Steel Empire
Introducing New Military Innovations

A few more weeks had passed, and Arethas had long since left to return to his home in Ionia; of course, he would first report to the Emperor about his visit and his successful acquisition of firearms. But that's a story for another time.

Currently, Berengar was at the testing facility once again, where he observed the introduction of two new key equipment. That would drastically change the outcome of the battlefield once again. 

Since Ludwig had designed the Schmidt rifle, which was very similar to the Puckle Gun from his previous life, he had spent a lot of time and effort to make it happen. Currently, three of the weapons are lined up in the testing field, with several cylinders filled with solid balls or shots.

Schmidt rifles were mounted in chariots that could be dragged by horses, like standard artillery. It allows excellent mobility of weapons on the battlefield. This immediately attracted the attention of the artillery officers present, who were now all engaged in battle at some point.

Soon these weapons would demonstrate their abilities to Berengar and his many artillery officers who had gathered. Berengar was about to make a speech, and Ludwig stood beside him; this speech would do two things. 

This would introduce Ludwig as the inventor of the Schmidt weapon and make him a new rank of landless nobleman. So, the charismatic young Count spoke passionately to the man in front of him, who was also a good friend.

"I've gathered you all here today to witness the birth of a great weapon, a weapon that wouldn't exist without the brilliant mind of the man standing in front of you. Most of you must know his identity; he is Ludwig Schmidt; without his identity.Effort, none of you will be equipped with the weapons you use in the field!

He is the director of the Kufstein industrial sector, and now he has found a weapon that will change the course of the battlefield; what you see in front of you is known as the Schmidt Gun, named in honor of its creator!

It is a rotating artillery with the ability to fire nine bullets per minute! Either a solid ball or a shot consisting of 16 shotgun balls! Its effective range is 75 yards, with its maximum range being 200! Now let's see how effective this weapon really is!"

Upon hearing this fiery speech, a series of applause erupted from the audience of Officers who gathered to witness the devastating power of the new weapon. The enemy formations of 100 straw targets were set up at a distance of 75 yards, each equipped with a brigandine chest protector that simulated the enemy formation. As Berengar gave the order, the three weapons began to open fire.

The first volley fired by the Schmidt Guns was filled with solid balls, and a total of 27 bullets were fired in a minute; the big balls destroyed the enemy formations, because they not only rip off one opponent but sometimes the target behind them as well. 

However, the demonstration is not yet finished. Instead, the cylinder was quickly replaced with one filled with tubes, and before long, another shot was fired; each tube contained 16 shotgun balls that flew down at the target and tore them to shreds, a total of 9 canisters were fired per three guns in a span of one minute which resulted in 432 shotgun balls being fired into the enemy formation during that small strike.

The destruction resulting from the simulated enemy formation was shocking even to the veteran artillery officer who had waged many battles. They could only imagine the effects of such a weapon on the battlefield when used alongside standard cannons. What an astounding level of destruction this so-called Schmidt weapon created on an armored straw target.

After the demonstration was completed and the straw target was eliminated entirely. Berengar watched his attendant stare silently for some time. Finally, an officer started clapping, and before long, it turned into a standing ovation. 

So much so that Berengar had to calm those people down before saying any other important news.

The news that Berengar had stated just now shocked the people present, especially considering that the officer class was almost entirely filled with Knights and Nobles at the moment. Therefore, they were at odds on this matter. However, Berengar did state that they were nobles who had no land, and at the bottom of the hierarchy therefore such a thing was acceptable to the old nobles.

Despite their concerns over the matter, they still praised Ludwig for his promotion, and the old man shared his usual grin of teeth in response. He was now a member of the nobility, even if he was at the bottom of the hierarchy. 

However, Berengar did not stop the presentation here; he had other important inventions to add to his military, which Ludwig had helped produce; it was a relatively simple design and thus could be used in mass quantities. 

However, this presentation was intended for infantry officers, and thus he disbanded the Artillery officers before approaching another test field where his infantry officers had gathered. In the field there is one Grenadier platoon, which seems to hold the standard 1417/18 Rifle issued to most Berengar infantry. 

However, what surprised them was that their cartridge case was open, and inside it was no longer a standard paper cartridge but a wooden cartridge; the discovery is based on the Japanese Hayago from Berengar's previous life and essentially speeds up the reload process. So Berengar boldly declared the effect to the assembled infantry Officers and observed the strange new device.

"This is a fast filling tube; it will replace the use of paper cartridges in our service. It is made of wood and contains a minie ball projectile and gunpowder in it! The device allows gunpowder and projectiles to be loaded in one motion, thus allowing for a much faster recharge speed! Instead of firing two bullets in one minute, your army will fire five bullets!"

The Grenadiers present have spent the last few weeks getting used to the device and are now very proficient in its use. Therefore, they quickly reloaded their first shot. In doing so, they placed a wooden tube into the gun hole and then clamped the stick inside; with this action, gunpowder and bullets were put into the rifle in one fell swoop. 

After doing so, they quickly cocked their rifles, aimed the target down, and fired. Within seconds, the grenade platoon refilled their rifles and fired again. This rate of fire reached its peak at five rounds in a minute, thus destroying the enemy formation in front of them thoroughly at a distance of a hundred yards. 

The infantry officers gathered for this demonstration were as surprised as they looked as the artillery officers for the Schmidt rifle. These small wooden tubular devices will change the way they fight. That would make Berengar's army far deadlier than enemy troops, even if the enemy obtained primitive firearms. 

So a roar of applause echoed throughout the testing grounds as the infantry officers clapped their hands to the fullest. They would now be able to fire more projectiles down at enemy forces before having to engage in close combat; such a device was truly revolutionary. 

Berengar himself was impressed by the speed and efficiency used by his grenade grenades; if his entire army could be trained to be very efficient in its use, he said, no one in this world can challenge him on land. Therefore, he also praised the soldiers who had been used in the demonstration. 

Berengar could see the rise of his future Great Army with new military inventions, all he needed now was a suitable Great Navy, something he planned to begin building soon. For now, in the following months, his troops will be sufficiently trained in the use of fast-charging tubes, which in the future will be referred to as tubes for simplicity. 

Berengar's great ambitions slowly but surely began to become a reality, and thus he viewed the new military innovations with pride. He truly believed that the weapons his current troops were using would establish his dynasty's dominance for many years to come.