In view of the current tense situation between the north and the south, he specially instructed the company to reduce external orders and concentrate on the weapons and equipment needed locally.

The Azure Arms Company now has an Austro-Hungarian order for 650 artillery pieces of various calibers, as well as some arms orders from Argentina, Chile, the Ottoman Empire and Fuso, which can only be put on hold for the time being, and the main focus is on the needs of the local army.

Among them

The number of light infantry equipment produced is sufficient, the annual output of 85,000 rifles, except for a small part to replace the wear and tear of rifles in the active army, the annual reserve of 3~40,000 rods, and the surplus is all used for export.

The main market was in the Manchu state, where it was used to equip the new army.

The Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau produced no more than 5,000 rifles a year, coupled with serious internal friction among officials, rampant corruption, lax factory systems, and often poor product quality and extremely high prices, so the governors were willing to use low-priced, high-quality, and reliable Australian rifles.

The German-made 1871 Mauser rifle produced by the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau costs 18 taels of silver, and the workmanship is rough, and the bullet is often jammed in shooting, while the more advanced Mauser magazine rifle in Australia only needs 9 taels of silver, the design is more accurate, the quality is more reliable, and it goes without saying how to choose.

Now, in addition to the new army needs of Gu Yanshan, the governor of Liangguang, the governor of Huguang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, the governor of Beizhili and the governor of Caoyun have organized new troops, and more than half of the weapons required are imported from Australia.

According to the list of reserves;

At present, there are more than 130,000 rifles in the arsenals in various places, and it is planned to purchase another 38,000 to replenish the stock this year.

At present, mainly in the field of large-caliber artillery, all export orders involved have been stopped, and all production is used to supply the needs of the army.

The main gap is the large-caliber coastal defense artillery in various places, mainly 280 mm 305 mm and the latest 343 mm shore guns, supplemented by some advanced 150 mm caliber guns, which are mainly used for fortified defense and equipping army artillery units.

Of course, these coastal heavy guns were not used against the southern states, but as a precaution, to protect the main naval warships in the harbor from being taken by surprise by the British.

Think about the worst in everything and strive for the best.

The end of the inspection

Accompanied by Zhang Qishan, general manager of the Azure Arms Company, Baron Grezka, director and chief engineer, and Major General Konrad Adenauer, chief of staff of the army, Li Fushou visited the Light Weapons Research Center.

It is a small two-storey building under the shade of green trees, with a long side house in the backyard, and the courtyard is shaded by the sun and cool breeze, which is a quiet and deep place.

The director of the Center for the Study of Small Arms is Professor McDonnell Cleveland, an American who is an extremely enthusiastic scholar in the study of small arms, who was once the technical director of the H-S-Maxine Arms Company, and as an assistant to the famous weapons designer Mr. H-S-Maxine, he participated in the development of the Maxine semi-automatic rifle.

The world's first real automatic rifle was invented in 1883 by the American engineer H. S. Maxin, and Cdonald Cleveland participated in the development of the gun as the main technical assistant, and had a deep study of the shooting principle and firing mechanism of the automatic rifle.

When a rifle is fired, the gunpowder gases produced not only eject the bullet out of the barrel, but also cause the gun to produce a recoil motion.

The American engineer Makqin used the power of some gunpowder gas to make the gun complete a series of actions such as unlocking, unpacking, feeding and relocking, so as to realize the automatic continuous firing of the rifle and reduce the recoil of the gun on the shooter's impact.

Drawing on the technical characteristics of the Winchester rifle, Maxim carried out innovative modifications and experiments, and finally succeeded in creating the world's first semi-automatic rifle in 1883.

In 1886, the Russian engineer Rudnitz developed a model of a semi-automatic rifle, but due to economic constraints, it was not possible to create a practical firearm.

The semi-automatic rifle uses the principle of gas conduction automatic invented by H.S. Makqin, which does not need to shoot a shot and pull the bolt, mainly using the gunpowder gas reseat power to push out the cartridge case, but can only fire one bullet when the trigger is pulled.

The semi-automatic rifle from the Makchin Arms Company was revolutionary in the history of the development of small arms, but it was a complete commercial fiasco.

At this time, the Winchester lever repeater was popular in the western United States, and it was a rifle loved by the Federal Mounted Police, law enforcers, desert gunmen, Texas cowboys, and bounty hunters.

The entire U.S. Army has only two cavalry divisions, and the weapons needed are extremely limited, and the War Department is helpless to help them.

As a result, the huge investment in research and development work cannot be recovered, and a large number of semi-automatic rifles produced have also become unsalable and difficult to sell.

As a result, the company's economy is in trouble, and there are huge contradictions among the company's major shareholders.

In order to survive the company, Mr. H. S. Maxim reluctantly cut down the semi-automatic gun project, while Professor McDonald-Cleveland, who is passionate about small arms research, strongly opposed it, and the two had a fierce quarrel, because of the sharp opposition of positions, the contradiction could not be reconciled at all.

In July 1889, after receiving a large offer from the Blue Arms Company, Professor McDonald-Cleveland resolutely left the United States and crossed the ocean to Australia to continue his dream.

He vowed to develop a semi-automatic rifle with excellent performance.

"The environment in which soldiers fight is very harsh, they can fight in forest swamps, or they can fight in the desert, so the reliability of semi-automatic rifles must be put in the first place, whether they are buried in the soil or soaked in muddy water during testing, they must be able to fire when they are dug out."

Li Fushou knew little about the design of light weapons, and drawing on the tidbits he had seen in his previous life, he put forward extremely high requirements for the design of this first semi-automatic rifle, hoping that the design would be a classic.

Anyway, this time the Civil War will definitely not catch up, so he is not in a hurry.

Professor McDonald-Cleveland exclaimed, hearing such a demanding request; "Oh, God, it can't be!"

"Mr. Professor, nothing is impossible in this world."

"Your Excellency Earl, science is rigorous and realistic, not a little subjective conjecture, from the perspective of firearm design, semi-automatic rifles need more precision parts, in the process of pushing the bullet into the chamber, firing the reverse seat and re-locking, complete a series of actions such as unlocking, shelling, feeding and re-locking, mud and sand stone into will inevitably lead to mechanical jamming, this is an unsolvable fate, not at all human can solve, your requirements are surprisingly outrageous, forgive me for not being able to do it."

Hearing such an answer, Li Fushou felt quite disappointed.

As far as he knew;

Decades later, a number of excellent semi-automatic firearms were indeed developed, the first to equip the army was the semi-automatic rifle designed and invented by the Mexican general Mondragon, and the Mexican army was first officially equipped in 1907.

In fact, today's state of technology makes it possible to design a fairly advanced semi-automatic rifle, with just enough money and a little bit of inspiration.

So Li Fushou said regretfully;

"It's a pity, what the army needs is a reliable gun that can fight in a harsh environment and continue to exert firepower, the rifle is the protector of the soldiers' lives, not a delicate lady, such a semi-automatic rifle has absolutely no market, and it is impossible to be accepted by the army.

Compared with the advantages of semi-automatic rifles, the military pays more attention to the reliability of the rifle under harsh conditions, if this contradiction cannot be solved, the developed semi-automatic rifle will have no vitality, and how to persuade the military to spend a lot of money to replace the new gun?

I admit you, Mr. Professor, have a great deal of knowledge in the field of firearms, but you lack some innovative thinking compared to the genius Mr. H. S. Maxim.

Forgive me for being blunt, but you can't design eye-catching weapons by being old-fashioned, and maybe we're all wrong. ”

The implication

There was no confidence in Professor Macdonald-Cleveland, and the disappointment was palpable, euphemistically expressing distrust.

In full view

Professor MacDonald-Cleveland's old face was flushed with shame, but he had to admit that Lord Earl had a point.

If semi-automatic rifles can't solve the problem of reliability, then the epoch-making firepower advantage is completely out of play, and if it is really a rainy day in a muddy trench, and a small half of the warrior's guns cannot fire, then what is the firepower advantage?

In particular, the Earl's words were very respectful of Mr. H.S. Maxchin, which made Professor Macdonald-Cleveland even more difficult to accept, and he said with a blushing face; "My lord, I admit that you have a point, but if there is anyone in this world who can meet your exacting requirements, I am absolutely the best."

"As I asked?" Li Fushou asked with a serious expression.

"Yes. My research team and I will do our best to make your request come true, to make the impossible possible, and I can swear by my honor that it will be done. ”

"Great, I've never believed that there is a peak in the world that can't be climbed, and when you step on it, you will feel incredibly honored."

"My Honourable Earl, I look forward to such a glorious day, and will give all my strength to it, may God bear witness."

"I'm sure you can do it, Professor MacDonald." Li Fushou was very satisfied with the effect of the radical method, and he said solemnly; "I'm convinced...... You'll be proud of today's decision, humanity is all about breaking new ground, and no one would have thought Queensland would be in the thriving state it is today, and I did...... I'm sure you can do it too. Constantly pushing the boundaries and making the impossible possible...... This is the true meaning of life. ”

"Thank you for your teachings, Lord Earl, and I humbly offer you all my wisdom, and may God bless Queensland, amen!"

"God willing!"

Li Fushou glanced at him deeply, he estimated that the effect of this chicken soup for the soul should be good, if this old thing dares to play tricks, hehehe...... The Political Intelligence Department is not a vegetarian, and it can definitely make him want to die.

Americans in this era still can't stand the flickering......