Judging from the labeled name, this sand table covers the entire Liaodong region, as well as the surrounding Later Jin and Mongol-Korean areas. However, the sand table is only half completed so far. In particular, many details concerning the Later Jin region are still incomplete.
"How much more is needed?" Lu Xuan asked the craftsmen.
"Reporting to you, sir, another map was delivered last night. After being added to the sand table, it is now about 30% complete."
"I will have the front lines speed things up, and you need to speed things up here too. As soon as you get any intelligence, work through the night."
"Yes, sir."
A detailed sand table is a necessity for warfare in this era. However, Lu Xuan couldn't find one in this general's mansion. Perhaps the previous general believed he didn't need a sand table.
After looking at the sand table, Lu Xuan went to the other side. There were about fifty children there, already practicing with Miyamoto Musashi in the morning.
"My lord." Miyamoto bowed quickly upon seeing Lu Xuan approach.
"No need for formalities, how are you feeling?"
"The selection process was extremely rigorous, lasting a month. All the remaining children are exceptionally bright and quick learners."
"That's good. If you're interested, you can choose a few from them to be your ultimate manual."
"Is it alright?" Miyamoto asked with a hint of delight, clearly indicating that he had chosen the child earlier.
"As long as the child is willing, there's no problem." These children are Lu Xuan's carefully selected and groomed inner circle, trained according to the leadership's standards. If a few of them become direct descendants of Miyamoto, they could serve as his personal bodyguards in the future, which would be quite good.
"Thank you, sir."
"Okay, you can continue. I'll just wander around."
After leaving Miyamoto's place, Lu Xuan went to the third floor of the backyard.
The defenses here are much tighter. This is a research base for firearms—research, not production. Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't put a firearms factory in his own backyard. This place is only used for small-scale testing and experiments to improve firearms.
Lu Xuan knew very little about firearms, even across both his lives. In his previous life, by the time he died, the development of firearms was already far more advanced than in the Ming Dynasty. However, back then, Lu Xuan had no idea he would time-travel again. In the later stages, he paid little attention to these things. At that time, the Tang Dynasty had already developed the technology for fixed-load bullets. Lu Xuan had used them a few times and provided some ideas based on his memory, allowing the craftsmen here to study them.
"My lord..." A group of craftsmen saw Lu Xuan enter and quickly stood up to greet him.
"No need for formalities. I came to check on the progress."
A craftsman quickly took out a musket and handed it to Lu Xuan.
"My lord, as you can see, we have made this kind of musket according to your instructions. However, there are still some problems with the ignition of the gunpowder. The success rate is about 60% to 70%. Our gunpowder needs a little modification. It should be more sensitive and have greater power."
The success rate of traditional matchlock muskets was generally around 50%. This refers to qualified muskets. The scrap metal muskets of the Ming Dynasty were lucky to achieve a 30% success rate.
Lu Xuan's initial contribution was the concept of a flintlock mechanism combined with a fixed cartridge. This used a flint instead of the traditional matchlock, reducing the smoke from the matchlock and eliminating its weakness of being unusable in rainy weather. Simultaneously, the use of fixed-load paper cartridges shortened firing time.
It's important to know that the Ming Dynasty already possessed flintlock muskets before this. Yes, at this time, Ming Dynasty firearms were not actually inferior to those of Europe; we had our own flintlock musket system. Unfortunately, like countless inventions throughout history, the Ming Dynasty's flintlock muskets did not achieve widespread adoption. Furthermore, during the Qing Dynasty, they were effectively eradicated, so Ming Dynasty firearms never truly developed.
To this end, Lu Xuan unleashed all the ideas in his mind, letting them ferment in this world. Rifling, breech-loading, metal cartridges, even the concept of revolvers—he threw them all out at once, letting them take hold.
The paper-cased bullets that Lu Xuan is developing are not the prototype of modern metal bullets. They simply pre-load the gunpowder for each shot into a paper casing, eliminating the need to retrieve it from the casing when needed. This makes the loading of gunpowder more precise and faster.
The development of metal bullets would still take a considerable amount of time. Lu Xuan remembered that a breakthrough was needed first in gunpowder itself, to create something called mercuric fulminate. This substance was more sensitive and explosive. It was the core of the primer in metal bullets. However, he didn't understand this, so he could only develop flintlock pistols first. After that, he would let the craftsmen experiment on their own.
Lu Xuan was already quite satisfied with the results. He immediately ordered the factory to produce a batch of the latest flintlock muskets to test their effectiveness on the battlefield. If he remembered correctly, the advent of the flintlock musket had already begun to drastically change the landscape of warfare throughout human history. In Europe, the tactic of firing squads in formation had long been prevalent.
This is sufficient proof that the firepower of flintlock muskets had a suppressive effect on most massed charges.
At that time, the Manchus' firearms were extremely weak in the Ming Dynasty, so there was no lined up for execution by firing squad; there was only lined up for slaughter.
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Chapter 143 Gold, Gold (Please Subscribe)
The Liaoyang Guard soldiers returned to camp, three thousand men, reeking of blood. Although Lu Xuan still considered them a bunch of greenhorns, in this world, they were indeed qualified soldiers.
Meanwhile, in the main camp, the first batch of brand-new flintlock muskets had just been issued. A total of five hundred were produced. Production capacity was limited; even with all resources concentrated, only this many could be produced. The use of fixed-load paper cartridges significantly increased the firing rate of this flintlock musket unit. In modern terms, they could fire approximately four to five shots per minute. Five hundred men were already capable of forming a considerable suppressive firepower.
With the autumn harvest approaching, all of Lu Xuan's factories were working overtime, frantically producing gunpowder, muskets, and various swords, spears, halberds, armor, and shields. War, most of the time, is a battle of logistics and resources. Lu Xuan had been spending money recklessly, stockpiling resources for a whole year, all for the upcoming war.
The soldiers he trained were about to face a baptism of blood and fire. If they passed, they would leap over the dragon gate and become a truly powerful army. If they failed, they would need more time to prepare.
Besides muskets, artillery was also an indispensable part of Lu Xuan's strategic reserves. The Ming Dynasty's red-coated cannons were already quite sophisticated. If a proper cannon formation were deployed and a volley of exploding shells were fired, it would be absolutely devastating to the Tartar cavalry. Liu Ting, who died in battle earlier, was very fond of using artillery and won many victories with firearms.
There were all sorts of cannons, from the legendary "Lord Ye's Divine Cannon" to the "Hundred Sons Repeating Cannon," the "Tiger Crouching Cannon," and the "Red Barbarian Cannon," among others. The variety was vast, capable of adapting to almost any situation. Historically, the Ming Dynasty used the Red Barbarian Cannon to utterly destroy the Manchus. Later, the Manchus, using captured artisans, replicated the Red Barbarian Cannon, making numerous modifications to enhance its safety. In turn, they used it to devastate the Ming Dynasty...
Lu Xuan also possessed a considerable number of cannons, but he dared not use them. The old problem persisted: their quality was subpar. The rate of barrel explosions was similar to that of muskets. After a single round of bombardment, more of his own men were killed than the enemy...
However, Lu Xuan had stockpiled a batch of Tiger Crouching Cannons. These were essential weapons for Qi Jiguang's army back in the day. They were mainly small and lightweight, easily carried by four or five soldiers. This was to adapt them to combat in complex environments such as mountains and jungles. Their range was not far, only about 500 meters.
However, due to its lightweight nature, it could be quickly deployed by manpower in mountainous terrain to form a defensive position. This made Lu Xuan pay special attention to it. The further north one goes in Liaodong, the more complex the terrain becomes. The area around Sarhu was later considered a desolate wilderness. This type of tiger-squatting cannon, combined with exploding shells, could play a significant role.
Lu Xuan focused on developing and improving this lightweight field gun. He further reduced its weight, allowing four soldiers to carry it quickly. It was also undemanding in terms of ammunition. If lead bullets ran out, they could simply pick up small stones and stuff them in, and it would still work. With a single shot firing hundreds of stones in a volley, I ask you, how are you going to charge?
The Frankish cannon and the Hongyi cannon were more powerful, but they required higher technical skills. Although Lu Xuan had a certain number of technical personnel, a year was far from enough. He did not have any craftsmen capable of improving and manufacturing the Hongyi cannon.
At that time, if one had connections, one could have purchased cannons from the Portuguese or British through maritime trade. Their cannons, intended for long-term transactions, were generally of good quality. However, Lu Xuan had not yet taken control of the coastal areas. Furthermore, due to covert sabotage from the Japanese, he only managed to acquire a dozen or so breech-loading cannons. These cannons were too heavy, and most were naval guns. They needed to be modified before they could be used in field battles.
In addition, he also selected a dozen or so barely usable Hongyi cannons from his existing stock. Adding to this were eighty light tiger-squatting cannons produced overtime. In total, over one hundred and thirty cannons formed Lu Xuan's current artillery corps.
Looking at the hastily assembled artillery, Lu Xuan sighed. The foundation was still too weak. Many things in the Ming Dynasty were already showing promise, but they were being held back by a host of other problems. If he were given time to organize and develop those emerging ideas, the Ming Dynasty would definitely not lag behind Europe.
He had made progress on the artillery issue. Finding suitable artisans within the Ming Dynasty was difficult. Intellectual constraints, along with social and economic oppression, had stifled creativity among Ming artisans of this era. They were intelligent and meticulous, but the long-standing, miserable lifestyle had ultimately destroyed something within them. Lu Xuan planned to first find some European artisans as temporary replacements, while waiting for his own group of trainees to mature.
Silva was a Portuguese merchant. Traveling thousands of miles to do business in the Ming Dynasty, Silva was clearly a ruthless man. He was the one who resold over a dozen breech-loading cannons to Lu Xuan. Therefore, he was considered a regular customer of Lu Xuan.
To Silva, the young governor was an absolute danger. Whenever the governor looked at him, Silva felt as if the governor could see right through him.