Make France Great Again-Chapter 908 - 899: Has the Gatling Gun Been Successfully Developed?
Minister Vayan looked awkwardly at the panting Cuirassiers, wishing they could just disappear from his sight.
They had only run such a short distance, yet the Cuirassiers were already exhausted.
If they were truly on the battlefield, it’s likely they’d be too tired to fight even before reaching the combat zone!
Luckily, this competition was about testing whether the armor could withstand the Mauser Rifle’s attack; otherwise, it would have been quite humiliating!
At this moment, Minister Vayan had not yet realized that the main purpose of this test wasn’t to see if the armor could withstand rifle fire but to evaluate whether cavalry could serve as the main combat force.
Therefore, cavalry must ensure that while fending off Mauser Bullets, they maintain agility and mobility.
Only then would the cavalry have the chance to encircle the infantry.
However, such cavalry that could meet both these requirements did not exist in the mid-19th century.
Not even the military god of neighboring Germany could achieve this.
The "cavalry" capable of both defense and mobility would only appear some 60 years later with the tanks of World War I.
Still obsessed with victory, Minister Vayan hoped to use this specially made armor to give Nie’er a harsh lesson.
"Minister Vayan, would you please put the armor on the target?" Chief of Staff Nie’er said earnestly to Minister Vayan.
"Alright!" Minister Vayan nodded in response and then reached out to the Cuirassiers.
The Cuirassiers cautiously placed the cuirass before Minister Vayan, and as he lifted it, his face slightly contorted; he could now clearly feel the weight of the cuirass.
It truly wasn’t easy for the Cuirassiers to march onto the battlefield wearing this!
Minister Vayan couldn’t help but sigh, holding the cuirass in both hands and step by step placing it onto the target.
Once everything was ready, Jerome Bonaparte ordered Bashirio to go to the Mauser arms factory to fetch a rifle and some brass bullets.
Upon hearing the order, Bashirio immediately turned and left.
Shortly after, Bashirio returned before Jerome Bonaparte with a rifle on his back.
"Your Majesty, this is the Mauser Rifle!" Bashirio handed the Mauser Rifle to Jerome Bonaparte, and then also gave him the brass bullets.
Holding the Mauser Rifle in one hand and the brass bullets in the other, Jerome Bonaparte looked towards Nie’er and Minister Vayan, saying: "Which of you will go?"
Just as Minister Vayan was about to step forward, Nie’er got ahead of him, standing before Jerome Bonaparte and said: "Your Majesty, let me do it!"
Jerome Bonaparte handed both the brass bullets (the older version) and the Mauser Rifle to Nie’er.
As Nie’er loaded the bullets into the rear chamber of the Mauser Rifle, he suggested to Minister Vayan, "Minister Vayan, I think we should not compete any further!"
"Compete! Why not!" Minister Vayan responded to Nie’er with a firm tone.
"If you insist, then I must..." Nie’er reset the bolt and aimed at the cuirass about two hundred meters away.
At this moment, the cuirass shone brightly in the sunlight, extremely dazzling.
Despite this, Nie’er kept his eyes firmly on the cuirass.
After aiming the rifle for a while, Nie’er pulled the trigger.
With a crisp sound, the brass bullet hit the specially made cuirass of Minister Vayan.
Seeing this, Minister Vayan hurried to the target with the hanging armor, glanced at it, and saw only a circular indentation from the brass bullet on the armor; the armor itself had not been penetrated.
"The armor has not been penetrated!" Minister Vayan ran to Nie’er’s side and excitedly told both Nie’er and Jerome Bonaparte.
Jerome Bonaparte and Nie’er also rushed to examine the damage on the armor closely.
After some time, Jerome Bonaparte said to Nie’er, "The victor of this competition is you, Chief of Staff Nie’er!"
Minister Vayan’s face showed a look of astonishment, then excitedly pointed at the armor and asked, "Your Majesty, the armor wasn’t directly penetrated!"
"I know that!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Minister Vayan with a calm tone.
"Then why is Nie’er the victor?" Minister Vayan asked, somewhat unwillingly.
"Minister Vayan, think carefully about what the role of cavalry is?" Jerome Bonaparte scolded him loudly.
Minister Vayan instantly realized the problem, lowered his head slightly disappointedly, and replied, "I lost!"
Then he raised his head again, exhaled, and with a broad smile said to Chief of Staff Nier, "Chief of Staff Nier, you are right!
Cavalry can no longer be effective on the front battlefield."
At this point, Vayan paused, shook his head to himself, and muttered, "No! Don’t even mention the front battlefield, cavalry is hardly viable even for flank attacks!
The only role of cavalry is reconnaissance!"
"Minister Vayan, you understand these principles yourself, so why do you insist on this?" Jerome Bonaparte sighed and replied to Minister Vayan, "This is no longer the time of the First Empire, our rifles have evolved tremendously over these decades.
During the First Empire, our Dragoons, Cuirassiers, and Heavy Armored Cavalry could outflank the enemy amidst their flintlocks and rifles, thereby annihilating their active forces!
But now, our Minie Rifle far surpasses all previous muzzle-loaders in both precision and range, making victory for cavalry exceedingly difficult.
The Mauser Rifle is even more outstanding; its shooting accuracy, speed, and angles far exceed those of the Minie Rifle, with comparable shooting distances.
Therefore, learning from the First Empire period is fundamentally unfeasible!
France’s cavalry must undergo a complete reform, we must abandon all armor and go into battle lightly equipped!
Only then can we better utilize the cavalry’s function!"
Historically, the French Empire wasted too many resources on cavalry, and under the direction of Minister of War Nier (who, during his tenure, had already reduced some heavy cavalry numbers), they removed armor and donned more protective gear, hoping to enhance defensive capabilities and give the cavalry team the chance to shine.
The result was that during the Franco-Prussian War, French heavy cavalry were shocked to find that their armor indeed protected their lives, but their mobility was completely compromised.
"But! What about those noble officers among the cavalry?" Minister Vayan asked Jerome Bonaparte.
"They either choose a career change or get assigned to other departments!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Minister Vayan.
"Your Majesty, many noble officers are in the cavalry! Shouldn’t we reconsider?" Minister Vayan asked Jerome Bonaparte again.
"There is no need!" Jerome Bonaparte stated firmly with a cold laugh to Minister Vayan: "Reducing half of the 86,000 cavalry troops is already being considerate to those nobles.
If I were to cut according to my viewpoint, Dragoons, Cuirassiers, and Cuirassiers alike would all need to be eliminated!
Only those cavalry responsible for reconnaissance should remain!"
"Impossible!" Minister Vayan quickly responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Minister Vayan, the aim of military reform is to elevate our country’s overall army level, eliminating the shortcomings in our military!
We cannot ignore the flaws just because they are too thorny!
The cavalry team must be reorganized!" Jerome Bonaparte stated emphatically to Minister Vayan, "I don’t care how influential their parents are, how illustrious their aristocratic lineage is. As long as they are soldiers of the French Army, they must comply with arrangements.
They either choose a career change or continue staying in the army!
However, the army doesn’t nurture idlers! Those who choose to stay must continually face assessments..."
Minister Vayan listened quietly to Jerome Bonaparte’s speech. Once Jerome Bonaparte finished, Minister Vayan spoke to Jerome Bonaparte: "Your Majesty, I understand!"
"Good!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, replying to Minister Vayan: "It’s good that you understand!"
While conversing with Minister Vayan, Jerome Bonaparte wasn’t aware when Chasebo and the others appeared near the shooting range.
After the exchange between Jerome Bonaparte and Minister Vayan, he turned to Chasebo and the others and said, "Why are you all here! Has something happened over there?"
Chasebo and the others hurriedly shook their heads, then Chasebo, Paul Mauser, and William Mauser approached Jerome Bonaparte.
"What’s wrong? Has something happened?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired again of Chasebo and the others.
"Your Majesty, I..." Chasebo hesitated to speak, but standing beside him, Paul Mauser helped him complete his unfinished sentence: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xiasibo has completed the multi-barrel shotgun you requested!"
"Has it already been developed this quickly?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at Alfonso Chasebo in surprise, initially believing Alfonso Chasebo would take at least another year to succeed.
Unexpectedly, Alfonso Chasebo gave him a pleasant surprise.
If Chasepod’s multi-barrel gun can match the Gatling Gun in performance, Jerome Bonaparte is bound to equip two to three for each battalion.
Although the Gatling Gun has some drawbacks, when used properly, it can also become a reaper on the battlefield.
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Chasebo replied respectfully to Jerome Bonaparte.
