Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 413 Cognitive Interference Again
"Do you think I intend to recruit them into the expeditionary force as members of the Christian Guard? No, I intend to recruit them as workers."

This was somewhat unexpected for Alexei: "But they're going there for revenge!"

“Revenge is revenge, and war is war. Laying the railroad tracks is also a way to avenge Nora.” Hughes changed the subject. “Moreover, I think the most important thing to do when training a new soldier is to first make him a worker.”

Alexei thought for a moment, then thoughtfully asked, "...The Holy Scripture?"

"Yes, the compilation of the Holy Scriptures of the Apostolic Guard was also based on this idea. The Holy Scriptures carried by the Apostolic Guard are not just random writings; those basic industrial knowledge forms the cornerstone of their solid understanding."

Do ordinary people need to solidify their knowledge?

Hughes hadn't been too worried before, since Castells hadn't experienced any pollution since the soap incident.

One reason was the careful precautions taken everywhere, and another was that Castells was indeed highly educated.

But just because Castells could do it doesn't mean others can.

Two days ago, news came from Blood Harbor that the prince's new army had encountered cognitive interference.

Hughes exported a batch of his stockpiled rifled rifles to Bloodharbor. These weapons were only slightly more advanced than Imperial muskets, except for the addition of a Minié cartridge. In terms of operation and appearance, they were not much different from muskets.

Then the pollution decreased.

The incident began when a soldier, on a whim, put a Minié bullet into the chamber without properly sealing it—this saved a step, and since it was already in the chamber anyway, as long as the cleaning rod was pressed tightly, it would most likely still fire.

It only resulted in poorer sealing, wasted gunpowder, and reduced range and power.

Then the soldier told the others about his discovery.

That would be fine. If everything ended there, it would just be a normal misuse and wouldn't cause cognitive interference.

The key was that several craftsmen involved in disassembling rifles secretly contacted the soldiers of the Hong Kong Garrison.

The prince once summoned craftsmen to study the weapon gifted by Castel, and even disassembled it on the spot to see its workings.

However, the craftsmen told the prince that it was impossible to mass-produce them, so the prince gave up his idea of ​​imitation.

Just because it can't be mass-produced doesn't mean it can't be handmade.

Firearms were not only used in the military, but craftsmen also often made them privately and sold them to others.

This behavior violated imperial law, but...
The empress is gone, who cares about this?

The craftsman who had disassembled the rifled rifle thought he had found a way to make money. He secretly contacted the new army trained by the prince, hoping to obtain the specific firing instructions in order to deduce the function of each part.

He not only secretly memorized the dimensions of each part, but also figured out the function of each part—that's where the problem arose.

It must be said that this craftsman has a craftsman's spirit; after some research, he actually came up with a self-consistent process:

Minié bullets, as a substitute for lead bullets, were prefabricated for convenient immediate use.

However, because he did not know that the Minié bullet needed to be sealed with cork at the rear, he could not figure out what the rifling was for.

So he went to inquire about the Christian Guard.

The Guardians of the Faith are naturally affiliated with the Church. It is no secret that Castel has an Imperial Church of Truth. After pondering for a while, the craftsman suddenly realized: This is a blessing from God!
Rifling runs the entire length of the barrel, essentially blessing the bullet as it flies forward. The rotating arc of the rifling further ensures that it blesses the entire bullet without any blind spots.

The craftsman was also very cautious. He even went to the Secret Order to inquire about it—it was said that this organization also had an unclear relationship with Castel, but it had now been exonerated from the cult, and Castel had even specifically denied the doctrines of the Secret Order.

It is well known that the more the authorities deny something, the more it proves that what they believe is right.

The doctrines of that secret order were certified by Castel.

—If that's not right, why did Castells specifically come up with this?
The logic is complete; everything makes sense now.

The monastery would then face the craftsman who came to inquire whether the rifled rifle had been "blessed".
That's for sure! Every single bullet has been blessed by my master, Seuss. Whether the Empire has truth is debatable, but the Earl certainly does.

Rifled rifles? That's just a common blessing. Look at the Gatling gun, six barrels, six times the blessing, just like a banshee with six arms. Six must be the Count's sacred number.

I almost converted to Christianity on the spot because of what the craftsman said.

After verifying everything, the craftsman's understanding became firm: this rifled rifle is so powerful precisely because of the rifled bullets.

He made a prototype and was disappointed to find that its range and power were far from what the prince had described. But this was to be expected, since the rifling he carved was certainly not as good as the piety that Castells had produced.

It's normal for bullets to be less powerful if the rifling isn't properly done.

This even aligned with his understanding, leaving him with no doubt that a step was missing.

Lacking basic knowledge, they didn't realize that the missing cork used to seal the bullet meant the gunpowder was wasted in the air gap.

Such a firm conviction and such a blasphemous thought naturally led to cognitive interference.

Fortunately, he did all of this secretly, and in order to avoid being discovered, he conducted the test firing in a deserted area.

This also led to the pollution and erosion of some land, and many wild animals became ferocious due to the pollution, such as an entire coyote pack—which was later taken in by banshees as fashionable pets.

Castell's fries stand was damaged because of the Bloodharbor craftsmen's wild speculations, and the investigation report on that incident is still on Hughes's desk.

The butterfly effect is nothing more than this.

“So, the most important thing in war is still learning,” Hughes said, slumping into a chair with a weary expression.

"I see." Alexei nodded. "No wonder you had the Secret Order members work as laborers first; there was a deeper meaning behind it."

"And then there's the cult of personality within the Secret Order. I've figured it out. Instead of trying to change their beliefs, I'd rather teach them physics and chemistry. The more they learn, the more they'll realize that their Count Hughes is just as insignificant in the face of these things."

Hughes shrugged: "If you don't know math, you don't know it. Praying to me won't help, because I don't know it either."

Alexei's eye twitched.

"Wouldn't that solve the problem? It would both recruit members of the Secret Order and address the issue of too many applicants for the expeditionary force."

"Uh, my lord, it seems the issue of the 135% figure reported by our island's inhabitants hasn't been resolved yet."

“Let’s draw lots. It’ll be one in ten. Let’s write this into the conscription law of the expeditionary force and call it the Eleven Lottery Law.”

(End of this chapter)