Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

"Oh? Why only use half the dosage? Since it's a test, shouldn't the dosage be increased?" Lin Chengzong asked curiously.

"Father is wise. We do need to increase the dosage, but not now," Lin Hao said with a smile, and then began to explain.

"Regarding artillery testing, the Ming Dynasty's official army has already provided detailed instructions, and we are simply copying them now. The current principle adopted is to test with double the amount of ammunition and double the amount of powder."

Double-shot and double-powder refers to using twice the amount of shells and gunpowder as standard shells and ammunition.

The basic procedure of this method is to first ignite the cannon once or twice with half the amount of gunpowder used normally, so as to preheat the cannon.

Then load the normal amount of gunpowder and fire the shell two or three times.

Finally, double the amount of gunpowder and shells were loaded and fired several times. If the cannon showed no signs of exploding after these test firings, it was considered a qualified cannon.

In fact, the rate of barrel explosion of artillery tested in this way is very low in actual use, far lower than that of Western artillery.

As Lin Hao had predicted, after the first test firing, the gunner went forward and fired again with half the ammunition, followed by the normal amount of ammunition.

This time the effect was very obvious, and Lin Hao and Lin Chengzong had to wear specially made earmuffs to protect their ears.

When the fifth shelling came, everyone was on high alert, because this time they were using twice the normal amount of ammunition. This was where the most likely problem would occur, and it would be the most serious.

Lin Shiyi even ordered his men to surround Lin Hao and his companion with shields, just to prevent any accidents.

Although Lin Hao felt it was unnecessary, he did not stop it.

But his intuition told him there shouldn't be any problem, since bronze cannons were easier to manufacture than iron cannons, making them even less likely to explode.

boom!

The sound of the cannon firing this time was deafening, and the flashes from the muzzle were several times greater than before. Lin Hao even felt the ground tremble violently.

"That's really exciting!" Lin Hao exclaimed. He really liked the power; it was just right. At the very least, naval warfare had to feel like this to be exciting. If a dozen cannons fired at the same time, the scene would be spectacular.

In reality, this was a four-pounder cannon. With double the ammunition, it would essentially have the gunpowder of an eight-pounder cannon. On Western warships, it would only be considered a small carambola, but in the East, it would be enough to intimidate most powers.

A moment later, the gunner who was testing the cannon relayed a signal that it was completely undamaged.

The final two tests with double ammunition were then conducted, and as expected, they were passed smoothly, thus completing the testing of the first cannon.

"Good, well done. Each craftsman who participated in making the cannons will be rewarded with five taels of silver, and Li Neng and Li Qiang will be rewarded with 20 taels. At the same time, Li Neng will be promoted to master craftsman and his monthly salary will be increased to four taels." Lin Hao was overjoyed.

"Thank you very much, young master." The two hurriedly stepped forward and led the craftsmen in bowing their thanks.

Lin Qiang was relatively calm. He had already been appointed as a steward of the workshop, with a monthly salary of 10 taels of silver. Moreover, he had also participated in the battle at the city wall with a sword last time. Although he did not encounter a single enemy throughout the battle, the reward was still quite substantial.

Li Neng was so moved he almost cried. Good heavens, this was the first time he had ever heard of a reward for doing a good job. If you think about it that way, being captured by pirates wasn't a bad deal at all.

Now he only hopes that the Four Seas Gang can survive for a long time, so that he can have a place to live for the rest of his life.

"Alright, get up, everyone. Since you've all worked diligently, my Four Seas Gang will certainly not be stingy with rewards." Lin Hao waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up, and then said in a calm voice, "Continue the testing. Test all the cannons."

A total of 10 cannons were built this time. If we were to test them one by one, it would take until dark.

Therefore, after the first test is passed, the subsequent tests begin simultaneously.

Thunder rumbled through the back mountain, forcing Lin Hao and Lin Chengzong to add another layer of cotton quilting—it was just too noisy. They wondered how the gunners on the Western sailing fleets endured it.

This is only equivalent to the amount of gunpowder in an 8-pound cannon, and that's in an open environment. If it were 18 pounds or even 24 pounds, and then placed in a sealed cabin, Lin Hao felt terrified just thinking about it. Western sailors are really something else.

The test continued, and Lin Hao could only stay there with them, but his luck didn't improve after that.

An accident still occurred during the testing of the next batch of cannons with double the ammunition and double the explosives.

A flash of light appeared from the leftmost cannon, and everyone was astonished, because the light came out not only from the front of the cannon but also from the side.

"Watch out!" Everyone quickly shielded Lin Hao and the others behind them.

Boom! With a loud bang, the leftmost cannon twisted into a pretzel shape.

"Make way, what's the panic? Even if the barrel explodes, it won't hit here." Lin Hao pushed aside the people in front of him and looked ahead. Fortunately, only one barrel had exploded.

"That despicable person deserves to die!"

Li Neng stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly. All the joy he had felt from receiving the reward was gone; he dared not imagine what punishment he would face after the explosion.

"Alright, get up. It's just a barrel explosion, no big deal." Lin Hao waved his hand dismissively, then asked, "Is anyone hurt?"

"Reporting to Young Master, no one was injured. The gunners are all safe and sound, hiding behind the prepared earthen walls," Li Qiang replied.

"Okay, that's good. Give the order that all the gunners who remained calm under pressure deserve commendation and be rewarded with 5 taels of silver each. Continue the test!" Lin Hao then gave the order to continue the test.

The gunners were overjoyed upon hearing the news, which immediately dispelled their fear.

As mentioned before, cannon barrel explosions are common occurrences, and Lin Hao didn't take it seriously at all. This is why he insisted on conducting large-volume test firings to minimize accidents during use.

However, barrel explosions are something that cannot be avoided in either the East or the West. This has nothing to do with cannon manufacturing technology. In an era when flaw detection was not mature, you could never know whether a cannon was good or bad.

A few years later, through Xu Guangqi's mediation, the Ming Society invited a Portuguese artillery unit of 23 men, provided by the Macao authorities, to Beijing to perform with 22 cannons. One cannon exploded on the spot, killing a Portuguese gunner. The court was greatly disappointed, and the artillery unit was subsequently disbanded.

Even the cannons used for demonstrations to the emperor could explode; one can only imagine the state of other cannons.

Spain fared much worse. Three years later, in 1621, Spain cast 150 new bronze cannons. However, due to the poor skill of the gunners, these cannons were poorly made. Of the 36 cannons, 20 were damaged during their first test firing. The rate of barrel explosion exceeded 50%.

This was still considered good; in 1574, the Viceroy of the Spanish Netherlands ordered 300 cast iron cannons from the Liège cannon foundry. Due to a lack of technical support in casting iron, although all the cannons were delivered on time, they all cracked upon testing, with a 100% rate of barrel bursting.

Overall, while the West has always been at the forefront of artillery design, its casting techniques are, to put it mildly, terrible. Bronze cannons were alright, but iron cannons were practically garbage. The Bucharau Cannon Foundry in Macau even had to hire blacksmiths from the Ming Dynasty to instruct them on how to make iron cannons.

The testing continued, but this time, after each test, Lin Hao sent Li Neng to check the status of all the artillery pieces before starting the next test.

Ultimately, a flaw was discovered in one of the cannons during the second test, and it was subsequently eliminated.

The remaining artillery pieces underwent several more rounds of testing, and were ultimately confirmed to be all problem-free. The pass rate was as high as 80%.