Chapter 502: Rifled Musket

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Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Xu E's face was filled with joy, but the second half plunged her back into worry.

"You do not need to know for the time being," Zhao Xu said after a moment of contemplation.

Nodding, the look of worry on Xu E's face lessened slightly.

In the current Great Song, only Yan Wang could save Changle Junzhu.

She was very clear about this point.

After the Emperor sent the marriage alliance decree to Chun Wang Mansion, Changle had not touched a drop of water or a single grain of rice for three days and three nights.

She would rather starve herself to death than enter into the marriage alliance.

In her desperation, she advised Changle Junzhu to make a trip to Yanzhou to seek help.

If Yan Wang could intervene to save her, Changle Junzhu would hold onto a glimmer of hope and wait.

If she still had to go to the Grassland for the marriage alliance, she would have no choice but to die.

"Many thanks, Your Highness. Then this servant will have a letter sent back now, and we shall wait at Tianxiang Lou," Xu E said. "If Your Highness can save the Junzhu, my mistress and I will have nowhere else to go, and can only survive under Your Highness's protection."

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment; Xu E meant that she and Changle Junzhu would live in Yanzhou from now on.

But then again, it seemed they had nowhere else to go.

Regarding this, he did not mind.

Saving Changle Junzhu was, on one hand, to repay Changle Junzhu's favor.

Regardless of what her original purpose had been.

After all, without her help, he would not have been able to gain a foothold in Yan Commandery.

The second purpose was to take revenge on the Northern Di.

The two of them were in a state of war, and the Northern Di could humiliate him like this.

Naturally, he could also humiliate the Northern Di; not to return a favor is against etiquette.

As for protecting the two of them, which might offend the Imperial Court, he was not afraid.

The powerful clans were already openly carving out territories.

The fragmentation of the Great Song was only a matter of time.

In this state of affairs, there was no need for him to be constrained in his actions.

After all, for the Great Song to linger on for a while longer, Zhao Heng still had to rely on him.

"This is naturally excellent. If Yancheng can have two peerless Beauties, it will only add brilliance to the place," Zhao Xu said with a light laugh.

Upon hearing this, Xu E smiled demurely, her eyes seemingly rippling like autumn water.

Then, thinking of something, her expression suddenly dimmed.

Bowing, she said: "Your Highness, it is getting late, this servant will not disturb you further."

"Hmm, Feng'er, see Miss Xu out," Zhao Xu said, eyeing Xu E strangely for a moment.

In the past, this young woman would try to linger whenever she came, but now she seemed to be avoiding suspicion.

Shaking his head, Zhao Xu stopped thinking about it; a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, not something a steel-straight man like him could fathom.

Less than an hour after Xu E left, Xu Ke arrived at the Prince's Mansion.

"Your Highness, over thirty people have checked into Tianxiang Lou, and I have already ordered men to keep watch," Xu Ke said.

Zhao Xu nodded upon hearing this, "How is your investigation into Chun Wang going?"

"After the people from the Four Courts arrived in Jingshi, they have been watching Chun Wang, but Chun Wang has only been eating, drinking, and having fun; no abnormalities have been found. However, Changle Princess and Xu E have gone out together frequently, appearing quite mysterious," Xu Ke said.

"Is this Chun Wang truly hiding too deep, or is he really innocent?" Zhao Xu could not help but frown. "Keep watching. Also, the commanderies controlled by the Dou Family and other powerful clans must also be investigated from now on. Provide me with a summary report every three days," Zhao Xu said. The more chaotic the situation, the more important intelligence became.

Pausing, he continued: "I will have Liu Fu allocate another sum of Silver to your Four Courts. Your intelligence must be faster and more accurate."

"Your Highness, the Four Courts have enough Silver; there is no need to allocate more," Xu Ke suddenly felt a sense of pressure.

This made him feel very guilty; he felt that the Four Courts were not yet outstanding enough.

They were far from being as effective as the Prince's Personal Army and the Government Office, and not even as good as the newly established Black Shark Sea Bandits.

"I know what you are thinking. The work of a spy requires heavy investment, and failure is a common occurrence. But do not be discouraged; even a good hunter will lose a few rabbits sometimes," Zhao Xu laughed.

Zhao Xu's words reminded Xu Ke of when he first joined the Flame Guard.

At that time, he was fearless and knew no bounds.

"This subordinate will definitely be the best hunter," Xu Ke said, gritting his teeth.

He believed that as the personnel under the Four Courts became more experienced,

the Four Courts' ability to obtain intelligence would become stronger and stronger.

The two were just talking.

At this moment, Feng'er came to report that Wang Ying was inviting him to the Armory.

Thinking of something, the sense of humiliation Zhao Xu felt because of the marriage alliance and the Northern Di suddenly vanished into thin air.

He mounted his horse and headed straight for the Armory.

If he had not guessed wrong, Wang Ying must have improved some Flintlocks, turning them into Rifled Muskets.

Sure enough.

After Zhao Xu arrived at the Armory, Wang Ying immediately led him to the Drill Ground.

"Your Highness, this Rifling is truly difficult to cut," picking up a Rifled Musket, Wang Ying pointed to the spiral Rifling inside. "I had three craftsmen work day and night, and it took a full half-month to cut one gun barrel."

Zhao Xu took the Rifled Musket and looked into the barrel.

The recessed Rifling lines were smooth and had an equal twist rate, meeting the standards for a Rifled Musket.

Hearing this, he said: "Are you worrying about the improvements again?"

"I truly cannot hide anything from Your Highness. With over a hundred thousand Flintlocks currently in the army, even if I arrange for three thousand people to be responsible for the improvements, it will take nearly two years to finish, not to mention the Conical Lead Bullet that Your Highness wants," Wang Ying shook his head and sighed incessantly.

However, as he spoke, his eyes darted around everywhere.

Zhao Xu rolled his eyes upon seeing this, "You, Wang Ying, want this Prince to hand over the first batch of Steam Engines produced to your Weaponry Bureau, don't you?"

Wang Ying was never good at lying, and he could see through him at a glance.

As the saying goes, those close to the water tower get the moon first; Wang Chong is Wang Ying's son.

Wang Ying certainly knew of the immense power of the Steam Engine, so naturally, he coveted it.

Right now, Wang Chong's Compound Steam Engine has been successfully developed, and the next step is the issue of mass production.

He, Wang Ying, was naturally covetous.

"No need for you to say it, the first batch will definitely go to your Weaponry Bureau," Zhao Xu said.

Picking up the Rifled Musket, he said, "But before that, this Prince wants to test the Rifled Musket to see if you have mastered the carving of the Rifling."

When he arrived, he passed through the area where the rifling was being carved; the craftsmen fixed the gun barrel onto a wooden bench and fixed the Broach at the other end, pulling it back and forth repeatedly.

This is manual rifling.

The Rifled Musket appeared in the 15th century, yet it was only widely equipped in the 19th century.

The cost of the Rifled Musket was also one of the reasons it was slow to be equipped on a large scale.

After all, the material for the Broach itself was not easy to manufacture at the time, let alone a single gun barrel, which often took a month to complete.

"Your Highness, please!" Wang Ying immediately ordered someone to bring the Gunpowder and Conical Lead Bullet.

The loading method for the Rifled Musket is the same as that of the Flintlock.

Therefore, Zhao Xu simply toyed with the Conical Lead Bullet for a moment before inserting it.

This type of conical bullet resembles a spinning top, but it is slightly concave at the bottom.

In this way, when the Gunpowder explodes, it will expand the bottom of the Bullet, achieving a seal against the gun chamber and realizing maximum power.

"Bang..."

Aiming at the wooden board in the distance, Zhao Xu pulled the Trigger.

After the white smoke and the huge roar ended, his body shuddered.