Chapter 58

Chapter 58: < Thermal Weapons. >

The development of the Wakan Tanka Empire was simultaneous.

The same was true for the development of weapons.

It started when gunpowder was made.

The first weapon made using gunpowder, the bomb, had already been used in the war against the Aztec Empire.

“What a tremendous power.”

“To think that bomb would explode in the middle of the battlefield… Ugh, it’s horrible just to think about it.”

“I agree.”

The craftsmen who made and tested the first bomb could not hide their surprise at the loud noise and explosive power of the bomb.

After that, bombs were quickly produced in the factory. 

Before the war with the Aztec Empire, they focused on making as many bombs as possible.

But this did not last long.

The war ended too quickly.

There was no need to make a large number of bombs anymore.

But among the craftsmen, there were already countless people who were fascinated by gunpowder weapons.

“We can surely make more powerful weapons using gunpowder.”

The newly made bomb was the main character of the Aztec war.

Then, if they could develop gunpowder weapons further?

This question made the craftsmen’s hearts flutter.

From then on, various trials and errors began.

They experimented with making more powerful and reliable bombs, and they also found a way to enlarge the crossbow and attach a bomb to it to launch it far away.

At that time,Kim Kiwoo laughed after receiving reports of such experiments.

They had not yet found the concept of a cannon.

They were only looking for a way to kill enemies with explosive power, not thinking of sending iron chunks far away with that explosive power.

‘Firearms are definitely necessary.’

Kim Kiwoo knew the future of cold weapons.

As time passed, cold weapons would give way to firearms.

The Wakan Tanka Empire was an empire that rose based on powerful weapons than neighboring forces.

Therefore,Kim Kiwoo always intended to maintain the empire’s military level in an overwhelming state.

Firearms were already quite common in the Old Continent. Of course, the empire had to keep up with this and produce better firearms.

SoKim Kiwoo taught the craftsmen who were conducting firearm experiments the concept of a cannon.

“Oh! Your Majesty has bestowed us with great knowledge!”

“Is that really true?”

This news spread quickly among the craftsmen.

The knowledge thatKim Kiwoo casually gave was all groundbreaking and excellent.

It had never been wrong so far.

Therefore, the craftsmen and intellectuals of the empire desperately hoped thatKim Kiwoo would pass on his knowledge, and they did their best to absorb the knowledge he gave them.

It was the same this time.

The craftsmen gathered in Black Sky soon.

Kim Kiwoo said that the basic material for a cannon was steel.

They used steel from the furnace to make the empire’s first cannon.

When you think about how steel cannons were made after bronze cannons and cast iron cannons in real history, too many steps were skipped.

But there was no need to go through such a process.

They already had high-quality steel.

After making a cannon, numerous experiments began.

Bang!

Bang!

“To think that such a heavy iron chunk would fly so far…”

“Huh. It’s really a scary weapon.”

The early cannons were naturally made thickly.

It was because they were worried that the cannon might explode due to the explosive power that occurred inside the cannon and sent out an iron chunk.

The more they experimented with such cannons, the more they admired them.

The power of the cannon was truly amazing.

“If we can only time it well, we can also send bombs instead of iron chunks.”

“Oh! We can do that?”

“But as far as I can see, we still have a long way to go.”

The initial cannons lacked many things.

It couldn’t be helped because it was the first time they made a cannon.

From then on, experiments continued to repeat.

They found the most suitable cylindrical shape and thickness, and they looked for ways to send iron chunks farther away.

They carefully recorded how changing the caliber of the cannon or increasing the length of the barrel affected it.

It was possible because data-based experiments were already common in the empire.

Moreover, since gunpowder and steel were also generously supported, there was no obstacle to experimentation.

Thanks to that, cannons that were much thinner, lighter, and stronger than bronze cannons were quickly made.

When they decided that they had made some decent cannons, the craftsmen presented their cannons to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, the steel cannons have arrived from the black sky.”

“Really?”

At that news, Kim Ki-woo smiled and immediately prepared a demonstration of the cannons.

The next day, as soon as Kim Ki-woo arrived at the demonstration site, he checked all kinds of cannons.

‘Wow.’

Kim Ki-woo touched various parts of the cannons and slightly admired them.

The steel’s gloss reflected the sunlight and sparkled, which looked quite cool.

They had been experimenting for a long time, so the shapes were plausible.

“I’m really curious about how powerful they are.”

“I will prepare the demonstration right away.”

“Do so.”

As soon as Kim Ki-woo gave his permission, the demonstration site became busy.

“We will start now!”

After that, they started firing the cannons one by one from the leftmost one.

Bang! Bang!

Kim Ki-woo carefully watched the different types of firearms.

The craftsmen who had similar intentions had gathered together and made firearms, so the caliber and length were different, and the firing efficiency was also different.

Also, the recoil of the cannon was too powerful, and it seemed very difficult to support it.

If they didn’t fix the cannon properly, it seemed possible that the cannon itself would flip over.

If they used it on a ship like this, it was obvious that accidents such as being crushed by a cannon would occur.

But Kim Ki-woo was generally satisfied.

‘It’s definitely much better than bronze cannons.’

They wouldn’t stand a chance in range and power.

Kim Ki-woo nodded his head with satisfaction.

***

After the cannon demonstration was over.

Kim Ki-woo invited the craftsmen to the palace and held a big banquet.

At the banquet hall, Kim Ki-woo patted the shoulders of the craftsmen and praised them greatly.

“You all did a great job. Thanks to you, the empire will become stronger in the future.”

“No, not at all. The cannons we made are still lacking a lot.”

“Haha. Lacking? They looked really powerful in my eyes.”

Of course, Kim Ki-woo also thought they were lacking.

They needed a lot of improvement.

But he believed that time would solve that.

“Next time, we will present better cannons.”

“That sounds exciting. So you’re going to keep improving the cannons?”

“Of course. The cannons will surely change the course of war in an instant.”

The craftsman’s eyes sparkled with confidence and desire.

He seemed to be hooked on firearm experiments.

Kim Ki-woo’s voice changed subtly.

“But you know what? Do you have any thoughts of making new firearms?”

“New firearms? What do you mean…?”

As soon as Kim Ki-woo finished speaking, the expressions of the craftsmen who attended the banquet changed in an instant.

Kim Ki-woo’s new development was always right.

They wondered what kind of amazing thing he would suggest this time.

Kim Ki-woo knew that fact too, but he didn’t care and continued to speak.

“The cannons you made can send a very heavy piece of iron far away. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“But I think this way. Do we really need to send such big pieces of iron?”

“Hmm…”

The craftsman made a sound and tilted his head slightly.

“We’ve also experimented with small cannons. But those small cannons are too weak. Do we need to make those things?”

“I want much smaller firearms than that.”

“Small firearms…”

“Yes. How nice would it be if there were firearms that were small and light enough for people to carry and shoot.”

After that, Kim Ki-woo took out a paper from his pocket.

On the paper was a rifle that Kim Ki-woo had in mind, and its concept was also written down.

Kim Ki-woo explained the rifle to them.

It was a method of firing small bullets using the explosive power of gunpowder.

“Hmm.”

“Indeed…”

The craftsmen nodded their heads one by one.

Kim Kiwoo added.

“If every warrior can carry a weapon like this, the effect will be tremendous. What do you think?”

“It will surely be as Your Majesty says.”

The craftsmen had only heard the concept, so they couldn’t feel the effect and power of the firecracker gun.

But they didn’t have any doubts, just becauseKim Kiwoo suggested it.

“Let’s try making one.”

“I agree.”

“Haha. If everyone makes small firearms, who will improve the cannons? You don’t have to all work on this.”

That’s how the team for making firecracker guns was formed.

After the banquet, the craftsmen returned to Black Sky.

The other craftsmen started working on improving the cannons, but the firecracker gun team actually made firecracker guns.

The craftsmen already knew very well the concept of making cannons, exploding gunpowder and shooting iron pieces.

AndKim Kiwoo had explained the concept of firecracker guns, so the development of firecracker guns progressed quickly.

“Will this really be effective?”

“His Majesty personally ordered it, so it must be excellent.”

“I guess so.”

The craftsmen looked at the first firecracker gun and expressed their opinions.

Of course, they didn’t shoot it by themselves at first.

It was an experimental firecracker gun, so they had to consider the risk of explosion.

They pulled a string connected to the trigger from a distance and fired the firecracker gun.

Bang!

Thud!

“It hit!”

After the first shot, the craftsmen rushed to the target.

“Wow! Such a small lead bullet pierced through the target completely!”

“Huh… It seems to have a lot of power.”

The craftsmen were surprised by the power of the firecracker gun.

They thought that a small lead bullet wouldn’t be very strong, but it was actually much more powerful than they expected.

“Is the firearm okay?”

“…It seems to be fine for now.”

Of course, it was only the first shot, so they needed more shots to test its durability.

But the experiment was stopped after the fifth shot.

The firecracker gun broke down.

“Hmm. It needs some improvement.”

“It can’t be perfect from the start.”

An experiment is a series of failures.

Those failures accumulate and create a successful product.

They knew this very well.

After that, they repeated many failures and collected data.

That’s how they made a reliable prototype.

“It’s a success!”

“Haha! I think we can report this to His Majesty.”

The firecracker gun that was made like this was soon loaded on a ship and transported to the capital.

After that, it went through the same demonstration process as the cannon.

After all the experiments were over,

Kim Kiwoo clenched his fist.

He was quite satisfied with the power of the firecracker gun.

Of course, it was still just a firecracker gun at best, and he had to keep developing firearms in the future, but anyway, he had completed all the basics of gunpowder weapons.

‘I can finally move on to the era of firearms.’

Kim Kiwoo immediately ordered Black Sky to build a weapon factory.

To mass-produce cannons and firecracker guns.

As time passed, firearms were produced and deployed in the field.

They modified ships to install cannons, and loaded cannons on them.

Firecracker guns were distributed to warriors of military department after they were mass-produced enough.

They had plenty of gunpowder, so warriors could practice with cannons and firecracker guns regularly.

That’s how gunpowder weapons took root in Wakan Tankga Empire.

< Firearms. > The end