You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Spring arrives earlier and more tenderly in the Jiangnan region than in the north.

The fine rain, like silk threads, silently soaked the white walls and black tiles, pavilions and towers of the new capital, Jinling.

The imperial city, nestled against Zhongshan Mountain and overlooking the Yangtze River, possesses a magnificent atmosphere. Although it lacks the century-long accumulation of Bianliang (Kaifeng) and the rugged grandeur of Shangjing (Shangjing), it has its own unique and refreshing character, like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching, swallowing the heavens and earth.

This is the new capital that Lu Zuoli resolutely chose after the Song Dynasty had pacified the northern frontier and consolidated its foundation. He defied public opinion.

Backed by the prosperous southeast, controlling the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, and with convenient water transport, this place was, in his vision far ahead of its time, the true heart of the future empire that would radiate in all directions.

Xinglong Hall, one of the main halls of the new palace, had its doors wide open at this moment. The gentle spring breeze, carrying moisture and a faint fragrance of flowers, wafted through the hall, stirring the bright yellow curtains inside.

Lu Zuo did not sit on the dragon throne that symbolized supreme power, but stood with his hands behind his back beside the high white marble railing in front of the hall, gazing into the distance.

In the misty rain, Zhongshan Mountain in the distance appears dark and indistinct, the outline of the winding city wall is faintly visible, and further away, the mighty Yangtze River is like a rushing jade belt, where water vapor meets the sky, vast and boundless.

The palace city beneath our feet is orderly and well-organized. New government offices, barracks, and granaries are under construction one after another. The sounds of rammed earth and the hammering of wood and stone can be faintly heard, full of vibrant life.

His gaze seemed to transcend the scenery before him, reaching into a more distant time and space.

It's been a year...

It has been a full year since the recapture of the capital and the triumphant return to the capital.

This year was not a time for complacency, like putting away weapons and letting horses graze freely.

He moved the capital to Jinling, stabilized the court, pacified the newly subjugated people of the north, and turned the vast wealth, artisans, and maps captured from the Jin state into his own resources. Furthermore, he used an iron fist and the momentum of the great victory in the Northern Expedition to forcefully promote various new policies.

The expansion of government-run workshops, the establishment of new-style schools, the construction of highways...

In particular, the military-industrial complex is undergoing a qualitative transformation, thanks to his insightful guidance that transcends the times.

Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Yang Tiexin, and others were recruiting and training a brand-new army on a large scale in Jiangbei and Huainan, using veterans of the Northern Expedition who had been tempered by blood and fire as the backbone.

Equipment, manuals, and tactics are all being innovated.

An envoy from Western Xia came to probe before the new year, with an ambiguous attitude.

When the various Tibetan tribes heard of the fall of the Jin Dynasty, many sent envoys to pledge allegiance, but some of them harbored ulterior motives.

Further afield, in the chaos of the Mongol tribes on the steppes, new warlords seem to have emerged, and faint messages of unruliness are being sent forth.

As for Japan, Korea, and even those still ignorant city-states in the Western Regions and barbarian lands of Europe...

In his eyes, they were nothing more than pawns that would eventually be incorporated into his territory, or at least subdued by absolute force.

It's almost done.

With initial internal integration underway, a new army is taking shape, and the economy and people's livelihoods are also shifting towards a wartime trajectory under his strong impetus.

What remains is the ultimate vision of "sweeping across the six directions and unifying the world".

Just then...

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! It's been developed! It's been developed!"

A voice filled with ecstasy and slightly distorted with excitement broke the tranquility in front of Xinglong Hall as it approached from afar, accompanied by hurried, even somewhat unsteady, footsteps.

Lu Zuoxin's thoughts stirred slightly, and he slowly turned around.

The Minister of Works, Shen Gai, a veteran official over fifty years old who was known for his composure and competence, was now completely out of character.

His official robe was stained with mud, his hat was askew, and his face was flushed from running and excitement. Sweat and rain mixed on his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

Shen Gai abruptly stopped a few steps in front of Lu Zuo, barely managing to steady himself, and bowed deeply:

"Your Majesty! Heaven blesses the Song Dynasty!"

"Musketeers!"

"The kind of musket you drew, the workshop..."

"Mo Heng and the others did it! They really did it!"

Lu Zuo's hands, which were behind his back, tightened almost imperceptibly.

done?

His expression remained unchanged, but a sharp, lightning-like glint suddenly flashed in the depths of his eyes, as if magma was beginning to surge beneath a calm, deep pool.

Explain in detail.

"Yes! Yes!" Shen Gai gasped for breath, speaking rapidly, "Mo Heng led the master craftsmen of the workshop, following the 'self-generating firearm' concept bestowed by His Majesty, and combined it with newly refined steel, to conduct repeated experiments."

"After several months, we have overcome many difficulties, including the spring mechanism, gas sealing, and the integration of the projectile and gunpowder!"

"This very morning, the latest batch of prototypes underwent a hundred test firings without a single barrel explosion; every shot fired correctly, and its range and accuracy far surpass any previous firearms!"

"Mo Heng dared not delay and ordered me to immediately report to Your Majesty!"

"At this moment, inside the workshop, Mo Heng holds the new spear, awaiting His Majesty's inspection!"

"good!"

"Arrange your carriage, Ministry of Works workshop!"

……

The "Tiangongyuan" workshop, directly under the Ministry of Works, was located in a heavily guarded river valley northeast of Jinling City, nestled against the mountains and beside the water.

This place was originally an imperial estate, but Lu Zuo carved it out entirely, building high walls and fortifying it with heavy troops.

The drizzle has stopped, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, as well as a faint smell of sulfur and metal.

Lu Zuo's imperial carriage drove straight into the core area.

As soon as I got off the bus, I saw dozens of craftsmen dressed in uniform blue short jackets, their expressions excited and enthusiastic, surrounding an old man with gray hair, a thin face, and bright, piercing eyes in the open space in front of the huge shed.

In the old man's hands, he held a strangely shaped metal object.

It is about four feet long, made entirely of fine steel, and has a cold, eerie gleam. It has a slender barrel at the front, a wooden backrest, and a clear firing mechanism and a crescent-shaped metal piece in the middle.

Its design is seven or eight parts similar to the flintlock guns of his previous life that he remembered!

"Your subject Mo Heng, leading all the craftsmen of the Imperial Workshop, pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Upon seeing Lu Zuo, Mo Heng hurriedly handed the musket in his hand to the disciple beside him and was about to kneel down.

"No need for formalities." Lu Zuo raised his hand in a gesture of support, his gaze already fixed on the musket. "The musket."

Mo Heng understood, and immediately presented the musket again with both hands, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Your Majesty, this is the 'Divine Mechanism Type 1' self-firing musket, which was finally completed after 763 large and small tests, consuming over 10,000 catties of steel, based on Your Majesty's mental sketches and instructions!"

"Please review this, Your Majesty!"

Lu Zuo took it; it felt heavy in his hand, weighing about ten pounds, with a well-designed center of gravity.

He examined it closely: the barrel was straight and the inner wall was smooth, clearly indicating the use of new drilling and polishing techniques.

The bolt mechanism is compact, with the flintlock clip, hammer, powder container, and spring mechanism clearly visible. Although it appears somewhat rough, the basic principles are correct, and it even has the basic form of a rear sight and front sight.

He inspected the bolt, pulled the hammer, and it made a crisp "click".

"How were the test launch results? Report back in detail," Lu Zuo asked while inspecting the equipment.

"Return to your majesty!"

Mo Heng's spirits lifted, and he recounted the details as if they were his own treasures: "This gun has a three-point caliber and uses specially made lead bullets and metered paper-packaged powder cartridges."

"Maximum range: over 320 paces!"

"Within a hundred paces, they can wear the current standard-issue iron armor of our army!"

"Within fifty paces, the accuracy is quite considerable; a well-trained marksman can hit the chest target!"

"More importantly, through repeated drills, skilled soldiers can now complete the loading and firing process in one and a half to two breaths!"

"Far exceeding the speed of nocking a bow and arrow!"

One and a half to two breaths?

That means one shot every ten seconds or less?

Lu Zuo was startled.

This speed exceeded his expectations!

The practical value of a flintlock musket largely depends on its rate of fire.

"Reliability? Has the barrel explosion problem been solved?" he pressed for the core question.

"It's basically solved!" Mo Heng's face lit up as he pointed to the gun barrel: "The key is here!"

"Following Your Majesty's instructions, we used a crucible to smelt a new type of steel, repeatedly forged it to remove impurities, resulting in uniform pipe wall thickness and greatly increased toughness."

"After being quenched and tempered with 'salt water,' its strength far exceeds that of wrought iron in the past."

"After 100 test shots, only a few in the initial batch had slight bulging due to forging defects. After improving the process, none of the 300 bullets produced in the past month have exploded!"

"The spring mechanism used is also made of new steel, and it remains powerful even after being fired tens of thousands of times!"

Lu Zuo nodded to himself as he listened.

Breakthroughs in materials and processes are the key.

The ideas he provided were like pointing out the way, but it was the wisdom of top craftsmen like Mo Heng and countless trials and errors that truly helped to overcome the obstacles and make this path open.

He said no more, his gaze sweeping over a row of thick wooden targets covered with iron plates standing a hundred paces away.

"Load the ammunition."

The craftsmen and apprentices who were already prepared quickly stepped forward, bit open a paper package containing gunpowder, poured the gunpowder into the barrel, and took out a lead bullet from the leather pouch at their waist, pressing it down with a tamping rod.

Then pour a small amount of fine gunpowder into the medicine pool and close the lid.

Lu Zuo took the loaded musket, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The flint struck the steel sheet of the powder bath cover with a heavy thud, producing a burst of sparks that ignited the priming powder. The sparks then shot into the barrel, igniting the propellant.

A deafening explosion!

The gun muzzle spewed out a flash of fire and thick white smoke that was nearly a foot long!

The powerful recoil slammed into his shoulder, but it was negligible to Lu Zuo.

A clear hole appeared in the center of the wooden target, a hundred paces away!

"good!"

The surrounding craftsmen and guards, including Shen Gai and Mo Heng, couldn't help but cheer in hushed tones, their faces flushed with excitement.

Lu Zuo's expression remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

Become!

It really did!

Although it is still a muzzle-loading smoothbore, this is a true, combat-ready flintlock musket!

The range, power, rate of fire, and reliability have all initially met the standards!

This means that the Song Dynasty's army will be the first to enter the age of firearms!

Against an enemy still using bows and arrows, swords and spears, or even outdated fire gates, this will create an overwhelming advantage with a generational gap!

"A reward!" Lu Zuo put down the still-warm musket and announced loudly, "Everyone in the Tiangong Academy who participated in the research and development will be richly rewarded!"

"Mo Heng, Dean of the Jintian Institute of Technology, and Shen Gai, for their meritorious service in overall planning, are hereby granted the title of Marquis!"

"Your Majesty, we kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's divine grace!!" Shen Gai, Mo Heng, and the other craftsmen knelt down excitedly and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Lu Zuo looked intently at Mo Heng: "I once said that if this spear can fire continuously, it will be as easy as using one's own arm, and the firepower will be continuous."

Upon hearing this, Mo Heng not only showed no reluctance, but his eyes blazed with even greater fervor. He abruptly looked up, his voice rising with excitement: "Your Majesty!"

"I was just about to report!"

"Since the 'Divine Machine One' was finalized, I have been pondering Your Majesty's ingenious ideas of 'continuous fire' and 'ammunition magazine' day and night! Recently, I have made some progress!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly!"

Lu Zuo's heart skipped a beat.

Rapid fire?

He had only mentioned the vague concept of "whether it could fire in rapid succession like crossbow bolts" before, without providing any specific design details.

"Your Majesty, please look!"

Mo Heng took out a roll of silk that was slightly damp from sweat from his pocket, spread it out on the ground, and drew a complex mechanical structure diagram on it with charcoal. Although it was rough, the general idea could be seen.

"Inspired by Your Majesty and observing the techniques of crossbows and waterwheels, I have proposed adding a rotating magazine to the bottom of this gun, containing five to six rounds, linked by a spring mechanism."

"Each time a shot is fired, manually turning this wheel will automatically rotate the next magazine to the firing position, and the hammer will be chambered at the same time..."

"In this way, it can be fired five or six times continuously without interruption, and then reloaded completely!"

"I call it the 'Divine Revolving Mechanism'!"

"The key lies in the coordination between the cylinder's air-sealing mechanism and the lever's force. Several solutions are already in development, and prototypes are being built!"

Lu Zuo stared at the design drawings on the silk, which, though immature, were full of imaginative ideas and already possessed the prototype of an early revolver. He was so shocked that he was speechless for a moment.

He only provided the concept of "rapid firing" and a vague impression of the final form, yet Mo Heng was able to deduce the specific and feasible implementation path of "rotor" in such a short time by combining existing technology!

This ability to apply knowledge to new situations and overcome difficulties, this profound understanding of mechanical principles and bold imagination...

These are the craftsmen of my Chinese nation!

This is the wisdom buried in the dust of history!

Some previous arguments have claimed that ancient China did not value science and technology, that craftsmen had a low social status, and that it lacked a spirit of innovation.

That's utter nonsense!

Before me stood Mo Heng, and the artisans whose faces were flushed with excitement and whose hands were covered with calluses and burns. Their enthusiasm, focus, and wisdom were second to none.

If the Qing Dynasty had not been so closed off from the world, suppressing dissent and stifling innovation...

With the accumulated skills and craftsmanship of China over thousands of years and such intelligent and diligent craftsmen, how could we have fallen behind in modern times and suffered a century of humiliation?

The problem has never been the people of this land or their wisdom.

It was that utterly despicable dog dynasty!

He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, looked at Mo Heng whose eyes were filled with anticipation, and patted him heavily on the shoulder: "Okay!"

"I authorize you to devote all your efforts to research and development. All materials and manpower shall be allocated to Shen Gai with priority!"

"If successful, I will reward you with a noble title!"

"Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty, I will do my utmost, even unto death, to live up to your expectations!" Mo Heng was so excited that his beard trembled, and he bowed down again.

Lu Zuo turned to Shen Gai, his tone resolute: "The 'Divine Machine Technique' is to be finalized immediately, and its production to be overseen with full force!"

"Produce 5,000 units first, and equip them with Yue Fei's new army, the 'Shenji Battalion'."

"The wages of skilled craftsmen will be increased by another 30%!"

"This is a top secret of our Great Song Dynasty. Anyone who leaks it will have their entire family executed!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Shen Gai solemnly replied.

"Return to the palace." Lu Zuo took one last look at the "Divine Machine One" lying quietly on the craftsman's table, then turned and boarded the imperial carriage. The carriage started moving, leaving the valley that was about to change the world's landscape.

Inside the carriage, Lu Zuo closed his eyes and pondered.

The success of the musket served as the first solid foundation, firmly laying the groundwork for his grand ambition of unifying the world.

Next, we await the formation of the "Divine Machine Battalion," using the blood and cries of the enemy to test the sharpness of this new-era weapon and to deter all forces that have not yet submitted or harbor ulterior motives.

Western Xia, Tibet, grasslands, Japan, Korea...

Even more distant territories have been marked one by one on his strategic sandbox, waiting to be reshaped by this new force of steel and fire.

Outside the window, the rain in Jiangnan began to fall again, nourishing all things and seemingly unveiling a new and vibrant era.