Zhu Youjian: Taizu has an order! kill!

"Ask him about the cost and production time of this artillery piece."

"If nothing else, this should be the main artillery that the Ming Dynasty will equip next."

Li Chen let out a breath and then motioned to Zhu Youjian to ask about the situation.

It is worthy of being the representative of firearms in the late Ming Dynasty.

The performance of Frankie's artillery is indeed quite strong.

Although it can't compare to the famous red cannon at the back.

But let’s talk about practicality.

The red cannon may not be as good as this thing.

After all, the red cannon is too heavy and can be used for city defense but not for field battles.

Based on the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, future battles will basically be field battles.

The lightweight Frankie artillery must be Li Chen's first choice.

"Xu Aiqin."

"How much does this cannon cost? How long does it take to make?"

"Possibly mass production?"

Seeing Taizu's excited face, Zhu Youjian hurriedly asked Xu Guangqi.

"Go back to Your Majesty."

"Due to the improved craftsmanship, this artillery requires about 230 taels per gun."

"In addition, I have increased the number of sub-cannons for each cannon, and upgraded the transport vehicles."

"The actual cost should be close to 280 taels per door."

"As for large-scale production, factories are currently stepping up efforts to increase the production of refined iron."

"About [-] doors can be made a month."

Xu Guangqi cupped his hand and quickly gave the price.

This cost is about one-third more expensive than the previous Frankie cannon.

But security has been greatly improved.

"280 per door..."

"If the sub-cannon is equipped with ten rounds per gun, it will cost 300 taels."

"Well...it's not bad."

"It's just that the output of five hundred units a month is too low."

"Only 200 doors can be produced in a year, and the total cost is less than [-] million."

"In this way, let Xu Guangqi speed up production and classify them into three types."

"The first one is the one in front of you. The caliber is bigger! Increase it to five inches! (150 mm caliber)"

"We will give him a budget of 400 taels per door, mainly for city defense."

"Three thousand gates will be decided first and must be handed over to the border within this year."

"The second one is slightly smaller, and the caliber is set to three inches."

"We will give him a budget of 300 taels per gun! This medium-caliber artillery will serve as the main fire support of the army."

"Except the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, which is a cavalry-based regiment."

"Like the Dongjiang Army, there are 1 gates for every [-] people."

"If you calculate it this way, the Four Elephants Army will need roughly [-] gates to join the Jingying Camp. We will try to deploy half of them in their hands within this year."

"As for the third type, the caliber should be further reduced to one inch, so that two or three people can take it apart and hold it for rapid maneuvers."

"We will give him a budget of 100 taels for each of these small cannons, and we require that every ten people can get at least two."

"But this can be done slowly, as long as it is completed within two years!"

"Also, all the above three calibers are equipped with ten sub-cannons."

Li Chen bala bala kept talking.

Zhu Youjian on the side quickly relayed the words to Xu Guangqi while listening.

Listen to His Majesty's demands.

Xu Guangqi counted on his fingers quickly.

Large caliber costs 120 million, medium caliber 300 million, small caliber 600 million...

Good guy, this is directly worth 1000 million!

"His Majesty..."

"Isn't it too much..."

"This is more than 1000 million taels."

"Even if the small-caliber production takes two years, the average annual expenditure is 500 million."

As the boss of the engineering department, Xu Guangqi was naturally very happy to receive this big order!

But he was also worried about whether such radicalism would bring down the Ming Dynasty's economy.

He knew that Ming Chaoguang's annual military expenditure had reached 3000 million.

If it were increased, Guo Yunhou might be killed in the lobby.

"You don't have to worry about money."

"Is it okay to keep this money as compensation if you don't spend it?"

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Zhu Youjian forced a smile and looked grand.

But I was already feeling uneasy in my heart.

Damn it, another 1000 million...

This Taizu's ability to spend money is really exaggerated.

"OK then..."

"I will definitely live up to my great trust."

Since Party A has no problem, Xu Guangqi naturally has no objection.

He arched his hands and agreed.

As long as the money is in place, the Ministry of Industry will definitely be able to handle it!

Zhu Youjian sighed, waved his hand and visited the ironworks just built by the Ministry of Industry.

Watching the blast furnace continue to produce red molten iron.

Even Zhu Youjian, who was accustomed to big scenes, couldn't help but tighten his toes.

Large-scale iron smelting!

It's truly spectacular!

By the time we returned to the capital, the sky was already a little dark.

Sitting on the chair in the side hall, Zhu Youjian looked at Taizu while rubbing his legs.

"Taizu, I couldn't ask you questions before."

"Does the artillery really have to be matched like this?"

"Isn't it too much?"

"After all, gunpowder and other things cost money."

He had been wanting to ask about this for a long time.

Not to mention the large-caliber ones, what the hell is two small-caliber ones for every ten people.

That's not how money is spent.

"In the age of firearms, artillery is king."

"Whoever has stronger artillery and can shoot farther will be able to take the initiative on the battlefield."

"Don't be reluctant to spend this little money, this configuration is nothing at all."

Looking at Zhu Youjian, he looked very distressed.

Li Chen shrugged and comforted him.

The small-caliber one is actually no different from a mortar.

In an era without machine guns, it was very suitable as a squad firepower.

As for the medium-caliber ones, a regiment of 5 people would be fine with [-] guns.

This Frankie cannon is still a small cannon no matter how modified it is.

It is certainly incomparable to later generations of howitzers.

The only way to make up for the quality gap is through quantity.

Just think of it as having one more artillery regiment for each legion.

"Yes..."

"Does the gun still need to be studied?"

"I think Taizu doesn't seem to like it very much."

"To be honest, I also think that thing is a bit stretchy."

What else could Zhu Youjian say, except that he nodded twice in agreement.

He finally discovered that his great ancestor seemed to have a special liking for such large-caliber firearms.

But he was really looking forward to what the Tatars at the border would look like when they saw the Four Elephants Army in a year's time.

You should be very happy~

It's just that the artillery matter is settled, what about the firecrackers?

Do you still want it?

"The matchlock gun doesn't work, it's just a piece of shit in actual combat."

"If we remember correctly, the upgraded version of the matchlock gun should be a flintlock gun."

"But we still don't like that thing very much."

"Even if a fixed-mounted flintlock gun is used, its shooting efficiency is still too low."

"Let's do it this way. Later, we'll ask Wang Cheng'en to draw a simple diagram of the Dreiser firing needle gun, and you'll ask Xu Guangqi to study it and see if he can figure it out."

“That’s the real good stuff.”

As for the fire blunderbuss, Li Chen is now one of the top two.

Whether it is a matchlock or a flintlock gun, the problem is actually the same.

Reloading is too slow and has poor practicality.

Let alone field battles, it is inconvenient to use even for city defense.

Even if there is a three-stage shooting method.

But Li Chen still prefers to directly develop a firing needle gun.

Anyway, it’s still early, and matches and flints are still commonly used in Europe and the United States.

Just take your time.