Chapter 93 Plan A Is Cancelled

Schönbrunn Palace, Royal Garden.

Friedrich shook his head, indicating that he did not know the country cousin named Ambrosius, and had no interest in fighting the natives in Southeast Asia.

Franz wanted to persuade him again, but Friedrich was determined.

If the Austrian Navy could not be asked for help, then the power of the church would have to be relied on.

But the church is a double-edged sword. The more you use it, the more you rely on it, and the more you use it, the easier it is to get out of hand.

If you really want to solve the problem of the church, you will either endure the pain of digging out flesh and scraping bones, or use dozens or even hundreds of years to wear away its influence.

"So what is your plan?" Franz asked.

"Of course, it is to go to Mexico for armed escort. Count Tural is worried about this. Count Tural will be very happy at that time, because the equipment sold to Mexico will allow him to get one step closer to his plan."

Franz certainly knew Count Tural's plan, but in Franz's eyes, this plan was stupid and meaningless.

Because the M1831 muzzle-loading smoothbore rifle that the Austrian Army wanted to update, although it was the latest smoothbore rifle, did not have a very obvious improvement in firepower and other aspects.

The M1831 muzzle-loading smoothbore rifle was better made than the smoothbore rifles produced in Austria in the last century. The ignition method changed from volley to percussion, the caliber was larger, the barrel was longer, the power was greater than before, and it was more advantageous when fighting with bayonets.

In fact, in 1836, Dreiser completed the design of the entire needle-fire gun that loaded ammunition from the back.

At that time, rifles were loaded from the muzzle, and loading ammunition from the back was a very "treasonous" practice.

However, the Prussian government recognized the superiority of this rifle, so the government immediately acquired this invention.

The government took over everything, classified it as confidential, and developed it in a confidential environment.

Franz also wrote anonymously to the military, reminding them of the huge advantages of breech-loading rifles, but in the eyes of the military's top brass, this was completely nonsense.

The price of breech-loading rifles is too expensive, and there are many hidden dangers, and it is not easy to repair.

The most important thing is that the way of loading from the breech is not so elegant.

A general even sarcastically said, "A noble man should eat with his mouth, not his buttocks, and the same goes for guns."

In fact, breech-loading rifles have appeared a long time ago, and the earliest one should be the Ferguson rifle.

This Ferguson is not the head coach of Manchester United, but the protagonist of the text "The Shot Not Fired".

He once let go of Washington, the first president of the United States. Here I don’t call Washington the "Father of the United States", because I only recognize Louis XVI as the "Father of the United States".

However, the American sniper did not let him go, and Ferguson and his Ferguson rifle became history from then on.

In fact, the real reason why the Ferguson rifle was buried was not Captain Ferguson, but its too expensive price. The cost of 150 pounds made many nobles discouraged.

The other is the Hall rifle that Americans are proud of. Legend has it that this rifle has a range of 1,200 meters, can shoot up to ten times per minute, and can hit a penny 500 meters away.

Of course, this is just an American folk legend. After all, the above performance can already compete with the rifles in World War II.

In history, a team of rangers equipped with Hall rifles was wiped out when driving away Indians. In the book, American volunteers equipped with Hall rifles were pressed to the ground and hammered by Mexicans.

In fact, the Hall rifle has a fatal flaw, that is, it is seriously insufficient in airtightness.

This rifle has a figurative name called "muddy face". Because black powder was used at the time, a large amount of residue would be produced every time it burned. If it was not cleaned up, this rifle would cause the chamber to leak after three or four shots. The residue of black powder would directly spray the soldier's face, and in serious cases, it would even explode.

Another characteristic of insufficient airtightness is that the thrust is very poor. Even if the amount of gunpowder is increased, it can only reach one-third of the power of an ordinary rifle. Long-range shooting on the battlefield often fails to penetrate the wooden board, or the same person is not killed after several shots.

The M1826 smoothbore cannon is very useful, but the cost is a bit high.

"I understand that you want to go to Mexico, but Prime Minister Metternich is opposed to getting involved in the Mexican Civil War." Franz said.

"Oh, this is easy. The navy can make an exercise plan. After all, the Austrian Navy has never sailed on the ocean before. I think Prince Metternich should also know the importance of the navy to a country in this era." Friedrich replied.

Franz still wanted to persuade him again, so he said.

"Prince Metternich will not allow you to take the navy to the warring countries, so consider building new warships in Trieste."

"America is so big, and there is more than just Mexico. It will be easy to change the route at that time. As for the new warships, you don't have to worry. I have a group of great technicians who can build anything I want. Of course, I will stay in Trieste for a month and leave after the plan is on track."

Friedrich understood the importance of new warships, but he also wanted to train his troops. After all, he didn't know the true strength of the Austrian Navy yet, and it was also to prepare for the major event that Franz said might change the fate of the Austrian Empire.

Theoretically, the Mexican navy poses no threat to the Austrian naval fleet, but in this era, bad weather, disease, and even pirates may take lives when sailing on the sea, and there are too many uncertainties in naval battles, so Franz can only continue to remind them.

"Be careful, and if possible, it is best not to engage in meaningless battles. Your mission this time is just to deliver goods, and the Austrian Imperial Navy is still waiting for you to carry forward."

"This is a rare opportunity for actual combat, how could I give up? According to intelligence, the Mexicans don't even have a battleship, only light gunboats left by the Spanish." Friedrich said.

"Your intelligence may be wrong, and our Austrian Empire Navy doesn't seem to have battleships that can sail far, only some cruisers and frigates." Franz replied.

"Oh, dear Franz. You may not know much about the navy. How difficult it is to use a light gunboat to sink a frigate." Friedrich seemed indifferent.

At this time, the high-explosive shells known as "ship killers" had not yet been born, and everyone was still in the stage of throwing iron balls at each other in naval battles, and large ships undoubtedly had a huge advantage.

In fact, Friedrich's judgment was indeed correct. The light gunboats of the Mexican Navy were simply a joke when facing the Austrian cruisers, but at this time, the Austrian cruisers were also a joke in front of the British main battleships.

After that, Franz discussed the European situation and military construction with Friedrich again, and an afternoon passed in a blink of an eye.

Franz invited Friedrich to dinner, but Friedrich refused. He was busy going home to draw the design drawings of the battleship.

Friedrich glanced at Talia when he left, but Talia pretended to clean up the tableware on the table and avoided Friedrich's sight.

After Friedrich left, Franz stared at Talia.

"What are you looking at me for! Is there a fly on my face?" Talia asked.

"Usually you don't clean up your own food and order servants around. What's wrong today?"

Talia was annoyed by Franz's teasing, but she couldn't get angry in front of others, so she said with a smile.

"Archduke Franz, exercise is good for your health."

"Okay, then walk with me." Franz said.

Thanks to the book friend uffizi for the reward, who is also the first deacon of this book. Logically, I should add a separate chapter, but I encountered some situations today (the group was blocked and the pot was burned), so it may be postponed until tomorrow.

Thanks to the book friend xiaotang246 for the reward and the book friends 20190706212226573 and uffizi for the monthly tickets, as well as the support of all the readers.

Thank you!

The last is the daily ticket request stage.

New group number: 1169352392