She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Chapter 355 Delivery on Schedule

Shen Man gazed at the cannon that had just been successfully test-fired, her eyes filled with delight. Her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up as she eagerly asked, "What power! How far does this cannon have? What's its loading speed?"

Old Luo, beaming with pride, quickly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Lord, after numerous tests, this cannon has a range of about one mile. If operated by a skilled gunner, loading a shell takes only the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea."

It is small in size and lightweight, easily pulled by a single horse, allowing for flexible deployment and rapid entry into battle, whether in complex terrain such as mountains or flat, open plains.

Shen Man was secretly delighted; this cannon was simply the perfect weapon that every army had dreamed of in marching and fighting.

She nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then solemnly said, "Master Luo, your contributions to the successful development of this cannon are indispensable. Next, we must increase production; I want to see fifty of these cannons within a month."

If you encounter any difficulties during this period, please let me know in time, and I will definitely prioritize solving them for you.

Furthermore, once all the cannons are completed, select a group of clever and resourceful craftsmen to form a specialized cannon operation training team. Send them to the garrison camps and, as quickly as possible, impart the cannon operation skills to our Meng family army without reservation, so that they can skillfully use this powerful weapon.”

Upon hearing this, Lao Luo looked troubled and hesitated for a moment before saying, "City Lord, if we want to build fifty cannons, the steel we have stockpiled in our workshop is probably far from enough."

Shen Man responded decisively: "I will find a way to solve this problem immediately. Write down the amount of steel needed to build one cannon for me in a moment. By the way, think carefully again, are there any other difficulties?"

Old Luo frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and then replied cautiously, "No, for the time being!"

"Alright, then I'll go back and resolve the steel issue immediately. Once this batch of cannons is successfully completed, I'll give everyone a reward!" Shen Man's tone was resolute, exuding an undeniable authority.

Upon hearing Shen Man's words, Lao Luo's face instantly lit up with a joyful smile. He nodded emphatically and turned around to rush back to write up the order for Shen Man.

After returning from the weapons workshop, Shen Man summoned the horned eagle again and hurriedly returned to the prefectural city.

Upon returning to the government office, she immediately set about solving the thorny problem of steel shortage without a moment's rest.

She was well aware that the manufacture of these cannons would play a crucial role in the future fight against the Japanese pirates, and that the war effort should not be delayed due to material issues, thus affecting the future strategy of the entire army.

Anxious and worried, Shen Man first quickly summoned Steward Zhao, the official in charge of resource allocation in the city.

Manager Zhao rushed to the main hall of the government office. Before he could even stand still, Shen Man took out the list given to him by Lao Luo and asked anxiously, "Manager Zhao, how much steel is currently in the city's reserves? Is it enough?"

Manager Zhao hurriedly opened the ledger in his hand, carefully examined it, and respectfully replied, "City Lord, the current steel reserves in the city's warehouses, at most, are only 30% of this amount."

Shen Man frowned slightly and asked again, "In the past trade records, is there any reliable information on steel suppliers?"

Manager Zhao nodded hurriedly and said, "Reporting to the City Lord, we have several suppliers we've worked with in the past, but most of them don't have enough stock right now. Only one supplier, far away in Jiangcheng, might have some stock, because there's a large iron mine there, but..."

"But what?" Shen Man pressed.

"However, their steel has always been more expensive than that of other places, and their steel is always in high demand..." Manager Zhao answered cautiously.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Man immediately ordered, "Manager Zhao, select a few capable subordinates, take a large sum of money, and ride at full speed to Jiangcheng. Make sure to purchase that batch of steel before any other buyers."

Remember, price is not an issue; as long as we can buy enough steel, everything is negotiable.

After arranging this matter, Shen Man still felt it was not safe enough, so he had a notice posted in the city, which stated that people were encouraged to sell steel that could be used to manufacture cannons to the government at a high price.

For a time, the area in front of the government office was bustling with activity. Many people came to inquire, and some who had stockpiled steel delivered it to the government office one after another.

With everyone working together, the steel problem was finally resolved.

The steel purchased in Jiangcheng was successfully transported back, and the steel delivered by the people also solved the urgent problem.

Shen Man personally sent someone to deliver the newly purchased steel back to Xiaoyao Village at top speed and hand it over to Lao Luo.

Upon receiving the steel, Lao Luo was overjoyed and immediately ordered the workshop to start production.

The craftsmen worked day and night, with the furnaces roaring and sparks flying in the workshop. The sounds of hammering and forging intertwined to create a busy and exciting symphony.

At the same time, Lao Luo selected several clever craftsmen with practical experience in artillery from the weapons workshop, and with the ten cannons that had been made in advance, he went to the garrison camp and found Meng Zhuo and Cui Jinrong, who were in charge of training the Meng family army.

Upon hearing that they would be learning to operate the new type of artillery, the soldiers of Meng's army were all very excited and lined up in neat rows early in the morning to wait.

The craftsman leading the team, Lao Chen, set up the cannon properly and began a detailed explanation and demonstration.

He began by explaining the structure of the cannon, from the sturdy barrel to the flexible carriage, detailing the function and role of each component. He then demonstrated in detail the entire process of loading shells, adjusting the angle, and igniting the cannon.

"Everyone, watch carefully. Before you light this cannon, you must carefully check whether the cannon body is stable and whether the fuse is dry."

Loading shells requires swift and precise movements; even the slightest mistake can affect the firing result and may even endanger the user's safety.

Old Chen demonstrated the operation while explaining it aloud.

The soldiers of Meng's army surrounded him, watching Old Chen's every move intently, afraid of missing any crucial details.

They would also ask questions from time to time, and Old Chen would patiently answer them one by one.

A month passed in the blink of an eye amidst the busy and intense work, and the fifty cannons were delivered on schedule.

Upon learning the news, Shen Man rushed from the prefectural city to the garrison camp and personally inspected the drill ground.

The fifty cannons were neatly arranged on the drill ground, looking imposing and exuding a chilling aura.

During this period, the soldiers of Mengjiajun had mastered the operating skills and conducted a spectacular artillery drill in front of Shen Man.

With each command from the commander, the cannons roared, and shells shot out like meteors, accurately hitting the distant targets.

The target was instantly blasted to pieces, raising clouds of dust.

Shen Man nodded in satisfaction, her eyes filled with pleasure and admiration.

She immediately decided to incorporate these artillery pieces into the vanguard unit, entrusting them with the most difficult and dangerous tasks from then on.

Just then, a guard from the military camp reported: "Lord, someone outside the military camp requests to see you, saying that they have an urgent letter from Rongzhou that they want to deliver to you personally!"