Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 220 Firearms That Were Beyond Lu Chen's Expectations

Mo Xing and his team made three types of cannons: one was a wheeled red-coated cannon, another was a mortar, and the third was not a cannon at all; it was only the size of a rifle and looked more like a rifle.

The Red Cannon is very similar to Lu Chen's 122mm howitzer. Although it is not as big as a howitzer and its structure is not complicated, you can tell from the cylindrical shells that this Red Cannon is not the Red Cannon shown in his drawings.

Lu Chen stroked the muzzle and examined it carefully. The cannon was three meters long and should fire shells of about 75mm.

He then lifted the cannon's wheel, using one hand to lift it up. He estimated the weight to be around three or four hundred kilograms.

The outer wall of this heavy cannon is quite rough, and the barrel is also quite thick. It is obvious that the barrel was specially thickened because the material strength was insufficient.

In the northern country, which has no industrial base, it is already very difficult to manufacture such a cannon. Lu Chen does not mind the cannon's ugly appearance at all.

He crouched down and looked at the loading port again, only to find that the firing principle of this artillery was actually similar to that of his 122mm howitzer. Both of them ignited the fuel inside the shell by triggering the primer, thus launching the shell.

This……

Isn't it a bit too advanced?

He just wanted to build the Red Cannon.

Traditional red-coated cannons were fired by lighting a fuse with fire before launching the cannonball.

The heavy artillery manufactured by Mo Xing and his team was basically a copy of the howitzer.

It's clear that Mo Xing and his fellow craftsmen have essentially mastered the firing principles of howitzers.

Lu Chen couldn't help but think, who says ancient people are stupid? Give them a howitzer, and they can make a miniature version of it. They are smarter than some modern people.

If he were given the same number of men, he certainly wouldn't be able to produce similar cannons.

Of course, even if they look similar, the key is that they can be launched.

Lu Chen then picked up a shell from the side and discovered that it looked very much like a miniature version of a 122mm howitzer shell.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Chen loaded the shell and then personally operated the cannon in front of him to fire at a distance.

With a loud "boom," the shell was launched, and soon after, it exploded again in the distance.

Because of the gunpowder, the explosive power is far less than that of a 122mm howitzer, but this heavy artillery is basically sufficient for this martial arts world.

As long as the enemy doesn't have a Grandmaster-level martial artist, with these heavy cannons, the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom can basically crush the armies of all dynasties, even if they are Grandmasters.

After testing the first improved version of the red-coated cannon, Lu Chen took a look at the second type of mortar.

The basic principle of a mortar is the same as that of a heavy artillery: it uses gravity to drop the shell, and then the primer strikes the firing pin inside the barrel.

At this moment, Lu Chen was very excited. He didn't expect that just by taking a howitzer for Mo Xing and his team to disassemble, they not only created an improved version of the Red Coat Cannon, but also invented a portable mortar.

Lu Chen had never taught Mo Xing and the others how to make mortars.

Lu Chen did not test the mortar. He only glanced at the mortar shells and then his gaze fell on the so-called "small cannon" made by Mo Xing and his team.

What Mo Xing and his group called "small cannons" were, in Lu Chen's eyes, just rifles, except that they fired steel balls, had separate primers, and could only be loaded one bullet at a time.

However, this was only the first version of the musket, so it's normal that it wasn't very good. Moreover, this world doesn't yet have a complete industrial base, so being able to produce such a simple musket is already quite impressive.

Although the muskets are not very useful yet, compared to those muskets that require manual loading of gunpowder, the muskets made by Mo Xing and his team are obviously much better. The gunpowder for their muskets is contained in a container, eliminating the need for manual loading. This makes them very convenient to carry, and most importantly, the gunpowder is less prone to moisture.

Lu Chen picked up the "small cannon," loaded the bullets and primer, and then personally tested the musket.

boom!

As the gunshot rang out, the steel ball was propelled by the exploding gunpowder, and the next moment, the steel ball struck a tree trunk dozens of meters away.

Its power is quite good.

If it could be further improved by changing the steel balls into pointed bullets, its power could be further enhanced.

After testing the muskets, Lu Chen turned to Mo Xing and pointed to the improved Red Coat Cannon and mortar, saying, "Next, we'll mass-produce these two types of cannons, at least three hundred of each."

Mo Xing asked, "Your Highness, shall we have those small cannons made?"

The "small cannon" that Mo Xing was referring to was naturally a musket. The musket was something Mo Xing figured out, and he created it based on the firing principle of a howitzer. He thought that cannonballs were too heavy and far less convenient to carry than small cannons. Moreover, if small cannons were used on the battlefield, their soldiers would no longer need to carry so many arrows.

Upon hearing Mo Xing's question, Lu Chen pondered for a moment. Although this was still the first version of the musket and not yet very useful, their muskets would definitely become more and more advanced in the future, so the soldiers needed to get used to them in advance.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "Let's make a thousand of these little cannons first. By the way, we'll rename these little cannons from now on. Don't call them little cannons anymore, call them muskets."

Upon hearing Lu Chen mention that he wanted to manufacture a small cannon and even gave it a special name, Mo Xing was overjoyed. He immediately replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"

At this moment, Lu Chen looked at the musket and asked, "By the way, who designed this musket?"

Mo Xing replied, "Your Highness, it was this humble subject who established it."

Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled and said, "From now on, this musket will be named after you, called the Mo Xing Musket."

Mo Xing said excitedly, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Being able to name a weapon after himself made Mo Xing feel that he was highly valued by Lu Chen. To be valued by the Chosen One was such a great honor.

Lu Chen continued, "Although the first version of the musket is usable, it is still not convenient enough. I hope you can improve it further and make a better Mo Xing musket."

Mo Xing said excitedly, "Yes, Your Highness, this humble subject will certainly not let Your Highness down!"

Lu Chen glanced at the improved Red Coat Cannon and the mortar again, and then said, "From now on, this heavy cannon will be called the Vulcan Cannon, and the second type of mortar will be called the Thunder and Wind Cannon."

At this point, Lu Chen turned around and said, "Let's stop testing here for today. Next, you all hurry up and manufacture them. I want to equip the army with these weapons within a year."

"Commander Qin, take me to see the place where cannons are cast."

"Yes, Your Highness, please follow me." Qin Yushan then led the way, taking Lu Chen to inspect the entire military factory.

By the time Lu Chen returned to the Prince's Mansion after inspecting the military factory, it was already dark.

Lu Chen was very happy today. The firearms were ready, and all that was left was to wait for them to be mass-produced.

With the deployment of these firearms and the reform of the army, the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom will surely have a very strong fighting force in the future. At that time, perhaps no dynasty in the world will be able to defeat the Northern Kingdom.

Thinking of all this, Lu Chen felt high-spirited and full of expectations for the future.

Over the next few months, construction of the new city began, and Lu Chen was very busy every day. He was either handling government affairs in his study or supervising the construction of the new city. Occasionally, he would also go to the military factory to check on the manufacturing process of firearms.

Lu Chen's three wives and concubines were getting bigger and bigger every day, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for Mu Zixuan to give birth.

(End of this chapter)