Munitions Empire Chapter 3: 3 secret weapons

Brunas stood as a modest coastal town, featuring a dock where local fishermen gathered to trade their fresh catches for money. As a result, the place hummed with constant activity, giving off an air of thriving prosperity.

Tang Mo's weapons workshop sat at the outskirts of this little town, crafting diverse goods using coal mined from close-by hills and bought iron.

Longswords had long been the top sellers, since most mercenaries and the kingdom's City Defense Forces still wielded cold weapons, favoring longswords above all.

Following those came everyday items like hoes, farming tools, iron pots, and kitchen knives—not military gear. Though they offered slim margins, they formed a key revenue stream for the workshop.

This harsh truth stared Tang Mo in the face, one he hated acknowledging: his operation resembled a blacksmith shop far more than a true armory!

In the past, a smithy like this could scrape by, holding steady in peaceful times. Lately, though, tensions escalated between the Leite Kingdom and the northern Suthers Kingdom, driving steel costs sky-high.

War's ominous shadow loomed across the realm, sparking widespread unease; orders dwindled as folks held back warily, plunging Tang Mo's weapon shop into mounting troubles.

Having battled through yet another night without sleep, Tang Mo hauled his weary frame back to his domain, too drained even for words.

He hadn't shunned a city inn for the night and a morning return; no, lodging expenses were beyond his means. Thus, he and Roger journeyed through the dark hours, reaching the workshop at first light.

"Ha..." Letting out a massive yawn, Tang Mo collapsed into his chair. The ledger remained flipped open to the very page from his departure.

A solitary ink bottle and worn dip pen rested in one desk corner, while a gas lamp occupied the other.

Employed indoors, this gadget demanded open windows for safety. Risky yet affordable, it stayed essential until Tang Mo devised a tungsten filament lamp.

Unlike lavish nobles with their costly candles, he couldn't indulge yet. Someday perhaps, but currently, he ranked among the desperately broke.

This very office doubled as Tang Mo's sleeping quarters, holding a lone bed and a bulging closet stuffed with odds and ends.

During the workshop's salary crunch and near-collapse, Tang Mo faced a grim choice: sell the business or his house. He picked the house—the charming home of his once-joyful family of three—saving the workshop.

The operation teetered on ruin's edge before he stepped in, low on funds. Luckily, his timely arrival changed that!

"Waiting idly for doom isn't my way, Roger! Let's push forward; any chance we could meet the King by heading to the King City?"

"No chance; why would the King bother with some random commoner?" Roger replied, shaking his head while rubbing his sore legs.

Stunned, Tang Mo eyed the new rifled gun leaning against the wall, surprise lacing his tone as he shot back, "Doesn't this count as a reason?"

"Shireck folks won't allow it. Mark my words: if they learn our tech, they'll copy it fast and undercut us with lower prices," Roger persisted, head still shaking.

"Fine! No sleep all night—go crash now," Tang Mo ushered elderly Roger from the room, cracked his neck twice, and beckoned a nearby peeking young apprentice, "You done with those tasks I set before leaving?"

"Yes, sir." Eager at Tang Mo's query, the youth dashed up, holding out a part like prized treasure.

This fist-sized cylinder gleamed smoothly; experts would spot it instantly as the drum from a Left-Wheel Handgun.

Grinning with thrill, Tang Mo inspected the flawless cylinder. At last, his hidden ace's crucial piece stood finished!

Back in his room, he settled at the desk, yanked open a drawer, and fetched an oil-paper bundle. Unfolding it revealed a jumble of scattered components.

Shaking off exhaustion, he set to assembling, linking the disparate bits step by step, occasionally tapping rivets with a tiny hammer to secure the mechanisms tight.

Naturally, matters proved far more challenging than Tang Mo had anticipated. The Left-Wheel Handgun approached completion only as the afternoon wore on deeply.

As he lifted the Left-Wheel Handgun from the desk yet again, it had transformed into a fully finished masterpiece without question.

Tang Mo steadied the handgun horizontally, sighting along the rear notch past the front sight, with the barrel trained squarely on the doorway.

Both the needle-fire gun and this unprecedented Left-Wheel Handgun in his grasp stemmed from parallel progress in guns and their ammunition.

In his makeshift lab, Tang Mo had synthesized mercury fulminate, yielding a modest batch of this superior, steadier priming compound.

This breakthrough rendered flintlock firing systems overly bulky, since mercury fulminate readily formed an entirely fresh ignition method: the "percussion cap."

Tang Mo owed his command of these techniques to transmigrating alongside a computer. Upon entering this realm, his brain mysteriously acquired a supercomputer that could scour the internet for knowledge.

Leveraging this "golden finger," Tang Mo refined prevailing tech to elevate armaments—birthing the needle-gun and now the left-wheel handgun in his possession, a device poised to upend the age itself.

Current guns managed just a single close-range shot, crippling their battlefield versatility in chaotic scenarios.

As a result, much like in classic films, most troops of this time carried guns alongside bladed weapons such as longswords.

Who would dream that a game-changer shattering these limits now existed, right there in Tang Mo's hands?

The dread power of six rapid-fire rounds made it Tang Mo's hidden ace, granting solid self-defense against any foe.

Employing paper cartridges, this handgun outpaced and simplified loading over every rival firearm. Against flintlocks, while enemies squeezed off three rounds, Tang Mo could unleash twelve—a barrage truly nightmarish in scope.

Right as Tang Mo prepared to load the pre-made bullets into his handgun, a young lad showed up, rubbing greasy hands on his apron, peering from the entrance: "Boss! Someone's here for you! Says he wants to buy a gun."

Though dubbed Tang Weapons Workshop, it had outgrown a mere shack, resembling a modest factory. As the proverb states, "though tiny like a sparrow, it has all vital organs"—a spot-on fit for this venture.

It boasted a smelting and forging area for crafting custom steel, plus a machining shop for hammering, sharpening, and finishing.

Naturally, from past musket repairs, woodworking tools and staff were on hand, alongside women feeding the workers and lads—a sizable crew indeed.

Beyond apprentices, all relied on Tang Mo for sustenance, and they brought real expertise. Seasoned artisans formed the backbone, explaining why Tang Mo stuck with them.

What costs most nowadays? Talent, without doubt! Over these ten-plus days of collaboration, Tang Mo saw these folks as elite performers!

Thanks to such proficient hands, Tang Mo finished designing and building the needle-gun, bold enough to defy Shireck, the colossal arms titan looming ahead!

Crossing the bustling production floor into the blazing smelter, Tang Mo encountered the travel-worn visitor.

Instantly, he spotted a familiar face—the guard from Baron Stela's side during the test firing.

"Sir!" Spotting him in return, Tang Mo extended a hand for a brief clasp: "Welcome to Tang's Weapons Shop."

"I'm Wes! We crossed paths at Baron Stela's." Wes presented himself: "Trailed you here, surprised you raced back overnight."

Tang Mo waved the gawking workers back to work, then grinned at Wes: "So, what brings you chasing after me like this?"

"Weapons purchase." Wes shot back at once to Tang Mo's query: "I'm keen on that..."

"K1 Quick Gun." Tang Mo prompted.

"I'm interested in the K1 Quick Gun," Wes removed his gloves: "Or more precisely, one of my former patrons... would definitely take a shine to the K1 Quick Gun."

Tang Mo gave a slight nod: "That's great news for us. Mind sharing details on this old patron of yours? I gotta know who I'll be getting the final payment from, right?"

"Hahaha!" Wes let out a booming laugh, then nodded: "I once served under Earl Ronin Fisallo, and afterward got hired by Baron Stela... Though I favor Earl Fisallo more than that wasteful spendthrift."

He paused briefly before going on: "As you're aware, ties between our kingdom and the Suthers Kingdom are growing ever more strained... Positioned right on the northern frontier, Earl Fisallo's domain now teeters on the edge of danger. The looming shadow of war forces him to gear up, yet the Earl, who treasures his subjects like his own offspring, refuses to drag common folk into the meat grinder of conscription."

"Sadly, sticking only to his battle-hardened regular forces leaves the Lord Earl grappling with a severe shortage of troops. Thus, he desperately seeks a way to overcome these pressing challenges." Wes declared: "I'm convinced the K1 Quick Gun you possess could provide just that solution."

"Then you've absolutely found the right man!" Tang Mo snapped his fingers and jabbed a thumb at his chest: "Trust me, the K1 Quick Gun boasts a firing speed three times greater than the Shireck Flintlock Gun! Any foes storming into the Earl's lands will taste the fury of a steel tempest firsthand!"

"I don't question that at all—that's precisely why I left my post to track you down... I want you to join me on a trip to the Northern Ridge. Bring your innovative weapon! The Earl's reward is generous: 500 Gold Coins... I'll claim thirty percent." With those words, Wes fixed his gaze on Tang Mo, awaiting his verdict.

"Twenty percent." Tang Mo mulled it over for roughly ten seconds before succumbing to the irresistible allure, steeling himself for the gamble.

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