Chapter 35

December 24, 1922.

“Ha…ha…achoo! Oh, bless me.”

Alexander sneezed, then rubbed his nose to relieve the itch.

“You okay, sire?” Rolan asked, who was standing by his side.

“I’m okay, this freaking damn cold is killing me.”

Snowflakes floated in the air outside the window. The winter in Ruthenia Empire is very cold.

When Alexander stepped foot outside the office he was in, the snow started falling heavily. His hair, his clothes, everything is getting covered in a layer of white powder.

Alexander shook the snowflakes off of his body and went up to the open area of the St. Petersburg Naval Base.

The St. Petersburg Naval Base is commissioned three years ago under the administration of his father. It’s part of the Baltic Fleet. But the reason for his visit to this naval base is not to sightsee naval warships, instead, they were here to test new equipment the infantry would use.

One of the reasons he chose this base is because of the distance. He has a date with Sophie later to celebrate Christmas and wouldn’t want to get late as the nearest military base around the capital is 30 kilometers away.-.

He found out that Ruthenia Empire celebrates Christmas on a different date, the nearest military base specifically on January 7.

In the open area, Alexander was approached by a man in his sixties, wearing a military uniform.

“Good morning Your Majesty, we are honored by your presence here in my base.”

The man was Vladimir Sadoski, the Chief of the General Staff of the Imperial Ruthenia Armed Forces.

“Is everything in place?” Alexander simply asked.

“Yes sire,” Vladimir turned around and hold his hand out as he pointed to the ten men in a military uniforms lined in a row. “This is the finest soldiers I can think of in Ruthenia Armed Forces.”The ten soldiers stood firm and held their gaze on Alexander, as he looked around him, he could feel the respect from them and it made him feel uplifted.

“Very good,” Alexander spoke as he walked towards the lines. He stopped right beside one of the men. They are the first men to receive his inspection; Alexander took a look at their uniforms.

They wore a Papakha, greenish tunic and pants khaki, knee-length boots, and also a large greatcoat.

It’s an outdated uniform that’s been used for twenty years. Alexander not only wanted an upgrade of their equipment but their uniform as well. Maybe after he finished his prototype computer, he will work on a design.

Alexander nodded in satisfaction as h returned back to where he was earlier. Seconds later, a low grumble of an engine sounded from a distance. Alexander turned his head and saw twenty military trucks.

It stopped near them and the soldiers began to unload the load of the truck.

They were boxes that contains new weapons that will replace their bolt-action Mosin-Nagant rifle.

After a minute of unloading the boxes, Alexander clapped his hand to gather everyone’s attention.

“Okay, gentleman listen up!” Alexander shouted. Everyone in the vicinity immediately became serious and quiet down. He continued. “Today, we will test a new prototype weapon that will replace the standard-issue bolt action Mosin Nagant. I want you to be aware that this operation is extremely classified so everyone around here who says a word about this operation will be tried for treason which is punishable by death. There are only a few of you so it’ll be easy for us to track you down should you dare to disobey the order. Now you might be wondering what type of weapon we will be testing so much that I had to place strict measures. Well, gentleman, the weapons that I’m going to show you have not yet been introduced in foreign countries, the Deutschland, The Britannia, the Francois Republic, they don’t have this weapon. We are the first and this might be our upper hand.”

Alexander motioned his hand to one of the soldiers who unloaded the box to open it.

The soldier nodded in acknowledgment and opened one box. The soldier grabbed what was inside and handed it to Alexander.

The soldiers who were called to participate in this clandestine weapon testing had their mouths slightly dropped at the alien design weapon in Alexander’s hand.

“Prototype weapon number 1,” Alexander raised the Heckler and Koch HK33 in the air, showing it to them clearly. “This piece of art is hard to manufacture but thanks to the efforts of the arms manufacturer Tula, they were able to produce 20 of them in just three weeks.”

Alexander began explaining the basic information about the HK33.

“The weapon is much shorter than the Mosin Nagant, almost half of it. The barrel is 390 millimeters, the magazine can hold 30 rounds of ammunition, and has a maximum rate of fire of about 750 rounds per minute. It has an effective firing range of about 400 meters. The weapon’s name is the T-SLR 33. T stands for Tula, SLR for Self Loading Rifle.”

Alexander continued his explanation, of how the weapon is assembled, some of its features, and also how to handle it properly.

The soldiers who watched him perform basic handling was dumbfounded. Their first impression was how did their new emperor know a lot about firearms? Even the Chief of the General Staff were astounded.

The young emperor’s explanation of the weapon is what shocked them the most. A gun can carry 30 rounds in a single loadout? Compared to the Mosin Nagant who can only hold 5, if the emperor’s words are true, then this new weapon would revolutionize warfare.

“I want you to form a line and get each one for yourself,” Alexander commanded. “After that, I want one of you to fire the weapon at a target in that distance,” Alexander pointed to a target on the far side of the open area.

The soldiers formed a line and got their HK33 assault rifles. They took a hold of it, check the balance, and tried aiming at it at a distance.

Their impression, it is slightly lighter than a Mosin Nagant and the designs somehow charmed them. It’s alien tech as they haven’t seen a weapon with this design before.After one minute, Alexander took the lead.

“This is going to be different than the Mosin Nagant you’re accustomed to. This T-SLR 33 is an automatic rifle, unlike the Nagant where you load the rifle using a clip, in this rifle, we use a detachable box magazine. Similar to the pistol like the M1911 Pistol of the United States.”

Now for the curtain’s call, Alexander trained the weapon at a target dummy at a range of 100 meters.

“Oh before I forgot, this weapon has two modes of operation. The semi-automatic and full-automatic. We’re going to use the semi-automatic first. Watch and learn.”

Alexander breathed deeply for a brief moment and then pulled the trigger.

The T-SLR 33. shot an empty cartridge out of the ejection port on its left side.

The noise from the rifle’s shot made the soldiers flinch and reflexively held their ears for a brief moment.

After firing a single shot, Alexander flicked the selector switch, changing it to full-auto. The gun continuously fired, roaring endlessly. The noise was tremendous, a machine gun-like sound that echoed in their ears.

After fifteen seconds, he emptied the magazine with 100 percent accuracy. All bullet hits their target. He still had it in him.

The soldiers were on the edge of their wit. It really did spew 30 rounds.

The Chief of the General Staff’s face was in a state of shock. This weapon will truly revolutionize warfare.

The emperor was on fire.

“As you can see, now this is where it gets tricky,” Alexander switched back to semi-automatic and then tapped the barrel of the T-SLR 33. to eject the empty magazine. After that, he inserted a new one. “This rifle has a magazine that can hold 30 rounds of ammunition. A typical Mosin Nagant has a clip that can only hold five rounds of ammunition. It’s a vast amount of difference. Think how revolutionary it is. Where each soldier can kill 30 people in one go. That’s why I exercise strict measures to protect this weapon from falling on our enemy’s hand.”

The soldiers applauded and cheered in excitement.

Alexander has already placed measures to protect his future military techs by implementing a new law where the arms industry is prohibited from selling weaponry to any foreign nation without the state’s permission. By giving them the rights to produce the weapons he designed as long as they don’t break their words, and lastly by threatening.

It’s an effective measure he can think of for now. Espionage could also serve as a problem for him. To solve that, he’s going to increase the budget of the Minister of Internal Affairs who will then implement stricter measures for foreigners to step foot on Ruthenia’s soil.

Is he earning from the weapons he designed? Yes, through royalties and rights, which he can use to fund more projects, specifically on weapons development.

“Okay, it’s your turn now. Take position!” Alexander shouted his order.

The soldiers took their T-SLR 33. and loaded it with a magazine and aimed it at the target on the far side of the open area.

“Fire!” Alexander shouted. The sound of gunfire echoed through the mountain. The soldiers continued firing until they emptied the magazine.

They are also in a state of shock.

A minute passed and they were still standing there in a daze.

Alexander clapped. “Excellent, you’re all quick learners. Now for the second prototype,” Alexander motioned to the soldier once again and handed him a new different type of weapon.

The soldiers’ eyes were fixed on the weapon Alexander is holding.

“This second prototype, I call it the T-AR47, let’s continue,” he said as a smile crept across his face.