The Ning family was defeated.

"It's true what they say, once a son grows up, he's no longer under his mother's control. Fine, go if you want to, just don't forget there are people at home waiting for you to come back."

Wei Yan laughed heartily.

"Mother, I will come back to see you whenever I have time."

He packed his bags and went back to the firearms camp.

Two weeks later, Yi Shuihan came to find Xiao Qingyin and asked her, "Would you like to go and take a look at the firearms camp?"

Xiao Qingyin was surprised.

"You actually let a spy like me stand in such a confidential place?"

Yi Shuihan: "..."

"Wei Yan has built a new musket, and it's quite powerful. If you go, you can try it out on the target."

Is it okay to shoot targets?

Xiao Qingyin couldn't help but be moved.

God knows how long it's been since she's touched a gun or shot at a target.

He agreed.

"Alright, since you've extended such a warm invitation, I'll gladly accept."

She went to the firearms camp with Yi Shuihan.

Upon arriving at the firing range, Wei Yan was aiming at the target and firing.

With a "bang," the bullet hit the bullseye.

Xiao Qingyin immediately clapped.

Wei Yan turned around upon hearing the applause and, seeing it was Xiao Qingyin, asked in surprise, "Sister Xiao, what brings you here?"

"The Crown Prince invited me here."

Xiao Qingyin replied.

She looked at the gun in Wei Yan's hand and asked with a smile, "Is this your newly developed musket? May I take a look?"

Wei Yan handed the gun to Xiao Qingyin.

"Sister Xiao, you have to be careful, and never point a gun at anyone."

"Uh-huh."

Xiao Qingyin nodded.

After examining the musket, she gasped in surprise.

Because this was not a matchlock gun, nor a flintlock gun, but a breech-loading gun!

It is important to know that the first firearm invented in the history of firearms was the matchlock gun.

A matchlock gun, as the name suggests, is equipped with a long ignition cord.

This type of musket requires inserting ammunition through the barrel and then lighting the match cord to fire.

It involves loading explosives and igniting the fuse, making the operation very complicated and prone to causing a barrel explosion.

Moreover, the matchlock is afraid of water and cannot be used on rainy days.

Its range is short, even shorter than that of a bow and arrow.

Therefore, the matchlock gun was not very useful after it was invented.

However, it's not without its merits.

It makes a great commotion when it is launched, and can be used to frighten ignorant and backward barbarians.

Furthermore, unlike a bow and arrow, it doesn't require great arm strength to draw. Anyone with hands and feet can take it to the battlefield.

A flintlock musket would be much better.

A flintlock musket is ignited with flint and does not require a fuse.

Moreover, its fire door is sealed, which prevents rain and allows it to be used even in rainy weather.

It was only after the flintlock musket appeared and was continuously improved that the era of cold weapons came to an end.

However, the disadvantage of flintlock muskets is that, like matchlock muskets, they are muzzle-loading guns, meaning that ammunition needs to be loaded into the muzzle.

If you're going to load medicine, you have to stand up; you can't lie down in the trench.

They are easily hit by the enemy.

Bulk-loading guns do not have this drawback.

You can lie down and stuff ammunition in.

Moreover, its firing efficiency and range far exceed those of the flintlock musket.

Wei Yan skipped the stages of matchlock and flintlock guns and directly invented the breech-loading gun.

It's like skipping primary and secondary school and going straight to university.

This is why Xiao Qingyin was surprised.

She examined the musket carefully and found that its craftsmanship was quite exquisite, which filled her with awe.

"Wei Yan, you are indeed exceptionally talented."

Wei Yan humbly replied, "This design was created after one failed attempt."

Xiao Qingyin: "..."

It only failed once!

Even Edison would be jealous if he heard you say that.

Xiao Qingyin then asked him what the first gun he designed was like.

"With a fuse..."

Wei Yan replied.

Xiao Qingyin immediately understood; it was a matchlock gun.

In other words, Wei Yan skipped the flintlock musket and went from matchlock muskets to breech-loading muskets.

"Impressive, you even thought of that."

Xiao Qingyin gave a thumbs up.

"It was only after my arms were blown up that I realized the matchlock gun was too unstable. If I loaded too much gunpowder, it would explode, so I wanted to modify it."

Wei Yan said embarrassedly.

He really didn't think he was a genius.

This painful experience forced him to think about how to design a safer and more user-friendly musket.

"That's great too."

Xiao Qingyin sincerely praised it.

In Wei Yan's view, this was just a minor change.

But for her, this was an invention that compressed a process that had taken hundreds of years.

No amount of praise is too much.

Yi Shuihan watched her admiring expression and felt a strange pang of sadness.

This woman seemed to have never looked at him like that before.

As expected, she still preferred the talented man.

Whether it's someone with literary talent like Bai Musheng or someone with unconventional talent like Wei Yan.

She wouldn't even look at a brute like him if he weren't good-looking.

Shouldn't he learn a skill or two?

Yi Shuihan fell into deep thought.

"Sister Xiao, would you like to try shooting?"

Wei Yan asked.

"This gun is very safe; I've tested it many times."

"OK!"

Xiao Qingyin readily agreed.

After listening to Wei Yan's explanation, she raised her gun, aimed, and fired ten bullets in a row, each one hitting the bullseye.

Wei Yan was dumbfounded.

"Sister Xiao, so you're a natural-born sharpshooter!"

This level of precision is something even he, who practices every day, can't match.

"It's just that I was lucky."

Xiao Qingyin chuckled softly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!