Chapter 74: Milestone

Entering the large courtyard again this time, the number of people inside was clearly much higher than last time.

Zhu Gaoxu understood in his heart that this was Lao Zhu adding more manpower here again to increase the production speed of the Daming Gun.

Looking at the busy figures one by one, Zhu Gaoxu nodded inwardly; it seemed things were going quite smoothly.

"How is the production of the Daming Gun coming along? Are there any more problems?"

Zhu Gaoxu walked up to Yan Zhenzhi and got straight to the point, without any dawdling.

After all, there was still a Hu Wenzheng waiting for him to "serve" him well in a moment.

Yan Zhenzhi also knew what had happened at the entrance just now; while secretly shocked that Zhu Gaoxu dared to detain even Prime Minister Hu's grandson, he became even more respectful on the surface.

"Please rest assured, the production of this Daming Gun is going very smoothly. Using your methods, the models have already been made and production has begun; there is even a batch of finished products already."

Hearing that there were already finished products, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes lit up.

"Bring them here quickly for me to see!"

Rubbing his little hands together, Zhu Gaoxu appeared somewhat impatient.

He could not help but be impatient; this could be called a milestone in history.

From the Fire-door Gun to the Matchlock Gun, this progress was no small matter.

The key was, how many years had the Great Ming even existed?

Even following the original historical development, the Great Ming still had at least two hundred more years of National Fortune.

Starting to develop the Matchlock Gun now, he believed that within a few generations, they would research the Flintlock Gun. With such advanced firearms, he would like to see who could still blast open the gates of his Huaxia then!

The more he thought about it, the more excited Zhu Gaoxu became.

He urged Yan Zhenzhi repeatedly to hurry up.

Yan Zhenzhi was likewise very excited.

They had tried this thing before, and it was indeed extraordinary, but after reporting it to Zhu Yuanzhang, there had been no news.

If Zhu Gaoxu went to report to Zhu Yuanzhang, he believed the effect would be even better.

Soon, Yan Zhenzhi sent someone to hand the newly manufactured Daming Gun to Zhu Gaoxu.

Looking at the Daming Gun in his hands, Zhu Gaoxu felt a surge of emotion.

"Bring the gunpowder; I'll try the gun first!"

Yan Zhenzhi had long anticipated that Zhu Gaoxu would test the gun, and the gunpowder and lead bullets had already been prepared.

However, Yan Zhenzhi clearly still maintained some reason, and said to the eager Zhu Gaoxu: "Your Highness, this is not the place to test a gun; let us go to the back courtyard."

Hearing Yan Zhenzhi's words, Zhu Gaoxu finally reacted; looking at the people walking back and forth around them, it was indeed easy to cause accidental injury.

He nodded and followed Yan Zhenzhi to a side courtyard.

Yan Zhenzhi and the others had already tested it once before, so the site was still there. After ordering people to replace a few new targets, Yan Zhenzhi handed the gunpowder and lead bullets to Zhu Gaoxu, letting Zhu Gaoxu do as he pleased.

With an excited face, Zhu Gaoxu loaded the gunpowder and lead bullets, which had already been measured in the correct proportions, into the Daming Gun.

The proportions and usage methods inside here were, of course, also told to Yan Zhenzhi and the others by Zhu Gaoxu.

They had all been marked on the blueprints before.

During the simple loading process, Zhu Gaoxu first aimed at the target, then lit the matchlock.

With only the sound of a gunshot, the Daming Gun hit the bullseye.

Do not look at the fact that Zhu Gaoxu was small; his hands were very steady, and coupled with the Internal Energy passed to him by that strange person, his breathing was even steadier, which allowed him to use the gun with greater precision.

Of course, it could not be denied that the precision of the Daming Gun was indeed very high; if it were replaced with a Three-Eyed Gun, even if one aimed accurately at a target only thirty paces away, one probably would not know where the bullet flew.

After test-firing several shots in a row, Zhu Gaoxu was very satisfied with both the precision and the power.

However, he felt that just shooting like this was not satisfying enough.

Looking at the stationary target, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes rolled, and he beckoned a Embroidered Uniform Guard over, then ordered: "Bring that brat Hu Wenzheng to me."

Upon hearing that Zhu Gaoxu wanted to bring Hu Wenzheng over, Yan Zhenzhi looked at the Daming Gun in Zhu Gaoxu's hand and hurriedly tried to stop him: "Your Highness, you absolutely must not! That Hu Wenzheng is Prime Minister Hu's eldest grandson. You do not know, but Prime Minister Hu usually dotes on him dearly. He will probably come to demand his release in a moment; you must not be impulsive."

Dotes on him dearly?

Zhu Gaoxu chuckled; the more he doted on him, the more he would not only peel a layer of skin off Hu Wenzheng when the time came, but also take Hu Weiyong down with him!

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu naturally could not let Hu Wenzheng go just like that.

He gave a wink to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who nodded and, ignoring Yan Zhenzhi's obstruction, brought Hu Wenzheng before Zhu Gaoxu in no time.

At this moment, Hu Wenzheng had already been tied up. Zhu Gaoxu looked at the trussed-up Hu Wenzheng and smiled lightly: "Young Master Hu, you coming here is clearly not just to find me, right?"

"I reckon Prime Minister Hu must have asked you to also inquire about the firearms being manufactured in this courtyard. Today, I have offended you somewhat, so to let you vent your anger, I have specially let you see this newly developed firearm—the Daming Gun!"

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu speak this way, Hu Wenzheng thought his grandfather had already arrived.

After all, with so many servants having fled back with injuries at the time, it was impossible for his grandfather not to know.

Calculating the time, he might have really arrived.

Thinking this, Hu Wenzheng put away his earlier fear and began to act tough.

"Hmph, the Nanyang Commandery Prince is nothing more than this. Let me tell you, thinking you can just let it go easily is impossible. Untie me first and take me to see my grandfather."