Make France Great Again

"Migne, we are going to be prosperous! Do you know? We are going to be prosperous... God! I never thought that I would appear here one day! Oh! My Virgin Mary!"

In a certain reception room of the Elysee Palace, Captain Henri Gustave De Vickine got up excitedly and looked at the ornaments in the reception room, pacing back and forth, muttering words like "We want to develop" repeatedly, For an ordinary French captain, being invited into the Elysee Palace is simply a supreme honor!

"Migne, did you hear me!" Maybe because the middle-aged man sitting on the chair didn't respond, Captain Henry Gustav de Vickine was a little unhappy, and his tone became aggressive.

Claude Edirne Minie, who was sitting on a gray brocade chair with large blue flowers, raised his head to look at Henry Gustave, who was spinning around endlessly, and said with some dissatisfaction in his words: "I hear Here, Captain Gustav, can you be quiet for a while!"

Captain Gustav was a little displeased by what Captain Minie said. He was born in a humble family, and he looked down on Captain Minie's demeanor. It is obviously a captain, why should you pretend to be high-minded.

"Okay! I'll be quiet!" Gustav muttered angrily, but he didn't want to stop at all. He ran back and forth in the reception room, complimenting the portraits hanging in the reception room for a while, and then Caressing the exquisite porcelain from the Eastern Empire placed in the corner of the reception room, it is almost like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

Captain Minie, who was sitting on a chair, was quietly thinking about the next conversation with the president, and from time to time put the things in the handkerchief in his hands.

Until the door of the reception room was opened from the outside, Captain Mines and Captain Gustav stopped what they were holding at the same time, Mines put the handkerchief back in his arms, and Gustav carefully put the porcelain back original position.

Under the joint gaze of Captain Gustave and Captain Minie, Jérôme Bonaparte appeared in front of the two of them, and Minie also stood up to welcome Jérôme Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte glanced at Gustave and Mignet and asked, "Which one of you is Claude Edirne Mignet? Which one is Henri Gustave de Mignet?" Captain Wikiney?"

Gustave, who hadn't waited for Minie's answer, walked quickly to Jerome Bonaparte, stretched out his hand and introduced to Jerome Bonaparte enthusiastically: "Your Excellency, I am Gustave!"

Then he pointed to Minnie and introduced: "He is Minnie!"

"I heard that you have created an epoch-making product that can change the entire history of infantry!" Jerome Bonaparte exaggeratedly boasted to Captain Gustave and Captain Migne.

Although the Minie bullet and the Minie rifle are indeed the pinnacle products of front-loading guns, the pinnacle of the Minie rifle has only lasted for nearly 16 years.

In the Austrian-Prussian War, the defeat of Austria indicated that the breech-loading gun was far more important than the front-loading gun to solve the airtightness, and the Minie rifle was falling at an extremely fast speed.

France, the birthplace of the Minie rifle, fully equipped every army with the Chassepo rifle in just four years after the end of the Prussian-Austro-Prussian War.

However, the nearly one million Chasaibol rifles did not allow the Second Empire to win the Franco-Prussian War. Many troops were captured shortly after they got a Chasaibol rifle.

After the popularization of the French symbol, France, which had developed a more stable breech-loading gun, abandoned the Chasebol rifle again, and many rifles were given to Russia, which had less than one gun, in the form of half-selling and half-giving.

It can be said that the Minie rifle and the Chasepo rifle are two untimely products.

"Your Excellency, you are right!" Captain Gustav said before Captain Migne spoke: "Our bullets can allow soldiers to reload faster!"

finished speaking,

Captain Gustav said to Captain Minie in the tone of the host: "Captain Minie, quickly show that thing to the President!"

Minie glanced at Captain Gustav, his eyes were full of disdain. In his opinion, Captain Gustav was too keen to show himself to the President, so he would only be disgusted by the President.

Sure enough, Jerome Bonaparte's face showed displeasure, and he said coldly: "Mr. Gustave, can you please be quiet for a while!"

Seeing this, Captain Gustav didn't dare to continue showing off.

Gustav was forcibly titled and gave Captain Minie the opportunity to "show off". He took out the red handkerchief again and respectfully invited Jerome Bonaparte: "Your Excellency, can you sit here?" !"

"Of course!" Jerome Bonaparte quickly walked to Captain Minie.

Captain Gustave also had no choice but to follow Jerome Bonaparte to the golden lacquered snail-shaped table.

Minnie unfolded the handkerchief gently, and inside the handkerchief was wrapped a round-headed thing exuding silver metallic luster, and what was wrapped inside was exactly a bullet.

"Your Excellency, this is our invention in Algiers!" Minie said to Jerome Bonaparte with a slightly excited tone. From his tone, it can be seen that Captain Minie is still quite interested in his invention. confidence.

"That's right!" Gustav interjected.

"Captain Minie, can you explain to me what is so wonderful about this bullet?" Jerome Bonaparte stretched out his hand and pinched the silver bullet on the handkerchief between his thumb and forefinger to examine it carefully.

Although he had seen Minnie bombs on some websites, this was the first time he had touched this thing.

The Minie bomb has a cylindrical shape with a round head, and there are several ring-shaped grooves on the outer ring. There is a conical cavity at the bottom of the bomb, and a sunken cork is stuffed in the cavity, which seems to have a trace of later metal fixing. It means bullets, but it is one size smaller than the length and caliber of metal fixed-loaded bullets of later generations, which looks a bit weird.

"Your Excellency, it is set to be slightly smaller than the caliber of the gun, so that soldiers can reload it in the fastest time. If this is the case with ordinary bullets, they cannot be aimed, but this bullet is different..." Captain Minie pointed out The cork plug in the cavity at the bottom of the round bullet said to Jerome Bonaparte: "When shooting, the powder gas forces the plug in the cavity into the cavity to expand the bullet, and the bullet expands to engage with the rifling and form a powerful gas Sealed, the bullet rotates and flies out of the barrel under the pressure of the rifling, and the accuracy is greatly improved.

We once tested the performance of this bullet in Algiers. Its effective range can be about 2.5 times that of ordinary bullets. Ordinary bullets will lose their aim at a range of 200 meters. Accurately strike the enemy within a range of 500 meters! "

"500 meters! We can kill the enemy before they find us!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and said with emotion.

"That's right! This will greatly improve the combat capability of the army!" Captain Gustav expressed his opinion at the right time.

"However, can the bullet you designed be used on the rifles of the existing French troops?" Jerome Bonaparte asked again.

Minie was silent for a moment, then said cautiously: "Your Excellency, I think the French army should consider redesigning a rifle!"

Then he added: "Of course, this is just my personal opinion! In fact, this bullet can also be used in the existing rifles in France. It only needs to make an adjustment to the rifle. But in this case, it may be within the range. The range has been reduced!"

"Captain Minie, you must have thought about the weapons you need to carry this rifle!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Minie.

"Your Excellency, the traditional smoothbore rifle cannot meet the demand for bullets. We need a new type of rifled rifle! Although I have no way to deliver it to you right now, I assure you that I will help you and for you as soon as possible. The country has designed a new rifle!" Captain Minie said solemnly to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Your Excellency, I will assist Captain Minie to set it up!" Captain Gustav also hurriedly expressed his opinion to Jérôme Bonaparte.

Jérôme Bonaparte glanced at the Minie bullet in his hand, and then at Captain Minie. He believed that Captain Minie would not disappoint him. He pretended to hesitate for a moment and then nodded: "Okay Go! Captain Migne, I believe in your ability!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your trust in me!" Minie said excitedly to Jerome Bonaparte.

For Minie, a military enthusiast, being able to set up a rifle himself is undoubtedly the greatest recognition for him.

"Captain Minie, Captain Gustave! What do you want? Money or room for advancement?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Captain Minie and Gustave.

"I..." Captain Minie, who had just uttered a word, was silent, and he didn't know what choice to make.

Captain Gustav was also silent. His heart longed for money, but he knew that some things were still up to Captain Demigne, and the president didn't seem to have a particularly good sense of him.

"Since you two haven't made up your mind yet, why don't you listen to my suggestion!" Jerome Bonaparte said to the silent two.

Captain Minie and Captain Gustav nodded at the same time.

"Actually, this patent of yours can be said to be an epoch-making design, but you should know that these days, there are all kinds of imitations everywhere. As long as it is easy to use, those guys will use it with peace of mind!" Jerome Bonaparte spread his hands and told The two "reality".

In the 19th century, when intellectual property laws were not perfect, it was simply impossible to acquire an epoch-making weapon or to invent a low price. If you could steal it, why bother to give users patent fees.

If it is a hostile country, it can just be reproduced openly under the banner of hostility.

"The first plan is that I can pay you two 30,000 francs each, and the rifle and bullet patents you design will belong to me! The second plan is that I will pay you two 5,000 francs each, and at the same time you To the War Department."