Chapter 54: Test Firing the Flintlock

Jiang Yi instructed the servants to carry the chest filled with silver into the storehouse, and assigned several guards to keep watch over it.

During the first half of the night, Shen Rong was too excited to fall asleep, constantly worrying that assassins might strike in the dead of night. The mastermind behind those assassins would not let the matter rest easily after the couple had enjoyed a relatively peaceful period for a while. Jiang Yi surmised that the person who dispatched the assassins was simply waiting for the couple to lower their guard before sending another wave of hitmen.

In the dead of night, Jiang Yi gazed down at the soundly sleeping Shen Rong. A joyful smile appeared on his face; being able to marry such a diligent and virtuous wife was truly a blessing bestowed upon him over three lifetimes.

Early the next morning, after partaking in breakfast, Jiang Yi took Pang Xiong and headed towards Niu Tou Mountain. Shen Rong, accompanied by Pang Yueying, went to the workshop. Following Jiang Yi's instructions, she directed the workers to craft a batch of the highest-quality soap.

Deep within the mountains of Niu Tou, a group of artisans were hard at work. A makeshift weapons workshop had been erected deep in the hills, where each craftsman was responsible for producing a specific weapon component. Zhao Yong, Chang Kun, and several other artisans were currently testing a prototype of a cannon. If successful, they would share the good news with Jiang Yi.

"How is the manufacturing of the flintlocks and cannons progressing?" Jiang Yi approached, observing the craftsmen as they busily attended to their respective tasks.

"We have built a cannon prototype according to the blueprints and are preparing to test it right now." Jiang Yi looked at the finely crafted muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon placed on the table; it was merely a few inches in size.

"Can we conduct the test right now?" Jiang Yi asked. Even if this attempt failed, he would not blame them. After all, this was their first time attempting to build a cannon, and the difficulty was by no means insignificant. "Failure doesn't matter. Just experiment a few more times—eventually, there will be a successful attempt."

Zhao Yong first poured gunpowder into the barrel, then dropped in an iron ball, using a small iron rod to pack the gunpowder and the iron ball firmly together. He placed the fuse at the rear of the cannon, took out a flint and steel, and ignited the fuse. The cannon muzzle was aimed at a wooden target ten paces away. With a loud bang, the burning gunpowder propelled the iron ball out of the barrel. The iron ball struck the wooden target dead center, prompting cheers of excitement from everyone present.

"The test-firing of this cannon prototype with an iron ball was a success! If we follow the current manufacturing method and scale up the dimensions, there shouldn't be any major problems." Zhao Yong was immensely thrilled, as this provided them with invaluable experience for forging cannons weighing hundreds or even thousands of catties.

"The larger the dimensions of the cannon, the greater the difficulty of forging it. Be meticulous during the manufacturing process, and there's no need to rush." Jiang Yi was also delighted by the successful test-fire of the cannon model. This could be considered a promising beginning. If they could thoroughly master the technology of cannon manufacturing, a few artisans could forge a full-sized cannon within half a year. Moreover, these master craftsmen could each take on a few talented apprentices.

"Pass down your skills to your apprentices. As long as they successfully complete their apprenticeship, I will reward you." Artisans with genuine skills usually held something back when teaching apprentices, as a way of safeguarding their own livelihood. Only by guaranteeing their income could they teach their apprentices with complete peace of mind.

Jiang Yi well understood that if he wanted them to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the work, he had to offer them sufficiently generous treatment. "As long as you work for me, I guarantee you a prosperous and carefree life for the rest of your days." To Jiang Yi, anything that could be resolved with money was not a problem at all.

Hearing this, Zhao Yong and the others were deeply stirred. Did this not mean they would be able to earn money from now until old age?

"As long as you maintain strict secrecy and devote yourselves entirely to forging firearms and cannons, I will definitely not treat you unfairly," Jiang Yi promised them, with heaven and earth as their witness.

"Rest assured, My Lord, we will surely complete the tasks to the best of our ability and will not let you down," Chang Kun assured Jiang Yi, further vowing never to reveal what they knew to outsiders.

What they were doing now was essentially securing an iron rice bowl. Several of the master artisans were already earning three strings of cash per month—more than double the monthly wages of artisans in Hanyang City. Furthermore, these craftsmen were provided with a meat dish every single meal. The only drawback was that they were not allowed to leave the workplace at will; in every other aspect, the treatment was far superior.

After a while, Zhao Yong brought over a flintlock musket and a flintlock pistol. These two firearms had been rifled, utilizing the pulling-broaching and die-extrusion methods Jiang Yi had described. Rifling a gun barrel was both time-consuming and arduous, and currently, only these two firearms possessed rifling.

"My Lord, these two firearms have been rifled, and we were just preparing to test-fire them today."

"Hand the guns to me; I'll give them a try." With rifling, the flintlock weapons would achieve greater range and more stable bullet flight.

"My Lord, let me do it instead," Pang Xiong said, worried that Jiang Yi might face danger during the test-firing. It wouldn't matter if he himself got injured.

Jiang Yi did not insist and handed the flintlock to Pang Xiong, knowing that if any injury occurred, he could be treated promptly.

"My Lord, we have also crafted a firearm that uses a cord to ignite the gunpowder. Please inspect it." A few craftsmen had a sudden flash of inspiration: since a flintlock generated sparks to ignite gunpowder, tying a flammable hemp rope to a firearm could achieve the same ignition effect. One of the artisans brought the matchlock firearm before Jiang Yi to see if he was satisfied with this design.

Jiang Yi had previously instructed the craftsmen to skip matchlocks altogether when designing firearms. He had considered the fact that ropes easily absorbed moisture in damp conditions, failing to ignite the gunpowder, or might accidentally burn the user. The matchlock gun had too many inherent flaws, which was why Jiang Yi had ruled out manufacturing them.

"Your train of thought is good, but ropes are easily dampened by moisture. If the cord fails to ignite, the gunpowder in the priming pan cannot be ignited either." Everyone present pondered Jiang Yi's words and realized the reasoning behind them.

"My Lord, let me test-fire this matchlock gun instead," requested Zeng Dahun, a guard, eager to prevent Jiang Yi from suffering any harm.

"Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?"

"To be able to serve My Lord, even if I get injured, it is still my subordinate's honor."

Like the other guards, Zeng Dahun felt that Jiang Yi was exceptionally generous. As long as they performed well, they would receive rewards from their master. Naturally, with such a hazardous task, many people eagerly vied for the chance.

"I will teach you how to use it first. Pay close attention and learn well." Jiang Yi secured the match cord and pulled the trigger, causing the end of the match cord to make contact with the powder in the priming pan. Without actually lighting the match cord, he practiced the motion a few times.

"My Lord, this is simple enough." Pang Xiong had already fired a shot, the lead bullet piercing clean through the target. He poured gunpowder down the barrel, inserted the lead ball, and tamped it down firmly with the iron rod. Walking back past the wooden target, Pang Xiong turned his back to it and walked further away, testing whether the weapon could inflict damage at a distance of two hundred paces. If it could achieve that, it would far surpass bows and crossbows in lethality.

The flintlock fired again, striking the wooden target squarely, the lead bullet embedding itself firmly in the wood.

"My Lord, it can hit the wooden target from two hundred paces away. I just wonder if it can pierce through iron plates." If it could penetrate iron plates, there would be nothing to fear when facing the imperial troops.

"Have the blacksmiths forge an iron plate as thick as armor, and let's test it with the flintlock."

"My Lord, we happen to have a few iron plates right here. A few of us can hang them up and let Guard Pang test-fire against them." As luck would have it, they had forged several iron plates over the past couple of days.

"Hang the iron plates up and let him test whether they can be penetrated."

A moment later, the craftsmen hung up the iron plates. Pang Xiong fired a shot from two hundred paces away; the lead bullet failed to pierce the iron plate, leaving a noticeable dent on the surface.

"Leaving a dent on an iron plate from two hundred paces away is already quite remarkable. At a distance of one hundred and fifty paces, it would definitely pierce through armor." Jiang Yi was thoroughly satisfied with the power and range of this flintlock; the artisans' efforts over this period had not been in vain.

"You have forged a fine weapon, far exceeding the results I desired. Every artisan will be rewarded with one string of cash, to be distributed together with your monthly wages at the end of the month." Hearing that Jiang Yi was bestowing rewards upon them, the craftsmen were instantly overcome with excitement. They knew that Jiang Yi never reneged on his debts, and every single copper coin would be issued precisely at month's end.

"Thank you, My Lord!" everyone chorused in unison.

"For your bravery in test-firing the weapon, you shall also receive a reward of one string of cash at the end of the month." Pang Xiong, however, felt that simply being able to serve Jiang Yi was an honor in itself.