Please pull the trigger for this world one more time.

After finalizing some details with Gui Haishuo, Mo Zian had dinner in the factory canteen and returned to the capital military academy.

Silent all night.

When the reveille sounded on the second day, it meant that Mo Zian's military academy studies had officially begun.

Mo Zian received the class schedule, which consisted mostly of military skills training in the mornings, divided into general military training and specialized military training.

The afternoons consist of various military and cultural courses.

They received the full first-year timetable, which included four basic military subjects, one military history course, one ideology course, and one foreign language course taught in the common language of Chenhuan.

As for why it's the common language of Chenhuan, it's because the common language of Chenhuan is one of the most widely used languages ​​on the entire continent.

It must be admitted that the Chenhuan Empire was once a very glorious empire. According to historical records and legends, when all the pan-human races were still a whole, the Chenhuan people were one of the dominant groups.

Moreover, Chenhuan language is slightly easier to learn than Guangwu language, Elven language, etc., so its application range is much wider than other languages.

Therefore, in the Guangwu Empire, whether it is a public school of all levels or a small but excellent private school, they all teach the common language of Chen Huan.

However, compared to private schools, the content taught at the military academy in the capital city definitely has a different focus.

Moreover, even if you take a step back, you still need to understand your enemy.

After the daytime classes are finished, the evenings are for the various specialized departments, where some students can go to study, conduct research, or help out.

This means that if a student wants to get into a certain department, it depends on whether the department is willing to accept them, as each department has different assessment standards.

Jiang Lude's weapons department currently only accepts Mo Zi'an, so Mo Zi'an knocked on the door of the weapons department on his own.

"You've been waiting for me, teacher," Mo Zian said respectfully.

"Hmm." Jiang Lu nodded and handed Mo Zian a dark green overcoat. "Put this on. There's a new research topic coming up, and I'd like to discuss it with you."

"Yes." Mo Zian draped the coat over his shoulders and asked, "Excuse me, teacher, what is the new research topic?"

"Sit down and talk. You can pour your own water."

Jiang Lü pointed to the seats and the kettle, "The military wants to further enhance the firepower of ordinary infantry squads, especially emphasizing encounter battles."

While official documents won't be issued so quickly, the matter is practically a done deal, and all the major arsenals have already begun operations.

Mo Zian understood that the various arsenals Jiang Lüde mentioned were probably the Southeast Arsenal, and he had also heard some snippets of information from his master.

Mo Zian said with utmost seriousness, "Understood. I will do my best to assist you and strive to get ahead of everyone else."

"Okay!" Jiang Lü seemed very pleased. "Then let's discuss it today; we need to have a direction."

Mo Zian didn't answer hastily, but nodded and began to think, then asked, "Teacher, is it [Jin Ge-2]...?"

Jiang Lu nodded: "That's right, you're very smart. Someone in the military facilitated this for certain purposes—"

The leaders of those arsenals must have been bothered by the noise, but that's probably only part of the reason.

"Please enlighten me, teacher," Mo Zian said.

"It's not really advice, it's just my guess, because I've heard some rumors."

Jiang Lu lowered his voice slightly, "Recently, the Empire had a small-scale armed conflict with Chen Huan in a certain place. A squadron that had just been equipped with [Golden Spear-2] encountered the enemy."

The [Golden Spear-2] performed exceptionally well, but this battle also exposed the long-standing problem of the Empire's other firepower deployments being slow and inflexible.

"Are you referring to the portability and deployment of the [Long Dragon] series machine guns?" Mo Zian asked.

"That's right." Jiang Lu looked at Mo Zian with admiration. "The Chenhuan people on the other side are also veterans of many battles. They have also made progress in recent years. Their grenadiers suppressed two [Changlong-5] guns as soon as they encountered them, and they couldn't even deploy them."

Furthermore, the [waist knife] proved ineffective against units at a slightly longer distance that were wearing armor. If it weren't for the [Golden Spear-2] and [Flute-1] weapons proving effective, we would likely have suffered losses.

Mo Zian carefully considered the information revealed by Jiang Lüde. After sorting out the contents, some ideas gradually took shape under Mo Zian's thinking—the answer was actually already in his previous life.

"Actually, I've thought of two plans," Mo Zian said, "but they're just prototypes, and I don't know how feasible they are."

"Speak freely. We're currently in the discussion phase, and I'm quite looking forward to your ideas," Jiang Lü said, looking at Mo Zi'an.

Mo Zian replied, "The first solution is to lighten the machine gun, while the second solution is to automate the ordinary rifle."

"So, which option do you prefer?" Jiang Lu asked with great interest.

Mo Zian answered without much hesitation: "The student prefers the first option because the biggest problem with automating rifles is the production capacity of bullets and weapons."

Mo Zian's meaning is simple: we can emulate the countries during World War II by establishing squad and platoon firepower with light machine guns as the core.

Jiang Lüde nodded upon hearing this: "You and I share the same view. If this is extended to everyone, even if the Empire's future bullet production is sufficient, the waste of bullets by ordinary soldiers is almost foreseeable."

If it's only issued to a select few, then it's no different from a lightweight machine gun.

Mo Zian said, "Yes, the student feels that perhaps some of those who made the proposal haven't realized it yet, but this topic may not be unfounded."

"Oh?" Jiang asked, somewhat surprised. "What do you mean?"

"The students felt that a large part of the reason why the other side raised this topic was that our current ordinary infantry squads are really not performing well in skirmishes."

Mo Zian explained, "Especially in some complex terrains, the individual soldiers of the Chenhuan people are of very high quality, and the proportion of enlightened beings is also high. After the [Golden Spear] came into service, this situation has improved considerably, but its firepower sustainability is not that strong after all."

While the close-range firepower density of the [Waist Knife] rapid-fire gun is sufficient, its power is average, and its lethality against enemy spirit warriors or heavily armored troops is not ideal.

The deployment of the "Long Dragon" series machine guns was slow and they were not very convenient to carry, so it was impossible for them to be issued to the squad level.

Moreover, the Empire has long since retired all its old weapons and is determined to de-etherify.

"To be frank, compared to 10 years ago, the squad firepower of the Imperial Army's main force has declined. Improving squad firepower should have been addressed long ago; the old [axe and shield] shouldn't have been retired so early."

Jiang Lu sighed softly, clearly agreeing with Mo Zian's analysis: "Then, our focus this time must be to compensate for the firepower between 200 zhang (100m) and 1200 zhang (600m).

Jiang Lude took out a notebook and wrote down his thoughts: "If we decide to make the machine gun lightweight, then we must make it portable for individual soldiers and fire it as soon as they encounter the enemy."

Furthermore, if we're equipping the troops on a large scale, the cost can't be too high, and the maintenance can't be too troublesome... Think again, is there anything else you can add?"

"Of course, it's a design that eliminates the etheric core. Previous machine guns all relied on the etheric core," Mo Zian said. "Since we've started, we should be pioneers."

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Lude agreed with Mo Zian's point of view, "That makes sense. If we still design a machine gun that relies on the ether core, it's actually a step backward. In that case, the Imperial Army might as well just equip themselves with the [Gan Qi-Modified]."

After Jiang Lude finished writing in his notebook, he said, "It was definitely the right decision for me to take you as my student. You are indeed very talented in weaponry."

"You flatter me, teacher," Mo Zian said modestly.

After all, there are too many experiences from my previous life to draw upon, Mo Zian thought to himself.

"You don't need to be modest."

Jiang Lüde stood up from his seat and took out a thread-bound handwritten copy from the bookshelf in the corner. "This is a handwritten copy compiled by someone. It covers the technology of both the ether gun and the gunpowder gun. Take it and study it when you have time."

Mo Zian accepted the book as if it were a priceless treasure, and solemnly saluted Jiang Lude, "Thank you, teacher. I will definitely study it carefully."

"Okay, let's leave it at that for today." Jiang Lu patted Mo Zi'an on the shoulder. "Let's think about the specific design plan carefully these days. Don't rush it; haste makes waste."

"yes!"

……

A few days later.

"Hey, Lao Bi, what are you looking at?"

On her way back to the dormitory after class, Han Dafu stood on tiptoe to look at the book Mo Zian was holding. She only glanced at it, but the dense drawings and annotations made her feel dizzy.

But Mo Zian has been engrossed in watching it these past two days, even neglecting to eat and sleep.

"The materials were given to me by Teacher Jiang from the Weaponry Department, and I'm told to study them carefully," Mo Zian replied. "By the way, how's things going with your Medical Department?"

"Hmph, Grandma Liu is so kind!" Han Dafu said with a smug look. "Yesterday, her family made dumplings, and she even invited me to eat some!"

Is this really the important point?

So Mo Zian asked, "What kind of filling?"

The hamster next to me exclaimed dramatically, "Let me tell you, they even added wood ear mushrooms to the Three Delicacies! It's amazing!"

Mo Zian remembered the mutton dumplings his teacher's wife made with maple leaves, and he felt hungry.

"Oh, right, Daifuku."

Mo Zian suddenly pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and said, "If... I mean if, how lightweight do you think a 1.55-inch [Changlong-5] would have to be for you to carry it independently and be able to fire it without relying on a mounting."

Han Dafu looked at Mo Zian with a puzzled expression: "What a strange question. What do you want? Isn't [Gan Qi - modified] better?"

Mo Zian explained, "Our new research project in the weapons department is to design a machine gun that is deetherified from ether. I want to gather more opinions."

"So... it's something like the [Gan Qi - Modified] which de-etherifies?"

"You could say that," Mo Zian gave her an affirmative look.

"Um……"

Han Dafu pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I think the biggest problem isn't the weight, but rather the size and shape."

Take the Longlong-5 as an example. I can carry that thing, and a strong, ordinary male soldier certainly could too.

But if it's as you think, involving long-distance marches and firing on sight of the enemy, then the problem of carrying supplies must be solved.

I don't understand weapons manufacturing, but since it's a design to de-etherify, the mechanical structure must be complex, right? And you're trying to shrink it down to a receiver the size of the [Kanki-Kai], can you guarantee reliability?"

"Okay, is there anything else?" Mo Zian carefully wrote down what Han Dafu said in his notebook.

That's all I can think of.

"Okay, then you can go back to your dorm first." Mo Zian then looked into the distance. "Bitter Gourd, Brother Gourd! Don't go! I have a question for you!"

Mo Zian repeated his question, and Luo Chong thought for a while after listening before answering seriously: "If what you just said is true, then water cooling probably won't work to accommodate the size."

Therefore, the cooling problem of continuous firing must be solved. The barrel material, heat dissipation design, and so on must be considered. Moreover, if it is to be fully distributed, can ordinary soldiers overcome the recoil of machine gun bullets when using it?

To be fair, even the 1.55-inch [Changlong-5] has a recoil force far exceeding that of the [Jin Ge].

"Okay, thank you, that's a great point."

"You're welcome."

……

Mo Zian had his reasons for interviewing people around him.

Although he had successful experience in his previous life, the problem was that he was just a soldier in his previous life, not a real designer. The combat environment in this world was not exactly the same as in his previous life.

He didn't want to fall into the trap of relying on empiricism.

This concerns Jiang Lude's reputation, so we must be careful and make no mistakes.

Moreover, many of one's own ideas can be incorporated into this without seeming abrupt.

And so, Mo Zian asked several more people on the way, hurriedly ate dinner at the canteen, and arrived at the weapons department.

"You mean, you asked a lot of different people for their opinions?" Jiang Lu's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea. Let me see."

"Yes." Mo Zian handed the notebook to Jiang Lüde. "The student feels that many of the viewpoints are very insightful and helpful in clarifying our thinking."

"Um."

Jiang Lude pointed to the notebook and said, "Look, the idea in the second point is very important. Recoil and controllability are indeed one of the main contradictions, and the issue of continuous firing also needs to be carefully considered."

Adding a handle is a great idea; it's tiring to carry by hand, but you can lift it by hand, which is definitely more convenient and saves effort... You seem to have interviewed quite a few female soldiers, why is that?"

"Because it's highly relevant to your research, teacher."

Mo Zian explained, "We are all enlightened beings and martial artists, so the strength of male soldiers is not comparable. On the contrary, the strength of female soldiers is weaker, but they are still comparable to some strong ordinary soldiers."

"A brilliant idea, very insightful," Jiang Lü praised.

Mo Zian said, "Shall we start working on the drawings today, teacher?"

"Okay, that's fine," Jiang Lü agreed. "Let's start with a concept sketch first, and try out several different options."