The Prodigal Son

"Baa..."

The mournful bleating of sheep could be heard continuously.

The pungent smell of gunpowder permeated the area around the artillery.

Zhao Luan was stunned for a long time before she finally came to her senses and stared wide-eyed at the still smoking copper pipe.

How can something as small as this make such a loud noise?

Louder than the fireworks Qin Yu made?

Ok?

fireworks?

Zhao Luan sniffed, then suddenly realized, "This is what you use to make fireworks?"

This smells a lot like the smell after fireworks have been set off!

They are practically identical!

"right!"

Qin Yu nodded. "Let me take Your Majesty to see the results first!"

"good!"

Zhao Luan was also eager to see the effects of the new weapon that Qin Yu had mentioned.

Led by Qin Yu, they quickly arrived at the place where the sheep were tethered.

At this moment, the place was a complete mess.

Even the sheep in the very center of the impact zone, though covered in armor, were blown to pieces.

There were also many lamb legs that had been blown apart nearby.

Some sheep appeared unharmed on the surface, but were actually injured internally and lay on the ground bleating pitifully.

Even the sheep that weren't injured at all were so frightened that they lay stiff on the ground. Only three sheep were still struggling desperately, bleating in panic, trying to escape from this place.

In the very center, there is a shallow pit about seven or eight feet in diameter.

In Qin Yu's opinion, this was only passable; its power was still insufficient!

However, now that the shells and artillery have been developed, the next step is to make further improvements!

It shouldn't be long before he can improve the cannons and shells to his satisfaction.

Qin Yu was still pondering, but Zhao Luan, looking at the scene before her, was filled with excitement, her eyes revealing a deep sense of joy.

This is much more powerful than the stones thrown by a catapult!

Even those sheep, still clad in armor, suffered heavy losses; the enemy's ordinary soldiers and unarmored warhorses certainly couldn't withstand it!

The noise alone is enough to frighten people!

Moreover, this thing is much smaller than a catapult.

If you put hundreds of these things on the city wall, even if the enemy has thousands of troops, they won't be able to get close to the city.

A powerful weapon for defending the city!

Yun Ying was equally excited, and her breathing became rapid.

After calming herself down, Yun Ying hurriedly pointed to the cannons in the distance and asked Qin Yu, "Lord Qin, how far is it from here to over there?"

"Eighty feet!"

Qin Yu replied, "This is just the initial prototype; many improvements will be made later! A range of over a mile is considered basically acceptable!"

"One mile away? Basically qualified?"

Yun Ying stared at him in shock. "This is considered basically acceptable?"

"right!"

Qin Yu nodded and smiled, "With continuous improvements, the range will get longer and longer! My goal is a range exceeding two miles!"

Two miles!

Yun Ying's eyes widened suddenly.

If this thing could shoot two miles, wouldn't that be equivalent to pinning the enemy army to the ground and beating them?

"A range exceeding two miles is not so easy to achieve."

Qin Yu smiled at Yun Ying, "Based on our current technology, one li is a more realistic estimate!"

A goal is a goal, and reality is reality.

"One mile is enough!"

Zhao Luan snapped out of her daze and looked intently at Qin Yu. "Approximately how long will it take to finish?"

"Within one year!"

Qin Yu replied, "The reason I brought Your Majesty here today to see this cannon demonstration is actually to ask Your Majesty for money! At the same time, the Tiangong Workshop can no longer operate on the Qin family's estate; we must provide them with a secluded place and assign heavy troops to protect it..."

Previously, his goal was to train technicians, develop basic technologies, and produce prototype cannons.

Now, the technology has been accumulated to a certain extent, and Wang Dou and his team have gained an in-depth understanding of artillery. Moreover, a prototype cannon has already been produced.

The next step is continuous improvement and experimentation!

Ultimately, they developed artillery that could be truly used on the battlefield and continuously improved and innovated the technology.

It's time to move Tiangongfang to a new location!

"no problem!"

Zhao Luan readily agreed, "You choose the address, and you can specify the amount of silver and manpower you need in your memorial!"

"Um."

Qin Yu nodded slightly.

Zhao Luan took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and solemnly ordered Yun Ying: "Pass on my decree: No one is to mention today's events to anyone else; otherwise, they will be punished for treason!"

"yes!"

Yun Ying accepted the order.

Qin Yu led Zhao Luan to the location of the cannon, ordered someone to explain the basic principles of the cannon to Zhao Luan, while he himself took an iron rod and kept hitting the cannon body.

Soon, Qin Yu heard a different sound.

By peering under the cannon, Qin Yu quickly discovered a very fine crack.

It's basically useless!

If you count all the previous tests, this is only the fifth shot!

Given this situation, at most one or two more shots and it will inevitably explode.

The technology for casting these cannons still needs improvement!

And what's more, it's a bronze cannon!

If it were an iron cannon, it probably wouldn't even pass the initial tests.

Upon discovering the crack, Qin Yu immediately summoned several key technicians, including Wang Dou and Wang Su. "The cannon body already has cracks. Based on my judgment, there are several possible reasons."

"First, the casting runner design is flawed, and the turbulent flow of molten copper leads to too much air being trapped!"

"Secondly, there's a problem with the copper-tin ratio, which needs further adjustment and verification."

"Third, there was a problem during the cooling and tempering process, or the temperature was not properly controlled..."

Qin Yu explained his judgment to them in detail, and the group gathered around the cannon to discuss with Qin Yu on the spot, determining the direction for future improvements.

To Zhao Luan, it was like listening to a foreign language.

However, it doesn't matter to her!

As long as Qin Yu understands!

About 15 minutes later, they determined the direction for further improvements.

The rest is just a matter of continuous improvement and experimentation!

Only after they finished their discussion did Zhao Luan call Qin Yu over, smiling as she asked, "Is this your real reason for asking me for the Wang brothers?"

"yes!"

Qin Yu nodded and smiled, "Didn't I already tell Your Majesty this before?"

"You did mention it, but you didn't say you wanted to get your hands on this thing!"

Zhao Luan glared at Qin Yu with a smile, then asked Wang Dou, "How much salary does Qin Yu give you each month?"

Wang Dou respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the master chefs and I each receive fifty taels per month, the apprentices twenty-five taels per month, and the general laborers ten taels per month..."

Hearing what Wandou said, Zhao Luan was taken aback.

Even the handymen get ten taels of silver a month?

He really went all out!

After a moment of silent reflection, Zhao Luan raised his eyes and surveyed the crowd: "I am very satisfied with the new weapons you have created. All personnel of the Heavenly Crafts Workshop will be awarded a year's salary! Furthermore, I will order your families to be brought to the capital!"

Since Qin Yu is so generous, I can't be stingy either!

Upon hearing Zhao Luan's words, everyone was overjoyed and bowed in unison, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"