Chapter 190: Chapter 77: Production Line

Translator: 549690339

In the Bohemian armory of Hordas, engineers were conducting weapon tests. Twenty testers raised their guns simultaneously and fired at the target range ahead.

After a burst of gunfire, the weapon designer Holman-Stellen stepped forward to take a look, quickly calculated the parameters, and said with satisfaction, “It’s qualified.”

The specifications are as follows:

Caliber: 12.68 millimeters

Weight: 4.2 kilograms

Length: 1417 millimeters

Barrel Length: 920 millimeters

Bullet: Paper-cased acorn-shaped lead bullet

Loading Method: Breech-loading

Fire Rate: 12-15 rounds/min

Muzzle Velocity: 410 meters/second

Effective Range: 650 meters

Maximum Range: 1512 meters

Ammunition Supply: Single-shot

The armory director Hordas came over with a chuckle and said, “Congratulations, Mr. Stellen, you’ve designed another excellent rifle.

This rifle is superb; it allows soldiers to load ammunition while lying down or crawling, and its accuracy in close-range shooting is above most rifles.

I’ve heard that the Prussians have already switched to a large-scale rearmament, and we’ve also gotten our hands on a few of their rifles, but their performance still falls short of this rifle.”

Stellen calmly said, “Mr. Hordas, this is just a laboratory product. Whether it can be mass-produced industrially is still an unknown.

In fact, over the years, our lab has manufactured a number of advanced firearms, but very few are worth mass production due to the cost of production.

For example, the previous 1850 series rifles, which are far better in all aspects than this one, had to be reluctantly abandoned because of production costs.”

As a weapon design expert, one of the first things you learn is to let go. Weapons aren’t just about being advanced; you also have to consider overall cost.

Design-wise, it’s possible to create a rifle that belongs a hundred years in the future right now, but whether it can be produced is an uncertainty.”

Stellen was used to it; over ninety-five percent of the weapons he designed ended up lying in the lab. Although this rifle wasn’t bad, whether it could be commissioned by the Austrian army remained uncertain.

Hordas optimistically said, “No matter, the war in the Near East is raging fiercely, we can market it to the Montenegro Duchy for trial. As long as it’s proven excellent in actual combat, the military won’t be able to refuse it.

Technically speaking, this rifle’s requirements are much lower than the 1850 series. I can make a preliminary estimate that the production cost of this rifle will not be much higher than the current rifles.”

I certainly can’t say it was the Emperor who ordered the design of a breech-loading rifle suitable for the Austrian army, can I?

Now, almost every Austrian armory has submitted sample guns, and there are already more than a dozen breech-loading rifles at the Imperial Palace’s shooting range. Based on his experience, Hordas believes there’s a high chance this rifle will prevail.

Cheap, easy to operate, and stable in performance are the advantages of this rifle. The only downside is the slightly lower lethality, but accurate hit rates and the ability to reload while prone can compensate for that.

Now all that’s missing is the final link of actual combat, and the Near Eastern war presents a good opportunity.

Since the outbreak of war, Montenegro has relied on Austrian logistical support, and for convenience in supplies, they have completely switched to Austrian weapons, now serving as a testing ground for Austrian weaponry.

The Austrian military has also dispatched weapon observers to collect battlefield data on various weapons, which will serve as an important reference for future rearmament of troops.

Stellen seriously said, “Well then, Mr. Hordas. Arrange it as soon as possible. This time I want to lead the team to the battlefield myself to collect data.”

“No! The battlefield is too dangerous. You are Austria’s finest weapons designer; you cannot take the risk,” Hordas said, agitated.

Stellen smiled and said, “Don’t worry, the people of Montenegro will ensure our safety. If you’re still worried, we can request a military escort.

Danger is relative. If God wants to take me away, an accident could happen just the same if I’m within the country.”

At the Belvedere Palace, Hordas armory’s new rifle had already appeared at the shooting range, and Franz skillfully completed the loading and shooting.

Perhaps due to lack of talent, his shooting skills were embarrassing. At a fixed target within a hundred meters, hitting the target was considered a blessing from God.

Franz always thought that it was the rifles’ fault—the strong recoil led to bullets missing the target. Evidence being the astonishingly low bullet lethality rates after every major battle, with thousands or tens of thousands of rounds needed to take down an enemy.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

After the gunfire ceased, Franz’s face turned green. He had actually hit the target next to his; such inaccuracy was unmatched.

A snicker broke out, and a few youngsters burst into schadenfreude laughter. Franz glared at them and quickly identified the instigator.

“Is it that funny? A bullet missing the mark, what’s so strange about that?”

Long accustomed to his authority, his three younger brothers and two cousins all struggled to restrain their laughter, their expressions irresistibly adorable.

Suppressing the mockery of the little ones, Franz cheerfully said, “Come on, give it a try, all of you, but keep your distance.”

These rifles were new to them, and if treated like front-loading rifles, Franz’s recent performance made clear—the bullet could miss by more than ten meters.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

A series of gunshots rang out. After a distant glance at the target, Franz rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Could they all be sharpshooters?

Turns out he was overthinking; everyone’s hit rate was mediocre at best, leaving a bullet on the target was enough to be considered skilled.

“Cousin Franz, you’re still at the bottom!” exclaimed Princess Sissi.

Franz gave her a stern look, deciding to increase her etiquette lessons later—she really lacked manners.

Is there any need to state the obvious? Keep in mind that the youngest participants in the shooting are only ten years old. Where does that leave Franz’s dignity?

“Elizabeth, mind your image!” Princess Helen, her sister, reminded her.

“What happened?” Empress Sophie’s voice sounded from afar.

Seeing Franz’s ugly expression, no one answered the question. Observing everyone’s repressed smiles and then glancing at the targets, Empress Sophie couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

While laughing, she pointed at Franz and said, “Not bad, you’ve made progress, Franz. You’ve finally broken the record of five rings.”

Only then did everyone notice an extra bullet hole on Franz’s target. Nobody knew who had shot wildly hitting it by mistake.

Unable to hold back their laughter any longer, Franz resignedly said, “That’s enough; let’s continue the live-fire shooting training.”

Archduke Carl, chuckling, patted Franz on the shoulder and said, “See, I told you to come hunting with me, but you refused. Now you see how embarrassing it is?

Don’t be disheartened. Just accompany me hunting a few more times, and your shooting will catch up with them.”

Franz nodded in agreement as if to say his poor shooting was due to too much coursework and a lack of practice. With diligent training, he would surely catch up.

Hunting was out of the question. Franz was self-aware; at over a hundred meters, it was uncertain if he could hit an elephant standing right there.

As for game like pheasants and rabbits, he couldn’t be bothered to shoot, considering it a waste of bullets. Franz understood why many civilian shotguns fired a spread of shots.

“Father, why didn’t you go hunting today?” Franz inquired with curiosity.

“Seeing how much fun you were all having, he wanted to come over to instruct you on marksmanship,” Empress Sophie interjected briskly.

“Indeed, your shooting skills are dreadful, a total disgrace to the nobility. I’ve come to teach you how to use guns,” said an aggrieved Archduke Carl.

Franz guessed the real reason and promptly replied, “Is that so? That’s great. You teach them then, I’ve got to leave on another matter.”

After speaking, Franz turned and left, as if he really had pressing matters to attend to.

This was a catch-all excuse. At the Vienna Court, there were rules; nobody was allowed to interfere with the Emperor’s handling of state affairs.

Even Empress Sophie, aware that Franz was stalling, was powerless to do anything. Typically, parental decree was enough for an engagement among European nobility, but Franz was clearly an exception.

Facing a son with too strong of a will, she too felt the pressure.

Franz was even more pressured. At such a time, with the outbreak of an engagement war, how should the Royal family conduct itself?

St. Petersburg

Inside Kurs Manor, even in the warm August of midsummer, the interior was chillingly cold.

“Gentlemen, we cannot continue like this. The expeditionary force at the front is massively re-equipping with Austrian weapons. It won’t be long before the entire Russian Army is armed with weapons produced by the Austrians.

What will we do then, shut down our armament factories? Or compete for the meager civilian market, selling hunting shotguns?” an elder spoke with righteous indignation.

The meeting’s facilitator, Kurs, persuaded, “Mr. Ivanov, calm down. The situation is not as bad as it seems. The government cannot just watch us all perish.

It is wartime, and everything must serve the war. The supply of logistics for our front-line troops is in the hands of the Austrians, and it is impossible to kick them out.

After the war is over, that will be our time. The government also does not want to see the Austrians taking control of our military production. By then, our market will come back.”

Everyone is here for profit, and the military and government are very dissatisfied with their production of inferior weapons, which is why the expeditionary force replaced their equipment with Austrian weapons on a large scale.

The characteristics of Russian weapons have always been ‘foolishly big and bulky’. If that were the only issue, the military might have tolerated it, but the problem is these weapons frequently jam and, even worse, risk exploding in the chamber.

If there were no choice, or if everyone had the same type of weapons, then it would be fine. The problem is now England, France, and Austria have all surpassed them, and even the opposing Ottomans have begun to equip their troops with new weapons.

To win the war, to increase the odds of surviving on the battlefield, front-line officers strongly demand new equipment. They cannot be suppressed by the interest groups in the government any longer, so they had to purchase Austrian equipment for the expeditionary force.

The young man complained, “Mr. Kurs, even if the market does come back, I still have to face competition from the Austrians. Will the military, accustomed to Austrian weapons, ever use our shoddy goods again?

I apologize, I am too blunt with my words. Compared with our European counterparts, the weapons and equipment we produce are indeed a generation behind.

Does no one want change? The government cannot tolerate this forever. If this continues, we will inevitably be eliminated.”

Kurs laughed and then explained, “Little Peter, you are still too green. Hasn’t Old Peter told you?

On the surface, our alliance monopolizing the domestic supply of weapons and equipment means we should be extremely wealthy.

In reality, we do not make much money. How much does the army spend on changing equipment every year? Less than ten million rubles, and almost half of that is taken by others, leaving only the remainder for purchasing equipment.

Developing weapons is full of uncertainties. Over ninety percent of weapons and equipment that are introduced lack practical value for combat, and over ninety-five percent are not profitable.

In such a situation, if we cannot maximize the profits from each type of weapon, how can we ensure the interests of everyone involved?

The time when we all should be making money is during the war. Unfortunately, in this Russo-Ottoman War, the Austrians have taken the biggest prize.”

Little Peter hung his head dejectedly and said no more. The arms market is limited, and there are too many people sharing the pie.

Plus, with monopoly business practices in place, developing new weapons will not bring them greater profits, so naturally, everyone is not proactive.

A middle-aged man spoke gravely, “Since we cannot stop the rearming, we might as well join in.

Let’s send people to purchase production lines from the Austrians so we can produce them ourselves. We cannot compete for the market the expeditionary force needs for logistics, that is beyond our reach.

But the remaining domestic market, we must occupy. After the war, the domestic arms market will still be ours.”

The previously angry Ivanov said, “That might work. Based on past experience, this war won’t end shortly, and by joining in, we can at least recoup some losses.”

Little Peter was much more cautious this time, asking uncertainly, “Would the Austrians sell to me, though? You do know that now is a good time for them to make money, right?”

Kurs confidently replied, “They will. These production lines are not exclusive to Austria. If they don’t sell to us, we can still find others to buy from, though it may require some modifications.

Even our country can produce them, though they don’t work as well. To save costs, we all have gotten used to importing from abroad.”