Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

Late February, the Awakening of Insects.

In the Ziwu Ridge valley, the ice and snow have begun to melt.

The stream, which had been frozen all winter, began to flow again, making a pleasant babbling sound.

On the sunny hillside, tiny green shoots sprouted among the withered grass.

spring is coming.

Lin Fan stood beside the blast furnace, watching Han Jinhu and his men take out the steel billets that had just cooled down.

This batch was of exceptionally good quality, with its silvery-gray fracture surface shimmering with a fine, silky luster.

He tested the hardness with a file and nodded in satisfaction.

"This batch of steel will all be used to make cannons," he told Han Jinhu.

"Build cannons? Shouldn't we prioritize the new army's steel armor first?" Han Jinhu asked, puzzled.

"We have enough armor for now. We don't have enough cannons." Lin Fan looked at the new army training in formation in the valley. "Spring is coming, the government troops will make moves, and we will make moves too. At that time, cannons will be more useful than armor."

Han Jinhu nodded and asked no further questions.

He believed Lin Fan.

From Huanglong Mountain to Lubao Ridge, from Shanxi to Shaanxi, Lin Fan's judgment has never been seriously wrong.

In the distance, the new army is practicing artillery firing.

Zhang Nai stood beside a steel cannon, holding a homemade rangefinder in his hand—a makeshift method taught to him by Lin Fan, using a wooden strip with markings to estimate distances through the angle of the line of sight from the cannon muzzle.

He squinted one eye, muttered something to himself, and then said a number.

"Two hundred and thirty steps!"

The gunners adjusted the muzzle elevation, loaded gunpowder, and inserted the shells.

Zhang Nai personally lit the fuse.

boom--!

The shell whistled out and crashed onto the hillside 230 paces away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The landing point was less than five steps off target—a dead elm tree.

"Good!" the artillerymen cheered in unison.

Zhang Nai did not laugh.

He stared at the landing point, silently calculating in his mind—the wind was slightly west, with moderate force; he should adjust the direction to the right by a quarter of a finger. Next time, he was sure to hit it.

Lin Fan watched from afar, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He knew that this young man would become the best gunner in the new army.

Perhaps one day, they will become the backbone of this army.

Just then, a messenger rode up on horseback.

"Master Lin! The General requests your presence!"

The atmosphere in Li Zicheng's central command tent was heavy.

Gu Jun'en stood in front of the map, holding a letter he had just received.

The letter was sent from the direction of Bao'an County, and the writer was Shen Yikui.

"Shen Yikui?" Lin Fan frowned.

"The border garrison commander of Yan'an Prefecture was dismissed last year and led a few dozen men in rebellion. Now he has settled in Liushujian, Bao'an County, with four or five hundred men under his command," Gu Jun'en explained. "He sent someone to deliver a letter, wanting to form an alliance with us."

"An alliance?" Li Zicheng took the letter, read it from beginning to end, and handed it to Lin Fan. "Take a look."

Lin Fan took the letter. The letter was written on coarse paper, with messy handwriting, but the content was clear—Shen Yikui called himself the "Willow Tree Valley Righteous Army" and wanted to form a brotherhood alliance with Li Zicheng's "Chuang" troops, agreeing to non-aggression, mutual exchange, and joint resistance against the government army.

The letter also said that he had heard that Li Zicheng had craftsmen under his command who could make cannons, and he was willing to exchange grain for a few cannons or some thunderclaps.

"He wants to buy cannons?" Lin Fan put down the letter.

"He doesn't just want to buy cannons," Gu Jun'en said. "He also wants to leverage our power. Although Shen Yikui has rebelled, he is weak and could be wiped out by the government army at any time. If he allies with us, the government army will have to think twice before attacking him."

"Why should we ally with him?" Liu Zongmin asked, his tone laced with disdain. "A nobody with a few hundred men dares to call us brothers?"

"Chief Liu, you can't say that," Gu Jun'en shook his head. "Although Shen Yikui has few men, he comes from the border army and has many veteran soldiers under his command. Moreover, he has established himself in Bao'an and is familiar with the area. If we want to expand in northern Shaanxi, Bao'an is an essential route. With him as an ally, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"Then we'll take him in," Liu Zongmin said. "Let him submit to us and become our subordinate. Forget about alliances; in northern Shaanxi, there can only be one king."

"Wang Jiayin hasn't said anything yet," Li Zicheng said calmly.

Liu Zongmin's expression changed slightly, and he fell silent.

Li Zicheng looked at Lin Fan: "Master Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "General, I think we can form an alliance."

Why?

"First, Shen Yikui's initiative to form an alliance shows that he recognizes our strength. This is an ally delivered to our doorstep, so let's not refuse it. Second, he's in Bao'an, and we're in Ziwu Ridge, not far apart. With him as a buffer, the government troops will have to get past him first if they want to attack us. Third," Lin Fan paused, "he comes from the border army. There are at least a thousand border soldiers who were demobilized in Yansui Town. These are all professional soldiers who have fought in battles, a ready source of manpower. Forming an alliance with Shen Yikui is like raising a flag among those demobilized border soldiers—those who want to come and join us are welcome to do so."

Li Zicheng nodded.

"Fourth," Lin Fan continued, "he wants to buy cannons. Our cannons are made to be used. Selling them to Shen Yikui will not only get us grain, but also let the government troops experience the power of steel cannons. Once the government troops know that we are not the only ones with cannons in northern Shaanxi, they will be even less likely to act rashly."

Gu Jun'en clapped his hands and laughed: "Master Lin's insight is brilliant."

Liu Zongmin snorted and said nothing more.

Li Zicheng pondered for a moment before making a decision.

"Form an alliance. But make it clear—we are allies, not superiors and subordinates. We will not invade each other's territory, we will share resources, and we will fight against the authorities together. If he wants cannons, fine. Three small cannons, each with thirty rounds of ammunition. Let him name the price. Grain, iron, and livestock are all acceptable."

"General, aren't three cannons too many?" Gu Jun'en hesitated. "We're not exactly well-off ourselves."

"Not much," Li Zicheng said. "If Shen Yikui gains a foothold in Bao'an, it will be to our advantage. If he can't hold his ground, the government troops will target us next."

He paused, then added, "Master Lin, the speed of cannon production needs to be accelerated. I want to see at least fifteen new cannons by the end of March. The new army's steel armor must also be fully equipped."

"Yes," Lin Fan replied.

Stepping out of the central command tent, Lin Fan gazed at the gradually melting snow in the valley, pondering his next move.

Fifteen cannons, five hundred sets of steel armor, and also the order to supply Shen Yikui.

The blast furnace runs day and night, and the craftsmen work in three shifts.

There aren't enough people, so we have to draw more from the new army.

The gunpowder workshop also needs to expand production, but the stock of saltpeter and sulfur is running low, so we need to send people to collect them.

Everything was urgent.

But he didn't complain.

He knew this was the price of expansion.

From last winter to this spring, Li Zicheng's forces grew from 2,500 to nearly 3,000, the new army went from nothing to something, and the number of cannons increased from one to several.

Although it's far from enough, the direction is right.

As long as you're heading in the right direction, you can reach any destination, no matter how far.

In the distance, the new army's drills continued.

Zhang Nai commanded the artillery to fire another salvo.

The five steel cannons roared simultaneously, and the shells whistled out, creating a row of neat craters on the hillside.

As Lin Fan listened to the booming sound of cannons, a sentence suddenly came to mind.

That was something he had seen in an old book in his previous life, something a man named Napoleon had said: "Cannons are the god of war."

In this era, in this desolate wilderness, he is using the most primitive methods, bit by bit, to invite out this "god of war".

Make it work for you.

For use by this struggling team.

It was used by poor people like Tian Ergou and Zhang Nai.

He took a deep breath and strode toward the blast furnace.

The fire in the stove was blazing.

The hammer was striking hard.

Spring has arrived.