Amid the exclamations and surprises of the crowd, Hu Zongxian shook his head slightly and said with a little disappointment, "The bayonet that Lord Zhu mentioned was inspired by the musket. According to the "Da Ming Hui Dian", in the second year of Jingtai, the musket appeared in the Shenji Camp, that is, a short-handled spear head was inserted into the mouth of the fire gun for the purpose of assassination. However, the musket only lasted for a few years before it became extinct, because after the short-handled spear head was directly inserted into the mouth of the fire gun, the fire gun could not fire, and could only be used as a musket with a spear head inserted. There is no room for two tigers in the same mountain, and the tiger of the musket is also a lame tiger. The musket is inserted into the fire gun, and the connection is not firm. It is easy to fall off or loosen, affecting the force. In actual combat, it is not as good as a red tassel spear, so the musket was quickly eliminated from the armament queue."
After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, everyone suddenly understood what a bayonet was as if they had been enlightened.
"Ah, so the gunpowder has been around for a long time, and was quickly eliminated. No wonder we haven't heard of it."
"Imperial Censor Hu is truly knowledgeable and talented. He is indeed an expert on military affairs. There is no weapon that Irperial Censor Hu does not know."
"It turns out that the musketry that Master Zhu borrowed was just a short-shafted spear head replaced with a stabbing knife."
"It's just that the spear head has been replaced with a knife head. The bayonet has all the same problems as the musket. The musket has been eliminated under the test of war and time. How can the bayonet, which has only changed its shape, be spared?"
After understanding what the bayonet is and the history of its elimination, everyone has regained the upper hand in public opinion.
"Haha, Lord Hu, my lords, I was indeed inspired by the muskets recorded in the Ming Dynasty Code, but the bayonets and muskets I mentioned are not just different in shape, but are essentially different."
Under the disappointed and questioning gazes of Hu Zongxian and others, Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and spoke softly.
After saying that, Zhu Ping'an clapped his hands lightly, nodded to the soldiers below the stage, and gave them a look.
Soon, a personal soldier came up to the stage with a musket and a bayonet sample and handed them to Zhu Ping'an.
After Zhu Pingan took it, he put the musket on the table, picked up the bayonet in one hand, and showed it to Zhang Jing, Hu Zongxian and others, while slowly speaking: "Governor, Lord Zhao, Censor Hu, and all the others, this is the bayonet, which is a powerful weapon I specially prepared for close combat with firearms. I read the brief history of the emergence and elimination of muskets in the "Da Ming Hui Dian". I have been thinking about whether muskets or cold weapons and muskets can only be a relationship of one mountain without two tigers, or one without the other? Can they coexist, complement each other, and achieve each other?! I thought deeply and hard for a long time but couldn't get it, and then a flash of inspiration came to me, and I got inspiration from the iron hoop of the cannon, so I got the bayonet in my hand now."
"This is a simple bayonet. It is put on the outside of the musket barrel, not stuffed or inserted into the barrel, and it will not affect the musket's firing. It and the musket are symbiotic, complementary and mutually accomplished. It integrates the performance of the musket and the spear. With it, the musketeers will not need the protection of spearmen, sword and shield soldiers, and they will not be afraid of any close combat. When firearms have smashed the enemy's battle formation into pieces, when firearms have inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, when the enemy has fled in panic or rushed to the front with heavy casualties, it is time to charge with bayonets and reap the rewards."
Zhu Ping'an's voice echoed in everyone's mind, like the lingering sound of a beam, and could not be dissipated for a long time.
Hu Zongxian stared at the bayonet in Zhu Ping'an's hand. A strange-looking bayonet extended from the bottom of a cylinder. It looked like a sword but not a sword, and like a gun but not a gun. It was a cone as thick as two fingers, with three visually impactful edges and a length of about one and a half feet. It looked hideous and murderous.
You can imagine what it looks like when it is put on the muzzle of a musket. The cylinder is put on the muzzle of the musket, and this strange bayonet is hung under the barrel. It will not affect the shooting of the musket at all, and it looks like a spear when held up.
At this moment, the slight disappointment in Hu Zongxian's eyes had long disappeared, replaced by deep shock.
At first, he thought that Zhu Ping'an had simply replaced his musket with a musket knife. He had been stuck in the mindset of the musket in the "Da Ming Hui Dian" and looked at the bayonet mentioned by Zhu Ping'an with a sense of superiority and a little disappointment.
But no one expected that Zhu Ping'an also knew a lot about the unpopular knowledge of the gunpowder in the "Da Ming Hui Dian". He even jumped out of the rut of the gunpowder in the "Da Ming Hui Dian". Zhu Ping'an saw the shortcomings of the gunpowder, but did not give up. He did not think that the fire gun and the gunpowder could not exist in the same mountain, but thought whether the two could coexist and complement each other!
Moreover, he not only thought so, but also actually thought of a solution, achieving something that had been thought impossible for hundreds of years.
Hu Zongxian looked at Zhu Ping'an with a complicated expression. His mood at the moment was far more than just shock.
Everyone was also shocked at this moment, and the ridicule and disapproval on their faces had long disappeared.
"Is the bayonet securely mounted on the barrel? Will it become loose during a fight? Is it strong?"
"Why does the bayonet have such a strange shape?"
Although Zhu Ping'an took out a sample of the bayonet, some people still raised questions with doubt and suspicion.
"Of course it's strong. I'll install it for you to see."
As Zhu Ping'an spoke, he picked up the musket in one hand and the bayonet in the other, and put the bayonet on the outside of the musket barrel.
If you look closely, you will notice that there is a protruding round hoop latch installed on the outside of the musket barrel in Zhu Ping'an's hand, and there is a concave groove on the bayonet sleeve. Zhu Ping'an aligns the groove of the bayonet sleeve with the latch, and then twists the sleeve after it is in place. The bayonet is firmly fixed on the musket by the latch structure.
After installing the bayonet, Zhu Ping'an handed the musket to Zhang Jing with both hands. After Zhang Jing checked it, he passed it to Zhao Wenhua, who then passed it to Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian pulled hard a few times and found that the bayonet was firmly fixed under the muzzle of the musket, not loose at all, and it was as solid as it could be. He stood up and placed the musket under his feet. The musket touched the ground, and the tip of the bayonet was almost as high as his head.
It is shorter than a spear, but much longer than a Japanese sword. The length of the weapon is an advantage when fighting against Japanese pirates.
Hu Zongxian tried to swing it again, felt the feel of it, and then said with deep emotion, "Master Zhu is worthy of being the top scholar."
Everyone passed the musket around and checked it, confirming that the bayonet was firmly fixed by the mortise and tenon structure, and the doubts in their mouths gradually disappeared.
This bayonet is really not simple.
With the bayonet, the musketeers can protect themselves and are able to fight even in close combat.
What's wrong with Zhu Ping'an's brain? He could actually design a weapon that combines a musket and cold weapons. It's really incredible. He deserves the words of Lord Hu that he is worthy of being the top scholar.