At the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder was already used on the battlefield.

In the early Song Dynasty, in 970 AD, the Ministry of War ordered Shi Feng Jisheng to learn the rocket method, and the world's earliest jet firearm "rocket" was born in China.

By the Ming Dynasty, firearms had been used on the battlefield. From the bamboo muskets made in the Northern Song Dynasty to the metal firecrackers in the Yuan Dynasty, almost five to six hundred years of development history had passed.

The names of firearms have also been changing during this time, from wood to metal, from spray to shooting, and most of today's firearms are also called fire guns.

During the Hongwu period, firearms in the Ming Dynasty reached their peak, and firearms began to be widely used in the army.

According to the establishment of various military posts, one-tenth of them will be equipped with fire blunderbuss. Each navy ship is equipped with four bowl-mouth blunderbuss, twenty muskets, and twenty fire attack arrows and magical arrows.

During the Yongle period, the world's first firearms unit, the "Shenji Battalion," appeared and became the world's earliest unit dedicated to the use of firearms.

Until this time, it can be said that the Ming Dynasty's firearms level has actually been at the top of the world, standing in an absolutely leading position.

In this regard, what Zhu Zhanji admires most is not his grandfather Zhu Di, who single-handedly established the world's first firearms force.

It was Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and Ming Taizu.

I have to say that in many matters, my great-grandfather’s vision is definitely beyond everyone’s imagination.

Especially the emphasis on firearms, it can be said to a certain extent that the level of firearms in the early Ming Dynasty was at the top of the world for nearly a hundred years.

The influence of Emperor Taizu was definitely the first. Whether it was the fire blunderbuss in his hand, the Hongwu general cannon, or the various mines and mines behind it, it can almost be said that they all appeared under the influence of Taizu.

of.

But some things have to be said that it is really regrettable. Whether it is the invention of gunpowder, the world's first jet firearm, or other mines, mines, and artillery, when they first appeared, they all appeared in the land of China.

superior.

But the final result was that others used their own inventions to open up their country.

I have to say that this is a very ironic thing!

"Fortunately, it's not too late now. Chinese people have never lacked creativity since ancient times!"

In front of Yuan Jigang's mansion, Zhu Zhanji's carriage slowly stopped.

Seeing that this courtyard, which used to be very grand, has now become a private garden under his name, Zhu Zhanji's eyes showed some emotion.

Twenty craftsmen transferred from the Ordnance Bureau received the news of Zhu Zhanji's arrival early in the morning. When they saw the carriage stop, they rushed forward and saluted:

"See His Highness Taisun!"

Zhu Zhanji looked at the group of "babies" in front of him with a big smile on his face. He walked up to help a craftsman and said with a smile: "You are all excused!"

The craftsmen who had been nervous all night breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that His Highness Zhu Zhanji, the great grandson, was so approachable, and they all stood up and thanked him:

"Thank you, Taisun!"

Zhu Zhanji's eyes swept over these people, and without too much chatting, he directly asked: "Who among you knows the most about firearms?"

After Zhu Zhanji finished speaking, most of the people in the group subconsciously looked at a middle-aged man in his forties.

"May I have your name?"

Seeing everyone's reaction, Zhu Zhanji looked over and asked.

Hearing Zhu Zhanji's inquiry, the middle-aged man showed a little panic on his face, and he quickly saluted: "Your Highness, the villain Zhao Zhun!"

"Zhao Zhun, what a great name. I hope the firearms you make can be as accurate as your name!"

Zhu Zhanji smiled, waved his hand, and then continued: "Can you tell me what the best firearm you can make now is?"

"The best firearm..."

Hearing Zhu Zhanji's question, not only Zhao Zhun fell into deep thought, but also other craftsmen began to think. After a while, Zhao Zhun finally spoke:

"Back to Your Highness Taisun, at present, the best firearm is probably a swarm of bees."

"A swarm of bees?"

Zhu Zhanji was stunned for a moment when he heard this title.

Zhao Zhun immediately explained: "Back to Your Majesty Taisun, a swarm of bees is actually a kind of rocket. This kind of rocket is developed on the basis of the Firebolt Meteor Arrow, but because it can shoot thirty-two arrows in a row, the number

It is much larger than the Firebolt Meteor Arrow, and its shape is like a honeycomb, so it is called a swarm of bees. The emperor used this weapon when he was in trouble!"

Isn't this the original version of the multiple rocket launcher of later generations?

Zhu Zhanji had a strange expression on his face when he heard Zhao Zhun's explanation. Multiple rocket launchers would play a big role in later generations, especially the rocket launchers paired with pickup trucks. This is definitely a classic among classics.

It has low cost, high flexibility, and good power. It once made a certain country doubt its life.

Although pickup trucks have not yet existed in this era, there is still no shortage of horse-drawn carriages.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji asked: "How powerful is it?"

Zhao Zhun shook his head and said: "Because the number of rockets has been increased, the power is very limited, but it is perfectly suitable to be used to scare the enemy!"

Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but shook his head after hearing this, understanding that there was probably a problem with gunpowder.

This is also the main reason why early firearms could not completely replace cold weapons.

The gunpowder formula of this era was primitive and the power of gunpowder was limited.

If you want to increase the power, you must increase the amount of gunpowder. However, increasing the amount of gunpowder will not only increase the reloading time.

In order to increase the power of firearms, the size and weight of firearms will increase correspondingly, and the flexibility will decrease.

Just like this "swarm of bees" rocket launcher, it is actually a very meaningful invention, but because of the insufficient power of gunpowder, the power of the rocket is also weakened, and its lethality is also reduced.

Otherwise, Zhu Zhanji thought that this thing could be combined with the matching model of later rocket launchers and pickup trucks and mounted on a carriage. Although it would reduce the accuracy, for pursuit battles or street fighting, this weapon is definitely an artifact.

But Zhu Zhanji didn't have a good idea when it came to gunpowder. He couldn't remember many gunpowder formulas. In fact, it was almost the most primitive gunpowder formula.

Compared with the gunpowder formula of this era, it may not be much advanced.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji felt that there was no need to inquire further. Unless the problem of the power of gunpowder is solved, no matter how good the idea is, it will all be empty talk.

Zhao Zhun on the side did not know what the Grand Sun Highness in front of him was thinking. Seeing the disappointment on Zhu Zhanji's face, he immediately introduced several powerful firearms with some anxiety.

Single-eyed, double-eyed, and three-eyed firecrackers, several large general cannons of different calibers, and even the "legendary" "immortal weapon" Thunderbolt, which can fly two or three miles at a height of three to four feet above the water, and can also

The second-stage rocket Huolong Chushui was used for secondary launches, and the ancestor of later large-scale strap-on launch vehicles was the Shenhuo Flying Crow.

What Zhu Zhanji heard was eye-opening. It must be said that Ming Dynasty was absolutely unambiguous in its ability to invent and create firearms.

However, the shortcomings are also very obvious. In addition to the gunpowder itself, the materials of firearms are basically made of copper, or simply the most primitive bamboo. Artillery in particular has not been developed towards large calibers. Instead, it is suitable for various types of weapons.

I have a soft spot for this lightweight, small-caliber gun.

There are also various types of artillery shells, including lead bullets, stone bullets, and iron bullets, but there are no explosive bullets.

After Zhao Zhun almost introduced all the firearms currently equipped in the army of the Ming Dynasty, looking at Zhao Zhun who was already a little thirsty, Zhu Zhanji suppressed his heart and continued to ask Zhao Zhun to popularize the knowledge of Ming Dynasty firearms to him.

impulse.

Then he dug around in his arms and took out a piece of paper that he had prepared long ago and handed it over:

"Look at a firearm like this. Can you make it?"

Zhao Zhun subconsciously took the paper, not daring to neglect the instructions given by His Highness Zhu Zhanji, the grandson, and quickly read it carefully.

What appeared in front of him was a drawing of a firecracker design that he was very familiar with.

The general style does not seem to be much different from the current single-eyed fire gun.

But Zhao Zhun found big differences in some details.

First of all, in the drawing in front of you, compared to the bloated single-eyed fire blunderbuss, the fire blunderbuss in this drawing has a more slender body.

Moreover, it no longer had the original long handle, and it looked like it had completely given up its ability to fight in close combat.

You must know that although the fire guns of this era are firearms, they actually have certain melee capabilities.

With its long wooden handle and thick metal gun body, this thing can be used as a hammer in close combat.

Of course, what's more important is that after Zhao Zhun looked carefully, he didn't find any match ropes.

"This kind of musket... well, let's call this kind of musket a musket."

Zhu Zhanji saw Zhao Zhun stunned, paused slightly, and then explained:

"Because this kind of musket has given up a lot of close combat capabilities, its barrel, that is, the barrel of the musket, has been lengthened a lot, about two feet in length. In this way, the ammunition can be fired farther.

More accurate."

Zhao Zhun fell into deep thought after hearing this. The body of the fire gun is not long now, because a long body means increased weight, which is inconvenient for close combat. However, the fire gun in front of him has given up on close combat.

, increased the range and accuracy. Zhao Zhun couldn't tell whether this method of offset was good or bad for a while.

But one thing he can be sure of is that from the perspective of firearms, this is undoubtedly a good thing.

But if you lose the ability to fight in close combat, once the enemy rushes close to you on the battlefield, your ability to resist will be almost gone.

Zhu Zhanji glanced at Zhao Zhun and continued: "There is also this ignition method. My idea is to use flint instead of the match rope, and install two flints at the ignition place. When ignited, the flint will directly produce sparks, thereby igniting the gunpowder.

, in this way, as long as the gunpowder does not get wet, this gun can be used normally even on rainy days."

Zhu Zhanji's drawing of the ignition position was very vague, and there was nothing he could do about it. Although Zhu Zhanji knew the principle of the flintlock gun, he didn't know how to get it specifically.

But fortunately, the principle is not difficult. Once you know the principle, you can explain it to the craftsman again, and the rest is the craftsman's business.
To be continued...