Chapter 39
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Chapter 39: Unexpected Events
The Kiel Canal does need to be widened.
In fact, it should have been built.
The Kiel Canal project was proposed in the 18th century but was put on hold for a long time. It has been attempted several times during the Holy Roman Empire era, the Rhine Federation era, and now the Danish control era.
In the past, many small rivers and streams were connected together to create what is now known as the Kiel Canal. Contrary to what people might imagine, the Kiel Canal is actually just a narrow waterway that can only accommodate very small boats weighing around fifty to sixty tons.
Napoleon III wanted to improve this canal so that it could be used by medium-sized ships.
All countries, including Prussia, thought this was a good idea. If everyone worked together to make the canal a reality, it would benefit all of Europe.
The problem was, who was going to pay for it.
Nobody wanted to pay for it and then not benefit from it, so the Kiel Canal project remained just a small water passage from the 18th century until now.
Leader One and Napoleon III had a meeting at Sanssouci Palace where they exchanged ideas in a friendly manner and respected each other’s opinions, even though the outcome of the meeting was not perfect, they managed to reach a basic agreement.
The canal project will definitely continue, but it needs to be thoroughly prepared before starting. This is a big undertaking that cannot be rushed into impulsively.
This was the first meeting between him and the French Emperor Napoleon III, and Napoleon III was very different from what Leader One had imagined.
Napoleon III did not come across as arrogant or oppressive in any way, he did not act aggressively or forcefully.
At first, they arranged to talk in a special meeting room at Sanssouci Palace, but the other party suggested moving to the study room.
In the study room at Sanssouci Palace, which was like a small library, the two of them discussed canals, the South German states, and issues with tariffs. They exchanged opinions gently and then quickly agreed on a draft.
They finished discussing state matters in just an hour and a half. The whole day after that, Napoleon III kept chatting with Leader One.
Because Leader One had written three science fiction novels, 1914 AD, 1936 AD, and 1941 AD.
Napoleon III was a loyal fan of Leader One’s books. He had read each one several times. Visiting Berlin today gave him the chance to meet his favorite author, and he kept talking to Leader One from morning till afternoon.
Napoleon III’s strange focus was mainly on questions about naval battleships, while Leader One thought he would be more interested in artillery for the army.
"In your novel, there’s a battleship named Richelieu, a French ship. From the description, she seems to be made entirely of steel, right? And with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons, how can she sail so fast, almost thirty knots? I can’t even imagine."
Leader One casually evaded these questions like a master of riddles.
Napoleon III, "Many things predicted in your novels have come true. For example, the telegraph. Last month, an inventor showed me a telegraph he had invented, just like the one you described in your novel. It’s amazing. It can transmit messages very far. I believe there might be a chance for these invincible steel battleships as well. If France could be the first to use such a powerful battleship, then some countries might… hehe."
Leader One thought the France Emperor was pretty great. They had a lot in common and their conversation was very friendly, like chatting between friends.
But Napoleon III smoked too much. He smoked sixteen cigars in a day and even blackened the ceiling of the library in Sanssouci Palace.
"It’s a shame, but it’s getting late. I have to go visit Vienna," Napoleon III tightly shook hands with Leader One before leaving.
"If we have the chance next time, we must continue our chat. I still have many questions about your novel."
"Farewell, Prince Regent of Prussia," they said their goodbyes.
The France Emperor and his guards walked away, gradually getting farther, while Leader One returned to Sanssouci Palace with his guards.
Now it’s evening. Let’s just stay at Sanssouci Palace in Berlin for today.
Today was mainly about chatting with the France Emperor, without dealing with any state affairs. Except for feeling uncomfortable from the smoke, all was well. Leader One even felt like jogging in the evening to exercise.
Sanssouci Palace is a treasure in Germany’s architectural history, but the surrounding muddy land is really bad.
He thought about when to repair Prussia’s infrastructure while jogging. The infrastructure in Prussia needed improvement, as well as the canal. Maybe infrastructure projects could be connected to the Industrial Revolution and the emancipation of serfs. If serfs were suddenly freed and there weren’t enough factory jobs for them, these infrastructure projects could provide them with a livelihood.
At seven in the evening, the Prince Regent of Prussia comfortably lay down in the living room of Sanssouci Palace.
It’s really comfortable to sleep alone in a double bed. The long night is no longer torture for the king, it’s extremely comfortable.
"Bang!"
Catherine kicked open the door of the living room.
Leader One was startled, "Catherine, how did you suddenly find your way to Sanssouci Palace? Is it really necessary for me to rest for a day?"
"Your Highness the Regent, please behave decently, and wipe off that look of disdain for women. The Prussian Engineering Institute has made a major breakthrough in research, this is important work."
Leader One jumped up excitedly, "Sleeping, who needs sleep now?"
"Prepare a fast horse immediately, I must ride to Berlin overnight. By the way, what is this breakthrough?"
"There was a young man named Mauser who studied a good gun."
Leader One and Catherine rode their horses quickly from Potsdam City to Sanssouci Palace in Berlin. They wished they could run faster.
However, when they arrived at the Academy of Engineering, he was very disappointed.
"What is this thing?" Leader One examined the new gun.
Many people gathered around the prince regent, including Mauser from the Academy of Engineering, Keluobo, the Rhine technical team, and the Mann team. Gauss from the Academy of Sciences also came to see what was happening.
Everyone surrounded Leader One, who looked at the new gun with a twisted expression on his face.
This was not the classic Mauser 1898. It wasn’t even a bolt-action rifle. It turned out to be a lever-action rifle using a spiral magazine… What a strange thing.
Mauser saw the prince regent’s bad expression and became even more nervous. He stuttered and couldn’t explain clearly, so his good friend Keluobo spoke for him.
"Your Highness, Mauser has been researching the extraction mechanism and matching rifle for all-metal fixed rounds for the past few years. After countless experiments, he has finally developed this model. What do you think of it?"
Leader One said, "Worm type magazine is a very weird thing, with its complicated processing and structure, it is expensive and not very reliable. The lever-action rifle with a worm type magazine is even weirder."
Leader One thought for a moment, then waved to Mauser, signaling him to follow.
The crowd followed Leader One to a small forest warehouse in the Estate of Brandenburg Prince-elector.
"Mauser, look at this bolt. Turn it ninety degrees to open, push it forward and turn ninety degrees to lock. Maybe this can give you some inspiration."
But the crowd didn’t understand what Leader One was talking about, and Mauser didn’t care. He believed that the gun he had spent four years researching was good.
Leader One was impressed too. Mauser was really amazing to come up with the lever-action rifle in 1837, but when he looked at it, all he saw were flaws. It wasn’t as good as a flintlock rifle.
Mauser was also young at that time. His newly researched gun was not valued by the prince regent, so he was determined to prove himself.
Leader One gave him the opportunity, "Produce a batch and take it to the General Staff Department for a professional evaluation."
Mauser’s research on metallic fixed cartridge wasn’t mature, there were big problems. The lever-action rifle he created had many issues too, with a complex structure and serious air leakage problems.
Leader One felt bad for influencing Mauser too much with futuristic ideas, which led Mauser down a strange path instead of focusing on practical things.
Keluobo is reliable, as he diligently studies steel. Recently, he has been collaborating successfully with Rhine Metal’s Mann Team, which is a great advantage for Prussia’s new special steel.
"Can I try shooting the gun?" asked Catherine.
Catherine, as a member of the General Staff Department and a brigadier general of the Imperial Guard, had the qualifications to represent the military in weapon testing.
Everyone stepped back a safe distance while Mauser eagerly awaited feedback.
Unfortunately, Catherine’s fourth shot caused the gun to explode, shattering the entire mechanism into pieces flying everywhere. Leader One quickly used his magic energy to protect Gauss among the spectators.
Luckily, everyone was far enough away and no one was hurt.
Catherine was furious as she was about to take a break when members from the Academy of Engineering excitedly approached her with a major discovery. She hurried off to Sanssouci Palace.
The so-called major discovery turned out to be this!
"A clump of scrap metal, this lever is as difficult to operate as an old lady with no teeth trying to bite into an apple. This broken gun’s airtightness can’t compare to an old rifle, it fills its metal bullets with black gunpowder, causing a lot of residue to build up after each shot, making it unusable after a few shots."
"Your Highness, the funds from the Prussian Engineering Institute always arrive promptly, and the amount is not small, but you’ve only managed to come up with this junk? A piece of advanced-looking junk?"
Leader One coughed, "Alright Catherine, please stop."
Then Leader One turned to encourage the dejected Mauser.
"You are a genius, really, I never expected you to develop a lever-action rifle at this time. You seem to be the pioneer of lever-action rifles in this world. This type of gun actually has great potential, you can slowly improve it, and take your time with the metal fixed bullet issue."
"Don’t lose faith in yourself, the first firearm developed in history was also ridiculed as useless, and the first lever-action rifle in history is the same. With mature technology, it will shine brightly. Mauser, I believe you can become a master of military industry in a generation."