Chapter 852: Just How Far Can It Fire?

In the main hall, Xiao Yuanhang heard his daughter's shout, immediately stood up, and strode to the door: "Tuan Tuan! Father is here!"

Seeing his daughter running toward him, he hurriedly crouched and opened his arms.

Tuan Tuan threw herself into his arms: "Father!"

Xiao Tuanzi buried her face in Xiao Yuanhang's chest, rubbing hard, "I miss you so much!"

Xiao Yuanhang held her as he stood up, lowered his head to look, then hefted her: "Not bad, you've gained weight!"

Tuan Tuan puffed out her little belly: "Uncle Luo and Sister Luo took me to eat all the delicious food in Jiangzhou! I didn't miss a single one!"

She began counting on her fingers: "There's the steamed perch at Wangjiang Pavilion, the crab-meat lion's head at Zhou's Shop, and Sister Luo makes me water chestnut cakes and osmanthus-sweet lotus root every day..."

Halfway through counting, she suddenly stopped, her little head drooping, she clung to her father's neck and looked at him pitifully: "Father, it's a shame you didn't get to eat any."

Xiao Yuanhang couldn't help laughing, he kissed her cheek: "It's fine; after the battle ends, Father will accompany you to Jiangzhou to eat it all again."

"Great! I'll show you the way!" Tuan Tuan immediately became happy again: "I know all the places!"

"All right, then, Father will come along then, you're so good!" Xiao Yuanhang held his daughter and looked at the approaching crowd.

Xiao Ze walked over with steady steps, the first to reach him: "Prince, you've worked hard."

Xiao Yuanhang gave a slight nod: "Seventh Prince, your complexion is much better than when you were in the capital."

Xiao Ze smiled faintly: "The capital has many worries; the outside world is far broader."

Xiao Yuanhang nodded, feeling the same way.

The three brothers bowed together: "Sons, we greet our father."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi clasped their fists: "Prince!"

Xiao Yuanhang nodded, his gaze falling on the last person: "Gang Leader Luo, your esteemed presence truly surprised me."

"Prince Ning, I hope you've been well," Luo Zhenjiang clasped his hands, looking at the little Xiao Tuanzi in his arms, and said ruefully: "As soon as Tuan Tuan sees you, she forgets me."

"No way!" Tuan Tuan tilted her head: "I was just telling Father how much fun I had playing with you in Jiangzhou!"

Luo Zhenjiang's smile instantly returned: "Good girl!"

Xiao Ningyuan asked excitedly: "Father! When did you arrive?"

"Only a few days ahead of you," Xiao Yuanhang said, sizing him up from head to toe: "You look like you just picked up several hundred taels of silver on the road."

"Father, you're absolutely right," Xiao Ningyuan replied, "it's not just a few hundred taels! This time in Jiangzhou we met a comprador sent by the Imperial Envoy."

"We not only cut off their supply, but also found a lucrative money-making route!"

"Sit down and speak, someone! Bring tea!"

"Yes!"

Everyone took their seats.

"You've arrived quite late," Xiao Yuanhang said, placing his daughter on his knee, lifting the teacup, blowing on it, bringing it to her lips and letting her sip a few mouthfuls, "I had already arrived before you showed up."

"Father, you don't know this," Xiao Ningyuan replied, "we haven't been idle in Jiangzhou!"

He spoke animatedly, recounting everything that had happened in Jiangzhou.

Xiao Yuanhang raised his eyebrows slightly: "Well done."

Tuan Tuan quickly chimed in: "Father! Elder Brother is so awesome!"

"He made that Imperial Envoy's lackey so angry his face turned black!"

"And Third Brother, he got a crowd to follow the silver carriage down the street shouting 'Make way, make way!'—so impressive!"

Xiao Yuanhang looked at his daughter's little appearance and couldn't help laughing.

He reached out to ruffle Tuan Tuan's hair, his gaze sweeping over the three sons and Xiao Ze beside him: "Your smooth success is also thanks to Gang Leader Luo's favor."

Luo Zhenjiang smiled proudly: "Prince, you flatter me."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Immediately a figure rushed in.

"League Leader!" Feng Zhou, drenched in sweat, clearly having run all the way, exclaimed: "I heard you'd arrived, so I hurried over!"

"Feng Zhou!" Tuan Tuan jumped down from her father's arms, took her short legs and ran over to him: "I miss you so much! Why didn't you come with us to Jiangzhou?"

Feng Zhou bowed to Xiao Ze: "Greetings, Seventh Prince."

Then he crouched, meeting Tuan Tuan's bright eyes, and broke into a bright smile: "His Majesty sent me to study the Red-haired Barbarians' firearms, so I came ahead."

"This trip was truly worthwhile! Their firearms are indeed formidable!"

Xiao Ningchen's eyes lit up: "Did you figure it out?"

Feng Zhou's eyes shone: "Not only did I figure it out! I also improved their cannons!"

He was so excited he waved his arms and kicked his legs: "Are you tired? If not, let's go see them now!"

Without a word, Tuan Tuan ran back, grabbed her father's hand and pulled him outside: "Father, let's go! Let's go see Feng Zhou's wonderful things!"

"All right," Xiao Yuanhang said, lifting his daughter, looking at the crowd: "Let's go, let's all go take a look."

Everyone left the government office and headed straight for the training ground.

The training ground backs onto the great river, situated on a wide beach.

Everyone looked up.

On the left stood a row of big cannons, each over five feet long, entirely cast iron.

On the right only two cannons were placed, their appearance completely different from those on the left.

The barrels were shorter, completely black, with a copper band added to the rear of the mother cannon, and the interface of the child cannon inlaid with a ring of soft copper, polished to a shine.

Beside them stood a row of wooden crates, inside which were stacked several rows of child cannons, each about a foot long, as thick as a small bowl, with an iron ring at the tail for easy pulling.

Feng Zhou walked between the two rows of cannons, pointed to the left, and said: "These are our own firearms."

Then he pointed to the right: "These two are the Red-haired Barbarians' Folangji cannons, which I have just improved."

He placed his palm on the barrel: "This cannon is nearly a foot shorter than ours, but its bore is thicker and its interior smoother and finer."

Xiao Ningchen crouched down to look inside the cannon muzzle, then reached in and touched the inner wall of the barrel: "Indeed it is."

"The smoother the barrel, the more stable the projectile when it exits, and the better the aim." Feng Zhou walked to the breech, pulled out the cartridge to show everyone: "Look, this is why their cannons are formidable."

He pointed at the extracted cartridge: "Our cannon needs to reload after each shot, with a long gap in between."

"They use this: inside there is a row of shells; after firing a row, it can be pulled out like a drawer, then a new row inserted, reloading extremely fast."

"Indeed formidable," Xiao Ze nodded, "No wonder they can dominate the seas."

"Exactly!" Feng Zhou then pointed at the cannon barrel, "However, I discovered their cannon has a flaw: it is prone to air leakage."

"Look, there is a gap between the cartridge and here; when the gunpowder explodes, the force leaks out through the gap, so the projectile doesn't travel far."

He pointed to a copper ring around the interface: "I have inlaid this."

"It's just a layer of soft copper; when the gunpowder burns, the copper expands, sealing the gap."

"Thus, with no gas leakage, the gunpowder's force inside the barrel can be fully used to propel the projectile, increasing the range by at least thirty percent!"

"You've put thought into it," Xiao Yuanhang slightly nodded: "Have you tried it?"

"Just finished the modification, haven't had a chance to test it yet." Feng Zhou rubbed his hands excitedly: "Today the Prince and the Seventh Prince and the alliance leader are all here; shall we try it?"

"Great!" Tuan Tuan clapped her little hands: "Daddy, Third Elder Brother, I want to watch!"

Xiao Ningxun advised: "This sound is too loud, Tuan Tuan."

"I'm not afraid!"

Xiao Yuanhang laughed: "Alright, then let's see just how far this improved whatever machine cannon can shoot!"