Chương 58: Discussing Strategy
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Two days after receiving the distress signal, Intelligence Director Cecil placed the intelligence regarding the situation in Byerldine and his own analysis on the Earl's desk.
Paul frowned as he read through it. It seemed his friend was truly in danger; he was now under house arrest, waiting for those traitors to divide their spoils and choose an opportune day to stage an accident, just like his unlucky father.
Cecil asked, "My lord, if you wish to rescue Earl Ganard, I can deploy all available personnel to Byerldine to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of those traitors."
Paul rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Whether to rescue or not, I need to discuss with everyone. However, gathering intelligence early is definitely the right move. Go ahead and send someone over."
Half a day later, Paul summoned high-ranking military and administrative personnel to gather at the Lord's mansion, showing them the distress letter from Malon Ganard.
Conspiracies among vassals to overthrow their lord weren't unheard of, especially neighboring families like the Kents of Emden, whose position as earl had some dubious origins, so no one in attendance expressed much surprise.
Watching as each person passed around the letter, the Earl sat uneasily in his seat. "If my future reforms conflict with the interests of those present, will they conspire to eliminate me?"
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Steward Ford spoke up, "How do you plan to handle this letter?"
Paul replied, "Cecil has already sent people to Byerldine to investigate those conspirators. But I haven't decided yet whether to rescue Malon immediately. If we decide to rescue, how should we go about it? That's why I want to hear everyone's opinions."
Bryce slammed his hand on the table, "Lord Ganard is your childhood friend, even your blood oath brother. If you abandon him, you'll be scorned by all."
"Hey, hey Bryce, I know you're straightforward, but couldn't you have said that privately? Saying it out loud like this puts me in a difficult position."
Paul's face showed a hint of embarrassment. "I didn't say I wouldn't rescue him, but we must also consider our own strength. That's why I called everyone here to discuss."
The concept of blood oath brothers was somewhat similar to sworn brothers in the Celestial Empire, where young Malon and Paul got along very well, each mother deciding that the two small children had become blood oath brothers.
Speaking of which, both mothers died very early, and Paul was somewhat sentimental. What did his mother look like in this life, and what memories did she leave behind? He couldn't even remember.
Steward Ford was very pleased; his young lord did not become arrogant and overconfident because of his victory over pirates, nor did he recklessly provoke a war that might not be won due to his youthful impetuosity. Instead, he weighed the pros and cons, convened a wide consultation, and as a lord, he was already very qualified.
He touched his own graying long beard and said, "It's indeed inappropriate to abandon a blood oath brother. If rumors spread, it would damage the lord's reputation. But we cannot act recklessly; remember, Lord Ganard is still in their hands."
"And judging from this letter, the conspirators haven't realized that their plan is compromised yet. If we mobilize troops openly under the guise of rescue, regardless of victory or defeat, what if they react unfavorably towards Earl Ganard?"
Paul found a way out and said with concern, "That's exactly what I'm worried about."
In a flash, Bryce blushed red.
Steward Ford continued, "I have a suggestion. Your lordship's birthday is approaching. You can send out invitations and invite nobles from the northwest region to gather for a party."
"Oh?" Paul had actually forgotten about his own birthday amidst the recent activities of combating pirates and building the navy.
"I will personally deliver the invitations to Byerldine to invite Earl Ganard. By doing so, we can confirm his safety. It's only proper for him, as your blood oath brother, to attend such an event, even if there were major issues. If he doesn't show up, it would be quite unusual. So, those conspirators shouldn't have a reason to stop him, assuming they haven't realized that Earl Ganard is aware of their plot by then."
"Hmm..." Paul understood the implication.
Stroking his beard, Steward Ford continued, "Once Earl Ganard arrives in our territory, we can easily handle it. We can issue a notice in his name, rallying the surrounding lords to suppress these rebels."
Paul clenched his fist, "That's settled then. Otherwise, I'll go there myself."
The people in the hall unanimously objected.
"My lord, you cannot risk yourself!"
"What if those rebels catch wind of something?"
Paul had to abandon the idea.
...
Steward Ford soon set off with the invitations to Byerldine, while Paul prepared for the potential war to come.
With the continuous recruitment of craftsmen and training of apprentices, the team manufacturing firearms had grown to 30 people. Through their efforts, the Aldan army now possessed 60 firearms, enough to arm a platoon and a squad.
This number allowed Paul to employ tactics like "Three Volleys" and "Six Volleys" to maintain continuous firepower.
However, what disappointed Paul was that the technical problems with matchlock guns still hadn't been overcome.
Firstly, manufacturing the springs for matchlocks was challenging. While it wasn't impossible to make qualified ones, the success rate was too low. If the strength of the spring weakened slightly, it wouldn't produce sparks.
Even if sparks were produced, there was still the issue of gunpowder. The experimental matchlock guns currently took over 3 seconds from pulling the trigger to firing. Since matchlock guns could only ignite a small amount of gunpowder, igniting the entire powder chamber took time. Moreover, relying on the small sparks, low-sensitivity gunpowder couldn't ignite at all.
Although both matchlock and flintlock guns relied on ignition holes to ignite the gunpowder inside the barrel, the requirements for firing powder were obviously lower for matchlock guns. After all, the thick match cord would ignite a large amount of gunpowder as it burned, quickly spreading through the ignition hole.
To solve this problem, high-quality, finely ground gunpowder was needed, but the efficiency of manual grinding was too low.
Every time Paul saw soldiers practicing shooting with the long match cords on their bodies, he felt quite unhappy.
Matchlock guns were too affected by the weather, and when shooting, the match cord was easily thrown by the explosion of the igniting powder, causing the gunner and his comrades to ignite the powder on their bodies. Therefore, the gunners had to maintain a certain distance from each other, resulting in sparse shooting formations and an inability to form dense firepower.
However, there were still two advancements that pleased Paul. One was the successful production of socket bayonets, allowing the musketeers to not rely too much on pikemen for protection. Fortunately, the matchlock guns they were equipped with weren't as bulky as early matchlock guns on Earth; otherwise, it wouldn't have been practical to attach bayonets to them.
The second was the invention of a new type of paper, leading to the mass production of "fixed ammunition" made from paper cartridges containing lead bullets and gunpowder, coated with tallow to prevent moisture. From then on, musketeers no longer needed to carry bottles and jars of gunpowder on their bodies, increasing loading speed and allowing for precise control of powder amounts.
As for heavy firepower, 6-pound bronze cannons were successfully tested and added to the equipment line-up of the Aldan army. So far, two had been produced, along with four 4-pound cannons.
In addition to these large cannons, Paul also developed the "tiger crouching cannon" from the Ming Dynasty.
This lightweight cannon had a thin barrel and limited power, with a maximum range of 500 meters. However, it was mobile and flexible, requiring only two soldiers to carry it. It could be fired at a high angle, with a curved trajectory. It was used to fire shrapnel or small stones to injure enemies. Moreover, it was cast from pig iron, making it extremely cheap.
As a weapon for close-range infantry support, it was somewhat similar to later mortars, so it was directly named a mortar in this world.
(End of the Chapter)
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