Chapter 124: Armed Debt Collection

"Can a matchlock gun sweep away all the forces of the late Ming?"

Facing the bounty post, numerous Network Experts voiced their opinions one after another.

"Matchlock gun? Those matchlock soldiers need good stamina; when they go to the battlefield, they have to carry Ali-long match cord on their bodies."

"This thing's rate of fire is super slow; on the battlefield, being able to fire one shot a minute makes you an elite."

"Short range, insufficient lethality, accuracy relies entirely on faith, ignition rate is only a pitiful fifty percent."

"This thing can't be used in wind or rain; wind blows out the match cord, rain soaks the gunpowder, and it becomes a fire stick."

"Matchlock guns easily misfire; the match cords the matchlock soldiers carry on their bodies easily cause fires."

"Best not to use this thing if you can avoid it; use something better."

The Network Powerhouses' round of criticism left Lin Dao scratching his head.

He had originally thought the matchlock gun was a hot weapon, and against cold weapons it should have a crushing advantage.

He never expected this matchlock gun would actually be this disappointing.

"Technical matters."

Lin Dao shook his neck. "In the future, I'll still have to consult professionals."

He took a sip of water, then posted a new thread again.

"Seeking firearm equipment stronger than the matchlock gun."

Replies came quickly and in great numbers.

His account often posted bounty inquiries, so he had some small fame.

Skipping those not worth reading, like advertisements, padding word count, and so on.

Among the useful information, proposals for modern firearms, rocket artillery, missiles, and even Qiu Xiaojie's, were all skipped.

The most satisfactory was a Charleville 1777 Flintlock Gun provided by a certain Technical Powerhouse.

"Uses paper cartridges and black powder, loading speed exceeds the matchlock gun by more than double."

"Effective range fifty to one hundred meters, uses flintlock mechanism."

"Equipped with a socket bayonet, can switch to a cold weapon in close combat."

"Napoleon's main equipment for sweeping across Europe."

Lin Dao was very satisfied, proactively contacted the Technical Powerhouse, put forward some of his own ideas, and hoped the Powerhouse would help optimize them.

Once he received the Powerhouse-optimized blueprints and parameters, he immediately sent them to Yonghe Spacetime.

"Bang!"

Inside the gun barrel made of seamless steel pipe, a large cloud of white smoke sprayed out.

A lead bullet whistled out of the barrel at supersonic speed, striking the wooden target forty paces away.

On the wooden target five chi high, three chi wide, and over one cun thick, wood chips flew horizontally, and it was pierced through with a large hole.

This is the Luoyang City Training Ground outside Luoyang City in Yonghe Spacetime; a firearm test firing is currently underway.

Liu Hu, who was test-firing, collected the gun, checked it over, walked over, and handed it to Lin Dao.

Lin Dao carefully surveyed the genuine article in his hand.

"Hardwood gun body, total length one point five meters."

"Barrel length one point two meters, cut from seamless steel pipe."

He reached out to take the ammunition and surveyed it.

This is a paper cartridge with the bullet, propellant, and primer connected together in a paper casing.

Compared to pouring gunpowder from the muzzle and then using a ramrod to tamp it down for firing.

The appearance of the paper cartridge greatly simplified the tedious loading process and increased firing speed.

He held the flintlock gun upright, surveying the muzzle.

There is a ring hook at the muzzle.

Lin Dao took a socketed three-edged military dagger and clipped it into the hook.

Holding the gun with both hands, he thrust forward a few times; the feeling was quite okay.

Counting the gun body length, the overall length already exceeds one point eight meters, approaching two meters.

This is an extremely sharp spear.

Lin Dao, holding the gun with both hands, closed his eyes.

In his mind, he imagined the scene on the battlefield.

Enemy heavy infantry clad in three-layer heavy armor, hard-tanking dense forests of guns and bullet rain, breaking through layers of iron wire nets with difficulty to approach.

After closing in, the matchlock soldiers attach three-edged military daggers for close-quarters combat.

One thrust down, and those enemy heavy infantry using broadswords and axes immediately have terrifying wounds blasted and pierced open on their bodies, utterly unsalvageable.

He opened his eyes. "Comfortable!"

He removed the three-edged military dagger and hung it at his waist; Lin Dao held the firearm level, observing the firing mechanism.

The matchlock gun's ignition success rate is usually only half.

That is to say, under normal circumstances, you have to ignite twice to fire one shot.

The flintlock gun is better, but still has a twenty to thirty percent ignition failure probability.

The Powerhouse who provided the blueprints gave a creative option.

Use an electronic ignition primer to replace the flint.

This thing's ignition probability approaches one hundred percent.

The heavily modified flintlock gun, whether in range, power, convenience, or failure rate, has seen tremendous improvement.

"Very good."

Lin Dao handed the flintlock gun to Liu Hu, then turned to ask the master craftsman, "What's the output?"

"Replying to the Lord."

The master craftsman respectfully replied, "Three to five can be made per day."

"Mainly because the artisans aren't yet proficient; once everyone gradually becomes proficient, next month it can be raised to over ten per day."

Lin Dao's brow furrowed slightly.

This output is too low.

"Tools and materials aren't lacking, so why is production so slow?"

The master craftsman hurriedly explained, "Mainly because there aren't enough hands."

"There aren't many artisans who can make this thing; one person takes several days to make just one."

Hearing this, Lin Dao instantly thought of something.

"The assembly line method."

"You break down the production steps."

"Change one artisan making one gun to artisans working in batches on one step each, with multiple steps proceeding simultaneously, and finally do the final assembly."

"This way, output will surely increase greatly."

What he hadn't said was that doing this would also cut off the danger of artisans leaking secrets at the root.

If one artisan knows everything, once he runs off or is captured, this weapon ahead of its time by a thousand years will immediately be leaked.

If they only know one step, Lin Dao doesn't believe that in this Yonghe Spacetime, apart from the Beggar Army, anyone could make a firearm just from one component.

"While increasing output, also strengthen quality supervision."

Though the seamless steel pipe's quality is top-notch, Lin Dao still won't be careless.

"All participating artisans must engrave their names on the gun body; once there's a problem, none of them on each step can escape!"

On the road back to Luoyang City on horseback.

Lin Dao instructed Liu Hu, "The first batch made, train a group of matchlock soldiers, and send them to the Jingzhou Frontline for actual combat."

"This troop will be commanded by you from now on."

Liu Hu on horseback bowed in salute.

"Yes!"

Chongzhen Spacetime, Jinling City.

"East House~"

Ju Bao Lou shopkeeper Tian Wen hurried over, sweat covering his forehead.

"Don't rush."

Lin Dao, in a good mood, gestured for him to sit and speak, "Speak slowly, the sky won't fall."

Recently business has been going smoothly, and the financial crisis has also been resolved.

Lin Dao's mood was truly very good.

"East House." Taking the tea bowl Chen Yuanyuan handed over, Tian Wen put it down without drinking at all.

He urgently said, "There's a leak in the building."

"Mm." Lin Dao nodded, "Speak clearly."

"Yes." Tian Wen hurriedly explained, "Last month, a merchant from Luzhou Prefecture came to the building to place an order."

"He ordered goods worth a full forty thousand taels of silver."

"At the time he first paid one thousand taels of gold, two eastern pearls, and a hundred-year-old ginseng as a deposit."

"It was agreed that the final payment would be made three days ago."

Hearing this, Lin Dao already understood, "He didn't come?"

"Yes."

Tian Wen was fearful and uneasy, "It's all this lowly one's fault, causing such a huge deficit~~~"

A deficit isn't that serious.

Just the deposit alone has already earned back many times over.

After all, in the Industrial Era, the cheapest thing is industrial goods.

It's just that, so brazenly blacklisting his own goods~

Lin Dao asked again, "Who is the guarantor?"

"It's the Crown Prince of the Ningjin Bo Mansion." Tian Wen's tears were about to fall, "This lowly one went to the Ningjin Bo Mansion to find the Crown Prince, but was kicked out."

A wholesale business worth millions, of course it's impossible to take all the goods just after paying a deposit.

There must be a guarantor of sufficient weight.

Previously, merchants from all over who came to wholesale goods all had guarantors, and no such thing ever happened.

"Ningjin Bo?"

Lin Dao stroked his chin, "This is aimed at me."

Goods worth tens of thousands of taels aren't anything.

But if we just swallow this anger, then immediately countless people will swarm up to tear and bite.

Taking the goods without paying the final payment is just the beginning; all kinds of methods will keep emerging.

There's no way, the business of Ju Bao Lou is just too hot.

Such a big piece of fat meat, which of the powerful nobles in Jinling City isn't envious?

"I know about this matter."

Lin Dao comforted Tian Wen, "From now on, whoever comes to take goods must pay in full before settlement."

"No one's face is to be given."

After the anxious Tian Wen left, Lin Dao first returned to the Modern World to look up information on the Marquis of Ningjin.

"I thought he had some great background, turns out he's just a knee-jerk goods lowered by wild boar skin."

Lin Dao calculated the time: "The summer tax has already been levied, and the autumn grain must wait until after the autumn harvest."

In Ming tax collection, the most important are the summer tax and autumn grain; these are the big head.

According to regulations, the summer tax and autumn grain from all over Jiangnan must be gathered at Ying Tian Fu.

With such a large sum of money and grain, Lin Dao naturally would not let it pass.

His plan was to wait until the money and grain arrived, then send troops to seize Jinling City.

Once the money and grain were in hand, he could immediately expand his forces.

Moreover, without money and grain locally, it would be difficult to organize troops and horses to resist.

"Before that, no major military action."

"The Marquis of Ningjin Residence, that will be flattened after a few more months."

"The target is set on that Crown Prince."

Given Lin Dao's nature, encountering such a thing would immediately mean armed debt collection.

The entire Marquis of Ningjin Residence must be dismantled.

For the grand plan, he can temporarily endure for one or two.

But the Crown Prince of the Marquis of Ningjin Residence, who acted as guarantor, must die!

He set out to the East Courtyard and gathered more than ten young bodyguards.

"I need you to handle a matter!"

A group of young bodyguards stepped forward simultaneously, their eyes toward Lin Dao full of fiery light.

Half-grown lads are exactly the most hot-blooded, most fearless age.

"We eat Jiao Lian's, use Jiao Lian's, take Jiao Lian's!"

"Our lives are all Jiao Lian's!"

"Assault boiling water and tread fire, we will not decline!"

Their treatment is very high, one can of flesh per day, landlords can't even afford it.

Moreover, their families have all been raised, living good days.

Even sick family members received Jiao Lian's divine medicine, and their physical condition consequently improved.

Compared to when they were refugees before, when they might at any time become the miserable sight of collapsing on the road, Jiao Lian's grace naturally can never be repaid.

Now having the opportunity to repay Jiao Lian, everyone strives to be first.

This is truly raising dead soldiers.

Giving a few thousand qian a month is called a long-term worker.

"Very good."

Lin Dao nodded in satisfaction: "First go track and investigate the Marquis of Ningjin Heir's daily routine and travel route."

"I want to armed debt collection him!"

"When the time comes, pack the explosive package onto his horse cart!"

End of Chapter