Li Hongfei recruited a weapons expert like Bi Maokang, and he was naturally overjoyed. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

It's a pity that Suzhou Heavy Industry hasn't even decided to select a site yet, so it can only let Bi Maokang go to the Ordnance Bureau to make a living.

Why is it a mess? Because the Ordnance Bureau in Suzhou, to put it bluntly, is a large blacksmith shop, which can only make cold weapons such as swords, and the only firearms craftsman only knows how to repair firearms and mix gunpowder.

The Ordnance Bureau doesn't even have the equipment to make gun barrels, and it has no ability to make firearms, so even if Bi Maokang has great ability, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice.

When Li Hongfei fooled Zhou Furen to invest in heavy industry, he also confidently said that the Ordnance Bureau could handle the firearms, but only later did he learn that he had taken it for granted.

Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and Li Hongfei had already ordered people to go to Nanjing overnight to ask the officials of the Ministry of Industry for drawings of firearms and equipment, and once he had the drawings, he would order the craftsmen to hurry up and make them, believing that when Zhou Furen's factory was established, the equipment would be in place, and the firearms would be able to produce normally.

"Master Li, in fact, there is no need to be so troublesome, as long as the Holy Lord allows us to produce firearms, the old man can draw equipment drawings now, and the production requirements of these equipment are not high, and ordinary blacksmiths can complete it." Bi Maokang didn't want to work for nothing.

The flintlock pistol is not difficult to make, and with the drawings, only a few blacksmiths and carpenters are needed to make it.

And Bi Maokang, who invented the flintlock pistol, is a living drawing, and in the entire Ming Dynasty, it is estimated that no one knows the flintlock pistol better than him.

The most important thing in manufacturing firearms is to have the emperor's consent, otherwise it is a felony to make firearms privately.

"You can rest assured, the official can find the saint to ask for drawings, this firearm is absolutely no problem, and we not only have to build, but also to manufacture in large quantities, the official has promised the saint to build the army in Suzhou, beyond the all-firearms army of the Shenji battalion." Li Hongfei gave Bi Maokang a reassurance.

Local governments do need the emperor's authorization to make their own firearms, and the entire Ming Dynasty can make firearms in the Ordnance Bureau, except for the Beijing Division, there are only a few important border towns in the north, in line with the principle of taking materials nearby, allowing them to make their own light firearms such as birds.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has lost half of the country, this Suzhou City is already at the forefront of defending against foreign enemies, and Li Hongfei is a special official.

Li Hongfei has a great appetite, not only to make his own firearms, but also to equip the whole army with firearms.

Even the Shenji Battalion, which has the highest rate of armament of Daming firearms, is only 50 percent of the soldiers equipped with firearms, and Li Hongfei, as a person of later generations, naturally admires the principle of winning with firearms.

The reason why the firearms troops of the Ming army could not withstand the Manchu iron cavalry under the same strength was that the firearms and cold weapons at that time had their own merits.

On the other hand, in every battle, whether it is long-distance shooting or hand-to-hand combat, there are always half of the soldiers of the Ming army, which cannot be used, so every time they fight, they must be multiplied by the enemy army in order to barely compete with it.

Li Hongfei wanted the whole army to be equipped with firearms in order to avoid such an embarrassing situation.

"The whole army is equipped with firearms, and its combat effectiveness can indeed be multiplied, but once the enemy breaks into the formation, our army will have no power to resist!" Bi Maokang said worriedly.

He is an expert in firearms, so he naturally understands the advantages and disadvantages of hot and cold weapons.

This situation is no exception even in the Qi family army, those soldiers who use firearms in the Qi family army also carry a war knife on their backs, use firearms at a distance, and use combat knives at close range.

There are very few soldiers who can take care of both distance and near, and they carry two weapons on their backs, which increases their burden, plus the armor on their bodies, even among the Qi family's army, there are few such soldiers, and it is even more difficult to form a large-scale army.

"It's okay, in hand-to-hand combat, you don't have to use a combat knife, you only need to add a pendant to the firearm, and you can turn the firearm into a spear." Li Hongfei explained.

For hand-to-hand combat, Li Hongfei found another way (in fact, it is a method of copying later generations), so that Guo Sheng's subordinates changed the technique of stabbing, the bayonet is a natural match with firearms, and the bayonet is a natural match for firearms.

With bayonets, it is naturally no longer necessary to carry a combat knife on their backs at any time, and in this way, the combat effectiveness of the newly trained musketeers will be multiplied.

"The adult is really a genius, such a simple truth, why didn't the old man think of it!" Bi Maokang said with emotion.

"Mr. Bi said with a smile, this official has only slightly improved it, making it more suitable for actual combat, and it is not as talented as Mr. Bi who invented the flintlock pistol." Li Hongfei said modestly.

The beginning of every invention is not perfect, only after practical testing and continuous improvement will it become more and more perfect, and the biggest hero is naturally its inventor, so Li Hongfei did not dare to charge his head in front of Bi Maokang.

"Since Lord Li wants the whole army to popularize the self-generating quota..... Flintlock pistol, I'm afraid the craftsmen needed are not enough! "He is a doer and doesn't like to talk about things that aren't related to work.

"This official naturally knows that he had planned to ask the Holy Lord for an order to recruit some craftsmen from the household department, but Minister Zhou's factory has not yet been built, and the weapon drawings have not been found, so this matter has been delayed." Li Hongfei explained.

Zhou Furen is now the deputy minister of the Ministry of Commerce, and he is also doing his best to build a new factory, but the funds needed to build a large comprehensive industrial base are too much, and now Zhou Furen is raising funds everywhere, and even a few shops under his hand that are not very profitable, even so, a million taels of silver, it is not so easy to get.

And the most critical is the problem of site selection, the construction of the heavy industry base, not only to ensure that there are coal mines, iron ore, convenient collection of raw materials, but also to ensure that the road is smooth, suitable for transportation, so Zhou Furen until now, has not found such an ideal place.

The manufacture of firearms can only be put on hold for the time being.

"Now the situation in the north is severe, we don't have much time to delay, it's not old and bragging about it, the craftsmen in the north are skilled in making firearms, the craftsmen in Nanjing's household department have never made firearms before, even if they come over, if they want to be proficient in making flintlock pistols, it is estimated that they will have to adapt to it for a long time." Bi Maokang said.

Before, Bi Maokang thought that Li Hongfei just wanted to make some firearms for defending the city, or equipping sharp troops, and in the case of a small number, relying on those less skilled craftsmen to polish them slowly can also complete the task.

But now that it is heard that it will be popularized throughout the army, it will be difficult to complete this task without sufficiently skilled firearms craftsmen.

"How's that for good?" Li Hongfei said hurriedly.

He knew that firearms were not so easy to build, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult, and he thought that even if the industrial base could not be built in a short time, he could get the drawings and craftsmen, and then build a production line in the Ordnance Bureau, and then wait for everything to be completed, and then mass production.

But now listening to Bi Maokang's meaning, the craftsmen in Nanjing have never made flintlock pistols before, and it will take a long time to get familiar with them, and when they get used to it, Dolgon is estimated to have gone south, and then they still make a fart flintlock pistol!

"Don't worry, my lord, when Li Zicheng besieged the Beijing Division, many firearms craftsmen fled south, when the old man was in the Beijing Division Weapons Bureau, he had a good relationship with these craftsmen, and when he left, most of them exchanged contact information, as long as they were not killed in the process of fleeing south, the old man could find them, and by the way, persuade them to come to Suzhou to continue to make firearms." Bi Maokang said.

You may not be able to complete this task with a new hand, but with all the skilled hands, the efficiency will be multiplied.

"So what are you waiting for! Write down your contact address as soon as possible, and I'll send someone to look for it! Li Hongfei said excitedly.

This talent recruitment really allowed him to pick up a treasure, not only got a firearms expert, but also got a group of craftsmen who made firearms!

PS: Today's Lantern Festival is my birthday again, so I'm going out to wave today.........

There is only one watch today, and I hope you will forgive me and wish you all a happy Lantern Festival.