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Chapter 944: Three Years of Patching

"It takes a lot of work to process the bolt, right?"

Arriving at the Royal Gunpowder Factory in Changping, Hong Tao finally saw two new breech-loading rifles. After firing a few rounds at each, he disassembled the two rifles and raised questions after looking at the bolts that were obviously covered with marks of grinding.

"First, the blanks are made using lathes and drilling machines, and then they are polished by hand. The general process is similar to that of breech-loading naval guns, and the output is not very high yet." Wang Zheng did not brag. If he boasted now, he would be slapped in the face soon once the emperor ordered the entire army to change their equipment.

"Start with small batch production and put more energy into modification. Convert the original Type 9 Yang-Yang to fire with percussion caps, and give priority to supplying Annan, Luzon and the Marine Corps." Hong Tao was not frustrated by the answer.

It is not easy to jump from a muzzle-loading flintlock to a breech-loading percussion cap or needle-loading rifle with the current machining accuracy. It can be achieved by grinding it bit by bit by hand, but the cost will go up, which is not suitable for mass-equipping troops.

Since it can't jump, let's take a small step and remove the flintlock and replace it with a percussion cap. In this way, although the overall performance of the rifle has not changed, it is no longer afraid of wind and rain, which is also an improvement.

Another advantage of this change is that no new ammunition is needed and the original Minié bullet can continue to be used, which saves a lot of money.

As for the effect… Europe is still at the stage of mixed use of matchlock and flintlock muzzle-loading smoothbore muskets, and muzzle-loading rifled percussion cap muskets are already far ahead, so there is no need to pay too much price to be one step ahead. It is best not to jump around in technology, and gradual progress can better cultivate talents.

"I'll draw a picture and let the craftsmen make it to see the effect!"

But if you know the future direction in your mind, you can't help but want to jump. Hong Tao couldn't help it after a long time, so he lay on the ammunition box at the shooting range and drew the general appearance and principle of the revolver.

It is not a revolver like the later ones, but a revolver that uses black powder and a percussion cap. The back of each magazine is closed and has a priming hole drilled in it. Load the magazine with Minié bullets, and then put percussion caps on the percussion holes one by one, and you can fire continuously like the later revolvers.

This type of revolver is very common in western movies of later generations. Cowboys would hang two of them on their waists. The sustained firepower at close range was quite powerful. Hong Tao wanted to imitate it and make one to see the effect.

If it is really useful, it should be used as a secondary weapon to equip the troops in large quantities, so that the soldiers can have the ability to fight in close quarters. Five or six lead bullets that can be fired continuously are much more useful than an engineer shovel and a bayonet within 20 meters.

"Your Majesty, copper shell bullets are very useful. They can increase the range when the amount of propellant is the same. Can you consider using them on naval guns first? I have thought of a way to solve the problem of the percussion cap being easily corroded and unstable. It can be separated from the copper shell and temporarily installed when in use. This way it will be much safer!"

But Wang Zheng was not satisfied with the result. After more than a year of hard work, neither of the two new muskets was selected. Instead, the old model had to be modified, which made his work performance somewhat unremarkable. Since there could be no breakthrough in the musket, he simply made up for it with ammunition.

The copper shell bullet was tested along with the new musket, but the fatal weakness of corrosion and instability was never solved. However, if the copper shell bullet could be replaced with a larger shell, it would be easier to solve.

For example, make a thread on the primer, leave a hole under the copper shell, and reserve a thread. Store them separately at ordinary times, and screw them on temporarily when they are used, so that safety can be ensured with a high probability. "...Forget it, continue to study the safety of mercuric fulminate, and try to find other pyrotechnic powders.

Don't give up on these two types of breech-loading rifles. I think they still have great potential, but the current processing methods are not sufficient to support large-scale production. Maybe they will be able to in a few years.

All personnel who participated in the test of the new equipment should be rewarded, and those who have made special contributions should be reported promptly, and those who deserve promotions and honors should be given honors, so as not to let them feel discouraged. "

Wang Zheng's proposal was indeed very attractive. Hong Tao carefully considered the pros and cons and finally rejected it. Compared with increasing the firing rate and range, the safety of the warship was more important. At this stage, the navy had not encountered any major challenges, so there was no need to desperately increase its attack power.

Another issue is cost. Copper is money. Consuming large amounts of copper to make shells will put more pressure on the already tight economy. Money is needed everywhere now, so it is better to spend it on the most important projects first. If you take a big step, you will get into trouble.

In early August, good news came from Thanlyin Port again. With the active cooperation of the local Mon people, the Cancer Guards crushed the massive attack of the Toungoo Kingdom and blocked the enemy on the north bank of the Irrawaddy River, preventing them from even touching the edge of the city wall.

The army of the Kingdom of Toungoo chose to withdraw after suffering heavy casualties and seeing no hope of crossing the river. But Huang Nanping refused and personally led two Qin-class warships, led by the local Mon people's rowboats, up the Pegu River, attacked three towns along the way, and wiped out the forces of the Kingdom of Toungoo in the middle and lower reaches of the Pegu River.

Jieji was not conservative. He left two thousand households to guard the city of Shalian, and personally led three thousand households and more than 3000 Mon armed forces all the way eastward. He walked more than a hundred miles in one breath on the vast plain with dense rivers. After seeing the sea, he searched another hundred miles to the north, uprooting all the forces belonging to the Toungoo Kingdom along the way.

After this battle, the Ming Navy became a reliable savior in the eyes of the local Mon people, and many ethnic groups that were originally on the sidelines also came to surrender one after another.

Under the guidance and assistance of the Sun Moon Bank, tens of thousands of local people and captives began vigorous agricultural infrastructure construction, building and repairing drainage and irrigation systems while stepping up the reclamation of nearby wasteland and planting rice, sugar cane and corn.

Then they eagerly wait for the harvest, hoping that they can use the fruits of their hard work to repay the loan, and in the future they can own a piece of land of their own and earn enough food every year to feed their family.

At the same time, merchants from Fujian and Guangzhou also officially landed in Shalian Port, holding licenses issued by the Sun and Moon Bank to look for suitable locations to the east of Shalian City to build sawmills, sugar mills, and food processing plants.

Compared with the Luzon and Annan Special Zones, the raw material and labor costs here are lower and tax-free. After being processed into products, they are purchased by the Sun and Moon Bank. As long as God doesn't help, the cost can be recovered in about three years.

As for the fact that Thalín Port is still in the war zone, whether it is dangerous or not has been automatically ignored by them. The businessmen who took the risk to invest in Luzon and Annan in the past basically made a lot of money as long as they were not too unlucky. Now they don't have to do anything, just resell the land they bought at a low price and make a lot of money.

The Ming Navy has already established a firm foothold in the Port of Thanlyin, and the strength of the Kingdom of Toungoo has also been basically understood. Isn't this the original Manila and Da Nang? If not now, when will it be time to invest?

If it weren't for the repeated warnings from the Sun Moon Bank and the Navy, some people would definitely dare to cross the river and go north. In their eyes, in a few years, Myanmar might also be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty and become a province, so they must strike first!
(End of this chapter)