The prince is more stable

Chapter 442 Firearms Upgrade
It is common sense that cold weapons are difficult to upgrade.

The upgrade of cold weapons can only be reflected in the forging materials. If you insist on continuing to upgrade... then you can only sharpen the blade.

But firearms are different.

In fact, the earliest form of firearms existed in the late Tang Dynasty, but those firearms were too primitive, basically the same as the fireworks set off by modern people. You could only hear a sound, and the killing power was very weak.

After the end of the Tang Dynasty, China was plagued by constant wars, and firearms were updated accordingly. By the time of the Song Dynasty, the power of firearms was much greater than that of the late Tang Dynasty.

Later, Zhao Xiaoqian came and opened a big gun, upgrading the firearms into flintlock rifles with great lethality and penetrating power, and Pandora's box was opened.

Looking back at the history of the development of firearms from top to bottom, we can find that firearms have actually been developing all the time, but the process is relatively slow.

The arrival of Zhao Xiaoqian was like a big kick in the foot, which greatly promoted the use of firearms on the battlefield.

Now that the Liao army's heavily armored cavalry has appeared, the Song army's firearms are no longer sufficient to cope with them. What should they do?

It's very simple, just upgrade.

As long as Zhao Xiaoqian is alive, firearms will keep pace with the development of the times until they completely crush cold weapons... and cold armor.

The principle of upgrading is also simple: the amount of primer and air power.

From flintlock rifles to automatic firearms thousands of years later, the basic principles of killing enemies are the same.

Gunpowder and bullets.

Gunpowder provides the power and determines the range, while the bullet provides the damage. The combination of different weights, materials, and shapes of the two determines the lethality of the firearm.

It's not some amazing knowledge, even junior high school students know it.

Once this principle is mastered, even if the industrial base is equivalent to that of primitive society, it is still possible to create firearms with great destructive power.

Zhong Jianzhong had heard of Zhao Xiaoqian's miraculous deeds as early as when he was in Bian Jing. The flintlock rifle, a weapon that seemed like a divine artifact, was invented by Zhao Xiaoqian out of boredom. Once it was released, it changed the destiny of the Song Dynasty.

Now hearing that Zhao Xiaoqian wanted both gunpowder and a blacksmith, Zhong Jianzhong was extremely surprised and immediately made arrangements for him in a swift and decisive manner.

A group of tents were dismantled to clear a space on the south side of the camp. A dozen blacksmiths from the Ordnance Inspectorate also arrived. The open space was surrounded by soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp and martial law was imposed. No one was allowed to approach or peek.

In the middle of the open space were several large wooden boxes filled with gunpowder wrapped in oil paper and ingots of pig iron.

The blacksmith's furnace was burning brightly, and his assistant was still grunting as he pulled the bellows.

Zhao Xiaoqian walked lazily into the open space, and the blacksmiths around him saluted cautiously.

Zhong Jianzhong followed behind him, his face filled with anxiety and anticipation as he said, "My Lord, can I...read this? I swear I won't leak a single word."

Zhao Xiaoqian said lazily, "If you want to see it, go ahead. You're the commander of the Dragon Guard Battalion, I can't hide it from you."

Zhong Jianzhong showed gratitude, with an expression of a man who would die for his friend.

"Thank you for your trust, Lord. I will never let you down..."

"Okay, okay, these things are usually said at drinking parties. Are you saying this now because you want to have a few drinks with me?"

Squatting on the ground, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the shape of the pig iron and waved to call a blacksmith.

"Is it okay to turn pig iron into fine iron?"

The blacksmith bowed and smiled innocently: "No problem."

After saying that, he called on the blacksmiths to work. They put the pig iron in the furnace to heat it red, and then hammered it with a clanging sound. After hammering it, they put it back into the furnace to smelt it. This was repeated several times. Sun Wukong was almost able to develop the golden eyes, and the fine iron was finally considered ready.

After quenching, the fine iron turned black-brown. Zhao Xiaoqian asked someone to bring a flintlock rifle, measured the caliber of the muzzle, and then drew a pointed cone-shaped bullet on paper. He ordered the blacksmith to make a batch of pointed cone-shaped bullets strictly according to the size.

Next comes the gunpowder charge.

To achieve sufficient and rapid combustion in a small space, the most important thing is sealing.

The old practice of stuffing gunpowder directly into the barrel and then tamping it down with a thin iron rod is now somewhat outdated. This method takes too long and would inevitably miss opportunities if used on the battlefield.

Zhao Xiaoqian squatted on the ground and thought for a long time. He asked someone to bring a stack of hemp paper, tore off a small strip, wrapped the gunpowder and rolled it up, and then mixed a little iron sand and stone particles into the middle of the gunpowder.

After comparing the caliber of the flintlock rifle and making several modifications, we were finally able to fit the paper shell perfectly into the barrel.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian made several more paper shell bullets, each with a different type and different amount of gunpowder.

Zhong Jianzhong had been squatting beside him, watching Zhao Xiaoqian's dazzling movements foolishly. The eyes of this famous general were clearer than those of a college student at this moment.

After it is completed, the pointed conical bullet made by the blacksmith is combined with the paper shell bullet, and a more refined gunpowder is used as a primer at the bottom. After the whole bullet is made, it is inserted into the flintlock.

Mission accomplished. Paper shell bullets, made in Europe in the 19th century, are a transitional product between gunpowder projectiles and modern metal bullets.

Although the name is "paper shell", the paper shell is only the part that wraps the gunpowder. Its bullet is still made of metal, and it is a pointed cone shape, with strong armor-piercing ability.

It already has the prototype of modern bullets, is easy to load, has greater power than a musket, has a longer range, and has stronger penetration.

As for how powerful it is, Zhao Xiaoqian is not sure, but it is definitely much stronger than the previous flintlock rifles.

According to Zhao Xiaoqian's estimation, it would not be a problem to penetrate the enemy's heavy armor within 300 steps.

Don't think that the Liao army's heavy armor is a great thing. Today's metallurgical technology is not well developed, and the refined iron is still very rough. Its hardness is not as good as the stainless steel in the previous life. If the bullet is powerful enough, it can penetrate a half-centimeter iron plate.

The Liao army's heavy armor weighed about 60 kilograms, but it had to cover the entire body. The armor covering the body could not be thicker than half a centimeter, otherwise it would be impossible to run.

Now, paper shell bullets that were supposed to appear in the 19th century have emerged.

The invulnerable Liao iron armor versus the indestructible paper shell bullets is another form of spear and shield. The next step is to see the effect.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian stuffing the paper shell bullet into the barrel, Zhong Jianzhong asked in confusion: "Is it done?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "It should be about the same."

"Is it still fired the same way as before?"

"Yes."

Zhong Jianzhong rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let me try!"

Zhao Xiaoqian quickly grabbed him, and Zhong Jianzhong turned his head and looked at him in confusion.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. A military general is still a military general after all, and this guy is really a tiger.

"For this kind of thing, we usually recommend having an enemy try it. Lao Zhong, do you have any enemies in the Dragon Guard Camp?"

Zhong Jianzhong was stunned. "An enemy is trying? That would be fantastic! Why would we let our enemy try to take the top spot?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said weakly, "Old Zhong, listen to my advice. This isn't like buying the virginity of a prostitute, and taking first place isn't an honor. In short,... you fucking back off!"

Zhong Jianzhong was startled and subconsciously followed the order to retreat.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "You're like a candle, aren't you? You won't light up unless I give you a military order."

The testing process is simple.

A straw target was set up three hundred steps away, and several flintlock rifles loaded with paper shell bullets of different gunpowder amounts were aimed at the target.

A long rope was tied to the trigger of the flintlock rifle. The rope was pulled out a long distance, and the other end was in Zhao Xiaoqian's hand.

With a strong pull, there was a bang, a puff of white smoke came out of the muzzle of the flintlock, and the straw target in the distance was hit.

A soldier brought a straw target. Zhao Xiaoqian examined it for a while and shook his head, saying, "The dose isn't enough. Let's try again."

The straw target was indeed hit, but the bullet remained inside the target. It was obviously not powerful enough to penetrate flesh and blood, but it would be difficult to penetrate thick armor.

I also chose a flintlock rifle with a larger charge, still with a pull rope.

There was a loud bang, and the flintlock was surrounded by white smoke. Everyone at the scene stepped back in shock.

When the smoke cleared, everyone looked closer and saw that the flintlock had exploded and parts were scattered everywhere.

Everyone looked at Zhao Xiaoqian in horror.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled awkwardly: "Well... there are too many medicines. Haha, that's normal. Scientific research always has its ups and downs."

There were still a few loaded flintlock rifles left, and Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at Zhong Jianzhong.

"Old man, these are the remaining ones. Why don't you try them yourself?"

Zhong Jianzhong subconsciously took a few steps back, shaking his head in fear, "No, no, the Duke was right. We should let our enemies try."

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked. "Do you have any enemies in the Dragon Guard Camp? We have a good relationship. Today, I will help you settle your grudge once and for all."

Zhong Jianzhong sighed regretfully, "The Dragon Guards are all brothers, so where do we find enemies? There are a few people in Bianjing who deserve to die. If the Duke isn't in a hurry..."

"Hurry, really in a hurry, let's talk about it later."

Zhao Xiaoqian continued to pull the rope and pull the trigger from a distance.

Finally, when he tried the third flintlock rifle, Zhao Xiaoqian only heard the sound of the gunshot and keenly realized... the Taoist priest succeeded!
The soldiers brought a straw target and everyone gathered around it. They saw that the straw target had been penetrated from front to back and the bullet had disappeared. Apart from anything else, the penetrating power was amazing.

Zhao Xiaoqian said happily: "Put a piece of iron armor in front of the straw target, the thickness of a little finger, let's try it again."

According to the amount of powder charged in this flintlock rifle, several paper shell bullets were made. For safety reasons, the rope was still pulled from a distance.

After a bang, the armor in front of the straw target was penetrated, and the bullet deformed and twisted, remaining inside the straw target.

Zhong Jianzhong finally understood everything at once, slapping his thigh and exclaiming excitedly, "It's done! Lord, we've done it! We can penetrate such thick armor, so why should the Dragon Guard Battalion fear the Liao army's heavy cavalry?"

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled, took a long breath, and murmured, "This time, the Song Dynasty's firearms are truly invincible..."

If even the Liao army's heavy cavalry can be penetrated, there is basically nothing in the world that can withstand the Song army.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Based on this paper shell bullet, try different dosages, increase or decrease a little, and see the difference in effect."

"Also, create a few different bullet shapes, like a round head, a cross blade, etc. Try a few and finally choose the most powerful and most suitable one to equip the Dragon Guard Battalion."

Zhong Jianzhong responded excitedly.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a little scratching his head.

With the advent of paper shell bullets, the Dragon Guard Camp had to build a firearms depot. It was a very troublesome task to gather people to manufacture paper shell bullets day and night.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't like doing such trivial things. His original intention in life was to live a life of luxury and debauchery. He couldn't really contribute to the feudal dynasty, right?
He has completed the key step, and the next thing should be Zhao Xu's concern.

Moreover, the paper shell bullet must not be hidden from Zhao Xu. Once the design and production are finalized, Zhao Xiaoqian must send the secret recipe of the paper shell bullet to Bian Jing as soon as possible and present it to Zhao Xu in person.

If you have no intention of rebelling, then it would be better for you to be sensible. If you wait until Zhao Xu takes the initiative to ask and demand it, the nature of the matter will be different.

(End of this chapter)