Chapter 7 Wang Jinwu

Chapter 7 Wang Jinwu

Chapter 7 Wang Jinwu

"Have you tried this gun?"

“I just tried it a few days ago.”

"How far can it hit? How powerful is it?"

"It can strike at a distance of up to twenty steps, and can penetrate armor within ten steps."

Zhu Shenzhui estimated that one step in the Ming Dynasty was about 1.6 to 1.7 meters. Based on 1.6 meters, 20 steps is about 32 meters. This distance is not short. According to the three-barreled fire gun deployed by the army today, the range is about the same. However, the size of the three-barreled fire gun is much larger than his fire gun, and the barrel is several times thicker.

It can penetrate armor within ten steps, which means it has the maximum power within fifteen or sixteen meters, which is more powerful than the three-barreled fire gun. Zhu Shenzhu was quite satisfied with this result.

"Well done, thank you, Uncle Zhao." Zhu Shenzhui nodded, put away the musket, stood up and said, "I'll try it first. If there's no problem, I'll have to trouble you to make a few more."

"Of course we can make a few more, but Sixth Master, this musket is not easy to make. I'm afraid it will take a lot of time..." Seeing that Zhu Shenzhu was satisfied, Zhao Da grinned, nodded and said another sentence.

"That's fine. There's no rush. We can finish it in the spring of next year. By the way, how many can you estimate at most?"

"The key to making a musket is the barrel. You know that it is difficult to make a barrel, and you have high requirements. It would be great if I could make one in two months. Even if my son helps, it will take at least one and a half months. By this calculation, by the beginning of next spring, I can only make three or four at most."

Zhu Shenzhui calculated in his mind and nodded, "Three or four will do, but Uncle Zhao, let me be frank with you, things must be made carefully, and you must not be careless."

"Don't worry. You've seen how well I, Zhao Da, work. If I don't do it carefully, you can just chop off my head!" Zhao Da patted his chest and made the promise.

"Hahaha, why would I need your head for such a good reason? Uncle Zhao, just do your job seriously and carefully. Don't worry, I will never treat you unfairly." Zhu Shenzhui laughed and then said that he would ask his uncle Wang Rong to send him the wages. Zhao Da was overjoyed to hear that and thanked him repeatedly. He took his son to send Zhu Shenzhui out the door. As Zhu Shenzhui walked away, the father and son still waved to him with a smile.

After taking the musket, Zhu Shenzhui was in a good mood and went straight back to Wang Rong's home.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw a strong boy like an iron tower. When he saw Zhu Shenzhui, he immediately ran over with joy on his face. Isn’t he the boy from Wang Rong’s family, Zhu Shenzhui’s cousin Wang Jinwu?
"Sixth brother!" Wang Jinwu was very happy to see Zhu Shenzhui. They were cousins ​​and had always had a deep relationship, just like real brothers.

Zhu Shenzhui was the second child in his family, but the sixth child in the royal family, which is why everyone called him Sixth Brother or Sixth Master.

"Good boy, use less strength. Are you going to strangle me, your brother? My goodness, it's only been a short time and you've grown taller again?" Wang Jinwu came up and gave Zhu Shenzhui a bear hug with such force that Zhu Shenzhui could hardly bear it. Fortunately, Zhu Shenzhui had been practicing martial arts. If he were an ordinary person, he would probably have broken several ribs.

Zhu Shenzhui separated his legs, put his hands on his shoulders, and looked up and down at his cousin in front of him. He was slightly surprised. This boy was a few inches taller than the last time he saw him. Now he was almost half a head taller than him.

Zhu Shenzui was not short. He was 1.75 meters tall, which was considered tall in that era. But Wang Jinwu was two years younger than Zhu Shenzui, but he was already over 1.82 meters tall. He was also very strong. He looked tall and strong, with bulging muscles, which made him even taller than the blacksmith Zhao Da and his son.

"Hehehe, if you eat more, you will grow faster." Wang Jinwu laughed foolishly: "Sixth brother, why did you come just now? I have been waiting for you for several days. If you had come earlier today, you could have gone into the mountains with me."

"I told your uncle earlier that you are a person who can't stay still. You took people hunting again today? What did you catch?"

"Look! They're all over there, all good stuff!" Wang Jinwu stretched out his hand and pointed towards a place in the yard. Zhu Shenzhui took a closer look and saw several wild animals thrown there, including a few rabbits and pheasants, as well as a musk deer. It seemed that this boy had made quite a harvest.

Zhu Shenzui couldn't help but admire his cousin's hunting skills. Although this boy is tall and strong, he is very agile in the mountains. His archery skills are very good, and it is no exaggeration to say that he can shoot an arrow through a willow tree from a hundred steps away. Look at these prey, it is obvious that they were shot with arrows, and the shooting was very accurate. Except for the arrow in the head, the fur on the body is not damaged at all.

After praising him a few times, Wang Jinwu was very proud and boasted about how he entered the mountain today, how he found prey, and how he hunted these things with a bow.

After boasting for a while, Wang Jinwu suddenly remembered something and said that he wanted to compete with Zhu Shencui in boxing. He shouted that he would not be as careless this time as last time and he must beat Zhu Shencui.

"Forget it today, let's do it next time." "No, Sixth Brother, I've been looking forward to it. Are you afraid of me, your brother?" Wang Jinwu became anxious when he saw that Zhu Shenzhui did not accept the challenge.

"I'm afraid of you?" Zhu Shenzhui glanced at him sideways, with a faint smile on his lips. This kid's boxing and kicking were taught by his uncle. The Wang family was a military household, so naturally they had martial arts passed down from their ancestors. Wang Jinwu was quite talented in martial arts, and he was unrivaled in Wangjia Village.

However, Wang Jinwu was no match for Zhu Shenzhui, whose boxing and kicking skills were also inherited from his family. Although he was a member of the royal family, as a descendant of the Jin Wang family, his ancestor was the Sai Wang who held a large number of troops. The Jin Wang was the legitimate son of Zhu Yuanzhang, and he followed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world when he was young, so his boxing and kicking skills and horse riding skills were naturally not bad.

Nowadays, most of the royal family have long forgotten their ancestors' skills, but Zhu Shenzhui's lineage still retains the skills of his ancestors. Zhu Shenzhui also practiced martial arts since he was a child, so his boxing and kicking skills are naturally not bad. Especially when he reached this age, he always had a sense of urgency and crisis about the future, and he was even more diligent in practicing martial arts.

Furthermore, when Zhu Shenzhui was practicing martial arts, he selected the boxing and kicking skills inherited from his ancestors, discarded those flashy routines, and practiced a few simple moves. Although his moves were simple, they were particularly effective in actual combat. Although his physical fitness was not as good as Wang Jinwu's, his skills were not comparable to Wang Jinwu's. From childhood to adulthood, the two had fought countless times, but Wang Jinwu had never been able to get the upper hand from Zhu Shenzhui.

The same thing happened last time. After a few moves, Wang Jinwu was defeated. He has been holding this anger in his heart for more than half a month. These days, Wang Jinwu has been waiting for Zhu Shenzhui to come again. He has been looking forward to it for a long time. But who would have thought that Zhu Shenzhui would not compete today, and Wang Jinwu would never give up.

"Come if you're not afraid!" Wang Jinwu took a few steps back and prepared himself, looking impatient.

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and shook his head: "It's not suitable today because I have something important to do. I'll practice with you later."

"Sixth brother, when did you become as timid as a woman? Do you have to choose a day for the competition?" Wang Jinwu couldn't help but complain.

"It's not about picking a day. Today is really not suitable." Zhu Shenzhui thought about it and decided to make it clear to Wang Jinwu. His cousin was stubborn and it would be bad if he misunderstood him and damaged their relationship. He immediately told Wang Jinwu that he would take people to Jiezhou tomorrow. If there was an injury in the competition today, it would be a big mistake.

Besides, he had to go outside the village later and had no time for a duel. After listening to Zhu Shenzhui's explanation, Wang Jinwu scratched his head in embarrassment, thinking that he had misunderstood Zhu Shenzhui.

"By the way, Sixth Brother, what are you doing outside the village?"

"Go do something."

"What's the matter? How about I go with you?"

Seeing Wang Jinwu's curious look, Zhu Shenzui thought there was no need to hide this from him, so he immediately reached out and took out the musket from his arms. When Wang Jinwu saw the musket, his eyes widened.

"Firegun?"

"It's a musket!" Zhu Shenzhu corrected.

"So beautiful! Where did you get it?"

"Haha, you don't need to ask that."

Wang Jinwu thought about it and slapped his forehead: "I see, Mr. Zhao did it for you, right?"

"You're quite a smart guy." Zhu Shenzhui was a little surprised.

Wang Jinwu smiled proudly and said, "I heard the sound of muskets outside the village a few days ago, and then I saw Zhao Da bringing stones back to the village, so I wondered if Zhao Da was making this thing. I asked my father, but he didn't tell me and slapped me in the face, telling me to shut up and pretend I didn't know. After all this fuss, I found out that it was made for you, Sixth Brother."

As he said this, the boy touched his face. It seemed that the slap his uncle had given him was quite severe.

"Sixth brother, are you going to try this fire... musket? Let me follow you, I've never fired a musket before, hehehe... let me try it too?" Wang Jinwu's eyes lit up when he saw the musket. What man doesn't love guns? Besides, Wang Jinwu is only a 17-year-old boy. In addition, the musket in Zhu Shenzhu's hand is very beautiful, completely different from those black muskets, which aroused his strong curiosity.

(End of this chapter)