Fu Xuechen felt confident and couldn’t help but smile at Yunzuo. “But have you considered, Your Highness, that just as blades and swords evolved from easily damaged copper to today’s finely forged iron, their power increasing manifold, firearms are the same? From the day they appeared, they were destined to develop continuously, becoming more powerful, closer to the destructive force of fire, until they ultimately replace swords, bows, and arrows?”Yunzuo found it hard to believe, yet he couldn’t help but be swayed by Fu Xuechen’s unwavering confidence. “What did you say? Replace swords, bows, and arrows? How is that possible?”“Why wouldn’t it be possible?” Fu Xuechen began his persuasive spiel. “Take the nomadic cavalry from the north as an example! They grow up on horseback, relying on their horses to roam the world. Although our bows and arrows can attack from a distance, individual arrows lack sufficient power. Except for the rare skilled archers in the army—who are few in number—ordinary soldiers’ arrows can hardly injure people, let alone horses. By the time the enemy charges on horseback, our soldiers can only be slaughtered. Two legs can never outrun four, right?”“As for swords and spears, they are close-combat weapons, requiring soldiers to get close to the enemy to engage in battle, right? At that point, our own soldiers must also be on horseback; otherwise, they cannot match the enemy’s cavalry. But if both sides are fighting on horseback, how many in our army can match the horsemanship of those nomadic peoples?”Yunzuo furrowed his brow, feeling increasingly troubled. He knew that although the Emperor Father had unified the Central Plains and used the Great Wall’s defenses to keep northern threats at bay, he had also taken advantage of a favorable situation where several northern tribes were in conflict and disunited.If one day a powerful leader emerged in the north, uniting these scattered forces and leading a southern invasion, the consequences would be dire. Infantry would be no match for cavalry, and even cavalry-to-cavalry engagements would be difficult to win. Fu Xuechen’s words struck right at the military weaknesses of the Great Rong Empire.“So, when fire lances are fully developed, none of this will be a problem!” Fu Xuechen continued enthusiastically. “By then, every soldier will carry a fire lance, capable of targeting both people and horses, firing ten rounds per second. A few bullets would be enough to take a life. Wouldn’t that completely replace swords, bows, and arrows?”Yunzuo couldn’t help but glance sideways. “Are you talking about fire lances? Or some imaginary ‘divine weapon’ you’ve dreamed up?”Hearing the hint of mockery in the Sixth Prince’s tone, Fu Xuechen protested, “How can this be imaginary? You say current fire lances are slow to reload, but you could prepare pre-measured ammunition packs of uniform size in advance. When needed, you just insert one, and the reloading speed increases, right? Or change the loading method from front-loading to breech-loading—that would also significantly speed up reloading!”“As for the issue with fuses, lighting them is slow and troublesome, and they’re unusable in rain or snow. Isn’t there flint? Cut flint into bean-sized pieces, install a small mechanism in the fire lance, and pulling the trigger could directly ignite the gunpowder pack inside the chamber. Wouldn’t that work?”"As for the issue of projectiles, if round bullets lack sufficient penetration, then make the bullet tips pointed! Then further research the composition of gunpowder, find a formula with the same quantity but greater power—wouldn't that increase the bullet's penetration?""As for accuracy, add rifling and sights! And the problem of barrel explosions—that's definitely due to poor barrel quality! Have the craftsmen work hard to build blast furnaces that can generate higher heat, smelt higher-quality steel, and that should do it! Moreover, once the quality of steel improves, the diameter of the barrel can be reduced, making it lighter and more portable…"At this point, Fu Xuechen suddenly realized she had rambled on too much!Fortunately, it seemed the time for the equestrian archery class had arrived. Other princes and their study companions gradually gathered on the training grounds, and Master Na and Master Liu, who had appeared during the previous martial examination, also arrived together at the edge of the field.Seizing the opportunity, Fu Xuecen stopped herself: "In short, there are many areas where the fire lance can be improved. I believe that once all these improvements are perfected, the era when fire lances replace swords and bows will arrive! Well, both instructors are here now, Your Highness—we should prepare for class!"Fu Xuechen was secretly delighted. Her stream of persuasive talk had successfully dragged out the time, sparing her the agony of exhausting her arm strength.Yunzuo, however, was genuinely stunned by her rapid-fire speech. At first glance, each point sounded like boasting, but upon careful thought, they all seemed highly feasible. If improvements were truly made as she suggested, one day the fire lance might indeed develop to the point of replacing spears, swords, and halberds. Leaving aside everything else, just the idea of using flint to replace the fuse was an ingenious improvement…With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Yunzuo found himself, for the first time ever, in a dazed and distracted state throughout the entire afternoon's equestrian archery class. Only his usually exceptional foundational skills in riding and archery allowed him to muddle through.Compared to later eras, the equestrian and archery martial classes scheduled for the afternoon in this period were not long—lasting only from half-past the Hour of the Goat to half-past the Hour of the Monkey, a total of two hours. In modern terms, this was from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, ending quite early.After class, the younger princes usually lingered on the training grounds to play a while longer, while older ones like the Fourth Prince would head to the imperial library to read extensively, taking the opportunity to seek guidance from the library scholars.Today, however, Yunzuo was too distracted to play or return to the princes' quarters. Instead, he found himself wandering unconsciously to the gates of Qianming Palace.Emperor Yuan'an was currently reviewing memorials in the Hall of Diligent Governance within Qianming Palace. Hearing from Zheng Ze that the Sixth Prince was lingering outside the palace gates—not requesting an audience but pacing back and forth, occasionally muttering to himself as if burdened with worries—the Emperor grew curious. He immediately signaled to Zheng Ze: "Summon him inside!"Even as father and son, they had been separated by distance, with no chance to nurture their familial bond. Now that the war was finally over, his father had become the lofty and imposing emperor. Yunzuo felt both distant and awed by this Emperor Father. Though he had many unresolved questions in his heart, and it seemed only his father in the palace could provide answers, when he found himself here almost unconsciously, he hesitated. Suddenly hearing the summons, he was so startled he nearly turned and fled."Your son pays respects to Emperor Father!" Following palace etiquette, Yunzuo placed his left hand on his left knee, knelt on his right knee, and bowed with his right fist touching the ground."Rise!"Only when Emperor Yuan'an called for him to rise did Yunzuo stand up, lowering his hands and head as he stood to the side.
Chapter 17
The Prince Does Not Compete for the Throne