บท 75: Chapter 75: A Revolutionary Weapon
Chapter 75: A Revolutionary Weapon
Joseph briefly explained, "This new gun will use a completely different firing mechanism, with a much faster loading speed and greater power than the current flintlock muskets. Additionally, it will be more resistant to rain and have a significantly lower misfire rate."
Louis XVI's eyes lit up even more. Even someone with no military experience could tell that this new gun would have a revolutionary impact on warfare!
In reality, Louis XVI was well aware that people across France whispered about him being "incompetent" and "distracted from his duties." He had always wanted to be a king like the Sun King, revered and admired by his subjects, but governing a country required a certain talent.
And it just so happened that he didn't have that talent.
But making guns—now that was something he excelled at. Because of his deep knowledge of precision mechanics, many gunsmiths of the time were also clockmakers by trade.
He was, after all, a master craftsman certified by both the locksmith and clockmaker guilds.
In the past, no matter how expertly crafted a lock he made, no one would genuinely praise him for it.
But guns were different! They were the backbone of a nation's military!
If he could help develop a new gun that would enable French soldiers to sweep away their enemies, who would dare call him a useless king?
Joseph had a guard bring in a flintlock musket and pointed to the firing mechanism at the back of the gun. "Currently, flintlock muskets work by having the flint on the gun strike an iron plate, creating sparks that ignite the powder in the flash pan, which then ignites the gunpowder in the barrel, firing the bullet."
Louis XVI nodded; he was very familiar with this from hunting.
Joseph removed the flint from the lock and continued, "A few years ago, the British synthesized a substance called mercury fulminate, which explodes upon impact. If we fix the mercury fulminate at the back of the barrel and strike it with the hammer, we can directly ignite the gunpowder."
Louis XVI frowned. "But how do we secure the mercury fulminate? And this substance explodes on impact; it wouldn't be safe for soldiers to carry it. A simple fall could be fatal."
Joseph smiled. "That's precisely why the British haven't been able to use mercury fulminate in their weapons yet."
Louis XVI looked at him expectantly, knowing that his son had surely found a solution.
"I call it a 'cap,'" Joseph said, tearing off a small piece of the paper used for printing earlier and folding it into a small cap the size of a pea. "This represents a casing made of copper."
He then pinched some wax, saying, "This is the mercury fulminate."
He placed the wax into the paper cap and pressed it down. "A cap is now complete. The copper casing will absorb external shocks, preventing the mercury fulminate from exploding easily. If we place the cap in a cartridge padded with cotton, it becomes even safer."
Louis XVI was surprised. "But how does the gunfire it?"
"Because copper is malleable," Joseph replied, picking up a small hammer and tapping the bottom of the paper cap, "we can design the hammer mechanism to strike the bottom of the cap hard enough to compress it and ignite the mercury fulminate inside."
Louis XVI picked up the flintlock musket, thinking, "So we can eliminate the flash pan, bore a hole in the rear side of the barrel, insert the cap, pull back the hammer, and it will fire."
Joseph was taken aback—this truly was a master craftsman, figuring it out so quickly!
He nodded. "But boring a hole would make it difficult to remove the cap after firing. It's better to install a hollow cylinder at the back side of the barrel. Place the cap on the cylinder. When fired, the flame will pass through the hollow space into the barrel, and after firing, the cap can be easily removed."
Louis XVI grew even more excited.
With a flintlock musket, the loading process involved pouring powder into the flash pan, packing it down, pulling back the hammer, and firing.
With a cap system, you only needed to pull back the hammer, place the cap, and fire.
This would save at least two or three seconds!
Don't underestimate those few seconds. On the battlefield, half a second could mean life or death. A veteran soldier, trained for years, might only be three seconds faster at loading than a new recruit.
Moreover, the cap gun wouldn't have a flash pan, meaning no gas would escape. All the gunpowder's force would be directed at the bullet, significantly increasing its power.
He looked at Joseph with pride and affection. "My dear son, how did you come up with such a brilliant idea? Oh, I suppose God must have kissed your head."
Joseph thought to himself, "Of course, I saw it on a military forum," but he simply smiled and said, "Thank God."
He took out paper and pen, drawing the cap gun's structure from memory, and handed it to Louis XVI. "This is roughly what it should look like, but the exact dimensions, proportions, and technical details will need to be worked out by our great king."
Louis XVI puffed out his chest with pride. "Don't worry! Together, we will create a gun that will shock all of Europe!"
As Joseph left the royal workshop, he couldn't help but think, "Why didn't I think of getting the king to help develop weapons earlier?"
In terms of equipment, this place had the best tools and instruments in all of France.
In terms of skill, Louis XVI and his assistants were top-notch.
More importantly, having the king involved in the research meant there was no need to worry about the technology being leaked. If a weapons factory were developing this, they'd have to station hundreds of guards to prevent espionage.
He also realized that as more and more sensitive technology would need to be protected in the future, it was time to push for the introduction of patent laws.
Moreover, once the cap gun was developed, the production of mercury fulminate and the manufacture of these guns would need to be scaled up quickly.
This new weapon wouldn't just be a tool of war—it would also be a powerful means for Joseph to exert influence over the military. Therefore, it would be best to produce it in an arms factory under his direct control...
Lost in thought, Joseph returned to his chambers and began to unbutton his coat when he felt the envelope that Lady Éric had given him earlier that evening.
He pulled out the ticket inside and saw that it was for a play scheduled to be performed at the Comédie-Française in four days.
When he flipped the ticket over, he froze— the play was titled Breaking the Sky, the very novel that had just started serialization a few days ago!
He suddenly remembered that De Niko had reported to him the day before that a theater wanted to buy the rights to adapt the novel into a play. Joseph hadn't paid much attention at the time and had left the matter in De Niko's hands. Who would have thought the play would be staged in just four days!?
The novel had only been serialized for three days—how eager must these theater troupes have been?
And how did they manage to write and rehearse the play in just a week?
Over the next few days, Joseph visited Lamarck's pharmaceutical workshop to discuss the production of ferrous sulfate. He also made arrangements for the marketing and sale of Ladies' Delight Tonic through the Paris Angel Company, while also keeping an eye on the progress at the royal workshop.
Four days passed quickly, and at noon, Joseph's carriage stopped at the corner of Rue de Richelieu. The entrance to the Comédie-Française was already packed with people, making it impossible to move.
(End of Chapter)
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