Chapter 85 Smokeless Gunpowder

Everyone heard Constantine's words, but they could not refute them.

"It is better to believe that the Italians have feelings for Albania than not to believe that they do not."

"On the other hand, even if there are no political factors behind these Italians, it is not wrong for us to sponsor some Albanian scholars. In any case, it can make them closer to Greece."

"Remember to take out a sum of money in the name of your education foundation to sponsor the Albanians," Constantine said to Sophie and the other two.

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In 1888, the steel plant that Constantine had been thinking about was finally completed and put into production.

The manager of the steel plant, Skarloi, invited Constantine, Laris and Rodokanaschi, three shareholders of the steel plant, and the Prime Minister of Greece, Trikupis, to come to the steel plant to witness this great moment.

When we arrived at the steel plant in the Piraeus Industrial Zone by carriage, the most striking sight was the towering chimneys spewing black smoke and the brown factory building made entirely of steel pipes.

Under the leadership of Skarloy, the three put on safety helmets and entered the smelting workshop.

In the wide factory building, the air was full of hot breath, which made the faces of several gentlemen who were pampered on weekdays red.

I saw a huge iron furnace hanging in the air with iron chains, with a red light on the top. The workers stood around carefully with tools in their hands.

"This is the first furnace of molten steel in our steel plant," Skarloy, wearing a safety helmet, pointed to the steelmaking furnace and said excitedly to his three bosses and Prime Minister Trikupis.

Under the operation of the workers, the orange-red molten steel poured out, the temperature in the air was three times higher, and sparks flew like fireworks.

"Can these steels be used to produce seamless steel pipes?" Constantine asked Skarloy as he looked at the scene in front of him.

As soon as these words came out, Trikupis, Laris and Rodokanas looked at Skarloy at the same time.

Because seamless steel pipes are steel materials needed for the production of firearms.

When a firearm is fired, the internal chamber pressure is extremely high. In order to avoid the risk of exploding the chamber, a whole cast seamless steel pipe must be used.

The steel plant can produce seamless steel pipes, in other words, it can produce guns.

The three of them were naturally very concerned about the answer.

"Your Highness, the steel plant has complete equipment, and the production of seamless steel pipes is a piece of cake," said Skarloy.

This answer made everyone very happy. Laris and Rodokanas were happy that their family had become arms dealers, while Constantine and Trikupis were happy that Greece could produce weapons on its own instead of relying solely on imports.

"It's just that Your Highness, if you want to produce guns, it may not be suitable," said Skarloy.

"What do you mean? Why?" Constantine's originally fiery heart suddenly cooled down.

The other three were also attracted by Skarloy and waited for his explanation.

"If you want to produce guns, technically speaking, it is not difficult. If you introduce technology to produce mature rifles that other countries have already equipped, such as Mauser rifles, technically speaking, there is no problem."

"But as a factory manager, what I want to say is that from an economic point of view, with the size of the Greek army, it may be more cost-effective to purchase directly from a big country," Skarloy explained.

Constantine suddenly realized what Skarloy meant.

Why do small countries often purchase guns from big countries, such as Britain, France and Germany, instead of producing them themselves?

It's not that the production technology is difficult, but that the cost is not cost-effective.

For example, Greece can completely purchase machinery and equipment and build a gun factory by itself.

It's just that the Greek army has only about 50,000 people, and at most it can only purchase 50,000 rifles. Then the price of 50,000 rifles added together may not be enough to buy the funds for the machines, let alone make a profit.

Even if you build a factory with the mentality of losing money, you have to cultivate the country's ability to manufacture arms and weapons, so there are other problems.

After spending a lot of money to buy the machine tools and equipment for manufacturing guns, the 50,000 rifles have been produced. What will happen next?

In peacetime, a rifle can be used for ten years through maintenance and replacement of the barrel.

These machine tools and equipment cannot wait for ten years to operate again. The machines and equipment will rust and decay if they are idle. Without orders to maintain the operation of the machines, the machines will be abandoned if they are not used for many years.

Even if third countries purchase weapons, they usually buy them from big countries, not from third-rate countries like Greece.

Small countries are not like big countries, such as Germany and France. They have hundreds of thousands of troops and can maintain the operation of production lines by selling arms abroad.

Moreover, even if they lose money, big countries have the capital to maintain gun factories.

This is something that small countries like Greece cannot compare to.

After thinking this through, Constantine understood what Skarloy said about not being cost-effective.

"What is the use of the steel smelted by your steel mill now?" Constantine asked.

"Make steel rails. Isn't Greece building railways on a large scale? A large number of steel rails are urgently needed."

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On the way back to Athens from the steel plant, Constantine and Prime Minister Trikoupis got into the same carriage.

In the front seat of the carriage, Trikoupis looked at Constantine, who was worried, and said, "Your Highness, have you made up your mind to purchase equipment to manufacture guns?"

"Yes, Prime Minister, Europe's military technology has improved recently. The Chassap rifles equipped by the Greek army are outdated."

"The smokeless gunpowder invented by the French recently has caused a stir among the armies of various countries."

"The Chassap rifles commonly equipped by the Greek army use black gunpowder with a caliber of 11 mm."

Constantine said worriedly.

"If we purchase from abroad, tens of thousands of rifles will be a huge expense."

"Black gunpowder and smokeless gunpowder?" Trikoupis is not a technician, so he naturally does not understand the difference between black gunpowder and smokeless gunpowder.

"Black powder guns produce heavy smoke after firing, which will affect the soldiers' vision, especially on the battlefield. When many soldiers fire at the same time, the smoke fills the sky, which will greatly trouble the soldiers. Moreover, after the black powder burns, there are more residuals, which will affect the use of the gun."

"In comparison, smokeless gunpowder is much more advanced. There is almost no smoke and very little residue. The thrust generated when burning is very large, which can increase the range of the projectile."

"If the gun uses smokeless gunpowder, it does not need to be as large as the caliber of the Chaposse rifle (the caliber of the Chaposse rifle is 11 mm), and a smaller caliber can be used."

"In short, there are many benefits to using smokeless gunpowder."

"If nothing else, a lot of copper can be saved in the production of bullets."

The emergence of smokeless gunpowder is a revolution in the history of firearms development, and Constantine cannot help but be anxious.

Originally, Constantine planned to introduce technology to produce rifles using smokeless gunpowder after the steel plant was able to produce seamless steel pipes.

But Skarloey's reminder made Constantine hesitate.

Maintaining the production line of firearms requires a lot of capital investment.

After hearing Constantine's statement, Trikupis, even as an outsider, realized the necessity of equipping the army with new firearms.

"Sir, since this matter is so important, I think I will notify His Majesty the King and hold a military meeting to discuss this matter together."