Ian Attempts To Use Weapons

After confirming the new aircraft’s maneuverability, Ian left the aircraft company with satisfaction. It seemed that mass production could begin in earnest this year, just as he had told the manager earlier.

‘For the initial production run, about 50 units should be enough.’

He thought that gradually increasing production and continuously improving the aircraft would lead to a much better model. After finishing his inspection of the aircraft company, Ian immediately headed to another location.

The destination was none other than a weapon factory. It was where existing firearms were produced, and the Kodia single-shot rifle, currently considered the main service rifle, was being manufactured there. Of course, all work had stopped at the moment.

It seemed that all work had been halted for everyone’s safety due to the King’s visit, as it was a firearm production facility. Watching the guards, who were far more imposing than those elsewhere, Ian wanted to say that bullets wouldn’t harm him even if they didn’t go to such lengths.

‘I can’t say that, and it’s their job. I’ll have to understand.’

As he was thinking, he immediately received various explanations from the person who appeared to be in charge.

“The military has currently ordered one thousand Kodia rifles, and all production will be completed by August.”

“Is that so? Does the military continue to order rifles?”

“Since the supply of Kodia rifles to the entire military has already been completed, we anticipate only periodic orders of a few hundred units from now on.”

It was likely that a few hundred rifles would continue to be ordered due to damage from various incidents. Of course, that wouldn’t be enough to keep the factory running.

“Will the weapon factory be able to run like that?”

“Haha, it’s fine. Not just rifles, but various weapons like machine guns and field guns are produced here.”

“So, is this place only for rifle production?”

“That’s right. If you go to the building next door, there’s where machine guns are assembled and produced. The building next to that produces field guns.”

Listening to the manager’s explanation, Ian wondered if this would be enough. If a great war were to break out in the future, an enormous amount of weapons would be needed. Even if it wasn’t them, many others might want to buy weapons elsewhere.

‘But it’s not like I can turn other places into weapon factories, so for now, should I be satisfied with increasing production?’

“Regarding rifles, and also machine guns and field guns, can you expand the production facilities?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“My, my apologies. You mean, increase the production facilities?”

“That’s right. Of course, I imagine that as production facilities increase, there will also be a need for orders for the weapons produced, but I will take care of that.”

“Does His Highness mean he will order rifles?”

“That’s right. For now, I’ll order about 100,000 units.”

“Gasp!?”

The manager’s face was filled with utter surprise. He had thought there wouldn’t be any orders exceeding ten thousand units for a while after supplying the main service rifle to the entire military, but suddenly the new King was ordering 100,000 rifles, not even 10,000. It was truly astonishing.

“Perhaps I can increase it further. If so, can you expand the production facilities more?”

“Of, of course.”

A bright smile appeared on the manager’s face at the mention of potentially placing more orders after the 100,000 units. He had been planning to reduce weapon production facilities soon, but now the King was suddenly buying weapons and telling him to expand, so his joy was beyond words.

“By the way, the same goes for machine gun and field gun facilities. I’ll order 10,000 machine guns for now, and about 2,000 field guns as a pre-order.”

This was, in every sense of the word, an incredibly massive order. The phrase “for now” implied that more orders would follow. He felt like shouting “Hooray!” right then and there. But he couldn’t, not in front of the King. The manager’s face was soon blooming with smiles.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel curious about why such a large quantity of weapons was being ordered. Orders of this magnitude usually weren’t placed unless a war was imminent. Could it be that His Majesty was thinking of war? But he quickly dismissed that thought.

‘What does it matter? Whether there’s a war or not, as long as I get weapon orders, that’s all that matters. Hehehe.’

Watching the pleased manager, Ian thought about producing weapons in advance. He knew many would question his decision. Amidst eradicating much corruption and even reducing taxes, they would certainly wonder why he was spending so much money on this.

‘People living in this era have no idea that a great war, unimaginable to them, is about to break out.’

Although wars were occurring in various parts of the continent, a total war had not yet erupted. Moreover, many believed that a dreamlike world would unfold with the development of technology and the rapidly increasing national power of each country.

Dream, his foot. A war where people killed each other until they were all destroyed would continue to break out. A terrible great war would erupt, killing tens of millions, a number that made hundreds of thousands seem too small, and at that moment, the world would turn into hell.

‘Such a war is not something to get involved in.’

Those who could not foresee such a future would likely be consumed by greed and desire, wanting to participate. In a way, it could be said that Ian becoming King was fortunate for the Polia Kingdom. At the very least, as king he would not try to drag his people into such a hellish abyss.

Thinking this, Ian then saw what appeared to be completed rifles. Examining the rifles, he said,

“May I try firing one?”

“Does Your Highness mean directly?”

“I’m quite capable of shooting a gun.”

He had learned enough through military education. His shooting skills, by the way, were always perfect. He could subtly adjust the bullet’s direction with his Psychic Power, allowing him to hit the target every single time.

Anyway, preparations for shooting were quickly made according to his request. As it was a place where rifles were produced, a shooting range was also available. Standing in the ready area, Ian held the single-shot rifle named Kodia. It felt substantial.

‘It’s not a bad gun.’

While not incredibly good, it was a firearm of sufficient quality to be used as a nation’s main service rifle. Mardin placed the received bullets on the table. He was aware of Ian’s marksmanship.

‘When we were bored during travel on the ship, I often shot, so he knows exactly how good I am.’

“I look forward to seeing Your Highness’s skill after a long time.”

“Expect great things. Haha.”

Ian then picked up a single brass-colored bullet. It was the Polia Kingdom’s official 8.1mm rifle round. He found it quite thick. It was definitely a bit larger than the AK-type rifle rounds widely used on Earth.

Click!

He pulled the charging handle, inserted the cartridge, and pushed it forward, completing the loading process. He felt a bit disappointed that it was still a single-shot rifle. It would be truly great if it were a repeating rifle where he just had to pull the trigger, but as it was still under development, he could only feel regret for now.

He aimed the rifle at the target. It was a distance of merely 50 meters. Meanwhile, the expressions of those watching were also subtly tense. At the same time, everyone admired his perfect posture.

‘It’s not as if I only practiced shooting with Psychic Power.’

Because he had developed a taste for shooting, he tried his best to keep his aim centered while firing, and as a result, he had built up enough skill to hit the bullseye to some extent. As he regulated his breathing and pulled the trigger, bang! The gunshot echoed through the shooting range.

‘Good.’

He hit the center point accurately without using Psychic Power. Everyone applauded his display. With the reactions of those around him, Ian pulled the charging handle with a clack!, and the empty casing ejected.

Clink, clinking. He reloaded as the casing rolled on the floor. This time, he loaded all six rounds, not just one. After all the bullets were in, he took his stance again and pulled the trigger. Bang! He hit the bullseye again.

Bang! Again, as a bullet flew with the sound of a gunshot, just as it was about to deviate slightly from the center, the power of his Psychic Power was applied, guiding the bullet to the bullseye. He fired all six shots, and every single one hit the exact center.

Everyone’s expressions showed genuine surprise at this display. Only Mardin, who knew about this, had a smile on his face. Amidst such reactions, Ian finished reloading again, and only after expending all 30 rounds on the table did he stop shooting.

He placed the rifle he was holding on the table, and everyone looked equally astonished.

“A-amazing, Your Highness. Not a single shot missed; your marksmanship is truly marvelous.”

“Was it decent? Hahaha.”

“To say it was decent would be an understatement, Your Highness.”

A king who shot so well could, in another sense, leave an impression as a strong monarch. He thought that if word got out, a rather good image could be formed. Anyway, after this shooting session, they immediately headed to the machine gun production facility in the adjacent building.

There, a machine gun named Amul was located. It was a water-cooled machine gun that used the same 8.1mm ammunition as the rifles.

Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-bang-!

He could fire this one smoothly too. He saw countless bullets hitting their mark at a firing rate of 550 rounds per minute. In reality, seeing this made him think it was spitting out money. If thousands of these were used and unleashed on the battlefield, an unimaginable number of rounds would be consumed.

‘Come to think of it, it was very useful in the last war against the Doicheun Empire.’

Machine gun emplacements, which could be said to be specialized in defense, certainly prevented the advance of the Imperial forces attempting amphibious landings. Of course, the Amul machine gun they currently possessed could be considered a type of light machine gun.

Considering future needs, heavy machine guns would also be necessary. Unlike the 17kg Amul machine gun, heavy machine guns, which would weigh tens of kilograms, would form a much stronger defensive network. Of course, these heavy machine guns would need to be air-cooled, not water-cooled.

‘Water-cooling has too many inconveniences. You have to keep refilling the water, and it also reduces the barrel’s lifespan quickly.’

He had already heard reports that an air-cooled machine gun was under development. Given that it would likely be completed in the near future, he thought about producing a considerable number of those as well. For now, they could be used to further improve the defensive turrets used on warships.

‘All the current anti-aircraft turrets are made up of Amul machine guns.’

Considering the thin hulls of current aircraft, Amul machine guns were sufficient, but he still thought that even heavy machine guns would be much more helpful in shooting down aircraft. After personally using and examining the machine guns, Ian immediately entered the area where field guns were produced.

As soon as he entered the factory, he saw many gun barrels.

“This is a field gun called Roundt.”

This 75mm caliber gun could be said to be a quite modern field gun, in Earth terms. It had many features, including a recoil control device that allowed the barrel to recoil, significantly increasing the rate of fire, making it a well-made field gun.

Equipped with large, wagon-like wheels, it could fire up to 15 to 30 rounds per minute. He also heard that it required a crew of only 6 people. Furthermore, with a maximum range of 8km, it could be said to be a weapon that would perform exceptionally well in the field.

“Can I try firing this too?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Hahaha.”

With something like this available, he couldn’t possibly not try it. Seeing it prepared immediately filled him with excitement. Before him stood a stacked brick structure, and in front of it, the field gun called Roundt was ready.

The employees had already gathered and prepared it for firing, and this was also done under the supervision of his secretary, Mardin. It was likely because it would be a huge problem if the barrel turned and aimed at the King.

Anyway, once all these preparations were complete, he simply had to pull the rope, so he grabbed it and pulled with force.

Boom-!

The field gun appeared to shake as it fired a shell. A shockwave strong enough to make his whole body tremble was felt. And then, crash! With an explosion, he saw the brick structure break open as if it had burst apart. He couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight.

‘That really relieved some stress. It wouldn’t be bad to do this often, would it?’

Having thoroughly confirmed the performance of the field gun, Ian concluded a very satisfying inspection. He had no choice but to leave the weapon factory with some regret. There were still many places to inspect. Afterwards, he had to inspect various other factories.

He visited places that manufactured canning tins and even an electronics company that produced radios. After touring a significant portion of the Zik Industrial Complex, Ian was able to fully confirm the potential of the Polia Kingdom.

Although he hadn’t seen them directly, even if they might not be as large as the industrial complexes of the empires, he could confirm that they could certainly provide proper support for the country.

‘There are two more places like this.’

In terms of scale, this one in the capital region would likely be larger, but the fact that there were two more similar places meant they could produce a massive amount of manufactured goods. He thought that if many of these places were converted into munitions factories later, they could certainly churn out a large number of products.

‘Alright. Next on the schedule is…’