nucmednet Chapter 25 Testing and Improvement
Chapter 25 Testing and Improvement
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In August of this year, the Bairentan Steel Plant, the Bairentan Arsenal's musket workshop and gunpowder workshop entered the trial production stage, the main construction of the Bofu Shipyard was more than half completed, and the Wanhualou in Hangzhou brought in huge profits, providing vital support for the growth of this industrial system.
In September, Bairentan Steel Plant successfully produced a batch of low-carbon steel independently, following the production manual.
In the same month, the gunpowder workshop of the Bairentan Arsenal produced black powder that met the requirements.
In October, the musket workshop of the Bairentan Arsenal successfully trial-produced the first batch of ten flintlock muskets. Thanks to the application of water-powered lathes and the improvement of drilling efficiency, the speed and quality of the gun production were far superior to those of the Ming army's arquebuses.
Upon learning that the first batch of guns had been successfully produced, Liu Ye's first action was to drag Liang Xiaoming to test them. A clearing had been set aside behind the musket workshop specifically for testing. Under Liang Xiaoming's guidance, Liu Ye poured an appropriate amount of gunpowder into the barrel, then added lead bullets, used a cleaning rod to compress the bullets and gunpowder, and finally added a little gunpowder to the ignition device. The preparations for firing were then complete.
The gun barrel had simple rear and front sights, all welded on later and polished exceptionally smooth. Following his memories from university military training, Xia Tiannan aligned the three sights and aimed at the target—a life-sized wooden man-shaped target fifty meters away. Holding his breath, he pulled the trigger. A loud bang, smoke billowed, and the recoil jolted Xia Tiannan. Goodness, this thing was much louder than the Type 81 rifle he'd used in military training.
I couldn't wait to go up and look at the target. My marksmanship was pretty good. I hit the target. The 2-centimeter-thick wooden board was pierced by the lead bullet, and an irregular hole, about the size of a fist, was formed.
Liang Xiaoming explained that the shooting effect of a smoothbore gun is different from that of a modern rifle. Its initial velocity and penetration power are far inferior to the latter. However, the stopping effect of soft lead bullets is particularly obvious. When shot at a person, the lead bullet does not penetrate the human body like a modern rifle bullet. Instead, it deforms and tumbles, causing large-area wounds. Lead can also cause poisoning. Putting aside range and accuracy, in terms of lethality alone, a smoothbore gun is more destructive than a modern rifle. In this timeline, being hit by a lead bullet is basically hopeless.
Liu Ye was satisfied with the gun's power and asked Liang Xiaoming, "What is its effective range in meters?"
Liang Xiaoming said, "The specific data will only be known after the test. However, the effective range of this gun, the Brown Bess, is about 100 meters, and the hit rate can reach 50%. The maximum range is nearly 300 meters, so it still has lethality, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed."
Although he was somewhat prepared for the performance of the smoothbore musket, Liu Ye was still a little disappointed. "The effective range is so short? You can see the other person's face clearly at 100 meters!"
Liang Xiaoming chuckled and said, "How far do you think smoothbore guns of this era can shoot? The key reason for their short effective range is their poor shooting accuracy. Only large-scale volleys at close range can make up for this deficiency."
He explained that before the advent of the mature rifled gun, European armies would fire at each other in a line formation within 100 meters. This tactic was known as "line shooting." The British army would even advance into the hail of bullets to a distance of 50 or even 30 meters from the enemy before firing the first shot. Often, a single volley was enough to break the enemy.
Liu Ye asked, puzzled, "Line up for executions is just idiotic. Why didn't the army at that time lie down and shoot? That way they could avoid the bullets!"
"Nobody wants to be an idiot. Think back to the whole shooting process just now, and think about it: could you still shoot if you lay down?"
After a moment's recollection and gestures, Liu Ye suddenly realized that the steps of loading the powder, inserting the cartridge, and tightening the cleaning rod all required the muzzle to be facing upwards and the barrel upright; it was impossible to load a cartridge while lying prone. Fortunately, the opponents he would face in the future, whether refugees or the Later Jin, were not firearms-equipped troops, so he wouldn't have to endure a hail of bullets.
"Moreover, when you're shooting from such close range while lying prone, if the enemy charges, you won't have time to get up and you'll become a sitting duck for melee weapons," Liang Xiaoming added.
Liu Ye nodded. "If something exists, it must have a reason. The seemingly foolish tactic of queuing up for execution has been used for over a century, so it must have its logic."
Pointing to the first batch of test products, Liang Xiaoming said, "Capitalist comrade, please test the goods. If you have any feedback after using them, please let us know. User suggestions are the best way for us to improve our products."
Liu Ye carefully examined the batch of firearms and, based on his experience from the test firing, offered three suggestions:
First, can the firing process be simplified? Specifically, can the amount of gunpowder needed for each shot be quantified to avoid overloading or underloading during combat—overloading would cause the barrel to fail prematurely, while underloading would result in insufficient power.
Secondly, bayonets must be equipped as soon as possible. The training of future troops can be carried out simultaneously with live-fire shooting and bayonet training, so that musketeers can have both long-range attack and close-range defense capabilities, avoiding becoming useless like the Ming army musketeers—who would open fire indiscriminately before the enemy got close and become lambs to be slaughtered once the enemy got close;
Third, implement standardized production. This will allow parts to be interchangeable and facilitate maintenance, ensuring that each firearm is not a disposable product. This will save costs and improve the durability of the firearms. The current batch of firearms has obvious differences, and the parts are clearly not interchangeable.
"Indeed, user experience is crucial for improving product quality!" Liang Xiaoming exclaimed. He then offered solutions for each of the three suggestions:
The first problem can be solved with paper-cased ammunition. The gunpowder needed for one shot, along with the lead bullet, is wrapped in a paper casing. Before firing, you can simply bite it open and insert the entire paper-cased ammunition into the barrel.
The second problem will take time. Although the guns have been made, equipping them with bayonets is no less difficult than making the guns themselves—the bayonets need to have good strength and toughness to ensure that they will not break or deform in fierce combat, and the wrought iron currently available is obviously not suitable for making bayonets;
The third problem can be solved. Although there are no modern precision measuring instruments, once the standard of measurement is established, a simple go/no-go gauge can be initially standardized, which is sufficient for the accuracy of smoothbore guns.
In November of this year, thanks to the efforts of Liu Ye and Liang Xiaoming—one focusing on management and the other on production—the Bairentan Steel Plant and the Gun and Cannon Plant initially achieved planned management. The craftsmen in both plants were divided into three levels, with wages decreasing according to level. Bonuses were divided into monthly and annual bonuses, linked to output and level. Levels were assessed every six months and evaluated at the end of each year, with a merit-based system. Any quality defects in production were traced back to the responsible individuals according to the production process.
After the entire system was implemented, everyone's competitive spirit became unprecedentedly strong. The original framework between master and apprentice was broken, and everyone wanted to advance and earn more money. The annual income gap between highly skilled craftsmen and the lowest-level apprentices was fifty or sixty taels, which ordinary people might not be able to save up even after several years of hard work.
The competition mechanism and quality control system initially demonstrated their effectiveness. In just a few months, these craftsmen and apprentices were trained to resemble modern workers, and the quality of the steel they forged and the guns they produced was significantly higher than in the beginning. With this successful example, Liu Ye decided that the completed Bofu Shipyard and all subsequent factories would follow the same model.