Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 49 Lee Type [-] Infantry Matchlock
Du Ren stumbled away holding the paper in his hand.

The maniacal laughter was so magical that many people came out to watch.

I saw him leading a donkey and leaving the castle gate. He couldn't help but compose an impromptu poem:
"Others laugh at me for being crazy, but I laugh at others for not being able to see through.

There are no tombs of heroes from the Five Tombs, and there are no flowers or wine to cultivate the fields. "

He didn't want to wait any longer, so he took this piece of paper and went to blow up the Yamen.

As a lawyer, today will be the highlight of his career.

It can even become a legend in the industry.

……

Li Yu rode outside the fort and looked at the men who were busy digging trenches.

Drainage ditches were dug, and trenches were dug when necessary.

It is rainy in Jiangnan. Once there is heavy rain for several days, water will accumulate.

History books say that there have been no floods in Suzhou City for thousands of years, which means that there have been no destructive flood peaks passing through.

Flooding occurs every year, with water accumulation of half a meter in mild cases and submerged above the head in serious cases.

Suzhou has a dense water network, with rivers and lakes everywhere.

If the terrain is slightly low-lying, waterlogging cannot be avoided.

This problem has not been solved even after hundreds of years of extensive construction, let alone in this era of low productivity.

Therefore, Li Yuli defied public opinion and dug drainage ditches all the way to the river.

The terrain where Lijiabao is located is nearly two meters higher than the surrounding areas, so you can sit back and relax.

"Master Li." A young man bowed respectfully to say hello.

Judging from the accent, he is from the Huai'an Prefecture area.

"Well, if you work hard, your life will be better."

"Master Li, your horse~" The man hesitated to speak.

"What happened to my horse?"

"The horseshoe needs to be re-shoeed. The original shoe is cracked."

Li Yu turned over and dismounted, asking the black horse to lift its front hooves, and it was true.

"Do you know how to raise horses?"

"No, the little man is a blacksmith and has nailed the soles of animals' feet."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you. If you need any materials, ask the person in charge."

……

Li Yu owns a blacksmith shop and has ready-made tools and materials.

The young man was taken into the blacksmith shop by the steward and put on an anti-scalding leather apron.

Coals are burning in the furnace, and there is a bellows next to it. After oxygen is sent in, the fire temperature will be higher.

He picked up an irregular iron rod from the ground, clamped it with tongs and started burning it.

After it is heated to red, place it on the iron plate and start beating it.

The big hammer bends, the small hammer shapes.

After a while, the U-shaped horseshoe was formed.

He used a hammer and nails to drill a few holes in it.

The contact surface between the horseshoe and the ground is lightly pressed with a circle of saw teeth to prevent slipping.

Finally, clip it up and put it in the water.

When a puff of steam begins to rise, set it aside to cool.

There is no fixed measurement standard for these, but depends on personal feelings.

In short, blacksmithing is an experience job.

After Li Yu came back from a walk, he saw the formed horseshoe and picked it up to take a look at it.

The shape is symmetrical and the surface thickness is uniform.

The anti-slip design of the zigzag pattern is unique.

"How many years have you been a blacksmith? What kind of things do you know?"

"The younger one worked as a blacksmith apprentice in a shop in Qingjiangpu, Huai'an Prefecture, making farm tools for three years."

"Do you know how to fight with a knife?"

"An ordinary knife can do it, but a sword that is as sharp as clay cannot hit it."

"Why?"

"The steel for the sword should be good. The younger one only knows how to make iron but not steel."

"Yeah, not bad. Do you still have family?"

"My wife died of cold fever on the road. There is also a four-year-old son who is helping to carry bricks there. My father is ill and is lying in the Chenghuang Temple."

……

Li Yu glanced at the man's face and saw that he was nervous and sweating on his forehead.

"What does your father do?"

"He has been a blacksmith all his life, and I inherited my father's business. Mr. Li, please give me half a day off. I saved two steamed buns and want to send them to my father. I will come back immediately after they are delivered. I will not waste a moment. .”

"Your father is sick, can two steamed buns help?"

"At least, I can be a full-blooded ghost."

Yes, for thousands of disaster victims, being able to die with enough food is also a blessing.

Li Yu was silent and fell into deep thought. After a while, he spoke:

"Bring your father back and put him in your house." "I'll give you another five taels of silver. You go to the city and hire a doctor."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Little man Zhang Manku. Thank you Mr. Li, you are the Guanyin Bodhisattva who saves the suffering." The man kowtowed as if pounding garlic.

"I have a condition. From now on, you and your son will be my slaves. If you are willing, go to the manager and sign a document."

Zhang Manku was happy and kowtowed.

Then he went to the steward, signed the paperwork, had his fingerprints pressed, and received another five taels of silver.

He left with great gratitude.

Fan Jing came over:

"Military advisor, aren't you afraid that he will take the money and run away?"

"His son is still here."

Fan Jing smiled:

"That kind of snot-nosed baby, no one wants it even if it costs 500 yuan."

"I heard from Lai Er that nowadays five taels of silver can buy two big girls, and you have to choose a handsome one."

……

"Call Laiji over. I happen to have something to ask him."

Fan Jing's worries are not unreasonable. It's not that Li Yu didn't expect it, but he did it on purpose.

This can be regarded as a risky investment for him, to test whether Zhang Manku is reliable.

Five taels of silver must be a huge sum of money for him now.

If he absconded with the money, it would be an oversight.

If he comes back honestly, it means that this person is available.

Li Yu needs to recruit a group of blacksmiths to build weapons secretly.

Now that money, manpower, and territory are beginning to take shape, weapons that are handy need to be put on the agenda.

Although there are 5 muskets, they are far from enough.

He pulled out a drawing showing the first matchlock gun he designed.

The total length is 150 cm, the muzzle caliber is 1.8 mm, the weight is about 4kg, mini bullets, and the material is birch wood and steel.

After thinking about it, I added another line:

Lee Model I Infantry Matchlock.

Except for the backward firing mechanism, everything else is not behind this era.

He spent a long time trial-producing a prototype gun with a slender and simple body.

Especially the gun stock, everyone was full of praise.

If you can reach it over the shoulder and aim through a simple gap, it will no longer be a blind shot.

In comparison, the Qing army's curved-handled matchlocks looked like crutches or umbrellas.

Regrettably,

For steel, it is necessary to spend a lot of money to buy Yue Steel produced in Fozhou, Guangdong.

There is no way to obtain flint yet, and it is likely that it needs to be imported through barbarian merchants.

Gunpowder cannot yet be produced by oneself.

Bayonets and flintlock mechanisms have high requirements for metal heat treatment technology. At present, they are still high-tech that is out of reach.

For rifling, it would be fine if you have that set of machine tools.However, Li Yu's hand was handicapped and it took a lot of work, so he gave up temporarily and specialized in smoothbore.

……

Li Yu is an art student, but his brain is not crazy.

The choice of an improved matchlock gun was made after careful consideration.

The raw materials required for the matchlock gun, such as birch, Yue Steel, and lead, can be purchased with silver.

Mini bombs can be made at home. This thing may sound fancy at first glance, but it’s actually the design concept that’s valuable.

With drilling machines, it is now possible to achieve standardized production of gun barrels and achieve uniform calibers.

Mini bullets can also achieve unified caliber.

As long as the mold is made more precisely, the tolerances should be reduced as much as possible.

In theory, it is entirely feasible to machine such a steel mold.

In the end, there is only one shortcoming left, gunpowder!
Li Yu called Lai Er to ask him to find out the details of the fifth uncle.

Long-term supply, purchase the formula, and achieve at least one item.

If he didn't know how to praise him, Li Yu would kidnap him decisively.

There was a basement in Lijiabao, and there were a few big, well-educated men with kind-faced faces, holding riding whips and soldering irons.

Inject some positive energy into Uncle Wu.

……

evening.

"Ayu, I'm rich."

"Hahahaha, 2 taels of silver notes."

Du Ren rushed in with a gust of wind, took out a stack of banknotes from his arms, and threw them into the sky.

Wow, the goddess scatters flowers.

(End of this chapter)