Although Wang Weiran's cow and sheep skins have not been delivered yet, the production of ammunition boxes has already begun.
Leatherworkers are everywhere, and their craftsmanship is not too bad.
The ammunition box made according to Zuo Mengeng's requirements can hold fifty bullets plus flash caps at one time, which is enough for soldiers to use in a World War I.
In front of everyone, Zuo Mengeng hung the ammunition box on his belt, showing the complete form of a soldier in the rear camp during combat.
He opened the button of the ammunition box again, lifted the lid and took out a bullet.
Bi Maokang discovered something strange.
"Hey, why do the projectiles look like this?"
Zuo Mengeng showed the bullet to Bi Maokang.
"There is a lead bullet in the front, and a propellant in a paper shell at the back. The propellant dosage of all bullets is fixed. After calculation by the craftsmen, this is the optimal dosage."
Following Zuo Mengeng's teachings, Bi Maokang removed the bullet and was attracted by the shape of the mini bullet.
"It's not a ball? What's the explanation for the shape of this projectile?"
Zuo Mengeng turned the barrel of the gun.
"Mr. Dongjiao, please take a look. The inner wall of this kind of musket is rifled. The bullet creates this pattern, and after being fired out of the chamber, it will rotate under the influence of these riflings. In this way, the accuracy is greatly improved."
Bi Maokang did not have any advanced knowledge of physics and asked: "Why does the projectile become more accurate when it rotates?"
Zuo Menggeng was not a great expert in physics, and Bi Maokang probably couldn't understand what he said about centripetal force or the like.
He chose a common example.
"Have you ever seen a whirlpool in the water, Mr. Dongjiao? The eye of the whirlpool is in the middle."
Bi Maokang was impressed by what he said. But whether he believes it or not depends on the results.
Next, Bi Maokang watched Zuo Mengeng load the powder into the barrel, load the ammunition, and then use a purge to send it to the bottom of the barrel.
This process is exactly the same as the matchlock gun, there is nothing new about it.
But when Zuo Mengeng put the flash cap on the defuse hole, Bi Maokang turned into an active student again.
"What is this? Can it be used to ignite gunpowder?"
"This thing is called a flash cap. It is made of iron sheets and contains mercury fulminate gunpowder. As long as this gunpowder collides and is stabbed, it will explode. Sparks will enter the gun chamber through this hole and ignite the gunpowder."
Bi Maokang scratched his beard and couldn't understand it at all.
"What... thunder... what... what is mercury made of?"
Zuo Mengeng seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
"This is a secret of our army. Only two people in the whole army know it."
You old man are not mine, so I can't tell you.
Bi Maokang blew his beard angrily.
"If you tell me how to make this medicine, I will also tell you how to make firearms."
If it were anyone else, I'm afraid my heart would be pounding.
Bi Maokang has learned all his life and is proficient in all kinds of firearms, any one of which is a deadly weapon.
However, Zuo Mengeng was not moved at all.
Are there any firearms of this era that he likes?
Sorry, no.
"Next, I'll show Duke Dongjiao how to use this gun."
Zuo Menggeng took back the flash cap and put it on the defuse hole again. He fired the rifle with the flat end and aimed at the target fifty meters away.
Bi Maokang was stunned instead.
For the first time in his life, he was ignored in the field of firearms.
Does this young man not know how high the sky is, or does he really have some unique skills?
Just when he was stunned, Zuo Mengeng pulled the trigger.
"boom……"
The shooting feeling of the flash cap gun is very good, and the bullet will come out almost at the same time as the trigger is pulled.
When the flash cap is activated, there is only a soft sound, mixed with the sound of the gunshot, almost like one sound.
The most important thing is that there is no smoke.
When a matchlock or flintlock gun is fired, the gunpowder in the medicine pool is ignited, and the thick smoke can make a person blind.
The detonation of mercury fulminate is just a wisp of light smoke, which dissipates quickly. You can't see it if you don't pay attention.
Because the muzzle flames and gun smoke are more obvious.
Zuo Mengeng held the gun very firmly and felt it most clearly.
The recoil of the flash cap gun is very large, after all, the 12mm caliber is there. But the overall shooting feeling and the posture of holding the gun are very comfortable, and the soldiers will not be too tired if they hold the gun for a long time.
Overall, he is very satisfied with this flash cap gun.
Others didn't know the feeling of shooting and focused on the target. As soon as he finished shooting, a group of people rushed over.
After checking the target, the cheers could be heard clearly from a distance.
Xu Daqian and Liu Yiyuan carried the target back together.
In order to test the effect, a wooden man was used as the target. It was covered with cotton armor and a rattan armor.
Vine armor brushed with tung oil is as hard as plate armor and is difficult to pierce with swords and spears.
But now there is clearly a hole as thick as an index finger on the front of the rattan armor. There are clear burnt marks on the edge, which shows the kinetic energy of the bullet.
After removing the rattan armor, the same part of the cotton armor inside was also penetrated.
When I turned it inside, I saw that the bullet actually hit a piece of iron, shattering it into pieces.
When the cotton armor is also removed, the bullet point can be seen on the wooden man's torso. The lead bullet has long been deformed, sunk three inches deep into the wood, and is firmly embedded inside.
If there is no obstruction from the two layers of armor, if it is not wood but flesh and blood...
Bi Maokang finally woke up, looked at the target, and actually exclaimed.
"Fifty steps through double armor, this gun is so terrifying?"
Bi Maokang no longer knows the virtues of the matchlocks of the Ming army.
At a distance of fifty paces, if the target is wearing armor, it is very likely that it will not be able to penetrate, and it will basically be a firecracker.
Zuo Mengeng was also very satisfied with the new gun and ordered: "Move the target to a hundred meters."
The soldiers went immediately, and soon the target was set up again.
This time, Bi Maokang and Zhang Jimeng ignored their random thoughts and stared closely at Zuo Mengeng's movements.
Zuo Mengeng loaded the gun for the second time, aimed slightly longer than the first time, and then pulled the trigger.
This time Bi Maokang kept staring and finally realized something was wrong.
But there was no time to ask, everyone was concerned about the situation of the target.
The hit was definitely a hit, because everyone saw that the target was clearly shaking.
It can easily hit the target a hundred meters away with only one shot, which is something other muskets can't even imagine.
The two soldiers ran back excitedly carrying the target, and started shouting when they were far away.
"Qianzao, it hit. It hit the chest and still penetrated two layers of armor."
Before Zuo Mengeng could do anything, others raised their arms and shouted.
A musket that can penetrate two layers of armor at a distance of 100 meters, even people who least know how to fight, know what it means.
The next step was to check the target, and Bi Maokang did it himself. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became, and his hands were shaking.
"This is a magic weapon! With such a sharp weapon, why should we fear Donglu?"
The gun test didn't end there.
One hundred and fifty meters, two hundred meters, two hundred and fifty meters...
At the farthest distance, the target was placed four hundred meters away.
As the distance increases, the hit rate plummets. But everyone can see that this is caused by difficulty in aiming when the distance increases, and is not a problem with the accuracy of the new gun.
Five shots hit one shot at 400 meters. This efficiency is enough for actual combat.
After all, the muskets of this era were not for precise shooting, but for coverage and strike based on quantity.
A single musket has a poor hit rate, but what about a hundred or a thousand?
There is no need to aim carefully. You can hit an enemy four hundred meters away just by covering it. This is unsolvable in this era.
Bi Maokang burst into tears and couldn't bear it anymore.
"How is this thing made?"
What he cares about most is the flash hat.
He had seen the new gun inside and out, and thought he could do it without Zuo Mengeng. Only the flash cap made him powerless, and he had never heard of mercury fulminate.
Zuo Mengeng was cold-hearted and unmoved.
"Mr. Dongjiao, this is the top secret of our rear camp and must not be leaked."
Bi Maokang's hair and beard were all spread out, and he was furious.
"Do you know that this gun and its benefits can solve the crisis in Liaodong?"
Zuo Mengeng understood, sighed softly, waved his hand, and made all the irrelevant people move away.
"Mr. Dongjiao, this junior was once in the Liaodong Army. Do you really think that the crisis in Liaodong is really a disadvantage for our troops?"
Without waiting for Bi Maokang to say anything more, he continued: "At any time, it is people who determine the outcome of a war. The people of the Ming Dynasty are no longer good, and it is useless to give them the best weapons."
Bi Maokang looked at Zuo Mengeng steadily, vaguely understanding something. He suddenly turned back and looked at his student.
As a result, Zhang Jimeng's calm appearance frightened him even more.
Not getting an answer, Bi Maokang left in low spirits.
Looking at the staggering back of the old man, Liu Yiyuan felt a little nervous.
"This old man won't report us to the court, will he?"
Zuo Mengeng didn't dare to make a conclusion, but he trusted Zhang Jimeng.
"Let's just pay more attention."
If Bi Maokang really wanted to report them, I would be sorry.
For the safety of so many people, even if Bi Maokang is a person who will go down in history, Zuo Mengeng will still be ruthless.
Little did he know that Bi Maokang and Zhang Jimeng were having a serious conversation on the way back.