The Rise of the European Emperor

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Although this steel wheel spring is cheaper than the local one, it is still easy to use. However, that is more than 10 gold coins each. If you pay attention to moisture-proof and oil more, it can still be stored for a long time.

But the problem is that in this era, there is no awareness of weapon maintenance. The big guys don't pay attention to "maintenance" themselves, they are all dirty, how can they care about weapons?

Of course, traditional nobles will still pay attention. For example, many people's plate armor is a family heirloom. Baby, naturally, it is often oiled and waxed for maintenance. But for the two maintenance methods, nobles are more accustomed to waxing. why? Oil is prone to rancidity, and it is more likely to corrode metal after rancidity. And waxing, one maintenance, can be placed for a long time.

The bad is here. If it is a sword and armor, waxing is all right. However, steel wheel springs, this thing is curled. Whether it is oiling or waxing, it is inconvenient.

In addition, after oiling or waxing, the friction will be affected, and it is not good if it is too silky, and it is easy to fail to fire. So, if you have waxed the steel wheel mainspring, it is best to lean it against a fire to remove the wax coating before using it. However, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. Do you have time to warm up and get rid of the wax?

So, this is very pitted. I want to wax it, but it is inconvenient when I use it, and it is easy to lose the fire. However, the oil is even worse!

Because there is no non-perishable mineral oil in this era, only olive oil or butter can be used to maintain weapons. However, these two oils are edible for humans. People can eat it, and so can bacteria. It is very perishable...

Only tung oil from Huaxia is more suitable as a maintenance oil because it is toxic and dries quickly. After all, bacteria are also afraid of the toxicity of tung oil. However, there is no tung oil in Europe...

Therefore, the clockwork musket is really a trap. Oiling is not good, and waxing is inconvenient. The only way is to wrap the mainspring bolt with cloth or leather as much as possible.

But this is not safe, because the cloth cannot block the penetration of water, as long as the weather is humid, the spring will be corroded through the cloth. As for leather, it cannot be protected without dead ends, and water vapor will also seep into it...

Only the steel wheel spring of Beihai country, because it is made of chrome-nickel alloy, is not afraid of humidity and can be used for a long time. The steel wheel springs distributed to various shops in France are ordinary spring steel springs that do not contain chrome and nickel. But when they were delivered, they were wrapped in airtight oil-sealed paper bags that had been heated at high temperatures and isolated from the air. As long as the sealed paper bag is not torn open, it can be stored for a long time.

Of course, when the store sells to users, they are all unsealed in paper bags, which will not be cheap for the French. Moreover, it will be placed in a carved wooden box very stylishly, and it looks very well preserved.

However, the wooden box has gaps and is not moisture-proof. It is only better than being exposed to the air, but it still cannot stop consumption. Moreover, even if the secret of the oil paper bag packaging is discovered, I am not afraid. I don’t know how to isolate the air and heat it to sterilize and remove moisture. It’s useless to paste it with oil paper bags. Because there is already moisture in the bag, corroding the spring of the steel wheel is not a problem.

...

Therefore, many European monarchs and princes love and hate clockwork muskets. What I like is that the wind-up gun is easy to carry. When using it, you don’t need to carry a bundle of matchlocks on your back, just like refugees fleeing famine. Also, don't worry about the match being extinguished by raindrops or strong winds. It's easy to hate - the consumption is too high, I can't afford it!

An ordinary matchlock gun costs about 15 shillings, which is 3 gold coins. For a clockwork musket, a clockwork costs more than 10 gold coins. Moreover, it is basically replaced once a month. After a year, 12 springs will be consumed, which is more than 120 gold coins... With this money, you can buy a good war horse, or a good set of plate armor!

If this is the son of a nobleman, he can still afford it. After all, the family has a big business and can sustain it. But for soldiers from ordinary people, it is absolutely impossible to support...

Moreover, most of the soldiers in this era are mercenaries, and their weapons are often brought with them. Only the musketeers of the North Sea Kingdom,

Will issue weapons. Would ordinary poor mercenaries be willing to buy a wind-up gun that cost more than a hundred gold coins a year? Obviously, they can't afford to play...

The ordinary matchlock guns only cost 15 shillings each. Although the workmanship is rough, the advantage is that the cost is low and it can be used for a long time. Even if it breaks, buy a new one... Therefore, the cost sometimes becomes an important reason for whether to equip it.

In addition, personal habits and concepts, as well as interest issues, will also become important factors. For example, the flintlock gun was invented as early as the late 16th century, and even the inventor Mahan received the support of King Henry IV of France in 1598 and planned to promote it.

But the top military officials in France just disagreed and boycotted it. After Henry IV was assassinated and died, the flintlock was directly abandoned by the French army...

It wasn't until the "Thirty Years War" that Gustav II of Sweden equipped a lot of flintlock guns in the army, which made the flintlock gun famous and gradually accepted. At this time, the flintlock gun had been invented for decades...

...

Therefore, Marin is not worried that the French have developed low-cost flintlock guns inspired by clockwork flintlocks. Rather, it is certain that even if a certain craftsman invented the flintlock, it would not be popularized all at once and widely accepted by the world.

The clockwork gun shops opened by Marin, in addition to supplying goods to make profits and suppressing French counterparts, also monitor the French market to see if there are any craftsmen who plan to develop new weapons. Once discovered, the intelligence organization will report to Marin. At that time, it will be too late to directly poach people with high salaries, or kill those who refuse to leave.

In addition, Marin will also help secretly, helping those big workshops that make matchlock guns, bribing the powerful nobles in France, and hindering the promotion of new weapons by the French.

Although it is impossible to finally prevent the French from using new muskets, it is enough to delay the French for decades. By the time the French fully reacted, Marin had already controlled half of Germany, plus England, and completed the encirclement and suppression of France. At that time, it will be difficult to say who crushes whom.

...

The Italian artisans arranged by Kohler arrived in France one after another and opened up shops. It should be pointed out that these craftsmen do not mainly sell clockwork guns, but mainly make clocks and ordinary matchlock guns. It wasn't until there were local competitors who made clockwork guns that they imported steel wheel springs and whole guns from the local area for dumping and suppression. If it doesn't appear, everyone is still happy to play with the matchlock gun.

Of course, the shops in Paris have to compete because the French royal family has withdrawn from the business of clockwork guns. Moreover, the shop in Paris also focuses on the watch business, and slowly develops the steel wheel spring business to avoid stimulating the royal workshop. Its task is not to compete with the royal workshops, but to suppress folk craftsmen to get involved in this area.

...

Just as these shops were opening one after another, news came from Austria that Glinsky had completed the artillery transaction and returned to the Grand Duchy of Moscow wearing 150 small copper cannons.

Probably in order to avoid the eyes and ears of the Lithuanians and Poles, Glinski and his party took the route of crossing the Alps and then taking the sea route to the coast of the Black Sea.

Even Marin, the merchant who carried it, found out that it was a Venetian merchant...

Right now, the Venetians and Ottoman Turkey have not turned their faces, and Venetian merchant ships can still freely enter and leave the Dardanelles and enter the Black Sea region.

As for how to pass through the area controlled by the Crimean Khanate and transport it to the territory of the Grand Duchy of Moscow? Haha, Marin has no doubts about the abilities of the Muscovites. It's not that they are too capable, but that the Crimean Khanate is too greedy for money, and they will definitely let it go if they give some money.

Moreover, Glinski bought small guns without gun mounts. Even the small gun barrel, hidden in the car, can't tell what it is. As long as the bribes are in place, the Crimeans will let them go. Moreover, the Crimeans don't have much knowledge, even if they see artillery, they don't think it's too much of a threat. As long as the money is sufficient, even if you know it, you will feel relieved.

This is also an important reason why Marin is not at ease with the Crimean Khanate. In fact, they betray as long as they give money, without principle. This kind of country can be used, but it must not be trusted.

After learning that the Muscovites took the south route and avoided the Beihai route, Marin was also relieved...

why? Sigismund I, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, is his brother-in-law. If he sees 150 artillery passing through the border without intercepting them, Marin can't justify it.

Unlike ordinary weapons and armor, artillery is bulky and bulky, much larger than ordinary weapons and armor, not to mention 150 cannons. It would be an obvious lie to say that the officials along the way could not find out. Unless the officers and soldiers at the checkpoints along the way are bribed, they will not be discovered.

But this is not realistic in Beihai, because after Marin's purge, the decadent old aristocracy lost their power. The new aristocratic class at the new spearhead, because Marin is still in his prime, he has not yet dared to embark on the path of corruption. Moreover, the outside world knows that Marin is very strict with domestic control and blockade. It is difficult for people from other countries to enter Beihai, let alone transport 150 artillery pieces across the border?

In fact, Glinsky also knew this and knew that Marin and Sigismund I were in-laws, so he didn't dare to take the northern route and instead took the southern sea route. Because the Venetians and the Crimeans are blind to money...

As for the weapons and armor purchased by the Grand Duchy of Moscow before? That Marin can completely shirk. why? Because it was purchased with the help of the Teutonic country. The Teutonic Kingdom is also an ally of Marin, and Marin's uncle, Yule, is still a senior member of the Teutonic Kingdom. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Marin not to block.

But this time, it was Glinsky, the important minister of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. If Marin pretended not to know, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he had a bad heart, and even his in-laws were cheated... In the future, who would dare to marry the North Sea State?

In order to preserve his reputation, Marin thought about it. Anyway, now Glinski has left with artillery, and he is taking the southern route, so he can release some news. So he wrote to his brother-in-law Siegmund I:

"Brother-in-law, I heard that Maozi came to Germany to buy weapons, and he might attack Lithuania. Please be careful!"