Xu Xingxia's amount of alcohol was indeed not good, he was toasted a few glasses of wine by the soldiers, his drunkenness was a little upsurged, his mind was a little groggy, he didn't hear clearly for a while, and subconsciously said: "What? What did you say? You repeat? What rifling? ”

The man pressed his ear and said word by word: "My lord, I am Zhao Mengji." The problem of rifling, I have solved. Didn't you tell me that once the rifling problem is solved, no matter what you are doing, you have to tell you as soon as possible? ”

"Rifling! Damn it! Xu Xingxia finally heard it clearly, and suddenly his whole body was excited, and he woke up from all his drinking. If you want to say what is the problem that he is most concerned about during this time, it must be rifled guns. Without this kind of murderous weapon, he always feels unsteady! In the current situation, in the event of a large-scale attack by the enemy, Fort Weizhen will definitely not be able to stop it. But if there is a decent number of rifled guns, that's a different story.

If he had such a murderous weapon, he would have even been able to lead the army of Fort Willy to launch an active counterattack against the Tartars when Sobud and Paroc led them south. More than a thousand Tartars, in front of a rifled gun, are simply not enough to see. If there were such a murderous weapon, the small horn pier would also become the grave of the Tatar cavalry.

And all this, the premise is to solve the problem of rifling processing. It's not enough to know the principle, you have to turn the principle into a real process. But he was just stuck by the rifling process. He had no choice but to put desperate pressure on the craftsmen and provide convenient conditions, hoping that they could solve this problem as soon as possible.

It is precisely because of his high attention that Zhao Mengji will desperately conduct research, work overtime, and forget to sleep and eat. At tonight's banquet, all the military households of Weizhenbao came, but Zhao Mengji did not come. He was working all night wondering how to process rifling. Xu Xingxia never thought that he would suddenly make a breakthrough at this time. It's really hard work that pays off! No matter how big the difficulty is, there will be a day when it will be overcome!

"Let's go! I'll check it out! ”

Xu Xingxia said without hesitation.

He stood up, beckoned to Liu Guangliang, asked him to call Guo Fuquan, and went directly to the craftsman's workshop. After hearing the good news, he couldn't sit still for a moment. The white-clothed officers around him thought something had happened when they saw Xu Xingxia leave suddenly. However, looking at Xu Xingxia's face, it seemed that it should be a happy thing, and everyone was relieved.

When the group came to the craftsman's workshop, Zhao Mengji opened the door and went directly to his own room. I only saw a mess inside, with scattered barrels everywhere. Some of the barrels are still hanging in mid-air, and it is not known what they are used for. There are also barrels that are stuck directly in the dirt. It can be seen that in order to ponder the problem of rifling, Zhao Mengji is indeed eighteen kinds of martial arts, and all of them are used. It is definitely not a fluke to be able to solve the rifling problem tonight.

"My lord, please see, the rifling inside has been fully engraved."

Zhao Mengji picked up a silver-white barrel and solemnly handed it over to Xu Xingxia's hands. Judging from the appearance and color of the barrel, it is definitely not an ordinary pig iron pipe or a wrought iron pipe, but a barrel made of 100 steel. Not to mention the value of rifling, just such a barrel will cost at least ten taels of silver.

Xu Xingxia took the barrel of the gun, looked carefully inside, and found that there was indeed rifling inside. It's just that since the rifling is curved, wound, it is not clear at all from the outside. If you touch it gently with your fingers, you can indeed feel the concave rifling. If the yin line is concave, if it is not concave, it will naturally become a yang line.

"My lord, that's how it works......"

Zhao Mengji excitedly introduced everyone on the spot.

The basic processing principle of rifling is a bit like a water mill. In the middle is a fixed steel bar, which is the grinding core of the water mill. On top of the steel bar is a diamond. The finished barrel, under the pressure of gravity, is constantly rotating and sliding with steel bars. As it swirls and slides, the diamond is engraved with a black line on the inside of the barrel.

Of course, this is only the most basic principle, and there are actually many problems that need to be solved. There are dozens of tools used to process rifling, including diamonds, files, steel bars, stone grinders pulled by war horses, and many tools that cannot be named. Xu Xingxia didn't understand the specific process very well, and he was not from a science and engineering background. Anyway, as long as you can engrave the rifling out, that's fine. As for the process, he didn't really care.

Like him, there are also Liu Guangliang and Guo Fuquan. The majors of the two of them are different from Zhao Mengji's. In terms of the production of firearms, Zhao Mengji is the authority. The two of them were both for Zhao Mengji. Whatever he says, everyone listens. Zhao Mengji was able to solve the problem that Xu Xingxia was most concerned about tonight, and they were all very happy. Because, this means, a lot of money will fall on their heads.

Xu Xingxia said expectantly: "Zhao Mengji, tomorrow, you will immediately put the barrel on." Make a complete firearm and test it on the spot. ”

Zhao Mengji nodded and said excitedly: "Okay!" ”

With the rifling problem solved, the next step is to solve the problem of mini shells. Mini bullets are actually very easy to solve, and the production process is also very simple. This mainly relates to the use of lead. Before, Xu Xingxia had carefully explored that there were enough lead mines in Helan Mountain. At the beginning, Xu Xingxia was accustomed to the surname and felt that lead ore is graphite, pencil pencil, pencil refill, isn't it graphite? It was only later that I found out that it was not. Lead ore is lead ore and graphite ore is graphite ore and are different. Fortunately, lead ore is produced in large quantities in various places, and the cost of collecting it is very low. At Xu Xingxia's request, the craftsman's workshop has prepared a large amount of lead ore.

The production process of the mini bullet is actually very simple, it is a conical projectile with a thick dent on it, in order to match the rifling of the barrel and produce rotation. The bottom of the mini bullet has a hole, and the inside of the hole is stuffed with cork. When the propellant is ignited, the wooden plug under great pressure will widen the hole, and the whole Mini bullet will be firmly attached to the barrel to prevent the gas pressure of the gunpowder from escaping.

Unlike the rifling manufacturing process of the barrel, the Mini bullet does not have the slightest technical content, as long as you have seen it, you can imitate it. However, without the rifling of the barrel, the power of the Mini bullet could not be exerted at all. Therefore, the most critical core process is the rifling of the barrel. From the very beginning, Xu Xingxia emphasized that it was also the rifling of the barrel that should be kept secret. Mini bullets are impossible to keep secret on the battlefield, and there will definitely be leftovers.

After returning from the craftsman's workshop, Xu Xingxia's mood was quite good. Zhao Mengji solved the processing technology of rifling, which is equivalent to opening a brand new window in front of him. His vision can see higher and farther. As long as the problem of rifled guns is solved, the advantages of being a traverser can be brought into full play.

"What are you so happy about?" The little county lord asked curiously.

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay." Xu Xingxia said with a smile. Looking at the way he looks, fools know that he must have something happy about. It's just that he resolutely refuses to reveal it, and no one else has anything to do. The little county lord can't find out.

That night, the little county lord slept with Niuniu, Da Nan, and Xiao Nan. Children are easy to get acquainted with. In half a day, the little county lord and Niuniu are already very good friends, and they are inseparable, and they even have to sleep together at night. Xu Xingxia is in a good mood, everything is pleasing to the eye, and most of his bad feelings towards the little county lord have disappeared. Whatever she asked, as long as it wasn't excessive, she agreed to it all.

When he got up the next morning, Xu Xingxia rushed to the craftsman's workshop in a hurry. Liu Guangliang and Guo Fuquan also came, and they also brought a few core craftsmen. Among them, including Liu Dachun, who is the groom's official. It turned out that Liu Dachun had always learned from Zhao Mengji to make firearms, and the solution of this rifling processing technology actually had part of Liu Dachun's contributions.

Zhao Mengji, who worked overnight, has basically made most of the parts of the firecracker. When the other craftsmen arrived, they mainly started to work. The caliber of the barrel determined by Zhao Mengji is just half an inch (about 16.7 mm), which is thicker than the ordinary barrel. This is mainly determined by the processing technology of the rifling. Large-caliber barrels, which facilitate the processing of rifling. If the caliber is too small, it will not be able to turn it.

Guo Fuquan is responsible for the processing of mini bullets. There's actually nothing technically difficult about this thing, it's just a variant of buckshot. The original guns of the Ming army, many times, used lead bullets. For the production of buckshot, every craftsman is familiar. Now, all he wants to change is the shape and size of the buckshot. As long as you get a few molds, you can mass-produce mini bullets. After about two hours of tossing, Guo Fuquan made the first batch of Mini bullets, a total of more than 30.

A 16.7 mm mini bullet weighs more than 30 grams. Put it in your hand, it's heavy, and it still feels a little dropped. More than 30 Mini bullets weigh almost two pounds. If it's all in one bag, it feels heavy. If it's 300 Mini bullets, it's almost 20 pounds. If an infantryman marches with twenty pounds of mini bullets, it will be quite hard.

Fortunately, the white-clothed army has war horses, and most of the materials can be handed over to the war horses to carry, and there is no need for manpower to carry them. The most important thing in Ningxia Town is war horses. If necessary, the white-clothed army can do one man and two horses. When necessary, it can even be three horses per person. It is quite possible to carry enough gunpowder and mini rounds.

Besides, as a front-loading rifled gun, the Minnie gun actually fires very slowly, which is four or five rounds a minute. Carrying a hundred rounds of Mini ammunition can actually be used for a long time. If you carry 300 rounds, you can basically use it for a few months. With the firing speed of the Minnie gun, it is estimated that there will not be many fires after a battle.

The Mini bomb is manufactured, and the last step is the paper propellant. The propellant was put in a small paper tube and handed to the gunner. In this way, the gunner will not be overloaded or underloaded with propellant, which can cause problems when firing. The Ming Dynasty's firecrackers originally had such equipment, but it was not implemented on a large scale. Now, the White Coats are just going to improve further.

Three days later, everything was ready. With the efforts of all the craftsmen in the craftsman's workshop, a similar mini gun appeared in Xu Xingxia's hand. Full of expectations for rifled guns, Xu Xingxia decided to test shoot the Minnie gun himself. Due to the reduction of the propellant and the use of a barrel made of 100 steel, the probability of the Minnie gun being blown up has been greatly reduced. Even if there is an accident, there is not much danger.

The distance of the first test firing of the Mini gun was only about 100 meters. This distance is the watershed between muskets and bows and arrows. The range of the musket, if it exceeds this distance, can effectively eliminate the bow and arrow. At that time, the effective range of smoothbore guns could not exceed this distance. The effective range of smoothbore guns such as the Flying Bird Gun is about 50 meters.

It is precisely because the smoothbore gun cannot effectively completely replace the bow and arrow that the musketeers of the Ming army, when encountering the enemy's archers, often still have to suffer. This point was most evident in the Ming army in Liaodong. Houjin Tartar relied on the power of the bow and arrow, so that the Ming army's musketeers could not exert their power, coupled with the Ming army's gunners lacked strict training, always before the enemy entered the firing range, they fired in a panic, which would lead to continuous defeat.

In order to test the power of the Mini gun, Liu Guangliang prepared a very thick wooden plank, which was five inches thick. They had previously experimented that at a distance of 100 meters, the projectile fired by the flying bird gun, hitting the wooden plank, was basically no longer lethal. Moreover, the position where the projectile fell, and the position where it was aimed, was very far apart. Unless hundreds of flying birds are fired together, the power is almost completely negligible at a distance of 100 meters.

Due to the fact that the barrel used was made of 100 steel, and the caliber was quite large, the sample of this Mini gun weighed almost more than eight catties. Holding it in your hand, it does have a heavy feeling. Obviously, it is basically impossible to hold it for a long time. However, these are minor problems that will gradually improve in the future production process.

Now, the most important thing is to look at the power of the Minnie gun. Its power must be at least several times more powerful than that of a smoothbore gun to be cost-effective. Its effective range, at least two hundred meters. At a distance of two hundred meters, it has to successfully shoot through at least ordinary armor. At a distance of two hundred meters, it must be able to shoot a galloping war horse. Xu Xingxia, who was full of anticipation, held a mini gun, aimed at the center of the plank, and decisively pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A dull gunshot rang out.

On top of the wood, a large hole appeared.

Xu Xingxia put down the mini gun, walked to the front of the plank, took a closer look, and found that the projectile had been shot into the plank, and it was basically invisible. Reach into the hole and measure, it's almost half a finger away. Obviously, the power of this mini bullet is still quite strong. If it hits a person, he will definitely die and can't die anymore.

(To be continued)