Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 368 Commander Qi, are you out of your mind?! The view from that shot! (Just realized I forgot to schedule an update yesterday)
Behind the weapons workshop is a small hill.

Qi Jiguang looked at the barren, dark hillside from afar and was startled. It seemed that Zhang Yunxiu had blasted this hilltop quite a bit, almost turning it into a flat plain, where nothing could grow.

This made him even more eager to see the power of the "Divine Might Cannon".

"Commander Qi, the enemy flag has been deployed!"

The deputy general jogged over and reported to Qi Jiguang.

"kindness."

Qi Jiguang nodded slightly and looked at Zhang Yunxiu beside him.

"Shiyuan, I've prepared the enemy for you. Now let's see how accurate your Divine Might Cannon is."

Zhang Yunxiu peered into the distance through his binoculars and couldn't help but chuckle. Good heavens, wasn't that the Japanese "sun banner"? It seemed that Qi Jiguang's hatred for the Japanese pirates remained undiminished.

Qi Jiguang chuckled dryly and said, "At least you didn't get involved with that Japanese woman. The Japanese pirates committed all sorts of atrocities in the Ming Dynasty. How could we let them take advantage of us?"

Zhang Yunxiu said with some helplessness, "That's just a rumor."

Qi Jiguang didn't delve into the matter, but instead patted the Shenwei Cannon beside him and said, "This thing of yours is much lighter than I imagined."

As he pushed the cannon out, he suddenly realized that the barrel of this Divine Might Cannon was much longer and thinner than that of the Tiger Lord Cannon, the Extinction Cannon, and the Frankish Cannon. It was indeed larger in size, but its weight did not seem to have increased much.

Zhang Yunxiu explained from the side, "Our cannon barrel is made of high-strength steel, which is much harder and tougher than before, so we don't need to use a thicker barrel anymore."

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but praise, "It's also equipped with three wheels. If it can really go to the battlefield, its mobility will obviously be greatly improved. I just don't know if it will explode in the barrel, and how powerful the cannon is?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "Uncle, you can see that the fireworks on New Year's Day are not only in the capital, but also in various parts of Yingtian Prefecture."

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "I have been traveling day and night, and I spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day on the road. I have not seen any fireworks."

"How about we make up for this New Year's Day celebration for Uncle today?"

Qi Jiguang let out a hearty laugh: "Killing the Japanese pirates on New Year's Day is exactly what I wanted. Let's see how you display your divine power."

Without further ado, Zhang Yunxiu immediately ordered Zhao Shizhen and the others to load the shells.

However, upon seeing the cylindrical cannonball, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but ask a question.

"You're using exploding shells?"

The cannons of the Ming Dynasty were not limited to solid cast iron shells; there were also various types such as exploding shells, incendiary shells, and honeycomb shells.

However, for the sake of stability, the Ming army mostly used solid cannonballs.

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but worry, saying, "It's not easy to mass-produce; it's very laborious and time-consuming."

Zhang Yunxiu countered, "Xishan has even built cannons made of tempered steel, so why are they afraid of not being able to mass-produce exploding shells?"

"This cannonball even has cloud patterns on it?"

Qi Jiguang, as if asking a hundred thousand questions, picked up another cannonball and began to study it.

Zhang Yunxiu patiently explained, "Compared to previous cannons, the Shenwei Cannon has grooves engraved inside the barrel, which Xishan calls rifling. Relying on the cartridge strap on the shell, the barrel can grip the shell, causing it to spin. Its accuracy and power will be incomparable."

Historically, the Red-Clad Cannon was introduced to the Ming Dynasty about 20 or 30 years later. Zhang Yunxiu's "Divine Might Cannon" was actually an improved version of the Red-Clad Cannon.

What are rifling grooves?

Qi Jiguang was completely dumbfounded. He had been a veteran of many battles and considered himself to be very knowledgeable about all kinds of weapons, but the things made in Xishan looked like alien objects to him.
Zhao Shizhen added from the side, "General Qi, there is no need to be too surprised. This rifling was not invented by Xishan. According to some of the Portuguese we captured, decades ago, Westerners had tried to carve spiral rifling on the barrel of a cannon and even made similar cannons, but their skills were not very good."

Qi Jiguang stared wide-eyed at Zhang Yunxiu and said, "You also captured Portuguese?"

Zhang Yunxiu crossed his arms and said it as a matter of course.

"I was just trying to exchange some technical information with them, but they weren't very appreciative, so I arrested them all."

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but chuckle. The more he asked, the more unfathomable Xishan seemed. This "divine cannon" had far exceeded his expectations.

Even the shells were breech-loading, and there were trunnions on both sides of the cannon, which seemed to be for adjusting the firing angle. It was also equipped with a front sight, rear sight, and so on, just like a musket.

These diverse and novel designs made Qi Jiguang feel that what he was seeing was a completely new weapon.

Zhao Shizhen and his team moved very quickly, even calculating the angles and directions.

After everything was ready, Zhang Yunxiu looked at Qi Jiguang, who was completely bewildered, and said...

"Shouldn't Uncle light the fuse?"

Letting Qi Jiguang experience the mighty cannon, a fusion of old and new, Chinese and Western techniques, can be seen as fulfilling a regret that Zhang Yunxiu had previously felt from reading history.

Qi Jiguang nodded, took a torch, and stepped forward to light the fuse.

With a hissing sound, sparks flew up, but Qi Jiguang retreated to the side without changing his expression. Ignoring the reminders from Zhang Yunxiu and others who were retreating, he stood less than five meters away from the cannon, staring at it intently.

Zhang Yunxiu was terrified and immediately wanted his deputy and others to go and protect him.

This is no joke. Even if Xishan uses what is arguably the most advanced technology available today, no one can say for sure what will happen with artillery. If Qi Jiguang is really killed, Zhang Yunxiu will become a sinner for all time!

The fuse had already been lit, and there was no time to react. There was a loud "bang," and all sounds seemed to disappear from the ears. The lieutenant who was closer felt his mind go blank, and the surroundings were covered by white smoke.

Qi Jiguang stood upright to the side of the cannon. In that instant, after hearing such a violent explosion, he knew something was wrong.

His experience of firing thousands of times on the battlefield told him that ordinary firing would never be like this; such a violent explosion could only be caused by a barrel rupture.

Just as Qi Jiguang was beginning to reminisce about his life, he heard a violent explosion. The shockwave reached his face and even made him feel a little pain.

Qi Jiguang opened his eyes wide. Through the smoke, he could vaguely see the cannonballs arcing through the sky, whistling as they hurtled towards the "Sun Banner".

The shell did not hit its target precisely; it seemed to have landed a dozen meters away from the "Sun Banner," but that distance was enough to kill the enemy.

The shell then exploded on the hilltop, and the shockwave, along with the "little gadgets" inside the shell, swept across the entire hilltop, instantly leveling the saplings that had just begun to grow.

Qi Jiguang gasped and couldn't help but curse angrily.

"Oh, my child!"

When the smoke cleared, Qi Jiguang could see that the opposite mountain was charred black, and there were even many weeds with sparks still on them.

The "Sun Banner" that had stood atop the hill had long since vanished into thin air. Before anyone could react, Qi Jiguang pointed slightly across the way and said...

"Quick! Come with me to see this! The power of this cannon is simply extraordinary!"

He shouted several times before his lieutenants reacted and hurriedly ran towards the opposite hilltop.

Nothing could attract these veterans who had fought on the battlefield more than such super weapons. They all understood the significance of these cannons: they would bring victory after victory, fewer casualties and costs, and an overwhelming deterrent effect on the enemy!

As he walked, Qi Jiguang kept muttering to himself.

"This distance is probably eight or nine hundred paces. Goodness, even the Tiger-Slaying Cannon made of gold couldn't reach this range!"

"The gunpowder also has hidden secrets. The firearms provided by Xishan are far more powerful than before, which must be due to the gunpowder ratio."

"And those rifling grooves are truly amazing. If combined with exploding bullets, they would be invincible on the battlefield!"

Zhang Yunxiu was standing next to Qi Jiguang at some point, looking visibly shaken.

"Uncle, you truly live up to your reputation. You saw through the mystery at a glance. However, you should refrain from taking such risky actions in the future."

If Qi Jiguang really died here, Zhang Juzheng would probably skin him alive.

Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, looked completely unconcerned, as if he wasn't the one who had just been bewildered.

"It's just firing cannons. I've escaped death countless times on the battlefield. This little bit of power is nothing to worry about."

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at the other person's pale face and thought to himself, "Qi Jiguang isn't really fearless after all."
However, he did not expose the other party.

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but ask, "Has the gunpowder ratio changed?"

As early as when he was plundering at sea, he had already discovered that the gunpowder produced in Xishan was completely different from the gunpowder of the Ming Dynasty. Not only was the output large, but the ratio was also very standard, making it less likely to explode, and its power was far greater than before.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and explained, "It's due to the ratio. Compared to the previous ratio of 7 parts saltpeter to 3 parts sulfur, Xishan gunpowder has added charcoal, increased the saltpeter ratio, and made the gunpowder powder into granules, so it's naturally different from before."

Qi Jiguang was startled and suddenly regretted asking the question. He looked around and lowered his voice to say it.

"The gunpowder ratio is a secret. How can you reveal it so easily? You have no sense of propriety."

He was just thinking about how to end this and how to keep his lieutenants quiet. Fortunately, they were all his confidants, so it was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

But Zhang Yunxiu seemed indifferent, shaking his head and saying...

“Uncle, the gunpowder formula is almost common knowledge in the Xishan Armory, so there’s no need to be so nervous. Even if the formula gets out, no one will be able to counter it.”

Qi Jiguang was dumbfounded again.

Zhang Yunxiu explained, "The power cannot be achieved by simply relying on the proportions. The most important aspects of Xishan gunpowder are purity and granulation. The purification of raw materials and the granulation of gunpowder are processes that others cannot learn. Even if you hear about them, it is useless."

Qi Jiguang was confused, but the power of gunpowder was right before his eyes. The combat effectiveness of Xishan gunpowder had been verified when they were "plundering" around the sea. He no longer had any doubts, and he looked forward to the scene on the opposite mountain even more.

On the hilltop, as everyone stepped onto the ground, they could still smell the gunpowder emanating from the soil and feel the warmth beneath their feet.

The surrounding area had become a complete wasteland, and not a single plant or living creature could be found.

What caught Qi Jiguang's attention even more was that the scattered pieces of iron were embedded in the soil, and some even cracked the stones.

Qi Jiguang was very familiar with exploding shells, but he had obviously never seen one with such exaggerated power before.

"Commander Qi! We have located the enemy's flag!"

After searching the hilltop for a while, the group finally found the fragments of the "Sun Banner," the small pieces of charred cloth, and the broken wooden stick, which were enough to demonstrate the extraordinary power of the cannon.

Qi Jiguang then turned his gaze to the huge bomb crater not far away and couldn't help but sigh.

"The range and power are far greater than before, the weight has not increased, and even the accuracy is now unparalleled. This mighty cannon is truly amazing."

He then turned his gaze to the dark cannon on the opposite hilltop, and stamped his feet anxiously as he spoke.

"You bunch of murderers, why did you all come? You didn't even leave one person to keep an eye on the cannons. If something happens to the cannons, can you take responsibility?"

His distressed expression was as if he had accidentally left his own young, beautiful daughter at the market.

The surrounding lieutenants were also quite aggrieved. Just now, it was Qi Jiguang who was shouting the loudest, yelling at the lieutenants to charge forward, and now he was turning around and blaming them.

Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile from the side.

"Uncle, there's no need to be nervous. This cannon weighs a hundred pounds. How could an ordinary person steal it? Besides, we're on the Western Hills. We can just go over there."

"Go, go, go!"

Qi Jiguang's eyes were practically glowing with malice.

"I want to touch that cannon again. It's a rare and precious thing. Its power is so great that I'd love to sleep with it!"

Compared to others, Qi Jiguang clearly understood the significance of the "Divine Might Cannon" better. He had already begun to imagine in his mind that if hundreds of such cannons were deployed in the border towns, would the Tatar cavalry still have any use?

These are all exploding shells! Even the artillery is very lightweight and can be moved around easily.

If it could be mounted on a Fujian ship, it would be even more terrifying. Who could imagine the power of this thing at sea, capable of delivering a single shot to a small Japanese ship?

They might not be any less formidable than the Franks!
After resealing the "Divine Might Cannon" in the warehouse, Qi Jiguang was even somewhat reluctant to part with it, constantly turning back as if he really wanted to sleep with the cannon.

Zhang Yunxiu pointed to the workshop and said, "Uncle, there's no need to worry. Mass production of the Shenwei Cannon is already on the agenda. We'll just have to wait until spring when the weather warms up, and Xishan will start production at full capacity. At that time, not only the navy but also the border towns will be able to use it."

Qi Jiguang let out a heavy breath, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Zhang Yunxiu.

"Shiyuan, you have truly broadened my horizons today!"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled modestly: "Since we're sending Uncle out to overcome all obstacles, we naturally need to provide adequate logistical support."

Qi Jiguang understood the implied meaning and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Does Shiyuan mean there are still amazing things in Xishan?"

For veterans, seeing such a cannon is like celebrating the New Year.

But according to Zhang Yunxiu, this thing actually still exists?
Zhang Yunxiu smiled without saying a word and gestured for them to proceed.

(End of this chapter)