Production capacity and rearmament

Victor paused for a moment, then turned to Yonicha and asked, "Have you considered the issue of mass production of this gun?"

Yonicha nodded and said, "Duke Grace, please rest assured, we will proceed according to your requirements for mass-produced weapons."

We had already considered the industrial production of this gun beforehand, and had already built an ammunition production line in the Arms Factory that could achieve very high output.

As for the rifles, the barrels were initially quite troublesome, but after adjustments, the territory's Steelworks are now able to produce fairly good quality steel.

All that's needed is to process them. We have a specially made boring machine that can drill gun barrels with high efficiency.

Gun parts and other components can be produced at the Territory Machine Factory Arms Factory.

The wooden structure of the gun barrel is simpler; any woodworking shop in the territory could make it.

"So, according to your estimates, what is the current production capacity? What is the cost of a single gun?"

At this moment, Burke, the Arms Factory director who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward. "Duke Grace, we will answer this question. The current production capacity of the Arms Factory is about 500 Type One Rifle per month."

If we continue to expand production capacity and increase equipment and personnel, doubling it again shouldn't be too difficult.

Currently, based on a monthly production capacity of 500 guns, the average cost per gun is approximately 1 gold and 5 silver. If production capacity is further expanded, the cost can be further reduced to below 1 gold without any problem.

Victor nodded after listening. The territory's research institute had always worked closely with various factories, and most of the products could be put into industrial production in the factories, which solved many problems.

If Type One Rifle can be produced at this capacity and cost, it would be good news for the territory's army to upgrade its equipment.

However, Victor still does not plan to mass-produce these guns; he intends to select a portion of his troops to be equipped with them for testing first.

After all, actual use will definitely be very different from testing in the Research Institute. Moreover, according to the Research Institute's next research plan, the Type One Rifle will have many ways to be improved. After the improvements are perfected, production can be expanded.

Burke continued, "Duke Grace, what production levels do you think would be appropriate for us now?"

After thinking for a moment, Victor said, "We don't need too many. Let's start with 500 per month."

The current demand for equipment replacement in the troops is not that great; we will focus on replacing a portion of the Fourth Regiment first.

The Fourth Regiment will have a combat operation soon, and we'll gradually change and adjust our equipment based on their actual combat performance.

Of course, I hope the Research Institute can accelerate its work to further improve the current rifle and achieve a better balance between Firearms costs and combat effectiveness.

Yonicha and Burke nodded quickly after hearing what Victor said.

Victor was planning to have the Fourth Regiment carry out an attack on the Faith Order Headquarters early next year after they were equipped with Type One Rifle.

There are still about four months until spring. Re-equipping half of the Fourth Regiment, let's say 2,000 men, is entirely achievable.

The actual combat effectiveness of the troops can serve as a basis for promoting the replacement of rifles in the troops.

Afterwards, Victor visited the pyrotechnics production line and the cannon casting workshop, where he witnessed firsthand the entire production process of the fixed-load ammunition.

The production of fixed-load ammunition has basically been streamlined. As long as raw materials and workers are put in, production can be expanded directly, but Victor believes that the bullet production capacity is sufficient.

After all, the current Type One Rifle is still single-shot loaded, and the daily production capacity of 10,000 rounds is enough for a long time.

The rifle production line is not yet fully streamlined. After all, apart from the barrel, which can be produced domestically, the remaining components still need to be supplied by companies in other territories. This requires designing a stable supply chain. Currently, this rifle production workshop mainly manufactures barrels and assembles the complete rifle.

However, Victor was still very confident in the industry of the Two Rivers County. He believed that it would only take some time to get everything in order and production capacity could be increased very quickly.

Victor ultimately provided a separate grant for the Fourth Regiment to equip itself with Type One Rifle, covering production and subsequent technical maintenance.

Yonicha and Burke of the Arms Factory were both overjoyed. Not only had they successfully presented their work to the Duke, but they had also secured their first budget.

If Type One Rifle could play a significant role in the war that His Excellency the Duke mentioned, it would be a major boon.

The Research Institute is doing well; Victor allocates ample research funding each year, and in addition, the Research Institute also undertakes some teaching tasks, so it receives a considerable amount of money from the Education Department.

However, the Arms Factory has had a tough time in recent years. In the last year or two, although the territory's army has been constantly going out to participate in wars, the Arms Factory's production capacity has been reduced.

After all, the Arms Factory had produced a lot of Artillery, armor, and various cold weapons in the past, and the stockpiles were still huge, which could not be used up even in war.

Especially arrows. According to the territory's Army Department's statistics, the number of arrows in the army's warehouses alone is enough for the current Army Department to use for 3 years. The Army Department will not purchase arrows again in the short term.

However, according to the territory's requirements, the Arms Factory cannot shut down all the arrow production lines; workers must be retained to maintain them.

Currently, the Arms Factory can only maintain a little extra income by relying on the help of the territory's Commerce Department to introduce some out-of-town customers to sell arrows; otherwise, the entire production line is in a state of losing money.

As for the Artillery product inventory, which used to be a major source of revenue, although the product range is now quite extensive, the territory's Army Department and Navy Department are very restrained in their procurement.

After all, Artillery is already widely Equipment Department, so it is impossible to carry out a large-scale replacement. The only option is to purchase new artillery in a steady and gradual manner.

Even without the orders from the Raine Royal House, the Artillery division wasn't doing well either.

Although Arms Factory can make a lot of money, Arms Factory also need to invest a lot in the research and development of new Artillery, so the profit is not high after offsetting the costs and benefits.

The Arms Factory has expanded too rapidly. With the addition of branch factories and technical personnel stationed in the troops, the total number of employees exceeds 5,000. Burke has just taken over the Arms Factory and has been working tirelessly to ensure the livelihoods of these people.

Currently, the entire Arms Factory is focusing its efforts on the Type One Rifle they are developing in collaboration with the Research Institute. They are hoping that this Type One Rifle will gain the Duke's approval, thereby securing a large order from the territory's army.

When the Arms Factory gets new revenue, we can use this to generate some benefits and, incidentally, improve the Arms Factory's equipment and increase its production capacity.

This time, however, the Duke did not place many orders with the Arms Factory, but the Arms Factory had great confidence in its Type One Rifle product.

They also believed this was a revolutionary weapon that could absolutely change the course of warfare across the entire continent.

If this weapon performs well in actual combat and successfully gains the approval of the Army Department and His Duke, then orders will definitely come in large numbers.

After inspecting the entire Arms Factory, Victor was about to leave. After Yonicha and Burke saw Victor off from the town, Buker said to Yonicha, "Director Yonicha, we'll have to rely on you and the Research Institute for the improvement and development of the next Type One Rifle. Our Arms Factory will provide full cooperation."

Yonicha nodded. "That's only natural, but Director Burke, do you think it's time to settle our technical consultant fees?"

I know your Arms Factory is also facing difficulties because we haven't received any orders lately, so I haven't been urging you to follow up.

"But now that the research is showing initial results, and His Highness the Duke has approved a budget for you, shouldn't we settle the technical advisor fees first?"

After listening, Factory Director Burke smiled and said, "Of course, of course. I'll go back and have the finance department transfer it to the Research Institute."

However, Burke cursed inwardly, "That old bastard Yonicha, he's trying to rip me off as soon as he gets the money, he's really despicable."

It seems we need to give the factory's technical department a good push and find a way to gain more control over the rifle project.

Otherwise, while the technical consultation from the Research Institute is indeed excellent, their prices are too high.

After returning to his territory, Victor summoned several officials from the Army Department, as well as Santos, the Regimental Commander of the Fourth Regiment, and told Santos that the Fourth Regiment would soon be partially re-equipped with New Weapon.

Although Santos didn't understand what the Duke meant by the Type One Rifle," he trusted the Duke and naturally stated on the spot, " The Fourth Regiment will definitely receive the new equipment well and train the troops to a level where they can be deployed in actual combat."

Victor did not interrupt Santos, who was expressing his opinion to him, but after Santos finished speaking, Victor simply said, "You have a chance to prove yourselves. Next spring, I have a task for you."

This serves as a perfect opportunity for live-fire training of Type One Rifle. If it performs well in this war, the entire territory's army will gradually begin to switch to this new equipment.

Santos was surprised after hearing this. Although Victor did not explain much, judging from Victor's expression, Santos knew that Duke had high hopes for this Type One Rifle. It was likely to be a weapon that could change the course of warfare, just like Artillery. Santos couldn't help but feel more expectant.