Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 194 Something is Wrong with This World (Part )
"You guys, speak one by one. Alexi, you go first."

"Yes." Alexei glanced at the others and took a step forward. "We have discovered a saltpeter mine. The reserves are very large and the quality is extremely high."

"What!?" Hughes slammed the table and almost jumped up from the chair. Castel's war industry has always been strangled by saltpeter. Whether it is the manufacture of nitroglycerin or smokeless gunpowder, a large amount of saltpeter is indispensable.

But this stuff is not produced on the island. Fortunately, saltpeter is not completely impossible to obtain. Hughes was forced to build many public toilets - feces is also a traditional means of making saltpeter, but the output is still too small.

"Hahaha, this is great. I said it, if there is gypsum mine, how can there be no saltpeter mine? It turns out that I was just unlucky and didn't find it before." Zeus walked to Alexei with excitement on his face and patted him on the back, completely unaware of his strange expression.

Gypsum is often a symbiotic mineral of saltpeter. Since there are migrating birds on the island, saltpeter mines are actually very easy to find. Therefore, Hughes never gave up and planned to send a prospecting team to look for it after the war.

and many more!

Xius's movements suddenly paused.

"I remember that all mineral exploration work was stopped after the war. Did you secretly send people there yourself?"

"No, my lord."

"Then how did you discover the saltpeter mine?"

"..Workers dug it out while digging the foundation for the new factory."

"."

This is possible? So lucky? Hughes blinked.

"Well, it seems I'm lucky. Where did you find it?"

"At the entrance to the smokeless powder factory."

"."

Hughes was silent.

After a moment, he nodded with a strange expression on his face. "That's quite convenient, Chloe. What brings you here? I heard you were looking for forbidden information."

"Uh, it has nothing to do with that. I came here because the experiment in the lab was successful."

"Experiments? Which experiments?"

Xiusi's spirits were lifted again. After the war, Xiusi stopped many experimental projects and focused his efforts on climbing the war-related technology tree.

No matter which part Chloe successfully conquers, it will provide some help to the battle situation.

"The fulminate mercury primer was successfully trial-produced, the diatomaceous earth used for passivation was successfully trial-produced, the cartridge case stamping process was successfully trial-produced, and the annealing and tempering process was successfully trial-produced. Then we tried to make a few bullets using the lathe, and they all fired normally, exactly as you described."

Hughes sat in the chair, his eyes widening a little with every word Chloe said. When she finished speaking, Hughes was stunned in the chair.

It is actually normal to make these things. Hughes had already provided Chloe with a complete set of processes and plans. Theoretically, they could have been made long ago, but there is often a huge gap between theory and practice.

For example, the optimal ratio for black powder is 74.84% potassium nitrate, 11.84% sulfur, and 11.32% charcoal. However, if you simply use this ratio, the results will likely be poor. This is because all raw materials contain impurities, and in this era, people don't even bother with quality control.

If you don't consider these practical issues, the finished product will often have big problems. You need to know what impurities are in the raw materials, find ways to purify or reduce the impact, and then test over and over again to find the actual ratio that can be used. None of these steps can be omitted.

Each type of ammunition uses a different ratio. Just randomly mix the raw materials and it will succeed at once. All the reactions will happen normally. Such a wonderful thing
"By the way, we've also built a steam ram press. I designed it based on the blueprint you gave me, and it was successfully tested. We now have the ability to mass-produce bullets."

"You designed the machine based on the principle and didn't encounter any need for modification. Did you succeed on the first try?"

"Yes, the first batch of shells has been successfully produced."

Hughes fell silent again.

Theoretically, this is possible, as long as you are very, very lucky. After all, even a monkey has a chance of typing out the complete works of Shakespeare.
This is a good thing in every way. The correct formula of the bullet has been found, and all that remains is a slight modification.

Compared to bullets, the design of firearms is much simpler. It is nothing more than a mechanical structure. Zeus has many ready-made designs in his mind that can be copied. With Nini's steel melted at room temperature, it is easy for him to make a hand-cranked Gatling gun.

Moreover, overcoming the propellant problem also means that all the prerequisite technologies for another weapon of war have been opened up, that is, artillery.

This is something that can truly change the form of war. From now on, firing squad is just a joke, and the empire's infantry drill manual, which has been invincible in conquering all directions, has completely become toilet paper.

Something like this was created just like that?
Xius should have been happy and cheered, but he only felt a chill on his back. He understood why the people in the room had strange expressions even though they brought good news.

Everything went weirdly well.

Xius noticed that everyone in the room looked at Connor vaguely, and the old butler also looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Yes, I haven't heard his report yet, but he didn't ask Connor to do anything. Hughes swallowed and looked at Connor with a serious face.

"Connor, I don't remember assigning you any extra tasks, right? I just asked you to pack up the things in the manor and bring them over."

"Yes, Master"

Connor obviously hesitated for a moment, and the old butler, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly looked surprised.

"When I was cleaning the manor, I accidentally discovered a hidden darkroom."

Is this even possible? He's lived in the manor for so long and never discovered the darkroom, but now he finds it?

"What's inside?" Zeus took a deep breath. Even if Connor said at this time that he had found the treasure left by the Pirate King, he would not be surprised.

"Sir, our second phase of conscription has been completed. We now have a total of 112 soldiers, two of whom were recruited extra due to statistical errors." Alexi suddenly interrupted and did not explain any further. Zeus looked at him in confusion.

Connor paused for a moment, quietly waiting for Alexi to finish speaking, and then continued:
"I found a batch of steam rifles in the darkroom. They were all wrapped in oil paper, well-maintained, and came with a complete set of equipment." He paused, his voice trembling slightly. "I counted them. There are a total of 112 sets."

The documents in Hughes's hand fell, he staggered a few steps, and fell into the armchair.

(End of this chapter)