Chapter 908: Testing the Cannon

Previously, everyone had said that if the Great Ming government didn't concentrate a force several times the size of the Zhao Character Camp, they would have no chance of victory at all. But after that battle in Shandong, everyone now said that even if they concentrated ten times the force, they still couldn't defeat Xuzhou's military power. And under the current circumstances, the Great Ming simply couldn't draw out that many troops.

The Great Ming army that fought the Zhao Character Camp in Shandong was reportedly the standing army guarding the capital. Their equipment and training were superior to ordinary troops, and their commanding officers were seasoned professional military men. Yet even such a force was utterly helpless before Zhao Jin's armed might. From Louis's personal experience, these so-called standing troops couldn't even compare to Xuzhou's second-rate forces — they were far, far inferior.

Louis didn't think anyone had exaggerated in describing that Great Ming army. From the West to the East, the natives of every land always loved to boast, exaggerating what they were unfamiliar with or didn't understand, either to show off to outsiders or to intimidate them. But here in Xuzhou, every person Louis had met was plain and honest; they never exaggerated or deceived about anything.

If even an army like that could be defeated, could be so utterly helpless, then Zhao Jin's ambitions had a very real chance of being realized. And if that were so, then he absolutely had to seize this opportunity.

Louis knew he wanted to get rich, wanted to become a respectable man of standing. The best chance to achieve all that was right before his eyes. To earn a vast fortune, to become a dignified noble — all of it could be obtained the moment the man he followed and assisted donned a royal crown or an imperial crown.

In Europe, every kingdom's royal house could trace its lineage back several centuries, or at least claimed to trace back to the Roman era. The nobility beneath them were the same — there was simply no room for newcomers. Perhaps serving the King of Sweden and earning a title through battlefield merit was one path, but that path was a near-certain death sentence. Louis didn't think he had the luck to survive to the end, nor was he willing to take that risk. Perhaps he could earn enough wealth and then go back to buy a title, but Louis, himself the son of a noble house, was unwilling to do that. He knew such men were looked down upon by the hereditary aristocracy and would also become fat meat in the eyes of certain jackals.

But now, an even better opportunity lay before him — one with far less risk, yet promising even greater wealth and even higher status. Why wouldn't he take it?

Having thought this through, Louis then considered his own position within the Zhao Character Camp. He realized he couldn't define himself merely as a craftsman. Xuzhou would recruit more and more excellent artisans, and as a craftsman, the heights he could reach in the future would be limited. Louis felt he should strive to become a manager. He could become Zhao Jin's advisor, help him manage the workshops, tell Zhao Jin what kind of European talent to recruit. He could even train firearm units and become a commander of firearm troops. No matter which path, all held a brilliant future.

Louis also coolly analyzed several possible rivals. Naturally, he dared not aspire to surpass Zhao Jin's close friends. But setting aside these close friends and trusted confidants of similar standing, Louis was pleasantly surprised to note that his chances were great. At the very least, in his area of expertise, there was only one competitor: Zhao Jin's brother-in-law, Xu Housheng. But that man's prospects were even greater, and there was no real competitive relationship between them.

Having made up his mind, Louis knew what he had to do. He did not hide the contributions of Old Mac and Yu Shan; instead, he took the initiative to praise them in front of Zhao Jin, wanting to subtly create the impression that he was the manager here.

Zhao Jin asked, and Louis answered. Zhao Jin glanced at Yu Shan. The blacksmith Yu Shan replied, "Some methods are just like a sheet of paper — you don't get it until someone pokes a hole through it. At first, we underlings all thought this method of casting cannons vertically was laughable. Never expected it would actually work so well."

"This is the point of inviting them here. Their handcraft may not match yours, but they know methods you don't." Zhao Jin offered this comment, then asked, "What's the maximum range now?"

"About four hundred and twenty-odd paces..." Yu Shan answered instinctively, then immediately lowered his head under Zhao Jin's glare, nearly dropping to his knees to beg forgiveness.

This was a habit Zhao Jin had corrected many times: they must use precise units of measurement, not vague approximate numbers. One pace, two paces — people of different heights had vastly different stride lengths, and over several hundred paces the discrepancy was even greater. Under certain battlefield conditions, a gap of that distance could very well cost lives.

Louis smiled and picked up the thread: "To answer Master Jin, it's over a thousand Level Feet."

The so-called precise measurements didn't actually exist in the Great Ming either. For the chi alone, there were over a dozen different standards. The government used the Construction Chi, the Land Survey Chi, and the Tailoring Chi. Beyond those, there were all sorts of other chi measurements — the broker's Cloth Chi, the Carpenter's Chi, the Revenue Office Chi, and many more. On top of that, crude manufacturing techniques meant that even within the same category, the variation was enormous. In order to set a standard for Xuzhou, Zhao Jin had once gathered the official rulers from the government offices of Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties, plus Pi Prefecture and several counties of Guide Prefecture, and compared them. The same type of ruler differed by over an inch — it was enough to make one laugh and cry at the same time.

In the end, the chi measurement Zhao Jin chose was the median value of the various Land Survey Chi. Based on his memory and comparisons, this Land Survey Chi was probably the closest to the modern chi.

The measurement Zhao Jin selected was originally a common unit. Once adopted in the workshops, it quickly spread into circulation throughout Xuzhou. Then Pi Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, Su Prefecture, and Qingjiangpu also began using it. It was called the "Level Foot," and some also called it the "Xuzhou Foot."

The Xuzhou Scale, the Xuzhou Dou measure, and the Xuzhou Foot — just like that, they quickly became standard throughout the region north of the Yangtze in the Southern Metropolitan Area. Even many places in Shandong and Henan began using them. People trusted their accuracy, just as they trusted that Zhao Jin's word was his bond.

Outsiders trusting them was one thing, but the Zhao Character Camp also put extreme care into their manufacture. Every set of measuring tools produced had to be compared against the original master standards. Any discrepancy meant it had to be melted down and remade. Every set bore a serial number and was registered in the ledgers at Cloud Mountain Trading. These matters had to be supervised by Wang Zhaojing, Ruhui, and Zhou Xuezhi — three people. This supervision wasn't just a vague term; it meant that when each set was manufactured, one of those three had to personally inspect and accept it. Rumor had it there were also agents from the Internal Guard keeping an eye on things.

Xuzhou measuring tools were present at the Xuzhou markets, the salt markets, and the great market at Qingjiang. For large-scale transactions, these were the required standard.

Of course, outside the territory controlled by Xuzhou, for the convenience of exploitation, everyone still used the old measuring tools and dimensions. But as long as it wasn't the government collecting taxes, imposing corvée labor, or surveying fields — as long as it wasn't small-scale trade among common folk, but rather transactions between wealthy, established, and powerful magnates — using the Xuzhou weights and measures had already become the tacit default. Not doing so implied malicious intent, or at the very least, a lack of honesty.

When real silver and goods were involved, no one was the slightest bit sloppy. But overturning ingrained concepts wasn't something that could be done in a year or two. The Xu family workshops had been using this system for a long time, yet many people still couldn't make the mental switch. They used it when they used it, but from time to time they'd slip back into vagueness.

Their own blacksmiths couldn't master it properly, yet the foreigner from abroad knew to use it — there was indeed a certain irony in that.

"Over a thousand Level Feet? That's over three hundred..." Zhao Jin muttered quietly. No one caught the word "meters" that followed, and they wouldn't have understood it even if they had.

After muttering this, Zhao Jin looked at the cannon. The barrel was level with the ground. Flat trajectory, or direct fire, at this distance — it was roughly over four times the range of a fire lance, and five times the effective range of a bow. Zhao Jin nodded slowly and said, "Let me see you adjust the firing angle and range."

"Master Jin, back where we come from, adjusting cannon range on the battlefield was also quite simple. We'd just dig a pit behind the gun carriage, or raise the front, to make the muzzle tilt upward. Later, we summarized this method." Louis explained.

As he spoke, he gestured a few times to Old Mac and Yu Shan. Several of them worked together, driving a wooden wedge into the gap between the cannon's fixed mounting groove and the carriage frame. The muzzle tilted upward accordingly. They loaded the charge again and fired the cannon.

After the cannon's roar, the dust cloud kicked up by the cannonball's impact in the distance was indeed farther away. Zhao Jin nodded and signaled for them to continue. Louis again requested a few helpers be assigned. Zhao Jin agreed, and the household troops and apprentice helpers assigned to study here all came over. They hurriedly cleaned the bore, wiped down the barrel, then drove in another wedge and fired again.

During this firing, Zhao Jin deliberately observed the reactions of the personal guards beside him. Their complexions had returned largely to normal, no longer showing the terrified, color-drained look they'd had when first hearing the cannon's roar. Indeed, they needed to acclimate.

As wedges were driven in and pulled out, the range shifted between far and near. After nine shots, the barrel had grown hot and needed a brief rest.

The household troops assigned to study here used large, water-soaked cloths to wipe down the barrel. Threads of white steam could be seen rising. This was the method for cooling the cannon. On the battlefield, there wouldn't be much time to let the cannon cool — this was an essential technique, and also a piece of experience passed on by the foreigners.

When they fought the Baoding Garrison government troops in Shandong, the Zhao Character Camp had also captured some enemy artillerymen. According to those government artillerymen, such a situation would never arise on the battlefield. When did a single cannon ever get to fire nine or ten shots? Even if it fired that many, it wouldn't get this hot. Because these captured artillerymen were needed to pass on their knowledge, they were treated fairly well. These prisoners were actually quite sincere and even specifically warned the Zhao Character Camp workshops, saying that when operating cannons, one must stay far away to avoid the barrel bursting and injuring people.

No wonder they'd never encountered the need to cool a cannon barrel. The government troops undercharged their powder and fired too infrequently — the situation simply never arose. Or perhaps it had arisen, and they simply didn't care, and then the barrel burst.

(According to historical records and artifacts, the Construction Chi is 32 cm, the Land Survey Chi is 32.7 cm, and the Tailoring Chi is 34 cm. Considering the imprecision of craftsmanship, the Land Survey Chi was already the median value, hence its selection.)

The conversion error has been corrected. Apologies.

Thanks to the two old friends from Chuangshi, "Sweet Sugarcane" and "User Light in the Darkness," for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.