Volume 1, Chapter 56: Isn't the Annihilation of Northern Yuan Just Around the Corner?

Old Zhu pressed further, "And... what about that cannon?"

"The cannon is made up of three parts: the barrel, the breech, and the sub-barrel."

"When firing, soldiers first load the gunpowder and projectile into the sub-barrel, then insert the sub-barrel into the breech, igniting the sub-barrel’s touch hole to shoot."

"This cannon has three advantages: rapid firing speed, quick heat dissipation, and it’s less prone to bursting."

"As long as the soldiers work in seamless coordination and have sufficient ammunition, they can achieve continuous firing without intervals."

"Excellent! This cannon is impressive too!"

Xu Da and Tang He’s eyes gleamed with excitement, treating the two blueprints they held like treasured relics.

It must be understood that today's Ming cannons are far less formidable; after each shot, they need to clean the barrel and wait for it to cool before firing again.

The efficiency is terribly low!

In fact, the current Ming cannon serves more as a deterrent than an effective weapon.

Typically, only a few shots are fired before battle to intimidate enemy troops and horses.

If this machine cannon is adopted by the Ming army as Jiang Lin described, their combat power would increase dramatically.

Jiang Lin continued, "This cannon will later be known as the 'Folangji cannon,' but from now on, it can be called the 'Hongwu Great Cannon!'"

"Hahaha!" Old Zhu burst into hearty laughter, nodding with great satisfaction. "What a splendid name, the Hongwu Great Cannon!"

Clearly, Jiang Lin’s flattery struck a chord with Old Zhu.

With these two improved firearms and cannons, Old Zhu brimmed with confidence.

Eradicating the Northern Yuan would surely be achievable in the near future.

For example, if he directly formed an army equipped with the Hongwu Great Cannons, with ample ammunition, they could establish a dense, overlapping field of fire.

Even if the Mongols excel in horsemanship and ambush tactics, what use would that be?

Before such overwhelming firepower, all tactics are futile!

Not to mention the remnants of the Northern Yuan!

Even if Genghis Khan were still alive, commanding the Yuan army at its peak, Old Zhu was confident the Ming forces could rout them completely.

This was the confidence these two powerful new weapons instilled in him.

Besides wiping out the Northern Yuan remnants, there were two other critical matters for Ming.

After returning to the palace yesterday, Old Zhu pondered seriously and felt these two tasks must be implemented swiftly.

They should even mobilize the entire nation’s strength!

The returns would be tremendously rewarding for Ming.

These were the overseas trade and the silver mines in Japan Jiang Lin mentioned yesterday.

He had already ordered the Ministry of Works to begin constructing ships for overseas trade and was organizing a naval force to go to Japan and mine silver.

The thought of gleaming silver stirred Old Zhu’s excitement.

Xu Da placed his hand on Jiang Lin’s shoulder, full of admiration: "Truly, as His Majesty said, you are a fortunate omen for Ming."

Tang He, standing nearby, showed a hint of regret: "Alas... it’s a pity we couldn’t get hold of that automatic rifle. Otherwise, Ming would be invincible beyond invincible."

"Indeed, I never imagined such formidable weapons existed in the future. Not having them does make me a little restless."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement with Tang He’s remarks.

Jiang Lin smiled faintly: "The AK-47 automatic rifle is indeed powerful, but in the future, it’s just a basic weapon for soldiers, not an ultimate one."

"Brother Jiang, you mean... there are weapons even more powerful than the AK-47 in the future?" Zhu Biao asked in surprise.

Jiang Lin nodded: "Of course, there are many weapons far stronger than the AK-47!"

"For example, rocket launchers, tanks, machine guns... the list is endless."

"Brother Jiang, could you show us some of these wonders?" Zhu Di asked with curiosity.

"I don’t have those weapons on hand, but my projector contains some related videos. Come with me inside, and I’ll show you."

Jiang Lin turned and headed toward the house, followed by the others.

Opening the door, they saw Zhu Yourong and Xu Miaoqing already inside, sitting on the sofa engrossed in a TV drama—an idol series much loved by young women.

They were utterly absorbed, unaware that Jiang Lin and the others had entered.

Jiang Lin took out the projector from his system space and found a series of videos about future weaponry.

He projected the videos onto a blank wall, as usual narrating the content.

Seeing this, Xu Da, Tang He, Zhu Di, and Xu Miaoyun—who had never seen a projector before—could not help but display expressions of astonishment.

As for Old Zhu, Zhu Biao, and Empress Ma, who had seen projectors before, they were unfazed.

"First, I want to tell you about the Global Satellite Navigation System. This device plays a vital role in future wars—it is the lifeblood of warfare!"

"It’s no exaggeration to say that with this system, almost every war can be won."

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