As he spoke, Fang Zhengyi picked up the pistol and held it high up, saying, "Take this pistol as an example. Every component inside it is handmade."
"Each component must be closely integrated and work together to achieve perfect results. If there is a problem in any link, the hand gun will malfunction."
"In the early days, on average, only one out of every ten guns was successfully used. The cost of making them could be as high as over 100 taels."
"The Yongzhen Mountain and River Cannon is extremely expensive. It can be said that one shot of the cannon is worth a million taels of gold!"
The onlookers shook their heads.
An ordinary hand cannon costs a hundred taels? A cannon shot is worth a million taels of gold?
If everything were like this, it would probably take a huge amount of silver to form a standing army, and the treasury of Dajing would have nothing to do with it.
Not to mention the subsequent maintenance costs.
According to this statement, the overall result would be worse than sacrificing human lives!
"Lord Fang just said that there is a solution. How do you solve it?" someone asked.
"Good question! But let me continue, and everyone will understand everything after listening." Fang Zheng began to pace back and forth: "Whether it is the Yongzhen Mountain and River or the long spear and short gun, it has actually been developed for quite a long time."
"But do you know why it took until today to be successfully developed and presented to you?"
"It's because the structural process here is too complicated and full of problems! The craftsmen in Taoyuan County have been unable to overcome it for a long time! But recently, something broke the long-standing stalemate."
"Now, everyone here has something like this."
Duke Song Hui of Dai reacted the fastest. He immediately took out something from his pocket, held it high and asked, "Pocket watch? Could it be that pocket watches are related to guns and cannons?"
"That's right! Duke Dai asked a good question. The key to making guns and cannons lies in pocket watches." Fang Zheng asked, "Do you know where pocket watches come from?"
"Isn't it made in Taoyuan County?"
"Wrong! Very wrong! You only know that pocket watches are made in Taoyuan County, but you don't know that these things are all counterfeit." Fang Zheng's tone suddenly became excited: "The pocket watch was taken from the King of Wu, and then given to the craftsmen for research."
"The exquisiteness and ingenuity of this object are rarely seen in Dajing! Just to copy it, the top craftsmen in Taoyuan County exhausted their efforts and worked day and night to the point that their fingers could not be flexed or stretched in the end."
"The ingenuity of that clock is even more amazing. It took all the craftsmen in the county to make only a hundred of them. There is no way to make more in the short term."
"So you said it's sold for 10,000 taels..."
"Ahem!" Emperor Jing covered his mouth and coughed twice awkwardly: "Fang Qing, let's talk about guns and cannons."
What do you mean by ten thousand taels or not? I don't even know what you are talking about, and you are still making up stories in front of me!
Fang Zheng blushed and said, "I was just excited at the moment. I'm sorry."
"Actually, what I want to say is that everyone should have experienced the wonderful use of this pocket watch during this period. Without it, life is like losing control. Do you agree or not?"
All the ministers agreed, and even Emperor Jing nodded silently.
Fang Zhengyi continued, "This item was obtained by King Wu from overseas. According to him, pocket watches are just the most common items overseas. Even ordinary people can afford them!"
"But what about Dajing? How many people can afford it?"
"If one person can use it, and millions of people are using it, then over time, how different will the efficiency be? I wonder if you have ever thought about it!"
"If we have to make ten hand cannons before we can use one, then what about overseas? I'm afraid that only one can be used after making one. Our cost will be ten times higher than theirs! Do you understand?"
"So to reduce costs, we must have advanced technology and craftsmen!"
The faces of the crowd showed some worry.
Li Yansong stroked his beard and frowned, "That's not right. I remember that the divine object used to split mountains and rocks to build a river and control floods was called Merit and Infinite Virtue. I just saw something used to load guns and cannons. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the legendary Merit and Infinite Virtue."
“Is there such a thing overseas?”
This thing has long been no secret, and people have been discussing it in private, and Emperor Jing has never hidden it.
Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Li asked a good question."
"Guns are carriers of infinite merit. Although they are powerful in themselves, they are not very useful without a carrier."
"And the most critical issue is...it was born from an accident of an alchemist and is not as complicated as imagined."
Fang Zheng's tone began to become meaningful: "When the King of Wu defected, there was a fleet to pick him up. The ship I boarded already had people from all walks of life on board. If there were a group of alchemists on board... what if there was an accident?"
"What kind of attitude will he take when he returns? I dare not imagine."
All the ministers were silent, and they all lowered their heads to think. The joy that had just been brought to their hearts by the new weapons was suddenly dissipated.
Suddenly someone retorted, "Master Fang! What you have said today, no one knows about these things, it's all alarmist. How can you convince everyone without even the details?"
Details? I'll give you details!
Fang Zheng said loudly: "Don't worry, I haven't finished yet!"
"Regarding the origin of the pocket watch and Western history, I have some superficial knowledge through the documents on King Wu and his ship. You can analyze whether it is true or not!"
"This pocket watch is produced in a small country in the east of the West, called Guangkanda! There is a rich ore called vibranium. Although Guangkanda is a small country, it has countless skilled craftsmen and developed maritime trade. It is praised by countless Western countries as the coachman of the sea."
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