Please pull the trigger for this world one more time.

Time passes, and the weather turns cooler.

"Tsk..."

Mo Zian clicked his tongue in annoyance and erased all the sketches on the paper with an eraser, but because he had made too many changes before, there were already traces on the white wood pulp paper that he could not erase.

Mo Zian simply crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the nearby fire.

After several autumn rains, the temperature plummeted, especially in the mountainous area where the military academy is located, where coal-fired stoves are now needed at night.

"What's wrong, Lao Bi? I rarely see you like this." Wei Qiao placed a kettle full of water on the stove. "By the way, haven't you been to the weapons department these past few days?"

"No, Teacher Jiang assigned a research project."

Mo Zian put down his pen, rubbing his temples, and said, "It's that previous project. We're at the point where we need to draw the drafts. I've drawn quite a few, but none of them are particularly satisfactory, so I rejected them myself."

Mo Zian was so troubled because he didn't want to copy all the homework, nor could he copy too much of it.

On the one hand, although there were many successful cases in his previous life that he could learn from, Mo Zian did not want to stop there.

He wanted to make a breakthrough.

On the other hand, since the weapons in his previous life were all gunpowder-based, it was impossible for him to simply copy them.

Moreover, he also faces a problem that troubles him the most.

That is, the capital military academy's laboratory has limited production capacity and funding, so everything can only remain on paper.

Wei Qiao seemed to see Mo Zian's troubles and said, "Old Bi, you know my family is in the tobacco business. Every time my father's men collect tobacco leaves, they apply for extra money to buy samples for testing. My father is never stingy in this regard."

Mo Zian blinked a few times upon hearing this, appearing thoughtful, while Wei Qiao continued, "My father never cared about Xiao Yang's money; he only cared about whether he could collect good tobacco leaves."

Mo Zian was slightly taken aback, thought for a moment, and nodded seriously. "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, A-Qiao."

"Not really, bro."

So, in the afternoon, the weapons department...

"How did the final exams go? Judging from your expression, they should have been pretty good," Jiang asked with a smile.

"Yes, teacher. The test covers all the knowledge we've learned in class, and there are quite a few open-ended questions," Mo Zian replied.

"The exams are over, and there are still a few days before the holidays, so we can focus on our project." Jiang Lu took a large stack of drawings from Mo Zi'an. "Is this what you've accomplished these past few days?"

"It also includes ideas for some parts or components."

Mo Zian explained, "In short, the students kept everything they thought was worth keeping for the time being."

Jiang Lü didn't speak, but simply nodded and began to carefully examine each drawing that Mo Zian had brought.

About half an hour (1 hour) passed.

"Here," Jiang Lu sighed softly, "I've finished reading."

"Teacher, do you think there are any merits to this?" Mo Zian asked earnestly.

"Yes, I find quite a few of the ideas very appealing, and judging from the blueprints, they also seem quite feasible."

Jiang Lu spread Mo Zian's stack of drawings out on the large worktable in the Weaponry Science Research Office, pointed to them and said, "You put the two most mature plans on the first two sheets. Tell me your thoughts."

"Yes, teacher."

Mo Zian stepped forward, pointed to the first drawing, and said, "In fact, this is the student's most mature and earliest idea. Since it is only a sketch, I only drew the casing part."

This automatic mechanism is very similar to the [Jin Ge-2], employing a rotating locking mechanism and a fire selector, so it can also perform semi-automatic precision bursts under low-intensity conditions. Moreover... in my design, this so-called machine gun will require standard rifle ammunition, using my designed drum magazine for feeding.

"We'll talk about the bullets later. Come on, let's move on to the second one," Jiang Lu said calmly, resting his chin on his hand.

"Okay, teacher." Mo Zian pointed to the second blueprint. "This method of completely gathering gas and combining it with a semi-mechanical ether core is a bold attempt by me. Although the blueprint has been completed, it is not yet mature enough."

"I don't think it's entirely impossible," Jiang said thoughtfully. "The second design is belt-fed ammunition, but the feeding structure is rather complex, which would definitely hinder mass production."

Moreover, the production quality of the Imperial Armory is currently inconsistent. If this structure is adopted, the yield rate of some Armory will not be very high.

Now it seems we could combine the first and second designs... And about the ammunition, would you like to choose standard rifle cartridges? Why?

"Because of the weight and maneuverability, teacher."

Mo Zian said, "I have thought about this issue repeatedly and I think that machine guns do not necessarily have to fire machine gun bullets. For ordinary soldiers, the recoil of machine gun bullets is very large. Even if the weapon itself can fire continuously, soldiers cannot do it."

Furthermore, machine gun bullets are heavy and bulky when carried, resulting in a smaller load for soldiers under the same weight.

Jiang Lu nodded, pondering, and said, "Indeed, based on actual combat feedback, the power of standard rifle bullets is more than sufficient for squad-level firepower."

Jiang Lude stared at the blueprints on the table, lost in thought, occasionally gesturing something on the blueprints. Mo Zian did not disturb him.

Having spent some time with this teacher, Mo Zian had already figured out his temperament and habits.

After a while, Jiang Lude turned around, opened the safe behind him, took out a blueprint, and spread it out on the table.

"You and someone share many ideas; the only difference between us lies in our choice of bullets."

As the drawings were unfolded, Mo Zian's gaze fell upon Jiang Lude's drawings—his teacher's design was very similar to Mo Zian's first plan, and this drawing was much more complete than Mo Zian's.

Including details such as the safety mechanism and trigger, almost all the designs are complete, and we have reached the stage where we can make samples according to the drawings.

Furthermore, after careful observation, Mo Zian discovered some clues: "Teacher, judging from the blueprints, it seems that many of the components in your design are interchangeable with those of the [Jin Ge-2] and [Chang Long-5]?"

"That's right! You're very thoughtful!"

Jiang Lu patted Mo Zi'an on the shoulder, "You know, this inspiration also came from your master, or more precisely, from the production environment of the people."

A flash of inspiration struck Mo Zian as he heard Jiang Lü continue speaking.

"I understand that the parts that independent manufacturers use sometimes do not depend on what they want to use, but on what the supplier can provide. If every part had to be handmade, the business would probably have failed long ago."

Therefore, many civilian weapons are designed with the interchangeability and versatility of their parts in mind.

So, while drawing the diagram, he made an assumption about himself.

Imagine you're facing the same situation as private manufacturers, where you have to use only parts from existing production lines to complete the project.

"I admit, this isn't my usual style, and it was quite a headache at first. But once I actually finished it, I discovered its enormous potential and advantages. Mo Zian, let me test you. What are your advantages?"

Mo Zian had already figured it out: it's about serialization, and the next step is gun-based familyization.

"Yes, teacher."

Mo Zian answered almost without hesitation: "I believe the advantage lies in two aspects: on the battlefield and in production."

"Be more specific," Jiang Lüde said.

"On the battlefield, weapons will always break down. If parts are interchangeable, not only will the logistical burden be greatly reduced, but most importantly, wartime maintenance for soldiers will also become much easier."

In terms of production, new weapons can be put into production without even needing to establish new production lines, drastically reducing the cost and difficulty of switching production, which is different from before.

Jiang Lu nodded and said, "Actually, there is a third level."

Mo Zian was taken aback: "Please enlighten me, teacher."

Jiang Lu uttered four words: "Our country's national conditions."

Mo Zian suddenly realized—

Simply put, it's about adapting to the different production levels of different arsenals. In this way, some older arsenals with limited processing capacity can produce only a few types of parts, thus saving the cost of upgrading and transforming these arsenals.

"The students have learned a lot."

"With your experience and knowledge, you've already done very well," Jiang Lu said encouragingly to Mo Zi'an, then added with some regret, "It's just that with so many ideas, you always have to make choices..."

"Teacher, I actually have something to say about this," Mo Zian said, his expression shifting.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"Here's the thing, the students think we can directly apply for additional research and development funding." Mo Zian glanced at the blueprints on the table. "After all, we're just a research lab at the university, not an arms factory, and there are many parts that we would find difficult to manufacture ourselves."

"You mean...do it all?" Jiang Lu asked, somewhat surprised.

"At the very least, there are blueprints that have theoretical value, and the students believe that they need to be verified with actual finished products," Mo Zian said firmly. "Theory must be combined with practice. Our goal is to create a truly excellent weapon for the Empire, and a good weapon may save a soldier's life or even affect the course of the war."

Compared to the previous two, the initial verification costs are negligible; after all, armchair theorizing is a major taboo for soldiers.

Jiang Lu looked at Mo Zi'an with a strange expression, but the corners of her mouth were gradually turning up.

"I think you have a point... Winter break is coming soon, so I can go back to the capital for a visit. I'm pretty sure it'll be fine."