Matchlocks and Northern Expedition (1)

Today, as soon as I reported for duty, I headed straight for the Office of Military Weapons.

I had heard that production of the matchlock I had requested back when I was a junior official in the Ministry of Military Affairs had been completed.

“With one shot from a matchlock, you're done, and I'm done too. Even Xiang Yu or Guan Yu would be finished the instant they took a hit.”

Compared to rifles like the K2, matchlocks have an absurdly shorter effective range, incredibly poor accuracy, and a slower rate of fire.

However, their great advantage is that they can kill an enemy with a single shot even if he is a formidable opponent whom arrows and spears could never hope to bring down.

Moreover, anyone with ten good fingers can learn how to load one within as little as one or two hours, after which they can immediately start firing.

With the premodern ranged weapon known as the bow, it takes several weeks of grueling training to become capable of hitting a target thirty meters away.

Even a spear requires at least five to eight weeks of training before it can be used to any meaningful effect.

Considering all that, it was truly a miraculous weapon.

“Neither the Jurchen barbarians nor those Japanese bastards will be able to do a thing in the face of matchlocks.”...