Munitions Empire

Mathews excitedly walked over, bent down to look at the blueprint on top, and was immediately startled by the perspective drawing it contained.

For he saw an intricate feed mechanism—by simply pulling the extended trigger guard by hand, the bullets from the ammunition cylinder below the barrel could be continuously pushed into the chamber's feed structure!

Mathews's eyes widened as he carefully examined the complex springs and action mechanisms, unable to say a word for a long while.

He knew that contemplating how to enable a rifle to shoot continuously wasn't something Tang Mo had only been thinking about for a day or two.

Such a clever design also required improvements and support in ammunition—indicating that Tang Mo had made significant strides in enhancing ammunition.

Adding to that, the components of the new Left-Wheel Handguns Tang Mo had him make before, he could even be certain that Tang Mo indeed had the capability to create a mature, mass-producible gunpowder formula! Similarly, he undoubtedly also had a simple and inexpensive technology for manufacturing the relevant bullets!

Realizing this, he suddenly paused, then seemed to grasp something.

Consequently, he raised his head, looked at Tang Mo and said, "My God! You have a steam engine! Damnation! My God, you've built a steam engine! With that, making cylindrical bullets is a piece of cake! I should've thought of this sooner!

Blast it!"

Only then did he fully realize just how terrifying Tang Mo's planning was. Improvements to bullets could directly lead to the advancement of rifles, and advancements in rifles could change the patterns of warfare!

If everything went according to Tang Mo's plan, then in the future, Tang's Weapon Workshop would become the next Shireck, a colossal entity leading the future of warfare!

"So, Mathews, the future belongs to us..." Tang Mo's hand rested on the lever-action rifle blueprints as he said to Mathews.

Mathews nodded in agreement, saying assuredly, "Master, you're right, the future belongs to you!"

"Take this! Look over it here before you go, and don't take it out! Remember to keep it a secret! Don't let others find out!" Tang Mo pointed to the blueprints of the lever-action rifle on the desk, instructing Mathews, "I'm not planning to mass-produce this thing yet, so keep it confidential for the time being!"

"Understood, Master!" Mathews excitedly took the blueprints and immersed himself in examining them.

...

Early the next day, a supply caravan from Northern Ridge crowded in front of Tang Mo's weapon workshop.

Lord Earl had kept his word, amassing materials and Gold Coins and sending them to Tang Mo without waiting for the first batch of weapons to be delivered.

This was on one hand due to the straightforward nature of the people of Northern Ridge and Lord Earl's personality, and on the other hand, due to Lord Earl's trust in Tagg.

Although Tagg hadn't brought weapons back, he had written several letters and had them sent back. There has always been frequent communication between Northern Ridge and Brunas, which was also the reason Lord Earl dared to send the second batch of supplies.

This time, Lord Earl brought mainly materials and Gold Coins; the number of people was not nearly as impressive.

Beyond the knights and infantry who transported materials, there were few craftsmen's families. Since news of Tang Mo running a school hadn't reached Northern Ridge yet, no craftsman's family could have foreseen such a need.

Thus, only a few women with children arrived with the caravan at Tang Mo's place, merely coming to join their husbands. Their traveling with the caravan was just for safety's sake.

Frankly, these supplies came at just the right time, greatly relieving Tang Mo's pressure. The Gold Coins from Lord Earl could be used to settle the cost of acquiring land and to purchase even more land for further development.

The remaining money could be used to pay the craftsmen's wages, recruit more workers, hire teachers, and purchase other materials.

And the high-quality steel and other metals sent from Northern Ridge would allow Tang Mo to extravagantly build the third steam engine and start truly mass-producing firearms to supply Lord Earl.

"Assign the newcomers to their houses, let them live with their husbands! It's okay if the conditions are poor, but at least let them be reassured." Tang Mo, observing the workers hugging their wives and children at the gate, instructed Roger beside him.

"We've built quite a few houses these days; some were given to the old workers and their families, and we still have some left, just enough for them." Old Roger nodded and said to Tang Mo.

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Tang Mo looked at the chest of gold coins being carried down from the carriage by Tagg and his men, and the smile on his face could no longer be concealed, "Your timing is impeccable."

"I hope your guns will also arrive at Northern Ridge in a timely manner," Tagg said, his tone still somewhat stiff, but it had softened significantly compared to before.

The reason was that Tagg had been fiddling with the revolver Tang Mo had given him in the past few days. Its power convinced Tagg that Tang Mo was a true weapon design genius, not a swindler out to cheat people.

He was still fantasizing that one day Tang Mo would be able to mass-produce this new type of revolver and issue them to Lord Earl's troops, making them invincible on the battlefield.

Of course, Tang Mo hadn't been idle these days either; with the scant amount of metal he had left, he had made two identical revolvers for Tagg, one of which was meant as a gift for Lord Earl.

Now, with more metal at his disposal, including the high-quality steel smelted at Northern Ridge, he would be able to produce weapons and equipment much faster.

Tagg looked at Tang Mo and allowed a few soldiers carrying iron ingots to pass before he continued, "These men will stay behind to escort the first batch of weapons back to Northern Ridge. They have orders to follow, so you'd better prepare what they want as soon as possible."

"That won't be difficult, right, Mathews?" Tang Mo turned towards the old dwarf.

Mathews nodded, "Actually, the weapons are already in production. It will only take a day, and they will have what they want!"

"I hope all goes well." Tagg watched as a soldier carried another metal chest from the carriage. Seeing the locks, he knew it contained another chest of gold.

"Send what I owe to the town mayor; I don't want him causing me trouble later," Tang Mo said, chuckling as he patted Tagg's shoulder, "No problem, right?"

"No problem!" Tagg nodded slightly, aware that Tang Mo had completed the contract for his land purchase. If he couldn't repay the outstanding balance on time, all the money he had paid so far would have been for naught.

So, the first thing to do after getting the money was to repay the debt and genuinely take control of the land.

"Additionally, send another 50 gold coins to the mayor, and 30 each to the sheriff and the tax officer," Tang Mo generously produced a large sum of money, planning to give these officials a pleasant surprise.

"Why? You know, more than a hundred gold coins isn't a small amount," Tagg said, somewhat stunned, as he had never seen such a spendthrift maverick before.

If one had tens of millions and gave out a hundred thousand as a bribe, it would be reasonable. Tagg had seen such bribery before; Shireck was quite generous, too.

But for someone who only had a few hundred gold coins to gamble with one-fifth, or even one-fourth of it as a bribe, such madness was something Tagg had never encountered before.

"We have started a school, are preparing to raise a private army, and may need to do many things in the future. At such a time, smoothing things over with Brunas's officials is very beneficial to us," Tang Mo explained. "If they are willing to turn a blind eye, we can save a lot of time and effort."

"I... I hope... you're right," Tagg hesitated, then nodded and asked, "Why don't you go yourself?"

"Why? I am the spokesperson for Lord Earl, do you understand the art of using one's position to bully others? If I handle everything myself, it would be a disgrace to Lord Earl," Tang Mo remarked with a tinge of jest, pointing to himself.

"We all know you're not really..." Tagg looked at Tang Mo, feeling that this young man's ideas always smacked of provocation.

"No, I am," Tang Mo gestured dismissively, "at least for now I still want them to think I am," he shrugged. "Besides, I have to personally supervise the assembly of the first batch of K1 Quick Guns soon, so I really can't find the time."

"Fine! I'll take care of it for you," Tagg said, although he knew Tang Mo might just be making an excuse, he readily agreed.

"Remember, when you go, do it with pride! Don't be afraid they will ask for more, fear they won't ask at all. By tomorrow morning, I guarantee you will have a batch of Quick Guns to take back to Lord Earl," Tang Mo instructed.

Tagg nodded and began counting out a considerable sum of money, then set off toward Brunas town with four guards.

Meanwhile, Tang Mo turned to Roger, "Check all the materials! Don't get the numbers wrong! Mathews, come with me. We're going to make a batch of K1 Quick Guns to send to Lord Earl."

"Haven't you already prepared the parts?" Mathews asked as he followed Tang Mo, recalling how he had poured over the blueprints until late the previous night. It had been a marvelous experience.

For many years, Mathews had been searching for a method of continuous firing for weapons, and the epiphany had come to him last night. It meant that his lifelong pursuits were correct, so now Mathews was positively glowing.

"Yes! I have prepared them!" Tang Mo said, nodding with a smile full of pride. "But we need to rush to produce at least 50 Quick Guns, to surprise Lord Earl!"

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