After patrolling the city walls, Xiao Ruxun set off for the barracks. He calculated that 1,800 soldiers would be stationed on the four sides of the walls to prevent the rebel army from attacking the city from all sides. There would only be 700 mobile soldiers left. Other than the 300 cannon soldiers, there would still be 400 reserves. The military strength was tight and time waited for no man! Thinking of this, Xiao Ruxun suddenly felt a sense of urgency. It was about 3 pm in the afternoon. If everything went smoothly, he would be able to drill the cannon soldiers today and see how well they could use firearms.
After entering the barracks, Wang Hui came to greet him and said that he had already selected 300 cannon soldiers for Xiao Ruxun to inspect. Xiao Ruxun nodded and went to the drill ground. He saw the 300 cannon soldiers standing in 10 rows and 30 rows with a musket in their hands. They looked imposing and full of fighting spirit. It seemed that the previous victory had given the army more confidence. Xiao Ruxun led the army well and the army was orderly. Everything went smoothly and he didn't know how much trouble he had to deal with.
"The 300 cannon soldiers are all proficient in using muskets, but they have not been trained in battle formations. They don't know the Mu King's Three Steps Shooting Method. What advice does the general have?"
Wang Hui followed behind Xiao Ruxun and asked.
"Bring me a musket."
Wang Hui took a musket from a soldier beside him and passed it to Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun took it and weighed it in her hand. It was about six to seven catties. It was not light, but this was normal. If it was too light, it could be that it was not made of fine iron, or that the materials used were shoddy, and there was a risk of it exploding.
This kind of musket was created by the Ming court during the Jiajing period, using the technology they seized from the Wokou pirates along the southeast coast. Before that, the Japanese had created the "iron cannon" based on the Portuguese. Its performance was slightly better than the Portuguese matchlock. The Daming musket was built on the basis of the Japanese iron cannon. Compared to the original Portuguese matchlock and Japanese iron cannon, it was a slight improvement. It was probably the best of the Ming army's individual firearms. An even better imitation of the Turkish Rumi Musket had not yet appeared. It would take a few years before Zhao Shizhen could replicate the Rumi Musket.
The shape of this musket was similar to modern firearms. It had a wooden handle, which was easy for the soldier to hold and increase accuracy. There was a rear sight on the gun body and a front sight on the muzzle. It was much better than the Musket used by the Ming Army. However, it was still very troublesome to use. Before using it, one had to load the ammunition, pour the primer into the firing hole, pour the lead and gunpowder into the barrel and tamp it down. Then, one had to light the match, aim, and trigger it.
In terms of firing rate, the earliest arquebusiers could only fire twice in three minutes due to efficiency issues. Later on, after generations of military strategists came up with ways to increase the firing rate, a skilled shooter could fire around three times in a minute. The arquebusiers that were passed down to Japan were refined during the Warring States Period, and the invention of "Early Firing" arquebusiers could increase the firing rate to seven times in a minute. However, this was of little use.
The disadvantage of the matchlock was that it was afraid of water. This was because the gunpowder could not be used if it was damp. In the battle of Saar Hu, when the Ming Army and the Later Jin Army met, it was when the heavy rain had just stopped and fog filled the air. At that time, the air was humid and the gunpowder of the Ming Army was damp. It could not be used without drying it with fire. Therefore, the Ming Army lost to the crossbows of the Later Jin Army.
The matchlock was also afraid of the wind. If the wind was too strong, not only would it affect the direction of the shot, but it would also speed up the burning of the matchlock. Before the battle was over, the matchlock would burn out and the musket would become a fire stick. This kind of thing was not uncommon in the hundreds of years of matchlock warfare.
When firing a matchlock, gunpowder was needed to ignite. The old gunpowder produced a lot of smoke when it was ignited. Every time it was fired, it would explode into a cloud of smoke. If the firing speed was increased within a minute, it was possible that the surroundings would be shrouded in smoke and could not be seen clearly! When the Ming Army and the Later Jin Army fought, there was a time when the wind suddenly changed after firing. Smoke filled the Ming Army's position, causing the Ming Army to be unable to see the road ahead. The Later Jin Army directly rushed into the formation and defeated them.
For this reason, military strategists tried to improve the matchlock, but the results were not great. It was not until the early 18th century that the matchlock was completely replaced by the flintlock.
Xiao Ruxun looked at the three to four meter long matchlocks tied to the bodies of the soldiers and asked Wang Hui: "Have these matchlocks been soaked in urine?"
Wang Hui's expression became very interesting, as if he had heard the Arabian Nights. He asked incredulously: "Urine? General, are you talking about urine? Did I hear you correctly? "
Xiao Ruxun understood and nodded: "Yes, urine. Whether it is human urine or horse urine, soaking the matchlock in urine and then drying it will slow down the burning speed of the matchlock. On the battlefield, if the matchlock burns out, it will be bad. I have observed the soldiers for a long time, so I came up with this method. I don't know if the craftsmen in the capital use the process of soaking and drying the matchlock in urine. Since you all don't know, then soak it once!"
After saying this, Xiao Ruxun raised his head and looked at the sky. In this apocalyptic world where there was no weather forecast, knowing the weather was a matter of life and death. Xiao Ruxun collected ancient books and worked hard for several years to master the ability to observe the weather. So he said: "I have observed the weather, there will be no rain in the near future, and the wind is not weak. If placed under the sun, it will dry in about six to eight hours. The enemy has not appeared yet, and time waits for no man. Zi Heng, immediately make the arrangements!"
Although Wang Hui's expression was interesting, he still firmly carried out Xiao Ruxun's orders. Although he was still a little puzzled as to why Xiao Ruxun suddenly placed so much importance on firearms, he didn't know that Xiao Ruxun knew so much about firearms after fighting with him for two years.
Xiao Ruxun weighed the musket in his hand and thought back to the time when he led a group of people to line up and kill the zombie army. He suddenly had the urge to fire a shot, so he asked for lead and gunpowder from the rifleman. He loaded the fuse into the fuse pot and closed the lid of the fuse pot. He then proceeded to fill the fuse pot with gunpowder and lead, and used the fuse to press down the gun barrel. He then used a match to light the match, blew on it a few times, and fastened the match to the match holder. He then raised the gun and aimed at a scarecrow on the right side of the drill ground. He pulled the trigger and immediately closed his eyes. Following the sound of an explosion, he felt a wave of heat hit him in the face.
Opening his eyes to take a look, Xiao Ruxun discovered that his aim was still alright. Approximately fifty meters, thirty steps, he hit the scarecrow's head. With one shot, half of the scarecrow's head was blown off. Wang Hui then looked at Xiao Ruxun in high spirits and shouted: "General is mighty!"
The three hundred riflemen shouted in unison: "General is mighty!"
Xiao Ruxun smiled and shook his head. He returned the musket to Wang Hui, extinguished the fuse, and returned it to the rifleman before saying: "Firearms are easy to learn and do not need to be trained day in and day out. They are also much more powerful. That is why our country has developed many firearms to equip the border armies. However, in my opinion, our country's firearms are flashy but not practical. They have a big name and make a loud noise, but in the end, they cannot kill a single enemy. Once it rains or gets wet, it is really not as useful as a hoe!"
The soldiers roared with laughter.
"However, there is no doubt that firearms are powerful. Whether it is our Huaxia or the Western countries, firearms have been used in battle for hundreds of years. There is no need to say more about the effectiveness of firearms. Aside from most of the flashy firearms, the remaining firearms such as the Great General Cannon, Francis Musket, and even this musket are the same. They are effective in battle.
Even if the effectiveness of firearms is limited in open field battles, in battles to attack and defend cities, the effectiveness of firearms is not inferior to the crossbow. This musket can shoot up to a maximum of a hundred steps. Although beyond eighty steps, no one knows where it will land. Beyond fifty steps, if the enemy is fully armored, there is no difference between hitting them and not hitting them. However, in battles to attack and defend cities, this musket can be used to great effect.
Within fifty steps of the musket's firing range, if the arrows are not poisonous and do not hit a vital point, the enemy will not die. However, if the musket is used to attack the enemy, even if the enemy does not die on the spot, the area hit will definitely fester. If it is not treated properly, the enemy will definitely die in the future. Gunpowder has fire poison, lead has lead poison. Firearms themselves are poisonous weapons. It is a good weapon to kill the enemy. Even if he does not want to die, he will not be able to! "
Xiao Ruxun took a musket and raised it high. "Although muskets still have many flaws, it is already a rare weapon to be able to kill the enemy in the face of battle. We don't know when the rebel army will return, and when that time comes, it will be the time for you all to ascend the city walls and fight, earning your merits. Although our army records the merits by beheading, and it is impossible to determine if the enemy was killed by firearms in the midst of a chaotic battle, I guarantee to all the officers and soldiers that if the enemy is hit by lead, their heads will be cut off, and you all will share half the merits equally!"
The three hundred musket soldiers were overjoyed.
"I have decided to form a sniper team in the army from today onwards, and I will be the commander! At the same time, gunpowder and lead are limited, so we can't let you recklessly fire them and waste national funds. We need to have a guarantee before we can enter the city and fight. That's why we've set military rules! Wang Hui, bring the military judge here! "
Xiao Ruxun ordered sternly, and Wang Hui immediately obeyed. All the officers and soldiers put away their joy, and their faces turned solemn.
Not long after, the military judge came in with pen and paper. Xiao Ruxun announced in a stern voice, "For the daily drills of the sniper team, set up a wooden sign five feet high and two feet wide at a distance of eighty steps. If you hit seven out of ten shots, you can become a sniper officer. If you hit one out of three shots, you will be rewarded with a draw. If you hit two times, you will be rewarded with one silver point. If you hit three times, you will be rewarded with five silver points. If you miss the first time, you will be punished with three strikes of the rod. If you miss the second time, you will be punished with six strikes. Those who do not wish to fight will be fined five percent silver for the first time, one point for the second time, and one and a half for the third time! "
The musket soldiers looked at each other, and their hearts were filled with anxiety.
Xiao Ruxun sternly swept his gaze across the three hundred musket soldiers. "All of you have trained with firearms in the past few days. You must also know that other than this reward, half of the credit for hitting the enemy with lead is given to you. It can be considered a generous reward. You do not need to personally go to the front lines to fight the enemy. Since you have such treatment, you must have the qualifications to receive it! Those who do not have the qualifications will be expelled immediately! Once I give the order, those who do not respect it will be punished according to military law! "
"Yes, sir!"
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