.
Zhu Houzhao was filled with shock. After a long while, he carefully asked the question that concerned him the most: "How much does such a powerful weapon cost?"

"This cannon uses 500 kilograms of steel, plus the gun carriage, sub-guns and so on, the cost is less than one thousand silver coins. If it is mass-produced, the cost will be lower and the performance will be better." Zhu Houzhao said.

The gun used for demonstration was only an initial version. The craftsmen in the foundry had gradually mastered the manufacturing principles of the Portuguese cannon and were ready to use the foundry's existing technology, such as increasing the casting accuracy, making the sub-gun and main gun barrel fit more closely, and increasing airtightness.

Moreover, this cannon is made of steel, which is more durable than iron or copper cannons, so the amount of gunpowder can be increased, and with the addition of granular black powder, the power and range can be greatly improved.
Zhu Houzhao heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. He could totally accept the cost. "This is a good thing. Let's build 200 guns for the new army first!"

Then he added: "Put it in the account first, and then deduct it from my dividends."

Zhu Houxuan glanced at him, nodded and said nothing.

"Father, such a useful thing cannot be used only by the new army. The border troops also need it. Father, you can ask the Ministry of War to purchase this cannon from your uncle and then give it to the border troops for use," Jiang Bin suggested.

"Yes, how could I forget this? This new cannon is much better than the old one. It is easy to operate, powerful, and has a long range. It is very needed both in field battles and in defending cities. With thousands of miles of borders, so many fortresses and troops, the demand for this kind of cannon may be tens of thousands." Zhu Houzhao sighed.

Zhu Houzhao's estimate was correct. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, many places in the Ming Dynasty were able to cast Portuguese cannons. Border towns and county towns also cast Portuguese cannons of various weights and variants of Portuguese cannons. In the end, the number of Portuguese cannons in northern Ming Dynasty reached more than 30,000.
"When I get back, I'll let the people in the Ministry of War take a good look at it. I'll tell them that I was right in using the Ming Royal Group to manage military equipment. I'm going to use these achievements to slap them in the face." Zhu Houzhao imagined the expressions of the officials in the Ministry of War when they saw these weapons and equipment, and he felt very pleased.

First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone for updating at this time, and then allow me to make a few excuses.

My update time on weekdays is mostly around two or three in the morning. This is because of my work. I often get home at 11 o'clock before I start writing a new chapter. This update time is quite tiring, so last night I thought that since I don't have to work on Saturday, I would not stay up late to write and would write after I get enough sleep. As a result, I had guests at home in the middle of the day today, and I didn't find a chance to write until seven o'clock in the evening, so I updated at this time.

However, I still had enough rest today. I am still writing the other two chapters and will make up for the missed chapters.

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(End of this chapter)