The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 45: Crazy Reform
In the golden autumn of October, the maple leaves turn red and the harvest season has finally arrived.

Wanli worked with Yongnian Earl Wang Wei and a group of veteran craftsmen for a month or so, and the first new-style matchlock gun was finally created.

This new type of matchlock gun is very similar to the double-barreled hunting rifle of later generations.

The barrel is two large round tubes polished to a shiny finish. The two front hoops have sights, the two middle hoops have wooden pads to support the barrel, and the two rear hoops have devices to flip the barrel.

There is also a buttstock, which is made into a streamlined shape that is very suitable for holding with one hand against the shoulder, and it also has a buckle and rear sight fixed on it.

There are two small curved iron pillars on the upper part of the barrel, which are used for sealing and can also push the bullet into place.

There are even two semicircular iron shields on both sides of the fuse position, so that the sparks that ignite the fuse and the sparks that are ejected when the bullet is fired will be blocked and will not splash the person who fired the shooter at all.

To be honest, this type of matchlock gun is the limit of what existing technology can achieve.

Its level of sophistication was so great that even Qi Jiguang, who was used to seeing all kinds of matchlock rifles, was amazed.

Early in the morning at about noon, the sun rose, releasing great light, and the entire summer resort seemed to be thriving.

At this time, the courtyards where the craftsmen lived and the barracks where the Beijing camp was stationed had been completed. The huge summer resort was like a nine-square grid, divided into nine large blocks by walls, and each block covered an area of ​​tens of thousands of acres.

The three large blocks on the west side are the courtyards where the craftsmen live. They are so densely packed that they can accommodate 100,000 craftsmen.

The three large areas in the middle are the barracks, parade ground, racecourse, shooting range, etc. of the Beijing garrison. They are neatly arranged and can easily accommodate an army of 200,000 to 300,000.

There are three large areas on the east side, which are rows of water wheels and workshops. The north side is enclosed as an area specializing in making muskets and cannons. The middle area is an area specializing in making fine iron, refined steel and cold weapons. The south side is an area for making glass, receiving and sending goods, and transporting food and grass.

Early in the morning at about noon, in the shooting range in the core area in the middle of the nine-square grid, Wanli was carefully examining the new matchlock rifle in his hand facing the rising sun. The long row of officers and nobles behind him seemed eager to try it out.

He decided to test the gun himself!
A hundred steps away, the soldiers of the Beijing Camp had just set up a ten-ring target similar to the one used in the martial arts examination. He raised his hand impatiently and said, "Bullet."

what?
When Yongnian Earl Wang Wei heard this, he was stunned.

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Your Majesty, why don't you let me come? It's not safe to test the gun."

That was the gun barrel that was rolled out of thin iron sheets in the past. This solid barrel with the bullet shell and outer clamp protection made it impossible for it to explode.

Wanli deftly opened the buckle, turned the barrel over, and pointed at the two barrel openings and said, "Yuan Jing, look, this is where the bullet is stuffed. The bullet itself has a shell around it, and the outer clamp is exactly the same length as the bullet, which means that the area where the bullet is ejected is covered by the clamp.

Don't worry, this type of musket is unlikely to explode. At most, the shell casing inside will explode, but the barrel won't explode even if you want to. The clamp is stuck, and the barrel will at most crack."

Well, this triple protection is indeed more than enough. From now on, they don’t have to worry about being injured by muskets when they shoot.

Qi Jiguang took a closer look and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. This kind of musket is indeed unlikely to explode."

Upon hearing this, Yongnian Earl Wang Wei quickly took out a palm-sized iron box, opened it skillfully, and presented it respectfully with both hands.

This is a special box for bullets. There are holes drilled out of the whole piece of wood inside. There are four rows of grooves and twenty-four holes, all of which are the same size as the holes at the back of the barrel. If the bullet is not flat when inserted, it proves that the size is not up to standard.

Wanli deftly inserted two fingers into the groove, took out two bullets and stuffed them into the barrel, then pulled the fuse out, and then flipped the barrel back into place with a snap.

Now the ammunition is loaded!

When Qi Jiguang saw this, his eyes bulged.

"Huo Zhezi."

Wanli took the fire starter handed to him by Wang Jun, blew on it, and then lit the fuse on the left without hesitation.

Then he raised the gun with one hand, rested it on his shoulder, and aimed at the target a hundred steps away.

With a "bang", a transparent hole was made in the half-inch thick wooden board.

However, the accuracy seems to be only about two rings, and it is four or five inches away from the center.

Seeing this, Wanli couldn't help but look embarrassed.

The aiming time seemed too short. He just picked up the gun and took a rough aim before the bullet was fired.

He thought about it, and simply handed the tinder to Wang Jun, saying solemnly: "Come here, I'll take aim and then you light it."

After saying that, he raised the gun with both hands and took careful aim.

He glanced for a while, then whispered, "Light the fire."

If he spoke loudly, the crosshairs would shake, but he was trying his best to hit a ten-ring.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jun hurried over and carefully lit the fuse.

With a "bang", a transparent hole was made in the half-inch thick wooden board.

This time it was very close to the center of the target, about an eight-ring.

Wanli was stunned when he saw this. It seemed that when firing a single shot from this double-barreled shotgun, the sight had to be slightly tilted to the left or right, otherwise it would miss the bull's eye.

Seeing this, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but give a thumbs up and said, "Your Majesty, your spear skills are excellent."

To be honest, this accuracy is already very good. These days it is not easy to hit the palm-sized area in the middle of the target with a musket.

If he shoots with a bow and arrow, he can hit the bull's eye from a hundred paces away, but he can't even do that with a musket.

Wanli, however, felt a little unwilling to accept that he had missed the target.

He quickly opened the barrel, took out the shells, loaded two more bullets, took aim for a while, and then said to Wang Jun, "Fire from both sides at the same time."

what?
Wang Jun quickly asked for a fire starter from the side, carefully put his hands over it, and lit both sides of the fuse at the same time.

"Bang bang" two consecutive gunshots were heard. This time, a transparent hole was finally made in the center of the bull's eye, and the other hole was around the eighth ring.

This proves that his guess was correct. If it is a single shot, it will have to be offset slightly to the left or right.

Seeing Qi Jiguang eager to try, he simply put the gun into his hand and said with a smile: "Okay, this gun should be fine, you can try it."

Qi Jiguang took the musket impatiently, opened the barrel and started changing the bullets.

He was still very professional, but he didn't get the aim right with the first shot, so he hit around eight rings. After that, almost every shot hit the bull's eye.

Seeing this, Wanli said decisively: "Father-in-law, let's do it this way. If we work hard now, how many can we make in a month?"

There was no need to try at 200 steps. At such a distance, he couldn't see the target clearly. Moreover, the current muskets didn't have much killing power at 200 steps. If it could penetrate the target within 100 steps, it proved that it could penetrate leather armor, which was already very good.

Upon hearing this, Yongnian Earl Wang Wei said with some embarrassment, "Your Majesty, we only made a waterwheel for forging gun barrels, a waterwheel for grinding gun barrels, and a waterwheel for grinding bullets and shell casings.

We can forge about ten gun barrel blanks a day now, but the problem is that the requirements for grinding the gun barrels are too strict. A waterwheel is lucky if it can grind out one qualified gun barrel a day."

The waterwheel was built quickly, and it wouldn't take long to build the workshop either. The key point was that autumn had arrived, and winter wasn't far away.

Wanli said worriedly, "It's probably too late for us to build the waterwheel and workshop now. By the time we finish building the waterwheel and workshop, the river will probably freeze over. By then, all the waterwheels will be unable to turn, and we'll probably have to stop working for two or three months."

This is actually not a big problem.

Yongnianbo Wang Wei explained in detail: "Your Majesty, in winter, the river water is still flowing under the ice, but it flows more slowly.

We could send people to chip the ice, day and night, and when the waterwheel stopped turning, we would chip away at it. At that time, the ice was only about an inch or two thick, so it was easy to chip away."

This is a good move!
Upon hearing this, Wanli was quite excited and said, "Then hurry up and build the waterwheel and more workshops specializing in sharpening gun barrels and bullets. Is it okay to build twenty workshops before winter this year?"

Upon hearing this, Yongnian Earl Wang Wei slowly nodded and said, "It shouldn't be a big problem."

By then, we will be able to grind out twenty gun barrels a day, make three hundred muskets a month, and three thousand six hundred muskets a year.

There are also artillery, which have also begun to be developed.

However, the cannon required a larger waterwheel to drive the heavier molds for forging.

Wanli was thinking about what shape the cannon should take when suddenly the sound of horse hooves was heard outside.

After a while, Li Xuancheng came over quickly, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, today's memorials have arrived. They say there seem to be a lot more than usual."

What does this mean?
What's Zhang Siwei up to again?
Wanli thought for a moment and said simply, "Father-in-law, let's start building the thirty-six bucket water wheel. This year we will try to make a trial cannon."

After saying this, he rode his horses towards his own compound with Li Xuancheng, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yingzhen, Duke Yingguo Zhang Yuangong and others.

As expected, Zhang Siwei is up to something again.

This guy actually personally submitted a memorial, urging the vigorous implementation of the "Performance Evaluation Law" and strict evaluation of officials.

The "Kaocheng Law" actually replaced the Jingcha Daji.

The original Beijing inspection was held every six years to assess officials in Beijing, and the Daji was held every three years to assess local officials.

The "Kaocheng Law" requires a small test every month, a medium test every six months, and a major test every year, and all officials must be evaluated.

Although this workload is a bit heavy, it is beneficial for supervising officials, improving efficiency and preventing corruption.

Zhang Juzheng implemented the "Performance Evaluation Law" in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the Beijing Inspection Program which was just a formality, while Zhang Siwei implemented the "Performance Evaluation Law" in order to seize power.

Because the next memorial was from the Minister of Personnel Wu Dui, and the examination results of the six ministries and seven officials had already come out.

The performance evaluation of Minister of Works Zeng Shengwu failed.

Minister of Rites Xu Xuemo and Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan are old and frail, it’s time for them to retire!

(End of this chapter)