Chapter 166: The Eve of the Final Battle
On the agreed fifth day, Roland finally prepared all the raw materials for making gun cotton.
When electrolyzing salt water, he also made a serious mistake. He used the copper strip left by Anna to cut the bullet as an electrode. As a result, the electrode was dissolved and a pot of salt water was wasted. In order to prevent chlorine gas from dissolving in water during electrolysis, the electrolyte is generally For saturated salt water, and salt is not considered a cabbage price in this era. Therefore, when pouring out the waste brine that had been fused with copper ions and resulting in debris precipitation, Roland felt that he had thrown away several gold dragons for nothing, and finally solved the problem by replacing the electrodes with carbon rods.
He boiled caustic soda and water to remove grease, and after obtaining absorbent cotton gauze, he took the remaining caustic soda to the chemical laboratory.
The esterification of the gun cotton is the most important step in the production process. He doesn't know the principle, he only knows that the gauze should be soaked in the mixed acid solution, and it can be taken out after the nitrification is complete. The solution ratio and reaction time are unknown. Roland asked Kaimo to divide into several groups to test, using an hourglass to control the time, and the soaked small pieces of gauze were washed repeatedly with water, and then soaked in sodium hydroxide solution to react the excess acid, and the wet finished product was transported back to the castle for delivery Wendy dried.
Because fuming nitric acid with a high concentration was used in esterification, most of the trial products could be ignited quickly, and the gun cotton soaked in one part of nitric acid and two parts of sulfuric acid had the best effect. After obtaining the general formula, the laboratory started mass production. The soaked and washed gunwool would be immediately transported away by the soldiers of the First Army. Even the chief alchemist didn't know what the things they made could be used for.
The air-dried gauze is cut into fingernail-sized squares by the maids, packed into boxes and sent to Beipo Mountain, and finally filled in the backyard of the firing room. In the absence of machine setup, this process can only be done by manpower. A group of personal guards sat apart, and gently poked the glued cotton gauze into the bottom of the shell with a wooden stick to seal the ignition hole, and then poured granular black powder into the shell with a funnel, layered and compacted, The filling amount of each tablet should be kept as consistent as possible.
The last step is to press the warhead. The warhead processed by Anna fits very well with the shell case. After inserting it with bare hands, tap it lightly with a hammer a few times.
The efficiency is a bit low, but hundreds of rounds of bullets can be produced in a day. On the sixth day, Carter finally used the new weapon in full body. As the chief knight with excellent physical qualities, his hit rate has been greatly improved after several days of repeated practice. Compared with Roland's shooting performance during military training, it is completely different.
After changing to a flintlock bullet, Carter finally did not have to hold the musket in a strange shooting posture with his wrist drooping. As long as the sealing cotton does not break, the bullet nest can be kept clean, and its sensitivity to sparks is equal to that of black powder. Several times, the firing rate is also guaranteed.
Taking advantage of the last day, Roland asked Carter Lannis to practice quick drawing and double-gun shooting. Even with black powder, the recoil is very impressive. It is difficult to guarantee the hit rate of the second shot with a single-handed gun, but In Roland's plan, this was a counterattack after being accidentally caught by Ashes.
Carter will come on stage with two guns. In a tug-of-war, ten bullets are enough to decide the winner. If he is approached shortly after the opening, he can quickly draw out another gun to fight back. And considering that the opponent's weapon has certain defensive capabilities, Roland deliberately chose steel warheads that are not easily deformed for the ten bullets, which increased the penetration while reducing the lethality of the cavity. Coupled with the limitations of the smelting technology of this era, Ashes' great sword is most likely made of pig iron. The exaggerated shape will not bring about an improvement in quality. On the contrary, the bulky iron weapon cannot be fully forged. The stress distribution is even more uneven, which makes it not a good shield. According to Roland's point of view, the big sword is at most a blank weapon, and if luck is not particularly bad, the possibility of ricocheting is very low.
If Ashes wanted to defeat Carter, he had to get close to the knight first. This was the inherent disadvantage of cold weapons versus hot weapons. As long as it is not exaggerated to the point where one can visually observe the ballistic trajectory and dodge bullets instantly, this distance is an insurmountable gap.
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It wasn't until it was getting late that Ashes waited for Maggie to fly back to the room.
"Why are you coming back later these days?" She asked after closing the window.
"Lightning took me to catch birds." Maggie changed back into a human form, and took out a roasted bird leg from her pocket, and the room was filled with the overflowing aroma, "I specially reserved it for you."
"I've eaten it," Ashes shook his head, "Is Lightning a witch from the Mutual Aid Society?"
"Well," she nodded vigorously, "the ability is the same as mine, and it's also flying, but it's much more convenient to use." After a short pause, she then asked, "Sister Huihui, do you really want to fight this game? I think... ...they won't go with you, and they're fine here, too."
Ashes was startled, but did not answer.
"Because even I want to stay here," Maggie sat down on the bed, and said to herself, "The bed is soft, and the food is rich. I saw that during lunch, the lord specially set the dining table in the backyard , had dinner with the witches after practice. Everyone was talking and laughing, and he would occasionally interject a few words, which was completely different from the annoying appearance of other nobles. Draw ten cards to compete with each other, and the winner with the most points in the end is very interesting. They also gave me two sets of cards, Sister Huihui, do you want to play a game? I will teach you."
"No..." Ashes shook his head and took a deep breath. She has also noticed some changes in Maggie these days, but until now, she suddenly realized that her thinking seems to have fallen into a misunderstanding.
Most witches live secretly in fear and anxiety, and a stable and comfortable place to live is all they pursue. For example, Maggie, before being accepted by Tilly, had been hiding in the thatched hut in the slums of Wangdu, just like a real bird, spending every night curled up in the slits of the roof beams. Even though Tilly decided to go east across the sea, Maggie was still running around, contacting those hidden witches, without stopping for half a year. This is probably the first time she has experienced such a comfortable and peaceful life.
Why not myself? It wasn't until she met Tilly that she lived a life that she never dared to live before. Being used to the relatively peaceful life in the palace, she ignored the attraction of the small town to the meaningful destination of these witches, which has always been unparalleled in the eyes of the witches. Their desire to stay here and protect this territory is probably the same as their desire to protect Tilly...
If Roland Wimbledon can really resist the crazy God's Punishment Army as he said, this place is undoubtedly a better choice than the fjords. Going to a completely strange land to establish a kingdom of witches sounds exciting. , but how much suffering will actually be suffered, no one can predict.
But if he couldn't resist, should the witches leave?
Ashes suddenly calmed down.
Thinking about it from another angle, if Tilly couldn't gain a foothold in the fjord, I'm afraid I would choose to stand by her side and protect her until the last moment. As the person who gave her a home, she had no reason to leave first.
"This place is under the threat of the church at all times. If God's Punishment Army can't be stopped, Border Town will be destroyed sooner or later."
This competition was indeed unnecessary...but she still decided to complete it, for vigilance, or proof.
"What if they can stop it?" Maggie muttered.
"I hope so too, so I will help them verify this." Ashes said in a deep voice.
She closed her eyes, ready to go all out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile phone users, please go to read.)