The prince is more stable

Chapter 610 Making up for shortcomings
In order to resist the Song army's firearms, Xiao Wuna made trenches by improvisation. This result was unexpected not only by Zhe Keshi, but also by Zhao Xiaoqian.

If possible, Zhao Xiaoqian would like to have a chat with Xiao Wuna in the future, purely on military topics, and ask him how he came up with the idea of ​​building trench fortifications, which is quite incredible.

The appearance of the trenches gave Zhao Xiaoqian a sense of urgency.

The greatest application of human wisdom has actually been in warfare. Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients, nor could he become complacent and stop pursuing progress just because flintlock guns could crush this era.

Firearms were the capital and foundation for the Song Dynasty's struggle for supremacy. If the enemy took the lead, the Song Dynasty would return to the humiliating era of the past.

Leading Chen Shou and other imperial guards out of the city, Zhao Xiaoqian rode on horseback, constantly conceiving the principles of new firearms.

Although the Song Dynasty is now commercially developed, its industrial capacity is basically equivalent to that of a primitive society.

Given such an industrial base, it was natural to want to create new firearms that were practical.

Without even a machine tool, it was impossible to manufacture those high-precision weapons from his previous life. Zhao Xiaoqian could only make new firearms by hand based on the current industrial conditions.

Upon arriving outside the city, Zhao Xiaoqian found a secluded and deserted place. He ordered his men to unload the gunpowder and materials, and was just about to take action when Chen Shou ordered all the Imperial Guards to spread out in a circle, maintaining a perimeter of ten zhang with Zhao Xiaoqian at the center.

Even more outrageous, this guy actually released scouts and spies to scatter in all directions and monitor any suspicious people around.

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned: "What are you doing?"

Chen Shou smiled innocently: "What the young master is going to make must be something extraordinary. This is a national treasure of our Great Song Dynasty, and it must not be coveted by foreign enemies. It is always better to be cautious."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a long time, then subconsciously looked around.

The surroundings were deserted; there wasn't even a dog in sight. Who would covet it? A reconnaissance satellite in the sky?

This overreaction, as if facing a formidable enemy, had a strange, youthful, and somewhat childish enthusiasm. Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't bear to dampen Chen Shou's spirits, so he said, "Whatever makes you happy. If you really want to keep it a secret, why not surround me with shields and block everyone's view..."

Chen Shou was stunned and bewildered. After a long while, he seemed to wake from a dream and suddenly slapped his thigh: "The young master's brain is still the best! Men, go to the city immediately..."

Before he could finish speaking, he got kicked in the butt by Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Are you never going to stop? What are you doing, you grown man? I need to get to work, don't bother me, get out of here."

Chen Shou obediently withdrew, while Zhao Xiaoqian squatted alone in the center of the circle and began to work.

Gunpowder was not a problem; it was hundreds of years ahead of the rest of the world. The key to the great power of the flintlock muskets of the Song Dynasty was gunpowder. So even if the enemy stole the flintlock muskets and bullets, or even the gunpowder, Zhao Xiaoqian was not worried at all.

Because it was very difficult for the enemy to develop the correct gunpowder formula, even if they spent a fortune and worked desperately to find the right formula, it would still take at least a hundred years.

The firearms of the Song Dynasty will continue to improve and will always remain at the forefront of the world.

Squatting on the ground, Zhao Xiaoqian picked up a handful of gunpowder and examined it in his palm for a while.

The gunpowder was made very finely and of good quality. In such an important matter, the Bianjing Firearms Bureau dared not cut corners in the slightest. Otherwise, if something went wrong, it would not be as simple as exile or banishment. At the very least, it would mean the end of the whole family.

Zhao Xiaoqian put down the gunpowder, took out a piece of sheet metal from the materials he had brought, and used a frame to enclose the sheet metal into a rectangular black box.

Then, thirty-two cylindrical slots were made inside the box, which were also separated by sheet metal.

After measuring the diameter of each cylindrical groove, Zhao Xiaoqian squatted down and silently used cardboard as material, filled it with gunpowder as a primer, added dozens of small iron balls to the head, and finally sealed it.

Once a small rocket is built, it is placed in a metal box, and a fuse is connected to the bottom of the rocket. The project is basically complete.

After working for half a day, Zhao Xiaoqian was covered in sweat, even in the dead of winter.

Standing up and looking around, Zhao Xiaoqian shouted, "Chen Shou, get me a dozen or so targets. I want to test their effectiveness first."

Chen Shou immediately looked serious. He personally cut grass and felled trees in the wild to make more than a dozen human-shaped grass targets. As Zhao Xiaoqian requested, the grass targets were placed a hundred paces away.

He told everyone to disperse, and Zhao Xiaoqian looked excited, like a child setting off firecrackers during the New Year. At such a young age, he had actually rediscovered his childhood joy.

Aiming at the straw target a hundred paces ahead, Zhao Xiaoqian excitedly said, "Everyone move aside, get ready to hear the sound!"

After saying that, Zhao Xiaoqian lit the fuse at the bottom of the rocket. With a loud bang, the rocket was launched and shot out of the metal box, heading straight for the straw target a hundred paces away.

When it was within a hundred paces of its target, before it even made contact, the rocket exploded on its own. After a cloud of white smoke, silence returned, with only the lingering echo of thunder reverberating across the wilderness.

The excitement on Chen Shou and the Imperial Guards' faces gradually froze. Looking at the dozen or so straw targets in the distance that remained motionless, everyone looked puzzled.

Chen Shou carefully observed Zhao Xiaoqian's expression but couldn't discern anything amiss. Chen Shou coughed awkwardly and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Everything in this world requires many attempts. There's no such thing as success on the first try. If it doesn't work this time, we'll improve and try again next time. We're sure to succeed."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "What do you mean? You mean I failed?" "Your Highness, failure is not shameful..." Chen Shou continued to comfort him.

“Failure is not shameful, being blind is,” Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to the straw target in front of him and said, “Send someone to move the straw target over here.”

Several imperial guards brought over straw targets, and Zhao Xiaoqian and Chen Shou stepped forward to examine them carefully.

The crudely made straw target was covered with craters of all sizes, and if you dug your finger in, you could find small iron balls that were still warm.

Each straw target was hit by three to five iron balls in the center of its body, and all of the dozen or so straw targets were hit to varying degrees; not one was missed.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Shoucai was astonished to discover that the Crown Prince's attempt this time was not a failure at all, but a flawless success!
"Your Highness, this, this... it's done?" Chen Shou was overjoyed.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, showed neither sorrow nor joy, still staring at the bullet holes on the straw target, shaking his head with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

"It's barely acceptable, but it still needs improvement. At least in terms of range, there's still a huge amount of room for improvement..."

As Zhao Xiaoqian spoke, he gestured with his fingers to indicate the length, then murmured, "We can fill it with more iron balls, and the iron balls can be smaller in size to create more space..."

"Anyway, if this thing hits a person, there's no difference between a hole the size of a bowl and a hole the size of a finger; in the end, it's still death."

Chen Shou said excitedly, "Your Highness, this thing can be used on the battlefield for close-range defense, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback, then laughed: "You actually understood it?"

“This humble general is not stupid; I have some experience in battle. Our flintlock muskets have a range of four or five hundred paces. Although the range is a bit short, the destructive power is terrifying! One shot can kill dozens of enemies; it's simply a divine weapon!”

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "That's right. Last time, the Liao army launched a three-pronged attack. Zhong Jianzhong's central force lost more than 3,000 soldiers. They were all killed when the enemy broke through their first line of defense, rendering their flintlock muskets useless. The soldiers had no choice but to fight hand-to-hand with the enemy using swords and spears..."

"Yesterday I carefully read Zhong Jianzhong's postwar summary and suddenly had some ideas."

"Although our firearms are sharp, they still have shortcomings. The shortcomings are within a hundred paces of the first line. Once the enemy rushes within a hundred paces, our army will be in danger. The process of loading and charging flintlock muskets is slow and cannot fire continuously, which gives the enemy the opportunity to engage in close combat."

Patting the tin box beside him, Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "With this thing, our army's weakness in close combat has been addressed."

"If our army were to equip a large number of these items in front of the enemy lines, not many, just two thousand men, we could simply wait until the enemy was within a hundred paces and then fire all at once. Tsk tsk, it would be a 'rain of flowers' or a 'storm of pear blossoms.' There would be nowhere to hide within a hundred paces. Oh dear, just thinking about it makes me feel miserable!"

Chen Shou had also imagined this scene, and his expression became even more delighted: "Your Highness, this thing is no less than a flintlock pistol. Our Great Song Dynasty has gained another divine weapon! Your Highness is mighty!"

The surrounding imperial guards cheered with delight, looking at Zhao Xiaoqian with admiration.

Zhao Xiaoqian accepted the adoration of the crowd without hesitation, saying, "I accumulated good deeds and had noble character in my past life. Receiving so much admiration in this life is a reward I deserve."

"Your Highness, has this thing been named? What should it be called?" Chen Shou asked.

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it 'A Nest of Bees'. It's easy to understand and we won't have to explain it to the soldiers."

"What a great name!" Chen Shou exclaimed in praise. "Even a rough and uncouth soldier like myself can understand it immediately."

Regardless of whether the name is good or bad, it's customary to praise it upon hearing it, and Chen Shou is clearly a person who understands the rules very well.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled slightly, his gaze intently examining the firearms he had just created.

The "one-nest-a-bee" thing, strictly speaking, was created in the Ming Dynasty. It basically did not require an industrial base and could be mass-produced purely by hand.

There is a book in the Ming Dynasty called "Wubei Zhi" (Treatise on Military Preparedness), which records a wide variety of firearms that could be manufactured in that era, and "Yiwofeng" (a type of firearm) is one of them.

The "Wubei Zhi" records that a swarm of bees could launch 32 rockets at once on the battlefield, forming the shape of a metal box, which a single soldier could carry on his back and run for 100 miles.

The range of this type of firearm was indeed not far. According to the "Treatise on Military Preparedness", the longest range of the Ming Dynasty's "Yiwofeng" firearm could reach 300 paces.

Zhao Xiaoqian's current swarm of bees only covers a little over a hundred steps, clearly indicating there is still much room for improvement.

Such firearms are truly feasible; Zhao Xiaoqian didn't have much knowledge accumulated in his previous life.

To my shame, Zhao Xiaoqian has no skills whatsoever in manufacturing steam engines, stamping presses, or even Maxim machine guns. He's a disgrace to transmigrators and feels like committing suicide to atone for his sins…

The firearms he could manufacture wouldn't be too advanced, but they would at least be able to crush the era.

Of course, the manufacturing process must have been very simple and unpretentious, ensuring that it wouldn't be difficult for the artisans of this era.

(End of this chapter)