KEO.PLUS

“What is the current status of our steel factory and arms factory?” Asher asked the question he was equally concerned about.

The steel factory could be ignored for now because Australia could build more and more steel factories at any time with those equipment available, but it would take some time for the workers to become proficient at their jobs through training.

However, the military factory was different. In this era when military technology had not yet taken off, the most advanced weapons available were machine guns and firearms.

Duke Arthur, the former commander-in-chief of Ireland, naturally became very interested in weapons and equipment, and founded the Connaught Integrated Military Factory.

What is an integrated military factory? It is a large military factory that integrates the research and development of light and heavy weapons and firearms.

Most of the employees in this military factory were even excavated by Duke Arthur from the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory.

The Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory has a very famous name in Britain, and the Lee-Enfield rifles developed and manufactured by the factory are the standard equipment of the army throughout the British Empire.

The performance and power of the Lee-Enfield rifle even surpassed that of another famous rifle, the Kar98k rifle.

It is worth noting that the Karg8k was the standard-issue rifle used by Germany during both World War I and World War II and was one of the infamous sniper rifles in the world.

Interestingly, both rifles were born around the same time. The prototype of the Lee-Enfield rifle appeared in 1888 and was officially renamed the Lee-Enfield magazine rifle five years before.

The Kar98k rifle’s predecessor, the Model 1888 rifle, was also born in 1888, but due to many shortcomings in its design, Mauser Company developed a new rifle in 1898, which was the Mauser 98 rifle.

During World War II, Germany was absorbed in the research and development of tanks and aircraft, not paying much attention to the development of light weapons.

Therefore, the shortened Mauser 98 rifle, also known as the Kar98k rifle, officially took the stage of history.

The reason why the Lee-Enfield Rifle did not become as famous as the Karg8k Rifle in history is that the British did not attach importance to the already very important sniper tactics during World War II. This caused the Lee-Enfield Rifle, which already had a slight advantage in sniping, to be far less famous than the Kar98k Rifle and Mosin-Nagant Rifle equipped with a four-times scope.

However, at the present point in time, no one can deny that the Lee-Enfield Rifle is one of the most powerful rifles, and its lead can be maintained for at least another fifty years.

As an integrated military factory that Duke Arthur placed high hopes on, under his strong influence, the Connaught Military Factory introduced the production line and technology of Lee-Enfield, capable of independently producing Lee-Enfield rifles and their accessories and bullets.

In terms of heavy weapons, Connaught Integrated Military Factory also has impressive achievements. After the Maxim heavy machine gun became well-known worldwide, Connaught Military Factory quickly introduced this technology and researched and produced the imitation MA-96 Maxim machine gun.

Besides, the Connaught Military Factory was also involved in the field of firearms. Although it had not mastered the research and production of heavy artillery, it had almost mastered small caliber firearms technology.

For example, the 37mm machine gun, the 65mm howitzer, the 88mm mortar, and the 105mm howitzer.

It is worth mentioning that Connaugt Military Factory has made remarkable achievements, especially in 37mm caliber firearms. They have made significant progress in firearm automation and independently developed the 37mm Machine Gun, also known as the CA-1 Machine Gun.

How powerful is the firepower of the CA-1 Machine Gun? Due to the preliminary realization of semi-automation, the caliber of this firearm is small, but its rate of fire is as high as 70 rounds per minute. In terms of firepower output, it can easily overpower other caliber firearms.

The reason why semi-automatic technology is only applied to 37mm caliber firearms is because the powerful recoil generated by larger caliber firearms during shooting is enough to destroy the automated device. Current technology cannot yet achieve semi-automation for larger caliber firearms. However, semi-automation of small-caliber firearms is impressive enough. Other countries’ semi-automatic firearms will not appear until two years later in 1902, and Connaugt Military Factory is a full two years ahead.

“The steel factory will be built after the government has finished planning the industrial area, but before that, we will continue to pay our employees their wages,” explained Hunter Steward. “The location of the military factory has not been determined yet and will have to wait until you, Your Highness, decide.” Whether it is a steel factory, military factory, or shipyard, the most valuable assets for Arthur are not just the equipment but also the employees who have traveled far to come to Australia with Arthur.

These factory employees have very high welfare benefits, far exceeding the average level in the United Kingdom, let alone Australia.

This is also the reason why Arthur can easily persuade these employees to come to Australia. No one is willing to give up such a stable and high-paying job, even if it means moving to another country.

These factories did indeed live up to expectations, operating at a loss. During the previous time in the United Kingdom, the monthly losses were not significant. However, now the combined monthly losses of the four factories exceed ￡200,000 for Arthur and amount to a total loss of ￡2,400,000 in one year.

But the achievements gained from these losses are absolutely worth it. Though Steel Factory is not considered yet, even the Military Factory and Shipyard can be considered technologically advanced factories in Europe.

The employees, equipment, and the technology of the military factory and shipyard are invaluable, and cannot be exchanged for even hundreds of millions of pounds.

It took Duke Arthur several decades and his strong power to create these factories.

“How are the workers? Is anyone dissatisfied with their current lives?” Arthur asked.

After all, they have come to a new country, and it would be normal for their emotions to fluctuate, even when the factories are not yet in operation, and Arthur is still paying their wages.

“Generally, everything is fine, Your Highness. We continue to pay our wages, and we have also arranged accommodation and citizenship for all employees. At least for now, no one has shown dissatisfaction. They are all adapting to life in their new country,” Hunter Steward explained with a smile.

Indeed, although they have moved to a different country, they can bring their entire family and receive living accommodations for their entire family. The wages are still paid normally even when there is no work.

This treatment is much better than that of the greedy capitalists in Europe, and this kind of treatment is not common even in the whole world.

“That’s good, Hunter Steward. The location of the Military Factory will be determined soon, the industrial area is expected to be in the western mining area, and the Military Factory will be located in West Australia. The construction of the steel factory should start quickly, and before the military factory is completed, it should have at least a certain steel production capacity,” Arthur instructed.

The Military Factory is also an iron-consuming behemoth. If Australia does not have a certain steel production capacity before the Military Factory is completed, then they can only watch the various weapons blueprints and shed tears when the time comes..