Graycastle, Neverwinter.
Due to the inconvenience of transporting the cannons in the fortress, when the Musket Battalion went to Langxin and Yongdong to carry out His Majesty's population migration plan, the Artillery Battalion was rarely free. In addition to daily training and helping with the fall harvest, non-duty teams can go home and spend this precious leisure time with their families.
Fanner is no exception. Now that he is the battalion commander, it is very difficult for him to apply for a vacation. He naturally cherishes such an opportunity. In addition to spending time with family members and visiting neighbors, gathering with old friends is an essential activity. After all, alcohol is not allowed in the military, and if you want to have a drink, you can only achieve it when you are on vacation.
After these years of development, the commercial prosperity of Neverwinter City has already surpassed that of the old capital. The commercial street plan advocated by His Majesty, that is, any houses facing the street should be built in the form of two-storey shops for rent, has also changed from no one to one. It's hot right now. Businessmen from other places have settled in one after another, either selling special goods shipped from various places, or converting them into hotels, restaurants and wine shops. If the convenience market provides the necessities of life, then these shops are supplements to enrich life.
Walking on the streets with people coming and going, Fanner couldn't help feeling a little bit of His Majesty's foresight. Even if there were lots of hawkers, the roads in the city weren't congested at all. The vendors didn't pile up shops all over the street. On the dedicated aisle, the carriage ran between the black roads, and everything seemed in order.
He remembered that when the construction team laid the line and built the road at first, many people did not understand why the street was built so wide, especially the separation of people and carriages was unnecessary and unnecessary. Now it seems that this plan is just right, as if His Majesty had foreseen this scene in advance.
After crossing the two main roads, the "Lucky Cannonball" tavern appeared in front of Fanner, which was also the destination of his trip.
Walking into the store, someone limping out from behind the bar immediately greeted him, "Sir, you're here!"
"Sir, that's what the army is called. You are no longer in the First Army. Just call me Vanna." He smiled and hugged the person who came, and patted him on the back, "The recent business How, it should be fine, right?"
Compared with the opponent's name, the nickname Tieguai impressed Vanner even more in the fierce battle on the night of Tower 1 more than half a year ago. Initiating a charge, he was thrown a spear from his abdomen to his legs, and he lost consciousness on the spot. Although she was saved by Miss Angel after the incident, she was not able to fully recover due to too many missing parts. The entire right leg had to be temporarily replaced by a piece of iron rod, and the nickname of iron crutches was also passed down.
After retiring, Tieguai received a subsidy, and together with the accumulated salary, he opened this "Lucky Cannonball" tavern in Dongcheng District, which is also a frequent gathering place for the First Army during vacations.
"The rent will be reduced during the injury period, which is enough to support the family." Tieguai rubbed his hands together, "Of course it would be better if you could visit more times."
There was a feeling of relief in Fanner's heart, "That will have to wait for me to quit, or become like you. By the way, brothers Rhona, have they all arrived?"
"It's all upstairs, I'll take you there."
"No, no, no, you don't have to do it yourself. You can come up and have a few drinks with everyone when there are fewer guests."
"Okay, then it's settled," Tieguai replied readily.
Fanner walked upstairs and saw the old man sitting around a round table at a glance. Yupi, Cat's Claw, Rodney, Nelson... When the artillery battalion was first established, they were just a group of hairy boys in the same artillery group, the kind that would tremble when they saw a knight charging. But now, they have basically become the core backbone of the artillery battalion, and each has its own subordinates. If it weren't for such a special holiday, I'm afraid it would be difficult to gather together like before.
After that, there was a happy time when the cups were staggered. A group of people toasted and drank and talked about everything. However, the most talked about is still the battle of divine will that the army itself and the future will face.
After all, according to His Majesty's words, the scale of this war is unprecedented, and the entire continent will be involved. It is really unknown how many people will be able to sit and drink together after the war.
"Actually, we are already lucky, at least we don't have to deal with those monsters head-on," Rodney sighed after drinking the ale in his toast, "If the artillery positions are lost, it will basically mean that the entire line is defeated. "
"The question is, who knows what new tricks the devil has... Wasn't the Tower No. 1 site caught off guard?" Catpaw shrugged, "I just hope that at that time, the soldiers under my command will still have the ability to fight back. , instead of just waiting for the guys from the Musket Battalion and the Special Tactical Squad to come to the rescue."
This remark resonated with everyone, "Yes, it would be great if we also had powerful burst weapons. The revolver rifle is fine for knights, but it is not enough to suppress the devil."
"Save it, I heard that the army is planning to change to bolt-action rifles. Soon you won't even be able to see revolvers."
"No way... Battalion Commander, is this true?"
Seeing everyone looking at him, Fanner nodded and said, "In fact, the first and sixth shifts have already replaced new weapons, but it will take some time for the other shifts to complete due to production issues."
Yupi frowned, "I have also tried the new gun. The accuracy and power are good, but the speed of one shot and one shot is really not suitable for use as a melee weapon. Can't the artillery battalion continue to use the original weapon?"
"I'm afraid not, this is the decision above." Vanner pointed to the top of his head. "The revolver gun uses old-fashioned black powder, and the bullets look similar. It is definitely more cost-effective to save these workers to make new bullets."
"Then... let Lord Iron Axe tell His Majesty, how about designing a new weapon for us?"
"Don't even think about it," Nelson sneered. "There is such a good thing, why don't you give it to Bright and the others?"
"Yes, the artillery battalion has enough guns," Catpaw said, imitating Brett's tone, "don't you always say that the thicker the pipe, the better? Let us keep this small water pipe in the gun battalion, guys. Then drink up!"
Everyone raised the glass with laughter, but found that Fanner did not respond, but looked at the wine in the glass motionless, as if thinking about something.
"battalion commander?"
Fanner touched his chin and said slowly, "What if we made it ourselves?"
"What? A new musket?" Catpaw raised his eyebrows. "Batch commander, you won't be drunk, will you?"
"Don't come! I don't know if you've noticed that, whether it's the shotgun used by the special tactical team or the Mark 1 heavy machine gun of the Musket Battalion, they all use a gas tube to achieve repeated firing." Fanner recalled while Said, "I have seen many weapons that have been dismantled and recycled after being scrapped. Although the structure is different, the principles are almost the same."
"Uh... eh? Why didn't I know?"
"So the battalion commander is him, not you." Rodney pouted, "But even so, it requires a lot of manpower and materials, and the factory that produces weapons is not under the control of Lord Iron Axe."
"No, when I say building, I mean improving existing guns." The more Fanner said, the clearer his thinking became. "There is no need to trouble the weapons factory, nor will it increase the burden on the Executive Office. As long as there is a The assistance of skilled workers can give it a try.”
The other three looked at Yupi in unison.
The latter sighed and raised his hand helplessly, "My brother works in the industrial area, but he is responsible for the processing and assembly of steam engines. I'll take you there tomorrow."