The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Hitting the bullseye at 80 meters—that's a sharpshooter. If they could make a Minié flintlock musket with rifling, this guy could snipe an enemy general at 200 meters.

It seems we need to manually craft some elite equipment, which can also serve as the main force, with all equipment equipped with Minié rifles to act as the vanguard, and the equipment can be changed without any issues.

Galdan is very familiar with the data of this gun. Because the barrel is 1.5 meters long, the effective range can reach 200 meters, which means it can directly kill unarmored soldiers. Within 100 meters, it can break through the iron-lined cotton armor of the Eight Banners.

This was something that flintlock muskets of the same era could not achieve.

However, its only drawback is its length, requiring soldiers to be over 1.6 meters tall. At that height, they also need to be at an angle to load ammunition, resulting in a reloading time of once per minute.

European flintlock muskets, on the other hand, have barrels that are only one to one and a half meters long, allowing them to be loaded twice per minute, or three times per minute if the hand speed is exceptionally fast.

However, Galdan was not afraid, because the Han Dynasty was never short of people. The three-stage firing was not good enough for this gun, so they could just make a five-stage firing.

With an effective range of 200 meters and an armor-piercing range of 100 meters, how many Manchu Eight Banners cavalry could charge?

"What's your name?"

"When will you join my personal guard?"

Upon hearing Galdan's question, the bodyguard immediately stood up straight, his right fist raised to his eyebrows.

"Tang Tiechui, a common soldier from the capital, was recommended by General Liu Xin two months ago after his father distinguished himself in the battle to capture the Manchu city and joined His Majesty's personal guard!"

Galdan had abolished the kneeling ceremony. Except for some important occasions and when the emperor bestowed gifts, only a bow was required for ordinary audiences.

In fact, Han Chinese dynasties, including the Ming Dynasty, did not practice kneeling. Even during the Han and Tang Dynasties, emperors and their ministers mostly drank and chatted together.

Only Nurhaci's lineage, who ruled over hundreds of thousands of Jurchens as savages and later over a large number of Han Chinese, always felt uneasy and thus deliberately established the rules of slavery.

Galdan did indeed recall Tang Tiechui's entry into Manchuria, as it was his own order. Since he was going to establish the Great Han, he couldn't only have Tibetans and Mongols by his side.

So after capturing Beijing, Liu Xin was instructed to select the able-bodied men who had stormed into the Manchu city and harbored deep hatred for the Manchus.

These people had suffered greatly from the oppression of the Eight Banners, so they were certainly loyal to Galdan, the man who saved them from their suffering.

"Alright, from today onwards, you are the centurion of the Royal Guard and the instructor of muskets. You must teach them how to use firearms properly!"

Galdan's personal guard has now been replenished to a thousand men, all of whom are cavalrymen with two horses each. Currently, six hundred of them are Han Chinese, mainly protecting Galdan when he patrols the area. As long as they are not surrounded, these thousand cavalrymen can move freely!

"After only two months in the army, I've become a centurion, and I'm even part of the Emperor's personal guard! My Tang family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!" Thinking of this, Tang Tiechui excitedly knelt down on one knee.

"This humble general thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace!"

After Galdan helped Tang Tiechui up, he walked towards the second workshop, which was marked with the word "gunpowder" on the outside.

Inside, there were various kinds of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal.

There were dozens of workers inside, all over forty years old, and they were all wearing gloves and masks.

One of them was pouring alcohol into a pile of mixed gunpowder, which was actually making granular gunpowder.

And what is that old man doing over there? He's actually pouring gunpowder into a bamboo tube and then stuffing in lead bullets. Isn't that fixed-charge gunpowder?

So firearms were already this powerful by the end of the Ming Dynasty? What use am I, Galdan, then? How should I show off?

Seeing Galdan's expression shift between joy and surprise, Li Zheng was completely baffled and could only bite the bullet and proceed.

"His Majesty?"

"Is there anything wrong with this?"

Upon hearing this, Galdan forced himself to remain calm and laughed it off.

"These people are all very skilled, and many of their techniques are ones I'm unaware of. Where did you find them?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't something he was dissatisfied with, it was fine. He then pulled out an account book from somewhere, which was filled with names. He pointed to one of the names.

"Your Majesty, these people are all artisans from Datong, passed down through generations. They all possess some skill, and the further processing of gunpowder is something they've been doing for many years!"

"The person in charge of this factory is called Ma Tie. His family has always been involved in gunpowder production during the Ming Dynasty, making fireworks for the royal family. The imperial concubines all raved about them!"

Talented people, all of them are talented!

Although the household registration system established by Zhu Yuanzhang caused great suffering to some people, as long as the dynasty accepts it and makes good use of these artisans, it will be just like the Tang and Sui dynasties of the past.

After a sigh, Galdan immediately went to the other factories. Of the eight factories, three manufactured muskets and one manufactured fixed gunpowder cartridges.

Of the remaining four, three are for melting iron and copper ore, and the last one is for making flying thunder cannons.

The overall ore smelting technology still uses blast furnace ironmaking, which is no different from the West, and even surpasses it in terms of smelting speed and quality.

However, Galdan always felt that someone who only knew Jesus couldn't invent refractory bricks.

But it didn't matter. Galdan had figured it out: as long as the Manchus didn't take over the country, the Central Plains could always stand at the top thanks to the skills of these craftsmen.

However, these craftsmen had too low a level of education. They could make many things, but they couldn't express them, making it difficult for them to be passed down through generations and to contribute to technological advancement.

Thinking of this, Galdan looked at Li Zheng with a look reminiscent of the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood.

"Minister Li, I see that you do things in a very organized manner. I intend to have you organize young students to compile the skills of these craftsmen into books that can be understood by ordinary people. For example, why does the power of gunpowder increase when mixed with strong liquor?"

"Are you capable of handling this task? Once it's accomplished, I will grant you the position of Minister of Works!"

That's right, Galdan wants to create books like "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), but they will be based on principles and data analysis, and will become textbooks for students.

Li Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. Using the position of Minister to test officials, which official could withstand the test?

So he immediately bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your subject will not fail in his mission!"

Wei Cheng, standing to the side, looked on with envy. Li Zhengnian was only forty years old. If he could really edit it, he would become the Minister of Works, a first-rank official!

"I want to use that water-fire rotating machine on the road, that is, to replace oxen and horses pulling carts, or to pull carts endlessly on fixed roads."

Galdan then looked at Wei Cheng and told him everything he knew. In fact, his understanding of trains was limited to tracks and trains connected to tracks.

Wei Cheng had a background in mechanics, and after listening, he pondered for a moment, and his eyes lit up.

"Your Majesty, this thing is wonderful! I never imagined that this water-fire rotating machine could have such a marvelous use. As long as the tracks are laid out, with its endless power, it can travel a thousand miles a day!"

"Local disaster relief food supplies will not be subject to any deductions!"

Galdan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

China has a large population but relatively barren land.

Having enough to eat is always the top priority!