Chapter 204

204. Chapter 204: Overly Innovative New Firearms! The Shock of Modern Firearms!

Ordering the old steward to arrange for the soldiers to eat and rest, Chu Yang and Qi Jiguang returned to the port. A huge building ship was docked here, totaling five floors, with soldiers in black armor guarding each floor.

More than a dozen cannons were mounted on both sides of the ship, and the style looked more complex than the ancient ones in Chu Yang's memory. There were many copper tubes around the cannon body, which seemed to be used to conduct strong pressure.

He even saw a gas valve and a simple dashboard where the ignition was.

Damn...

What kind of Ming Empire steampunk magic style is this?

Chu Yang was shocked.

The combination of the abilities of craftsmen and array masters really allowed Qi Jiguang to tinker with firearms that transcended the era, and they might be things that didn't belong to this world at all.

No fuses, no gunpowder, and he didn't know what was driving them. No wonder Qi Jiguang called them new firearms.

They were overly "innovative" in every sense.

Driven by curiosity, Chu Yang boarded the ship in two or three steps and carefully examined the primitive yet sci-fi steampunk cannons in front of him.

"You son of a bitch, you really are a genius!"

Stroking the cannon body, Chu Yang sighed in admiration; ordinary imagination couldn't create such things.

"Haha, Your Highness is too kind. It's all the credit of the people in the Firearms Camp. All I did was gather these people together and let them feel at ease to exert their abilities."

Qi Jiguang was glowing with modesty, as if Chu Yang's praise made him happier than killing the enemy.

Chu Yang laughed, "Take out whatever other good things you have and let me see."

"Please move, Your Highness, and follow me." Qi Jiguang led the way, guiding Chu Yang into the ship's cabin.

The lighting inside the building ship relied on strange beads rather than oil lamps. The light emitted by those beads was similar to incandescent lamps, so everything in the cabin was almost completely visible.

"What are these glowing beads?" Chu Yang looked around curiously.

Qi Jiguang picked up a bead and handed it to Chu Yang, then explained, "There is a kind of sea demon in the waters near Wang Long City. Its body is as bright as day, and it can still glow in the deep sea, similar to fireflies."

"Kill the sea demon and dissect its body, and there will be such beads inside. However, there is a chance that the beads in the body will be destroyed when the sea demon dies, so even with mass hunting, the chance of getting the beads is not high."

At first, Chu Yang thought the beads were the sea demon's inner core, but holding them in his hand, he didn't feel any demonic power, only a warmth transmitted into his palm.

Qi Jiguang took Chu Yang further down. Not long after, many large iron boxes appeared in front of them. Qi Jiguang opened one of them at random and displayed the weapons inside to Chu Yang.

It was a style inherited from the cannons outside; the rough brass tubes on the gun body were like knotted muscles.

Chu Yang picked up the gun and examined it carefully, finding that the muzzle had spiral grooves, there was an identical dashboard at the tail, and there was a crosshair scope near the dashboard.

Is this damn thing a sniper rifle?!

"Ha, this is really interesting..."

Chu Yang was like a big boy who had found his favorite toy, playing with the Qi Family Army's new firearms with excitement.

"Your Highness, I have already tested it. The power of the new firearms is excellent. Even without the blessing of array patterns, it can still allow an adult male who has not practiced martial arts to kill demon beasts."

"If used for city defense, we can mobilize the people in the city to help defend the city. It only takes one firearm per person."

"There are two types of firearms: one for martial artists and one for ordinary people."

Qi Jiguang took out another similar firearm from the box next to him. The difference was that the firearm in his hand had a bead embedded in the grip.

It wasn't the kind of bead outside that was as bright as an incandescent lamp; the rich demonic aura emanating from it proved that this was a real demon core.

"The firearm for martial artists can use true essence instead of gunpowder to trigger the projectile, and the power is very huge. And the firearm in my hand is for ordinary people. The difference is..."

Before Qi Jiguang finished speaking, Chu Yang said, "It has one more demon core, right? Using the demon core to replace the martial artist's true essence."

"Demon core?" Qi Jiguang was stunned for a moment and laughed, "This way of saying it is also good. We have fought the Demon Race for many years, and we have accumulated a lot of these things, but we don't know what to call them, nor do we know how to use them."

"Ever since the craftsmen and array masters invented the new firearms, these... demon cores have found their correct use."

Don't know how to use demon cores? Chu Yang looked at Qi Jiguang in astonishment and said, "How did you handle those Demon Race corpses in the past?"

Qi Jiguang said, "Those with scales and fur were skinned to make armor, sharp teeth and claws were used to make weapons and arrows, and the rest were thrown away..."

Chu Yang asked suspiciously, "Just like that? Didn't you use the flesh and blood to refine pills?"

"Is Your Highness talking about the alchemist's pill refining technique?" Qi Jiguang was asked somewhat inexplicably, frowning, "Don't alchemists refine pills using all kinds of stones plus realgar, arsenic, and the like? What does it have to do with Demon Race flesh and blood?"

People in the Ming Empire world don't know alchemy! Because there is no time to practice with peace of mind, all their talent points were added to war weapons, and there was simply no opportunity to develop alchemy.

No wonder human experts are so rare; they all broke through relying on hard talent!

Chu Yang suddenly felt a bit emotional. If he hadn't come to see Qi Jiguang's new firearms, he wouldn't have realized this point.

It must be said that the Iron-Gall Divine Marquis died very unjustly. If he had known about alchemy, he would never have used the Power-Absorbing Great Art to directly devour the power of the Demon Race and demons, turning himself into a neither-human-nor-ghost creature.

Looking at Chu Yang's ever-changing expression, Qi Jiguang continued, "In the early years, someone actually proposed using the method of eating demon meat to improve cultivation, saying that demons eat people, so people can also eat demons."

"But the result of eating demon meat was that people would die suddenly. It wasn't the kind of sudden death where they bleed from the seven orifices, but literally, the whole person would explode, liver and brains splattered, blood flowing like a river."

Chu Yang said helplessly, "That's not how you use 'liver and brains splattered,' it's a bit disgusting, General Qi."

Qi Jiguang chuckled.

"Because people would explode after eating it, everyone thought demon meat was poisonous, right?" Chu Yang shook his head, "Could it be because people couldn't withstand the energy in the demon meat?"

Qi Jiguang said in a deep voice, "Actually, it's not that this possibility doesn't exist, it's just that everyone is unwilling to think about it, because everyone has a bit of resistance to eating demon meat."

However, Chu Yang didn't think so. He said, "In this world where the weak are the prey of the strong, isn't it just you eat me, I eat you, part of the cycle of all things."

"Alright, let's stop the topic of eating people and demons. I've seen your firearms, now it's my turn." Having been a laboratory assistant for Tony Stark for so long, Chu Yang had some insights into weapons.

But given that the weapons in this world already had their own direction, Chu Yang didn't intend to force a change in all of this, but intended to turn his past experience into nutrients.

The Qi Family Army's firearms still had a lot of room for improvement in structure, and in Chu Yang's view, there was also the possibility of strengthening the array patterns.

From the firearms he was familiar with, Chu Yang selected several classic pistols, rifles, and shotguns to deal with various different war environments, used to modify the new firearms that were almost identical in style.

The time to draw the blueprints wasn't long, but the time Chu Yang spent explaining the blueprints to Qi Jiguang was a bit long, taking a full half-day, which made Qi Jiguang regret not bringing the craftsmen of the Firearms Camp with him.

Although he didn't understand much, having been influenced for so many years, Qi Jiguang could still see the power of these blueprints and knew that the precision of the firearms on them far exceeded his new firearms.

To those who understand firearms, these guns were undoubtedly works of art.

"I have never seen the style of these firearms. Did Your Highness research them yourself?"

Qi Jiguang said admiringly, "Your Highness's research on firearms would probably make even the craftsmen of the Firearms Camp feel ashamed. It's a pity, I should have brought them to see the world."

"These are nothing..." Chu Yang shook his head and laughed. They were just a few guns; the truly powerful ones hadn't been released yet. If Qi Jiguang saw the Iron Man legion in the One Punch Man world, it would be hard to imagine what kind of expression he would have.

It's a pity that the production line is difficult to move over through the Soul Palace. The more precise the high-tech instrument, the greater the chance of damage when traveling through time and space, and it's irreversible.

Precision machining of firearms requires machine tools, especially for mass production, and the requirements for production workshops are even more stringent. But fortunately, machine tools are not high-tech precision instruments, and Chu Yang can move some over from other worlds as much as possible.

As an important cornerstone of the Industrial Revolution, the appearance of machine tools will cause a qualitative change in the manufacturing level of this world.

Qi Jiguang, holding the manufacturing blueprints, looked more like a child than Chu Yang before. Such a pure smile appeared on the face of a cold, tough man.

Chu Yang knew that he was so happy because these blueprints could save a few more lives of the Qi Family Army on the battlefield.

"General Qi, stop looking for now. The blueprints don't have legs and won't run away. Let's get down to business first. Aren't you going to send this batch of firearms to the north?"

Chu Yang looked at the sun setting outside and couldn't help but remind Qi Jiguang to pay attention to the time. The Emperor's mourning period hadn't ended yet, and the curfew was much earlier than usual.

If they missed it, it would be a matter for tomorrow.

"Oh, damn." Qi Jiguang hurriedly put away the blueprints, ordered his subordinates to take good care of the building ship, and then pulled Chu Yang away in a hurry.

Coincidentally, today was the day Li Chengliang was leaving the capital. His days in the imperial prison these past few days had not been easy, and every day he thought about how he would lose his head.

He had clearly come to earn a future, but he almost lost his life.

A huge loss.

If he hadn't made this trip, his Li family would still be the local emperor of Liaodong, with the mountains high and the emperor far away, and no one could control him. He only blamed himself for being greedy, wanting to earn a hereditary position for the sake of the next generation.

In the end, no one could have imagined that a Virtuous Prince who had been a playboy for more than twenty years would suddenly turn into someone who could trample even a Grandmaster under his feet, and treat hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guards like toys.

If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, Li Chengliang would never have imagined that there were such heaven-defying martial arts experts in the world.

Li Chengliang, who was muddled in the imperial prison, thought it was the King of Hell coming to claim his life the moment he saw the cell door open. He had even prepared himself for death.

But he didn't expect to be released from the imperial prison just like that, without bearing any guilt.

The imperial prison was a place under the jurisdiction of the Jinyiwei. Commander Zheng Dongliu personally received Li Chengliang out of prison and even comforted him kindly.

"Considering that you have guarded the north for many years, both your merits and hard work are there, so His Majesty has made an exception this time and given you a chance to make up for your faults. Lord Li, you must cherish it!"

"His Majesty? Isn't His Majesty already..."

"After the mourning period ends, His Highness the Virtuous Prince will ascend the throne. Lord Li, if you are still not careful with your words, I'm afraid you will have to come to the imperial prison again. It's just that next time you come, you might not be able to get out."

"Subordinate deserves to die! Subordinate just came out of the imperial prison, my mind is still not clear, so I spoke without thinking. I hope Lord Zheng and His Majesty will not take it to heart."

"The taste of escaping death isn't good, is it?"

"Returning to Lord Zheng's words, it really isn't good."

"It's not good, but you have to bear it. The death penalty can be avoided, but the living penalty is hard to escape. Now His Majesty is letting you return to Liaodong to guard the national gate. You must serve the country with your life, understand?"

"Lord Zheng, rest assured, it is only right and proper for a soldier to serve the country with his life. Li Chengliang may have made many mistakes, but he will not make a mistake on this point."

"Good!"

Zheng Dongliu escorted Li Chengliang out of the imperial prison while telling him about the difficulties the north was about to face.

After hearing this, Li Chengliang's expression didn't change in the slightest, and there was no cowardice in his eyes, only murderous intent.

A flash of appreciation appeared in Zheng Dongliu's eyes.

Setting aside the foolish things the other party had done, in his heart, Li Chengliang was a good talent comparable to Qi Jiguang. The two of them, one in the south and one in the north, guarding the national gate, were the only reason the Central Plains could rest and recuperate for so many years.

Li Chengliang said softly, "In these years, I've only killed Jiannu, and haven't killed many Great Demons, which is a great regret for me. Now that I have the opportunity to let the Demon Race see the sharp blades in the hands of us northern men, I will certainly not fail His Majesty's trust."

Zheng Dongliu nodded and laughed, "With such thoughts, it is not in vain that His Majesty has allocated most of the Imperial Guards to you to help you hold the northern border."

Li Chengliang trembled all over and said in disbelief, "His Majesty gave me so many troops, what should be done about the defense of the capital?"

Zheng Dongliu said lightly, "The remaining Imperial Guards are also going to the south to suppress the rebellion. To be precise, the capital will have no Imperial Guards guarding it in the future, because His Majesty said it is not needed."

"Not needed..." Li Chengliang lowered his head and muttered, then smiled bitterly, "With His Majesty's might, it is indeed not necessary to have a single soldier guarding the capital."

"It's good that you know." Zheng Dongliu glanced at him, "Don't ever develop thoughts you shouldn't have just because you have more troops in your hands. Remember what you just said."

Li Chengliang cupped his hands in a salute. He knew that Zheng Dongliu's warnings along the way were actually well-intentioned, because people who died without a burial place due to a momentary heat of the head were everywhere in history.

One more wouldn't be too many, and one less wouldn't be too few. (End of chapter)