My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 664 The Workshop

Hearing that Zhu Zhanhe agreed to transfer himself back to the company, Ma An was also ecstatic, and immediately patted his chest and promised: "Prince, don't worry, I have done almost everything you told me, and I can take you there now!"

"Okay, lead the way!"

Zhu Zhanhe laughed, and he was becoming more and more satisfied with Ma An. Not only was this guy good at flattering, he was also reassuring in his work.

Ma An led the way, and the group came to a place not far north of the workshop. This is a valley. There is only one way into the valley, and an army of hundreds of people is stationed at the entrance of the valley. No one is allowed to approach.

Ma An came to the checkpoint at the entrance of the valley and was released after revealing his identity. Zhu Zhanhe followed Ma An into the valley.

I saw that a large-scale workshop was built here, and various simple houses were arranged together. From time to time, some dark-skinned natives could be seen coming in and out of the houses, and there were some houses under construction in the distance. .

"Prince, look, this firearms workshop has been basically built according to your instructions. The craftsmen are about to arrive. As soon as everyone arrives, the firearms can be cast immediately!"

Ma An pointed to the workshop in the valley and introduced it to Zhu Zhanhe excitedly.

This is a firearms workshop. As a country with major firearms, the Ming Dynasty's firearms have always been known for their sharpness. Zhu Di even built a pure firearms unit, the Shenji Battalion, which made great contributions during the Northern Expedition.

Zhu Zhanhe had wanted to improve firearms for a long time, but there were too many things going on in the Ming Dynasty at that time, and he had little opportunity to get in touch with firearms, so he was never able to do so.

Now that he came to Dahan, Zhu Zhanhe also learned about the development of firearms in Dahan for the first time.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, there was almost no development of firearms in the Han Dynasty. When Zhu Gaoxu came to Tianzhu, he also built a firearms workshop in Lion Harbor, because Lion Harbor is a logistics base, and the firearms workshop there was mainly responsible for firearms. maintenance, and the preparation of gunpowder.

As for the firearms used by Zhu Gaoxu, most of them were provided by Zhu Di behind the scenes.

Later, Zhu Gaoxu conquered Xijing and built a firearms workshop in Xijing. Zhu Di also supported him with a group of firearms craftsmen. With the help of these craftsmen, the firearms workshop in Xijing was finally able to produce muskets.

But Zhu Zhanhe was not satisfied with this, because in his opinion, the firearms made by the Han Dynasty were completely replicas of the firearms of the Ming Dynasty. Not only did they not have any improvements, they may even be inferior to the Ming Dynasty in quality.

So he decided to build a brand new firearms workshop, where the best firearms craftsmen would be gathered to create the most advanced firearms in the world according to his ideas.

In Zhu Zhanhe's vision, the firearms workshop would be divided into two. The firearms workshop in Xijing was mainly used to improve firearms, such as designing new types of muskets.

After the muskets designed in Xijing are successful, they will be sent to the firearms workshop in Beizhenggang for mass production.

The reason why the firearms workshop is located in Beizheng Port is that transportation is convenient here. Both the various raw materials required for making firearms and the transportation after the firearms are manufactured are more convenient.

Therefore, Zhu Zhanhe also had high hopes for this firearms workshop, so he sent Ma An here. On the surface, he took over the soap and perfume workshop, but secretly he was preparing to build this future firearms arsenal.

At present, Zhu Zhanhe, under the guidance of Ma An, personally visited the firearms arsenal under construction. He saw that the main building here was almost complete, and the remaining supporting facilities were still under intense construction.Most of the natives who worked were recruited from nearby areas, and their work efficiency was not high. They often cheated and acted slippery. They could only send supervisors to keep a close eye on them. If they dared to be lazy, they would be whipped immediately. This could ensure the progress of the project.

Zhu Zhanhe has long been used to this kind of scene. The local people in Tianzhu have been brainwashed by religion for a long time. They are usually as docile as sheep, and the more brutal you are, the more docile they will be. On the contrary, if you show a trace of Weak, they will immediately turn into wolves.

Therefore, the attitude of the Han Dynasty, whether it is the government or ordinary Han people, towards the natives is consistent and tough. This is exactly in line with Zhu Zhanhe's original intention of sending Zhu Gaoxu to Tianzhu. Zhu Gaoxu's cruelty and unkindness here is not a The disadvantage is actually an advantage that makes the country stable.

After walking around in the valley, Zhu Zhanhe left with satisfaction. Ma An had not been in Beizhenggang for a long time. It was not easy to build this firearms arsenal into what it is now.

"Your Majesty, there is something I have always wanted to ask you."

On the way back, Ma An suddenly asked Zhu Zhanhe.

"what's up?"

Zhu Zhanhe looked at the sunset in the west and asked in a relaxed mood.

"Why do you attach so much importance to firearms? Although the Ming Dynasty's Shenji Battalion is good, Emperor Taizong mainly used cavalry and infantry to fight in the northern expedition. Although firearms can also play a certain role, they are not much better than bows and arrows, right?"

Maan summoned up the courage to ask.

"What you say now is correct. Bows and arrows have the advantages of bows and arrows, but muskets also have the advantages of muskets. Moreover, the power of current muskets is still too weak. When I make new muskets in the future, you will know who will be the best in the future. He is the king of weapons on the battlefield!"

Zhu Zhanhe chuckled and replied.

The muskets used by the Ming Dynasty are still the most primitive matchlocks. The steps for shooting are very complicated. First, you need to fill the gunpowder and projectiles from the muzzle, compact them, then light the matchlocks, and finally aim and shoot.

This kind of matchlock gun is greatly affected by the weather. Not to mention rain and snow, even strong winds will make the gun unusable. Moreover, there is no rifling in the barrel, resulting in extremely poor accuracy of the gun. The gunmen can only line up in a row. The platoon fires forward, using quantity to compensate for accuracy.

Although Zhu Zhanhe didn't know much about guns, he also knew that the matchlock gun was terrible. Even if he made a flintlock gun, it would be a landmark contribution to the development of guns.

In addition to muskets, there are also many areas for improvement in gunpowder and bullets, such as the fixed loading of gunpowder and the loading method of gunpowder. It can be said that there are too many areas that can be improved.

There is no need for Zhu Zhanhe to do this himself. As long as he puts forward the idea, his craftsmen will naturally find a way to realize it.

Zhu Zhanhe stayed in Beizheng Port for a few days, during which he also met with Zhang Zhong who was stationed here. However, just when Zhu Zhanhe was about to return to Xijing, he suddenly received an urgent report from Jinyiwei, who had been stationed on the northern front line. Zhu Gaoxu finally sent his troops northward and officially entered Timur's empire.

(End of this chapter)