With this successful experience, Fang Er made several more pieces of glass. Then he took them to the lathe for processing. He heard that this kind of thing was cut with diamonds, and he didn't know if the high-speed alloy drill bit on the lathe could be used. He adjusted the tool speed to the fastest and the feed rate to the slowest, for fear of breaking the glass if he was even a little faster. As the lathe switch was pressed, the tool began to rotate at high speed, gradually approaching the glass. Fang Er's heart was in his mouth.
*Screeeech~~~~~~*
A piercing sound came from the glass. Before Fang Er could rejoice, with a *crack!*, the glass shattered.
Try again!
*Crack!*
It shattered again!
Try again!
*Crack!*
It shattered again!
Damn it! This is too difficult! It shows no mercy at all! With no other options, Fang Er had to try making them with a mold. He used the lathe to mill a mold onto a steel plate. The entire steel plate could produce fifty lenses at once! Fang Er prepared to win with quantity! Heat the pot, burn the sand, and cast!
When Fang Er opened the mold, he was stunned. Either there were bubbles, or there were cracks. Fang Er was about to give up. Then he suddenly found that one lens was intact and transparent! He excitedly took out that lens and brought it closer to examine it carefully.
Oh my god! The glass was very hot! Fang Er let go.
*Crack!*
Damn it! He felt like crying without tears! The only lens! Fang Er didn't want to do it anymore! It was too demoralizing. So he called Zhao Gang and the others over and sat aside, directing them to work. Since there was a first piece, there would definitely be a second piece! Fang Er was determined.
Zhao Gang and the others kept burning sand. He himself made two more mold plates! One plate after another, glass lenses were cast. As expected, suitable and usable lenses were produced. Although the success rate was very low, with the support of quantity, the fifty lenses needed for the scopes were prepared in just one day!
Fang Er asked Zhao Gang and the others to continue. He himself was responsible for fitting the lenses into the barrels. This task was much simpler. In just one afternoon, all the work was completed. He put the scopes into a box and had Hu Zi and Da Li carry them.
Outside, the crackling of gunfire continued to echo from the open ground. After more than a day of shooting training, these sharpshooters had already fallen in love with the Dragon Tooth! This thing was too exhilarating! One pull of the trigger! A deafening *bang!* And the recoil felt through the gun body. It felt incredibly good! It was just that after shooting too much, their shoulders ached severely when they slept at night.
"How are they performing?" Fang Er asked, standing next to Zhu Zi. Zhu Zi had been guarding and observing here for over a day.
"Reporting to young master, these people are very tough! Except for the time to cool the gun barrels and to eat and sleep, they have basically not stopped!"
Fang Er nodded in satisfaction. He picked up a newly made scope and aimed it at a distant target. "Hmm, not bad. Although it's not as good as the original ones from the system, it's still clear enough to see the bullseye." He had to admit that these sharpshooters were really fast learners. At two hundred paces, their hit rate was one-third without the aid of a scope! Although this one-third only meant hitting the target, not the bullseye, it was enough to illustrate their effort and talent! Especially three of the sharpshooters, who hit the target with almost every shot, and as time went on, their bullet impacts were gradually moving closer to the bullseye.
He asked Zhu Zi to call these three people over.
"What are your names, and what are your positions?" Fang Er asked.
"Your subordinate is Li Da Niu, a squad leader in the Sharpshooter Guard."
"Your subordinate is Meng Zhong, also from the Sharpshooter Guard, with no position."
"Your subordinate is Liu Xuan, also a squad leader in the Imperial Forest Guard."
The three sharpshooters bowed to Fang Er and reported their names respectfully.
"Bring me your guns." Fang Er took out the scopes. Taking the guns they handed over, he demonstrated how to install them one by one. After installing them, he handed the guns back. "This round tube is called a scope. Try it, look at the bullseye through the scope, and see if you can hit it."
The three took their guns and raised them to try. Fang Er quickly dodged. "Damn it! He had personally seen that these three had loaded their guns when they came over!"
"I warn you! From now on, you are not allowed to point your guns at your own people! Anyone who violates this will be sent back where they came from!" Fang Er said sternly.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Your subordinate knows his mistake." Li Da Niu bowed and apologized. Meng Zhong and Liu Xuan were the same.
"Go ahead, but don't let it happen again!" The three quickly moved aside, set up their guns, and lay down.
Looking through the scope, the target seemed to be magnified several times compared to before! Originally, they could only see an outline, but now it was extremely clear. On the scope, Fang Er had specifically drawn a crosshair at the center of the lens.
Li Da Niu aligned the crosshair on the aiming reticle with the bullseye. He pulled the trigger. The first shot missed, hitting below the bullseye. For the second shot, he tried moving the aiming reticle up a bit. He pulled the trigger again. This shot hit the bullseye precisely.
Meng Zhong and Liu Xuan's situations were similar. Because of the crosshair, the first shots from both were slightly off. But Meng Zhong hit the bullseye on the second shot. Liu Xuan, because he raised the muzzle a bit too much on the second shot, hit it on the third.
Fang Er nodded with satisfaction. "Although the targets over two hundred meters away are very clear through the scope, the bullets do not travel in a straight line! He only knew a little about bullet trajectories and parabolas, which he heard from soldiers in the army. He really couldn't teach this."
He called the three back. The others were also ordered to gather.
"Your performance has been good. When we return this time, I will request commendations for you from the Emperor. Now, you fifty are no longer soldiers of your original garrisons! You will form a new army! Your treatment will be several times higher than before! Don't doubt this. As long as this mission is successfully completed, all this will not be a problem! As for the name of your new army, it is tentatively set as 'Annihilate the Barbarians'! It means to exterminate the enemy barbarians for the Great Tang! Do you have confidence!?" Fang Er said loudly to the crowd.
The sharpshooters looked at each other. No one responded. Fang Er was not angry and continued, "The Sui Dynasty was in turmoil! Wars were constant. I'm sure you've all experienced it! I don't know what kind of lives you lived before joining the army, but it was certainly not as good as now! Do you want to live a stable life! Use your courage! Use your flesh and blood! For yourselves! For your families! For your descendants! Fight for a peaceful and prosperous era?
The former Sui Dynasty launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, leaving behind countless ancestral bones! And they were even piled up to form 'Jingguan'! Are there any of your family members among them? Are there any elders from your hometown? What is this? This is a disgrace! Not just the disgrace of the former Sui Dynasty! It is also the disgrace of every Huaxia man!
The beauty of clothing is called Hua! The greatness of etiquette is called Xia! Huaxia has always been a civilized nation since ancient times! Through countless dynastic changes, Huaxia has never initiated war! It has always been a forced counterattack! Currently, the ambitious Goguryeo continues to harass the borders of our Great Tang! This time, they have colluded with the rebel Luo Yi! Stealing the vital national treasures of the Great Tang! Of the countless soldiers of the Great Tang, I have only requested fifty elites from the Emperor! You will become a sharp blade! Inflicting unimaginable blows on the enemy! Now, answer me! Your choice! Do you return to Chang'an and continue to be an insignificant soldier! Or do you stand tall and bear the important responsibility entrusted to you by the Emperor?" Fang Er's voice grew more excited, and finally, he fixed his sharp gaze on the fifty sharpshooters before him.