The Black Iron Glory
Buying Bullets and Gunpowder

Chapter 48

Buying Bullets and Gunpowder

When Claude and Borkal say that they want to buy bullets and gunpowder for match marks aubass 2, Wakri whistles. It was something he rarely did. "Your father really spoiled you two too much. They actually want to buy the latest standard edition weapon from the royal army for you. The mark aubass 2 lighters are one of the most advanced weapons on the continent, capable of hitting targets 380 meters away and having an effective killing range of 240 meters. I heard it could even kill a large wild boar weighing about 400 catties with one shot in 150 meters. "

Wakri also looks like a gun enthusiast. He knew the properties of the gun like the back of his hand.

"Uncle Wakri, is the effective firing range and firing range of this new model better than the old one?" Claude felt that the technological advances of this world's weapons had already started to move in the wrong direction. What's the point of increasing the firing range without changing the firing mechanism ?! No wonder they are still stuck in matches even though they have been introduced more than six centuries before!

"of course. The earliest guns had a firing range of only about 200 meters with an effective firing range of 80. The increase from that to 380 meters over the past five centuries is already the limit. You should know that an aubass mark 1 can only shoot 360 yards away. To add another 20 meters of firing range, the national firearms institute spent more than ten years and countless funds on the research, "emotionally Wakri said.

Claude felt like he was talking on the wall. "No, Uncle Wakri, what I don't understand is why the firing range of a weapon needs to be increased. To be honest, these weapons were shooting very slowly and not so accurately, so what was the point of shooting far away.so? Also, not because the shooter can take good aim at enemies that are more than 300 meters away. Who knows where the bullet will hit? Wouldn't it be better to shoot faster at a closer range? "

Wakri looked at Claude and laughed. "Son, when I heard you speak, I knew that you were someone who didn't know much about weapons. Shooting distance is king when we talk about matches. You will understand when you go to the battlefield. A firing 380 meters will allow you to shoot an advancing enemy five or six times before you enter their firing range. Whether you can hit them accurately is not important. It was very common for one matchlock to lose its target, but what if a thousand matches were fired at the same time? Does the target have a chance to escape?

"What the battlefield needs is a barrage of gunfire like this. They relied on the first shot to destroy the enemy's firing line. If one side is armed with a weapon that can shoot up to 380 meters away and the other can only shoot 280 meters away , the side that could shoot further away could lower some of the shots to a helpless enemy, who would not be able to retaliate at all. Know that getting hit by one volley is enough to knock out one unit. "

Although Wakri's explanation made sense, Claude still found some fault in it. "Then why would a side with a shorter firing range be so stupid as to stay in one place? Can't they deploy and approach the enemy before reassembling when they make up for their shorter firing range? It will even give them a chance to win. "

"And that's why I said that you don't really know much about this," Wakri said as he shook his head, "Don't you know that matches are only good when they are fired in balls? Only when the units line up properly and shoot in unison after hearing the command will the volley quite destructive and cause damage to the enemy.While scattering on the battlefield is not difficult, it is not difficult, regrouping and forming a firing line would be extremely difficult. The enemy will not give you that kind of time to maneuver it.

"One match lock alone is not enough to pose many threats to the enemy on the battlefield. This fact was proven many times on the battlefield by cavalry shooters. They would group together in groups of three to five and ride around the battlefield in search of opportunities to kill enemy scouts or Envoys, but then, they realized that the best they could do was manage three to four hits out of every ten because their enemy was moving the target, not one like the one in the firing range. … "

Claude could not be bothered to talk to Wakri any longer; he would have been luckier trying to reason with the plants. That's when he understood something. No wonder the nations of Freia place so many restrictions on farmers. This was so that they could easily enter the conscription and be used as cannon fodder on the battlefield. Didn't Father say that even if Aueras defeated the five allied nations, it would also suffer great losses? This was an era in which soldiers no different from death row inmates marched to the battlefield to be killed each other. . .

In Claude's world history, during times of matches and flintlocks, the troops of the time would use the volleyball tactics – take a turn to shoot and recharge – as they approached the enemy unit. Both sides will set their forces in a tight line as they approach before firing and ejecting troops in the back. It was a contest of courage and the ability to sustain casualties until one of the units broke down and backed down or surrendered.

Claude remembers watching movies over the internet about such wars. In this movie world, soldiers of cypress soldiers march towards their enemies under the rhythm of marching, all dressed in red. Although they had entered the firing range, their commander did not give the order to fire, so the unit continued their advance step by step. From time to time, their comrades would fall and those behind would step forward to fill their ranks.

Although this unit suffered heavy casualties, the fearless approach of the soldiers put great pressure on the enemy troops and caused the enemy to fail to prepare their last two volleys well, which in the end only causes a small victim. At that moment, the red fir army was already less than thirty meters away from the enemy and the commander finally gave the order to shoot. The Volleyball itself took out almost all the enemy soldiers in front. After that, then, the horn signal was blown and the soldiers who did their shots did not bother to reload and instead took out their blades and mounted them with their weapons to use as bayonets and put up the final payload carrying they're into victory.

Claude also read a newspaper article about the conflict on the royal border that resulted in nearly a thousand casualties. Back then, he did not quite understand why the number was so high. But now, he did. There were no trenches or forts, nor was there an artillery blockade. The soldiers on both sides simply marched towards their deaths and for every ten thousand enemies eliminated, three thousand of their own were lost. Even if the kingdom won the war with that chance, it might not necessarily be able to bear such a loss.

Just last night, his father said that even if the kingdom did not suffer the same crippling loss in the conflict with the five countries in the anti-Aueras alliance, peace negotiations would not arise. Only when the nations are unable to sustain the loss will there be peace. No wonder his father said that about three decades of peace would follow after the war, given the staggering rate at which young men were sent to line up for their deaths. But when the next generation is brought up, their fragile peace will be shattered and the youth will once again be sent to war.

"What are you daydreaming for? Have you decided how much you want to buy?"

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking of something just now," Claude turned to Wakri and said, "How much for a bullet and gunpowder is suitable for an aubass sign 2?"

"The bullet itself is cheap because it uses the standard type. Each one costs two black cents" Wakri said, flipping his account book, "But there are three types of gunpowder you can choose from. Mark aubass 2 is compatible with all three types of gunpowder commonly used in the market.The one with the shortest firing range and standard type 1 gunpowder. Standard Type 2 gunpowder allows you to shoot up to 300 meters while type 3 pellets can help you achieve maximum firing range. Where do you need? "

Claude surprised. They even have gunpowder in the form of pellets?

"How much does it cost?" ask Borkal.

"Type 1 is the cheapest, but can only shoot as far as 200 meters with an effective killing range of about 120 meters. That's what you bought last time and one unit costs one sunar. Type 2 is double the price of type 1, two sunars for each unit. The most expensive type 3 costs five sunars per unit. However, it will allow you to shoot up to 380 meters. "

Apparently, one unit refers to the amount needed for ten gun shots.

"Then I want that pellet ..." Borkal wants to spend a lot of money on the most expensive variant.

But Claude quickly closed his mouth. Are you kidding me? It cost five sunars for ten shots, and one riyas for twenty! One thale will only give you about 200 shots! Dad said that I should use my own money to pay for gunpowder and bullets. If I spend some of the remaining thales on type 3 gunpowder, I won't be able to last a month! Wero says that the minimum number of shots required to get a good feel for a gun is 30 days!

"Uncle Wakri, I'll just buy a type 1 for now, ten units of them," Claude said before he let go of Borkal, "This is a new weapon and we're just beginners. We just buy bullets and gunpowder to practice. As Wero said, we should get used to them first. So, there is no need to get the best gunpowder for it, because shooting 380 meters or 200 will not be a problem much. Knowing how the gun handles is an important part . "

Wakri nodded with a smile and said, "Claude is right. There really is no need for you to buy expensive gunpowder for practice. You won't hit anything at first. Just get used to all the steps you need to take to shoot first. Only after you have sensed it, you should buy Type 3 Gunpowder when you go hunting to defend yourself against the huge ferocious beasts just in case. "

Borkal thought about it and agreed. "Alright, I will also get ten units of type 1 gunpowder. Get also enough bullets for gunpowder."

Gunpowder from firearms in those days was loosely packed. Wakri went to his warehouse and took out a small wooden barrel with the inscription 'type 1 gunpowder' on it. He then took the scales and placed them on the table before using a wooden spoon to scoop the gunpowder onto the bronze plate on the scales.

The heavy unit in the world was somewhat similar to the one used in Claude's previous life. It was a strange mix of eastern and western units. The most common unit of weight is the kati, which is equivalent to half a kilogram. Below the catties is the tael, which weighs about one-tenth of a catty. But what happens after that catty is not the stick, but the gram. One catty is equivalent to ten taels, and one tael is equivalent to ten grams. The units above the catties are decacatty, a hectocatty, but no kilocatty. Instead it is simply known as ton. The weight of a ship's cargo is usually measured in tons.

Gunpowder sufficient for ten shots is also called one unit. Each soldier must be equipped with three units before each battle, which means that they can fire 30 shots with the gunpowder at their disposal. However, the number of troops that actually managed to fire the number of shots was extremely low. Most of the soldiers died on the battlefield without being able to fire a single shot.

Each injection with type 1 gunpowder requires about one tael and one gram, so one unit of type 1 gunpowder weighs one catty, one tael, and seven to eight grams. After Wakri measured the gunpowder, he poured it on oily paper and wrapped it in a small linen bag. Ten units of type 1 gunpowder come in ten separate oiled papers that are put in a linen bag along with 100 lead bullets.

Claude paid riyas and the two sunars and left the linen pouch on the table before he decided to go to the wooden shelf to see if he could find more magical items like cookbooks from earlier.