Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 602
"What's the range?"

"About fifty paces."

Seeing the emperor's interest, the craftsman continued: "The best range is thirty steps, and the power can break through armor."

"At thirty paces, a shotgun can penetrate armor."

Feng Xianzong was impatient and couldn't help but refute.

"Butang, you are an official, this is a musket!"

Thanks to the emperor's favor in recent years, the Ordnance Department's position is detached, and the craftsmen are unhappy.

"Okay, it's a mule or a horse, let's go for a walk!"

Zhu Yixi didn't bother to pay attention to the quarrel between the two, and directly gave orders.

Soon, dozens of straw figures were placed in front of the shooter.

Receiving the emperor's signal, a guard stepped forward, raised his musket, and pointed it forward.

In the distance, the emperor stared intently, all he wanted to see was the effect.

"boom--"

Like a cannon, it made a deafening sound.

Countless bullets sprayed out like raindrops.

And Zhu Yixi, who was in the distance, didn't even see it clearly, and it was over.

He stepped forward, only then did he realize that the heavenly girl scattered bullets like flowers.

As for the straw figures placed there, not many fell down.

"Your Majesty, 23 of the [-] straw men were shot."

"It seems that the power is not strong, but the amount of ammunition is large."

Feng Xianzong frowned and said.

"Besides, on the battlefield, infantry basically have armor, and the power of these marbles is extremely small, and the effect may be even more unsatisfactory."

"Then try."

In a blink of an eye, the scarecrow put on the armor again.

Sure enough, as Feng Xianzong said, unless it hits the face, hands and feet, the power of the musket is extremely small, and there is no harm at all.

The craftsman on the side hesitated to speak.

Zhu Yixi looked at the gun, then at the scarecrow, lost in thought.

Feng Xianzong continued to make up his sword: "Although you can't fight Jiannu, you are good at fighting Mongols. They don't have armor, but the range is too short, and the horses run too fast..."

The craftsman fell silent.

These words are too reasonable.

"Since the infantry can't use it, let the navy use it."

Suddenly, a smile appeared on the emperor's face, which made the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

"Sailors at sea rarely have armor. This musket is one place. There are people on the narrow deck, and they can't hide. This is much better than ordinary flintlock guns."

"Your Majesty is holy!" The craftsman was overjoyed, and he brought out a few more strange gadgets.

A long sword was lifted out, and it turned out to be a sword at a closer look, but at the side, it turned out that the barrel was still hidden, and it turned out to be a gun.

Unexpectedly, Feng Xianzong, who was dismissive before, showed a satisfied expression at this time: "A good gun, it actually combines the sword and the firecracker into one, implying the combination of righteousness and oddness in the art of war, wonderful!"

"Your Majesty, do you think that if you are fighting an enemy with a sword in your hand, they will relax their vigilance. Once the distance is reached, the projectile will fly out with a snap of your thumb. It will definitely hit a hundred shots."

Zhu Yixi didn't bother to pay attention to him, and his eyes stopped in front of a three-eyed firecracker.

"Your Majesty, this is a three-eyed gun. We just changed it from a matchlock to a flintlock, which is more convenient."

Seeing that the emperor was interested, the craftsman immediately explained.

Although it was such a simple craft, it also proved that they did not wait to die.

"Well! Keep working hard!"

Zhu Yixi nodded: "The previous large-caliber flintlock gun, let's make some for the navy, let them use it, and see how it goes."

"Please Your Majesty give the name—"

"There are a lot of marbles and the volume is large, so let's call it a troll!"

Zhu Yixi said a suitable name without hesitation.

"This name is very good!" Feng Xianzong praised quickly.

After leaving the Ordnance Department, seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, Feng Xianzong also heaved a sigh of relief.

This mission finally had a good result.

On the way, the emperor suddenly asked, "Is the Bohai Sea frozen?"

"Your Majesty, the Bohai Sea has frozen over, but they are very thin and brittle, and most of them are along the coast, which has little impact on water transportation."

Feng Xianzong was startled, and quickly reacted.

"That's fine."

The emperor smiled slightly and said nothing more.

At this time, Wu Sangui, who was far away in Pyongyang, was not idle either.

According to the rules over the years, those who surrendered either had two masters in their hearts, or they worked hard, but Wu Sangui, who changed sides twice, had no choice.

He deeply understands that North Korea at this time is his journey of redemption. The emperor, the eyes of the court, is always staring at North Korea.

Therefore, he had been tugging around near Kaesong before, wanting to recover Seoul, recover its capital, and restore North Korea completely.

However, as soon as Hong Chengchou's various means came out, the plan was immediately invalidated, and he could only stalemate in Kaesong.

As the deputy general, Li Chengdong could only sit in Kaesong to prevent soldiers from crossing over in Seoul.

But at this time, Wu Sangui and Li Yingren were at a pier, welcoming the arrival of the fleet.

South and North Korea confronted each other. North Korea lacked arable land, insufficient supplies, and could not support itself in food. Without the support of the imperial court, it would have been defeated long ago.

However, there is Hong Chengchou in South Korea, who can easily fight wars, and manage the civil affairs very well. After straightening out the money and grain, South Korea has a steady stream of soldiers and horses.

"Brother Li, there are more and more rebels in Seoul. Even if we exchange ten for one, we will still be at a loss."

Wu Sangui stomped his feet to relieve the cold, and couldn't help but say.

"You mean, we also train North Korean soldiers?"

Li Yingren was taken aback.

"That's right!" Wu Sangui exhaled and said, "This North Korea, we can't just fight on our own, we also have to let the North Koreans go to the battlefield."

"What you said makes sense."

Li Yingren nodded, feeling inexplicable.

This Korean War has now been completely reduced to Wu Sangui's command, he is only equivalent to a deputy commander, and he can only go along with it.

"coming--"

Suddenly, white sails were faintly exposed in the distance, and then more and more, covering the entire sea surface.

The huge fleet covered the sky and the sun, making everyone happy and boosting morale.

"Report to Commander, this time there are [-] ships transporting [-] shi of grain, [-] pairs of armor, [-] muskets, and [-] catties of gunpowder..."

"Are there no reinforcements?"

Wu Sangui interrupted him.

"The imperial court did not transport troops."

Li Yingren sighed.

Apparently, the imperial court was only thinking about these two 30,000 people, holding back Jiannu, or the imperial court was a little bit too much.

Seeing that the two commanders were somewhat depressed, the person who came continued: "In the next half month, there will be nearly a hundred ships delivering supplies. I think you don't have to worry about your army being in North Korea."

"Hundred boats?" Wu Sangui and Li Yingren were taken aback.

"Should it be?"

The two looked at each other, and the horror and bewilderment in their eyes almost overflowed.

"This is His Majesty's oral order—"

Accepting this letter solemnly, Wu Sangui only felt that it was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Take all precautions, but did not prevent the emperor's micromanagement. Since when did the emperor have this hobby?

"Hey—" After accepting the letter, the two heaved a long sigh.

(End of this chapter)