Chapter 18: Don't want a bad gun, want a good gun
Chapter 18: Don't want a bad gun, want a good gun
For many masters, a job like building a garden in the imperial village is something they would love to have. After all, there is a lot of money to be made from the project, and if the job is done well, the emperor's reward is sure to be inevitable.
But for Solovyov, this job, even if it was just supervision, was a time-consuming one. Before that, he had thought about making money, but after arriving in Tsarskoye Selo, he learned another thing from Mikhail Dolgorukov.
They were both named "Misha". After meeting again, they gave each other a code name. In the end, it was easier to distinguish them based on their respective branches of the military. Besides, on the battlefield, hussars and grenadiers would not be too friendly to each other.
"Grenadiers, the Emperor in Gatchina has suddenly issued an edict that anyone who can present a new weapon and have it adopted will receive a bonus."
"What has this to do with me, Hussar? You know I have a lot of work to do for Count Bobulinski. If I do it well, I can show my face to the Emperor."
"But you wrote to me last month saying that the current muskets always fail to fire and have many problems, and that a new design should be adopted."
This is a Russian characteristic. Many of the weapons they produce come from the Tula Arsenal. Mikhail Dolgorukov's father, Peter Petrovich, was appointed by Tsar Paul as the head of the Tula Arsenal. This job was very convenient for him. The Dolgorukov family already had their own estate in Tula, and could also "guide" the work nearby.
However, given the capabilities of Russia's military industry, Solovyov was still quite worried. The Pugachev Uprising more than 1763 years ago caused extremely serious damage to the industries in southern Russia and the Ural regions. One of the worst hit was Izhevsk. After the large arsenal that was nationalized in 42 was captured by Pugachev, he subsequently executed the arsenal director and technical workers and released the serf workers in the factory. Since then, the factory has been severely damaged and only has a name. The entire Russian military production can only rely on a few state-owned arsenals. Moreover, someone has already reported the production quality to Paul.
The arsenals built during the reign of Catherine II were not very efficient in production. Many of the craftsmen hired were from foreign countries. Domestic factories had long employed serf workers. The technicians in the arsenals were somewhat different from "ordinary workers". If they had skills, they even had a "petty bourgeois" tendency and could even have their own property instead of being completely dependent on the factory.
This is a bit abstract. Many things that happened in Russia are also abstract. For example, among the Russian army, whether it is flintlock or rifled rifles, the tendency towards "international brands" is very obvious. When Solovyov was in the Suzdal Regiment or the Moscow Grenadiers Regiment, the number of domestically-made and foreign rifles he had seen was also astonishing.
Why did Tsar Paul suddenly issue such an edict? Considering that he issued the edict in Gatchina, there is some explanation.
"Hussar, I have thought of a good idea. After I present it to you, the emperor will definitely approve of it. But I'm afraid it will be difficult to make it."
Solovyov thought about Minié bullets, rifled rifles, and even breech-loading rifles. However, with Russia's processing capabilities, it was feared that none of them could be produced, and it would be dangerous to catch them now. Even if he had such a friend, whose father was the general in charge of the Tula Arsenal, it would still be difficult.
However, the design draft of this gun can be produced very quickly, and since Solovyov said so, Mikhail Dolgorukov will naturally not let him go.
"Grenadier, don't be like an old country woman. If you have some good ideas, just share them with us."
"Then I will present it directly to the emperor. If the emperor really adopts my design, I guess this edict will be sent to the Tula Arsenal."
In short, no one could escape the Dolgorukov family, including Vasily Vasilyevich who came to the woods to hunt today. He was bringing his family to the woods near Tsarskoye Selo to hunt. This old man was a lieutenant general of the army and an active member of the Privy Council, but his faith was Catholic, which was not liked by Tsar Paul. Although he was proud for a while some time ago and Tsar Paul awarded him the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, he was exiled to Moscow for a few months before his family returned to St. Petersburg.
"Vassily Vasilyevich, I'm glad to see you here. But are you dressed like this to go hunting?"
"Yes, my dear Mishchenka, during the past few months in the Moscow countryside I have been very happy hunting."
"Then when you come back, you will be willing to bring your whole family to hunt."
"Yes, let my wife relax a little. It's better to be in the forest than in the palace."
Speaking of which, the Dolgorukov family, or to be more precise, the Dolgoruky family, is a large aristocratic family with many branches in Russia. If Mikhail were to follow his age and seniority, he would have to call this lieutenant general uncle.
When they came back from Moscow, there was indeed a lot of pomp and circumstance, with attendants following behind, some carrying hunting rifles for the master, some leading horses, holding umbrellas, and driving carriages.
After all, he is a prince, and the estate he inherited is not small, so he can always afford such pomp. But Solovyov's family, a family where it is difficult to be recognized as a baron in the court, has limited room for display and is also a country noble - they just have some money, but it is far from what this lord can afford.
The prince was very kind and continued chatting with his nephew.
"Mishchenka, you are becoming more and more handsome. I don't know what kind of wife you will marry in the future. Do you like a woman with a good family background? A woman with a high social status? Or do you want to find a beautiful woman?"
"My dear uncle, Vasily Vasilyevich, that will take a long time. I am just talking to my friend about something that the Emperor has recently issued, concerning the requisition of new infantry weapons."
"Well, that's an important matter. Although our emperor is a little serious, he is also sincere in his desire to make Russia stronger."
These words were seven parts praise and three parts sarcasm. After being exiled, Vasily Dolgorukov quickly returned to St. Petersburg. He agreed with some of Tsar Paul's reforms, but some things were too extreme. Especially as a former general, he could not help but agree with some of the statements of the "crazy" Marshal Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov.
Then, it is such a complex emotion, Russians are always like this
"Mishchenka, are you going to discuss this with a kid like this? You look familiar to me, kid."
"Your Highness, I am Lieutenant Mikhail Soloviev, adjutant to His Royal Highness Prince Dmitri Volkonsky."
"I have some impression of you. When you were in Moscow, you were very skillful. Your father married a French girl as his second wife. This fact left a deeper impression on him than on you. Child, you have to work hard, too." "Yes, you have to work hard. We are talking about the things in the emperor's edict. Maybe the hunters need a new gun, just like you went out hunting today."
If so, the French spelling of chasseur is Chasseur, which means hunter. It is also correct to change it to Jager in German. Both are the formal names of chasseur, and they are a group of shooters with good marksmanship selected from forest rangers and hunters.
What Solovyov took into consideration was this type of soldier. In the Russo-Turkish War, the Russian army always suffered losses in the skirmishes at first. Skirmishers themselves are more concerned with accuracy rather than fighting in lines. It was not until they fought with the Turks several more times and accumulated enough experience that they returned to their old ways and gained the upper hand in the battles.
It is now the midsummer of 1797. It has been several years since we last fought the Turks. Even in the military service, one has to serve 25 years before being honorably discharged and can go home to think. However, many men's martial arts skills are beginning to fade, and they will have to fight a battle like that every few years.
"So, what kind of rifle are you going to make?"
Vasily Vasilyevich asked this question, and Solovyov was very happy. He just expressed his thoughts, and there was nothing shocking about it.
"It's like the Spanish shotguns of the past, loading gunpowder and bullets from the back and then firing. Vasily Vasilyevich, this is very simple, and many people can think of it, but there are some problems in it that need to be overcome."
Although General Dolgorukov understood the meaning, he was unwilling to delve into it. Instead, he rode away on his horse, followed by a carriage carrying his family.
"I think this Privy Councillor is not concerned about this issue."
"My uncle is a very face-conscious person. He has always been like this. If you visit his home, he will be very welcoming."
"He's a nice guy. I'll go back and try to figure out how to get this gun. Maybe I'll have to talk to Count Bobulinski about it."
"Besides, you won't be needed to build the manor here. You've been here for the past few days. The emperor has issued an edict that officers have a fixed annual vacation time, and an adjutant like you may not be included in it."
Mikhail Dolgorukov said this, and Solovyov felt helpless. After all, the young adjutants were either people with connections who were sent in to get promoted, or they were just running errands like him. But this was better than the peasants who came to serve in the army. Sometimes they still had to continue working for their masters and had no freedom.
People like him have more free time, but when he returns to Prince Dmitri Volkonsky, there is actually nothing for him to do. However, if he wants to present a new gun, he still needs the recommendation of his superiors.
Back at his home in Laundry Lane, Solovyov now knew that his family had all returned to the countryside in Ryazan. Compared to the nearby mansions, his home was obviously much more cramped and small. Fortunately, there were not many people in his family, so there was always plenty of space.
Now that he had some free time, he asked for leave from both Count Bobrinsky and his superior, Prince Volkonsky, before Tsar Paul's edict on rectifying military discipline came into effect. He gave a good reason: he wanted to study new guns.
As for this structure, he actually had some idea. If he really wanted to do breech-loading, the Ferguson rifle, which was relatively mature in the 18th century, was far from reliable. The solution now, in terms of pistols, was a revolver with black powder pre-loaded at the rear. There was no problem making it with current technology, but the loading speed was epically slow. He tried to make a three-eye loading teaching aid, but he was already in a mess when trying to speed up, let alone making a six-shot revolver.
However, he also asked Dolgorukov from the Hussars about this structure. After the meeting in Tsarskoye Selo, Dolgorukov wrote back and said that the Hussars were not picky about the current pistols. If you could make a five- or six-round revolver, the worst that could happen would be that each cavalryman could carry a few more guns, so that the firepower could be maintained.
Thinking of this, Solovyov became more determined to equip officers and cavalry with this type of revolver, and he began to draw it strictly according to the blueprint.
As for the rifles, if it is just the current muzzle-loading flintlock rifle, the time spent using the rifle rod to pull the barrel will take up most of the shooting preparation process. For breech-loading rifles, they are still very suitable for skirmishes, but line infantry will obviously be opposed with the current tactical direction, and he, a grenadier lieutenant, can't say anything.
Therefore, in designing the breech-loading rifle, he simply modified some existing rifled guns into something more advanced in concept. Although the breech-loading rifles and cannons did not have good airtightness at the end of the 18th century, they had obvious tactical advantages.
Although they couldn’t handle cannons, the breech-loading rifle had appeared very early. Conceptually, it was meant to give Tsar Paul a very impressive impression, and it was actually a way to stand out in Russia.
With this design idea in mind, he considered a model of the Springfield rifle that was extensively modified after the Civil War, which could be loaded from the breech and used copper cartridges to load black powder. Although it was 70 years ahead in concept, it was not completely impossible to create.
If you ask: which company is the best at reloading bullets, it's the old Eighth Route Army base on the North China Plain, or the magical handicraft workshop in Peshawar. The technical conditions in these places are actually worse than the regular military industry of the same era, but the products they produce are really usable.
Solovyov took this into consideration. A skilled craftsman might be able to make the copper-jacketed bullet and the copper cartridge case with a small deviation. By installing them in a rifle and firing a few shots to open the emperor's eyes, the purpose would have been achieved.
But mass production was difficult, after all, the artillery was the major user of copper, so Solovyov thought about changing this design back to paper shells and loading bullets, which would be sufficient for the era of the Napoleonic Wars.
As for the related technologies, except for the copper cartridge case which is a little more difficult, breech-loading guns have existed for a long time. The patent for paper shell bullets was first applied for by the French in 1808. In addition, the projectiles need to be made into ordinary lead bullets or Minié bullets, and the technical requirements are not high, so there is actually room for improvement.
(End of this chapter)