Heroes of Might and Magic: Knight Chapter 603: Ordnance Factory and Preparation
Northland
Valley No. 1 of the Ordnance Factory
The valley is dozens of kilometers away from the Miracle City. There are not only Long Army sergeants patrolling the sky for a long time, but also Griffin knights flying past from time to time. There are almost no blind spots in the defense work.
If you want to visit this valley, you can either teleport in directly like Richard, or you can only attack by force.
According to the current speed of the world's magic recovery, in a short period of time, except for Richard, who has a system that can use high-level magic such as teleportation, it is conservatively estimated that it will take hundreds of years for others to reach this point.
As for a strong attack, the valley itself is stationed with a powerful army, and many powerful crossbows and mechanisms are deployed overtly and covertly. It is definitely not so easy to attack, and the valley is still in the heart of the Hunter family's territory. Unless the Hunter family's army is defeated first, no one will be able to organize a force to attack the valley here.
In the valley, Richard was walking among a large number of strange objects. The researchers around him introduced to Richard the new gadgets they had made.
The ordnance factory in the North is not only responsible for the production of standard weapons and armor for the Northland army, but also responsible for the development of new weapons. From the improvement of gunpowder formulas to the upgrading of the Shenwei crossbow, it is all the work of the researchers at the ordnance factory. credit.
Li Cha, who traveled from Blue Star, has a lot of ideas in his mind, but he knows many things but does not know why. Many times he can only propose an idea, and he can only rely on his subordinates to implement it. of scientific researchers.
The sources of scientific researchers at the ordnance factory are also very complex. Some are talented graduates from the academy, and some are skilled craftsmen. The only thing they have in common is that they are flexible in mind, have strong receptivity, and can accept Richard's sometimes unbridled ideas. , and put it into practice instead of treating Richard as a lunatic.
"Look, Lord Richard, this is a steam war crossbow that was made before. It has been improved according to your requirements. Now the weight has been reduced to less than 500 kilograms. When activated, it can shoot fifty arrows continuously, and Can be reloaded and used repeatedly. ”
The person who introduced the steam crossbow to Richard was Bellucci, one of the main research leaders of the ordnance factory. It was he who showed his steam crossbow to Richard last time, but the arrow got stuck in the middle. The shell made him feel very embarrassed.
When Richard came to inspect again this time, he immediately couldn't wait to take Richard to see his improved crossbow.
"What is this? Gatling?"
The steam war crossbow in front of him has undergone huge changes compared to the version that Richard first saw. It has changed from a black square box to a cylindrical shape. The diameter of this cylinder is about one meter and the length is close to five meters. The front section is full of honeycomb-like shooting holes, fixed on a cart, and looks very much like an enlarged version of a Gatling gun.
"What Gatling?"
Richard's subconscious words about Gatling made Bellucci confused and asked in confusion.
"Nothing, let's start the demonstration. If the effect is good, he can call him Bellucci Crossbow in the future."
"Thank you, Mr. Richard!"
Hearing that Richard wanted to name the crossbow after him, Bellucci became excited and immediately gave instructions to the operators around him.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."
A heartbreaking sound of machine rotation was heard, and the various mechanical parts on the crossbow began to rotate slowly. After about two minutes, the entire crossbow sprayed out a burst of white mist from the front end.
Randomly, the operator wearing thick leather gloves set up the crossbow and started shooting. Giant arrows nearly two meters high were fired continuously in a buzzing manner. It took only three or four minutes to shoot all fifty giant arrows.
On the other side, a soldier a hundred meters away rushed to the target to check, and then came to report.
"Report! Twenty-one of the crossbows hit the target, and all the iron plates were penetrated."
This kind of powerful weapon can have a hit rate of more than one-third at a distance of 100 meters, which has exceeded Richard's expectations, and its power can directly penetrate an iron plate half a finger thick and nail it on the back. On the wooden target, all the heavy armor looked like paper within a hundred meters.
If we can produce more and drag them to the battlefield, an army of millions of orcs will be just a cloud. Although Bellucci's research and development has gone on a path that Richard has never thought of, it is better than practicality, as long as it can kill the enemy. , and it doesn’t necessarily require any gunpowder weapons.
However, after a little observation, Richard still discovered the flaws of the crossbow.
"The boiler was burned in advance, right?"
"Yes, sir, it will take at least fifteen minutes to burn to provide sufficient power for the crossbow."
Although the war crossbow only weighs one thousand kilograms and can be pulled by a few horses, the boiler next to it is several times the weight of the war crossbow. Although it is not too heavy to transport, several knights are responsible for loading and unloading it. The horse works too, but is still a bit bulkier.
"Sir, although the boiler is heavy and heavy, it can supply about five war crossbows at a time, and after being burned, it can be used for a long time, and the arrows on the war crossbows can be reloaded."
The war crossbow performed well this time and showed considerable practical value. Richard understood it more carefully than last time.
This thing looks bulky, but the cost is actually not low at all. In addition to being made of high-quality steel, some key parts also need to be made of special alloys.
Not only does it depend on the high temperature of the dragon's breath to cast it, but the ore also has to be purchased from the dwarves at a high price. The cost of one steam war crossbow can be used to build twenty or thirty divine crossbows, but compared with its possible battlefield effect Come on, the price is worth it.
Although this thing is inconvenient to move and slow to load, Richard has already thought of how to use it. First, load part of it onto the warship, and then move it across the Longjiang River. Not to mention the orc army, Bailong might even be killed. Fight the crossbow down.
"How many war crossbows are there now?"
"Sir, there are currently only two units for display. The spare parts can be used to assemble two more units. If we need to rush to build them temporarily, the ordnance factory can produce four units in a week without affecting the production of other equipment. ”
"Give you ten days, plus the ones used for display, I want to see fifteen war crossbows loaded in Piaoxue City."
Although in Richard's mind, gunpowder weapons were the correct development path, he did not suppress development in other directions. After all, this is not Blue Star. Although most of the natural laws are similar, there is still magic. Richard was not sure what the correct development path was for elements such as gods that did not exist on the Blue Star. He might as well let the researchers do it as he could afford the money anyway.
"Yes, sir!"
The task assigned by Richard was a little tight, but Bellucci gritted his teeth and agreed after thinking about it for a while. At worst, he would have to work overtime day and night to catch up on the work. This is completely normal for people in the ordnance factory.
In addition to steam crossbows, there are also various steam-powered gadgets on the entire testing ground. The prototypes of some lifting machines and locomotives that Richard is somewhat familiar with have already appeared, but the performance is still very poor. Stable, there is still a long way to go before it can actually be used.
Although these things will not play a role in this war, in the long run, they will definitely improve the strength of the entire human race by several levels, and it is not impossible to develop a civilization comparable to the Elf Empire.
After a few words of encouragement, Richard was led by Bellucci to another workshop in the valley. As soon as he came there, he smelled a strong smell of sulfur, and there were signs strictly prohibiting fireworks hanging everywhere. logo.
"Sir, this is the improved gunpowder after our experiment. It is much more powerful than before, and it is more stable. There are basically no inexplicable explosions."
The research on gunpowder is several levels more dangerous than the research on steam power in another place. A burn there is a big deal, but an explosion here can kill someone immediately.
All experiments were done with caution. That is to say, Richard was very brave now and was in the holy realm so that he would not be killed by this early gunpowder, so he dared to go directly to a pile of gunpowder products to check.
"You mean, the stability of these gunpowders has improved?"
When the ordnance factory just tried out the gunpowder formula, Richard was excited for a while, and he even used it in actual combat at Longxi Pass not long after.
Well, I can’t say it’s not effective, but it’s actually a bit average. In addition to the insufficient power of the early gunpowder, the biggest problem is that the stability is a bit poor, and it is very troublesome to transport. It is easy to hurt your own people first. Use the gunpowder you brought. After finishing, the army did not replenish any more.
At this time, Bellucci said that after the gunpowder had been greatly improved, Richard became interested and opened a sealed barrel of gunpowder to check it out.
"Yes, sir, this was discovered accidentally by a craftsman."
"The gunpowder was wetted and dried in the sun. After it came out of the drying net, its power was much greater than before. After experimenting for a period of time, it was found that the stability was much stronger than before."
"Now we will do this after mixing the gunpowder."
Richard was holding a handful of black powder the size of a plastic bullet in his hand, and a word suddenly flashed through his mind
"Gunpowder granulation."
I didn’t expect this thing. I didn’t expect it. When I think about it, it is actually a very simple process.
“The power of the medicine bag filled with the newly made gunpowder is more than doubled than before.”
"As well as the muskets and artillery you mentioned, we have also recast them, but the effect is still not as good as you described. There was an explosion during the previous test firing. Fortunately, you personally reminded to extend the lead, otherwise There will be casualties again.”
While talking, Bellucci had already led Richard to the outdoor shooting range. There were some weapons that looked like firearms outside.
Why I say it looks like it is because their appearance is somewhat different from the muskets and cannons in Richard's impression.
Let’s talk about the musket first. There were actually two people testing it. The entire musket was more than two meters long. One person was aiming and igniting it from behind, and the other person was carrying it on his shoulder as a launcher.
The person behind lit the fuse and there was a "bang" sound. A burst of black smoke came out of the muzzle of the gun, and a target more than ten meters away was shot into a honeycomb shape.
The power is not bad, but Bellucci is a little dissatisfied.
"Sir, although the power of this musket is good, its range and accuracy are not good. It is difficult to hit the target if it is more than 20 meters away. At this distance, the crossbow will take two rounds. And if it is wearing heavy armor, It is difficult for an orc warrior to kill the opponent directly. It must be at least ten meters to penetrate the armor. At this distance, there is no chance to fire a second shot."
"The artillery is quite powerful, but its accuracy is worse, and it can easily blow itself up. We all have weighted catapults to achieve better results."
"It's okay, keep improving, just like the steam crossbow, you will always make progress, I believe in you."
"Yes, sir!"
Although some did not understand Richard's obsession with firearms, the ordnance factory would still carry out Richard's will. After being encouraged by Richard for a few words, everyone looked like they would do anything to repay the kindness.
In this era of extraordinary existence, the nobles not only suppressed the merchants and the so-called bourgeoisie, but also suppressed the development of weapons. For thousands of years, they have never left the circle of swords, armor, bows and crossbows.
Firearms, especially those that were not powerful in the early days, were easily ignored. How could they know how terrifying these things would be if they continued to develop.
What Richard is doing now is to protect the seedlings so that these seemingly impractical things can continue to be developed and artificially intervened.
Even if magic power is revived, humans' magical talents are not as good as those of elves. To create the brilliance of the original elven empire, magicians alone are not enough.
Maybe we can find a way to combine magic and technology?
After a while, Richard brought back his slightly divergent thinking. There was no rush to advance technology. To achieve large-scale application, ten years might be a conservative estimate.
Other than the previous steam crossbow, the only thing that can be directly put to use now is granulated gunpowder packets. With more loading, this thing can be used as a low-profile aerial bomb for enemies on the battlefield. Caused considerable damage.
"In addition to the steam crossbow, some of the newly prepared gunpowder will also be loaded onto the ship."
"Yes, sir!"
"In addition, starting from next month, the research department of the ordnance factory will double the expenses to recruit more manpower. The use of firearms and steam engines cannot be stopped."
"Thank you, sir!"
There is not much that Richard can do besides giving direction. Providing financial support is the most important one.
After another round of the ordnance factory, it was already dark.
On spring nights, as the temperature warms up, various insect-like creatures also begin to become active. They have been hiding all winter and scream happily.
Under Richard's order, Beidi, which was running at full speed, was extremely restless with insects chirping at night...
Just when Richard returned to his residence in Miracle City and was about to rest, Messiah, who was supposed to be the child of Snowfield City Magic Academy, suddenly opened the door and walked in.
When looking at Messiah's beautiful face, Richard first felt an instinctive burst of joy, smiled, and then turned into a bitter smile.
He knew why Messiah was looking for him now.
Messiah didn’t care about the changes in Richard’s heart. She didn’t say a word after entering the door, and naturally got into Richard’s arms first...