The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 859 Cherishing Blessings as Preserving a Candle

"Boom~~"

"Boom"

"Bang~"

The heavy shell traced an arc as it fell into the water with a loud thud.

Ying'er quickly let go of her ears, ran to the window, and saw the target still standing tall on the distant sea. She said regretfully, "Sigh, it missed..."

Seeing that Baochai was a little embarrassed, Jia Lian laughed and said, "You didn't hit her because they didn't adjust the angle for you. It's not your fault."

However, this shot was only about ten feet away from the target, which was quite close.

"Come on, let's try one more shot."

The Zhenyuan Cannon, named after Jia Lian's former title, was capable of firing studded bullets.

The fact that the artisans, with their combined ingenuity, managed to create this thing despite the Wei Dynasty's weak firearms manufacturing capabilities was an unexpected delight.

After such a long period of improvement, a relatively stable fuel has been found for the fuse material.

Jia Lian, after all, had seen various firearms from later generations, which were products that had been gradually improved over hundreds of years.

Although Jia Lian could not replicate it, he could still have the craftsmen make a copy based on the original, and give them some hints so that they could work hard to overcome the difficulties and find a weaker alternative.

As a result, the Zhenyuan Cannon, in terms of both appearance and weight, far surpasses all existing homemade cannons.

Even the shape of the cannonballs was changed from round to cylindrical with a semi-circular tip, which is more suitable for flight.

In fact, previous generations had also created explosive shells. However, those were simple in structure and had unstable fuses, resulting in problems such as a high risk of barrel explosion and weak power.

To put it simply, it's a large firecracker.

Once the craftsmen Jia Lian hired at great expense found suitable fuse materials, Jia Lian immediately realized that the true era of exploding bullets had arrived.

Originally, the craftsmen inserted the time-delay fuse outside the shell.

At Jia Lian's suggestion, the time-delay fuse was inserted deep into the shell.

This not only simplifies the appearance of the shell but also improves its flight accuracy. Most importantly, it allows it to explode underwater!

Because the fuse is transmitted inside the shell, the embers after burning can temporarily prevent water from seeping in, allowing it to explode effectively in water.

This was the best option Jia Lian could make, given that he hadn't yet mastered the intricate principles of artillery shells, such as their primers.

Anyway, he had already confirmed that even those countries that were the first to reap the benefits of the Age of Exploration, such as the "Red Barbarians," did not have such a powerful and stable exploding shell as his!

He doesn't need to compare himself to the cannons of later generations; it's enough for him to be able to surpass the crude and unreliable artillery of his time.

Of course, this was due to the limitations of the Great Wei's production capacity.

Even the "cannons" on the Zhenyuan were mostly old-fashioned solid cannons, with only eight Zhenyuan cannons.

Four of them are movable and can be used for wartime support and deployment.

This is a very reasonable configuration.

Solid shot is used for attacking strongpoints, while explosive shot is used to kill the enemy.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Zhenyuan alone could easily wipe out an entire fleet head-on.

Of course, this is on the premise that the other party does not run away.

Meanwhile, the two trusted artillerymen who had been summoned by Jia Lian felt quite aggrieved when they heard that Jia Lian, in order to please the beauty, had completely shifted the blame onto them.

Sir, you didn't say that during our special training.

If it hits the target within three shots, you consider it acceptable.

The first shot exploded just ten feet away. If it were the enemy, they would definitely be dead. This is already pretty good, okay?

Despite feeling wronged, they immediately scurried over when Jia Lian told them to refill the containers.

They felt honored and excited to be able to serve a "delicate" young lady like Baochai.

He readjusted the angle of the cannon, picked up the heavy shell from the wooden box and stuffed it into the breech. After confirming that everything was in order, he stood up, gestured to Jia Lian, and then stepped back.

Jia Lian smiled and handed the torch to Baochai, giving her an encouraging look.

Having already fired a shot, Baochai was no longer so nervous.

He extended the torch toward the ignition fuse protruding from the side of the cannon barrel, lit it, and immediately hid beside Jia Lian.

Jia Lian smiled and took the torch from her, giving her hands to cover her ears.

As for safety, Jia Lian wasn't worried.

It's not to say that the Zhenyuan gun was without the risk of barrel explosion.

In fact, even though their shells are considered advanced by today's standards, they can still explode due to the instability of their manufacturing process.

However, the Zhenyuan cannon that he fixed to the ship was sturdy and heavy, made of high-quality materials.

With the current power of artillery shells, even if a shell explodes in the barrel, it will only cause minor damage to the gun barrel and will not be enough to destroy the gun barrel.

Sure enough, accompanied by the same loud bang, the shell flew out and exploded again on the water in the distance.

This time, Ying'er ran even faster.

"Great! You hit it, girl!"

Ying'er jumped up, her cheerful voice echoing in the gun compartment, as if she had hit the target.

Baochai also glanced into the distance.

Judging from the heaving of her chest, her heart was also extremely unsettled.

"As expected of Hengwu Jun, she is better than others at writing poetry, and I didn't expect that she would be so much better than ordinary people at setting off firecrackers."

If this were on the battlefield, one shot from this could potentially kill several enemies.

"If you keep firing like this, you could be granted a noble title for your achievements."

Baochai felt somewhat helpless in the face of Jia Lian's flattery.

Whether she knows whether she can hit the target or not is irrelevant to her.

However, she was secretly happy, and with the soldiers around, she couldn't argue with Jia Lian. Jia Lian said, "Just shooting targets isn't very interesting."

"Let's go find a deserted island. Let's see the real power of this thing!"

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Baochai hesitated: "Let's forget about it. Such a precious object, I can just try it out, how can we keep wasting it like this?"

Baochai was quite knowledgeable; she roughly knew what firearms looked like and what their power was.

Seeing the intricate structure and advanced shells of the Zhenyuan Cannon, she knew that it must have cost a fortune.

She felt a little embarrassed and even guilty for letting her continue to waste money like this.

Jia Lian knew Baochai's concerns.

Although this was no big deal for Jia Lian, in order to allay Baochai's concerns, he still said to the two artillerymen beside him:

"Today I personally instructed you on how to test-fire the Zhenyuan cannon. Do you know how to describe the amount of ammunition used?"

The soldiers chosen by Jia Lian were certainly not stupid; upon hearing this, they all said:

"Rest assured, sir, all the shells today were fired by the two of us under your guidance."

Even when facing our commander, we say the same thing!

What a joke! The lower-ranking soldiers know perfectly well who the real big shots in the navy are.

Although the commander was one rank higher than Jia Lian, he was still an imperial envoy and a duke!
Didn't you see how respectful the Commander-in-Chief is to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and how he never fails to respond?

Moreover, can't everyone see what kind of mess the navy was before, and how wealthy it became after Jia Lian arrived?

Therefore, there were rumors within the navy that the commander would be transferred sooner or later, and then Jia Lian would be in charge of the entire navy.

Therefore, they both knew very well how to curry favor with powerful figures to ensure a bright future.

Seeing this, Baochai said nothing more.

She could tell that Jia Lian just wanted to make her happy today.

……

On the way back from the deserted island, the sun had become weak, and the sunlight no longer hurt.

Jia Lian climbed the stairs to the top floor and immediately saw Baochai leaning on the railing, gazing into the distance.

Jia Lian walked over and hugged her from behind.

Baochai had naturally noticed Jia Lian long ago, so she didn't make a move.

Baochai is so intelligent; today, Jia Lian is going to great lengths to please her, isn't he just trying to do whatever he wants to her?

Anyway, she was certain that no one else would come up here.

Moreover, these sweet moments of mutual affection truly made her feel happy and joyful.

So she leaned her soft body against Jia Lian's chest and quietly enjoyed the sea breeze.

What's remarkable is that Jia Lian actually seemed relatively honest at this time.

After a long while, he said, "Chai'er, raise your hands."

Baochai tilted her head back, her eyes expressing confusion.

Jia Lian didn't bother to explain. Instead, he loosened his arms around her waist, lifted her hands, and made her look like she was embracing the sea.

Then Jia Lian stepped back two steps to observe Baochai's figure.

When he saw Baochai turn around, he said, "Chai'er, don't turn around, turn away."

Although Baochai felt awkward in this posture, it was Jia Lian's request after all, and it didn't seem like an embarrassing position. So she gradually put aside her suspicions and began to seriously feel the breath of the wind.

Jia Lian, standing behind, looked at the beautiful woman's exquisite figure and nodded with great satisfaction.

It's just that his hairpin was dressed in a scholar's robe; otherwise, it would definitely be much prettier than that "shredded meat" thing.

Without further hesitation, he stepped forward and gently embraced Baochai again, whispering in her ear with a smile:

"Did you have fun today, Chai'er?"

Baochai slowly lowered her arm and placed her hand on Jia Lian's large hand that was clasped around her lower abdomen. She said softly, "Thank you so much, cousin-in-law. I'm very happy."

Every time these three words were mentioned, Baochai felt ashamed, so she didn't say anything more, but simply leaned her head against Jia Lian to express her closeness and gratitude.

However, Jia Lian refused to let her go and whispered in her ear:
"Verbal thanks to your brother-in-law won't get you anywhere..."

Baochai blushed: "Then, what do you want to do..."

Jia Lian chuckled: "Well, I told you about that this morning."

As Jia Lian spoke, he placed his hands on Baochai's graceful hip curves, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Baochai said shyly, "Why are you thinking about such things again... Haven't you heard the sage say that we should cherish our blessings as we would a candle?"

If one indulges without restraint, it is like a torch in the wind; when the oil runs out, the fire goes out.

My second brother is so wise, how could he not understand this principle?

Baochai's intention was to offer advice and admonition, so she naturally disregarded the possibility of breaking the agreement.

Jia Lian didn't correct her at this moment, but just smiled and said, "I know how to be restrained in front of others."

only……"

"Just what?"

Jia Lian rubbed his face against Baochai's cheek and replied, "I can't control myself at all in front of you, Baochai. Good Baochai, just obediently submit to me."

As Jia Lian spoke, he tried to kiss Baochai. When Baochai refused, he began kissing her cheeks, earlobes, and even her neck.

This left Baochai feeling helpless and trembling with fear.

After finally managing to stop Jia Lian, Baochai turned around and asked seriously the question that had been on her mind: "Brother-in-law favors Chai'er so much, aren't you worried...aren't you worried that Chai'er might get pregnant?"

Baochai felt her voice was very nervous, and she could almost hear her mother's words echoing in her ears.

She was a little worried.

(End of this chapter)