Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Chapter 125 How to Forge More Powerful Guns

Will's eyes widened. Although he had already witnessed the power of gunpowder, this was the first time he had seen a firearm that could be held in the hand like a crossbow bolt.

After all, he was mainly in charge of managing the people and had recently been engrossed in learning about Earth, so he hadn't paid much attention to weapons manufacturing.

Upon witnessing the power of the musket, several images flashed through his mind.

An ordinary farmer who has undergone three months of training, wielding this weapon, can take the life of a well-trained soldier from a hundred paces away.

A force of a few dozen men equipped with such weapons, relying on fortifications, could potentially withstand an attack by a well-equipped private army of nobles that outnumbered them several times over.

This completely breaks the fundamental rule of this world that "power is closely linked to asceticism, bloodline, and talent."

It brings not only military advantages, but also a potential impact on social structures and power concepts.

The reason why nobles are nobles and knights are high above others largely stems from their personal or family military advantage.

This advantage, however, could be quickly diluted in the face of well-organized and well-trained musketeers.

While powerful mages might not fear the threat of such a weapon, they are, after all, a very small minority.

Moreover, if the power of this weapon were increased further, and there were more of them, even a high-ranking mage like my father might not be able to withstand it.

Evelyn, standing beside her, was equally curious and amazed by this wondrous technological creation. It was not a magical artifact she was familiar with, but it could still be called "magic."

Of course, besides being surprised, Evelyn was also paying attention to the gun's structure and the fleeting energy fluctuations during firing, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as if she was thinking about how to further optimize it.

Ignoring the heat, he immediately began cleaning the residue from the medicine-guiding pool and then began the second filling.

This time it was a little faster.

He then shot at straw targets at 80 paces and 120 paces respectively.

The straw mat eighty paces away was torn open by the lead bullet, and the supporting wooden poles behind it were also broken. On the straw mat one hundred and twenty paces away, although the kinetic energy of the lead bullet had weakened, it was still deeply embedded, causing the straw mat to be thrown backward.

"Commander, would you like to give it a try?" Wang Qinian handed the gun to Matthew, his eyes full of anticipation.

Matthew took the still-warm flintlock pistol.

He was a little excited. Guns are definitely every boy's dream, even the most primitive firearms, and that was true for Matthew as well.

This was the first time in his life, both past and present, that he had ever held a real gun.

This flintlock musket is quite heavy, weighing about ten pounds.

Under the soldier's guidance, Matthew, though a little inexperienced, completed the loading step by step.

When he rested the butt of the rifle against his shoulder and aimed at the human-shaped target a hundred paces away through a simple "L"-shaped steel plate welded to the breech of the barrel, a strange feeling of excitement welled up in his heart.

He immediately held his breath and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The immense recoil slammed into his shoulder, more violent than he had anticipated, but still manageable.

Gunshots rang out right next to my ears, making my eardrums buzz.

The pungent smell of gunpowder smoke entered my nasal cavity.

He stared intently at the target in the distance—the chest area of ​​the human-shaped target, where wood chips flew and a dark hole appeared.

"Amazing!" Wang Qinian and the others clapped and praised him. They didn't expect Matthew to complete his first shooting so well and accurately.

Matthew stroked the slightly warm gun barrel, feeling the solidity and lingering warmth of the steel, his heart pounding with excitement.

The gunshot was like a declaration.

It signifies that the military might of Emberstone Ridge has officially entered a new era filled with gunpowder and steel.

Although it is still crude, cumbersome, and slow, the direction it represents is enough to overturn the rules of war in this world.

"The effective range is about 150 paces. As for accuracy—within 50 paces, it's pinpoint accuracy; within 100 paces, hitting a target as large as a person is no problem. Beyond that, it depends on the shooter's experience and luck," Wang Qinian summarized, his face beaming with undisguised pride. "However, the reloading is still too slow, and the smoke is too thick. Next, we plan to work on breech-loading and metal-loaded ammunition, as well as the 'Miner' long-range ammunition, which will be even more accurate. Once we develop mercury fulminate and switch to percussion cap firing, the speed will be even higher!"

At this point, Wang Qinian seemed to remember something and changed the subject: "I happen to have something to report to you. We are planning to set up a chemical engineering team."

Wang Qinian further explained: "If you want good steel, you have to pickle it to remove impurities. Many subsequent chemical treatments also require acid, especially strong acid! Right now, we only have the rudimentary method of mixing saltpeter with vinegar, which doesn't provide enough acidity and the quantity is too small."

"Secondly, there's alkali. Soap making, wool processing, and potentially papermaking and oil refining all require alkali. Currently, we rely on wood ash and soil alkali, which have low purity and insufficient production."

"Finally, there are more advanced gunpowder and detonating agents! Mercury fulminate is just the beginning. We need more stable and powerful explosives, and we need smokeless powder. These all require specialized chemical technologies and equipment for synthesis, purification, and molding!"

"Therefore, our next technological focus will be on specifically tackling the preparation and purification technologies of acids, alkalis, and various chemical products. We will also increase investment in talent in this area, which is the foundation of all our technological upgrades and the key to breaking through that barrier!"

Matthew nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Chemical engineering is the lifeblood of modern industry and the cornerstone of the development of materials, energy, and military industries.

Without sulfuric acid, it would be difficult to produce high-quality steel and explosives;

Without pure alkali and caustic soda, many light industrial and chemical processes cannot be carried out;

Without systematic knowledge of organic and inorganic chemistry, the effective utilization of petroleum and the synthesis of materials are just empty talk.

However, the development of the chemical industry also presents many challenges and difficulties that they need to face and overcome.

Just like how the steam engine was created from scratch.

Fortunately, the alchemy in this world is similar to chemical engineering in many ways, and with the help of magic, there is a good chance of overcoming the difficulties.

After all, the strategists on Earth will always come up with a solution.

"Okay, just let me know what resources you need, and I'll support you unconditionally," Matthew said solemnly.

He also knew that the first priority was personnel recruitment, and now that he had acquired a considerable number of human and barbarian summoning units, the personnel allocation for the chemical engineering team would not be a problem.

"Okay, the plan has already been finalized. We'll hold a brief meeting later to make specific work arrangements," Wang Qinian said.

There was a lot of work piling up during Matthew's absence.

"Alright!" Matthew nodded, his gaze falling on the flintlock musket again. "Let's start small-batch trial production of these flintlock muskets. Let's make twenty first and form the first musketeer training team."

"No problem, Commander!" Wang Qinian replied with a serious expression.

After completing the inspection of the territory, Matthew also convened a high-level meeting to hear a progress report and a work plan for the future.

The military team will officially take action tonight to retake the coal mine, and at the latest by tomorrow morning, operations will resume to transport the coal back to Jinshiling.

With the Hummers gifted by White River Valley, transport capacity will be greatly enhanced.

As for the establishment of the chemical engineering group, detailed work arrangements were made, including the selection and construction of the subsequent chemical laboratory, staffing, preparation of chemical equipment and materials, and so on, leaving no stone unturned.

Taking this opportunity, Matthew also talked about what he had gained from his trip to the Wind-Eroded Highlands, focusing on the new summoned units he acquired. In addition to more human units, he also unlocked purebred barbarian units.

In fact, there is no reproductive isolation between barbarians and humans; they are all human, just different races, just like the racial differences on Earth in my previous life.

Barbarians are naturally taller, with more developed muscles, stronger bones, and other advantages, and they also have some differences in appearance.

Of course, the biggest gain this time was the special summoned unit that originated from Balu.

Therefore, Matthew will be adjusting most of the summoned units. Except for some units that need to use the goblin trait for concealment, they will all be replaced with new human and barbarian bodies.

In particular, the military team needs to discuss and come up with the best candidate for the sole candidate for the Baru template.

After the meeting, Matthew first released some personnel from their summons and returned to Earth to report the situation and relay messages.

The rest of the team plans to complete a large-scale rotation tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, the military unit also quickly took action, sending a 30-man squad, equipped with crossbows, grenades, and explosive charges, to the coal mine.