Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 262: Gun Test
The Baozhu Temple is now very powerful. In addition to the [Cannon Commander] and [Bird Gun Commander], half of the originally planned thousand-man infantry have now arrived.

When Zhao Zhen and his companions arrived, Lu Zhishen and Guanghui were training infantry on the flat ground in front of the temple. They were not good at artillery and bird gun soldiers, so they could only hone their strength and run around the flat ground in four rows at a moderate speed.

After meeting Zhao Zhen, Lu Zhishen and Guanghui came over to greet him. Zhao Zhen said, "Thank you for your hard work, brothers. Is there anything missing here at Baozhu Temple?"

Lu Zhishen said, "Don't worry, sir. There is enough food in the mountains for a year. The temple originally had three wells, but now there are too many people and the water is insufficient. We have to send people to fetch water from the mountain stream every day, which is very inconvenient. We two are just about to report to the sir and send people to fetch two wells."

Zhao Zhen said: "It's not easy to dig a well on the top of a mountain. We need to find the water vein. Taoist Dong should know how to do this. We should ask him to point the acupoints before digging the well. This will save us from wasting effort."

Lu Zhishen said, "I understand. I wonder why you are here, sir? The fog in the south is quite stable and has not changed so far."

Zhao Zhen said: "I came here today for no other reason. Brother Ling Zhen is not only proficient in martial arts and skilled in archery and horse riding, but he is also the best at making cannons. No one in the capital can match him in making all kinds of cannons. From now on, brother Ling Zhen will also be stationed here and command the [Cannon Capital] and [Bird Gun Capital]."

Zhao Zhen continued, "Today we are testing the firing of bird guns and cannons. Please withdraw your troops for the time being."

Guanghui responded and ordered the messenger to lead the infantry to make way for the empty space in the middle, and erected more than ten bundles of grass covered with cowhide. The bird gun soldiers stepped forward with their bird guns, divided into two groups, and aimed and fired at a distance of thirty steps and fifty steps respectively.

After a series of "bang bang bang" sounds, the parade ground was filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder. After firing two rounds in a row, the bird gun soldiers put away their bird guns and waited for the next order.

A gust of mountain wind blew away the smoke, and Zhao Zhen said to Ling Zhen, "Brother Ling Zhen, take a look at this bird gun. How powerful is it?"

Ling Zhen stepped forward upon hearing this, and saw that the cowhide covering the straw man was covered with holes of all sizes. Everyone Ling Zhenbing brought with him was shocked.

Zhao Zhen said: "Brother Ling Zhen, this is the bird gun, what do you think of it?"

Ling Zhen frowned and said, "What the great lord said is true. This bird gun is indeed different from the firearms I have been exposed to. It is also much more powerful. I have never seen it in the capital."

As he spoke, Ling Zhen asked for a bird gun, looked at it repeatedly, and asked the bird gun soldier to demonstrate it.

Ling Zhen said excitedly: "Sir, is it possible for me to dismantle this kind of firearm?"

Zhao Zhen said: "There are more than a thousand good bird guns and three-barreled guns in the county, and there are also hundreds of broken ones that have not been repaired. Brothers, you can dismantle these broken ones. If you can imitate them, the county will also expand its bird gun capital in the future."

"You've seen that compared to bows and arrows, the advantages and disadvantages of bird guns are obvious. The two have similar power. Bird gunners can go into battle after one month of training, while archers need at least one year of training to form an army. This is one of the reasons why the county has always lacked archers. Fortunately, we have this fire gun army. However, no one in the county can make gunpowder. These gunpowder and bullets were captured, and there is not much left now. In addition to leading the soldiers of these two cities, my brother also needs to develop gunpowder and firearms."

Ling Zhen said, "Don't worry, sir. When I saw this gun, I would not leave even if you chased me away. I will stay with you from now on. I have been able to mix gunpowder since I was a child. I have also bought seven or eight carts of fireworks and gunpowder in Tokyo. I smelled that the smell of this gunpowder is different from the one I usually use. I am not bragging, but with this batch of finished products, it will not be difficult for me to mix it. Even these apprentices I brought with me can mix ordinary gunpowder after trying more." Zhao Zhen was very happy and said, "In this case, I will leave it to you. Although this bird gun is easy to use, its shooting speed is slower than that of a bow and arrow. These bird gun soldiers are all experienced. Compared with archers, experienced archers can shoot three arrows in the time of one shot. After seeing the bird gun, please take a look at the cannon."

As he said this, he asked the bird gun soldiers to stand outside the field, and all the artillery pieces were launched, including the mighty and invincible general cannon, the mountain splitting cannon, the mighty general cannon, the Portuguese cannon, and the mother-and-child cannon. Nearly fifty cannons were neatly lined up on the field, shocking Ling Zhen so much that he couldn't close his mouth.

Each type of artillery fired one or two rounds, then the gun body was cleaned and covered with a gun cover.

After Ling Zhen saw it, he said, "I am called [Thunderbolt] for nothing, but I didn't expect there would be such a cannon. The mother-and-child cannon, golden wheel cannon, wind and fire cannon, carriage cannon, and thunderbolt cannon that I made cannot compare to it."

As he said that, Ling Zhen also asked his assistant to erect the gun carriage, and fired various cannons. Especially this mother-and-child cannon, which was different from Zhao Zhen's mother-and-child cannon that fired quickly, but Ling Zhen's mother-and-child cannon was a mother cannon followed by 49 sub-cannons, and the sound was powerful.

The wind and fire cannon and thunder bomb are both made of an iron shell with gunpowder inside. When fired, they explode and iron pieces fly, causing casualties. Arsenic, croton and other substances can be mixed into the iron shell to injure people with poisonous smoke, which is called a poisonous smoke fireball. Another one is to mix caltrops. After the shell explodes, in addition to the fierce fire, countless caltrops fly, increasing the power.

After reading it, Zhao Zhen said, "Brother, your cannon has its merits. For example, the Divine Mighty Invincible General Cannon uses solid iron bullets. If you can use thunder bomb powder, it will be more powerful."

Ling Zhen said: "Sir, I will combine the advantages of the two and increase the power of the artillery."

Zhao Zhen said: "I'll leave everything to you, brother. These are all arms. Firing cannons is no problem, but repairing cannons and muskets is beyond our ability. We don't have enough matchlocks and propellant right now. You can make a batch first, and then slowly make cannons and muskets."

Ling Zhen said: "I understand. Who should I contact to buy the medicine?"

Zhao Zhen said, "Brother, go buy some medicine. Just go find Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan, who I met yesterday."

Ling Zhen added: "Sir, the gunpowder is different from others. It is flammable and explosive. It is inconvenient to put it in the military camp. If you are not careful, it will hurt people. We need to build another house."

Lu Zhishen said, "This is not difficult. When I came up, I saw three checkpoints on the road. There is an open space near the third checkpoint. How about putting it there?"

Ling Zhen said: "It's a good place, with few people, convenient travel, and few outsiders. It's the right place."

Zhao Zhen said: "In this case, I will send Brother Tao Zongwang to build a gunpowder workshop here. Brother Ling Zhen can ask for anything he needs. "Today, you have seen the cannons and bird guns. Brother, follow me down the mountain and go to other places to have a look. You can also get to know the officials and heroes in various places in the county."

Ling Zhen said: "Sir, after seeing these guns and cannons, I want to explore them. How about I stay here today and go with you tomorrow?"

(End of this chapter)