When Claude and Borkal said they wanted to buy the aubass mark 2 gun and gunpowder, Wakri let out a rare whistle. "Your father really dotes on you. He's actually willing to buy the kingdom's newest military firearms for you.
The Aubass mark 2 standard musket is already one of the most advanced muskets on the continent. It has a firing range of 380 meters and an effective damage range of 240 meters. It is said that within 150 meters, it can take down a 300 to 400 kilogram wild boar with one shot … "
It seemed like Wakri was also a firearms enthusiast. He had a thorough understanding of the performance data of the latest standard firearms in the Kingdom.
"Uncle Wakri, are you saying that the newest firearms increase the firing range and effective damage range?"
Claude had always felt that the world's firearms research had gone astray. What was the point of improving the firing range if they didn't improve the firing method?
It was no wonder that people were still using matchlocks even though they had been around for five to six hundred years.
"Of course. The earliest matchlocks didn't even have a firing range of 200 metres and an effective damage range of 80 metres. To be able to reach a firing range of 380 metres in the past 500 years is already the limit.
Do you know that the aubass mark 1 gun also has a firing range of 360 metres? In order to increase that range by 20 metres, the kingdom's firearms research institute spent more than ten years and an endless amount of money, "said Wakri emotionally.
Claude felt like he was listening to a fantasy story. "No, Uncle Wakri, I don't understand why they would want to increase the firing range of a matchlock. Actually, these guns are slow to fire and have poor aim. What's the point of firing so far?
Also, the enemy won't be able to see clearly at a distance of 300 metres. Who knows where the shot will end up? It's better to fire closer and be more accurate. "
Wakri smiled at Claude. "Kid, I can tell that you don't know much from what you just said. Firing range is the true way of a matchlock.
If you were on the battlefield, you'd understand that a firing range of 380 metres is enough to fire five or six volleys at the same time.
It's not important whether you can hit the target or not. It's normal for a single matchlock to miss, but if a thousand of them were to fire at the same time, do you think the target would be able to escape?
On the battlefield, they relied on covering fire, first firing volleys to attack the enemy's gun formation.
If one side was equipped with a 380-meter musket, and the other was equipped with a 280-meter musket, then you would know that the one with the longer range could fire multiple volleys from outside the enemy's firing range, while the enemy could only stand there and take a beating.
In such a situation, there's no need to fire three rounds at once. The side that's being fired at will collapse and be defeated … "
What Wakri said seemed to make sense, but Claude felt that something wasn't quite right. "Then why is the side with the shorter range just standing there and waiting to be shot? Why don't they spread out and engage the enemy?
Once we're within range, we can engage in close combat. That way, we might have a chance of winning. "
"That's why I said you're ignorant." Wakri shook his head. "Don't you know that the power of a matchlock lies in its firing?
Only by lining up and waiting for orders to fire together could they form the greatest firepower coverage and cause the greatest damage to the enemy.
It's easy to line up on the battlefield, but it's much more difficult to line up behind enemy lines. The enemy won't give you the time to line up.
A single matchlock won't even pose the slightest threat to the enemy on the battlefield.
This has already been proven on the battlefield by the guerrilla gunners who are good at shooting. They wander around the battlefield in groups of three to five, waiting for the opportunity to kill the enemy scouts and messengers. However, they also found that hitting the enemy three or four times out of ten is already the best result they can achieve, because the enemy is always moving, not fixed targets erected on the training ground … "
Claude didn't want to waste any more time with Wakri. It was as if he was talking to a chicken and a duck. He suddenly understood something. It was no wonder the countries of Freia had such strict restrictions on civilians. They were all cannon fodder that could be used on the battlefield.
He still didn't understand why his father was so certain that even if the kingdom won the war with the five anti-Auerian nations, they would suffer heavy casualties. But it turned out that this was an era of firing squads.
In the history of his past life, in the era of matchlocks and flintlocks, in order to maximize the advantage of firepower, opposing sides would line up neatly and close in on each other before firing in unison. Those at the front would fall and those at the back would take their place. It was a competition of bravery and bravery to see who would die more often until one side either surrendered or fled.
The transmigrator had once watched a movie on the internet that depicted this kind of war. The Sequoia Army, the hegemon of the world, wore red uniforms and lined up in four to five rows as they listened to the melodious music of the military band as they approached the enemy's battle line.
Even when they were within firing range, the officer didn't give the order to fire. The soldiers had no choice but to brave the enemy's volley and advance step by step. From time to time, some of their comrades would fall to the ground and the soldiers at the back would quicken their pace to fill in the gaps.
Although they had suffered heavy losses, the disregard for the casualties of the soldiers as they approached the enemy step by step brought unprecedented pressure to the enemy. The last two volleys were not prepared at all, and only caused a few casualties.
By then, the Sequoia Army was about 30 meters away from the enemy. Only then did the officer give the order to open fire. The first volley was enough to kill almost all of the enemy's frontline soldiers. Right after that, the signal to charge sounded. The soldiers who finished firing didn't reload and instead drew their bayonets and fired at the enemy. It was a great victory.
Back then, Claude didn't quite understand how a border clash would result in nearly a thousand casualties. Now, he finally understood.
There were no trenches, fortresses or cannons. The soldiers on both sides were marching to their deaths. Even if they kept winning, they wouldn't be able to sustain such losses.
Last night, Claude's father said that if the war between the kingdom and the five anti-Auerian nations didn't end badly, they wouldn't be able to negotiate for a truce. Indeed, no country could afford to fight such a war for long.
Countless youths were sacrificed as cannon fodder. It was no wonder Claude's father said that there would be two to three decades of peace after the war.
What kind of bullshit peace is that? You're just waiting for the next generation to grow up and have more cannon fodder before you send them back to the battlefield …
Someone tugged on his sleeve. When he snapped out of his daze, he saw that it was Borkal.
"What are you spacing out for? Have you thought about how much you want?"
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something else.
Claude turned to Wakri and asked, "What's the price of this aubass mark 2 gun and its gunpowder?"
"The gun is cheap. This is the standard model. One gun costs two black pennies."
Wakri flipped through a ledger and took a few glances. "However, there are three types of gunpowder. The Aubass Mark II matchlock actually uses three types of gunpowder. There's the standard dry powder # 1 that has the shortest range, the standard dry powder # 2 that has a range of 300 meters, and the standard granular gunpowder # 3 that has the longest range. Which one do you need?"
He couldn't help but wonder, How did he manage to get his hands on gunpowder?
"How much do they cost?" Borkal asked.
"The first standard powder is the cheapest, but it only has a firing range of 200 meters and an effective killing range of 120 meters. That's the one you bought last time. It costs one sunar per unit.
The price of the standard Universal Dry Powder No.2 was twice as expensive, two Sunas per unit.
The third type is the most expensive, costing five sunars per unit. However, you can reach the maximum firing range of a gun, which is 380 meters. "
A unit here refers to the quantity of gunpowder required for ten shots of the gun.
"Then I'll take the granular gunpowder." Borkal was so rich that he wanted to buy the most expensive gunpowder right away.
Claude hurriedly covered his mouth. What kind of joke is that? Ten shots cost five sunars and twenty shots cost one riyas. That means that a thale can only be used for 200 shots.
His father said that he had to buy the gunpowder and gun with his own money.
If he were to buy the gunpowder with the few thales he had left, he might not even be able to last a month. Welikro had said that he had to familiarize himself with the gun and that thirty shots a day was the minimum.
"Let's just buy the first standard powder. Get me ten units first, Uncle Wakri," said Claude.
He removed his hand from Borkal's mouth and explained, "This is a new gun and we're newbies. We're buying gunpowder and gunpowder for practice.
Just like Welikro said, we have to familiarize ourselves with the gun first, so there's no need to buy the best gunpowder at the start.
For us, there's no difference between a firing range of 380 meters and 200 meters. Familiarizing ourselves with the gun is the most important thing. "
Wakri nodded with a smile. "Claude's right. There's no need to buy such expensive gunpowder when you're just starting out. You won't be able to hit your target, anyway.
Familiarize yourself with firing the gun first and don't get flustered. Once you've grasped the gun's functions, you can buy a few units of the third standard powder when you go hunting. That'll be enough just in case you run into larger beasts. "
Borkal gave it some thought and said, "Alright, I'll get ten units of the first standard powder as well. Give me the gun as well."
Gunpowder in this era was usually sold in bulk. Wakri went to the storeroom and brought out a small wooden bucket with the words' first standard powder 'written on it.
He placed a scale on the counter and Wakri used a small wooden spoon to scoop out the gunpowder and pour it into a copper plate on top of the scale.
The important units of measurement in this world were somewhat similar to the ones in Borkal's previous world. It was a mixture of Chinese and Western. For example, the most basic unit of weight was catty. Below it was taels, but below taels was not money, but grams. A catty was equivalent to ten taels, a hundred grams, and one tael was equivalent to ten grams.
Above catty were ten catties and a hundred catties. There was no thousand catties because a thousand catties was a ton.
For example, a ship's load was measured in tons.
The amount of gunpowder needed to fire ten times was called one unit. This was also the basic equipment for a Flintlock soldier. An official Flintlock soldier on the battlefield would need to be equipped with three units of gunpowder. In other words, they could fire thirty times with the gun in their hands.
However, the number of soldiers who could actually fire thirty times on the battlefield were few and far between. Most of them died before they could even fire a single shot.
The gunpowder used for the first standard powder was designed to be around one tael per gram, so one unit weighed about one catty, one tael, and seven to eight grams.
After Wakri weighed the gunpowder, he poured the gunpowder onto a piece of oiled paper on the counter. He then wrapped the oiled paper and placed it into a small linen bag. Ten units of standard powder No. 1 were wrapped in ten oiled paper bags, along with a hundred lead pellets.