Chapter Eight: The Reform of Firearms

Sun Yuanhua was indeed a genius. On the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, after inspecting the firing mechanism of the flintlock musket at the Armory Bureau, he immediately threw himself into feverish experimentation. Dissatisfied with the bureau's design due to its low ignition rate, he scrapped it and started anew. By the fifteenth, he had successfully linked the ignition mechanism with the trigger, and by the ninth day of the seventh month, he had also integrated the powder chamber with the trigger. In just thirty-four days, he had created a practical flintlock musket.

When Zhu Xiaoqi received Li Jinzhong’s report, he hurried to the Armory Bureau. He picked up the musket and examined it closely. A small piece of flint was clamped onto a spring-loaded hammer; pulling the trigger released the spring, sending the hammer crashing into the metal cover of the powder pan, producing sparks that ignited the priming powder and fired the projectile.

Zhu Xiaoqi was eager to test the musket himself, but Sun Yuanhua absolutely refused to let him. Li Jinzhong, therefore, volunteered to do it. Sun Yuanhua explained the basic procedure; Li Jinzhong aligned the sights, pulled the trigger, and with a flash and a bang, a large hole appeared in the target fifty paces away. He immediately knelt down, exclaiming, “Congratulations, Your Highness!”

Zhu Xiaoqi bade him rise and noticed several singed hairs on his head. Turning to Sun Yuanhua in puzzlement, he asked, “Do matchlocks not have pan covers? Why doesn’t the flintlock use one? If it did, wouldn’t it work even in the rain?”

“Your Highness, if you cover the pan, the sparks from the flint cannot ignite the powder. The pan cover blocks the fire.”

Ancient minds truly could not compare with the modern, Zhu Xiaoqi mused with some pride. “Why not have the flint strike the pan cover and lift it at the same time? Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

Sun Yuanhua was dumbstruck for a moment, then prostrated himself: “Your Highness’s wisdom shines like the sun and moon. I am but a grain of sand, wishing only to follow in your wake!” This simple change was indeed a stroke of genius. Rain would no longer threaten the priming powder, and the flintlock’s dependence on environmental conditions would be dramatically reduced compared to the matchlock.

Sun Yuanhua had always prided himself on his intellect, holding only a few, like Xu Guangqi, in high esteem. Zhu Xiaoqi was young, and though Xu Guangqi’s suggestion to work with him was well-intentioned and promised a bright future, Sun Yuanhua had harbored some private reservations. Yet today, Zhu Xiaoqi had so effortlessly pointed out the flaw in his painstakingly developed flintlock and offered a perfect solution that Sun Yuanhua could not help but admire him wholeheartedly.

Feigning humility, Zhu Xiaoqi continued the experiments. Out of a hundred trials, sixty-three fired successfully—already far surpassing the less-than-fifty-percent ignition rate of matchlocks. Moreover, the flintlock was not plagued by accidental ignitions from nearby match cords, allowing for much denser formations of musketmen. Once bayonets were developed and volley fire tactics employed, the “wild boar hides” would learn that Ming was not to be taken lightly.

Accuracy, however, was another matter; Li Jinzhong had been fortunate. Of the hundred successful firings, only twenty-five hit the target. This was inevitable—improving craftsmanship is a slow process, and in volley fire, accuracy matters less, especially since on the battlefield, with dense enemy ranks, a shot that misses one man will likely hit another. The firing rate is paramount.

Zhu Xiaoqi praised Sun Yuanhua’s achievements but encouraged him to further improve the firing rate, ideally to eighty percent or more. He knew this would not be easy and set no deadline. Yet he also believed it was time to address the issues of pre-packaged powder and bayonets.

“Master Sun, your hard work does not go unnoticed. As the ancients said, the capable are burdened with more, the wise with greater worries. When soldiers load powder, the amounts vary, and the process is time-consuming and inconvenient. I wonder, could the powder be pre-measured into paper cartridges, each holding a fixed charge, to simplify loading and reduce time, thereby increasing our lethality? Perhaps even the ball could be placed at the head of the cartridge, making it even more efficient. What do you think?”

Sun Yuanhua, now utterly convinced of Zhu Xiaoqi’s brilliance, immediately grasped the concept and significance of pre-packaged ammunition. Fewer steps would save precious time—what had allowed for only two shots could now allow three. Pre-measured charges would also greatly reduce the risk of bursting barrels, thereby vastly increasing combat effectiveness. For one so young, the prince’s stream of innovations could only be explained as innate sagacity. In a single day, Sun Yuanhua’s admiration had deepened from mere respect to utter devotion; in his mind, Xu Guangqi was now, at best, an equal.

“Your Highness is truly wise. I have also considered improving the loading process, but never thought it through. Your words today have cleared the clouds and revealed the sky.” Sun Yuanhua’s flattery made Zhu Xiaoqi almost giddy. Of course, he did not forget business and introduced the idea of the bayonet. Sun Yuanhua did not see the necessity, since at the time musketmen were only a part of the infantry and always deployed alongside pikemen. Yet since the prince suggested it—and had already brought so many surprises—perhaps his vision was simply beyond Sun’s own. So he readily agreed. Clearly, even geniuses can lose confidence when illuminated by a transmigrator's brilliance.

As previously agreed, Li Chaoqin received a reward of 119 taels of silver. After expressing his gratitude, he prepared to leave, but Zhu Xiaoqi stopped him. The matters of standardization and assembly lines needed to be addressed. Introducing these first into military manufacturing would greatly increase productivity and quality, and make repairs and replacements far simpler.

Li Jinzhong summoned ten young eunuchs. Chosen at Zhu Xiaoqi’s request after consulting the Inner School’s teachers, these were the most diligent and quick-witted. Zhu Xiaoqi instructed them, “Currently, it takes a craftsman nearly a month to make one musket. There is some basic division of labor, but it is not enough to satisfy me. You will follow Supervisor Li in the Armory Bureau and observe closely. Break down the process of making a musket into simple, discrete steps. Assign several people to each step so that every worker specializes in a single task rather than doing everything. Every component must be identical. If part of Musket A is damaged, swapping in the same part from Musket B must not affect its function. Therefore, components must be consistent in size and shape and carefully inspected before assembly. Reject any that do not meet the standard for reworking.”

“The number of components each worker produces per day is called the daily output. The proportion of qualified parts among the daily output is the pass rate. We must increase both. How to improve output and pass rate will be up to you: draft regulations specifying the requirements and methods for each component. A new craftsman, following your regulations, must be able to produce compliant parts. This task is complex and tedious, but extremely important. Your regulations should be detailed and straightforward, so even craftsmen can understand. Do this well, and you will be well rewarded.”

“Craftsmen will be compensated for regular and conscripted work, with pay based on output and pass rate—forty percent for output, sixty percent for quality. This, too, must be written into the regulations and read aloud to the workers. Conscripted craftsmen who are diligent and achieve high output and pass rates may become regulars upon discharge, but without compulsion. If the pay is good, I believe they will be willing to stay.”

“Each finished musket must have the maker’s name engraved on the barrel. If a barrel bursts during normal use, the craftsman loses a year’s pay for the first offense and faces execution for a second. This concerns the lives and safety of our soldiers and cannot be taken lightly. This, too, must be in the regulations and repeatedly explained so that every craftsman knows: excellence is rewarded, poor work is punished.”

“The importance of the regulations lies especially in their rewards and penalties. If everyone knows and follows the rules, output and pass rates will soar. The work you ten are about to do is critical beyond your imagination. I will not stint on rewards, nor shrink from punishment. I hope you give your utmost.”

The young eunuchs knelt and kowtowed together, promising not to disappoint the prince’s high expectations. Then, following Li Chaoqin, they entered the Armory Bureau.