I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 348 (Patreon)

Chapter 348: Gatlin was once a doctor who saved lives until he invented the machine gun...

Lynn took hold of the long-barreled firearm and, after inspecting it thoroughly, joyfully remarked, "Excellent! Very well done. Your progress has exceeded our expectations."

This initial skirmish with the Holy Church made Lynn realize the inefficiency of flintlock rifles against superhuman armies. A mere large-scale auxiliary divine technique significantly reduced the power of firearms. 

If they couldn't rely on armor-piercing to instantly kill approaching enemies, the pitiful firing speed of flintlock rifles became a major issue. 

One couldn't expect them to use bayonets in hand-to-hand combat against divine punishment soldiers, could they? Compared to flintlock rifles, breach-loading rifles represented significant progress. Unlike the former, which utilized flintstones to ignite gunpowder, breach-loading rifles' structures resembled modern firearms. Both employed hammers striking firing pins, igniting priming charges, and then the propellant to shoot projectiles.

Most importantly, this invention, a breech-loading rifle, allowed bullets to be loaded from the rear of the gun barrel, eliminating the need for frequent barrel cleaning. Taking about a minute to load a lead projectile into the barrel significantly increased the firing speed and accuracy.

While flintlock rifles fired one shot per minute, the initial breach-loading rifles could fire over ten bullets per minute. Moreover, they were less prone to misfire and moisture damage.

The advent of fixed ammunition also signaled the accelerated development of another formidable weapon—the machine gun!

This was something that truly dominated the battlefield! In the 19th century, the machine gun displayed astonishing power once deployed in battles.

For instance, in a late 19th-century war, fifty British soldiers, armed with five Maxim machine guns, repelled dozens of charges by five thousand Maatabili warriors, resulting in the immediate death of over three thousand. This event completely altered the future course of warfare, ending the era of relying on human wave tactics and cavalry dominance, plunging warfare into a more brutal abyss.

Initially, Lynn hadn't intended to reveal this ultimate weapon so soon. However, considering the current situation, relying solely on flintlock and breach-loading rifles wouldn't provide them with enough advantage in a battlefield teeming with divine arts and magic.

"I need paper and a pen!" Lynn suddenly exclaimed.

The alchemists present immediately sprang into action, promptly providing paper and pen. A few days ago, the magical prodigy sketched the designs for breach-loading rifles and fixed ammunition.

After a moment's contemplation, Lynn, armed with a quill, began sketching on the paper, referencing the data from the intelligent mind.

Lydia and the others stared intently, afraid to miss any details. Soon, they noticed that Lynn's depiction of the firearm looked peculiar. The main body resembled a bulky cylinder with a long chain-like structure in the middle. Instead of a stock, there was a triangular support at the bottom, somewhat resembling a cannon.

"Dean Lynn, what is this? Another new type of firearm or an improved cannon?" Lydia curiously inquired.

"I call it a machine gun, a rather special type of automatic firearm capable of rapid continuous firing," Lynn explained.

Automatic firearm? Wilson and the others pondered over the blueprint, contemplating the implications of automation.

Lynn didn't beat around the bush and promptly explained the operational principles of the machine gun.

In simple terms, it was a recoil-operated device where the gun barrel was mobile. After the bullet fired, the machine gun and barrel locked together. Utilizing the energy from the gunpowder gas, specific components opened the breech, allowing the mechanism to eject spent casings. Then, it engaged the feeding mechanism, compressing the return spring.

With the spring's force, the mechanism positioned the gun for the next shot, eliminating the need for manual reloading and enabling automatic firing.

Alchemists like Lydia and Wilson, who had been involved in the development of breach-loading rifles, quickly grasped the entire operational process, marveling at the intricacy of this new firearm design.

They had previously discussed ways to increase the firing speed of breach-loading rifles by simplifying the loading and firing process. However, Lynn's method involved harnessing the power generated from one shot to initiate the next, creating a cycle that required no manual intervention...

"What's its firing rate?" Wilson eagerly asked.

"Approximately a thousand rounds per minute," Lynn estimated, revealing an improved version of the famous Gatling rapid-fire machine gun, incorporating the subsequent concept of automatic fire.

However, due to the alchemy research institute's limited industrial infrastructure, the firing rate wasn't exceptionally fast, merely a thousand rounds per minute.

In reality, whether it was a bit faster or slower made little difference. Given that fixed ammunition, unlike lead bullets, required manual production and involved a more complex process, their ammunition supply would undoubtedly be insufficient, resulting in finishing the firing within seconds or a dozen seconds at most.

"A thousand rounds... per minute?!" Wilson almost thought he misheard—was it a thousand rounds per hour?

Considering that, in their view, the firing speed of breach-loading rifles was already fast—proficient riflemen could complete loading and firing every five to six seconds—this machine gun seemed inconceivable. A thousand rounds per minute meant firing fifteen bullets every second, which was a hundred and fifty times faster than a flintlock rifle's rate! What kind of monstrosity was this?

Wilson contemplated the scene of fifty machine guns on the battlefield, raining down fire and rows of enemies falling within mere seconds. He couldn't help but shudder at the sight.

"Lord Dean, who invented this... this weapon called a machine gun?" a wizard couldn't resist asking. They were curious about the originator of this utterly devastating weapon on the battlefield.

"The person who invented this is called Gatlin," Lynn stated. "Before joining the Society of Mystical Arts, he was a doctor who saved lives on the battlefield, witnessing the brutality of war and the endless sorrow and death afterward. His intention in creating this was to reduce casualties, swiftly conclude a war, and achieve genuine peace!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the alchemists turned exceedingly peculiar. They wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.

Hmm... that makes sense. If all the enemies are gone, then peace naturally follows!

Solving the problem of war at its root!

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