Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 246 - 199 Research on Firearm Innovation_3

Chapter 246: Chapter 199 Research on Firearm Innovation_3

"In short, the history of modern firearm development goes through the sequence of matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap, and pinfire guns. Of course, this is a rough categorization, and based on the type of barrel, firearms can also be divided into smoothbore and rifled guns, among others.

"The Great Sheng Dynasty’s firearms have only advanced to the matchlock gun stage. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to push forward to the flintlock stage with a bit more effort, but beyond that, things get difficult.

"Because progressing further requires the technology of chemistry, specifically fulminate of mercury. Whether it is making an external firing device with fulminate of mercury or directly incorporating it into the primer of paper cartridges, this substance is absolutely essential.

"Fulminate of mercury is a special substance that explodes upon ignition, making it an excellent medium to ignite the propellant. Without it, one would have to resort to the flintlock method to ignite the propellant, unable to simplify the entire firing process."

Li Hongyun felt somewhat disappointed, "Is there nothing else that could replace it?"

Cui Huowang paused briefly, "How should I put this... there is, of course, but the difficulty of obtaining it would only be higher.

"The thing about fulminate of mercury is that it requires a certain level of chemical technology to synthesize. As for other key materials on different technology trees... the difficulties are also not minor, and the processes are far more complex than you would imagine.

"As for rifled guns, Minie bullets, pinfire guns, bolt-action rifles, and the like, each step almost certainly requires the support of many technology trees. Don’t even think about it for now; even if you managed to make them, the cost would be too high to accept.

"In the end, the most critical problem is that the locations we can explore in the Reclaimer’s Fortress are just a small area; many precious resources are simply unavailable.

"What we can currently obtain in large quantities all follows the technology tree of the Great Sheng Dynasty. We can buy most things that the Great Sheng had, but for things they didn’t have, it’s tricky.

"And this situation is unlikely to improve in the future because the Qi Dynasty’s technological level is even lower than that of Great Sheng, which could very well represent the technological ceiling we can reach.

"After all, ’Dark Sand’ is a game that provides content in slices, and it will ultimately boil down to battles between Reclaimers and demonic beings. In essence, it presents a world of fantasy, not technology..."

Li Hongyun couldn’t help being somewhat disappointed.

He had been hopeful that he could find experts to craft weapons like AK47s by hand in the Reclaimer’s Fortress or, at the very least, a bolt-action rifle would be sufficient to dominate the demonic beings.

But it turned out that none of these were feasible.

The root cause was that they were in a historical slice, not a real world.

Historical slices are phantoms of history that existed; hence, anything that existed in history would be present here, but anything not widely discovered, made, or used in history would be much harder to acquire.

Cui Huowang then said, "But you shouldn’t be so disappointed. The flintlock isn’t as bad as you think.

"Besides, our enemies are demonic beings, who cannot climb the technology tree. So, as long as we have flintlocks, we are already in a position to crush them in terms of firearm technology.

"Even the most rubbish flintlock, when used in volley fire against a melee armed force, is more than enough.

"Moreover, both players and demonic being are completely fearless of death. With proper training, their morale can totally crush any regular army. Thus, the volley fire tactic is actually quite suitable for players.

"A flintlock, under ideal conditions, can fire three shots per minute. Coupled with a socket bayonet, it’s already sufficient to revolutionize an army’s weaponry."

Li Hongyun could only sigh in silence, "Alright, then let’s continue discussing flintlocks.

"Can these flintlocks be modified for rear-loading?

"I’ve been wanting to complain while using a blunderbuss; having to ram down a bullet every time with a stick is just too stupid..."

Cui Huowang nodded, "Theoretically, it is possible, as long as you can accept a series of resulting flaws.

"For example, due to substandard craftsmanship, the airtightness would not be good, possibly causing a lot of gun smoke and flames that could burn oneself during firing; the muzzle velocity of the bullets would also be reduced. Of course, the most critical issue is that they are difficult and costly to produce in large quantities, and can only be considered a noble’s toy. Making a gun like this would cost at least four times more than a muzzle-loader but isn’t necessarily better to use."

Li Hongyun felt helpless once again, "All right, if it has to be muzzle-loading, then muzzle-loading it is."

"Can’t we find a way to simplify the use of the ramrod? Having to put it back after each cleaning of the barrel seems too troublesome. Is there no way to hold it in hand or place it elsewhere?"

Cui Huowang shook his head again, "If we look at historical practice, it’s clearly not feasible.

"Because battlefields are extremely chaotic, the ramrod is a component that is very easily lost, and without a ramrod, one simply cannot fire their weapon.

"Holding it in hand or placing it on the ground could easily result in the loss or omission of a critical step, so generally speaking, it’s necessary to enforce the action of returning the ramrod to train the soldiers’ muscle memory and minimize accidents on the battlefield as much as possible."

Li Hongyun was somewhat resigned to the complexity, realizing that many things were not as simple as he imagined.

Soldiers from the era of flintlock guns may seem foolish, and many would naturally wonder if there could be a better way, such as eliminating the step of returning the ramrod or changing the formation of firing squads...

Unfortunately, these were often proven to be a road leading to one’s demise.

The standard battle tactics developed by humankind throughout history are often already the best solutions for that level of technology.

Li Hongyun finally accepted the conclusion that they could only try to reluctantly develop flintlock guns and asked, "Then, if we use muzzle-loading flintlock guns, what level can we achieve? If it’s not enough to create a technological gap against the demons, then there’s no point in expending this effort."

Cui Huowang stated, "Of course, there’s still a big difference.

"The accuracy of a flintlock gun, no matter how poor, and the loading speed, no matter how slow, are always much better than matchlock guns, and the killing power is astronomically greater than that of bows and arrows.

"If we consider the tactics of flintlock guns, we can at least improve the lethality of muskets in three aspects.

"The first is array density. Using matchlock guns required soldiers to stand relatively apart for safety, whereas flintlock guns allow standing closer together, increasing firepower density. Moreover, a dense array can play a significant role in close combat.

"The second is the improvement of ready-made paper cartridge ammunition, that is, wrapping a fixed amount of gunpowder and lead shot in paper. During loading, a set amount of firing powder is placed in the pan, then the cartridge bag is bitten open, poured directly into the barrel and rammed down with the ramrod before firing, which speeds up the loading process compared to matchlock guns.

"The third is the socket bayonet. The long barrel of a flintlock gun, combined with a bayonet, can virtually replace the role of a spear, and it also provides decent melee capability.

"Moreover, we can train players to display the utmost discipline, using tactics such as firing squads and hollow square formations to confront the demons’ heavily armored troops and cavalry units.

"Muskets are basically a nemesis to heavy armor because neither shields nor metal armor can withstand the bullets fired from flintlock guns.

"What we really should be worrying about now is, even if I can barely manage to make a flintlock gun, whether there will be enough manpower to mass-produce them."

Li Hongyun considered for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, then let’s start with developing flintlock guns!

"If we can really make them, I’ll take the flintlock guns to Beichen or the craftsmen from the blacksmith shops to see if they can replicate them, striving to equip a portion of the players with them!

"As a player, if you don’t let the enemy experience a change in era, then what kind of player are you?"

This was something that had always troubled Li Hongyun.

When he first challenged the instance "Becoming a Marquis Was Not My Intention," and fought at Puning Port for the first time, he was utterly bewildered by the Eastern Barbarian pirates armed with matchlock guns.

Was it really okay for players to be technologically overrun by demons in return?

Therefore, he had always been pondering when he could turn the tables.

When the time comes, and each player has a flintlock gun in hand to clash with the demons once more, they will show them the reason why the flowers are so red!