1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 61 Arquebus for Musketeers

"This mountain-splitting cannon is quite good. Did you get it from Huang Zhenyue? How much silver did it cost?"

Luo Dagang put down his brown bass guitar and lovingly stroked the 400-pound mountain-splitting cannon with its frame on the ground.

He was a member of the Heaven and Earth Society and often smuggled weapons from the Green Standard Army in Guangdong and Guangxi.

Cannons are not the same as muskets; the Green Standard Army's management of cannons was much stricter than that of muskets.

To acquire cannons, one not only needs sufficient funds but also a strong relationship with mid- to high-ranking military officers in the Green Standard Army. Only after they falsely report battle losses or find suitable replacements will they hand over the cannons to you.

The mountain-splitting cannon that Peng Gang obtained was cast by the Guangdong Artillery Bureau. It was of superior quality and a rare find, which Luo Dagang coveted.

Luo Dagang, who fled into the mountains from Jiangkouwei, still had thirty-eight muskets left, six of which were brown basses bought from Guangzhou, but he had no cannons at all.

"Including gunpowder and cannonballs, it's a full five hundred taels." Peng Gang spread his fingers, gesturing the number five.

According to the Qing Dynasty's "Imperially Commissioned Regulations of the Ministry of Works", the official manufacturing cost of a cast iron mountain-splitting cannon weighing between 300 and 500 jin, including the cost of iron, wooden frame, and gunpowder, was approximately 80 to 120 taels of silver per cannon.

Huang Zhenyue sold the mountain-splitting cannon to him for almost five times the official price.

Of course, the above-mentioned cost of the mountain-splitting blast is based on an absolutely ideal situation.

According to the "Veritable Records of Emperor Xuanzong of Qing", in the 27th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, the Guangxi Provincial Governor's Office reported that it had spent 5,000 taels of silver to cast ten mountain-splitting cannons. However, only three cannons were actually built, and the remaining silver was divided among officers of various ranks in the Guangxi Green Standard Army.

This Guangxi governor is none other than the current governor, Min Zhengwen.

"To receive the goods so quickly, especially a mountain-splitting cannon cast by the Guangdong Artillery Bureau, is a steal at five hundred taels," Luo Dagang said with great envy.

“Once we take over the Wang family of Mengchong in Zijing Mountain and divide their money and grain, Brother Dagang, why will you have to worry about getting guns and cannons?” Peng Gang said to Luo Dagang.

“If this goes on for too long, things will change. Yang Xun, the magistrate of Guiping County, is a man who only cares about money and not people. If Wang Zuoxin manages to bribe Yang Xun to change his mind, our matter will fall through.”

"I'll get it done as soon as possible. Wait for my good news." Luo Dagang nodded in agreement, while not forgetting to tease Peng Gang, "You scholars are really ruthless. Zhang Zhao died at your hands, and he didn't die unjustly."

“I didn’t kill Zhang Zhao.” Peng Gang’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward the mountain area at the foot of the mountain to the north.

“Zhang Zhao is different from Wang Zuoxin. If Zhang Zhao doesn’t provoke me, we can keep to ourselves and go our separate ways.”

Strictly speaking, Zhang Zhao died by suicide, not directly killed by Peng Gang.

As for Wang Zuoxin, he is an extremely despicable person. His existence is a stumbling block to the development of the God Society. Honglianping is adjacent to the Wang family's mountain area to the north. This person must be eliminated no matter what.

After Luo Dagang left, Peng Gang was very troubled by a pile of Guangxi Green Standard Army standard-issue muskets of different lengths, calibers, and complex designs.

Peng Gang didn't know whether Huang Zhenyue had gathered this batch of muskets from different battalions or whether the equipment of the Guangxi Green Standard Army was just so chaotic that even the muskets equipped by the same battalion couldn't achieve a general uniformity in design.

These muskets range in length from about 1.8 meters to about 1.2 meters.

In terms of caliber, the smallest caliber of a bird gun is around ten millimeters, while the largest is over thirty millimeters.

Even grips, which require no technical expertise, cannot be made uniform in design; some have straight grips, while others have curved grips.

This is no longer a matter of ability; it's entirely a matter of attitude!

The quality of matchlock guns manufactured by the Qing government was already questionable. Overloading the guns with powder could easily cause them to explode, while underloading them could easily cause them to misfire.

Peng Gang wanted to develop standardized paper-packaged ammunition to reduce the rates of barrel explosions and misfires.

Standardized ammunition relies on standardized production and logistics systems. However, the caliber and quality of these shotguns vary too much, making standardized ammunition out of the question.

Peng Gang called over the blacksmiths and carpenters in the mountain area to first perform surface treatment on these crudely made, rusty bird guns.

Rust removal should be carried out where necessary, and gun beds should be replaced where required.

After completing the simple processing, Peng Gang then instructed the craftsmen to engrave Arabic numerals on the barrels of each gun, specifying the numbers he required.

After each musket was engraved with a number, Peng Gang borrowed Zhou Songqing, an experienced musket operator, from Hou Jiyong in Shangdongtang.

Based on Zhou Songqing's experience and advice, he conducted live-fire tests on each bird gun, assessed the optimal propellant charge, and recorded it in his notebook along with the caliber.

Finally, Peng Gang selected thirty-six of the most clever and brave young men and formed three groups to train them specifically in the use of muskets.

Peng Gang required them to write down the serial number, caliber, and propellant charge of the bird guns they used, so he could test them at any time.

Having reached this point, Peng Gang then began to teach them how to use a "tangzi" (a small balance scale made of hardwood or copper, equipped with copper or bone weights, used for precise measurement) to precisely load the gunpowder according to the amount of propellant and caliber of the bird gun they were using, and to grind lead bullets of the appropriate caliber. "Did someone in Director Peng's family previously serve in the Green Standard Army?" Zhou Songqing looked at Peng Gang with great surprise.

Pre-packaged drugs are not a new concept.

When Zhou Songqing was a musketeer under Chen Liansheng, Chen Liansheng required his musketeers to pre-load gunpowder into small bamboo tubes about the size of a little finger before battles and training, so that they could be used at any time.

Zhou Songqing has retained this habit to this day.

Zhou Songqing was not surprised that Peng Gang knew how to fix gunpowder, but that Peng Gang did it even more meticulously and systematically than Chen Liansheng.

Therefore, Zhou Songqing believed that Peng Gang had family members or relatives working in the pro-independence camp.

“My family has been farmers for generations,” Peng Gang told the truth.

"How did Commander Peng know how to load ammunition? Even the superiors in Xunzhou might not be as meticulous as Commander Peng," Zhou Songqing said, somewhat skeptical.

"I figured it out myself by reading books," Peng Gang said dismissively. "As for the Green Standard Army officials in Xunzhou, it's not that they can't be as meticulous as I am, but that they simply don't want to."

"Are there really books like this?" Zhou Songqing asked, half believing and half doubting.

Not only the muskets, but also the gunpowder purchased from the pro-independence camp caused Peng Gang's blood pressure to spike.

Problems such as saltpeter deliquescence, excessive impurities in sulfur, adulteration with sawdust, and increased weight due to sand are commonplace.

This truly allowed Peng Gang to experience firsthand what the Qing Dynasty's military industry and logistics were like.

Given the state of the Qing army, even if their weapons weren't technologically superior, let alone the technological gap, the British would still easily defeat them.

Systemic institutional problems are more fatal than weapons problems!

Our army during the Land Revolution, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and even the early stages of the Civil War.

Despite the significant gap in equipment compared to the enemy, with very few artillery pieces and no air support, they were still able to achieve a respectable kill-to-loss ratio.

Before formally training the three groups of musket operators, Peng Gang, based on his experience using muskets and Zhou Songqing's suggestions, compiled a simple training manual for musket operators, which included detailed explanations and annotations of the movements.

So that when he is not around, the team leader and deputy team leader can still train their team members according to the standards of the manual.

Peng Gang broke down the use of the arquebus into twelve steps and specified in detail the execution time standards for each step.

Step 1: Check the fuse, light the end of the fuse, and ensure that the smoldering rate is normal within five seconds.

Step 2: Stand the gun upright with the butt (grip) on the ground and the muzzle pointing upwards. Maintain the gun's stability for five seconds.

Step 3: Open the medicine bottle lid. Hold the gun in your left hand and use your right hand to open the medicine bottle lid (this must be done with one hand). You have five seconds to complete this step.

Step 4: Measure the main powder, take out the pre-packaged cardboard powder packet, bite open the bottom, pour the gunpowder into the barrel, and have ten seconds.

Step 5: Load the bullet. After completing the previous step, insert the lead bullet containing the paper casing to enhance airtightness. The time limit is 15 seconds.

Step 6: Compact the cleaning rod. Pull out the cleaning rod fixed under the barrel and compact it three times, within 20 seconds.

Step 7: Pour the ignition powder into the ignition powder pool at the fire door, ensuring that the ignition powder covers the fire door hole, within ten seconds.

Step 8: Close the ignition tank cover, slide the copper cover (plate) to protect the ignition powder from moisture, within five seconds.

Step 9: Secure the smoldering tinder rope by clamping it onto the serpentine clamp and adjusting it to the appropriate length. The time limit is 15 seconds.

Step 10: Prepare to fire. Grab the grip with your right hand, lift the handguard with your left hand, and place your right thumb on the outside of the rod (to prevent accidental contact). You have five seconds to prepare.

Step 11: Open the lid and fire, blow on the match cord, push open the powder tank lid with your thumb, and pull the trigger to make the match cord contact the ignition powder within three seconds.

Step 12: Clean the barrel. After firing, use a cloth soaked in vinegar to remove any residue (to prevent corrosion). Time limit: 30 seconds. (This step can be simplified or omitted during wartime.)

The total time taken was 128 seconds.

　The problem of the Qing army's arquebuses being so complex in design has a long history.

　　According to records from the Cannon and Gun Department of the Imperial Workshops in Beijing in 1768, the Jianrui Battalion received several different sizes of arquebuses, including those with a length of 2.2 feet, 2.4 feet, 3.2 feet, 3.5 feet, and 3.9 feet.

　　If the central government of the Qing Dynasty was in such a state during the mid-Qianlong period when the country was at its peak, the situation in the local areas at the end of the Daoguang period must have been even worse.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)