Master Sid's so-called surprise did not come as a surprise to Lorist. He refined a new type of steel, which he named Sid 303. Lorist found that Master Sid was showing signs of approaching Master Siloba more and more, and was used to naming newly discovered things with his own name in order to be famous forever.
According to Master Sid's introduction, the elasticity of this Sid 303 steel is the best among all steel materials at present, and it is most suitable for making springs and bow arms of crossbows. The steel crossbow of the chariot can shoot farther and more powerfully, the longest distance can reach more than 400 meters, etc...
Lorist found that Master Sid seemed to be looking forward to using his newly invented spring steel to replace the steel plate crossbow arms of all chariot steel crossbows, but Lorist rejected this suggestion. At present, the armored crossbow equipped by the family armed forces can still dominate the coquettishness. Even if other forces get a few armored crossbows, they cannot replicate the steel crossbow arm on the armored crossbow. There is no need for the family to spend a large amount of money to update it. Chariot steel crossbow. But this kind of spring steel is still very good as a technical reserve.
Compared to Master Sid's disappointment, what Lorist valued more was the new high-temperature refining furnace that extracted this spring steel. After two years of experiments, Master Sid finally produced a trial-produced refractory brick. And use it to make a refractory furnace that can use high-temperature furnace fire to calcine and refine black iron ore, and this spring steel is a new product of this high-temperature refining furnace. After black iron was calcined into molten iron, Master Sid did countless experiments and added various metals before mastering the material ratio of this spring steel. To be correct, this should be an alloy steel .
However, Lorist did not understand steelmaking and ironmaking techniques, and was not very interested in the various matters that needed attention during the steelmaking process that Master Sid told him. The only thing that makes him regret is that there are no coal mines and oil in the world of Galintia. I don’t know whether it’s because the forest wood resources are too rich or these two energy ores have not been found. Galintia people use firewood and charcoal for forging , when the high temperature is raised, add fire crystal powder. It's just that although the fire crystal powder can increase the high temperature, it can't last long. This should also be the main reason why it is difficult for Galintia to climb the technology tree.
"Master Sid, I would like to ask one thing, that is, have you improved the crossbow used by the light cavalry that you made a few years ago to reduce the manufacturing cost?" Lorist asked.
An embarrassing expression appeared on Master Sid's face, and he hesitated for a while before answering: "Sorry, Your Highness, because the manufacturing cost of the steel crossbow is too high and the workmanship is cumbersome, after the batch of orders you placed were canceled by the family, I and Master Falin did not continue his research. I was busy building a high-temperature refractory refining furnace to test new steel materials, and Master Falin was delayed by a batch of 20,000 standard longbow orders from the family. We were all too busy. Not to be handed over…”
It takes two years to make a standard longbow, and all the wood used to make the longbow needs to go through several processes of soaking and drying, which is very troublesome. Lorist remembered that this list of standard longbows was for the longbowmen of the Guards Battalion, but he also understood that Master Sid and Master Falin were unwilling to devote energy to improving the steel crossbow. After all, masters Sid and Falin have put a lot of effort into the steel crossbow in the past few years, and there is no way to improve it before it is presented.
"I remember, Master Sid, you said that the biggest reason for the high cost of this steel crossbow is the steel material of the crossbow arm, right? The elasticity of the steel material is unstable, so that only a very small number of qualified products can be selected from a batch to make the crossbow arm." , and because it is not a large piece like a chariot steel crossbow arm, but a single-person crossbow, there will be a lot of waste when forging such a small crossbow arm, which makes the manufacturing cost of the crossbow high No, isn't that the case?" Lorist asked.
"Yes, Your Highness." Master Sid nodded and admitted, "Because the refining furnaces for steelmaking were extremely unstable at that time, the properties of the steel refined from each furnace were different, even if the ratio of the materials used was the same, there would be problems. This is the same situation. Besides, these elastic steels cannot be obtained through continuous forging. Like refined iron, we can forge them into steel, but these steels will lose their elasticity after being forged for a long time, so they are suitable for making steel crossbows. The crossbow arm steel is very difficult to refine, which makes the manufacturing cost expensive. Only by refining ten furnaces can we get one or two qualified elastic steel... "
Lorist nodded: "Since this is the reason, now that there is this new spring steel, Master Sid, why didn't you think of using it on the crossbow? This Sid 303 steel The formula has been fixed, the quality is stable, and the output is large, so I think it should be possible to greatly reduce the cost of the crossbow."
Master Sid was stunned, and then he was ecstatic: "Yes, why didn't I think of this? I was only thinking about the steel crossbow of the chariot, but I forgot that the family has been looking for a long-range personal weapon that can replace the longbow. Your Highness, I Immediately go to Master Falin and improve the steel crossbow..."
"Wait, Master Sid, there is one more thing." Lorist stopped Master Sid who was about to run away: "You discuss it with Master Falin, the elasticity of this steel is really as you said If it is outstanding, you can try to forge it into a riding bow, which can shoot from a horse, and then compare its performance with a longbow. The family hunting cavalry army has been re-established, and it is in need of a bow that can be fired from a horse and is not inferior. than the longbow."
"Your Highness, I understand. We will definitely trial-produce the weapons the family needs as soon as possible, and we will die to serve the family!" Master Sid suddenly became fanatical.
Looking at the background of Master Sid going away, Lorist patted his forehead with a headache. To put it bluntly, now he doubts whether he has distorted the family's technology tree. No one has been willing to study the most ideal individual long-range weapon musket in Lorist's mind. Going further and further, even researching and refining the steel is elastic steel suitable for forging steel crossbows, and he refuses to spend energy on researching muskets...
Now the Norton family's chariot steel crossbow is at the forefront of long-range weapons, unparalleled in sharpness. This is indeed the credit of Master Sid and the others, but they have already got into the horns of the dead, and they are all studying how to improve the crossbow so that it can shoot farther and more fiercely. Although Lorist provided the musket blueprint and parts structure diagram, these masters didn't seem to intend to study it further. Perhaps Lorist should consider whether to re-establish a research center dedicated to the development of firearms, but it is difficult to find such a candidate...
After leaving the black iron refinery, the last thing Lorist inspected was Ironforge, which was the weapon production center set up by the family in the Blade's Edge Mountains. Like Master Sid, the weapons and armor are forged and transported here, and then polished and inlaid to make them the standard equipment used by the family's armed forces. This is a large-scale armament production base with 3,000 people. It is responsible for providing armaments for the family's armed forces, as well as producing and assembling armaments for family allies and exporting.
Baron Camorra, who is in charge of Ironforge, has long been waiting here. At present, the most important armament task of Ironforge is to produce 60,000 sets of standard light cavalry armor for the Chaser Legion. This batch of standard light cavalry armor is the latest design of Master Sid. After adopting the suggestions mentioned by the soldiers of the Chasseur Cavalry Legion, Master Sid redesigned the design and improved many places. At the same time, according to Lorist's order, Dye the original black to grayish black.
Baron Camorra was in charge of logistics and support throughout the war during the Iberia Kingdom Raider War last year. He accomplished his mission very well and received a special commendation from Lorist. Although the flames of war have been extinguished now, because Winston Province and the Southern Province are building a large number of various military defense facilities, the mission of Baron Camorra's logistics director is not over, but he is not very nervous. Baron Camorra appointed a deputy to sit in the city of Windbury to preside over it, while he ran back to Ironforge to meet Lorist's inspection.
It was already August 7th when I returned to Rock Castle after inspecting Ironforge Castle. Lorist went to the Back Mountain Training Ground to see Schwader and then returned to the study to find that Fatty Shi was sitting on the sofa with a large stack of documents. wait for him. The more important thing this time is the military budget of the reorganized North Sea Fleet and the reorganized Chaser Legion, as well as a letter from Roaring Bear City, which was written by Princess Sylvia to Lorist, The letter said that she liked the scenery of the Cherry Blossom Ridge Manor that Lorist gave her very much, because there were a few places that needed rectification, so she would not return to Rock Castle in a few days.
"Have all the invitations been sent out?" Lorist asked while reviewing the documents.
In Galintia, an aristocratic wedding is basically sending out invitations to relatives and friends half a year in advance. Especially for Lorist who is the grand duke of the Northland and the head of the Norton family, not only all the lower-ranking lords of the family must be notified of his wedding, but even all the noble families of the Antinac Kingdom must be notified. This is not a matter of familiarity or closeness, but a matter of a noble's face. Fortunately, in the past few years, His Royal Highness has almost purged the entire noble class of the Antinac Kingdom, and the remaining nobles are not much to talk about, so Lorist does not need to deal with those nobles he is not familiar with at all, which he feels very satisfied.
The wedding with Princess Sylvia will be held in November, and it is already very hasty to send a messenger to deliver invitations at the end of June and early July. In the Galintia Continent, some aristocratic families with deep foundations often need to notify the guests a year in advance of their marriage. This is because the mainland is too big and the distance is far away, and secondly, the guests also need time to prepare gifts for the newlyweds. However, Lorist was not so troublesome. The power of the Norton family was only in the northeastern region of the former Krissen Empire, and any further away would be the nobles who also belonged to the Antinac Kingdom.
"Basically all have been delivered. However, only a small number of nobles from the imperial capital of the kingdom expressed that they would come to congratulate them in person. Basically, the nobles who were newly promoted by the Second Highness were shirking their official duties and could not be there, but they expressed that they would send gifts. Come to congratulate His Highness on your wedding." Fatty Shi replied.
"What did the Second Highness say?"
"This is the strangest thing to me." Fatty Shi frowned and said, "Our courier didn't see our majesty the king. He said that the invitation card was taken by the chief steward of the palace, and then told him to wait at the posthouse. News. In the evening, the chief steward sent someone back to say that His Majesty the King is busy with affairs and cannot attend the wedding ceremony of the Grand Duke of the Northland at that time, but he will send an envoy to express his congratulations on his behalf. I felt strange when the envoy came back What the hell is this Second Highness planning? He didn't even come to attend your big wedding, and the situation in the kingdom is very calm. He seems to be hiding, and he didn't even summon our messengers. This is already very unusual excuse me… "
Lorist put down the document in his hand: "I don't know if you have heard of a situation. The Ford Business Alliance and the Central South Kingdom's coalition forces are at war. Because Lummard was forcibly recruited to the front line, the specific battle situation needs to be determined." It will come back after a while. But what I am puzzled about is that His Highness the Second Highness should know such news, but why is the imperial capital as calm as before, without any abnormality? It stands to reason that our Majesty the King should take advantage of the fire, he His ambition is to unify the territory of the former empire, and now the business alliance occupies several provinces of the empire, but the Second Highness missed such a good opportunity, I feel very strange."
"Well... I haven't heard that it has nothing to do with our family anyway." Fatty Shi shook his head: "After all, our family is too far away from the business alliance. He should have known the news a long time ago. According to you, this is indeed a good time to do something, but the Second Highness has nothing to do, which is really not normal. Hey, do you think the second His Highness is not in the imperial capital, so we didn't even summon the messenger we sent to deliver the invitation..."
Lorist was taken aback, Fatty Shi's wild thoughts seemed to have opened up a new way of thinking in him, he pulled the bell rope for recruiting, and Genorio came in from outside the study.
"Genorio, send someone to find Tagle immediately." Lorist ordered.
Tagle soon appeared in front of Lorist.
"Tager, you immediately send a letter to the eagle to ask all the intelligence investigators deployed in the imperial capital, ordering them to find out how many days it has been since His Majesty the King has not appeared in front of others? At present, the administrative and military affairs of the kingdom are handled by Who is in charge? Has there been any abnormal situation in the palace?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I will do it right away."
Three days later, Tagle appeared in front of Lorist.
"Your Highness, this is the report sent back by the intelligence investigators of the Imperial Capital. They said that His Majesty the King has not appeared in front of outsiders for more than a year. According to the servants and maids in the palace, they have not seen His Majesty the King in person for a long time. However, it is confirmed that His Majesty the King has been staying in the innermost area of the palace, guarded by a thousand of the most loyal guards around him, and no one else is allowed to enter. There are rumors that His Majesty the King has a strange disease, so he lives in seclusion. A minister can still go in to see him, and the signatures on some documents are all signed by His Majesty the King, and the style of handling affairs is still the same as before. Therefore, the situation in the kingdom is still very stable, and people have forgotten how long it has been since they saw each other. It's his time..."
"Strange disease?" Lorist rubbed his chin: "Impossible, there is some strange disease that can make His Second Highness, who has three gold stars in fighting spirit, fall down. It's impossible. Could it be that he was assassinated or hit by something?" Strange poison?"
Tagle thought for a while and replied: "Your Highness, I think it is unlikely to be assassinated, otherwise the imperial capital would have been in chaos. Poisoning is not a big deal. If it is really poisoned, the palace will definitely invite many pharmacists to go, just like him back then. His father, the third prince, was assassinated and poisoned, and all the pharmacists in the imperial capital were invited to the palace. However, there is one situation that needs to be noticed. It is His Highness’s cousin, Chrisya, who seems to have lost His Majesty’s trust. I was dismissed from the position of commander of the guards, and I am currently living in seclusion at home... "
"Oh?" Lorist frowned, "Is this true?"
"It's true, but Miss Chrysia seems unwilling to explain the reason to us. But she said that she will bring her whole family to the Northland to attend the wedding before His Highness's wedding." Tagle replied.
Lorist turned around twice with his head down. This was a bit weird, but it was certain that the Second Highness stayed in the palace for some reason. Forget it, don't worry about him for now, there will always be a day when the truth comes out, and then you will naturally know what the Second Highness is up to.
"Let's do this first, let people keep an eye on the palace, and report any abnormal situation in the imperial capital immediately." Lorist said.
"Yes, Your Highness."
…