Munitions Empire

In the Poplar Kingdom, within the territory of the Augustin Clan, a massive factory was in operation.

The huge, towering chimneys belched billowing black smoke. Relying on this newly built factory, the Augustin Clan had made a fortune that they had never even dared to dream of before.

This factory could produce tens of thousands of K1 needle guns annually, not only supplying the Poplar Kingdom but also exporting to other surrounding nations.

Meanwhile, the Shireck factory within Poplar Kingdom's borders, unable to manufacture similar advanced weapons, was soundly defeated by Lord Earl Augustin in the commercial sphere and forced to withdraw from the Poplar Kingdom's market.

The situation looked very promising; the higher-ups of the Augustin Clan even began to see hope for the family's rise to prominence.

Armed with a wealth of money and having obtained Tang Mo's weapon technology, they even began to consciously improve on Tang Mo's weapons, hoping to achieve a technological breakthrough.

The people of this era were no fools; they were each true individuals with their own thoughts. They innovated and developed, and at times were extremely clever.

Unlike Shireck in the Leite Kingdom, Tang Mo provided John with complete weapon production technology, including the percussion cap.

He did this deliberately because he needed his weapon technology to spread within a reasonable range.

It wasn't that he had gone mad, but rather, such dissemination would promote the advent of more advanced weapons, and he could ensure that he would always be at the very forefront of these arms manufacturers.

By doing so, he was protecting himself while also expanding his market. He might not be able to enjoy the monopoly on percussion cap technology forever, but he could always be the first to develop the best weapons to crush his competitors.

If only one country in the world had cannons, that country would not buy too many cannons because its opponents would not pose a threat, thereby ensuring that the total purchase volume of armaments would not increase.

Moreover, without a point of comparison, there was no urgency to improve, meaning that there was no market for advanced weapons, which would be nothing short of a disaster for an arms dealer.

It's only when every country in the world had cannons that improving and producing more cannons became meaningful!

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What Tang Mo was doing now was expanding the entire cake while making money and strengthening himself so that he could eat even more deliciously in the future!

After the Elf Race had mastered the percussion cap technology, they clearly began to consider improving their own weapons to break Tang Mo's technological monopoly.

They had not yet fully grasped the steam engine, so they were unable to improve upon Tang Mo's steam engine systems, but they could use their existing technology to improve the weapons they held.

In the Elven factory, a worker who saw Earl Augustin coming for an inspection with a large group of followers immediately went to inform his immediate superior overseeing the factory.

The person in charge of the factory was actually one of the technicians from the Great Tang Group who had accompanied John to the Poplar Kingdom.

He was no longer just an ordinary technician; he was now a person of prominence within the Augustin family's territory in the Poplar Kingdom.

He now lived in a grand manor, with followers and guards at his entrances and exits. Elves who followed him to learn steam engine manufacturing and firearms technology were as numerous as hairs on a cow. From any perspective, he had become a person of high stature.

The Augustin family had made him a good offer, so he had no intention of returning to the Tang Group. His monthly salary was now 30 gold coins, which in the past would have been unimaginable.

Upon learning that Lord Earl Augustin had personally come for an inspection, the craftsman, who had by now changed his name, greeted him with several apprentices.

"My lord!" He walked straight to Earl Augustin, bowed, and expressed his loyalty and respect.

Earl Augustin had a purpose for his visit, so he waved his hand dismissively, signaling the other to rise, and then, somewhat impatiently, he asked, "Well… how has it been?"

"We have completed the modifications!" The now-responsible craftsman immediately responded, then took from the hands of one his apprentices behind him a strangely shaped, improved weapon.

"How does it perform?" Earl Augustin, full of anticipation, looked at the man and asked.

He was very satisfied with his own decision, feeling that his choice to offer a lot of money to keep this worker from Brunas had been a stroke of genius.

The craftsman began to introduce the new weapon: "This weapon combines the features of the K1 Quick Gun and the revolver, allowing for continuous firing!"

Actually, it was pretty much a large revolver, or rather, it was as if someone had crammed a revolver's cylinder into the body of a Dreyse needle gun.

Unfortunately, such a crude modification was nothing short of a disaster for the weapon's performance.

The craftsman continued his explanation: "We shortened some of the barrel, then employed the cylinder of a revolver, and expanded it!… This allows for firing 8 rounds in succession!"

In theory, such a rifle, or rather, a long-barreled revolver, could indeed fire continuously, but its drawbacks were also obvious.

First, the expanded cylinder made the weapon too cumbersome; the body was very wide, making it inconvenient to operate and use.

Second, this weapon also inherited the flaws of the revolver, with poor airtightness, limited range, and cumbersome and labor-intensive reloading.

Therefore, this seemingly impressive weapon practically never made an appearance in the actual arsenal of weapons. Even if some were equipped, they were quickly phased out.

But this rotary rifle, the first to achieve the function of continuous firing, truly dazzled Lord Earl.

He patted the other's shoulder in approval and said with great satisfaction, "Very good."

After discussing the weapon's advantages, the craftsman had no choice but to muster the courage to explain its disadvantages: "However, my lord, after such modifications, the rifle's range has significantly decreased."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Lord Earl immediately frowned—having fought in battles himself, he naturally understood the impact of a weapon's range on the outcome of war.

Being able to fire repeatedly didn't necessarily mean victory in battle. If all he needed was the function of rapid firing, wouldn't it be better to mass-produce revolvers instead?

Thus, range was indeed a crucial weapon performance feature, perhaps even the most important one! Lord Earl was very aware of this, so when he heard that the new weapon had a short range, he immediately became somewhat dissatisfied.

The craftsman, feeling a bit apprehensive, began to explain, "There's no way around it, the airtightness is just too poor."

In fact, he had only learned the basics in Tang Mo's factory and had only received a few training sessions. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have been sent here to serve as a technical advisor.

He was more familiar with the assembly of steam engines, and when it came to the modification of steam engines and the design of weapons, he basically knew nothing at all.

Yet even with his limited skills, just by having seen a few things in Tang Mo's factory, he was considered an expert among experts within the Poplar Kingdom.

For this weapon technician who specialized in steam engines, it would have been truly astonishing if he could have genuinely improved a rifle.

What he could do was act as a "Frankenstein," cobbling together two types of weapons sold to the Elf side by the Great Tang Group.

Tang Mo would never take such a roundabout path, but other arms dealers copying his weapons would almost have to go through this process.

"So what use does this weapon have?" Lord Earl, frowning, turned to the several officers who accompanied him on his inspection.

Everyone fell silent for a while until, at last, an officer, stroking his chin cautiously, said, "Actually, it does have a use."

"Let's hear it," Lord Earl said, visibly relieved as he asked the officer to elaborate.

The officer pondered for a moment before responding, "Once the two armies draw close to each other, we can use this type of rifle, which although has a shorter range, has stronger continuous firing capability, to completely break the enemy!"

"You mean?" Lord Earl seemed to grasp the key point, his expression improving a great deal.

The officer continued to complete his thought: "We can equip our troops with the K1 Quick Gun, and most of them should be equipped with the K1 Quick Gun with longer range, but we can also issue this new Rotary Rifle to a select few!"

His eyes grew brighter as he spoke, as if he had found the future tactic: "Use the K1 Quick Gun troops to cover the Rotary Rifle troops as they approach the enemy, then let the Rotary Rifles continuously fire and break the enemy!"

"Hmm... that's reasonable!" Lord Earl brightened up, feeling that the officer's point did make a lot of sense.

Combining the strengths of the two weapons—using the K1 rifle to stabilize their position, and then employing the faster-firing weapon at close quarters for a sudden burst—was clearly a more scientific approach to battle.

"Then my lord..." Clearly lacking any military knowledge, but realizing he had passed this hurdle, the chief craftsman immediately inquired.

Lord Earl, pleased, pointed at the officer who had given the suggestion, "Follow his advice, try forming a mixed-unit troop."

He was quite wealthy now, so he didn't see a trial as any loss. After all, the Poplar Kingdom's military was already being re-equipped with K1 Quick Guns and revolvers; it wouldn't be a problem to procure another type of weapon.

Thus, he generously swept his hand and declared, "Let's outfit two legions for a start! If the results are good, ensure that in every legion, two battalions are armed with K1 Quick Guns and one battalion with the Rotary Rifle! Implement this arrangement throughout the military!"

"Yes, my lord!" The face of the head craftsman immediately showed a thrill of ecstasy, signaling new work for him and more money to be made.