Since arquebuses entered the war, especially after the Spanish phalanx was famous and frightened, major European countries have been equipped with arquebuses in large numbers to improve combat effectiveness.

Drawing on the situation of the Spanish phalanx, various countries began to reform more or less, but the stubborn forces were so strong, and the arquebuses were equipped with a lot.

If the reforms have been the most effective, the English have been the most effective.

The premise for the reform of the armed forces is equipment.

Only a large number of arquebuses can carry out reforms and strengthen the army.

And since the bold innovation of technology and the full study of the Spanish phalanx, the nascent United Kingdom Army has finally burst into its potential and performed well in the French battlefield.

And all this is inseparable from the support of military factories.

In order to do everything possible to produce arquebuses and supply the army, the royal family invested 10,000 pounds in one fell swoop to expand the factory and recruit talents.

Coupled with the water mill and the maturity of iron-making technology, the monthly output of the royal military factory has reached 1,000 branches.

However, this still cannot meet the needs of the army.

In order to strengthen the army, His Majesty directly ordered the Bank of England to lend money to other civilian arquebus factories to allow them to expand production.

In this way, the unlimited supply of steel directly made the monthly production of arquebuses reach 2,000.

A year, for the time being, it can meet the needs of the army.

In terms of artillery, due to the discovery of clay sculpture technology, cheap iron cannons were produced on a large scale, with a monthly output of 100 guns.

It was also sold to maritime merchants and pirates, making a lot of profits.

Of course, at this time, the power of the bronze cannon is the greatest, and the iron cannon is still slightly inferior.

This is also thanks to the abundance of copper mines in England, which can meet the demand for the time being.

The mass production of iron and bronze cannons, under the impetus of His Majesty Edward, who advocated artillery first, immediately established an artillery unit in the army.

Ten companies per regiment, each with two hundred and fifty men, plus a special artillery company of four hundred men, twenty artillery pieces, the total number of each regiment reached three thousand.

If necessary, several artillery batteries can also be combined, and artillery is used intensively.

It can be said that the United Kingdom Army is the most artillery-intensive unit in the world.

Fifty miles from Oxford, on a tributary of the River Thames, dozens of smoky chimneys are spitting out polluting exhaust fumes, and the black smoke slowly drifts into the air with the wind, leaving a trace of unpleasant smell.

"Your Majesty, this is where the military factories are located, including the royal musket factory, the civil musket factory, the ironworks, the coal factory, the gunpowder factory, the artillery factory, the wood factory, etc., a total of fifty-eight."

On a hillside, a splendid carriage is parked, and on it, a young man in gorgeous clothes, holding a telescope, observes the factory emitting black smoke.

On the side, an old man with slightly dark skin, wearing glasses, explained in the direction of the young man.

Around them were more than two hundred well-equipped, handsome guards, and their muskets looked chilling.

"Yes, yes!" Observing an industrial area ahead, factories are one after another, covering an area of tens of thousands of acres, and the size of the factories is uneven.

Black smoke enveloped the factory, and from a distance, it looked like a gray smoke ring, surrounding it.

In the eyes of modern people, the air pollution here is serious, the nearby arable land has become barren, and the yield has been greatly reduced, which is a truly heavily polluted area.

But in the eyes of His Majesty the Young King, this is the foundation of the United Kingdom, the seat of heavy industry, the starting point of military and industry, and it is here, compared with hundreds of years of hegemony, what is a little pollution?

"This is the important place of the kingdom, and it is very important, so you must be prepared for fire prevention and not lose anything!"

His Majesty addressed the head of the factory district and made an opinion.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we are ready, near each factory, there are a large number of water tanks, which can extinguish the fire in time!"

The old man, dressed in a modest manner, with slightly rough skin, glasses, and curly gray hair, replied politely like a gentleman.

"Yes!" Edward nodded, with a hint of joy on his face, put away his binoculars, looked at the gray-haired old man, and asked seriously:

"Mr. Jonathan, is it true that you say that a craftsman has a new invention that proposes a significant improvement on the existing arquebus?"

"Yes, your honorable majesty, he is the young craftsman who improved the arquebus—Hercules. Irving. ”

Mr. Jonathan nodded slightly, smiling and politely.

As he moved, a dark, bright-eyed young man behind him stepped out cringely and saluted Edward.

Edward noticed his wide palms covered with black marks, and then looked at his height of about 1.6 meters, showing a smile that he thought was kind and friendly to the people, walked a few steps closer, and asked cordially:

"Hercules. Mr. Owen, I heard that you have made significant improvements to the arquebus? ”

"Yes, Your Majesty! I'm a watchmaker by training, and I'm very interested in some machinery, so after seeing the arquebus, I made some improvements! ”

Hercules. Although Owen was a shy young man in his twenties, he plucked up his courage and spoke loudly in the face of the king's friendly smile.

"And what are the improved parts for the arquebus?" The king asked without tire.

At this time, Owen brought an arquebus from the side, the muzzle of the black hole was dazzling, and just as he wanted to speak, the sound of a clattering sounded.

The vigilant guards immediately raised their muskets and swords and aimed them at Owen, the young craftsman with the gun.

At this time, Owen looked confused, and he was full of panic: What did I do?

"How is this different from the old one?" Edward waved his hand for the guards to pull back, then picked up the musket in front of him and observed it carefully.

"Your Majesty, please see, I have added a powder pot lid opening and closing device to the original version, which can increase the rate of fire to a certain extent.

With a slight press of the thumb, you can operate, and you don't need to free your right hand to open the cover! ”

Owen pointed to the lid on the musket and said timidly, his eyes wincing.

"Click~" Edward demonstrated, and sure enough, the cover automatically popped up, which surprised the king.

The arquebus needs to open the cover to fill the gunpowder, which must consume time.

After the cover plate is semi-automatic, then the filling time will be reduced.

On the battlefield, every second may decide the outcome of the battle, and these few seconds are very likely to tilt the tide of battle.

"Mr. Owen, this is an outstanding contribution of yours, a very practical improvement!"

His Majesty said with delight that the Kingdom was in dire need of inventive talent.

"You will receive a hundred pounds, and a knighthood for life!"