My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

When Zhu Cilang arrived at the entrance of the Firearms Research Institute, his eyes lit up.

It appeared that the entire Firearms Research Institute had undergone a large-scale expansion, with the original grounds now more than twice the size of what they were before.

The new buildings are arranged in a staggered manner, and their shapes are no longer retro, but have a more technological feel.

The towering chimneys, the bright glass windows, and the sleek roofline all seem to speak of the innovation and progress here.

Zhu Cilang was overjoyed. After all, the Firearms Research Institute was all about scientific innovation. If it were just like any other ordinary building in the Ming Dynasty, it would be nothing new.

The guards at the gate clearly recognized Zhu Cilang. Upon seeing him arrive, they hurriedly bowed and said in unison:

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, and said:
"Rise! No need for such formalities."

The guard quickly stood up and said respectfully:

"Your Highness, please wait a moment, I will go and inform them immediately."

"no need."

Zhu Cilang waved his hand and said with a smile:

"This isn't my first time here, why bother announcing anything?"

His smile carried a hint of confidence and nonchalance. After speaking, he strode inside.

Seeing this, the guards at the gate didn't dare to say anything, but they quickly sent someone to inform Bi Maokang.

They knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was always decisive and disliked tedious formalities, but they still had to inform Lord Bi Maokang in order to avoid being impolite.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang didn't say anything. He walked steadily toward the interior of the Firearms Research Institute.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Firearms Research Institute, the white-haired Bi Maokang, wearing reading glasses, was intently looking at the blueprints on the table.

His hair was completely white, but his eyes remained sharp and bright, as if they held endless wisdom and power.

His face was covered with wrinkles, the marks of time, but they also added to his dignity and solemnity.

However, at this point, the blueprints on the table were no longer ordinary firearm blueprints, but rather those for a much more complex weapon. This firearm was similar to a machine gun in later times, capable of firing in rapid succession, and possessed extremely powerful firepower. Bi Maokang had already devoted a great deal of effort and time to developing this firearm.

He studied day and night, experimented repeatedly, and made continuous improvements, all in order to bring this advanced weapon to market as soon as possible and add a powerful boost to the military strength of the Ming Dynasty.

This is the last thing he can do for the Ming Dynasty. He is now almost seventy-five years old, well past the age of seventy.

He knew his time was running out, and once he finished this project, he could retire completely and enjoy his later years in peace.

Thinking of this, Bi Maokang felt another surge of excitement.

He also knew that the flintlock musket he had previously developed was half the reason why the Ming Dynasty was able to successfully conquer Liaodong and Korea. The flintlock musket had a long range, high accuracy, and high rate of fire, which played a huge role on the battlefield and made the enemy army tremble with fear.

What an honor this must be for an inventor!
If we could develop this machine gun, then without a doubt, the entire Ming Dynasty would stand at the pinnacle of the world and become an invincible force.

Just as Bi Maokang was lost in thought, a figure rushed in.

The man was panting heavily, his face filled with anxiety. He shouted as he ran:
"My lord, my lord, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

His voice echoed in the main hall, breaking the silence.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Bi Maokang quickly put down the blueprints in his hand. His hands trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise and nervousness flashed in his eyes. He hurried towards the door, his steps a little rushed, and he almost tripped over something on the ground.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps when they saw Zhu Cilang striding towards them from afar.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Bi Maokang quickly bowed, his voice trembling slightly from excitement.

The crowd behind him hurriedly bowed, some even bending down to kneel, their faces filled with awe and joy.

Zhu Cilang spoke directly:
"Alright, alright, everyone, you don't need to bow anymore, you don't need to bow anymore."

Then, Zhu Cilang hurriedly stepped forward, grasped Bi Maokang's hand, and said:

"It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Bi Maokang smiled, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out, and said:

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My old bones are still fine; I can live a few more years. Please come in, Your Highness."

The two then entered the main hall.

The main hall was decorated simply yet elegantly, with blueprints and models of firearms hanging on the walls and tools and parts on the table.

Seeing this, the officials nearby also wisely withdrew, after all, this was a conversation between big shots, and they were not qualified to be there.

After entering the room, Zhu Cilang did not sit down immediately, but began to pace slowly around the room, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

His eyes revealed a curiosity and desire to explore new things, as if every item in the room held endless secrets.

When his gaze inadvertently fell on the pile of scattered drawings on the table, a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He walked quickly to the table, gently picked up a drawing, and examined it carefully.

The drawing depicts a uniquely shaped musket with smooth lines and a complex structure, clearly the result of careful design.

Zhu Cilang's lips curled into a slight smile of satisfaction. After reviewing several drawings, he finally couldn't help but ask:
"Lord Bi, is this the repeating musket you mentioned in your previous letter?"

Bi Maokang was standing to the side, smiling as he watched Zhu Cilang.

Hearing the question, he nodded quickly, his voice tinged with pride:
“That’s right, Your Highness. These are indeed the blueprints for a repeating musket. After years of research and development, it is now nearing completion and will be ready for production in another six months.”

His eyes sparkled with longing and anticipation for the future.

“Once this thing is made available, I dare say that there will be no place in the world that the Ming Dynasty cannot conquer.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded, completely trusting Bi Maokang's words.

In fact, in his view, let alone this machine gun-like repeating musket, even with just the existing flintlock muskets, the Ming Dynasty had enough strength to conquer any corner of the world.

But who would complain that their weapons aren't sharp enough? More strength means more security.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang smiled again, his tone tinged with gratitude:

"You've really worked hard, Lord Bi. I will always remember your contributions to the Ming Dynasty."

Bi Maokang quickly waved his hand and said modestly:

"Your Highness is too kind. This is what I should do. It is my honor to serve the Ming Dynasty."

Just then, a soft footstep and a questioning voice came from the doorway:
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived?"

Although the sound was not loud, it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, Bi Maokang's face immediately broke into a smile. He turned to Zhu Cilang and said:
"Your Highness, Wang Wei has arrived." Upon hearing this, a glint of anticipation flashed in Zhu Cilang's eyes. He quickly called out towards the door:

"Come in quickly, come in quickly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Wei walked in with an excited look on his face.

He was dressed in a blue robe, walked briskly, and had a bright smile on his face.

"Your Highness, you've arrived!"

Wang Wei bowed respectfully, then said with a smile.

"Yesterday, I also went outside the city to greet Your Majesty, but I stood too far away and didn't have time to greet you."

Zhu Cilang smiled and waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of friendliness:

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm here today, so there's no need for such formalities between us."

Wang smiled and nodded, then, as if he had thought of something, he leaned closer to Zhu Cilang and lowered his voice to say:
"Your Highness, the matter you entrusted to us is progressing well. Why don't you go and take a look now? I dare say you will be pleasantly surprised."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang's expression changed instantly, a hint of surprise and anticipation flashing in his eyes.

He certainly knew what Wang Wei was referring to.

Before he left, he specifically proposed an idea to Wang Wei: to miniaturize the steam engine and create something similar to a car. This idea seemed like a pipe dream at the time, but Zhu Cilang firmly believed that Wang Wei could do it.

Hearing Wang Wei excitedly say that there was progress, how could Zhu Cilang not be excited?
He quickly smiled and said:

"Okay, okay, I'll go check it out right away!"

After saying that, he called to Bi Maokang, and the group hurriedly headed towards the backyard of the Firearms Research Institute.

The backyard of the Firearms Research Institute is a spacious open space surrounded by high walls, making it exceptionally quiet.

Various firearms and experimental equipment were neatly arranged on the open ground.

Not far away, there was a huge Divine Machine Iron Fortress parked, like a sleeping behemoth ready to awaken at any moment and let out a deafening roar.

This Divine Iron Fortress can now be considered one of the Ming Dynasty's greatest weapons.

Even though the Ming Dynasty had completely conquered Liaodong and Korea, this thing was still in mass production.

Each of the nine border regions and various towns in Liaodong should be equipped with several of these devices to deter other ethnic groups in the surrounding area. With these devices in place, they would absolutely not dare to cause trouble easily.

Of course, Zhu Cilang's mind was no longer on that.

His gaze was drawn to something not far away.

The shape of that thing was somewhat similar to a pickup truck in later times. Although it looked very strange, it was definitely a car.

It has four wheels, and its body is made of wood planks and sheet metal, making it both sturdy and practical.

The car has all the necessary doors and windows, and even the glass in the windows is clearly visible.

Unfortunately, due to technological limitations, things like headlights are out of the question.

Even so, this was enough to shock Zhu Cilang.

He strode up to the "car," touching it from left to right as if caressing a precious work of art, his face beaming with excitement, his mouth agape in a wide grin.

He couldn't resist opening the car door and plopping inside.

The seats are specially sewn with fur, and feel soft and comfortable to the touch.

It must have been stuffed with cotton or something similar, because it felt soft and fluffy when you sat on it, like sitting on a cloud.

The front has a steering wheel and brakes, and although it looks a bit rudimentary, it already has the basic functions of a car.

"Good good!"

Zhu Cilang shouted excitedly as he touched the steering wheel.

He's finally about to realize his dream!
This thing is absolutely a super artifact that is ahead of its time!

Seeing Zhu Cilang's excited expression, Wang Wei was also filled with pride.

After all, he put in a lot of effort to create this thing.

Putting aside everything else, even just compressing the previous steam engine to one-third of its original size required countless hours and effort.

Fortunately, he succeeded.

He used his wisdom and hard work to turn Zhu Cilang's vision into reality. The sense of accomplishment and pride he felt was indescribable.

Just then, Wang Wei suddenly spoke up:
"Your Highness, how about I demonstrate it for you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang quickly smiled and said:

"Very well! I've been wanting to see how this thing works!"

After saying that, he reluctantly got out of the car.

Although he could drive, this thing was still quite different from cars in later generations. He dared not act rashly, for fear of accidentally damaging this hard-won "treasure".

After Zhu Cilang left, Wang Wei skillfully got into the car.

He adjusted the position of the seat and steering wheel, then made a hand gesture.

Immediately, a craftsman walked quickly to the vehicle, opened the cabin, and then added coal and lit it.

Before long, the entire vehicle began to shake violently. The steam engine had started operating, emitting a deafening roar, like a giant beast awakening.

However, the shaking soon subsided and stabilized.

Then, after Wang Wei operated the vehicle inside, the steam car indeed started moving.

It moved forward slowly, its speed not fast, but very steadily. However, it was incredibly loud, making everyone's ears ring. But this was an unavoidable drawback of the steam engine, and also its unique charm.

Of course, Zhu Cilang didn't care about that.

He watched with wide excitement as the thing slowly glided around the area, skillfully turning and making U-turns. He was filled with thrill and joy; this was a real car!
Although it is still very rudimentary and primitive, it already possesses the basic functions and form of a car.

After the demonstration, Wang Wei stopped.

He opened the car door and got out. Seeing this, Zhu Cilang eagerly went over to him.

Seeing this, Wang Wei let him try, patiently explaining the operation method and precautions to him.

This terrified Li Hu and the other guards of the Eastern Palace.

They practically jogged alongside, their eyes glued to the steam car, as if afraid something might go wrong with it.

Their faces were etched with tension and worry, as if the car were a wild beast that could erupt at any moment. (End of Chapter)