Chapter 159: Technical Talent

Chen Xin rested at home for only half a day. The next day he went to the workshop office and summoned the two recruited gunners, along with Tang Zuoxiang, who was in charge of firearms.

The red-haired foreigner before him was named Gustav Joachim Lagelöv. He had drifted from Sweden to Portugal, then continued drifting to the Far East. This Gustav had no connection whatsoever to the illustrious "Second Master Gu." Although Sweden was a strong army power, he knew nothing of land warfare. He had only made cannons at the Macau foundry and served as a gunner on seagoing ships, which was how Huang Side had recruited him to Wendeng Camp. The Chinese gunner was called Tang Kun, a Cantonese who had also worked on naval guns at the Macau foundry.

Lagelöv said in slightly stiff Chinese, "Respected my lord, please do not call them red-barbarian cannons, because my hair happens to be red as well."

Chen Xin looked at this red-haired foreigner and said with a smile, "Then what do you call them?"

"Long-barreled culverins. Of course, they need to be further subdivided. Generally we call them great falconets, demi-culverins, great serpentines, demi-serpentines, and sakers. The largest great falconets can reach seven or eight thousand pounds or more; by Great Ming weights, that is six thousand jin."

Chen Xin shook his head. "I don't need cannons that large. They are probably unsuitable for land mobility."

Tang Zuoxiang also asked in surprise, "Six thousand jin — what is a cannon that large used for?"

"For the lower decks and bows of ships of the line, or for fort batteries. Respected my lord, these cannons you call red-barbarian cannons are all naval guns used at sea. As you said, they are not suited for field battles and marching on land."

Tang Zuoxiang asked, "Are the red-barbarian cannons our Great Ming uses for city defense all these naval guns?"

Lagelöv replied, "They should all be, to the best of this humble one's knowledge. The culverins delivered to Jingshi several years ago all came from the East India Company armed ship Unicorn. The Unicorn sank off the coast of Yangjiang County in Guangdong, and one of our Macau ships sank at the same time. Later they were salvaged by various my lords in Guangdong and twenty-six pieces were transported to the capital. The various superior officers called the great serpentines Western cannons, and called the demi-serpentines and sakers red-barbarian cannons."

"Oh. How many cannons can one ship carry? Are all Western ships equipped like this, and what of the price?" This was the first time Chen Xin had heard a foreigner speak of the origins of the red-barbarian cannons. It turned out the earlier batches had mostly been British.

Lagelöv continued, "East India Company armed ships generally use four types of cannon. The largest are the eighteen-pounder great serpentines, the cannon weighing over four thousand pounds, usually five or six per ship. Twelve-pounder demi-serpentines and nine-pounder sakers are the most numerous, the cannon weighing two to three thousand pounds, the number varying by ship, anywhere from ten to thirty pieces. The rest are some minion guns, these cannons weigh only a thousand jin, with shot weighing merely four or five jin. The Dutch have always bought English guns and mostly use these same types. East India Company iron guns sell for five or six taels of silver per hundred pounds; a great serpentine is only a little over two hundred taels. The cost to make one's own is no more than a hundred taels."

Hearing this, Chen Xin found the price completely acceptable. If what this Lagelöv said was true, then Great Ming's cannons were generally demi-serpentines, and even eighteen-pounder guns were rare. The man spoke clearly and logically; it seemed Huang Side had carefully vetted him when recruiting. He truly qualified as an artillery expert, at least far stronger than that knock-off artilleryman Wang Zugui.

In the Luanzhou campaign, the Guangdong artillery corps had become famous in a single battle, with the Portuguese drawing the most attention. After Sun Yuanhua became Provincial Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, he petitioned the imperial court to transfer those Portuguese mercenaries to Dengzhou to help him train troops. If that went through, Chen Xin planned to ask Sun Yuanhua directly for a few more — the court was paying the silver anyway, so why not.

Having thought this through, Chen Xin asked the two, "Then have you both made cannons before?"

Lagelöv answered, "We both worked as cannon makers at the Macau foundry, led by Mr. Wannu Bocarro, specializing in making demi-serpentines and sakers. If my lord wishes to make these two types of cannon, as long as the workshop has sufficient tools and materials, this humble one can begin very soon."

Chen Xin had never heard of any Wannu; from the tone, he seemed to be an expert. He only nodded and said, "I want to make some naval guns, starting with sakers. But more importantly, for land, I also need field guns for land use — the small kind that can be easily pulled around by a few horses, and once on the battlefield, two or three artillerymen can push them along. Using front sight and rear sight for rapid aiming — what pattern would be better?"

Lagelöv and the Chinese gunner Tang Kun exchanged glances. Tang Kun answered, "My lord Chen, then you must use bronze to cast the cannon. As long as it is not above twelve-pounders, it will do. Bronze makes the cannon body light and handy. Using a carriage bolt and iron sleeve to secure the cascabel allows adjusting the barrel elevation. Paired with front sight and rear sight, rapid aiming is possible — only the range will not be very far."

"Can great serpentines be made of bronze?"

Tang Kun said, "They can, but the iron shot of great serpentines is heavy. Repeated firing easily deforms the barrel, after which it can no longer be used. Naval guns are needed in huge numbers; making them all of bronze would be too costly, which is why the English mostly use iron for their cannons now."

Chen Xin decided, "Then make the naval guns of iron. For land, first make small bronze cannons. A range of a few hundred paces will do. After they are done, then make larger ones."

Lagelöv asked, "Will my lord first make three-pounders or four-pounders, or perhaps minion guns of around six pounds?"

Chen Xin waved his hand. "You are the specialists in this — you decide. Make two each of three-pounders and four-pounders. Within three months, finalize the first batch of patterns and hand them to the artillery corps for trial. For naval guns, make them according to the sakers you made in Macau. First make three. Also, did you ever test-fire cannons in Macau?"

Lagelöv answered, "My lord, of course we did. Mr. Wannu was very strict. Every cannon, once finished, had to be proofed. Generally, a double charge of the same caliber was loaded. If the cannon body did not crack, only then could test-firing proceed and the gauge and powder charge be determined."

"The gauge is for determining the powder charge?"

"Yes, my lord. Cannon bodies vary in thickness, and some are bronze, some iron, so the gauge for each cannon is different. When in use, one compares the gauge at the muzzle and can read off the powder charge on the gauge, to avoid using the wrong amount."

Chen Xin suddenly understood. The gauge was to intuitively tell the operating soldier how much powder charge to use.

He reminded himself once again not to look down on the ancients, then said to Lagelöv, "Our requirements for land cannon trials are far higher than this. Trials must include static firing, marching, logistics, lethality, rate of fire, and ease of operation. After testing, revise according to the artillery corps' feedback. Tang Zuoxiang, you will also estimate costs and production speed, following the same process as the original combined-breech guns. Whichever type is best, we choose that one."

Lagelöv knelt and asked, "My lord, we two are mercenaries. The annual pay my lord previously set was fifty taels. It has now been one month since we arrived — may we first draw one month's pay?"

Chen Xin said, "That is only right. The reason I have not yet issued pay to you two is that your positions are in the workshop, not the artillery corps, so you could only receive it upon reaching Weihai. I had no chance to explain this to you earlier; please do not take offense. Mr. Tang, when the time comes, also explain the monthly pay system for the workshop masters to them. The more apprentices they bring, the higher the monthly pay. For every apprentice who can handle tasks independently, there is an additional reward. You two need not regard yourselves as mercenaries. If you grow accustomed to it in the future, you are most welcome to settle down and make your lives here in Weihai." Chen Xin could place the two outside the military, mainly because their wages were far higher than ordinary soldiers' and might cause resentment. In the workshop, as long as one had skill, high income was justifiable.

Tang Kun also knelt and kowtowed. In Macau he had been merely a servant to the Portuguese. This time Huang Side had recruited him and even paid a redemption fee, so his annual stipend for the first year was only thirty taels. But everything he saw upon arriving in Weihai felt very fresh to him. Life here was very peaceful, the streets were clean, there were no beggars — a sense of thriving prosperity.

The my lord before him was extremely amiable, which made Tang Kun feel even more favorably disposed. He had considerable expertise in cannon-making, and hearing the treatment Chen Xin described far exceeded what he had earned in Macau, so he also harbored some hope of staying in Weihai.

The matter of cannon-making was thus tentatively settled for now. After the two left, Tang Zuoxiang took out a firearm and presented it before Chen Xin.

Tang Zuoxiang said to Chen Xin, "My lord, this is the improved flintlock."

Chen Xin took it and examined it carefully. The outer wall of the barrel showed signs of polishing and was relatively smooth. On the right side there was a catch.

Tang Zuoxiang reported, "My lord, this is the gun model after three rounds of improvements. The copper spring inside has been thickened, making it more elastic." As he spoke, he took out a V-shaped spring to show Chen Xin. This spring was the most critical internal component of the flintlock; with this piece, the cock could have kinetic energy.

Chen Xin tested the trigger. The force required from his finger was greater. After passing the critical point, the pan cover snapped open, and the flint struck the frizzen with a crack, sending a shower of sparks into the pan.

"What is the ignition rate of this gun? What is the cost?"

"With priming powder, seven in ten. With granulated powder, six in ten. This gun has many more parts; including the bayonet, one costs over seven taels."

"The bayonet can be fitted now?"

Tang Zuoxiang began to sweat a little again, regretting having brought up the bayonet. He steeled himself and said, "My lord, to fit the bayonet, the outer wall of each gun barrel must be carefully ground, and it must match the inner wall of the bayonet socket exactly to fit tightly. Adding this step makes output even harder to keep up. The iron-smelting workshop uses the co-fusion steel method to make steel, and output is also not high. The bayonets all rely on the socket for fixing. After testing them, Wang Huzi believes they must be made entirely of steel, with the edge in the triangular iron shape my lord requested. That uses quite a lot of steel. So making a small number is possible, but mass production cannot be achieved for the time being."

Chen Xin frowned and thought for a long while. This gun was indeed a flintlock, but it was still far from the requirements he wanted. The standardization of the bayonet and barrel was a major difficulty, as was steel output. Now there was also an automatic pan-cover mechanism, which added even more complexity. He was not sure if Europe was the same, but the current state clearly could not meet his several requirements for weapon production. After a long moment, he finally said, "First produce two hundred and hand them to the army for trial. Continue improving this gun. Set up a separate project for it. Reward twenty taels of silver for eliminating one part, and another twenty taels for reducing one step in the firing sequence. I give you three months. Draft a plan within three days for my review. The requirements: reduce cost to below six taels, and achieve an ignition rate of eight in ten using granulated powder. If the requirements are not met after three months, all bonuses for all management personnel in the firearms workshop will be withheld in full."

When Liu Minyou arrived at the workshop office, he happened to see Tang Zuoxiang coming out with a face full of worry. Seeing Liu Minyou, Tang Zuoxiang forced a smile. From his expression, Liu Minyou knew Chen Xin had assigned him another project. The day-to-day management of the workshop was now Liu Minyou's responsibility. Generally, weapon improvements were summarized by the army and sent directly as requirements to the workshop. The ones Chen Xin proposed were all new weapons. Every time Chen Xin called Tang Zuoxiang for a meeting, this manager became extremely nervous.

Liu Minyou stopped and asked about the situation. Tang Zuoxiang gave a rough account — it was just the two matters of cannons and firearms. Liu Minyou did not understand these things either, so he could only comfort Tang Zuoxiang for a moment and tell him to quickly find someone to draft the plan and show it to Liu Minyou first. This man had originally been just an artisan householder, and after coming to Weihai had worked his way up step by step to become the manager. It was indeed somewhat difficult for him.

After seeing off the grateful Tang Zuoxiang, Liu Minyou reached the door. Hai Gouzi and Nie Hong stood at the entrance like door gods. Hai Gouzi hastily knocked twice on the door, then pushed it open. Chen Xin was inside writing something. Liu Minyou entered, looked around, and said irritably, "You have your own military office — what are you doing occupying mine?"

"I forgot to bring my waist tag when I went out and couldn't be bothered to explain to the sentries. Don't set a bad example."

Liu Minyou unhurriedly brewed tea for himself and asked, "I heard you gave Tang Zuoxiang another target?"

Chen Xin looked up at Liu Minyou. "Did he come complaining to you? Slow at work but quick to complain. A flintlock has been in development for over a year and still hasn't met requirements. If I don't put some pressure on him, he'll just keep dragging it out."

"It wasn't a complaint. I just happened to run into him outside. Besides, I'm the workshop manager — sooner or later he would have told me." Liu Minyou brought a cup of tea over for Chen Xin as well, then continued, "This Tang Zuoxiang is an artisan householder who also has to manage production — it's a bit too much for him. I plan to set up a separate research department inside the workshop, put some literate young craftsmen in it, and have them focus specifically on your new inventions. For this flintlock, don't set a direct deadline. Since it's a new thing, set a bonus — the faster they get it, the more they earn. That's better than pressuring them like this."

Chen Xin stopped writing, thought for a moment, and agreed. "Fine. This Tang Zuoxiang is fairly steady in his work, but every time I explain something new to him, it takes forever to get through. Since you want to set up a research department, set up a few more. Make one for agriculture too, to study farming techniques and tools."

Liu Minyou nodded. "Tang Zuoxiang will only manage production from now on. This flintlock will be handed over to the weapons research department. But don't rely solely on the research department — the method of setting up projects and mobilizing all craftsmen to solve technical problems is very effective and should be kept. Set up an agricultural research department as well. Civilian goods are still few for now, so we'll leave that aside for the moment. As for that naval camp of yours — do we need to build a shipyard or not? So I can make arrangements."

"Build one, but build it small. The naval force is currently focused on transport. Didn't we buy some ships last year? Use those broken-down ships for training first. Liang Tingdong promised to allocate a batch of ships to me — let's wait for the free ones first. On this trip to see Xu Xinsu, I'll buy some Fujian junks from him along the way. Also get a few Fujian shipwrights to build a small number and start cultivating talent."

Liu Minyou complained, "Is Liang Tingdong reliable in handling matters or not? Why haven't the head bounties from our Wendeng Camp's Four Cities battle been issued yet? They should have been given long ago."

Chen Xin laughed. "It's just no silver again. You talk about money every day, yet look how small our operation is. Think about the Chongzhen Emperor — what a heavy burden this whole Great Ming realm is. So young, and every day people reach out their hands asking for money. If it were you or me, we'd probably be driven mad. Liang Tingdong is sensible and deeply understands the imperial will. Seeing that His Majesty lacks funds, he is already working on increasing the Liaodong Tax."

"If it should be increased, then increase it. Does this matter still need working on?"

"Brother Liu, you don't understand. The way my lords do things is different from us. For major matters like this, if you don't first communicate well with the key stakeholders below and go straight to court, you'll only get a face full of dust. Any major matter is generally already settled, or at least seventy to eighty percent certain, before it is brought up in formal court session. So many compromises are traded below the table. On the official stage, everyone speaks with righteous indignation, while the benefits are already tucked inside their sleeves. This principle is the same in all ages."

"It's just different from me. You leaders love doing this kind of shady dealing."

Chen Xin shook his head and smiled. His military funds also came from the Liaodong Tax, so of course the more ample the better. But given the actual situation today, the pressure on the common folk and small landlords would be even greater.

Thinking of land, he casually asked about the earlier land distribution. Liu Minyou gave him a rough account. The three thousand mu in Weihai had all been distributed to the earliest batch of military farming households, twenty mu per family. Now that they had the banner for claiming wasteland, Liu Minyou planned to seize all the uncultivated land in Weihai Guard. Personnel had also been dispatched according to plan to survey other areas within Wendeng's borders.

Chen Xin approved. "First to claim, first to own. I doubt Yang Yun would dare let out a fart. Land and people are the most important resources. Better they go to us than be wasted by them. If anyone from elsewhere in Wendeng dares to obstruct, report it directly to me. Suppress two families and no one will dare make trouble."

After Chen Xin finished speaking, he went on writing his farmer-soldier plan. Liu Minyou leaned over for a glance and said, dissatisfied, "One fortified village of five Company Commander, with one garrison commander company and two hundred fifty farmer-soldiers — you're imitating the Great Leader's 'everyone a soldier,' aren't you."

"We are on the military household system, after all, so of course we must train troops. Each fortified village gets one drill instructor. This time, when the wounded soldiers are discharged, each village gets a few more assigned. In peacetime, they'll train them. When trouble comes, every fortified village can field a combat unit. Once these farmer-soldiers are trained, when the battle troops go out to fight, no one will dare come looking for easy pickings."...

Liu Minyou recalled the disgraceful behavior of Yang Yun and the others after Chen Xin went out on campaign this time — the ugly way they looked ready to swallow Pockmarked Er Dun whole at any moment. He knew Chen Xin was guarding against such people, so he said nothing more, only insisting that the training must not be too much, and that there could be no training during the busy farming season.

Liu Minyou sighed. "It's just that the workshops will be busy again. That Mandarin Duck formation of yours has five or six kinds of weapons — preparing the materials is even more complicated than for firelocks, and the quality inspection procedures are all different. Too much trouble."

Chen Xin chuckled. "To avoid adding trouble for Brother Liu, I've already specially improved it. This time it's only pikes and firelocks — no need to prepare anything else." As he spoke, he pulled a weapons requirement plan from his bag and tossed it to Liu Minyou. Liu Minyou opened it and looked: the farmer-soldiers indeed had only pikes and matchlock guns.

"Why the change in approach?"

"The farmer-soldiers are mainly for local defense. We're not emphasizing mobility or tactical variety. We'll just learn from the European pike-and-shot squares, and at the same time get them used to line formations. Once I can mass-produce flintlocks, in a very short time we can turn all these farmer-soldiers into line infantry. Then, as long as we're fighting right at our own doorstep, we won't have to fear anyone."

Note 1: Manuel Bocarro, originally from Goa, India, was a renowned cannon-casting expert of the time. After arriving in Macau in 1626, he was ordered to establish a cannon foundry. The largest fortress cannon he built reached 35 pounds. The Macau cannon foundry he managed produced excellent quality, especially excelling in bronze cannons, and was highly sought after in the Far East at the time. He also hired large numbers of Chinese technicians, and through the movement of these men, the most advanced Western cannon-making techniques spread to the south, making the cannon-casting standards of Guangdong and Fujian at the time superior to those of the north.