His knowledge of firearms far surpassed that of the craftsmen of the Great Ming. Concepts such as bore ratio, rate of fire, and trajectory opened their eyes, and everyone worked with utmost seriousness and rigor, neglecting sleep and food. By late at night, they were still discussing Zhu Mo's words…
In just seven days, the result exceeded all expectations.
Following Lin Jun's invention of the flintlock mechanism, combined with the experimentally etched rifled barrel and the sand propellant that Li Huai had long treasured, the first flintlock musket of the Great Ming was born!
At noon that day,
At the firing range of the Bureau of Gunpowder,
Liang Menglong, along with two or three dozen trusted subordinates from the Ministry of War, and over a hundred craftsmen from the Bureau of Gunpowder, all stared at Zhu Mo within the bamboo shed.
He held a uniquely shaped long firearm in his hands. The barrel was much longer than that of an ordinary bird gun, a full meter and seventy centimeters. It had a wooden stock at the rear, perfectly fitting into the crook of his shoulder… The muzzle had a small iron plate, while the tail of the barrel had a mountain-shaped grooved piece.
The trigger was exceedingly cumbersome, designed as a box over twenty centimeters long. Because the mainspring was large, the size of a palm, it actually enveloped the barrel… However, being cumbersome also had its advantages; it was very powerful when struck. Sparks were visible to the naked eye, making it almost a shoulder-fired miniature cannon!
Zhu Mo squinted one eye, aiming at a humanoid target board one hundred meters away…
As everyone held their breath in anticipation,
Bang!
A crisp sound.
The target board in the distance seemed to tremble. Two craftsmen quickly ran over, picked up the straw target, and saw a hole the size of a fist. They then shouted,
"It penetrated!"
"It penetrated!"
"It went through!"
A…
The entire field erupted in an uproar—
What?
So far away?
It really hit?
Impossible!
The officials from the Ministry of War refused to believe what they were seeing!
But the craftsmen were jubilant all day—
"It's done!"
"It's done!"
"It's done!"
"Young Master Zhu! Young Master Zhu!…"
"Zhu Mo! Zhu Mo!…"
Over a hundred craftsmen shouted Zhu Mo's name in unison, while Zhang Juzheng and Liang Menglong's subordinates from the Ministry of War also crowded around, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity. Everyone thought—
In future battles against the Tatars and the Japanese pirates, if everyone had one of these firearms, what would be the point of fighting? The enemy would just surrender…
The soldiers surrounding the field, having experienced the power of this firearm even more directly than the craftsmen and officials, felt a powerful surge from the bottom of their hearts, their hearts pounding—
With these things in hand, wouldn't they be able to capture Anda alive? Even fighting all the way to Japan would be no problem! From now on, the days of being suppressed by the Tatars and Japanese pirates were over…
…
Amidst the cheers,
Zhu Mo was quite proud. After all, producing this item in seven days, though still far from the ideal target, was already a top-tier firearm in this era. It could be said to have opened up an entire generation, posing a crushing advantage over all contemporary enemy nations…
Ultimately, it was built upon only a few very small breakthroughs. Yet, these small, subtle breakthroughs were the culmination of two hundred years for the Great Ming and nearly half a century of accumulation by the craftsmen. Amidst the widespread jubilation, Zhu Mo also felt a pang of sadness—
Some things are merely a small distance away from success. If someone were to push them, or even if there were less interference, a fundamental difference would occur… But history is so peculiar; those who are most recently successful are often those who have suffered the most crushing defeats.
Therefore, in Zhu Mo's heart, this was a significant achievement since arriving in the Great Ming, its importance no less than the industrialization of silk and the establishment of weaving banks in Jiangnan. With this thought, he couldn't help but play with the gunstock, marveling once again at the exquisite craftsmanship of the Great Ming artisans…
At this moment,
Li Huai and Zhao Shizhen, their faces streaked with tears, suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs—
"Master Craftsman! The Master Craftsman of the Great Ming!"
"Zhu Mo is the Master Craftsman of the Great Ming!"
Whoa~~~
The craftsmen immediately reacted, their hearts filled with genuine recognition of this title, and they shouted in unison—
"Master Craftsman! Master Craftsman! Master Craftsman!…"
"The Master Craftsman of the Great Ming!"
"The Master Craftsman of the Great Ming!"
"…"
In the eyes of craftsmen across the land, the most formidable engineers and scientists were called "Juzi." Juzi was Mozi, an ancient great scientist and engineer belonging to the Chinese people.
Therefore, this title was the highest honor bestowed by craftsmen.
At this point,
The officials of the Ministry of War were also deeply moved—
Indeed, this device was absolutely invincible in this era… They had initially thought this person was merely a scholar, but unexpectedly, he was an unparalleled master craftsman!
"Juzi…?"
"Heh heh…"
Zhu Mo, while feeling a sense of shame regarding this title, naturally also felt quite pleased with it…
In his understanding, the primary reason for China's decline was the weakness of science, and the reason for the Great Ming's downfall was even more so the suppression of firearm development by them…
Watching the cheers of the entire crowd, especially the proud faces of the soldiers, he was deeply moved.
But at the same time,
Seasoned by life's vicissitudes, he instinctively regained his composure—
"Extremes lead to reversals, extreme joy leads to sorrow… The closer one is to the peak, the more one must think in reverse…"
With this thought,
He whispered to Liang Menglong, "Not a single word of today's events must be leaked! From now on, you must assign special personnel to protect Li Huai and Zhao Shizhen… Make sure everyone is aware that anyone who leaks the secret of this firearm, I will personally petition for their execution, along with their entire families!"
Liang Menglong also came to his senses and nodded heavily, "I understand, Young Master, rest assured!"
Zhu Mo immediately ordered Li Huai and Zhao Shizhen to expedite the production of identical firearms, with at least thirty units to be completed within a month. To oversee the manufacturing, Zhu Mo decided to stay at Wanggongchang.
That night,
Liang Menglong sent people to inform everyone present that day.
Thus,
The peak moment of the Great Ming quietly vanished, absorbed into the mundane routines…
The capital city remained as bustling as ever, with no one aware that the Great Ming, through Zhu Mo's advancements, had taken but a small step forward, yet had already reached the forefront of this world.
…
After nightfall,
Yuxi Palace was enveloped in tranquility.
Lu Fang continued to assist Jiajing with his meditation.
At this moment,
He had just finished reading a secret report from the Xuan Da Embroidered Uniform Guard and felt a bit puzzled—
The letter stated that Li Wenjin, the Commander-in-Chief of Xuan Da, and Ma Fang, the Guerrilla General, had suddenly mobilized three thousand elite troops, led by Ma Fang, out of the outer fortifications and towards the grasslands. Ge Jin, the Governor-General of Xuan Da, was also perplexed but could not intervene, as both of them possessed a royal command tablet and a letter of authorization from Liang Menglong, the Deputy Envoy for Disaster Relief in Xuan Da…
Lu Fang put down his reading glasses, contemplated for a moment, and then put them back on to re-read the report three times. He still couldn't figure out what was happening, and felt a surge of annoyance, muttering under his breath—
These scoundrels, only hiding such a minor detail, and they can't even figure it out! If they can't figure it out, they report it in such a muddled way…
Just then, his hand slipped,
Clatter! His reading glasses fell onto the desk.
He immediately inwardly cursed his misfortune.
Jiajing indeed opened his eyes, asking displeasantly, "What nonsensical matter is it now? What has angered you so…"
Lu Fang chuckled, "Your Majesty, it's about the Xuan Da side concealing military intelligence… Those rascals from the Eastern Depot are becoming increasingly clueless, only reporting such confusing accounts…"
"Is it not normal for them to conceal things…? When have they ever reported the truth?"
"Your Majesty, it says Li Wenjin had Ma Fang mobilize three thousand elites from various locations and head towards the border overnight… We don't know what for… The secret report says Li Wenjin has a royal command tablet, supposedly given by Liang Menglong… This matter is rather peculiar…"
Jiajing paused, but did not respond, merely saying casually, "Ma Fang? I recall him, perhaps he served under Yu Dayou…? He's a capable general… A royal command tablet is a royal command tablet, what are you rushing for?"
Lu Fang truly didn't know what he was rushing for, only that this matter felt particularly unusual. Based on his decades of experience, there seemed to be undercurrents at play…
A royal command tablet was only issued to a second-rank official through the Grand Secretariat's petition. Liang Menglong was merely an Assistant Minister; how could he possess one? It must have been someone in the Grand Secretariat who provided it…
But why didn't Xu Jie and Gao Gong say anything…
After all, Jiajing was shrewder. He let out a humph, "Lu Fang, I think you're the one who's confused… Your men are becoming less competent… Go ask, did Li Wenjin and Ma Fang come to the capital a few days ago…? Did they look for our Mr. Zhu…?"
Lu Fang suddenly realized, slapping his forehead, "Ah! This servant is so foolish! Yes, that's it… It was Young Master Zhu, alas, this servant is truly old and forgetful… However, Your Majesty, by doing this, does it mean that in addition to concealing military intelligence, something has happened in Xuan Da that the court is unaware of? Could Anda be planning something major…?"
Jiajing let out a long sigh, "Do I need to say?… Great winds rise from small beginnings… Anda, a powerful figure…"
He looked at the dark clouds gathering in the sky outside the door, lost in thought…
After a long while,
He slowly said again, "It seems a great wind has begun to blow… Lu Fang, have your men keep a close watch, send more people, and report back once every day…"
After saying this,
Jiajing, still feeling unfulfilled and contemplating repeatedly, couldn't help but ask, "What about that young fellow Zhu Mo? How does he plan to deal with Anda? Why isn't he going? Is he still holed up in the capital…"