Iron Power And Sorcerer

Iron Power And Sorcerer Chapter 378

2021-12-19

Chapter 378 vortex (4)

The night was dark and windy, and the streets were silent.

A big black cat leaped up the eaves and was disappeared in a blink of an eye.

After the winter, Tiangan Wuzao, the old town of Steel Castle began to implement a strict curfew. It is forbidden for any citizen to travel late at night for no reason, and it is even forbidden to use fire source at will outside.

But for those with special permits issued by Mayor Wupper, all prohibitions are rubbish.

No, there are two carriages ignoring the curfew and one after the other into a workshop on the north bank of the old town. The former carriage bears the nameplate of the Blacksmiths' Guild, while the latter bears the symbol of a white eagle with spread wings.

The night watchman lights all the lampstands, making the inside and outside of the workshop as bright as day.

Old Schmid took out the key, removed the three cumbersome iron locks with his own hands, and slowly pushed open the warehouse door.

The old blacksmith stood outside the workshop and was silent for a while. Then he turned to young Baron and introduced proudly, "This is the place, my forge."

"Okay." Winters was polite but distant: "Look at you. things."

Schmidt nodded, instructing a young man who was six points similar in appearance and stature to get "checking tools".

......

An iron rod, old man Schmid just glanced at his eyes and motioned young man to hand it to Baron.

Winters face doesn't change take the iron rod. He first put the iron rod in front of his eyes and checked the light repeatedly. Then lightly held the iron rod and rubbed it inch by inch, as if stroking the carcass of the opposite sex.

Finally, he walked to the grinding table, picked a caliper out of the assortment of tools, and began to measure the lengths of the iron rod.

During the whole process, Winters was able and calm, as if doing a little thing that was already too familiar.

Kaman didn't know why, and watched Winters' every move curiously, completely ignoring what the latter was doing.

Also watching Winters was Schmidt and the young man who brought the iron rod. The old blacksmith glanced at the little blacksmith, and the two exchanged opinions in silence.

After verification, Winters returned the iron rod to young man, and gently nods.

Old Schmidt cleared his throat and confidently invited Baron: "You can pick as many guns as you want."

The finished muskets are neatly stacked on the shelves. In appearance, they are very similar. But closer inspection reveals subtle differences.

Just as there are no two identical leaves, there are no two identical muskets, even if they come from the same workshop.

Winters looked towards Kaman.

Kaman was startled first, then walked into the shelf as he said, and brought back two muskets from the nearest.

"matchlock fire, reverse clamp, built-in bolt." Schmidt held the musket and explained proudly: "Wrought iron barrel, beech frame. As long as it is properly cared for, even if it lasts a hundred years It won't blow up either."

Winters had long noticed the difference between Schmid's matchlock gun and the usual matchlock guns, but deliberately did not express curiosity or surprise.

The bolt, the musket made in Schmid's workshop used a bolt he had never seen before.

Whether it is the Tiefeng County Army or the Palatine Standing Army, the trigger of the matchlock gun held by the soldiers is nothing more than a simple set of connecting rods, with a structure similar to a crossbow transmitter, and it is also external. set.

Only reed guns use an extra shell to cover the bolt, which is also because the reed reels are too delicate and easily damaged.

The gun in front of me is not equipped with a separate shell, but ingeniously slotted in the butt, the bolt is completely integrated into the gun body, and sealed with an iron plate, only the bend that holds the matchlock is exposed. rod.

The young man brought by the old man Schmid took out a can of sesame oil, carefully smeared the iron rod with oil, and then pressed the iron rod to the muzzle of the gun, making a muffled sound.

Although it was a little sluggish, the iron rod was steadily pushed into the barrel of the gun until it reached the bottom.

It was only now that Kaman understood - it turned out that this iron rod was a tool used to test whether the barrel was straight.

After checking one gun, young man pulled out the iron rod and checked the second gun as before. The same goes to the end, there is no problem.

"Every gun here is bored and ground once, and the bore is as smooth as a bitch's ass, so every lead hits in a straight line." Shimi The old German blacksmith handed one of the muskets to Winters: "You can't move guns in the city. I can ask my young son to accompany you to shoot outside the city tomorrow." The measured weight is about 8kg - much lighter than the heavy matchlock guns currently used by the Iron Peak Army.

As soon as he got started, he found another interesting design: the "firing" device of the Schmid workshop musket was not a common "shooting rod", but a crescent-shaped blocking plate.

He presses down on the stopper, and the curved rod holding the matchlock rotates. Release the blocking piece, and the bending rod returns to its original position.

As a soldier who is as familiar with firearms as his hands, Winters immediately realized the advantage of "blocking the stick instead of the launcher".

The reason is very simple: four fingers are needed to depress the launch rod, and only the thumb is holding the gun;

With stents, the difference is negligible. But if there is no bracket, the stability of the latter gun is far better than the former.

The similar design Winters has only been seen on the reed-wheel short gun, because the short gun needs to be held with one hand, it is difficult to hold the gun, and it is even more impossible to use three fingers to buckle the firing rod.

Since there is a similar design, why do the current matchlock guns use a launcher instead of a blocker?

The reason is also very simple: first, on the premise of having a bracket, there is little difference in holding the gun with more fingers; secondly, the lever structure of the bolt will amplify the resistance, if the launch rod is made too small, It will be laborious to wiggle.

Taking into account the actual situation of the battlefield such as rust, poor lubrication, and foreign matter blocking, using a small block to drive the bolt is tantamount to taking a wooden sign to pry a big rock. It's better to make the launch rod bigger to ensure that there are no accidents when using it.

However, at this moment, although the "blocker" of the musket in Winters' hand also has a feedback force, it is not so hard that it cannot be pressed, which is similar to the resistance of the trigger of the reed gun.

Winters resisted the urge to disassemble the bolt on the spot to inspect the structure, put the musket on the table disinterested, and asked peacefully, "No rifled musket? Only matchlock guns?"

"Of course there are also reed guns and rifled muskets." The old blacksmith of Schmid replied calmly: "If you want to buy, I can introduce you to other workshops."

" Your workshop doesn't make 'shotguns'?"

"When I was an apprentice, the master craftsman repeatedly warned that being proficient in one skill is enough to earn bread." Old man Schmid motioned the young man to put away the musket: " Rifing is a delicate craft, and there are gunsmiths who make rifles. I'll sell them barrels, but I can't make rifles."

Winters looked thoughtful: "It is said that Steel Castle's Blacksmiths have a very fine division of labor, and even grinders and hardeners have separate guilds?"

"How did you know that?" asked the old blacksmith Schmid.

"I heard about it while we were chatting."

"There used to be separate guilds - then they weren't called guilds, they were called 'brother guilds'. Brother guilds of swordsmiths, The grinder's brother's guild." Elder Schmid recalled looking at the beam of the workshop: "Now they have merged into the blacksmith's guild, several decades ago."

Winters listened politely, Don't say a word.

The young man brought by Schmid couldn't hold back a little and asked tentatively: "Your Excellency, there is a sword workshop next door, do you want to go and see the sword?"

"Of course you should see the sword." Winters put on his gloves at a moderate pace: "But did you take out two less things?"

"What?" The young man was still pretending to be stupid.

Winters frowned slightly, staring at the young man scrutiny, until the latter's eyes dodged, and then he raised his hand and nodded at the iron rod he just used to test the musket.

"Your Excellency Baron is an expert, don't be ashamed." The old man Schmid scolded in a deep voice, not only teaching a lesson, but also trying to smooth things out: "Don't hurry up!"

young man bowed his head Salute and leave sullenly.

When the young man walked into the workshop, Schmid also nodded to Winters: "Sorry, Your Excellency."

"It's okay." Winters smiled politely but coldly: "Then Is this your grandson?"

"Little son." The old blacksmith Schmidt looked rather complicated: "This forge will be handed over to him sooner or later, but he is always short on the heat."

p>

"Little son?" Winters didn't hide his surprise for the first time, and Carman didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

The young man was about the same age as Winters, and he was forty years younger than Schmidt said. son? It is enough for the old blacksmith to be a grandfather for him.

"Then you are really... old and strong." Winters asked with a smile, "How many sons do you have?"

The old blacksmith made a gesture, arrogant to Heaven and Earth Answer: "Seven!"

Winters nodded in respect, then asked, "Every son has a forge?"

"Of course." Old Schmid sighed slightly: "A lifetime of hard work, isn't it all for them."

"Have all your seven forges been distributed to your sons?"

"Eight, and more? I have one." Schmid added, slightly regressfully: "The other sons are already qualified forge masters, and they are burning hot, so I don't have to worry about it. Except for this young son, he almost worked out."

"What an incredible family business!" Winters pressed after the polite compliment: "But why don't you combine eight forges into one larger workshop?"

"When my son grows up, it's natural for him to split up his family." Schmidt asked rightly: "It's all together? Shouldn't the family property be given to them?"

"There are many ways, such as dividing give different shares."

Schmidt laughed and joked: "Maybe in the Empire. But in Montallan, if I do that, everyone will laugh at me for being a stingy stingy. Ghosts, don't even want to give their property to their sons. It's not good to let them run their own forge as they are now."

"Yes, you're right." Winters lightly smiling.

Kaman rolled the eyes in his heart: Because when Winters smiles like this, he's actually saying "you're wrong, but I'm too lazy to correct you".

A few words later, Schmid's youngest son walked out of the workshop and brought back two iron rods.

At first glance, there is no difference between the three iron rods, but when you put them together, you will find that the two iron rods taken out later are thicker and thinner.

Little Schmidt repeats the process of oiling and inspection.

This time, even Kaman, who knew nothing about firearms and blacksmithing, understood the principle: a thicker iron rod would not fit into the bore at all even if lubricated with oil; a thinner iron rod would not fit into the bore at all; The stick can be inserted into the barrel without hindrance.

Two verifications to confirm that the barrel is not only straight, but also that the change in inner diameter is within the allowable range.

After reading the second inspection, Winters nods, and without looking at the muskets on the shelf, he asks without hesitation: "Can you take me to see the swords?"

entire group Walking towards the Sword Workshop, Karman whispered to Winters, "[Old phrase] When did you become a 'connoisseur'?"

Winters blinked and replied easily: "[Old phrase] ] Now studying with Berian. In Steelcastle, you are bullied if you are not a connoisseur."

"[Old language] And...what were you laughing at?"

" [Old language] Huh?"

"[Old language] about the forge."

Winters looked at Kaman with a smile on his lips and shook his head slightly: "[Old language] It's complicated to say, go back and explain it to you."

The workshop for forging swords is right next to the gun workshop, and both workshops are owned by Schmid, but there is a low wall in the middle. Separate.

Go through a hidden wooden door to the Schmid sword workshop.

The layout of the Sword Workshop is similar to the Musket Workshop: Furnace, Hammer, Anvil. It's just a little smaller, because there's no drill press with the giant flywheels of the Musket Workshop.

An easier way to test a sword, Winters may be a fake connoisseur of guns, but Winters is a connoisseur of genuine about swords.

He first checked visually whether the blade was straight, and then pressed the blade down to test whether the blade had sufficient toughness and whether it could rebound normally after being bent under force.

The last step is the most critical and roughest, cutting the spherical anvil directly with the unbladed sword. If the blade has internal injury cracks, this step will deform or even break.

Winters still used his eyes to ask Kaman to pick out ten swords at random, but he did the test himself.

Across his gloves, he held the steel bar without the hilt tightly, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and security.

The slender blade is strong and tough, even the slightest movement of the blade tip can be accurately transmitted to the hand holding the sword.

Winters swung the blade slightly, and the blade slid through the air, making a "xiu xiu" sound.

Familiar with the weight of the blade, he swings the sword toward the anvil.

There was a crisp sound of "Dang", leaving a shallow scar on the surface of the spherical anvil, and the blade was intact.

Old Schmidt doesn't need to say more, little Schmidt also sees that the so-called "Baron" is a connoisseur of swords.

It is difficult to split an anvil, but the difficulty lies not in the blacksmith who forges the sword, but in the one who swings the sword.

No matter how good a sword is, it can't handle the thrust from the side. The best saber can be broken at the knee if the strength is applied in the right place.

The key to splitting an anvil is to make the blade fall vertically on the curved anvil surface.

Little Schmid silently put away his contempt for peers - "Lord Baron"'s movements were clean and neat, the sword tendons were very straight, and the blade was hardly deformed during the cutting process.

Winters is also satisfied. Because there is no weight and handle, the center of gravity of the sword is farther forward than the real sword. He used half of his strength to chop and slash, and the swords were all intact, indicating that the craftsmanship of Schmid's workshop was trustworthy.

Winters picked up the other swords and asked, "No sharpening?"

"If you need to sharpen, I can contact the sharpening workshop tonight. Little Schmid hurriedly replied: "It is not difficult to install the handle or sheath."

Winters did not agree or deny, smiled and said to Schmid's father and son: "Look at the knife again. I might need more sabers."

The sabers, which are also stocked in Schmidt's workshop, are made according to the usual shape of Plato's cavalry, with a blade length of one Meters or so, the radian is smaller.

Little Schmid clapped his chest and assured that if "Lord Baron" wanted the Saracen-style heavy sabers favored by the Imperial cavalry, he could get it, too, and as much as he wanted.

Later, Schmid's father and son and the others made an excuse to leave temporarily, leaving "Baron" and his "private priest" to rest, but in fact it was a goodwill for the two to negotiate individually time.

"[Old rhetoric] done?" Kaman asked in disbelief: "[Old rhetoric] so easy?"

"[Old rhetoric] how is that possible?" Winters Sipping clear water, he smiled and replied: "[Old saying] Only the goods prepared by his small workshop are enough for us to buy? Look at it, it's just the beginning. White Eagle treats us as pawns, but pawns also have pawn advantages, especially when we know what the players think. "

Kaman corrects meticulously: "[Old phrase] it's you, not us." "

"[Old language] You were there that day. "

"[Old phrase] I was just a witness, not involved." "

The two were chatting, Schmidt father and son returned to the house, the old blacksmith walked in front, and the young blacksmith was holding an exquisite wooden box in his hand.

"Lord Baron. The old blacksmith Schmidt bowed slightly and saluted: "My youngest son was offended just now. I apologize, please accept this gift." ”

Little Schmidt carefully placed the wooden box on the table and opened the lid.

Inside the box, a short blade lay quietly in the brocade.

The scabbard of the short blade is made of black sheepskin without any gold or silver jewelry. The handle is made of fish skin, which has a good texture, but is equally plain in style.

"Really good knife Without their luxurious scabbards, those knives are just decorations. The old blacksmith Schmid pulled out the short blade, and the blade was covered with cloud-like patterns: "And this knife is not. "

"This is..." Winters' eyes were immediately drawn.

"Uzi Steel!" The magic weapon of the Saracens. Schmid said proudly: "The blade is made of genuine Uzi steel. I forge and grind it myself, but it's a pity that it's only such a small piece." The hilt is Steel Castle craftsmanship, using stingray leather and silver-wrapped thread. "

In fact, it is more appropriate to call it a dagger. In the dim light, the dagger's spine shows a strange texture, as if the smoke is filled with smoke, and it is like rippling water.

Winters I couldn't help but want to pick up the dagger and play with it, but I couldn't help it: "Mr. Schmid, our business hasn't been done yet. ”

“It has nothing to do with business. "Schmidt laughed heartily: "One day when I die, this knife will belong to my youngest son." It makes sense that he offended you just now and apologized to you with his future property. "

Winters still didn't touch the dagger in the wooden box, he thought for a moment, and said to old Schmid: "Mr. can be bought. "

Old Schmidt face doesn't change, and sits down at the table with his back, waiting for "Baron" to continue.

Honestly speaking, the old blacksmith I thought that the buyer introduced by Mayor Wupper was just a kitten, but now the kitten has a faint scent of a whale.

The old man can still hold his breath, but the young man can't bear it anymore.

"Buy them all? "Little Schmid's eyes widened and he hurriedly asked: "What about the unit price?" "

"The market price of last September. "

Little Schmid made a quick calculation in his heart: last September was not the highest price, but it was much better than the current market price.

"You want to… ...how do I pay the bill? asked little Schmidt nervously. Don't make a promissory note, he thought.

Winters took a thin piece of paper out of his pocket and laid it flat on the table. Beautifully painted, with a security watermark and an ornate signature and lacquer of Bolso da Este.

“This is a deed from the Flora Trading Company. " Winters explained leisurely: "I pledged a gold worth 35,000 ducats in Flora Trading Company. Anyone who holds this contract can exchange thirty thousand ducats with Flora Trading Company at any time." , or redeem gold. "

Little Schmidt asked dryly, "Can I... take a look?" "

"Yes, please take a look. You can also check with Flora Trading Company to see if the pledge is true. "Winters replied with a small smile. In fact, he still has three deeds and pledge tickets of the same value.

Little Schmid couldn't wait to pick up the deed and read it backwards and forwards three times. Reluctantly, he put the deed back on the table.

"Enough. "Little Schmidt said a little worried about gains and losses: "Don't talk about buying stock, it's more than enough to buy the forge. "

Winters looked towards Old Schmid: "Would you like to check?" Mr. Schmid. "

"Not necessary. "

"Then why didn't you say a word?" "

"I'm waiting for you to say 'but'. "Old Schmidt sighed:" Your Excellency. "

Winters smiled: "But in addition to the blade, I'm going to buy a bunch of barrels. I'm not going to buy them individually, just buy them together. "

"The barrel? "Little Schmidt was stunned on the spot and asked: "Is the finished musket not good?" As you have seen just now, the quality of the muskets made by my workshop is of the highest quality. "

The manufacturing cycle of the barrel is much longer than that of the stock, so there is always a barrel for a gun - only the stock and the barrel, and the barrel without the stock. If not Place your order in advance, gunsmiths generally don't stock barrels.

"Buying barrels is the best deal for me for shipping, price, and legal reasons. ”

The old blacksmith of Schmid brows tightly frowns, silent.

Little Schmid gritted his teeth: "How about this? You add a little money and we'll sell you the musket as a barrel! Just add a little money! "

Winters glanced at little Schmidt and then at old Schmidt.

"Old man, I respect you and like you very much." " Winters mused: "But I'm going to kill you fiercely!" "

Winters replied calmly: "Your algorithm is wrong, Mr. Schmidt Jr. If you want to sell me a musket as a barrel, instead of paying more, you should reduce the price. "

"By... why? Little Schmid's eyes widened and he stood up suddenly. Even Kaman looked at Winters with a complex look of shock, confusion and impossible.

"Because you didn't pay for the removal of the barrel." count into it. Winters' tone was icy and irrefutable: "I—just the barrel." "

[Before I started writing, I had actually thought about what the author was going to say.]
[As a result, after writing this chapter, I forgot...]
[Oh! By the way, the matchlock gun!]
[The evolution of the matchlock gun actually has a history of more than 100 years. It is easy to be swallowed in this chapter, so I will add it in the author's words. The picture is in this chapter. Li]
[The most primordial bolt, the matchlock falls forward. This structure is the simplest, but it will waste the length of the butt, occupy the position of the barrel, and it is difficult for the shooter to observe the combustion of the matchlock. Japanese iron cannon In the end, it is the design of "matchlock falling forward"]
[The second generation of the bolt, the matchlock is moved towards the shooter's direction, that is, it falls backward. The advantage is that it will not take up the gun stock and leave more Space is given to the barrel, and it is convenient to observe the matchlock; the disadvantage is that the gunpowder pool and the shooter are no longer blocked by the bolt, and every shot is gray. Since the 16th century, matchlock guns basically popularized the bolt that fell backward]
[The third-generation bolt, on the basis of falling backward, added the structure of [built-in bolt] and [automatic reset], and gradually replaced the launch rod with the trigger. The reliability is better. Mass-produced during the British Civil War Matchlock guns are all similar in structure]
[There is also a small detail. Before that, when this book mentioned [trigger], it was linked to [spring wheel gun], and when it was mentioned that the matchlock gun was fired, it was [button]. Lower the launch lever] (there are two typos, cover your face)]
[Because the firearm trigger was first popularized from the spring wheel short gun, because the one-handed firearm has an "urgent demand" for the trigger, which in turn brings design innovations与进步]