Episode 229: Merchant of Death?
“If it’s a revolver-type handgun, domestic mass production should be possible. We lack the technical skill for automatics. Re-educating the troops would also take time.”
“Percussion cap ammunition, huh? This structure is innovative. The problem is, our country lacks the technology to mass-produce this…”
While examining the handguns that Asidanthera-Ayame Zero brought, the technical officers voiced their opinions one after another.
“What about an ignition method using Burnstone (Tone Mug) powder? Right now, the powder is relatively easy to obtain.”
“That’s… too expensive to use for these handgun bullets. At most, it would be for the secondary cannons of Battleships.”
While observing the officers’ discussion, Amadio Silverhead spoke to Major Palliard Aminas next to him.
“How is it? Can we realistically expect to establish mass production within about half a year?”
The Major shook his head at his superior’s question.
“No. If we had a year, perhaps. Even then, I’d be worried about the precision of the workmanship. In half a year, we’d be limited to handmade products at best.”
“I see… Well, that’s true. There’s just too little time.”
Amadio sighed and stood up from his chair.
He clapped his hands together to draw attention to himself.
The technical officers, who had been actively discussing, hurriedly turned to face Amadio.
“Gentlemen. Have you reached a conclusion?”
“Hah! We apologize, we are still in discussion!”
Amadio nodded at the response. It was obvious to everyone.
“Indeed. Continuing the discussion thoroughly and using it to aid our country’s growth would be ideal, but… unfortunately, we don’t have time left.”
As he spoke, Amadio picked up the Assault Rifle that was leaning against the side of the tent.
This, too, was provided as a sample from ＜Paraiso＞.
“Now then.”
Amadio stepped out of the outdoor tent.
A shooting range had been reserved for test-firing the samples, and the venue was set up there.
Holding the Assault Rifle, Amadio Silverhead casually pulled the trigger.
Three-round burst.
The fired bullets hit near the center of the target, which was about 30 meters away. A large hole was blown open.
“A wonderful gun. It even has a three-round burst mechanism. Perfect for distributing to soldiers with low skill levels. The grouping is tight, and the sights are accurate.”
Clicking the safety on, Amadio turned around.
Everyone was silent at the flawless shooting displayed by the highest-ranking general.
Most soldiers knew the rumor that Amadio Silverhead was a one-man army, but only a limited number of people had actually seen it.
“Our country lacks the technical skill to make this. We could catch up in a few more years. But that would be too late.”
“…”
That was a common understanding among all the technical officers.
The handguns, as well as the Assault Rifle in Amadio’s hands, were, in their eyes, a collection of precision parts. The dimensional tolerances specified in the blueprints were not something that could be achieved with mass production.
However, if they could achieve it, they could mass-produce high-performance guns.
“I’ll leave the reports to you, but everyone here already understands. We don’t have time. But if we don’t get these weapons to the front lines, our country’s fate will be sealed.”
Amadio raised the Assault Rifle.
This was an Assault Rifle based on the historical AK-47 series, redesigned by ＜Ringo＞ for mass production.
It could be mass-produced even with low technical skill, was easy to maintain, could withstand harsh environments, and was a weapon with high area suppression capabilities.
Even so, mass production was not possible in the current Repuytari Kingdom.
“We’ll import the entire manufacturing plant for this. If necessary, we’ll import finished products and parts as well. The same goes for ammunition. Does anyone have any objections?”
“…Hah. Is that alright, sir?”
“I permit it.”
“Thank you very much! What exactly do you mean by importing the factory!”
Importing the factory.
Hearing the words alone, it’s true that it’s hard to understand.
“It’s exactly as it sounds, gentlemen. We will only provide the land, and ＜Paraiso＞ will build the factory there. They will arrange everything. The building materials, the construction work, the test runs, and even the actual manufacturing, all of it.”
“…T-That’s…”
“Normally, such a thing would never be allowed. But we have no choice but to make the decision to permit it. Of course, technology transfer will be implemented, but in any case, there is not enough time. We need to quickly formulate education plans, transportation plans, storage plans, and maintenance plans. Now then, we have a prospect for manufacturing and procurement. Let’s quickly take care of the rest.”
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“The Assault Rifle has large clearances in its component parts, increasing durability and mass production capabilities. The number of parts has also been reduced as much as possible, taking into account maintainability on the front lines. The caliber is 7mm. The magazine holds 32 rounds.”
“In exchange, the grouping isn’t very good… but Akane said it’s okay because they won’t be able to train properly anyway…”
Akane and Olive were explaining the weapons and ammunition to be provided to the Repuytari Kingdom.
Onee-sama (Eve), who was listening, nodded her head vigorously.
“For the time being, manufacturing will be done by ＜The Tree＞, so there are no problems with accuracy. We can’t predict what will happen in the future.”
“I see. Historically, it was said to have become the most widely used military rifle at the time, wasn’t it?”
The historical AK-47 and its derivatives were apparently used all over the world.
It had sufficient power, was easy to handle, and, above all, was easy to manufacture.
Since this was a redesign based on that model, there was, of course, a good chance that history would repeat itself.
“This gun cannot compete with ＜The Tree＞’s main weapons. No problem.”
Akane stated definitively.
Well, it would be a threat to small machines such as Communicator Dolls, but ＜The Tree＞ was not naive enough to allow that. If Guerrilla Warfare was expected, they could just bomb the entire area. Even in urban warfare, the ultimate result would be the same.
“Even so, you’ll be providing machine guns as well, right?”
“Y-Yes… Um, a revolver, a sniper rifle, and a machine gun that can use the same ammunition as this Assault Rifle. And a large-caliber anti-material rifle and a heavy machine gun that use the same ammunition.”
They would manufacture 7mm caliber bullets and 13mm caliber bullets, and provide revolvers, Assault Rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-material rifles, and heavy machine guns to match.
“Anti-material rifles and heavy machine guns could become a threat, but if we were to mass-produce them, it would take at least another 10 years…”
In that amount of time, the hostile organizations would be wiped out by ＜The Tree＞. Or rather, annihilated, would be the correct term.
Therefore, the probability of an organization becoming a threat to ＜The Tree＞ as a result of this weapons provision was negligible.
Sniper rifles were expected to be somewhat effective.
The Warrior Monks of the Prawa Theocracy were not very sturdy unless they were in combat.
Reducing their numbers through sniping would reduce the pressure on the front lines.
Education would be necessary for specialized skills, but if they were rushed in a few months, it should be manageable.
And, in order to delay the advance of the front lines, they would scatter Assault Rifles with stopping power that could be expected. If used in conjunction with the relatively easily relocated machine guns of the same caliber, the base defense capabilities would be dramatically increased.
If heavy machine guns were deployed at important bases, it might be possible not only to stop the enemy but also to push them back from the front.
The problem was that the enemy Warrior Monks would wage Guerrilla Warfare.
“This time, we are also providing rations with excellent preservation properties. We will also form Guerrilla soldiers and continuously put pressure on the enemy, buying time to strengthen the bases.”
That policy had already been communicated to Amadio Silverhead, and his agreement had been obtained.
They would export it to other countries under the guise of support from the Repuytari Kingdom, and have them carry out thorough resistance in their respective countries.
This time, the front lines were too long, so they were not planning to suppress everything with the forces of ＜The Tree＞. In the first place, the objects of protection were other countries, and there was the problem that they were not very trustworthy.
In that case, it was better to just hand over the weapons and curry favor.