Lord of the Desert

Chapter 305 Flintlock

Tiqi is naturally not an easy job.

After hearing Xie Wenhua's words, Bai Jiaci couldn't help but nod.

Hong Fan disagreed.

"That's not a gain you're talking about, it's a change."

he replied.

"Rather than exchange it for anything else, I would rather exchange it for 'coolie'."

After Hong Fan finished speaking, he drank the sour plum soup in one gulp.

The discussion in court also produced results.

With the help of Yun Di Tiao, Wu Ruyi made three folds in mid-air, and used her fingertips to cut open the left chest of her opponent's shirt.

"Assigned."

She landed lightly and said crisply.

All the cavalry applauded.

Gong Pengyun just smiled.

"You're not convinced?"

Wu Ruyi frowned slightly.

Gong Pengyun didn't reply, but just made a seal with his hands.

Wu Ruyi's expression changed, and he felt a fleeting pain.

A little purple energy escaped from her body.

"What a trick of Yin Eclipse. I'm still very impressed when I see him again."

Hong Fan sighed.

When Gong Pengyun heard the words, he raised his hands and saluted.

"Master Hong, farewell to Jin Hai. We haven't seen you for a long time."

When he looked up, everyone saw his bright smile for the first time.

There's still a bit of a pleasing flavor in it.

Xie Wenhua and Ye Xinghuo were all surprised.

Hong Fan was not surprised.

The Gong family relied on him to connect Liangzhou Qi as a prisoner.

When the trade between Tongguang and Xijing is on the right track, this "matchmaker" seems to be less important.

But what happened next in Wuzhen Garden proved that Hong Fan had a transcendent influence on Zhuang Liren - in this case, it was difficult for the children of the Gong family to straighten up in front of him.

The four of them gathered together and met Wu Hongling in the small garden next to Haizhi Hall, and introduced each other.

Gong Pengyun said that he joined Tiqi for two reasons.

The first is that I have been at the peak of Tianran for ten months, and there is no opportunity to practice hard at home, so it is better to go out and practice.

The second is to admire Hong Fan and hope to follow Tianjiao.

Although the words sounded disgusting, Hong Fan still obeyed.

The Gong family is not weak.

Regardless of whether Gong Pengyun came here due to his personal will or family orders, this was always a good thing for him.

······
Five days later, May [-]th.

A sunny day.

Outside the city of Xijing, walk in enlightenment.

Hong Fan was invited by Qian Hong to inspect the newly designed and manufactured flintlock musket.

In a workshop made of stone bricks, an old craftsman from Zhanzhou heated a curved steel bar about one meter long and ten centimeters wide that had been pretreated with a spherical hammer until it was red-hot.

The sound of gold and iron clashing sounded.

He held a hammer with one hand and struck repeatedly, rolling the steel bar onto a round iron rod bit by bit until the outer metal was completely integrated.

Then, hammer out the iron rod.

All that was left was a rough barrel.

"My boss, in order to prevent deformation, this rough embryo cannot be passed through water and can only be slowly allowed to cool."

The old craftsman from Zhanzhou spoke in Shenjing Mandarin with a strong southern accent, and glanced warily at the two young men standing next to Hong Fan.

These two people were strangers. When they came here for the first time, Hong Fan was allowed to watch the gun-making process.

"Although it is a rough embryo, the thickness of the tube wall is roughly uniform. The work on Mr. Sun's hands is really hard."

Hong Fan picked up the still red-hot tube embryo with his bare hands and praised it.

This scene made several guys gasp.

"My boss, this is the first layer. After that, we have to use steel skin to knock out two more layers; three layers are nested. When it is completely cooled, the quality will be top-notch!"

Another older master added.

"This is a new method that has been used in Zhanzhou for less than five years. Sun Pingbo and I happen to know both."

His surname is Deng and his given name is Pohai.

Hong Fan nodded when he heard this.This was the first time he heard about this specific process, but after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that it roughly meant "cooling and self-tightening".

"Three layers are superimposed to create the embryo. This gun barrel is so troublesome, can't it be cast?"

asked a man who came with Hong Fan.

"Hunter, you don't understand."

Mr. Sun replied, not angry because of the layman's doubts.

"The three-eye blunderbuss of the previous dynasty was cast, but the cast iron was brittle and had uneven texture. To use the same gunpowder, the weight of the gun would have to be doubled."

Seeing no one asked again, Sun Pingbo continued to introduce.

"Making a three-layer gun barrel is troublesome. Once you have a rough blank, you still have to finely drill the bore."

He pointed to two foot-operated wood lathes next to the workshop.

“If you can drill an inch a day, you’re considered a proficient person.”

"After the inner chamber is processed, the outer wall is polished, and the caliper is used to grind it until it is even and round."

"After a complete set, it would take one person 30 days to produce a usable barrel."

As Sun Pingbo spoke, he opened an oilcloth bag from the stone platform under the window and took out a completed gun barrel.

Hong Fan took it and saw that the steel surface was smooth and could be seen through the window.

After roughly looking at the process, Qian Hong took out a newly made flintlock gun and led Hong Fan to the back shooting range.

Thirty paces away, using cowhide as the target.

Hong Fan held the gun to try out the feel, and then carefully checked the trigger.

Although the quality of its steel products is not as good as that of the industrial era, it is much better than those with the same technical level - after all, the blacksmiths in this world have much greater endurance, strength, and stability. A hundred forgings are not enough for a thousand forgings, and great strength will naturally produce miracles.

The quality of the black powder used in the launch is also very high. It is purchased from the manufacturer and is mainly used for mining.

"Good gun!"

Hong Fan praised and took the fixed ammunition handed over by Sun Pingbo.

The custom fitting process is not complicated.

It's nothing more than wrapping a piece of paper around the projectile, tying it with rope on both sides, then filling the tied area with weighed gunpowder, and tying it tightly again.

Stuff the gunpowder end into the barrel and tamp it down with a wooden pole.

Open the hammer safety and pull the trigger.

The flint struck the raised fire sickle, and small sparks splashed into the medicine pool.

Embarrassingly, the gun didn't go off.

Sun Pingbo swallowed.

"Why is it misfiring at this time..."

Deng Pohai muttered uncomfortably.

"Just a normal thing."

Hong Fan, on the other hand, laughed it off.

The trigger was pulled again, and this time it fired smoothly, easily punching through the cowhide.

According to Kaimingxing's tests these days, the firing success rate of the flintlock gun is only about 70% - which means that in less than half of the cases, the trigger will not fire.

This is not a matter of workmanship, but a matter of principle.

After the flint ignites, it first ignites the charge in the medicine pool with non-directional sparks, and then through the transfer of combustion, the flame is sent through the ignition hole and into the chamber.

Due to the slow detonation rate of black powder, there are actually many variables in this process.

Not to mention the problems caused by rain, snow and fog, such as moisture, gunpowder deterioration, and residue residue, the flint itself has a short service life. Basically, it must be replaced after being struck dozens of times.

But even so, everyone couldn't help but cheer when they saw the gunshot piercing the target.

Compared to the matchlock gun, this flintlock gun is much more advanced.

When using flint to start a fire, there is no need to light the match rope in advance.

It is equipped with a hammer safety mechanism and an "L" shaped fire sickle integrated with an automatic plate cover - it not only prevents misfires, but also solves the problem of protecting the ignition powder before firing, so that it will not be spilled when carrying.

Compared with the previous life, it is equivalent to jumping directly from the matchlock gun to the complex musket stage and reaching the level of the flintlock gun in the seventeenth century.

"It's a really good gun. It can penetrate heavy armor without any problem. It's deadly enough to ordinary snakemen..."

Hong Fan couldn't help but praise again.

"Second Young Master, this gun was made by two master craftsmen personally. It is absolutely exquisite in workmanship!"

Qian Hong and Yourongyan.

However, when Hong Fan heard this, his smile turned cold.

"Yes, well made."

"But being too sophisticated is not a good thing..."

He sighed.

PS:

It's late, sorry.

As I get older, I still can’t understand the principle of the flintlock bolt. From inside the wall to outside the wall, there are many relevant parameters but I can’t find them...

(End of this chapter)