Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After the Yuan-chun's visit to her family was completely over, Jia Lian refocused his attention on official duties.

He had been in charge of the military headquarters for two years, and he had managed it very well; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it his headquarters. Therefore, apart from the daily routine work and the occasional discipline of some spoiled brats in the western city, there wasn't much else to do.

Therefore, what consumed his most attention was the matter of the Shenji Camp's firearms bureau.

That day, he was in the Shenji Camp, discussing with Wu Youquan and others how to connect gunpowder and bullets together to achieve rapid loading and truly solve the disadvantage of long firing intervals of muskets.

"Sir, could we wrap the lead pellets and gunpowder together in oiled paper? When firing, the soldier would simply bite or puncture the paper package and load it into the chamber, thus eliminating the need to load the lead pellets and gunpowder separately..."

This was the advice given by a senior craftsman from the musket battalion after being greatly influenced by Jia Lian.

Wu Youquan's eyes lit up, thinking the suggestion was good. He looked at Jia Lian and said, "My lord, this method seems feasible... I really don't understand what you mean. To use a copper or iron casing to hold gunpowder and attach it to the back of the lead pellets is not difficult, but how will we ignite the gunpowder inside?"

Although Wu Youquan was very passionate about firearms and had his own ideas, his mind was entirely focused on how to improve firearms. In his view, bullets were just round balls, whether they were made of iron, copper, or lead; it was simply a matter of cost and quality.

He couldn't imagine that bullets would be manufactured with a structure similar to that of firearms.

Faced with Wu Youquan's question, Jia Lian remained silent. He knew that simply using round beads as bullets was low-level. After all, although he wasn't a military enthusiast in his previous life, as an ordinary person, he knew that bullets consisted of bullets, cartridge cases, and so on. He figured that gunpowder was contained inside the cartridge case, which was how bullets could be loaded into firearms and fired immediately.

However, Jia Lian had forgotten, or rather, never understood, how gunpowder was ignited inside a metal bullet casing. Therefore, when questioned by Wu Youquan and other "firearms pioneers," he was unable to offer a practical solution.

Faced with the eager gazes of more than a dozen craftsmen yearning for advanced knowledge, Jia Lian felt a pang of guilt, but still maintained a mysterious and inscrutable demeanor:

"Hmm, let me think about this issue some more, and you can all consider it as well... For now, let's try it according to Deputy Engineer Wang's idea and see how it goes..."

The sophisticated, efficient, and fast bullets of later generations were likely the result of countless experiments by pioneers and the testing of the battlefield. Even if Jia Lian knew of their existence, producing them from scratch was not as easy as he imagined.

Even a small problem left unresolved can halt progress.

However, Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry. His immediate need was simply to be one step ahead of others. As for being ten or a hundred steps ahead, that would be ideal, but not essential…

Thinking about it, if he actually managed to build airplanes and rocket launchers, not to mention scaring those "great powers" in the west to death, even he himself didn't believe he had the ability and regretted not studying military engineering or something.

As they were discussing this, they suddenly heard a familiar voice from outside: "This is his office? It's so shabby! What's that smell?! Hey... um, what's your name again?"

"Reporting to the Fourth Emperor, uh, no, to His Highness Prince Xiao, this humble servant Bian Hong..."

"Haha, Lord Bian, you wouldn't be taking advantage of your higher rank to deliberately make things difficult for Jia Lian, and thus exiled him to this remote corner, would you?"

"Your Highness is too kind. How could I dare? It's just that Marquis Zhenyuan himself enjoys researching firearms and took the initiative to take charge of the Firearms Bureau. Given my background, how could I dare to make things difficult for Marquis Zhenyuan..."

Even through the wall, Jia Lian could almost see Bian Hong wiping his sweat.

Without asking, Jia Lian knew who had come. He gave a wink to Wu Youquan and the others, who were somewhat surprised, and told them to get back to work. Then he got up and headed towards the gate.

Sure enough, he saw two other officers from the Divine Machine Battalion observing from the large workshop of craftsmen. Upon seeing him emerge, they hurriedly announced, "Sir, His Highness the Fourth Prince has arrived. The Commander-in-Chief requests that you…"

"Okay, I understand."

Jia Lian raised his hand in response; he had already spotted the Zhang brothers and the Fourth Prince.

"Haha, Jia Lian, you really are here!"

Years have passed, but in Jia Lian's eyes, the Fourth Prince is still just that same little brat. And yet, this little brat is someone you absolutely cannot offend!

Shaking his head inwardly, Jia Lian quickly stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Prince Xiao and Second Brother Shuo."

Although the prince's status is above that of a prince, the fourth prince seems to particularly like the title "Prince Xiao" and likes the people around him to call him that.

"Hey, Jia Lian, what have you been busy with all day? It takes forever to find you!"

The Fourth Prince didn't stand on ceremony with Jia Lian at all. As soon as they met, he slapped Jia Lian's hand as he bowed, circled around him, and even peeked into the craftsmen's workshop. When he saw that the workshop was full of burly men with bare arms, working in the middle of autumn, tending boilers, forging iron, and playing billiards, he couldn't help but curl his lip.

Turning around, he saw Bian Hong and the others looking on expectantly. He waved his hand and said, "You can all go. I came here specifically to see him. You don't need to get in my way."

Bian Hong and the others wanted to say something more, but seeing the Fourth Prince's glare, they could only retreat in frustration.

"My royal sister told me that you're improving firearms, you know, those things that make a loud 'bang' sound when you swing them around. I heard they're quite effective. Can I see them? Anyway, I don't believe it's as exaggerated as my royal sister says. What's this about using them to decide the outcome on the battlefield? Without real sword and spear fighting, do you think you can win by just making a couple of 'bang' sounds with these dark sticks? If that's the case, it's really boring."

The Fourth Prince was clearly a hot-blooded young man, even harboring a longing and yearning for the battlefield, completely unaware of its cruelty. Jia Lian didn't bother arguing with him; after all, no matter how loudly he shouted, as long as Emperor Ningkang was still alive, the chances of this kid causing trouble on the battlefield were practically zero.

Zhang Shuo also laughed and said, "We've come here to witness the power of firearms."

"In that case, I'll make the arrangements."

……

On the drill ground, after Jia Lian arranged for a hundred or so soldiers to fire a volley in a "four-stage" manner, the Fourth Prince and the others looked at the pile of wooden rakes that had been riddled with holes.

"This feels different from the muskets I've played with before... Oh right, this thing is called a musket, right?"

"Your Highness, we now call it a 'musket' because it fires faster, has a longer range, and is more powerful than the old muskets."

Putting aside the Fourth Prince's status, even the Zhang brothers' father was a senior official in the Ministry of War, in charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the past six months, they had been researching firearms, and much of the material and equipment they needed had been collected and procured thanks to this second uncle. Therefore, Jia Lian naturally didn't hesitate to demonstrate the power of firearms to them as much as possible.

The reason why people in this era looked down on firearms can be traced back to something deeper, and we have to gradually change their views step by step in this way.

The fourth prince went down to inspect it himself and found that the wooden rakes were even thicker than the targets used for ordinary bows and arrows, which made him inwardly complain.

Zhang Tao scoffed, "What's the use of great power? It takes so long to fire a single shot. I could have killed the enemy with a bow and arrow long ago."

Jia Lian didn't explain or refute Zhang Tao's words. Instead, she smiled and looked at him, saying, "How about I give you one to play with?"

"really?"

Zhang Tao's eyes lit up instinctively, but he quickly realized what was happening and his face turned as red as a pig's liver, unsure of what to do.

It turned out that Jia Lian had already noticed that when those gleaming muskets were displayed, Zhang Tao was the most eager and curious one. He would grab one and study it, reluctant to put it down for a long time.

He might think it's true that this thing reloads slower than a bow and arrow, but putting everything else aside, the sound of a musket firing is something no man dislikes.

What he disliked was Jia Lian.

He used to be disliked by the old man because of his short stature. After Jia Lian came, the contrast became even more obvious.

In addition, Jia Lian always bullied him, which made him constantly oppose Jia Lian.

Despite his deep-seated resentment towards Jia Lian, he enjoyed studying all kinds of powerful weapons. He thought to himself, if Jia Lian were really willing to give him a musket to play with... well, how could that stingy man possibly give him anything sincerely?

He then scoffed, "To break one's word is to invite ridicule."

His puffed-up appearance clearly showed his frustration and anger at not getting what he wanted. Not only Jia Lian, but even Zhang Shuo and the Fourth Prince found it amusing.

The Fourth Prince, who loved to meddle in such matters, laughed and said, "That's right. A true man keeps his word. Jia Lian, you can't go back on your word. No matter what, he's still your cousin. You, as his older cousin, might be petty."

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "It's true that I'm his cousin, but this kid has never sincerely called me cousin from beginning to end. I'm in a difficult position."

Jia Lian wasn't lying. Unless he was in front of the old man and couldn't avoid it, Zhang Tao would reluctantly call him "Second Brother." In private, it was already a favor if he didn't glare at him. Jia Lian felt that this kid needed a good beating.

Therefore, Jia Lian deliberately instructed his men to bring over two wooden boxes.

"Huh, what's this?"

In response to the Fourth Prince's question, Jia Lian opened the first compartment, revealing a gilded, iridescent musket, only about a third the length of a normal musket. Next to it were bottles of gunpowder and ignition supplies.

"This is a specially made firearm crafted by my artisans using refined copper mixed with gold. Although it is less powerful, it is small and easy to carry and play with. If Your Highness does not mind, I would like to give it to you for your amusement."

After a moment's consideration, the fourth prince immediately laughed and said, "Great! I also find this thing quite interesting..."

So Jia Lian immediately taught the Fourth Prince how to use the musket. The Fourth Prince was quick to understand and soon figured out how to use it. He then looked at another box that looked similar.

"And what is this?"

"Oh, this one? It's just made of fine bronze, far inferior to Your Highness's. If Your Highness likes it, feel free to take it; if not, I'll keep it and give it to someone else."

As he spoke, Jia Lian casually opened the box and showed it to everyone, especially Zhang Tao, the same golden musket inside, which, apart from the color, was just as exquisite.

The Fourth Prince could easily see through Jia Lian's intentions. Having already received favors from Jia Lian, he was more than happy to cooperate. "Fine, I have this one, so I don't need that one."

"it is good."

Jia Lian immediately closed the box and handed it to his subordinate.

Zhang Tao was getting a little anxious.

He might have limited interest in those three-foot-long spears, but these short, gleaming yellow muskets were far too eye-catching.

If Jia Lian hadn't said he was going to give it to him, it would have been fine, but he did it anyway, which is really agonizing.

He tugged at his brother's sleeve, but Zhang Shuo only gave him a helpless look.

"Take it."

"Yes."

Seeing that Jia Lian's personal guards had already taken a few steps, and that any later would mean the end of their chance, Zhang Tao finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Wait!"

"Um?"

Meeting Jia Lian's questioning gaze, Zhang Tao's face twisted, and he finally stepped forward, cupping his fists to Jia Lian and saying, "Little brother greets Second Cousin Lian!"

Is this okay?

Her small eyes were filled with resentment, like a humiliated wife who had no choice but to submit.

The Fourth Prince and Zhang Shuo couldn't help but chuckle.

Jia Lian said, "What do you mean 'can't'? Oh, you want this musket, right? Sigh, I wouldn't mind giving it to you since you rarely call me 'cousin,' but..."

Zhang Tao was furious. He glared at Jia Lian as if he would fight Jia Lian to the death if Jia Lian dared to tease him.

"But this musket is a military weapon after all. You have neither an official position nor a personal guard quota. This is really putting me in a difficult position."

Jia Lian was taking advantage of Zhang Tao's youth and ignorance. In reality, apart from specific military weapons and equipment such as heavy crossbows and heavy armor, which the imperial court absolutely forbade the private manufacture and possession of, the court would not pursue other weapons too much as long as their quantity and regulations were within a controllable range.

As for firearms... at least until firearms demonstrate their absolute superiority over bows and arrows, the imperial court will most likely not ban them from the public.

Even now, some hunters still use simple firearms to hunt in the mountains.

Zhang Tao, unaware of the underlying reasons, suddenly felt that Jia Lian's words made sense, and his face was filled with disappointment. The feeling of having something you clearly like right in front of you, yet not being qualified to possess it, is something only those who have experienced it understand.

Zhang Shuo couldn't bear it any longer and offered a suggestion: "You forgot, Grandpa is a first-class earl, and he has his own personal guard..."

"Yeah, that's right!" Fortunately, Zhang Tao wasn't completely stupid. He slapped his thigh and then looked at Jia Lian:

"Jia Lian, it's a waste that your grandfather liked you so much. Now that you have something like this, you don't even know how to show him any respect."

To be honest, I don't care about this thing at all. I just thought that my grandfather was a soldier all his life and loved collecting all kinds of weapons, so I was going to take it back to show him.

Just tell me whether you're going to give it to me or not!

Zhang Tao became more and more confident as he spoke, and in the end he looked at Jia Lian with a face full of self-assurance, as if to say, "If you don't give it to me, I'll report you for being heartless and unfilial."

"Are you really asking for this for the old man? Don't even think about keeping it for yourself, or I'll have questions about it later."

"Of course, ask me anything."

I absolutely won't embezzle it. I'll take it openly. I'm not afraid of being questioned. I'll just say I borrowed it from Grandpa. Zhang Tao felt that although he had fallen out of favor, Grandpa still loved him and wouldn't fight him for such a small trinket.

If Grandpa really likes it too, then we can just have him rob Jia Lian again, and Jia Lian wouldn't dare refuse.

Jia Lian smiled, waved his hand, and told Zhang Yong to give the things to the kid.

Zhang Tao was overjoyed and quickly took it aside to examine it. Grandpa always said that he was short and suffered in fights because he was weaker than others, but with this thing, things were different. He felt that this thing was made for him. Others were tall and could be hit more easily, but he was small and others couldn't hit him even if they wanted to, hehe.