The Empire will continue to win

The Western Hills, located north of Beijing, are part of the Taihang Mountains. The area is characterized by rolling hills, dense forests, and abundant wildlife, making it an exceptionally beautiful environment.

A military camp was once set up here during the Qing Dynasty, but it was later abandoned.

The United Empire built some houses on the site of the former Xishan Camp, using it as an artillery testing ground and a royal hunting camp. The area around Beijing was densely populated, making this location quite difficult to find.

today.

Banners fluttered, and security was tight.

Under the guise of hunting, the royal family would mobilize in large numbers, with a retinue of attendants.

.........

8:00 AM.

The sun was shining brightly, but the temperature was chilly.

The valley is nestled between two mountains, resembling the belly of a fish.

The two empress dowagers, Emperor Xuanwu, Prince Gong, Sheng Bao, Li Shaoquan, Yan Fu, Wenxiang, Guiliang, Shen Zhaolin, and Yuxian were all present.

Shen Moqing cupped his hands and said, "I inform the two Empress Dowagers and the Emperor that everything is ready."

"start!"

Out of the box.

Get the gun.

A squad of Imperial Guards served as test shooters, familiarizing themselves with the guns and loading bullets.

"Free firing, begin!"

Bang, bang.

As this was a completely new weapon, the Imperial Guards were not very familiar with it at first, so their movements were a bit slow and their shooting was not continuous. But after all, it was a weapon that could fire continuously, which was already a pleasant surprise.

All ten bullets were fired.

Reload.

The second round of shooting was much more skillful.

"My lords, look! It's a rapid-fire gun!" Emperor Xuanwu exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a member of the Imperial Guard who was firing rapidly.

After firing dozens of bullets, the shooter became basically familiar with the technique.

An officer shouted sternly, "Cease fire and change targets. This round is a kneeling precision shooting exercise. By imperial decree, anyone who scores 95 rings or higher will be rewarded with silver from the imperial treasury."

200 meters, fixed target.

"Ready, fire!"

The gunfire was intermittent and sporadic.

"Your Majesty, with a major battle imminent, rifles are the soldiers' only weapon. To be on the safe side, it would be better to have someone bring the target paper for inspection," Prince Gong advised.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the targets were examined one by one, making it impossible to fake them.

"Shen Qing, the gun you made is really accurate!" Emperor Xuanwu exclaimed.

"Your Majesty, it's simply a matter of unity between the people."

"Well said. When everyone is of one mind, even Mount Tai can be moved. But the problem in the world is that everyone has their own agenda and their own schemes," Emperor Xuanwu lamented. No one present dared to utter a sound.

Empress Dowager Cixi: My son, you are still too young.

Shen Moqing: That's just how politics is.

The rest of the group: Heh, the world is for private gain.

.........

As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details.

Sheng Bao and Li Shaoquan exchanged a glance, then promptly bowed and apologized. They each took out a lever rifle from the wooden box and had someone replace the target with a new one.

bang~

bang bang~

Everyone held their breath, watching as the Minister of the Army and the Commander of the First Division personally took to the field for a test firing.

A moment later.

"Lord Shengbao, 94 rings."

"Lord Li Shaoquan, 88 rings."

Emperor Xuanwu gazed at Shen Moqing with tender eyes, like a lover: "Shen Qing, what should I reward you with?"

Your mother!

Shen Moqing said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I do not wish for any reward. Instead, I would like to present Your Majesty with a royal spear."

The slender rosewood box, once opened, revealed a custom-made lever rifle lying on a bright yellow silk brocade. It had a steel barrel, a walnut stock, and sleek lines, gleaming with a faint blue light.

An expert would immediately recognize that this gun is not a standard issue weapon. Its short and light design makes it more suitable for the physique of a 12-year-old boy.

The walnut stock has a more premium feel than the beech stock, and a layer of soft rubber is nailed to the back of the stock to cushion some of the recoil when firing.

The designer put their heart into it!

Shen Moqing pushed aside the mountain of gold and the jade pillar: "Please, Your Majesty, test the spear."

"it is good."

Emperor Xuanwu picked up the imperial gun with great interest and saw a series of steel stamps on the breech: 001. Under the guidance of the Imperial Guards, he loaded the bullets and then test-fired. There was no target; he just fired rapidly without any purpose.

One shot every three seconds.

Shen Moqing, standing to the side like a straight man, cheered loudly, "Too fast! Too fast!"

.........

"I'll find a target." Emperor Xuanwu looked around and then aimed his gun at an empty wine jar about 50 meters away.

bang~

The wine jar shattered with a crack.

"Put it further away."

The Imperial Guards then placed an empty wine jar 100 meters away and hit it again with a single shot, much to Emperor Xuanwu's delight.

"Put it further away."

150 m.

bang~

The first shot missed, but the second shot hit.

The Imperial Guards cheered in unison.

The young emperor was overjoyed; after all, what young person in this world hasn't dreamed of war and conquest?

"I love this spear more than gold and jewels. Now, move the wine jar further away!"

200 meters, that's very difficult.

The young emperor held his breath, aimed, pulled the trigger, click, empty gun.

"What happened?"

Unload the cartridge and load it again.

Click, another blank shot.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us, there must be something wrong with these bullets," Shen Moqing said loudly, picking up two dud bullets that had been ejected from the chamber of his gun. Everyone's expression changed; so that's how it was—it was premeditated.

"Pry it open."

"Yes."

The Imperial Guards brought pliers and pried open the two dud bullets on the spot.

They were shocked to discover that the duds were filled not with gunpowder, but with soil.

Looking at the production date on the side of the bullet box: March of the 4th year of Xuanwu (3).

"Damn it, what will happen to the soldiers if they go to the battlefield with bullets like these? They can't even go hunting, let alone go to the battlefield."

The young emperor kicked over the ammunition box and roared, his veins bulging.

Shen Moqing glanced at Long Nu and understood.

There's an unspoken rule in the workplace: some long-standing, difficult problems can be solved immediately if they fall on the boss's shoulders. Therefore, when faced with a thorny issue, you should try every means to drag your boss down with you.

As expected~

Intelligent people have a tacit understanding.

Li Shaoquan, the commander of the First Division, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, in recent years, the officers and soldiers of the First Division have frequently reported encountering duds."

Navy Minister Yan Fu also joined the condemnation: "It's not just bullets; the navy's naval gun shells have also encountered many duds."

.........

Emperor Xuanwu turned to Prince Gong and said, "I think we should merge the gunpowder factory into the gun factory. What do you think, Sixth Uncle?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, has no objection in principle."

"Mother, what do you think?"

"I agree," the Empress Dowager said calmly.

"I have no reason to refuse." Empress Dowager An hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager, thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Moqing was overjoyed and decisively presented the second gift to the Emperor, "This humble servant presents this blueprint to the two Empress Dowagers."

Two hand-drawn blueprint books, one for each person.

It was perfectly reasonable to present rifles to the emperor and blueprints to the empress dowager.

I don't expect them to look at it, but I still have to send it.

As expected~

Empress Dowager Cixi's brows relaxed. If today's gifts were only presented to the emperor's son and not to his mother, she would have to doubt the loyalty of her trusted confidants.

"Shengbao, what do you think of this gun?"

"It is like adding wings to a tiger, truly a divine weapon to defeat the enemy."

"I also think it's very good. The recoil is not strong, and it's easier to control than the Type 30 rifle."

Prince Gong, displeased, decided to step forward and dampen the enthusiasm: "Supervisor Shen, how many silver dollars does one of these new rifles cost?"

"Your Highness, it's still quite expensive at the moment, but we may be able to work hard to reduce the cost to 50 silver dollars per piece later."

"It's a bit expensive." Prince Gong found another point to complain about. "Your Majesty, I have another concern. Will the soldiers fire indiscriminately, wasting bullets and putting enormous pressure on logistics and finances?"