If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

The reason why the Dazi are so arrogant is because their hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry are enough to make any neighboring country tremble with fear.

Li Tiancheng is now fully prepared, but he still has some reservations about the Dazi's iron cavalry.

Therefore, Li Tiancheng urgently needs Zhou Wu to develop firearms specifically designed to deal with the iron cavalry. Cannons would be ideal, but their cost and copper consumption far exceed what Dalong can afford.

The reason why cavalry was able to dominate in the era of cold weapons was its powerful impact, which other military units could only admire.

The only thing that could pose a threat to cavalry was ranged weapons, which could kill the cavalry before they got close. However, the main ranged weapon in the era of cold weapons was the bow and arrow, but the bow and arrow had very limited firing speed and damage. At most, it could only stop the first wave of cavalry charges. From the second wave onwards, it was just a matter of watching the cavalry perform.

Zhou Wu also considered using repeating crossbows, but although repeating crossbows solved the problem of rate of fire, their firing range and lethality were not as good as bows and arrows, and they were not a perfect nemesis of cavalry.

Now the only thing left is the musket. Although Zhou Wu understands the principles of the musket, it is still a firearm and must be repeatedly tested and verified.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will complete the musket experiments as soon as possible, but I need some support."

"As long as you can build firearms that can counter cavalry, you can make any request you have."

"I need blacksmiths, as many as you can find."

"Alright, I'll go to the capital as soon as possible to make the arrangements."

Li Tiancheng has already put the plan to attack the Dazi Kingdom on the agenda, so Zhou Wu can no longer slack off and must get the muskets out as soon as possible.

Crown Prince Li Junren returned to report with satisfaction. His main purpose in coming to the South China Sea was to help his father expedite the development of firearms. He was also somewhat surprised to witness the rapid development of the South China Sea. He had not expected that Zhou Wu was so capable in both military and internal affairs.

On the return journey, Crown Prince Li Junren stood on the deck, watching the South China Sea islands gradually recede into the distance. He felt a little unsatisfied, as this was far more pleasant than the perilous capital city.

. . . . . . .

royal palace.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience."

"Oh, the Crown Prince is finally back."

This time, Li Tiancheng specially sent the Crown Prince to the South China Sea to urge Zhou Wu to urge the delivery of firearms. The main reason was that the Crown Prince and Zhou Wu had a good relationship, and the Crown Prince could also tell Zhou Wu about the Da Zi, which would put some pressure on Zhou Wu.

Li Tiancheng has come to understand Zhou Wu quite well after all this time. He has talent and ability, but he's lazy. However, he has one major advantage: patriotism. Whenever it comes to patriotism, Zhou Wu will definitely go all out.

Li Tiancheng thought the Crown Prince had gone to the South China Sea to urge Zhou Wu to urge him to return with firearms, but he ended up being gone for more than half a month, and finally returned today.

"My son, I will meet my father."

"Your Highness, no need for formalities. How was your trip to the South China Sea?"

"Your Majesty, my trip to the South China Sea can be summed up in four words."

"Oh, which four words?"

"It's a worthwhile trip."

"Then I'd like to hear how this trip was worthwhile."

Li Tiancheng shifted into a more comfortable sitting position with great interest, then had a eunuch pour the prince a cup of hot tea, and listened attentively as the prince recounted the customs and culture of the South China Sea.

. . . . .

"What fish bigger than a house? Your Highness, are you sure you're not drunk and hallucinating?"

"At first, I also thought I was seeing things, but the truth was right in front of me, and I had no choice but to believe it."

. . . .

"The fruit on the tree is full of sweet juice?"

. . . . .

"It's already winter in the capital, how can rice still be grown there?"

. . . .

"That's incredible! If you put it that way, it's practically a paradise on earth! I really want to go and see it for myself."

“Father, once the South China Sea is truly repaired, you really should go and see it for yourself.”

As expected, after listening to Li Junren's description of the South China Sea, Li Tiancheng's eyes were full of longing. He wished he could go to the South China Sea to see it for himself right away, but that was impossible in the near future, so he could only think about it and let it go.

"What did Zhou Wu say about the firearms?"

"Father, I told him that we have begun preparations to attack the Dazi. After hearing this, Zhou Wu expressed his full support and immediately began working on the firearms. He just needs some blacksmiths from us."

“No problem, transfer half of the blacksmiths from the Ordnance Bureau to him.”

"Yes."

. . . . .

When Zhou Wu first started building Nanhai City, he planned a laboratory in a relatively remote location, but it covered a considerable area.

Zhou Wu's goal was not just firearms; he wanted to do everything in his power to lead the Great Dragon a few more steps so that it could stay ahead and avoid the same tragedy as in the previous world.

When it comes to firearms, their entire development and evolution history can be divided into several stages: matchlock musket, matchlock gun, flintlock musket, percussion cap musket, and bolt-action rifle.

Among them, the matchlock gun, flintlock gun, and bolt-action rifle are the three most famous types of firearms.

"Matchstick guns are definitely out of the question; their advantages over bows and arrows are hardly obvious."

Historical records indicate that a well-trained archer could fire 2 to 3 bullets per minute, and a long-barreled gun had a range of about 100 to 200 meters. This rate of fire was even slower than that of a skilled archer.

Therefore, Zhou Wu was the first to abandon the matchlock gun.

The best choice is of course a bolt-action rifle, but the technological barriers of bolt-action rifles are simply not something that can be overcome at present. Even a simple technology like fixed ammunition has not been solved, let alone the other structures of the rifle.

"It seems that we should start by studying flintlock muskets."

Although flintlock muskets weren't great, they still had a significant advantage over matchlock muskets, and they were the most likely weapon to be developed in this era.

"Then let's decide on flintlock muskets."

With the goal set, Zhou Wu began drawing up the blueprints.

Zhou Wu was not used to using a brush, and for such detailed drawing, he specially made several charcoal pencils.

It took Zhou Wu several days to roughly complete the blueprints, and that was even while copying them.

With the blueprints in hand, the rest is about turning what's on the blueprints into a real thing.

The blacksmiths sent from the capital also arrived in the South China Sea during the days Zhou Wu was drawing the plans. They had a few days to rest and can now start working.

"Who's in charge here?"

Zhou Wu went straight to the Firearms Bureau, which was the workshop that produced firearms. In fact, Zhou Wu had to find people to build it after Crown Prince Li Junren arrived. It was still not finished, but fortunately the main structure and core were completed. The main thing was that the outer part was not finished, but it did not affect the manufacturing and testing of firearms.

"My lord, I am but a humble servant, serving as the deputy head of the Ordnance Bureau."

"Deputy leader? Where's your leader?"

"Those who are in the capital, but not among those who went south."

"Oh."