Chapter 28: Isugard’s New Weapon (Volume 2)

April 1, 1404, World Calendar.

In the coastal region of Isugard, a tall woman who had transformed into the President herself was personally inspecting the application of the new weapon in real combat.

This was a suppression operation targeting a pirate hideout.

In Isugard, not everyone wished for the country to continue developing as a democracy.

A small number of monarchists hoped that Isugard could return to the feudal centralized politics of a hundred years ago, where they could become emperors and nobles, enslaving the people.

This rebellious thought was intolerable to the President and the Parliament. Knowing they had no place in today’s democratic Isugard, these monarchists had become pirates, troubling the coastal regions. They threatened Isugard’s maritime trade routes while also becoming the perfect testing ground for their new weapons.

These pirates were deliberately left alone.

After all, Isugard’s weapons not only needed to counter the threat of monsters but also required the capability to be effective against human enemies.

Monsters could be found everywhere, but human enemies were rare in the now unified Isugard.

For this reason—the real combat testing of the new weapons meant that a well-pastured pirate hideout was going to be completely eradicated.

This was a painful matter for the President.

She hoped these weapons would perform as expected.

At her nod, the accompanying general waved his hand, signaling the mage to cast the “Eye of the Sky” spell.

Isugard’s magical power was not abundant. If beginner mages in other places could easily cast a fireball spell, then even Isugard’s advanced mages could only manage to cast two fireballs with all their might.

The insufficiency of magic power caused mages in Isugard’s military and civilian systems to become supporters rather than crucial main forces.

They might never step onto the frontline to cast strategic-level spells that could decide the outcome of battles, but they could convert their magic into various advantages for their side.

Take the Eye of the Sky spell on the battlefield, for example. By creating a magical eye high in the sky that overlooked the ground, the generals and strategists at the rear could use a magical construct called the tactical sandbox to obtain a clear ground terrain map under cloudless, sunny conditions. This allowed them to command their troops to collaborate and divide tasks based on real-time visual information.

This was a privilege that, hundreds of years ago, could only be enjoyed after securing the geographical advantage of high mountains.

But now, it had become a commonplace necessity for every Isugardian army. The President felt proud of this and was filled with confidence about the upcoming war with the Roman Empire.

“Test the new rifle’s effectiveness,” she turned to the general and said. 

The general nodded, first ordering the crossbowmen with large shields to advance. Then, he commanded the rifle testers to follow one hundred meters behind the crossbowmen.

Through the Eye of the Sky, they could clearly see the pirates hastily closing the city gates and preparing to escape by ship.

But the experimental new steam ironclad warships of Isugard had already surrounded all the exits to the sea. The pirate ships were sunk by cannons within two minutes of leaving the harbor. Countless pirates struggled in the water, and with the help of their companions and the intentional oversight of the ironclad warships, they fled back to their hideout.

The experimental steam warship was a new product launched just a month ago. Compared to the old wooden-hulled ironclads, the new ironclad warship not only had more horsepower and faster speed, but most importantly, it boasted firepower ahead of its time.

The old wooden-hulled ironclads only had crossbows and simple cannons mounted on their sides. Although they appeared numerous, their small caliber and insufficient power meant they still couldn’t quickly sink wooden warships.

The new steam warship was named “Shizhui.” This name honored the great figure in Isugard who had established both basic and advanced education for the people. Although he had passed away, everyone remembered him and placed his statue in Isugard’s Hall of Fame for future generations to admire.

Just as “Shizhui” was a great name, the new warship’s firepower was equally magnificent.

The advanced ten 150mm experimental cannons could destroy all old ships within their effective range, and its armor belt was immune to small-caliber cannons and crossbows. It could be said that it symbolized the invincible maritime power of Isugard.

Once the remaining four improved “Shizhui”-class ironclads were mass-produced and launched next year, the conquest of the Roman Empire’s coastal areas would be just around the corner.

But this was only the coast.

The President needed the rich inland areas of the Roman Empire, with their wheat, minerals, and abundant geographical resources. Just the coast wouldn’t satisfy Isugard’s ever-expanding appetite.

So, how would the new rifle, bearing the significant pressure of advancing inland, perform?

The President squinted her eyes, using her extraordinary vampiric vision to observe the experimenters jogging along.

The general commanded on the tactical sandbox. He ordered the crossbowmen to advance into the pirates’ range. After the experimenters spaced themselves a hundred meters apart to find cover and determine their firing positions, he gave the attack order.

Isugard’s crossbowmen advanced under enemy arrows. They raised their crossbows and launched a volley at the pirates’ hideout, then quickly turned and used their large shields for cover while reloading.

The pirates also had wooden shields and stone-built covers. Both sides exchanged fire, resulting in minimal casualties in this turn-based combat. In this situation, the pirate commander even climbed the city wall to personally boost morale.

Surrounded by solid shield barriers, the commander was well-protected against arrows and bolts. Shields provided too much resistance for most projectile weapons, except for ballistae. The commander likely assumed Isugard had not deployed ballistae or ballista carts and boldly rushed to the wall. However, he was unaware that Isugard possessed a new, highly penetrative weapon.

The general estimated the distance. The crossbowmen were about 150 meters from the pirates’ defense walls, an optimal range.

The experimenters were over 260 meters from the city wall, but considering the new rifle’s accuracy, this was indeed the best shooting distance.

He ordered the experimenters to aim at the enemy commander on the city wall and fire a volley.

With a thunderous roar, they saw through the Eye of the Sky as the enemy commander, heavily protected by layers of shields, was directly shot through by countless bullets, piercing several layers of wooden shields along with him.

“I want these new rifles equipped in all my armies immediately, Madam President.”

The general turned to the President.

His eyes were full of fervor for the new weapon.

The pirate hideout was soon breached, and both new weapons demonstrated their full value.

Now, the President was seated in a meeting room in a city near the battlefield, facing her closest advisors.

The President briefly summarized the effectiveness of the new weapons to her advisors. She then proposed that all military factories halt the production of old crossbow bolts and instead focus on manufacturing bullets for the new rifles.

Although the new rifles still had to be crafted manually, they could at least produce as many bullets as possible.

This meant that a major reform of Isugard’s future military was inevitable.

“These weapons render most armor and shields useless. Madam President, I suggest removing all shields from our new army’s equipment and providing our soldiers with more lightweight leather armor instead.”

“Leather armor?”

“Yes. Currently, plate armor and chain mail cannot withstand the direct shots of the new rifles within optimal range. If the Roman Empire also has such weapons, it’ll be better to abandon iron armor, which hampers the soldiers’ agility, and use steel for more appropriate purposes. After all, leather armor is both comfortable and light, and from my observations, it can also be modified to include pockets for carrying bullets, making it the standard equipment for our future infantry. At the same time, I hope to see the cannons from ‘Shizhui’ lightened for use by the army’s artillery. Additionally, I wish for the cavalry to be equipped with new rifles that can be used effectively while riding.”

“Alright, I’ll consider it. But this increases our dependence on steam factories. Without steam factories, given the current state of our domestic industry, which might take more than five years to transform and improve, we can’t possibly satisfy both military and civilian industrial demands at the same time.”

The general’s suggestions were all practical, but the issue was obvious. Everyone knew his proposals were for the good of Isugard, but how could Isugard’s current industry simultaneously meet the enormous demands of both civilian and military sectors?

It’s like asking an ordinary human man under 30 to marry a vampire wife who could be several hundred years old. Expecting the young man to satisfy the vampire’s appetite is as unrealistic as hoping the vampire would kindly let him off.

Therefore, they must find a way to obtain the secrets of the Roman Empire’s steam factories.

The President let out a heavy sigh, and the other advisors exchanged glances, only able to shrug in agreement.

At that moment, the Minister of Science and Technology stood up and suggested that, taking advantage of this trade opportunity, they could send a new fleet to establish a secret port belonging to Isugard on the continent of Elusia. Additionally, they could sell some of the experimental equipment from the Academy of Sciences that was no longer needed to earn some funds.

“We no longer have any use for those muzzleloaders, and those inferior gunpowder and lead bullets. Oh, and these, these. We don’t need them anymore. Instead of letting them rot, we might as well sell them to make some money.”

“Considering the Roman Empire might also be developing similar weapons, selling only the muzzleloaders wouldn’t pose any threat to us… If necessary, we can also sell them to the small neighboring countries. We just need to raise the price.”

“Raise the price?” The President smiled mysteriously. “If we’re going to deceive primitive people, a 500% markup should be fine. Have them trade in gold and jewels instead of currency. Ideally, we can exaggerate the benefits and sell these discarded items at a 1000% profit.”

“In that case, we might need to equip the ship with magical communication devices capable of crossing continents, so we don’t miss out on the 1000% profit opportunity by being out of touch,” said the minister.

“Let’s do that. Also, send some experimenters equipped with the new rifles over there. We need to assess the adaptability of the new rifles on the continent of Elucia and send a few mages to investigate the local magical power.”

“Understood.”

Isugard was making thorough preparations for its colonial war. Isugard was patient. They didn’t mind waiting for some time to achieve victory.

***

Meanwhile, on the continent of Elusia, the Roman Empire’s military district was bickering with the diocese’s holy army.

They had been arguing for an entire month over who should be responsible for the disaster in Count Kagard’s territory. Finally, under the witness of the Night Witch, the holy army conceded, citing that over 70% of the people in the territory were believers in the Church of the God of Light. They took on the primary responsibility for this demon invasion and had to pay a large compensation to the Roman Empire.

A huge sum of money flowed from the diocese’s bank into the Roman Empire, causing Archbishop Peter to shed a few tears of heartache. He could only grit his teeth and prepare to send the holy army to the Forest of Elves in November to recover the gold coins from the elves.

***

Meanwhile, Yang Hao and Teresa were resolutely advancing toward the borders of the Elven Kingdom through the Forest of Monsters.

Compared to before, he now had Dr. Joseph’s family and an entire tribe of the Ling people with him.

Perhaps his past experiences still pricked the Regent’s already prickly heart, making him as aggressive as a sea urchin.

He harbored distrust towards the Ling people, his former employers, and even towards Dr. Joseph’s family.

Sister Teresa could only shake her head at this. She planned to have a good talk with him when they set up camp tonight.