Chapter 297 Combination

However, Franz did not manufacture weapons on a large scale in Tyrol, because those weapons would completely change the battlefield pattern of the entire era, and even the rules of war.

Franz was afraid that if he interfered too much in the course of history, he would be backfired by the times, and then enter a completely unknown era, and lose his advantage as a time traveler. After all, human beings' fear of the unknown is rooted in the depths of their genes and is not so easy to overcome.

In addition to artillery and breech-loading rifles, Franz had the highest hopes for grenades. In fact, grenades are not new in Europe, and even the grenadiers themselves are derived from the word grenade.

However, the grenades of this era are very different from those of later generations. They look more like spherical mines of later generations, usually in 5 kg, 10 kg, and 20 kg models.

The 5 kg model is understandable, which is almost the weight of the shot put in later generations. It is not a problem for a strong person to throw about 15 meters, but it is a problem for an ordinary adult to throw 7-8 meters.

As for the 10kg grenade, it is very difficult for even a strong man to throw it 10 meters, and the 20kg grenade is even more difficult. Franz doesn't believe that anyone would be embarrassed to carry a 20kg grenade to the battlefield.

In fact, both 10kg and 20kg grenades are defensive grenades. The reason why they are so heavy is that they are afraid that the opponent will throw them back. After all, the fuses of the grenades were cut by the grenadiers themselves at that time. Usually, in order not to blow themselves up, the fuses were left longer, which led to the dilemma that the opponent might throw them back.

Especially in siege warfare, as the defenders are already in a narrow terrain, if another grenade is thrown back and explodes, it will be a huge blow to the soldiers' spirit and body.

Maybe someone can throw a 5kg grenade more than ten meters in a straight line, but it is almost impossible to throw a 20kg defensive grenade back to a 3-5 meter high wall.

However, with the development of rifles and artillery, grenades gradually faded out of people's sight. Only backward countries like Austria and Russia would use them in defensive battles.

Franz hoped that weapons experts could reduce the weight of grenades to less than 0.5 kg, because even the famous wooden-handled grenades in later generations were only 0.6-0.8 kg, and the weight of the warhead usually did not exceed 200 grams.

Austrian weapons experts did not understand Franz's intention, but after repeated tests, if they wanted to maintain the lethality of grenades, they needed a minimum charge of 1.5 kg, and with a wooden handle, they could indeed throw it farther.

Even an ordinary soldier could throw it 25 meters away, but this was still incomparable to the distance of a rifle.

Franz understood their ideas, but he couldn't tell them that trench warfare and street fighting would become the mainstream of war in the future. Even if he did, no one would believe it.

But something happened that shocked Franz. A group of rocket engineers invented the grenade launcher, a magical piece of equipment, based on the principle of a rodless spinning rocket.

One of the rocket engineers, Essen Borna, built a miniature launcher, which was the prototype of the grenade launcher.

This weapon is light, easy to carry, and can provide considerable firepower. Its range is much higher than the throwing distance of infantry, and the maximum can reach 80 meters.

Although 80 meters is a bit ridiculous compared to the 300-meter range of the later grenade launcher, it does not affect its becoming a major killer on the battlefield of this era.

In fact, the main factors affecting the range are the airtightness and propellant, which are obstacles that cannot be avoided in the development of weapons, but Franz's understanding of yellow gunpowder is not enough for him to explain its principles to experts.

Moreover, the explosive power of this gunpowder is amazing, which also eliminates Franz's idea of ​​doing experiments himself.

In fact, Dr. Schönbein in Vienna has already tinkered with collodion, but he contributed it to the medical cause, used to treat wounds, seal bottle stoppers, etc.

Nitrocellulose is the main raw material of the world's first smokeless gunpowder. It's a pity that Austrian weapons experts selectively ignored this great invention, and the result was of course that they were blown up.

In fact, Austria still has a long way to go from nitrocellulose to smokeless gunpowder, but Franz is not in a hurry, after all, he is still "young".

At this time, the most profitable business of the entire arsenal is the sale of rifled barrels, the market price is as high as 15 florins, and the quality is far inferior to the products of Franz Arsenal.

So it is impossible to expect Franz to lower the price. After all, the arms business is a pitfall of foreigners' money. As for the purchase of the country's military, it is 50% off. Even so, selling rifled barrels is still a lucrative business.

Rhine, Ruhr Industrial Zone.

Alfred Krupp stared at the manganese steel in the crucible in a daze, because its price can completely bankrupt a small businessman, and it takes more than a dozen pots, or even dozens of pots to make a cannon.

There is no doubt that no country in the world will accept this price. He smiled self-deprecatingly and could only beat this furnace of molten steel into swords and kitchen utensils.

Werner von Siemens, who could truly change the history of steelmaking in Prussia and even the entire European steel industry, was still happily inventing in a prison in Magdeburg.

There is a saying that "gold will always shine." It is very suitable to describe Werner von Siemens. His inventions in prison attracted the interest of King William IV of Prussia.

As mentioned above, the Prussian king was a very gentle man on the surface. He could lend money to Krupp to help his family get through the difficult times. He also pardoned the inventor in prison.

William IV hoped that Siemens could contribute more patents to Prussia, and the latter would naturally be grateful for the king's actions and completely ignore Franz's recruitment.

Because there was no place in Prussia that was more anti-Austrian than the army. As a captain of the Prussian artillery, Siemens had also received the king's favor, and it was even more impossible for him to have a good impression of Austria.

At the same time, Siemens' release from prison attracted the attention of another person, a farmer from Pomerania.

After Siemens was released from prison, he was sent to the Spandau Fireworks Factory. It was an honor to be able to enter the fireworks factory in Prussia, because their products would be displayed in front of the kingdom and those very distinguished guests from various countries.

He liked his new job very much, and used his ingenuity to create several unprecedented fireworks. Those gorgeous fireworks and the annual income of 500 florins made Siemens feel very satisfied, because he could pay the tuition of his two older brothers and take care of their younger brothers.

One day, a young man with a face as sharp as a knife and a slightly gloomy temperament came to Siemens.

"Hello, Mr. Siemens."

"Hello, sir. How can I help you? If you want to order fireworks, you have to wait until next month. You should know that there are many celebrations and festivals recently."

"No, sir. I think you deserve a better life."

"I'm sorry, sir. Did I hear you right? You mean that the employees of the fireworks factory have a better job?"

"Yes, you heard me right. I hope you can join Mr. Krupp's steel plant." The young man replied in a very firm tone.