My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 225 Please Help Me, Your Majesty
Liu Sanwu's thunderous shout instantly quieted down the group of noble generals. They only had a new gun, which was their treasure. Although they knew that the gun would not break so easily, no one would fight for it anymore.

Liu Sanwu also breathed a sigh of relief. He was really angry just now, and now that he has come to his senses, he is still a little scared.

What kind of people are in front of him? They are a bunch of vicious people who kill people without blinking an eye. He must have been so bold that he dared to shout in front of such a group of people.

He looked up, but fortunately Xu Da and the others were not angry, so he breathed a sigh of relief and handed the gun to Xu Da. Let them do whatever they want. Unless each of them took turns swinging a sledgehammer and smashing it, the new gun would not break.

Liu Sanwu is very confident about this.

When each factory manufactures new parts, they all use their best skills. Being able to create a brand new gun is a proud thing and no one will fool around.

And if there is a problem with the new gun, he won't be the only one to lose his head.

"My Lords, before testing the gun, there is another test, and I would like you to witness it together."

"Master Liu, why are you so nosy? Didn't His Majesty just test the gun? Is there any other test?" Xu Da was a little impatient.

"My Lord, don't worry. This test is to test the bullet's moisture resistance."

As soon as Liu Sanwu opened his mouth, everyone immediately became interested and stopped fighting over it. Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes also lit up. After all, his original intention when he asked Lao Li for a new gun was to prevent the bullets from getting damp and affecting the firing of the gun.

Liu Sanwu ordered his subordinates to bring two basins, one large and one small, filled with dirty water mixed with mud and sand.

Under the surprised gaze of everyone, he poured the bullets into the small basin one by one.

Then he pointed to another basin of dirty water and said to Xu Da: "Please immerse the new gun in the basin, Duke."

Xu Da was shocked and said, "Liu Sanwu, you are crazy. This is a new gun. What if it gets damaged by soaking?"

Liu Sanwu was full of confidence, "Please give it a try, Duke Wei!"

In the process flow chart, there is a special mud and sand test for new guns. Only guns and ammunition that can still fire after being soaked in mud, sand and sewage are considered qualified.

Because the environment in which soldiers fight is either loess and flying sand or heavy rain and mud, and such a harsh environment is a severe challenge for firearms.

The tests being done now are much more relaxed than the tests in the flowchart, but when Liu Sanwu was trying to make a new gun, he strictly followed the standards in the flowchart.

He had confidence in the gun he made, and even more confidence in the strange man!

Xu Da suspiciously put the new gun into the sewage, and said: "If the gun breaks, I will be the first one to not let you go!"

"Don't worry, my Lord."

Amid the nervous and expectant gazes of the crowd, after a while, Liu Sanwu fished out the gun and bullets, wiped off the mud and sand, and handed the gun to Xu Da.

"Please try the gun, Lord!"

Xu Da took the gun, said nothing, pulled the bolt, and fired the bullet like Zhu Yuanzhang did.

He ordered his men to set up the target, picked up the gun, took a deep breath, and then pulled the trigger resolutely.

With a "bang" sound of a gunshot, Xu Da only felt his shoulder shake, the bullet was fired successfully, and the shell was thrown out!
It worked!
Xu Da felt goose bumps all over his body, and the others were looking at the gun in his hand with anticipation.

He pulled the trigger again and again, only to hear a series of "bang bang" sounds, and several soaked bullets were successfully fired out by him.

Then, he pressed the remaining soaked bullets into the gun magazine and fired them all in one go! At this point, everyone could no longer suppress their excitement, "What a great gun! Now, we don't have to worry about the bullets getting wet!"

"Of course not. Don't you see, this gun was made by Liu, the boss. I, Old Xu, feel very confident that he can make guns!"

Xu Da said proudly, completely forgetting that he had just spoken harshly to Liu Sanwu.

Of course, everyone once again expressed their contempt for Xu Da's shamelessness.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also in a good mood. He said to Liu Sanwu: "Master Liu, you have done a good job. Tell me what reward you want. I will satisfy you!"

"Your Majesty, all this is the work of this extraordinary man. I dare not take credit for it." Liu Sanwu replied honestly.

Yes, this is all thanks to Lao Li, Zhu Yuanzhang felt emotional in his heart, without him, there would be nothing in the Ming Dynasty today.

"However, I do have a wish, and I hope Your Majesty will fulfill it." Liu Sanwu continued.

"Just tell me, my dear Liu. I will definitely satisfy you!" said Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty, I want to learn the art of making guns from this strange man!"

Liu Sanwu's expression was so pious that Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if he had eaten Coptis chinensis, with no words to express his pain!

If I had known this I wouldn't have been so confident!
You all, Lou Ying is like this, and so are you, Liu Sanwu. As for this matter, we, Old Zhu, really can't do it!
He could only play tricks and send Liu Sanwu away on the grounds that the time was not right. However, he still had to reward him. He immediately rewarded Liu Sanwu with ten taels of gold. After thinking about it, he also conferred the title of fifth-rank Anren on his wife.

After all, as an emperor, he still admired Mrs. Liu's courage.

After a number of important officials in the court tried the gun one by one, they all praised the new gun. Even Li Min said that when he held the gun, he felt as if he was a general bravely killing enemies on the battlefield.

Yang Siyi was also full of admiration, "This money is really worth spending! But the bullets are fired too fast, it costs a lot of money to make bullets. Fortunately, the shells can be recycled, which can save a lot of money."

Seeing Yang Siyi's old fault again, Xu Da couldn't help but joked: "Minister Yang, you are a little stingy. How much can this small bullet cost? I, Old Xu, will pay for it!"

Yang Siyi glanced at Xu Da, snorted coldly, and then said slowly:
"My Lord, during the Northern Expedition, we used tens of millions of rounds of ammunition, and those were paper-wrapped bullets. Fortunately, they were mass-produced, so if we only count the cost, they cost about two cents a round.

So ten million bullets would cost twenty million coins, or twenty thousand strings of cash. This is just the cost, not including the workers' salaries and the loss of various materials.

Nowadays, the new bullets use a completely new process, and the prices of copper and steel are much more expensive than oil paper. In addition, a brand new smokeless propellant is used, so one bullet costs seven cents, so ten million bullets cost seventy thousand strings of money.

Moreover, as the Ming Dynasty goes to war abroad in the future, coupled with training and consumption, more and more bullets will be produced. Although the cost will be reduced, but..."

"Okay, stop it, Minister Yang, I know how to count, you don't have to do it."

Xu Da hurriedly stopped Yang Siyi. Yang Siyi's calculation just now made him dumbfounded. Seventy thousand strings of cash? My God, even Shen Wansan's family couldn't afford this!

A group of nobles and generals were also stunned. They usually just picked up their guns and shot, thinking about how to kill more enemies on the battlefield. Even if they took into account the cost of war, that was military pay, food and so on, no one would think about that tiny bullet.

He couldn't help but sigh to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, I, Old Xu, finally understand that fighting a war in the future will only burn money!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "That's why we, the Ming Dynasty, must insist on maritime trade and use the money from foreign countries to arm the Ming army!"

"Yes, yes, yes, your Majesty is right. If any of those sour scholars dare to oppose maritime trade again, I, Old Xu, will be the first one to not let them go!"

(End of this chapter)