Europa Universalis 1867: Start by inheriting an armory

Several days had passed since Richard wrote to the Minister of War, Edward Cavill, so long that Richard assumed the Viscount wouldn't read the letter himself, but rather that someone else would do it for him.

Louise taught him to write a sincere, humble, and restrained letter of thanks, even ending with "Your humblest and most obedient servant."

Richard felt like he was about to polish the viscount's shoes, but this was a standard court ending; every word Richard wrote had to make him feel like he was serving the empire.

"Young master, a letter has arrived." Harold's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Finally!" Richard opened the door and took the two letters from his hand. "Thank you, you've worked hard."

He clutched the envelopes, one of which was a letter from the War Department. He eagerly returned to his desk and tore them open with a letter opener.

It was a crisp, striped watermarked paper, slightly larger than a modern A4 sheet, with handwritten text in deep black ink:

"I was honored to receive your letter this month and I sincerely appreciate the loyalty and patriotism expressed in it."

Recent tests of your Martini-Henry Mk II rifle have been officially documented by the Small Arms Committee, demonstrating its significant advantages in rate of fire, reliability under adverse conditions, and mechanical simplicity.

Such innovations, used in Her Majesty's Army, were of great value to the British Empire.

The Army is currently conducting the next phase of troop trials, and you may be invited to attend an upcoming official demonstration.

"If your time is convenient, our department will issue a formal notification in due course."

Seeing the Minister of War's signature, Richard was so excited that his hands were trembling. Did this mean that he had taken a step into the circle of high society?

Another letter came from Paris; it was from Mr. Anthony Chassé. Richard opened the envelope and read it through.

It turned out that he was being notified that his bullets had begun mass production, which meant that a steady stream of royalties was flowing into his account.

"Why is it all good news today?" Richard said, clutching the letter.

"Are you ready?" Louise appeared in the doorway. Today she was wearing a simple dress, without a petticoat or elaborate lace, and at first glance she looked like a tutor.

Richard stared at her, stunned.

"What are you looking at?" Louise looked down at herself. "Susan altered it for me. Originally, this dress had a petticoat and a ruffled trim. After removing them, I could barely move around in it."

"Very...practical," Richard said, stuffing the letter into a drawer as he saw Louise dressed like this for the first time. "Let's go, the carriage is outside."

Richard wanted to take her to the factory where the guns were being tested, but they had to avoid the workers. So the carriage took a detour around the main street for almost ten minutes before finally stopping at the northernmost part of the factory.

It was a detached brick building with a row of wooden frames filled with sandbags in front, and spent bullet casings and blackened target paper scattered on the ground.

"We're here." Richard pushed open the door and placed a wooden box on the crooked table.

"You're testing your guns right here?" Louise looked around and wrinkled her nose.

"Don't underestimate this dilapidated brick house. It's said that our family's arsenal started here."

He opened the wooden box, inside lay a revolver, still blued and well-preserved.

"This is it?" Louise leaned closer for a look. "I feel like I've seen this gun somewhere before..."

"You might have seen it with your guards," Richard thought for a moment. "It's a very common piece of standard equipment."

"You're going to let me use a police gun?" Louise frowned, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Start with this when you're just learning to shoot. It has less recoil, so it's perfect for beginners," Richard said as he approached her.

"This is a Beaumont Adams, .442 caliber, five-round cylinder." He held the gun up to Louise. "It's much faster and safer than a muzzle-loading rifle."

Louise nodded and took the gun.

"It's quite heavy." She weighed it in her hand and examined it from all angles.

"Take it first, don't be nervous, just treat it like a lump of iron." Richard stepped back, letting her get used to the feel of it.

Louise gripped the gun with both hands, pointed it at the target, then put it down, and tried pulling the trigger.

"Relax a bit, don't tense your shoulders," Richard said.

Louise swung her arm and raised it again, this time with much smoother movements. Suddenly, she turned the gun and pointed it at Richard: "Is this right?"

Richard's expression changed, and he quickly reached out and shoved the gun barrel toward the sandbag wall next to him.

"Never..." he said, emphasizing each word, "Never point a gun at something you don't want to hit. And only put your finger on the trigger when you're ready to fire."

Louise quickly wiped her smile off, pulled her finger away, and stiffly pressed it against the outside of the trigger guard.

"Yes, that's it." Richard's tone softened. "Remember, guns aren't toys."

Louise pursed her lips, did not refute, and obediently aimed at the target.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No need to apologize," Richard comforted her. "My first time with a gun wasn't much better than yours."

Then, he took out gunpowder, bullets, and a bottle of fire starter from the wooden box and placed them on the table.

Then he took the gun from Louise, flipped the hammer to the semi-standby position, and unlocked the magazine.

"See clearly." Richard moved the loading lever on the side of the gun, tilting it up. "When loading, first load the gunpowder, rotate the cylinder to the empty position, then insert the bullet, and then press down the loading lever..."

Click.

The warhead was smoothly pressed into the chamber.

Then he poured a small copper fire from the bottle.

"Then install the primer." He inserted the copper ram into the corresponding groove at the rear of the cylinder and pressed it flat with his fingers. "The primer must be pressed all the way down, otherwise the hammer won't fire."

After loading it, he locked the cylinder and handed the gun to her.

"Try unloading the bomb."

Louise took the gun, and Richard taught her how to use the loading lever to push the bullet out backwards, and how to use a cleaning rod to remove the primer. She tried twice, and although her movements were still a bit clumsy, she got better and better each time.

"Okay, now assemble it yourself."

Louise tried to imitate the shot, but she became more and more skilled, which made Richard sweat. Did she really have a talent for shooting?

"How are you feeling?"

"That's interesting," Louise laughed. "Simpler than I thought."

"Easy?" Richard shook his head. "On the battlefield, if you have one minute, you'd be lucky to load five rounds."

Louise glanced at him: "Isn't it because I still have you helping me?"

"I can't keep loading bullets for you, can I?" Richard pointed to the target. "Try aiming again now."

Louise raised the gun again, her arms outstretched, but her arms were clearly tense, as if she wanted to strangle the gun.

"Relax," Richard said, walking up behind her. "Is your arm this stiff when you're drawing?"

Louise paused for a moment, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Just grip it firmly with your right hand, and gently place your left hand on your right wrist." Richard reached out and gently supported her right hand. "Yes, just like that. Extend your arm naturally, like you're holding a paintbrush, don't grip it tightly."

He stood to her right and slightly behind, very close to her. He could almost smell the soap in her hair.

Louise didn't flinch; she even tilted her head slightly, as if listening to his breathing.

"That's it. When you aim, keep your eyes on the front sight, align it with the rear sight, and aim at the bullseye. Try to slow your breathing..."

Louise did as instructed, applying even pressure with her index finger.

boom!

The bullet hole landed on the rectangular target, but it was still quite a distance from the black circle in the center.

"Yay! I got it on my first try!" Louise turned around and relaxed her arms.

"Much better," Richard nodded. "Let's do it again."

Louise raised her gun again. This time her movements were much smoother, as if she had suddenly found her rhythm.

The second shot, the third shot... the landing point was getting closer and closer to the center of the circle. Richard also felt that he was getting closer and closer to the gallows. He was teaching Victoria's daughter how to shoot.

Louise put down the gun, flicked her wrist, and looked at him triumphantly: "How about that?"

"Very good," Richard nodded. "Given time, you might even beat me."

Louise smiled happily, put down the gun in her hand, and looked at the results of her first attempt with satisfaction.

Suddenly, she turned to Richard with a serious expression and asked, "Richard, have you ever shot anyone?"