"Your subject, Ma Jun, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
At this moment, Ma Jun arrived after receiving the news. He looked rather disheveled, with gunpowder powder on his face, clearly having just been conducting experiments.
With the help of Qi Jiguang's experience and knowledge, he felt like he had found a treasure. Tiandu, almost forgetting to eat or sleep.
He wouldn't have had time to come if the Emperor hadn't come in person.
Lin Yi supported his arm and sighed, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formalities. You've had a hard time these past few days, being made to research these dangerous things in this dark and gloomy place. I feel truly ashamed."
"Your Majesty is too kind in your concern!"
Ma Jun was deeply moved. He could feel the Emperor's concern, which was definitely not just empty talk.
A man would die for one who understands him; he felt his life had been worthwhile.
His Majesty is the supreme ruler of the nation; the All Under Heaven is what he truly worries about. I never imagined that I would occupy such an important position.
Why!
Seeing how moved he was, Lin Yi felt somewhat ashamed, realizing that Ma Jun was doing it all for his own sake.
Research and invention are inherently a lonely endeavor, requiring a long period of in-depth study of a single subject; it is indeed a demanding task.
Furthermore, gunpowder is no joke; a slight mishap could result in utter destruction.
It would be a great tragedy if such a national treasure were to perish here, which is why Lin Yi has always refused to allow Ma Jun to conduct the experiments himself.
He changed the subject and said with a smile, "What are you doing, my dear minister? Why have you gotten yourself into such a sorry state?"
"Ha ha!"
At this point, a hint of fanaticism appeared in Ma Jun's eyes, and he excitedly said, "Your Majesty, I had a sudden inspiration and improved the explosive charge, creating a homemade mine!"
"Earth mine?"
This completely baffled Lin Yi. What kind of mine was this? He'd never heard of it before. Was it invented by Ma Jun himself?
Ma Jun nodded and explained, "Your Majesty, this earthen mine was inspired by Brother Qi. It uses a flint to ignite the fuse, making the explosive charge trigger-activated."
This allows for the use of these explosive charges for area defense; any enemy entering them will be crushed inside.
Good heavens, Old Ma has set a landmine!
Lin Yi was astonished. He never expected Ma Jun to be so capable, actually creating such an advanced thing. It was like he was going to reach for the heavens!
He truly deserves to be called a great inventor; he managed to create something extraordinary from the discovery of flint, even developing landmines.
If he were given a few more decades, he probably wouldn't have invented a mushroom egg.
If used properly, this landmine can create an artificial bombing zone and directly alter the terrain.
You think your heavy cavalry is so tough? Try going up against a minefield, and you'll be wiped out in no time.
He couldn't help but give a thumbs up and laughed, "Wow, my dear minister, you've actually created such a divine weapon! With it, even the most iron cavalry will be crying."
"Hehe, it was a sudden inspiration; I found the flint and steel when I was taking apart that musket..."
When his invention was mentioned, Ma Jun immediately perked up, his eyebrows dancing with excitement as he began to talk at length.
He had initially thought that muskets were very complicated, but to his surprise, they were just simple mechanical devices and some flint and steel, which immediately piqued his interest.
He didn't know much about this before, so he was just feeling his way in the dark. But now that he has the actual product, he's really excited and is going all out.
"Holy crap, that's awesome?"
Jia Xu and the others on the side couldn't help but laugh and cry. This Ma Jun was too incredible. He only took one look at it and he created some kind of homemade mine.
If you take a closer look, the guy in Red-Coat Cannon will probably be buying them in bulk. This guy's got guts.
No wonder he could rise to the position of Duke through a technical profession; that's true ability, impeccable ability.
So here's the problem: if all this haphazard messing around has resulted in a homemade mine, what's the status of this musket now? Is it about to shoot into the sky?
"Haha, don't worry, I've thoroughly researched this musket now. I've even added some special iron shot, making it even more powerful!"
A smile flashed in Ma Jun's eyes, and with a wave of his hand, he summoned a craftsman carrying a new type of musket.
These were the craftsmen he trained, and the ones who participated in modifying the new type of firearm; they were definitely the people who knew this thing best.
Seeing the brand-new musket, everyone's eyes lit up; it had actually been successfully improved.
Its power in the last test was evident to all, and now that it has been improved, its power will surely be even greater, making it an absolute weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield.
It would be absolutely wonderful if we could see this thing first.
As Jia Xu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Ma, won't this thing cause any problems?"
Ma Jun smiled and gave his full assurance.
"Don't worry, these things have all undergone rigorous testing. As long as they aren't handled roughly, there's absolutely no danger."
Everyone is afraid of death, and no one dares to say they are safe in the face of gunpowder.
He was also wary of the power of this thing, so he wouldn't risk the lives of his own people. Therefore, these things were selected and tested through multiple rounds of screening.
Since they dare to release it now, it must be a product with absolutely no problems and guaranteed quality.
Huh!
Everyone's eyes lit up. Since there was no danger, they were ready to give it a try.
Lin Yi slowly took it and smiled, "Interesting. Then I'll try it..." He hadn't played with this before, so he could give it a shot.
"Etc!"
Before he could finish speaking, Guo Jia stopped him, saying solemnly, "Your Majesty, let me do this dangerous work. You can't afford to get hurt."
After saying that, he snatched the musket, looking as if he were willing to die for His Majesty.
"Alright, then Fengxiao, give it a try!" Lin Yi smiled nonchalantly, not angry at all, and handed him the musket.
Guo Jia chuckled and immediately started fiddling with it.
He laughed and said, "Back in the day, the battlefield was All Under Heaven by fierce generals. Now that I have this thing, I feel like I can take on a few people too!"
This thing is much more useful than a bow and arrow; you can use it to kill someone, or even for self-defense.
Everyone's eyes lit up; this self-defense technique seemed interesting.
With this thing, ordinary people can't even get close to me; they'll just get killed by me. This thing is pretty good.
With the help of others, Guo Jia completed the loading of gunpowder and then entered the testing ground.
The testing range is specifically for testing weapons; the targets have already been prepared, and all that's needed now is to fire.
"Haha, watch us!"
Guo Jia carried the musket and walked forward, his slender frame displaying an air of invincibility as he headed towards the test firing point.
After taking a quick aim, he pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the flint inside was struck instantly, sparking out.