Arms Production

In mid-October, the weather turned cold, and the construction plan for the territory entered its final stage, with everyone rushing to meet the deadline.

Inside the Riverside Village Arms Factory, Victor was talking to Bob. "Viscount, the armor production tasks assigned this year have all been completed on time. A total of 600 sets of half-body armor and 200 sets of chainmail have all been delivered."

"Bob, good job. More than a month ahead of schedule. I remember the original plan was to finish by the end of November."

"This is all thanks to the master craftsmen in the technical research lab who improved the process, and our workers have also become more skilled, so production efficiency has increased rapidly. It's just a pity that we don't have enough materials. If we had enough steel, our steel-faced half-body armor production capacity could double, and the production efficiency of chainmail would be increased several times over."

"Raw materials... The Northlands prefectures have just finished a major battle, and the price of iron on the market is still high. We can only rely on ourselves to slowly produce them. How are the modifications of the chariots I sent over coming along? Take me to see them."

"Of course, based on the design drawings you provided, the master craftsmen in the research lab, combined with the technical strength of our Arms Factory, have already completed the modification of more than a dozen vehicles. Although the materials used in this batch of vehicles are quite expensive, we only need to replace some parts. Otherwise, the modification work may be delayed due to insufficient raw materials."

When Victor heard Bob bring up the iron shortage again, his head started to ache. The territory was in dire need of steel for construction, especially since the Arms Factory was a major iron consumer due to the expansion of the army. As a result, the entire territory had stopped manufacturing farm tools. Fortunately, they had stockpiled some before, so there were enough farm tools available at the moment. Otherwise, Victor would have had an even bigger headache.

Bob led Victor into a large timber factory. In his previous life, such a timber-based factory would never have existed. Now, Victor had no choice but to accept it. Fortunately, it was located next to the Great Fish River, and there were special fire-fighting water trucks to deal with emergencies.

A dozen or so modified tanks were already parked on one side of the factory. Victor carefully examined the details of the tanks. The reinforcing parts at the bearings had been replaced with steel instead of wrought iron, the original spiked wheels had all been removed, and the wrought iron plates embedded on the sides had been replaced with steel plates. Most importantly, the metal spring suspension for the vehicle body had been completed according to the design given by the Calculation Module. He just didn't know how well it would work.

Just as Victor was carefully examining the chariot, Bob led an old man with a white beard over. Victor noticed him, straightened up, and greeted him, "Long time no see, Master Mikhail."

This white-bearded old man is a master craftsman personally recruited by Victor. He is skilled in making bows and crossbows and carriages. This year, he came to the Two Rivers Territory with the Weaponry Workshop.

"Your Excellency, take a look at the modifications to this chariot. We've reduced the extra features and strengthened the vehicle's structure, especially the bearings. The spring suspension and steering mechanism you requested have also been completed. This design is truly ingenious. I initially thought it would affect the vehicle's strength, but the spring suspension actually reduces wear and tear on bumpy roads. It's truly a masterpiece! Your Excellency is indeed a genius, to have come up with such a design. Moreover, given our technical capabilities, producing it would only be slightly challenging."

"You flatter me, Master Mikhail. I only talked and did some work. Without your actual operation, it wouldn't have been produced. By the way, how does this suspension work? Is it effective? How durable is it?"

"As you instructed, we conducted tests, including durability tests on the vehicle's load-bearing capacity. We also prepared the control group you mentioned, comparing the vehicle with and without spring suspension. In terms of load-bearing capacity, the maximum load-bearing capacity decreased by 500kg after installing the springs. However, when carrying the same 5000kg of cargo, the vehicle with the springs installed had more than twice the trouble-free driving time compared to the vehicle without them. The spring structure did indeed buffer the wear and tear on the vehicle body."

"It seems that the modification of this vehicle is complete. The next step is to see how well the troops actually use it, how the spring production volume is, and what the yield rate and production speed are like."

"Although raw materials are in short supply, the steel delivered by our ironworks is indeed of very high quality. Using the cold rolling method and heat treatment technology you provided, the yield of finished springs is very high. The production efficiency is a little slow, but it is sufficient to meet the needs of the renovation."

"That's good. How difficult is it to replace this kind of spring suspension? When we're out in the field, we can only rely on the engineering squadron that's with us to do the repairs."

"Of course, based on your battlefield maintenance requirements, the replacement method we designed is not complicated, and the craftsmen and apprentices in the engineering squadron can master it quickly."

Victor nodded. The tank modification was going better than he had planned. They could also use the winter to conduct simple training exercises for the transport detachment, and then try to enter the grasslands for an expedition next spring.

Victor quickly thought of something else, so he asked directly, "Master Mikhail, how are you doing with the blueprints for the Bed Crossbow and ballistae I sent you? And could you try to repair those Bed Crossbow and ballistae that you sent over?"

"Your Excellency, as you know, although we have some technical skills, we have never made such heavy weapons before. I can only try to make them based on my previous experience in making crossbows. However, the blueprints you sent are indeed a bit different from others, and we need time. But the repair is not a big problem. We have already prepared the materials. It's just that the materials for the Bed Crossbow and the crossbow arm need to be air-dried naturally. I estimate that we can start the repair after next spring."

"There's no rush, but since the wood needs to be air-dried, it will take a long time. Have you considered using steel to make the crossbow body?"

Upon hearing this, Mikhail and Bob exchanged glances, realizing they hadn't considered using steel directly to make the crossbow body.

"You're really amazing. I... no, we never thought of this, or rather, we've never encountered this kind of steel before. The steel produced in our territory is very tough and strong enough. It's suitable for making chainmail and springs, so it would definitely be perfect for making crossbow bodies. How come we didn't think of that?" Mikhail muttered to himself.

Bob quickly chimed in, "Your Excellency, I also think it's a very feasible idea. To be honest, I hadn't thought of these things. Our steel mill produces such good steel, but we've only been thinking about making knives and swords. Your Excellency knows so much more."

Victor quickly waved his hand, telling Bob to stop praising him. Actually, the suggestion to use steel for the crossbow body came from Number One, something Victor himself hadn't thought of.