Chapter 51: The First Firearm Squad

Liu Heng handed the matchlock firearm to Chen Daqing standing nearby, turned his gaze to Chen Xunping, and said, "Second brother, select a squad from your unit to form a dedicated firearm squad. These five matchlocks are for their training."

Chen Xunping was momentarily stunned, then asked, "You're not keeping them for your own unit?"

In his understanding, Liu Heng was the chief commander of the main camp and led the First Battalion. Weapons like matchlock firearms, which could significantly boost combat capability, should naturally be prioritized for the First Battalion, with any surplus trickling down to his Third Battalion later.

Liu Heng smiled and said, "No need. The First Battalion already has archers, and the Second Battalion's primary duty is guarding the camp. Only the Third Battalion truly needs its combat strength enhanced."

"Very well, I'll arrange firearm training this afternoon." Chen Xunping did not decline further.

From Liu Heng's arrangement, he understood that future shipments of matchlock firearms would be preferentially supplied to his Third Battalion. He was extremely pleased with this; while matchlocks might lack the accuracy of bow and arrow, they possessed far greater lethality against enemies clad in heavy armor.

Liu Heng turned back to Yang Yuan and instructed, "Urge Blacksmith Zhao on your end to step up the production of matchlocks. You can increase the quantity. Go to Brother Shuheng to collect the silver."

"You can come directly to me for however much silver is needed. As long as it's for purchasing matchlocks, I give it my full support." Having witnessed the destructive power of the matchlock Liu Heng had just test-fired, Li Shuheng was no longer resistant to acquiring the firearms and had become a staunch supporter.

"Understood." Yang Yuan nodded to Li Shuheng and then said, "Blacksmith Zhao mentioned that the iron used to forge these matchlocks is Jin iron, which is inferior in quality to Min iron. Continuous firing should preferably not exceed fifteen rounds because the barrel gets too hot and is prone to warping. If we used Min iron, it could fire seventeen or eighteen rounds."

Liu Heng nodded and said, "Jin iron will do. There are plenty of private iron foundries in Lingqiu; there's no need to go through all the trouble of purchasing Min iron from the south."

Fifteen consecutive rounds were already quite satisfactory to him. Switching to Min iron would only allow for two or three more shots, yet the cost would be at least a third higher.

Min iron was already significantly more expensive than Jin iron to begin with, and transporting it from the south to the north would only drive the price up further.

Liu Heng then looked at Zhao Yutu and said, "Now that we have matchlocks, gunpowder will become an essential commodity for us from now on. Therefore, I'm putting this matter in your hands, Master Zhao. I hope that all the gunpowder we use in the future will be refined by ourselves."

Before Zhao Yutu could reply, Liu Heng continued, "I will have Yang Yuan procure saltpeter and sulfur from the Lingqiu iron foundries; those two minerals are in steady supply there. You will need to figure out charcoal on your own. The quality ratio of the three should be fifteen parts saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal. Finally, process the gunpowder into granular form and package it in paper wrappers according to the single-shot charge specified by Blacksmith Zhao. That way, no one will reduce the firepower by using too little powder, nor will they blow themselves up by using too much."

With that, he looked at Zhao Yutu.

He had said everything that needed to be said, and the task was not overly difficult. The Lingqiu iron foundries could refine gunpowder on their own; if Zhao Yutu failed to handle this properly, it could only mean he was deliberately stalling.

Zhao Yutu did not hesitate and replied directly, "I have no problem with that, though I'm not very familiar with the refining process for gunpowder. Figuring it out on my own might take a little time."

Liu Heng smiled and said, "That's not an issue. Refining gunpowder is no secret at the iron foundries; I'll have Yang Yuan bring you a copy of their production workflow. With a few trial runs on your end, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Then I have no objections," Zhao Yutu said.

Gunpowder was not high explosive, so the hazard level wasn't extremely high. Unless a massive quantity was detonated all at once, the danger was relatively manageable—which was why Liu Heng dared to entrust this task to Zhao Yutu.

With the five matchlock firearms brought back by Yang Yuan, a dedicated matchlock training squad was established on the parade grounds.

Training a firearm squad was no easy feat. These men had never touched a matchlock before and had no idea how to operate one. Furthermore, the Lumie matchlock was a complex weapon with numerous and intricate operational steps.

Every member of the firearm squad was equipped with several canisters containing gunpowder, lead bullets, and priming powder.

Training was conducted strictly step by step: from loading the gunpowder and lead bullets to tamping them down with the ramrod, opening the serpentine, and igniting the match cord. They repeated the drills over and over rather than jumping straight into live firing.

Weighing seven pounds, the matchlocks were held up and drilled with repeatedly every single day. The hardship endured by the matchlockmen was by no means less than that of the pikemen—it was arguably even more grueling.

After three days of training, the matchlock squad was finally permitted to fire a live round.

Having their first-ever opportunity to personally discharge a matchlock, the men were filled with excitement and agitation. A matchlockman who had never fired his weapon would hardly dare call himself a matchlockman.

However, the live-firing session did not go smoothly. One soldier, standing too close to another, was so startled by the deafening roar of the matchlock that he collapsed paralyzed to the ground. Another soldier, paralyzed by fear, kept his eyes tightly shut and dared not look forward when pulling the trigger.

Such substandard performances made Chen Xunping's face turn dark with anger. When his subordinates lost face, it reflected poorly on him as the battalion commander. That very evening, the matchlock squad had their dinner canceled and went to bed with empty stomachs.

In light of the firearm squad's lackluster performance, Chen Xunping handed over the training of the pikemen to his deputy and personally supervised the matchlock training every day from then on.

Three days passed in a flash. During the next live-firing session, the matchlock squad finally showed improvement. Every man was able to fire his weapon normally, though the accuracy left much to be desired.

Regarding this shortcoming, Chen Xunping had no magic solution other than increasing the frequency of drills and conducting more live-fire exercises.

During the matchlock training process, Yang Yuan made a trip back, bringing along supplies of sulfur and saltpeter minerals, as well as the gunpowder production workflow obtained from the iron foundry.

With these materials in hand, Zhao Yutu also threw himself into a busy routine. Aside from teaching the bandits how to read, he spent the greater part of his time figuring out how to refine gunpowder.

Of course, the task of refining gunpowder was not left entirely to him alone. Li Shuheng assigned him several reliable subordinates to assist in the production process.

The entire encampment buzzed with activity. The news of the upcoming move to Tiger Head Stronghold in Lingqiu was known only to five people, including Liu Heng. Before departing from Qingtian Bei, Liu Heng intended to keep the rank-and-file bandits completely in the dark.

After a period of rigorous training, the matchlockmen made substantial progress. Yang Yuan also returned from Blacksmith Zhao with fifteen more Lumie matchlocks, which he handed over to the firearm squad.

The twenty matchlocks greatly alleviated the pressure of having insufficient weapons for training. With actual firearms to drill with, the soldiers' proficiency improved rapidly, allowing them to handle the Lumie matchlocks with increasing familiarity.

From loading to firing, the time required for a matchlockman dropped steadily from the initial five minutes per shot down to two shots in three minutes.

Every motion from loading to firing was subject to strict standards, and no deviation in sequence was permitted. Repeated drills ingrained muscle memory into the matchlockmen, allowing them to operate without conscious thought until every movement became a reflex, achieving the benchmark of firing twice every three minutes.

More than half a month passed. When Yang Yuan returned from Lingqiu for the third time, every single member of the matchlock squad was finally equipped with his own personal firearm.

Training for the firearm squad ceased to be mere loading and firing drills. Instead, they formed three ranks, with each squad acting as a file, loading, aiming, and firing upon the whistle commands of their file leaders.

Three-stage firing—a firepower delivery method long established in the Ming dynasty that allowed for continuous, unbroken waves of offensive firepower—became the foundational mode of training for the squad.

When the training concluded, aside from real combat experience, every single soldier in the squad had transformed into a qualified matchlockman, and their subunit was dispatched ahead to Lingqiu.