Chapter 199: Out of Money

"Why... why is the inside of this chamber not smooth? How can a gun shoot unevenly?" Napoleon, true to his expertise in artillery, noticed immediately what set this cannon apart.

"Uncle Napoleon, the barrel isn't uneven, it's rifled," Roland explained.

"Rifled? What is that? I've never heard of such a thing," Napoleon asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Rifling is, as the name suggests, the spiraling grooves inside the barrel. Uncle Napoleon, you see these spiral lines inside this cannon; they allow the projectile to start spinning inside the chamber, increasing its kinetic energy and making it fly farther and faster," Roland explained.

"Oh! Is that so?" Napoleon nodded, saying, "I see." In truth, he wasn't very familiar with such technical terms. He was an excellent artilleryman, not a gunsmith. But he understood that this thing was powerful and could make the cannon more effective.

"But Roland, I came here today specifically; you can't just let me come here for nothing, can you?" Napoleon smiled at Roland.

"I understand." Roland nodded. In an instant, he understood what Napoleon meant. He wanted to witness the power of this cannon with his own eyes.

"Jobs! Go find two skilled gunners. Show His Imperial Majesty the power of this cannon," Roland ordered, turning to Jobs.

"Right away!" Jobs responded, waving his hand. Soon, two middle-aged men hurried over. Obviously, these two men were the gunners Jobs had prepared.

After receiving Jobs' command, the two gunners quickly ran to the cannon and began to operate it.

"Huh! This cannon is loaded from the back?" During the loading process, Bedier once again noticed the difference in this cannon.

"Yes, Roland said it's a breech-loading cannon. Could it be that this breech-loading means firing from the back?" Napoleon quickly understood.

"Yes, you can understand it that way!" Roland nodded.

"This cannon is indeed unique, both in its loading method and the rifling inside the chamber. Let's see how powerful this unique cannon really is!" From the beginning, the cannon Roland had built continuously expanded Napoleon's knowledge. Now, Napoleon had a strong interest in this cannon.

"Fire!" Roland commanded.

"Boom!" With Roland's command, the nearby cannon immediately roared. With a bang, a shell whistled out of the muzzle and flew towards the distance.

"Boom!" There was a loud bang.

The shell landed steadily near the bullseye, and the powerful blast directly shattered and blew away the target.

"How far is the target?" Napoleon quickly asked, seeing the effect of the shot.

"Your Majesty, the target is exactly 800 meters from here," Raoland immediately reported.

"Good, good, excellent!" After hearing Raoland's report, Napoleon couldn't help but say three good words in a row, clearly showing his excitement.

Looking at the cannon with its raised barrel in front of him, Napoleon and the military leaders were all very pleased.

Since its inception, the cannon has been hailed as the god of war, and heavy artillery has extremely formidable power. Today's demonstration, although just one shot, gave Napoleon a true sense of the cannon's power. If the French army could equip these cannons, their ability to siege and conquer would surely be greatly enhanced.

In the last war, facing the strong Roman and Tuyania fortresses of Austria, if hundreds of such heavy cannons could be mobilized, they would be able to collapse even the most solid city walls.

"This cannon is excellent; we must build more and equip the entire army with it. I think each division can be equipped with a battery, and the staff headquarters can establish one or two independent artillery brigades for use in major battles. They will definitely prove very effective!" Napoleon said with a smile, immediately taking a liking to the cannon.

Lightweight, long range, strong firepower—Napoleon couldn't find any shortcomings in this cannon at all. He even wondered what kind of craftsmanship could create such an outstanding cannon. Looking at it, Napoleon felt as if he were looking at a peerless beauty.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. We have many enemies, not just the British but also the Prussians, Austrians, and other dangerous foes. We must have sufficient firepower to deal with them," Bedier added.

Like Napoleon, he also came from an artillery background, so he naturally liked powerful cannons. Raoland's excellent cannon had impressed Bedier at first sight as well.

"What is the cost of producing this cannon?" Unlike the excitement of Napoleon and Bedier, Adrian, the French Minister of Finance, wore a troubled expression on his face.

The powerful giant cannons and the expensive price tag almost always go hand in hand. Napoleon, unconcerned with the economy, is ready to buy, buy, buy based on his own instincts! But his Minister of Finance cannot afford to overlook these considerations.

Now, France has just begun to recover economically and needs money everywhere. Coupled with the recent completion of the "rifle replacement plan," which undoubtedly cost a fortune, the French treasury is practically running on fumes.

"300,000 francs! The cost of one shell is approximately 1,000 francs," Raoland said calmly.

"Sss!" Adrian couldn't help but inhale sharply at Raoland's price quote. He had mentally prepared himself for the cannon to be expensive, but Raoland's quoted price still exceeded Adrian's expectations.

This cannon is just too expensive!

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should purchase fewer of these cannons! Equip them initially only among a select few elite units. If we buy too many, our finances simply cannot sustain it!" Adrian looked at Napoleon with a pained expression, weakly suggesting.

However, Adrian had little confidence in his ability to persuade Napoleon. He understood Napoleon's personality well; on one hand, he publicly advocated defending the nation with military force, but on the other, he was undoubtedly a militarist.

Such individuals saw the military as the foundation of the state, advocating for force. Asking such a person to forego increasing the military's strength was akin to asking for the impossible!

"No, absolutely not. Adrian, you've seen it yourself—the power of this cannon. Such a powerful weapon must be equipped within the French army. Only then can we continuously suppress the enemy. Adrian, do you want our army to be defeated by the enemy?" As expected, upon hearing Adrian's words, Napoleon's happy expression instantly turned sour. He angrily confronted Adrian.

"But... but Your Majesty, there is no money in the treasury right now!" Adrian said with a pained expression.

"No money! How is that possible? Money?" Napoleon's face was full of disbelief upon hearing Adrian plead poverty. He couldn't imagine how a rich country like France could possibly be broke!

"Your Majesty, our country has just completed the rifle replacement program and the educational revival program for the military, which together cost nearly a hundred million francs. Our tax revenues have long been exhausted," Adrian said.

"What about war reparations? The British and Austrians must have paid tens of millions in reparations!" Napoleon asked.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten about the navy? Initially, to catch up with the British Navy, you ordered the construction of three Dunkerque-class battleships simultaneously. Your Majesty, you should know that one Dunkerque-class battleship costs 7 million francs, so three of them total 21 million francs!" Adrian responded.

The navy is something only great powers can afford, mainly due to its high cost. Each battleship was worth 7 million francs, which is not something an ordinary person could afford.