Chapter 21: The Question of Weapons

"Weapon selection must begin with an assessment of our environment and our enemies." Xi Yazhou paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "We face three principal opponents. First: Chinese armed forces whose strength lies in massed simple firearms supplemented by cold steel—the Ming armies are representative of this type, and late-Ming rebel forces like Li Chuang's are essentially the same, their core troops being defectors and deserters from the imperial armies who brought their equipment and tactics with them. Second: the Manchu Qing forces, who employ cavalry as their primary striking arm, supported by firearms. Third: the pirates—both Chinese and foreign—who are heavily armed with various guns and extremely active along China's coast.

"We are few, and most of us have never seen combat. Psychologically, we may lack the hardness of these ancients. Our weapons must therefore conform to two essential principles.

"First, we need sufficient range to engage and suppress an enemy charge at maximum distance, and to strike at their artillery crews and commanders. During the Napoleonic Wars, eight- and twelve-pounder field guns achieved effective ranges of roughly nine hundred meters. Seventeenth-century capabilities were lower still—perhaps four hundred meters. Our rifles should match that range at minimum.

"Our first two adversaries both rely on cavalry as their shock force. This means our weapons must deliver sustained volumes of fire to suppress cavalry charges. Machine guns would be ideal, but that seems impossible. From what I understand, the North American Branch can't obtain machine guns or automatic rifles either."

"Then why doesn't the SKS qualify?" someone interjected. "It seems to meet every criterion—four-hundred-meter effective range, ten-round magazine, maximum rate of forty rounds per minute. The performance isn't outstanding, but the weapon is simple, and almost everyone here has handled one."

"I have no love for the M43 cartridge in 7.62×39." Xi Yazhou chuckled softly. "This rifle round uses corrosive primers that eat away at the barrel and require constant cleaning. Hainan's environment is brutal. Most people here have neither military experience nor any real knowledge of firearms maintenance. They'll rust their guns into solid blocks because they won't bother to clean them."

"If someone can't clean a gun, should they really be a soldier? That's a flimsy argument."

Xi Yazhou ignored the objection. "Corrosive primers also corrode the casings badly, which significantly affects reloading."

"Now that's worth considering. Reloading is our only means of replenishing ammunition in the early stages."

"Warsaw Pact weapons were designed with 'good enough' as the baseline philosophy," Xi Yazhou continued. "They were capable of manufacturing better weapons, but cost always took priority. A durable weapon that consumed too many resources didn't fit their doctrine. In this timeline, that approach made sense—if a gun breaks, you simply replace it. But we cannot replenish modern weapons, so we must account for full service life."

"Are you saying the SKS has too short a lifespan?"

"Precisely. And not just the SKS—AK-type weapons as well." He stretched his numb legs. "There's another issue. The SKS is a standard semi-automatic rifle." He emphasized the word. "That means it cannot be converted to automatic fire."

The room fell silent as understanding dawned. Those who had been dismissing his earlier remarks suddenly perked up with renewed interest.

Of course—the American civilian gun market had no automatic weapons, but civilian versions of the AK and AR platforms, based on their military counterparts, could all be converted to full-auto. U.S. law strictly prohibited such conversions—a serious felony. But the FBI would have no jurisdiction in the Ming Dynasty.

AK-47. M-16. These familiar names filled the room immediately, and everyone began fantasizing about wielding one.

"Then let's bulk-buy civilian AKs!" Shi Niaoren grew excited. "Plenty flooded the market after 2004. Our machining capability is good enough for conversion."

"Why AK? I want an M16!"

"You don't know anything—that's the AR-15."

"Convert it and it becomes an M16."

"Let me say it again: I don't like the M43 round." Xi Yazhou was satisfied with the reaction he'd provoked. "And for similar reasons, I can't recommend small-caliber rifles like the M16. It's not just about stopping power—it's about power at maximum range. Small-caliber rounds also have higher manufacturing requirements. My recommendation is semi-automatic rifles chambered in 7.62mm NATO: civilian versions of the M-14, the FN-FAL, and similar weapons. Once converted to automatic fire, they would significantly reduce our urgent need for machine guns."

"The M-14? I hear the accuracy is excellent, but it's overpowered and heavy."

"Isn't it complicated? American guns all seem to have complex structures and difficult maintenance."

The firearms debate continued for another half hour, leaving Shi Niaoren increasingly frustrated. When no resolution appeared forthcoming, he proposed they speak directly with Xiao Rui online. Xiao Rui knew the American gun market far better and had seen more oddities in civilian firearms than the mainland crowd, who only knew that the AR-15 was the semi-automatic civilian version of the M16.

Xiao Rui proposed a different weapon entirely—the Saiga-308 rifle, which no one had heard of. It was a Russian civilian semi-automatic chambered in 7.62mm NATO.

An AK that could fire 5.56mm wasn't unusual—even Norinco had exported Type 56s in that caliber. But an AK-lineage semi-automatic using American full-power rifle cartridges was fairly rare.

The Saiga-308 had been developed by the Izhevsk factory, the primary manufacturer of Kalashnikov firearms, specifically for international AK enthusiasts as a sporting and hunting rifle. Externally it retained almost all AK features, with most internal parts drawn from the AKM and AK-74. The muzzle used a flash suppressor designed for the SVDS sniper rifle, and side rails could mount various Soviet and Russian optical sights. The Saiga-308 boasted respectable accuracy: at one hundred meters, ten-shot groups showed a dispersion radius of only forty to forty-five millimeters. Reliability exceeded standard AKs. To address the excessive recoil of the 7.62mm NATO round, a special buffer pad had been installed on the stock—even first-time adult male shooters had no problems with it.

"This gun has solid performance, adequate power, and long effective range," Shi Niaoren relayed from Xiao Rui's input. "Empty weight is 3.6 kilograms. The standard magazine holds eight rounds, but twenty-round magazines and high-capacity drums are available. The price is reasonable—five hundred dollars per unit, with bulk discounts. You could also buy the M1A—the civilian M-14—but that runs over a thousand."

"So Xiao Rui recommends the Saiga-308?"

"He didn't say that." Shi Niaoren was shrewd enough to know that weapon selection was a matter of state importance. Get it right and it was merely a reasonable suggestion; get it wrong and any future problems would land squarely on your shoulders. "It's just a suggestion. The final decision belongs to the Executive Committee."

This kicked the ball back to the Committee, where the discussion continued inconclusively. Compared to the passionate debate among amateur enthusiasts, the Athletics Group—with the exception of Xi Yazhou—showed little interest. In their view, the Type 56 semi was good enough. Why introduce unfamiliar equipment?

"What about bolt-action rifles?" Director Wen remembered attending a gun show during a trip to the United States—an endless array of antique rifles, Mausers and Springfields and Mosin-Nagants, everything imaginable. And very cheap. He could picture it now: such rifles fitted with long bayonets, soldiers in black peaked caps and red-and-yellow wool uniforms advancing in disciplined lines. That would be impressive.

But he knew asking the transmigrators to accept such an anachronism was impossible, so he kept this fancy to himself.

The 7.62 NATO versus 7.62 Warsaw debate produced no resolution. Six distinct proposals emerged:

1. SKS semi-automatic.
2. M1A (M-14) semi-automatic.
3. Saiga-308.
4. Civilian semi-auto versions of the AK-47/74 or M16, for later conversion. Whether AK or M16 generated differing opinions.
5. A combination approach—one high-power long-range rifle paired with one intermediate-power or small-caliber rifle.
6. Bolt-action rifles.

Every proposal had its supporters, and every proposal had its drawbacks. Just as the discussion threatened to turn unfriendly, Wen Desi deftly redirected the conversation to personal self-defense weapons.

The Athletics Group had originally planned to issue daggers for personal defense, but with the North American Branch serving as their golden finger, they could afford greater ambition. Handguns dominated the American civilian market, with many models available. However, to simplify logistics and facilitate repairs, they could choose only one type.

Using 9mm Parabellum was uncontroversial—it was the mainstream cartridge. As for the pistol itself, most favored the M9 because it looked stylish and was well-known; Brother Ma's dashing image remained unforgettable. The M1911 also had supporters, though it was slightly heavy. The PPK, S&W revolvers, and Glock all had their fans as well.

For usability, lightness, and ease of maintenance, the Committee originally preferred the S&W 9mm revolver. It had all the typical disadvantages of revolvers—gas leakage, short range, limited ammunition, slow reloading. But this was for self-defense at twenty or thirty meters. Outstanding performance wasn't necessary; simplicity and durability were what mattered.

The problem was that the Athletics Group clearly disliked revolvers. The PLA had no tradition of using them, and everyone felt uncertain about handling one. Besides, revolvers obviously weren't cool enough—they made most transmigrators think of the firepower-deficient Royal Hong Kong Police. The final compromise put both the M9 and the S&W M337 on the procurement list.

(End of Chapter)