"You come with me."

Zhuang Liren got up and said, leading Hong Fan out.

After many rounds, the two stopped in front of a heavily guarded building.

This is a warehouse made of cement, about hundreds of square meters in size; In the courtyard on all sides, there are more than a dozen water tanks that are half a person high.

"This is our firearms sample bank."

Zhuang Liren motioned to the guards and opened the door to enter.

There are no lights in the warehouse.

Fortunately, both of them are martial arts masters, and their eyesight is outstanding and they are not afraid of darkness.

Hong Fan raised his eyes and glanced at the center of the warehouse, and saw that there were sealed boxes stacked separately in the center of the warehouse, and there were many sacks lying across the walls.

"The sack is charcoal, which is used for moisture absorption."

Zhuang Liren casually explained while checking the paper notes in stock.

"The thunder Zhenzi commonly used by mountain bandits is from the previous dynasty, and the white thunder god that is often used to open mines now is the result of Shengzhou thirty or forty years ago."

"The development of firearms has always been the most enthusiastic of the Shengzhou and Zhanzhou prefectures - and their border pressure is also the greatest."

"Shengzhou is facing an astonishing number of Zerg that charge intensively, and it needs large-scale killing methods."

"That's why it's customary to use explosives over there, and it's also equipped with small tiger squat guns in the field."

"Zhanzhou is facing the sea clan with its own scale armor and domesticated giant beasts, and it is particularly thirsty for high-penetration weapons."

"In terms of mortals alone, the fire gun is ten times more powerful than the strong bow, and it can still wear heavy armor at a distance of 100 meters, which is particularly valued."

He said as he found a wooden box and opened it carefully.

The box was full of black particles.

"What is this?"

Hong Fan asked.

"This is the gunpowder that drives firearms."

Zhuang Liren replied.

"Nitrate, sulfur and carbon are mixed in proportion."

"The ratio of nitrate to carbon is high, the detonation is slow, and it is suitable for making firearms, which is called 'shun medicine'."

"The proportion of sulfur is high, the deflagration is very strong, and it is suitable for opening mountains and taking stones, and it is called 'horizontal medicine'."

As he spoke, he lifted the box and blew into it, and sure enough, there was a smell of nitrate and sulfur.

Hong Fan was stunned.

"Shouldn't gunpowder be powder?"

He was a little embarrassed.

"You're talking about gunpowder powder in the early years of this dynasty."

Zhuang Liren said with a smile.

"The granularization of gunpowder is the result of the Zhanzhou Prefecture Ministry."

It was rare for him to find something that Hong Fan didn't understand, and his enthusiasm suddenly soared.

"The powder black powder used in the past cannot fill the chamber when loading firearms, otherwise it will not be fired, but the gunpowder must not be filled too loosely, otherwise the power will be greatly reduced."

"Secondly, long-distance storage and transportation, the various components of powder gunpowder will gradually stratify, resulting in the scrapping of gunpowder."

"The most important thing is to protect against moisture."

"Zhanzhou faces the sea on three sides, and it is the most humid, and the gunpowder powder will not be able to deliquescent after a long time."

"But if we make powdered gunpowder into a cake and then break it into granules, these shortcomings no longer exist - not only that, but gunpowder of the same weight is three times as powerful as powdered gunpowder."

Hong Fan was awe-struck when he heard this.

A few days ago, when he heard Zhan Yuanzi mention artillery, he was a little complacent, thinking that he could open up a new road with a casual word.

After all, on the technology tree of chemical energy weapons, this life is incomparable with the previous life.

However, after listening to half a cup of tea at this moment, Hong Fan was forced to correct his mentality.

He's a traverser.

He hears a lot about hot weapons.

For example, mercury thunderate can be used as an initiating charge;

For example, the names of a series of high-performance synthetic explosives - picric acid (trinitrophenol), TNT (trinitrotoluene), nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate), black sokin;

For example, detonators and fuses......

But at this time, it is difficult to systematize and implement these things.

Only the molecular formula and preparation method of the explosives mentioned above, Hong Fan did not know.

There is a limit to what one person knows.

This is true even for the traversers.

Hong Fan thought about it, but he firmed up some originally vague thoughts.

On the side, Zhuang Liren turned out a well-made musket, brought ammunition and tools, and motioned for him to follow.

The two went out and came to the test site dozens of meters away, surrounded by thick rammed earth walls.

Hong Fan set up a heavy armor target.

Zhuang Liren tried to dress.

He made sure that the chamber was clean, and then took out the cartridge from the powder box.

Unwrap the paper packet, pour gunpowder into the chamber of the gun, and compact.

The paper packet is smashed into the barrel with the projectile as a soft packade, with moderate force, until the gunpowder no longer shakes.

"It is said that this gun was originally used as an iron projectile."

Zhuang Liren said while operating.

"But the iron is hard, it is difficult to achieve uniform size, and it is easy to have accidents."

"After switching to lead, the caliber of the sub-gun is the same, and the power is stronger."

"Hong Fan, borrow a fire."

He passed the rope over, lit it with the strength of the flames, and stuffed it into the C-shaped chuck.

Finish the gun on the shoulder, aim.

The trigger is pulled, the pivot is turned, and the chuck is pushed into the medicine chamber.

There was a loud bang, and fireworks erupted in front of the muzzle.

Thirty paces away, the iron armor was beaten through by the response.

"That's how I remember this thing......"

Zhuang Liren muttered happily.

"One more shot."

He picked up the chamber of the gun, carefully cleaned the dirt with a brush, and after repeating the above procedure, adjusted the burned rope to the right one.

Fireworks are back.

The iron armor in the distance was directly beaten to half-rots.

"That's good!"

Zhuang Liren was holding a gun, looking forward to Gu Zixiong, smiling like a child, not some innate master.

Hong Fan also nodded uncontrollably.

It was the first time he had seen a real gun fired.

Or a typical arquebus.

To be honest, it was far more tedious than he had imagined—so much so that it took a minute and a half to fire two bullets.

However, from these tedious steps, he saw a new and immature force with infinite potential.

The two stepped forward to look at the target.

The deformed lead is embedded in the ground.

On the iron armor were perforations that had been blown on all sides.

"A tenth-inch thick iron plate can't be pierced by a strong crossbow, but this gun is nothing."

Zhuang Liren praised.

"According to Zhanzhou's actual measurement, the power within 100 steps is comparable to the spear stabbing through the realm."

Hong Fan picked up the still warm lead bullet and rubbed it gently.

"In that case, why hasn't the musket been popularized? Is it because of the cost? ”

He couldn't help but ask.

"No, it's cheaper than a crossbow."

Zhuang Liren denied.

"The horned bow and the bowstring are three cents and five cents each, and the great arrows are one cent each;

The big crossbow is one penny each, and the big crossbow arrow is three cents (0.3 points) each.

The arquebus was stripped of the ready-made iron, and each was eight cents;

gunpowder is three cents per catty;

Three coins heavy buckshot seven points per hundred. ”

Zhuang Liren is obviously proficient in general affairs, and casually quotes the price.

"In the long run, it is cheaper to use a musket than a horned bow."

"Then why not?"

Hong Fan asked.

"Maybe it's because it's not good enough?"

Zhuang Liren thought about it and said.

PS: The price of ordnance is excerpted from the "Historical Materials of the Ming and Qing Cabinet Treasury", which is the account of the Huguang Capital Division in July of the fourth year of Chongzhen, because the bird gun and the arquebus project are different, there are slight additions and changes.

The author is not a military fan, so he can only find a lot of materials on gunpowder, muskets, and artillery to read and learn temporarily.

Anyway, it's an alternate world, or that sentence, watch it for fun, don't delve into it.

(End of chapter)