Chapter 24: The Conscienceless Cannon

"Copper is expensive, and the copper from the Qingzhou Trading Firm is surely exorbitant. The soap-making process is incredibly complex and yields are limited, so I simply don't have the silver to buy copper," Zhang Chen said, using a fire starter to ignite the fuse of his "conscienceless cannon."

Before long, with a thunderous boom, the cannon launched a package of black powder.

Immediately after, an even louder explosion followed.

The two consecutive roars caused Dongmei and Zhu Qingzhu, the personal bodyguard of Zhu Weijin, to collapse onto the ground in fright.

Tian Yachun turned pale with terror, instinctively moving closer to Zhang Chen and clutching his lapel.

Zhu Weijin staggered from the shock. Once she steadied herself, she scolded Zhang Chen, "The makeshift cannon you cobbled together didn't burst, and its power is immense. You can treat toxic carbuncles and make soap that removes stains perfectly. Zhang Chen, how do you know so many strange yet incredibly useful things?"

"Last year, our young master went to Dengzhou City to participate in the prefectural examinations. That afternoon, the young master took me to Book Street, where he bought a few old books from a stall selling used volumes from the former Song Dynasty."

Fatty Niu patted his large belly. "The young master studied those old Song books thoroughly and learned medicine, along with some rather peculiar knowledge."

Fatty Niu then let out a long sigh, his voice filled with deep regret. "It is a great pity that the old mistress (the Zhao family) sent the young master to the Tian family as a live-in son-in-law. After the young master moved, he discovered that those old Song books had been lost!"

"You talk too much, you fat oaf," Zhang Chen said, kicking Fatty Niu. In his heart, however, he praised the man. He then used his fire starter to light the fuse of another cannon.

Soon after, another "boom" echoed as the cannon launched a black powder package. It flew over a hundred meters and landed on the ground, detonating with a deafening roar.

Despite being prepared this time, both Dongmei and Zhu Qingzhu staggered again from the force of the consecutive blasts.

Tian Yachun, who had been ready, grabbed Zhang Chen's hand. "It sounds like thunder; it’s terrifying!"

Since yesterday evening, the sound of explosions had been ringing out periodically across the village school. Knowing it was the craftsmen recruited by Zhang Chen conducting experiments, the villagers of Zhang Village did not react with alarm.

Last night, while developing the soap, they had heard explosions off and on, so Xi Yuming was already accustomed to the noise.

Xi Yuming was from Xi Village, located fifteen miles east of Jinan City in the Shandong Provincial Administration. Her family had been in the tooth powder business for generations.

Thanks to their ancestral craft, the family's tooth powder was of such high quality that demand far outstripped supply.

Zhu Neng, the second steward of the Prince De estate, had coveted the formula and production method, framing Xi Yuming’s father, Xi Baoming, and throwing him into prison.

A few days later, Xi Baoming choked to death while eating in his cell.

Terrified of remaining in Xi Village, Xi Yuming’s elder brother, Xi Yusong, took the family and fled. By the time the six of them wandered near Zhang Village in Fushan County, Dengzhou Prefecture, only the siblings, Xi Yusong and Xi Yuming, remained.

Two days ago, Xi Yusong had died of illness.

Fearing that male refugees might harbor ill intentions, Xi Yuming had dressed in men's clothing and made herself look disheveled and dirty.

She was fortunate; yesterday afternoon, she had encountered Fatty Niu. Otherwise, she would have eventually died of cold and hunger, or been ruined by the roving men.

Glancing at the two large craters a hundred meters away, Zhu Weijin chided Zhang Chen, "This makeshift cannon is a weapon of war. Zhang Chen, when do you plan to send troops to attack the 'Bald Strength' bandits of Cishan? With such artillery, the chances of the Zhang Village militia winning are much higher."

"Why send troops? Defending Zhang Village is enough."

Looking at the craters, Tian Yachun gripped Zhang Chen's hand tighter. "Husband, if you set up the cannons well and have the militia patrol in shifts day and night, as long as it isn't a surprise attack, neither bandits nor pirates will be able to breach Zhang Village."

The maximum range of the "conscienceless cannon" reached three hundred meters, with an optimal range of about two hundred.

The accuracy of such a weapon was miserably poor; the impact point was merely a rough estimate.

However, it was incredibly effective during siege warfare!

Zhang Chen had fired two shots, both landing over a hundred meters away. The power of the improved black powder had increased by about fifty percent—not bad, but it still hadn't met Zhang Chen's requirements.

"Little Tian, men and women shouldn't be too familiar," Zhang Chen said, pulling his hand away. He gave Yang Wenlin a bonus of one thousand taels of silver. "The 'conscienceless cannon' is a great success. You can form your own team to develop a flintlock musket, or work with Old Zheng and the others."

"Old Zheng and the others have hit a dead end, Master. I would like to try on my own." Yang Wenlin tucked the silver note away. *Zhang Chen—no, Master—is truly generous with money. The food, clothing, and housing in Zhang Village are excellent. I’ve certainly come to the right place!*

"Very well!"

Zhang Chen handed Bao Wulin a one-hundred-tael silver note. "This is for overtime, Old Bao. Keep working hard. If you reach the optimal ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, the power could more than double."

"I will certainly give it my all," Bao Wulin said, looking embarrassed. He decided to work through the night on his experiments.

Bao Wulin had once been a craftsman in Xuanfu Town, where his family had manufactured gunpowder for the government for generations.

The officials had treated them like animals, and when working for them, they were often left hungry.

They were frequently beaten and abused, and unable to survive in Xuanfu Town, Bao Wulin had eventually made his way to Dengzhou Prefecture.

With the good food, clothing, and lodging in Zhang Village, Bao Wulin was deeply grateful to Zhang Chen. *I haven't even finished the task, yet the Master doesn't hit or scold me; he even gives me one hundred taels for overtime. There truly cannot be a better place in the world than Zhang Village!*

With the work at the village school finished, Zhang Chen smiled. "Unloading and transporting the cargo will take several hours. Princess, let me treat you to a meal; Old Yang’s stewed dog meat is excellent. Little Tian, you don't want to eat dog meat, do you? You should head home."

The Futou Village wharf, located over ten miles north of Zhang Village, was equivalent in size to the wharf in Fushan County. Sixteen large merchant ships from the Qingzhou Trading Firm, each with a displacement of about two hundred tons, were docked there.

Almost all of Zhang Village’s carts—horse, donkey, and ox-drawn—had been mobilized.

Qi Guoshu had organized over three hundred carts to haul iron, saltpeter, sulfur, grain, and other supplies from the Futou Village wharf back to Zhang Village.

Inside Zhang Village, there was a large tract of open land where craftsmen were busy constructing buildings.

They were building barracks, a soap factory, a medical clinic, and a gunpowder factory on the east side of the village.

Following Zhang Chen's orders, Qi Guoshu was scattering silver freely, starting construction on multiple units and numerous buildings simultaneously.

With roving bandits everywhere, building materials were cheap. With refugees everywhere, labor was inexpensive.

In other words, building houses now didn't cost much, which is why Zhang Village was launching so many construction projects at once.

The military training consisted of standing at attention, at ease, maintaining military posture, marching in step, and turning left and right. Zhang Chen had taught Zhang Da'an and Zhang Er'an the military drills of the 21st century, having them repeat these simple, mechanical movements hundreds of times.

Zhang Da'an and Zhang Er'an were responsible for training the eight hundred able-bodied men.

Of course, the training in Zhang Village also included running, grenade throwing (using stones), and armed cross-country marches.

The Qingzhou Trading Firm had delivered several large ships full of grain. Zhang Chen instructed Zhang Da'an and Zhang Er'an to recruit another five hundred men; his primary goal was to control the Futou Village wharf—he wanted to seize it.