My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 56 Let Daming pull the plug

From the perspective of the history of firearms development, the M1841 needle-fired rifle was a huge advancement.

It uses integrated ammunition, which is wrapped in paper and integrated with the bullet, completely eliminating the trouble of loading the flintlock with propellant first and then loading the projectile.

The average time for a breech-loading flintlock rifle from loading to firing is 26 seconds, and the fastest time for a soldier who has undergone intensive training is 18 seconds.

The M1841 only takes about 3 seconds from loading to firing, which increases the firing speed by 6 to 9 times and greatly reduces the error rate.

The most important thing is that propellant can be completely replaced by gunpowder, and the Ming Dynasty’s gunpowder technology is already quite mature.

If the M1841 could become the standard equipment of the Ming army, it would absolutely be a subversive development for the world in the 14th century.

So the question is, how can we get the M1841?

No one in the country collects this thing, and even if there is one, people dare not sell it.

There are some in museums, but if you are stupid enough to ask the leaders to buy them, they will call you uncle police.

By the way, if you have any problems, find the fat guy!
However, before that, I have to help Lou Ying get the microscope done first.

There are many physical microscope stores in Nanjing. Li Han visited all of them and finally carefully selected an optical microscope produced by Shanghai Optical Instrument Factory.

It cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the maximum magnification is 1500 times, which is completely sufficient for observing bacteria, cells, etc.

Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t afford an electron microscope, but that there was no electricity in the Ming Dynasty.

This thing is not like a walkie-talkie that can be operated with batteries.

After returning home, I wrote the instructions by myself.

Then he turned on the computer and started to compile an introductory biology textbook for Lou Ying.

Everything starts from the most basic, what is a plant, what is an animal, what is a cell, what is the difference between bacteria and fungi...

It took a lot of effort to create a document of nearly 1M, with more than words, which should be enough for Lou Ying to study for a while.

I checked it carefully again and found no errors, so I prepared to print it out.

But I always feel like something is wrong.

I looked at the document again, and the more I read, the more I felt there was a problem, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Then he saw the instructions he had written by hand.

Emma, ​​the biology textbook uses simplified Chinese characters throughout the text. I forgot to set it to traditional Chinese characters.

After converting the document into traditional Chinese characters, I was able to print it out with confidence.

So next, it’s time to solve the Ming Dynasty’s food problem.

However, this is a huge systematic project and cannot be rushed.

During the Hongwu period, the Ming Dynasty's grain crops were mainly rice and wheat. Although they were staple foods, most ordinary people could not eat them whenever they wanted.

And from today's perspective, the yield per mu is frighteningly low. In normal years, it only yields two to three hundred kilograms.

If there is a famine, the weight may drop to around 100 kilograms, or even a total loss.

Food is the most important thing for people. Grain is always the foundation of a country.

Therefore, the people often supplement their food with millet, which is yellow rice, corn, which is millet, and sorghum, as well as other crops, rice and wheat.

However, the yield of these crops is not high.

To solve the food problem of the people of the Ming Dynasty, we must start by increasing production.

Li Han went through the high-yield crops in his mind and selected three: corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes.

These crops, as well as peppers, tobacco, etc., were gradually introduced into the Ming Dynasty after the great voyages of discovery.

As for corn, the requirements for its origin and planting are a bit high, so it was not suitable for spreading in Ming Dynasty at the beginning.

Then the most suitable ones are sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Although these two things are inconspicuous, they are indeed easy to grow. Even Li Han can cut potatoes into pieces and bury them in pots at home. It won't take long for them to take root and sprout. The most important thing is that these two have a large yield, quite large.

Basically, the yield per mu is over a thousand kilograms, there is nothing wrong with that, and it is not picky about the land. This also allows farmers who lack paddy fields to plant in dry land.

Perfectly avoided the landlords' annexation of paddy fields.

For the people of the Ming Dynasty, they were not that picky. As long as they could fill their stomachs, anything was fine. Besides, these two foods tasted good and were rich in vitamins.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the joke “I had an unlimited supply of pickled mustard tubers and porridge in the late Ming Dynasty, but the next day I was crowned with a yellow robe.”

But seed selection is still a big problem. It’s not that there are no good varieties, but that there are too many of them, and it’s impossible to count them!

There are currently many varieties of potatoes and sweet potatoes in China, and the agricultural science institutes and academies in major agricultural provinces basically have their own flagship products.

They must be carefully selected, and must be suitable for Ming Dynasty agricultural technology, easy to promote, and have particularly high yields.

Well, I have to go to the seed promotion company again.

In this case, I can only send the good seeds to Lao Zhu during the next communication.

After getting everything ready, Li Han closed the shop and went out to find Xu Nian to solve the problem of M1841.

When he arrived at Xu Nian's house and heard the purpose of their visit, he was shocked.

"Lao Li, please wait a moment. I'm a little confused. What do you want to do?"

"Looking for the M1841 needle-fire rifle. You're a student studying weapons and equipment, so you don't even know this, right?"

"Of course I know about needle-fire rifles, but what do you want that thing for?"

Xu Nian is overwhelmed. First he bought a lot of radios, and now he wants needle-fire rifles. Is Lao Li really planning to start World War III?

Looking at Li Han with some concern, he asked, "Old Li, have you had any worries recently?"

Li Han shook his head.

"So do you ever hear a voice in your head that's not yours talking to you? Or ...

Li Han was suddenly embarrassed. Did the fat guy think he was schizophrenic?
"What are you thinking about? A customer asked me if I had any replicas of antique guns. Since you are an expert on these things, I came to ask you."

Li Han made up an excuse.

Xu Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief, "It just so happens that I made one myself, come with me."

When I arrived at Xu Nian's workshop, I saw a pile of parts placed in a disorderly manner on the workbench.

"There are many antique guns in the history exhibition hall of our unit. I was tempted to buy one, so I copied it. This is the world's first bolt-action rifle, and it has great historical significance."

As he spoke, Xu Nian began to assemble it at the workbench.

After a short while, an antique M1841 was assembled. The bright wood grain and delicate carvings on the metal all showed that it was an exquisite work of handicraft.

Xu Nian said proudly: "It's just that there are no bullets, otherwise this thing of mine can shoot."

As he spoke, he pulled the bolt of the gun, making a crisp and pleasant crackling sound.

“Is this stuff legal?”

When Xu Nian heard this, his face changed and he immediately dismantled it in a few seconds. "After dismantling it, it will just be a pile of parts. It's not illegal."

Li Han continued to ask: "Did you pull the rifling yourself?"

"How is that possible? Although I have the skill, I don't have the equipment. I dare not use the rifling machine at work."

Xu Nian said: "But the lack of rifling only affects the range and accuracy, not the shooting."

Li Han thought for a while and said, "Fatty, let me ask you, if it was during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, would it be possible to mass-produce this gun?"

Xu Nian's eyes widened immediately, and he looked at Li Han in confusion, "Why are you asking this?"

Li Han rolled his eyes at him, then said, "Is it not okay for me to write a historical time-travel novel?"

Thank you for the support of fellow readers. Do you enjoy reading novels at midnight?


(End of this chapter)