Before we knew it, it was almost noon.

Qi Jiguang gave the order to sound the horn, and the soldiers lined up and returned to their camps.

The smoke-filled martial arts arena gradually returned to calm.

"I wonder if the doctor has any advice for me?" Qi Jiguang said politely.

"Well, it's very shocking." Zhao Hao nodded vigorously, and then said with some regret: "But I didn't hear the sound of gunfire, and I always felt that something was missing."

"Haha..." Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren smiled bitterly at each other. The latter joked, "Master Zhao, we also want to practice with real guns and live ammunition, but can you get us ammunition?"

"Why, is it very expensive?" Zhao Hao was delighted, thinking that this young master could finally be put to good use.

"Whether it's expensive or not is a different story. You can't buy it even if you have money." Hu Shouren said with a smile: "If you can help us get it, I, Old Hu, will personally give you a shot."

"Don't talk nonsense." Qi Jiguang glared at Hu Shouren and explained to Zhao Hao: "Old Hu means that we in the Shenji Battalion only have guns and cannons, but the ammunition is stored in the military warehouse. If we want to conduct live-fire training, we must apply for approval in advance."

"Anyway, Old Hu has been here for almost a year and hasn't had a single shot." Hu Shouren pouted in frustration and said, "My skills as a housekeeper are almost rusty."

"Is that so..." Zhao Hao sighed helplessly. This was not a problem that could be solved with money.

"But don't worry, Doctor. When you come to the Shenjiying, I will let you hear the noise." Qi Jiguang was so thorough in his work, how could he let Zhao Hao not have fun?

"After lunch, Ben will take you to the Ordnance Bureau's gun test range to have some fun."

"That's great." Zhao Hao looked at Zhao Shizhen happily. His nephew, who had been in low spirits all morning, finally smiled.

~~

Lunch was eaten in Qi Jiguang's central military tent.

Before the meal, Zhao Hao asked Gao Wu and others to present the gifts they brought - twenty monocular telescopes and five binoculars.

This made the generals of Qi's army very happy, as they had long been coveting Hu Shouren's telescope.

But this guy treated it like a ** and never allowed them to touch it. Now everyone should be able to get one, and finally they don't have to worry about Lao Hu's one anymore.

"This gift is so precious." Qi Jiguang was also very happy. There was no gift that he liked better than this one.

How could General Qi let his friend suffer a loss? So he also gave a gift in return - twenty brand new bird guns and five shining Japanese swords.

"It's a 2,000-mile journey, with many mountains and rivers. I'm giving you some of my personal belongings for your father and son to defend themselves. Gao Wu knows how to wield a spear, so you can ask him to teach the guards how to do it."

Zhao Hao picked up a three-foot-long bird gun from the long wooden box and held it in his hand to examine it carefully.

The straight black barrel, reddish-brown hardwood buttstock, front sight, rear sight, trigger and lever look very similar to later rifles.

Zhao Shizhen stood behind him, stretching his neck with envy in his eyes.

Hearing the sound of his nephew swallowing his saliva, Zhao Hao handed the bird gun in his hand to him.

Zhao Shizhen wiped his hands hurriedly, took it and began to examine it carefully. His obsessed look was so frustrating that it made people's scalps numb.

"Thank you for the generous gift, Marshal," Zhao Hao first thanked him sincerely, then said worriedly, "But civilians are not allowed to own firearms, what can I do?"

"Haha, of course civilians are not allowed to own it. But your father is the county magistrate, and it is no problem for him to take office with dozens of gunmen."

Qi Jiguang patiently said, "The county's express delivery shops have soldiers, the inspection offices have archers, the delivery shops have guards, and the post houses have cooks. In addition, in the past ten years or so, because of the rampant Japanese invasion and frequent bandits, the counties have recruited volunteers, gunmen, militia, etc. In short, it's just a name. As long as it doesn't cost the court money, the censors won't care."

General Qi added, "Of course, don't show your weapons in the capital, otherwise the Five Cities Army will come to your door soon."

"Of course." Since the very cautious General Qi said there was no problem, Zhao Hao had nothing to worry about.

But think about it. If the Ming Dynasty had not been very open about weapons management, in another time and space, when the country was in danger, Zhao Shizhen, Bi Maokang and other civil servants who were good at hands-on work would not have been able to invent various modified versions of muskets.

Zhao Hao happily put away his swords and guns, as well as several cans of gunpowder and bullets.

Both the host and the guest received the gifts they liked, so naturally both were happy.

~~

After lunch and a short rest, Qi Jiguang took Zhao Hao to the Military Equipment Bureau's artillery test site in Xishan.

The Ming Dynasty's weapons manufacturing was also very open. From the Ministry of Works to the Inner Court, from the Provincial Administration to the Military Command, and even the local garrisons, all had the power to manufacture weapons, even firearms.

Of course, the manufacturing levels varied greatly. The highest level was undoubtedly from the Ministry of Industry's Ordnance Bureau, and most of the Shenjiying's firearms were supplied by this bureau.

Unfortunately, the place where the military equipment bureau produced firearms was located in the Wanggongchang area in the southwest corner of the inner city. Today, we can't see how the weapons of the Ming Dynasty were made.

Led by Qi Jiguang, they passed a sentry post and entered an open mountain valley, where they saw Hu Shouren, who had arrived earlier, had already prepared various firearms and was waiting for them.

"Which one do you want to look at first?" Qi Jiguang asked Zhao Hao with a smile.

"Of course I will follow the general's arrangements." After leaving the military camp, Zhao Hao changed his words and called Qi Jiguang "general", which was naturally because he did not want to cause trouble for the other party.

After all, Qi Jiguang is no longer the anti-Japanese commander in the southeast, but the deputy general of the Shenjiying with many mothers-in-law.

"Then let's start with the musket. This is a firearm that has been used since the beginning of the country." Qi Jiguang was very satisfied with Zhao Hao's caution. He always believed that it is beneficial to make friends only with cautious people. Imprudent friends will kill you.

Hu Shouren picked up a thing that looked like a fire stick and began to load gunpowder and bullets into it.

Zhao Hao and the others gathered around to watch, and saw that the so-called "single-eyed magic gun" was made of wrought iron. It was about three feet long, as thick as a forearm, with a flash hole drilled at the bottom, a wooden handle at the back, and an iron ring at the front.

Hu Shouren loaded the ammunition, inserted the fuse into the trigger, and held it under his armpit, facing the straw man in front of him as a target. With his other hand, he took the tinder handed to him by the soldier and lit the fuse.

Zhao Hao quickly moved away and covered his ears. The other disciples followed suit, but Zhao Shizhen stared with wide eyes, excited as he watched the fuse burn out.

There was a loud bang, and grass debris flew everywhere. The straw man twenty steps away fell to the ground.

The grayish-white smoke coming out of the fire stick also enveloped Hu Shouren.

"Ahem..." Old Hu coughed repeatedly and threw the musket on the table. "This thing needs two pairs of eyes and three hands to operate it."

"The worst thing is that beyond thirty steps, you don't know where the bullet will go." Qi Jiguang said with a wry smile: "This antique has too many shortcomings, the most important of which is that it can't be aimed. It is also too inconvenient for one person to operate, so now the Shenji Battalion has been eliminated, and only the three-barreled fire gun used by the cavalry is left."

As he spoke, he picked up a large fire stick with a thick bulge on the top and explained to Zhao Hao and others: "The three-barreled fire gun has three barrels cast into one, which are interconnected inside. After ignition, the three barrels can be fired at the same time, and the chance of hitting the target will naturally increase greatly."

Then Qi Jiguang picked up the fire stick, swung it vigorously a few times and said: "After the fight, it can be used as a mace to fight the enemy. It is very popular among cavalrymen, so it is also equipped."

After putting down the three-barreled fire gun, Qi Jiguang picked up a bird gun and solemnly introduced it to Zhao Hao: "This is the main fire gun currently equipped by the Shenji Battalion."

ps. First update, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes~~~~~