Under the gaze of everyone's confusion, Liang Xiao pulled the trigger tens of zhang away.
After the gunshot, everyone rushed forward to inspect the cotton armor, exclaiming, "It didn't completely penetrate??"
The cotton armor displayed by He Zizhang had its first layer of cotton and iron armor perforated by a bullet hole, while the second layer of iron armor remained intact.
"How is that possible? Even the plate armor and steel didn't withstand this flintlock..." the generals murmured in doubt.
Liang Xiao explained, "The impact force of a flintlock cannot be resisted by mere steel hardness. Instead, well-crafted padded armor has a better chance of blocking it. That layer of densely packed cotton can effectively slow down the impact force of the flintlock, and with another layer of iron armor underneath, its protective effect for soldiers is actually better than ordinary plate armor and lamellar armor, and it's also lighter."
Everyone looked incredulous, marveling, "Could this be 'yielding overcomes the unyielding'?"
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "To some extent! However, padded armor can only resist firearm fire more effectively than plate armor and lamellar armor within a certain range; it cannot completely resist it. In future battles, if the enemy possesses such weapons, our army must rely on more powerful firearms to counter them, aiming for victory while minimizing casualties."
The generals suddenly understood, "So that's why the Emperor has been so cautious in his selection, to allow everyone to master these weapons in the future..."
Liang Xiao nodded and said, "This is a weapon of a new era, and it will continue to be improved and become stronger. But as you have witnessed, even the initial version of firearms possesses such power. Once such weapons fall into the hands of the common people, or are obtained by enemy nations, the consequences are unthinkable."
Sima Jing, standing nearby, said sternly, "Therefore, the Emperor intends to gather loyal individuals to form the 'Divine Machine Battalion.' The soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion will receive treatment no less than that of the White Robe soldiers. They must be absolutely loyal to the nation and absolutely obey the orders of His Majesty and the Emperor. No accidents will be permitted, nor any dereliction of duty!"
Looking at the smoking flintlock rifle in Liang Xiao's hand, the generals realized the gravity of the matter and immediately knelt to pledge their loyalty.
"Your subjects will surely dedicate their utmost loyalty and wisdom. If any dare to betray righteousness and forget favors, may they receive the harshest punishment, judged by heaven and man!"
Under Sima Jing's arrangement, the generals signed contracts with the court in front of Liang Xiao, which included obligations such as confidentiality, in addition to benefits.
The loyalty of these Stealth Wolf Guards was already comparable to that of the Shadow Guards. They were all veterans of the front lines and had families they could not bear to be separated from.
The court provided preferential treatment for their entire families. If they performed meritorious deeds, they would receive additional rewards.
Currently, they still received the Stealth Wolf Guard's salary. However, from the moment they learned to handle firearms, the court would increase their monthly pay to over ten taels.
The power of the flintlock rifle did not guarantee complete superiority over longbows and Daqian bows, but it excelled in ease of reloading. The production of firearms and ammunition was also much simpler than that of arrows, making its actual cost-effectiveness far higher than traditional crossbows.
This batch of Shadow Guards, with their unwavering loyalty, combined with this batch of Stealth Wolf Guards, could handle three-quarters of the tasks Liang Xiao envisioned.
At the very least, before their retirement, they would sweep across the Kushan Dynasty and the Peacock Dynasty!
According to Liang Jing, Attila had allied with the Tianri tribe, while Bleda chose to lead some of the Xiongnu people to defect to Daqian.
As for the Izumo Kingdom, Liang Xiao was confident that with Nie Yuan cooperating with Qin Feng, at best, they could drive them back to their islands.
After bidding farewell to Liang Xiao, Lü Changhe led a hundred thousand troops to the great desert, preparing to develop it into a pasture.
The Tianri tribe, having their hundreds of thousands of troops annihilated by the soldiers of Daqian in Jiangnan, suffered an unbearable blow to both the Peacock Dynasty and the entire Tianri tribe. Therefore, the Tianri tribe pulled their front lines back to the western borders of Daqian and dared not expand further south of the desert.
Meanwhile, in the capital, the young men of the Ministry of Works, led by Zhang Yang, took time out of their busy schedules to read the basic education materials left by Liang Xiao.
In Yizhou, Liu Fan and his associates, under the directive of the court, were developing Southern Zhong, collecting natural rubber, timber, and medicinal herbs. They were also building more residences and developing towns there, allowing the people of Southern Zhong to live and work in peace and contentment, just like the people of Daqian.
The sugar refining process in the Anguo Sugar Refinery was becoming increasingly mature, and the white sugar was becoming purer, earning widespread favor among both the military and the populace.
A vast quantity of white sugar was sealed and transported to the western front as military supplies.
Sulfur from Jiaozhou and Da Liang was also being continuously sent to the capital and Yanzhou for the production of gunpowder.
Through exploration and mining, the sulfur output was now sufficient to supply Liang Xiao's ideal ammunition quantities, and even enough to produce "firecrackers," although Liang Xiao had temporarily abandoned the promotion of firecrackers.
Sulfur mines were monopolized by the court, and sulfur output was strictly controlled.
The Gu family, the Mu family, the Li family...
All families that had chosen to support imperial power and abandon their aristocratic status when the Four Great Clans were at their zenith had now received favors from Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao. Their family industries were granted priority access to steam engines and related machinery.
The Industrial Revolution of Daqian had begun...
After settling the Xiongnu people, Bleda also came to Yanzhou to pay his respects to Liang Xiao.
From their parting years ago, Liang Xiao had brought him immeasurable fear and reverence. Regardless, Liang Xiao had given up pursuing Attila and kept his promise to let him leave, giving them a glimmer of hope.
Upon arriving in the capital, Bleda and his entourage learned that the court had pardoned the people of the wilderness and were deeply grateful. They swore never to betray the Qian clan, voluntarily accepted the court's supervision, and fully embraced Qian culture, no longer considering themselves Xiongnu or barbarians.
There were no longer Xiongnu or barbarians in this land, and even the people of the Western Regions had become members of the Qian clan.
People from the Western Regions were still living in the western territories, some of whom still yearned for their homeland.
The court assured them that in the future, they would reclaim the Western Regions in one fell swoop.
As soon as Qin Feng arrived in the East Sea, he immediately familiarized himself with and reorganized the East Sea Navy, meticulously refining warships and preparing for a decisive battle!
The former title of the Zhenguo Marquis of Da Liang was resounding. For any naval engagement, this person was inevitably mentioned. Therefore, the soldiers of the East Sea harbored no resistance to Qin Feng taking command of the army, and the entire army was of one mind.
West of Daqian's Yumen Pass, Attila, leading his light cavalry, arrived without pause to rendezvous with the Tianri marshal Mars, and observed the terrain.
Gazing towards the east, Attila's eyes were sharp, and he clenched his fist.
Mars, who was always arrogant, dared not confront Attila directly. He merely stayed at a distance, conversing with Attila's generals.
No one could have imagined that the former remnants of the wilderness could sweep across Europe under his command, establishing a powerful domain and creating an unprecedented Xiongnu empire.
It only took five years!
Only the King of Tianri had the qualification to stand on equal footing with him.
"Five years, Liang Xiao, do you know what I've experienced in these five years?"
Attila murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the east.
He had never seen that face, yet merely Liang Jing's painting could make him wake up in nightmares.
"The iron cavalry of the wilderness was defeated by you back then, but I did not lose! I had intended to fight you to the death in ten years, but time waits for no one... The Daqian nation is currently sweeping across the land, united as never before, and its efficiency in weapon research must be far greater than before!"
Under the awe-filled gazes of everyone, Attila roared in a low voice, "We cannot wait any longer!"
"Mars, I will give you three months to establish a supply line capable of supporting our armies of four hundred thousand!"