Munitions Empire

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He also knew that even if he placed an order with Tang Mo now, it would still be too late. Even Shireck's workshop would need a long time to produce over a thousand rifles.

Tang Mo, however, was unwilling to give up this order that was within his grasp. Thus, he opened his mouth and said to the Earl, "It's not too late, Lord Earl. Time can always be squeezed out a bit, if you have the money, I think I can expand my production scale and meet your demands as soon as possible."

In fact, weapon performance was only one aspect, Tang Mo knew that what truly changed the times was the transformation of the mode of production. Shireck might be able to compete with him in terms of weapon technology, but in terms of production technology, they were not even in the same league!

The Earl didn't know what Tang Mo was pondering in his mind; he just really wanted to know how soon he could get these weapons.

These weapons were very important to him; if he could equip his troops with them quickly, he was confident he would be able to calmly face the upcoming war.

He needed his troops to be able to enter the battlefield in a state of completed training, so he had to leave himself plenty of time.

Therefore, the production time he could give Tang Mo was actually very limited—he thought, at most, two to three months.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but look towards Tang Mo and asked, "Like you said, how quickly can it be done? We have less than half a year left."

Tang Mo calculated in his mind. If he went back, worked with several engineers and old Roger to create standard industrial mother machines, and then quickly produced a few steam engines according to the blueprints, making weapons would become much simpler.

As long as there was a continuous power source, boring gun barrels would become simpler. He wasn't trying to produce extremely precise sniper rifle barrels; the basic requirement for a gun barrel of this era was simply that the bullet could fly out of the barrel.

So, if he really had steam engines and the associated equipment, then Tang Mo could instantly increase the production capacity to ten times, or even a hundred times the current level.

And the design drawings that restricted him were already in his mind at this very moment—compared to those engineers who had to start from scratch, his advantage was simply too obvious.

These were the key to expanding his production and also his future money-making cornucopia! As long as Lord Earl was willing to foot the bill for these production facilities, then the subsequent business would really be as lucrative as robbing a bank.

So, after calculating the time, he answered Lord Earl, "If Lord Earl can meet my demands, I might be able to provide you with 500 K1 Quick Guns in up to three months."

"Are you joking?" Hearing such a satisfying answer, the Earl was caught off guard. He looked at Tang Mo incredulously, afraid he had heard wrong.

"I'm not joking." Tang Mo shook his head and once again gave a firm reply to Lord Earl, "Within three months! As long as you give me everything I need."

Unlike other technicians, or rather Tang Mo had a greater advantage than other technicians, he had the completed blueprints in his mind!

He didn't need to experiment or take any detours. He just needed to get various standard parts and then assemble them together.

What others needed a lifetime, or even generations to accumulate experience, and then the sudden inspiration of some genius, he only needed to flip through the materials to understand all the results clearly.

When others were still wondering what use this thing had, he had already foreseen the technical difficulties of the subsequent improved models in his mind.

While those poor engineers were still pondering which type of bullet represented the future development direction, Tang Mo was already considering whether to use Type 95 or M4 for the assault rifles.

This was Tang Mo's advantage; in this field, no one could match his speed, no one could defeat him.

"..." Looking at Tang Mo's confident eyes, Count Fisheo finally decided to give it a try.

After all, the Quick Gun in his hand was not fake; if Tang Mo succeeded, then his troops could indeed achieve a huge advantage on the battlefield.

So, Count Fisheo gripped the rifle in his hand tightly, as if making a huge decision, and stared at Tang Mo, asking, "Alright, tell me, what do you need?"

In fact, he had indeed made a decision—as long as Tang Mo's demands weren't too outrageous, he had decided to give it a try. If he won this war, then he might be able to get more elsewhere.

Tang Mo roughly estimated that he didn't need too many work hands, but those he did need must be the elite of the elite.

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In this era, most tools still had to be handcrafted, and certain parts of Tang Mo's also had to rely on craftsmen with skills comparable to those of seventh-level artisans.

If he could somehow manage to manufacture the master machine, he would be able to immediately produce steam engines and other ancillary equipment. Once the manufacturing of these devices was on track, the production of firearms and ammunition would become much easier.

By then, with sufficient machinery, he could produce several hundred gun barrels in a day, and complete the order from Lord Earl within two days.

Therefore, Tang Mo extended a hand and said to Lord Earl, "I need manpower, very skilled craftsmen. The kind that can truly work on their own. You could find the best from blacksmiths, watchmakers...at least ten of them! And including apprentices, other workers, at least 70 people."

Upon hearing Tang Mo's first request, the Earl nodded slightly—demand for manpower was quite reasonable, after all, these people represented productive forces.

He also felt that in order to produce enough firearms, expanding the workforce was necessary, and he even thought that Tang Mo was asking for too few people.

Because he had heard that in Shireck's firearms workshop, there were two to three thousand workers responsible for producing firearms. With that scale, they could only manufacture three to five hundred rifles a year.

Hence, he thought Tang Mo would ask for 1,000 people, but to his surprise, Tang Mo only asked for 70! So he breathed a sigh of relief and continued to inquire, "What else?"

As the actual owner of Northern Ridge, Count Fisheo was confident in his capabilities. He could definitely find 70 craftsmen, and he could even be choosy about it, getting a group with substantial skills.

Since the Earl asked again, Tang Mo continued, "Raw materials, top-quality raw materials, including steel and coal, and of course, enough food, vegetables, and meat to feed all the apprentices and workers in the workshop during this period."

He was here to make money, or at least to keep the whole workshop afloat. So, he must secure supplies to sustain his workers.

"Anything else?" This request was also reasonable, and Lord Earl nodded again in agreement with Tang Mo's demands. He then continued, "What else do you need?"

"Funds to purchase other raw materials, a deposit of 2,500 gold coins, at least a 20-man security troop to protect me and my workshop, to help us handle troublesome issues so we can produce peacefully... and of course, to save you the worry of us running off," Tang Mo pointed at himself.

"Hahaha! I like you, lad!" The Earl laughed heartily, patting Tagg on the shoulder beside him, and everyone followed suit with laughter.

After the laughter, the Earl looked at Tang Mo again with some difficulty and said, "I might not be able to come up with that many gold coins right away."

"You can use the ores and coal from Northern Ridge to settle part of it—the part that is my actual profit. I have no choice but to take cash for the workers' wages, but I can exchange my profit for materials, that's not a problem," Tang Mo did not insist on cash but was willing to take materials in place of his profit.

After all, he needed to expand production, and whether it was steel or coal, he would soon be demanding them in large quantities. These resources could never be too much, as they would be consumed again very swiftly.

This flexible trade-off also meant that Count Fisheo didn't have to worry about having to raise that many gold coins—it was a win-win concession that naturally left everyone content.

The Earl nodded slightly, readily agreeing to this arrangement, "That sounds reasonable. If I do all this, then... within two months, I can get 500 Quick Guns identical to this K1 model?"

This time Tang Mo shook his head, and just as everyone was prepared to change their expressions, he continued, "Certainly not the same, there would be no carvings on them."

The Earl glanced at the sample of the K1 Quick Gun in his hand, saw the decorations added specifically to please the nobility, and once again a smile appeared on his face, "Hahaha! Good! I will help you prepare all these as soon as possible."

"Additionally..." he paused, looking at Tagg and the other officers beside him, his voice trailing off.

After drawing out his words, he explained to Tang Mo, "Changing weapons on the battlefield actually entails some risks!"

"You see, teaching soldiers to operate your weapons, familiarize them with their maintenance, and then taking these weapons onto the battlefield... is not an easy task." As he spoke, he pointed to two rows of soldiers conducting drills a short distance away.

"So, what would you ask of me, Lord Earl?" Tang Mo asked with a smile upon hearing the Earl's lead-in, guessing he had more to say.

Looking towards the distant soldiers, the Earl made his request, "So I hope that after selling the weapons, you can personally come to Northern Ridge, to act as a consultant to help train the soldiers equipped with the new rifles."

"That would be part of after-sales service, you've reminded me, Lord Earl," Tang Mo said earnestly. "Rest assured, our after-sales standards are the highest worldwide, without question, guaranteed to satisfy the customer."