Make France Great Again-Chapter 825 - 816: Lorentz Rifle

Entrance to the forest outskirts of Vienna.

Jerome Bonaparte and the two people with him, along with Count Gneer and the Austrian Empire cavalry, dismounted.

"Alright, you can all stay here!" Jerome Bonaparte said as he handed the reins to Count Gneer.

"But, Your Majesty, I am worried..." Count Gneer said, looking concerned.

Before Count Gneer could finish, Jerome Bonaparte patted his shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, we’ll be fine!"

After speaking, he left Count Gneer and approached an Austrian Empire cavalryman, saying, "Could you lend me your rifle?"

The Austrian Empire cavalryman was taken aback for a moment, then looked toward Count Gneer, needing his approval to hand the rifle to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Count Gneer!" Jerome Bonaparte glanced back at Count Gneer again.

"Hand over your rifle to His Majesty!" Count Gneer sighed silently and ordered his men to hand the rifle to Jerome Bonaparte.

The Austrian cavalry immediately presented the rifle with both hands, along with the ammunition pouch hanging from his waist.\p>

Feeling the weight of the rifle in his hands, Jerome Bonaparte couldn’t help but praise, "It’s quite a nice rifle!"

"You flatter us!" Count Gneer replied modestly.

Then, Jerome Bonaparte focused his gaze on the body of the rifle, trying to find when this rifle was manufactured.

Finally, near the firing mechanism, Jerome Bonaparte found the engraved number 855, indicating the rifle was manufactured in 1855.

Next, he raised the barrel to look inside, discovering the rifling within.

Based on the rifle’s manufacturing date and the rifling, Jerome Bonaparte could conclude that this should be one of Austria’s latest rifles.

"Which master crafted this rifle?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Count Gneer nonchalantly.

"Not a master, just a lieutenant!" Count Gneer quickly replied, "The lieutenant’s name is...is..."

Count Gneer glanced sideways as the Austrian cavalryman quickly spoke up, "Named Joseph Lorenz! So this rifle is also called the Lorenz Rifle!"

"Ah, I see!" Jerome Bonaparte responded in realization, "Your Austrian Empire’s army is full of talent! The Lorenz Rifle feels better in hand than our Minie Rifle or Britain’s Enfield Rifle, though I suspect there’s not much difference in performance!"

"You overpraise!" Count Gneer smiled as he continued to respond to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your country’s Minie Rifle has been tested on the Crimean battlefield, whereas our Lorenz Rifle has yet to undergo large-scale warfare testing. Therefore, it can’t be accurately judged!"

Jerome Bonaparte knew this was just Count Gneer’s humble statement; in truth, he should feel proud that his Austrian Empire surpassed France in rifle technology.

Let you be smug for a while, but wait until the breechloader comes out! Then you’ll have cause to cry!

Jerome Bonaparte silently thought to himself.

Judging by the current Austrian Empire’s financial situation (which Jerome Bonaparte estimated to be roughly one-fifth of France’s), it would take at least five years to completely replace the Lorenz Rifles.

By that time, the French Empire would have already switched to the new Mauser breechloader, which performs several times better than the Dreiser.

The Austrian Empire could only watch enviously as the French Army replaced their rifles, helpless to do anything.

Of course, if the Austrian Empire wanted to fight an Austro-Prussian War, Jerome Bonaparte would be quite willing to provide them with loans to speed up the replacement.

...

"Alright, it’s getting late; I should head in! See you later!" Jerome Bonaparte shouldered the Lorenz Rifle like a mountain king, waving at Count Gneer.

Watching Jerome Bonaparte’s strutting departure like a domineering crab, Augusta and Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh, as they followed him into the forest.

"Your Excellency, are we really not going to follow them in?" the cavalryman asked, looking worried.

"It’s better not to!" Count Gneer shook his head at the cavalryman, "Following them would only make the Emperor resent us, disrupting his plans."

"Plans? What plans?" the cavalryman asked, bewildered by Count Gneer’s words.

"Nothing!" Count Gneer quickly changed the subject and instructed the cavalryman to scout the area nearby.

The cavalryman obeyed, riding his horse along the path into the distance.

Meanwhile, Jerome Bonaparte felt invigorated as he gazed at the lush greenery upon entering the forest.

Behind him, Elizabeth also began singing childhood melodies in her warbler-like voice, bringing a refreshing breeze to Jerome Bonaparte and Empress Augusta.

After Elizabeth finished, Jerome Bonaparte suddenly had an urge to ask her to sing a "famous song" from the future.

"Elizabeth, I have a song here! Can you sing it?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Elizabeth with a mischievous smile.

"Your Majesty, what kind of song is this?" Elizabeth asked Jerome Bonaparte curiously.

"First, tell me, do you agree or not?" Jerome Bonaparte didn’t directly tell her the lyrics but continued to playfully ask.

Empress Augusta immediately understood that her husband must be up to something mischievous again.

However, she didn’t want to stop him because she also wanted to hear what song it was!

"I agree!" Elizabeth agreed to Jerome Bonaparte, subconsciously thinking that Jerome Bonaparte wouldn’t trick her like that.

Jerome Bonaparte sang the lyrics and melody once, and after Elizabeth heard the song, her face instantly turned pale, as if she had seen a devil. Empress Augusta also looked at Jerome Bonaparte with incredulous eyes.

She couldn’t understand how Jerome Bonaparte could come up with such lyrics!

"How is it? Sing it!" Jerome Bonaparte leaned against a tree, smiling at Empress Elizabeth.

"Your Majesty, do I really have to sing?" Elizabeth asked Jerome Bonaparte again.

"Of course!" Jerome Bonaparte responded firmly to Elizabeth. He wanted to see if singing this song would feel different for someone from the feudal remnants.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and began to sing in French: "Arise, you prisoners of starvation and cold!

Arise, you wretched of the earth!

Boiling with rage, our blood surges

..."

"No, no! The way you’re singing is just too weak!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and said to Elizabeth, "It must be strong and powerful! Strong and powerful, you know! Only by being strong and powerful can you truly grasp the essence of this song!"

"Your Majesty, we are exactly the kind of people the song is against!" Elizabeth pouted, chiding Jerome Bonaparte.

"That’s true!" Jerome Bonaparte was taken aback, then said to Elizabeth, "Never mind, let’s switch to another song!"

"Your Majesty! If the next song is like this one, please allow me to refuse!" Elizabeth preemptively said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Rest assured! It’s not this time! But, have you learned Russian?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Elizabeth.

"I’m currently learning!" Elizabeth answered.

"That’s good!" Jerome Bonaparte then sang "Katusha" to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth quickly learned "Katusha" and sang it with her delicate voice.

Jerome Bonaparte and Augusta both showed enchanted expressions on their faces. After Elizabeth finished singing, she asked if there was a story behind this song.

"Indeed there is!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and mixed the story of the War of Defense into the Napoleonic Wars.

"Did the girl wait for her beloved?" Elizabeth asked Jerome Bonaparte.

"No!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head in response to Elizabeth, "The boy died during the Battle of Leipzig! The girl could never wait for her beloved again!"

"That’s so pitiful!" Elizabeth said tearfully, "The person who killed that boy is truly despicable!"

"Um!" Jerome Bonaparte scratched his head and responded to Elizabeth, "The one who killed that boy was our French Army!"

"Ah! I’m sorry, Your Majesty!" Elizabeth quickly apologized to Jerome Bonaparte, "I forgot!"

"It’s nothing! Let’s continue hunting!" Jerome Bonaparte waved his hand and said to Elizabeth.

Jerome Bonaparte and the others continued forward, finally spotting their first prey.

A young roe deer appeared right in front of Jerome Bonaparte. Just as he was about to raise his gun and give it up, Elizabeth suddenly burst into song again.

The song startled the roe deer, which quickly fled. Jerome Bonaparte had to lower his gun and pressed his large hand on Elizabeth’s head, rubbing it fiercely, and said "menacingly," "Tell me, did you do that on purpose?"

"Your Majesty, don’t you think that little deer was so pitiful?" Elizabeth blinked her eyes, acting cute to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Alright! You win!" Jerome Bonaparte let go of Elizabeth and continued forward.

In the following attempts, Elizabeth and Augusta took turns disrupting Jerome Bonaparte’s hunting.

Finally, Jerome Bonaparte decided to let it go. The three of them lay on a meadow, quietly watching the sky until the sun slowly set on the horizon.