When they went to the town, Lu Yuan did not accompany them again, but went back on his own.

After all, the cannons that Zhu Yunwen wanted to make were his own secret, and it was better for some people not to know about them easily.

Upon arriving in the town, Zhu Yunwen looked at the various parts that Zhang Shan had made and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Although cannons were manufactured during the Ming Dynasty, their range, power, and operation were just as complex as those of firearms.

Therefore, since Zhu Yunwen possessed some knowledge and understanding from later generations and was able to transform firearms into muskets, he was also confident that he could modify the currently outdated cannons.

After the cannon barrel, gun carriage, and various parts made of fine steel were completely completed according to his requirements, Zhu Yunwen immediately inspected all the parts.

Overall, there are no problems with these parts, and at first glance, they already have the prototype of a light cannon from later generations.

So Zhu Yunwen personally assembled the cannon.

Because he demanded meticulous workmanship and that the barrels of modern cannons not be as thick, the new cannons he rigorously designed were much lighter.

However, the quality will also improve significantly.

Unlike the cannons that the Ming Dynasty possessed, which were large, heavy, and of poor quality, some of which were even impossible to move.

They cannot be available in a timely manner when needed.

Therefore, the cannons that Zhu Yunwen has developed can be transported to where they are needed at any time, simply by attaching a carriage underneath. This basically ensures that these lightweight cannons can be transported to various places.

Zhu Yunwen believed that if the Eastern Island Kingdom really wanted to go to war with the Ming Dynasty, and if the Japanese pirates in the coastal areas were not so easy to deal with, then the light cannons he had improved would play an excellent role on the battlefield.

You should know that if the Eastern Island Nation wants to come to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, they can only do so by ship, which means they have to fight a naval battle.

Naval battles often involve close-quarters combat with swords and spears. In many cases, more primitive methods are used, such as throwing stones with catapults, or using bows and arrows, or bows and arrows with tinder attached.

These are all relatively primitive. If Zhu Yunwen could mass-produce these light cannons and install them on warships, a single shot would be enough to destroy an enemy warship.

This gives it an absolutely overwhelming advantage in naval warfare.

So after Zhu Yunwen successfully assembled the gun carriage, he then ordered Zhang Shan to mass-produce it.

He was very satisfied with the cannons he had made and had Zhang Shan prepare a large amount of gunpowder.

He wanted to use the mercuric sulfate he had previously produced, combined with gunpowder, to make cannonballs.

After all, the cannons of the Ming Dynasty, although they also contain gunpowder and are ignited by a fuse, have always had problems with the instability of the fuse and the inability to control it.

Furthermore, if used in naval warfare, the fuse would be extinguished if the aircraft drifted slightly off course and entered the water.

Furthermore, if the shell is fired on a rainy day, wouldn't the fuse get soaked by the rain and lose its combat capability?

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen planned to modify the cannonballs fired by the cannon using the principles of bullets.

They also added mercuric sulfate inside the shells, which detonated the shells from the inside.

In this way, its stability can be guaranteed no matter what environment or situation it is under, and it will not be greatly affected by external factors.

Zhu Yunwen explained his series of ideas to Zhang Shan in a simple and clear way, and Zhang Shan immediately began to prepare for them.

Zhu Yunwen always insisted on having control over the core technologies of bullet and shell manufacturing.

The core technology actually lies in chemistry, specifically the process for producing fulminate, and so on.

As long as others cannot master the technology to produce mercuric fulminate, it will be very difficult for them to make things like bullets.

As for shells, we already have them; they are all ignited by a fuse.

Similarly, if others cannot master the production method of mercuric fulminate, then they also cannot produce more stable shells.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen had a near monopoly on technology, and didn't have to worry about anyone being able to surpass him.

It is unlikely that anyone else will be able to develop mercury fulminate for use in bullets and shells in the next one or two hundred years.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen had plenty of time. As long as he could gradually strengthen his army and apply it to the actual battlefield, it was only a matter of time before he could build a powerful army.

Let alone a mere island nation in the East, ruling the entire East Asia, or even the entire Earth, would be by no means a problem.

After having this idea, Zhu Yunwen became very excited.

While he waited with great excitement, Zhang Shan lived up to expectations and quickly produced a batch of fifty small and lightweight cannons in just ten days.

Furthermore, in accordance with Zhu Yunwen's wishes, sturdy wheels were installed at the bottom of the cannon, allowing one person to easily transport it anywhere. Even if it needed to be lifted and carried, only two people were needed, plus a special cannon for loading ammunition. In total, three people were sufficient to operate one cannon.

While fifty small cannons were being made, Zhang Shan also produced several hundred cannonballs, each about the size of two fists, as instructed by Zhu Yunwen. The cannonballs were not fitted with fuses; only a small space was reserved inside.

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