Chapter Fourteen Persuasion

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  "Brother Li, my surname is Luo and my name is Kai. I am the fourth disciple of Zhao Hongyuan, Master Zhao. I have called you here alone today because there is something important to discuss." Luo Kai bowed slightly, with a completely mature demeanor.

  Thanks to Luo Ke's thick skin, Li Jing was a dragon among men, with a tiger's back and bear's waist, nearly 1.9 meters tall, standing next to the ten-year-old Luo Ke, anyone normal wouldn't associate the two with the word "brothers".

  Hearing that he was Zhao Hongyuan's fourth disciple, Li Jingcang couldn't help but look down on Luo Kai with disdain, sizing him up from head to toe. Zhao Hongyuan's disciples were known to be more formidable the younger they were, so it was unknown what kind of abilities this youngest disciple possessed, but he would listen to what he had to say nonetheless.

  "What brings you to me?" Lei Jing Cang's voice was full of energy, every word and movement exuding an aura of a dragon and tiger.

  "My humble self, Luo Feng, the only son of the Luo family in Taiwan. Today, I saw Brother Li displaying his mighty skills in the martial arts hall and was deeply impressed by your outstanding performance. I would like to invite you to open a school on my island of Taiwan to teach and strengthen the bodies of our people. Of course, since it is I who has made this request, all expenses for opening the school will be borne by the Luo family's account. I wonder if you are willing or not."

  Luokei got straight to the point and made a big promise, not afraid that you wouldn't swallow it.

  Lai Jing's eyes narrowed, and the name of Luo's family was known to Lai Jing, who was not familiar with politics. The Luo family had ruled the southern part of Taiwan for over 200 years since the Qing dynasty entered the pass, possessing troops in southern Taiwan, and each generation of the family head proclaimed themselves as the King of Southern Taiwan, a family that truly held power on the island of Taiwan.

  Lü Jing's gaze only acknowledges three types of people: first, martial artists with strength at least equal to his own; second, patriots; and third, rulers of a region. The first type are tigers among men, both opponents in martial arts and friends. The second type are pillars of the nation, without whom the country would not stand. The third type are dragons among men, kings and overlords, worth befriending. All others are beneath his notice.

  "Who would have thought that this kid is actually the young master of the Luo family. I've heard that at the age of ten, he already controls the power of Nantai Island, and it's not something to be underestimated." In his heart, Lian Jing Cang was secretly on guard, thinking quickly about how one coin can bring down a hero, and how oppression can lead to rebellion. If he had the support of the Luo family, opening a martial arts school on Nantai Island would not only cost him nothing, but also allow him to rely on the Luo family's name to get preferential treatment everywhere, quickly expanding his scale. However, despite the many benefits, Nantai Island is after all not comparable to the mainland of China, and Lian Jing Cang wanted even more to establish a sect in the inland region, where talented people and spiritual energy abound.

  He had already made up his mind, and Lian Jian was about to refuse when Luo Kai spoke up first.

  "The Qing dynasty has been weakened, and after two Opium Wars, the Qing court became even more corrupt. After the Taiping Rebellion, the Nian Rebellion, and the Hui uprising, the Chinese people were suffering greatly. If Elder Li wants to return to develop his career, it would be extremely difficult, and he might not even have enough food to eat. It's better for him to take root on this island first and then expand to the mainland later. My family, the Luo family of Taiwan, was a loyal subject of the Ming dynasty. Although I am not talented, I have always remembered our goal of restoring Han Chinese rule and saving the people from suffering. Perhaps my family will return to the mainland soon. Elder Li can wait and see, staying on the island for a month. After a month, he can decide whether to leave or stay."

  Luokei said a few words later, which made Lijiang feel very different. He was moved and took action. Lijiang was also a decisive person, so he agreed immediately.

  "Alright, since Luo Xiaodi has invited me with such enthusiasm, I'll take advantage of his hospitality for a bit."

  Luoke saw that Li Dong was left behind, and he couldn't help but feel delighted. He waved his hand and said, "Come on, Brother Li, I'll take you to a great place, guaranteed to broaden your horizons."

  Bidding farewell to several fellow disciples, he instructed Zhang Meng and Cao Meng, who had led him into the Zhao clan's martial arts hall earlier, a few words. Luo Kai led Lü Jing out of the main gate of the Zhao clan's martial arts hall. At the entrance, eight formally dressed warriors and two horse-drawn carriages had been waiting for some time...

  An hour later, the sound of gunfire was continuous, and Luo Kai's party of ten people arrived at a suburban military camp.

  In the military camp, 500 soldiers took turns to practice, and Luo Kai nodded in satisfaction. These 500 people were all from the Luo family's firearms team, which was also the only team on the entire Taiwan Island equipped with hot weapons. Most of them were equipped with a French-style muzzle-loading rifle, and only a few were equipped with the new Type 38 rifle.

  Next to the military camp was a munitions factory built by the Luo family at great expense, specializing in the manufacture of FAK-style muzzle-loading rifles and their matching bullets.

  It is well known that in the 18th and early 19th centuries, smoothbore guns were the most practical weapons, while rifled guns were difficult to popularize. Although the rifling could impart a spin on the bullet, ensuring stability and accuracy, due to the presence of rifling, it was difficult for muzzle-loaded bullets to maintain air-tightness in the barrel. As a result, rifled gun bullets were often made flush with or slightly larger than the bore diameter, so that the gunner had to use a mallet to hammer the ramrod to load the bullet into place, resulting in frequent occurrences of barrel rupture and bullet deformation. Therefore, from the perspective of safety, power, and rate of fire, rifled guns were actually inferior to smoothbore guns.

  The Baker rifle was a product of the early 19th century in Britain, inheriting all the shortcomings of the earlier rifled guns. In the words of Roche, it's just something for the British to swindle money with. The best shooting distance for this rifle is twenty-five meters, and after thirty-five meters, the bullet trajectory begins to deviate greatly. At fifty meters, being hit by a bullet is basically a sign that one's luck has reached an all-time low. If you want to hit a target at one hundred and twenty meters, you might as well try shooting at the moon, because the results are about the same. As for hitting targets at one hundred and sixty meters, heavens, it's even questionable whether the bullet can fly that far.

  To solve the problem of loading the muzzle-loading rifle, Luo Kai invented a cylindrical bullet with a lead core. This bullet is slightly smaller than the caliber of the barrel and can be easily pushed into the chamber by the ramrod to reach the breech, easily solving the shortcomings of the old bullet being difficult to load and slow to load. The bottom of the bullet uses soft wood material, at the moment of firing, the gas generated by the explosion of the gunpowder hits the soft wood material, causing the bullet to suddenly expand, making the bullet tightly seal the chamber at the moment of firing, thereby fully utilizing the energy of the gunpowder explosion, greatly increasing the kinetic energy of the bullet.

  Relying on his past life's understanding of bullets, Luo Ke only made some minor modifications to the bullet and optimized the gunpowder formula. The performance of the flintlock rifle was transformed overnight. The killing distance can reach 600 meters, within 250 meters, the bullet trajectory is basically a straight line, and the best shooting distance is 50 meters.

  The power of the flintlock rifle has been greatly enhanced, but in Luo Ke's view, this rifle is just a mediocre existence. In terms of firepower, it is inferior to the British-made rifles of the same period, and the loading speed of the front-loading rod is simply murderous for soldiers' lives. Luo Ke is preparing to establish an arsenal to manufacture the famous Type 38 rifle from World War II. In Luo Ke's opinion, the Type 38 rifle is the standard equipment that his subordinates should have. The flintlock rifle only serves as a transitional and emergency measure.

  "Brother Lie, how do you think these soldiers are?" Although dissatisfied with the weapons, Luo Kai couldn't find fault with the quality of his men. The islanders had been fighting year after year, as long as they were fed and paid, the soldiers would endure any hardship for their livelihood and survival.

  "The teacher of tigers and wolves."

  Feeling the intense killing intent from a distance, Lie Jian nodded and made a decision.

  "The island of Taiwan is the territory of two provinces, and my Luo family's power only covers one-fifth of the southern part of Taiwan. Since our ancestors took root in Taiwan, we have been fighting with the indigenous people of Taiwan without stopping. That's why our warriors are all seasoned veterans who have seen blood."

  Lu Kai walked up to a soldier who was loading his rifle and preparing to shoot, took the gun from him, aimed and fired in one smooth motion. With a loud bang, another hole appeared in the center of the target 100 meters away.

  Luō Kǎi returned the rifle, shook his numb hands, and secretly thought that he was lucky. Even with strength comparable to that of an adult, his short stature limited him from exerting the accuracy that a rifle should have. Normally, he could only hit around nine rings, but today he had a burst of good luck and hit ten rings.

  In the eyes of the surrounding warriors' worship, Luo Ke nodded slowly and greeted these familiar faces one by one. Then he turned his head and asked Lie Jing Cang: "Brother Lie, what do you think of the power of this rifle?"

  "With power to spare but insufficient loading speed, I can take on three shots and emerge victorious, five shots and still be unafraid, eight shots and the outcome is uncertain, ten shots and I can retreat with minor injuries, fifteen shots and it's up to fate, twenty shots and I will surely fall."

  Luoke listened to Lie Jingcang's words and secretly warned himself that with Lie Jingcang's arrogance, he must be referring to a head-on confrontation in the open during the day. It would take ten rifles to suppress a martial artist who had achieved great success in the open, and this old ancestor's legacy was indeed biased towards Cow A and Cow C.

  Of course, Luo Kai was confident. With thirty warriors, holding the Type 38 rifle with an initial velocity much faster than the French Flobert rifle, and with the firing speed and range of the Type 38, even facing five strong masters of Chinese martial arts would not be feared. The difference between the firepower of thirty people and ten people is like the difference between qualitative and quantitative changes, it's a nuclear change.