NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: Firearm Demonstration
TL: Etude
“How many years has it been since I last came here? Over a decade, I suppose?” The old knight gazed at his hometown, Lakeheart Town, in the waning sunset.
His attendant chuckled and said, “I bet Lord Schroeder can hardly wait, huh?”
“Just now, I was quite excited, but suddenly I thought, apart from those old friends who occasionally correspond, I wonder if any other townsfolk still remember me.” A wave of inexplicable sadness surged in the knight’s heart, and his horse, sensing its master’s mood, slowed down.
The young attendant consoled him, “After all, it’s been over a decade. It’s understandable if they don’t remember. Anyway, you won’t be leaving again, so there’s plenty of time for them to get to know you again.”
“You’re right, Joyce. There’s no use being sentimental. Let’s face it head on. Giddy up!” The knight shook off his melancholy, flicked the reins, and the horse joyfully trotted again.
“But what about you? Do you regret following this old man to such a rural place?”
“Not at all. I still have much to learn from you! I won’t leave until I’ve completely emptied your treasure trove of knowledge.”
“Oh? That will depend on your skills…”
…
“Knight Bryce, oh no, it should be Commander Bryce, is currently on a campaign against pirates with the lord. He hasn’t returned yet,” said Bryce’s neighbor.
“Thank you.”
After thanking him, Schroeder turned to his attendant and said, “It seems the pirate problem here has resurfaced! Well, let’s clean up the old house first and visit Bryce when he returns.”
And so they headed towards the Schroeder family’s old house.
Along the way, Schroeder observed the streets of his hometown. He hadn’t paid much attention in his hurry earlier, but now he noticed that, although the basic layout hadn’t changed much, the town was considerably cleaner. There were objects labeled as “trash bins” at intervals, presumably for public waste.
“Cleanliness-wise, even the Royal Street in the capital might not compare,” he mused.
“Hmm? What’s that? ‘Hot Water Shop’? What does it do? Is it a unique store here?” Joyce, the attendant, noticed a shop he had never seen before.
“I don’t know. I don’t recall such a shop from my memory,” the old knight was equally puzzled.
Just then, they saw a detachment crossing the floating bridge to the island but not heading towards the main street of the town. Instead, they took another path and disappeared.
“Uh… It seems the outcome of the pirate campaign isn’t very optimistic,” both the knight and his attendant thought simultaneously.
…
“That’s how your grandfather cleared my family’s debt and even funded my studies in the capital. He later recommended that I join the Northern Legion at the Long Ridge Fortress.”
In the castle hall, Knight Schroeder concluded his introduction.
“And you returned to Lakeheart Town because…?”
“When one gets old, they long to return to their roots. So, I resigned from the military and decided to settle back in my hometown.”
Schroeder’s words slightly moved Paul. The excitement of being a transmigrator had considerably waned after yesterday’s failure. He wondered if he could ever return to his ‘original home’.
“Your family has been a great benefactor to me. I was deeply grieved to hear of your father’s demise. Please allow me to join your team, to avenge the old Count and contribute to the peace of our hometown.”
Speaking of the old Count, sorrow and anger showed on the old knight’s face. The Count had bragged about his robust health in letters, and now he was suddenly gone. Cursed pirates.
Bryce happily said, “Lord Schroeder’s extensive military experience will undoubtedly help us recover from yesterday’s defeat.”
Annoyed, he glanced at Bryce. There was no sense of vigilance; military secrets shouldn’t be casually revealed in front of outsiders. It seemed that strengthening security education in the army was necessary.
However, that being said, he indeed urgently needed a leader familiar with the current era’s military system. Bryce and his men, though loyal, were evidently at their limit in dealing with pirates.
“Knight Schroeder, welcome to my army,” he stood up and extended his hand to the old knight.
Schroeder shook the young Count’s hand and said, “Due to some reasons you might already be aware of, I cannot openly swear allegiance to you, but time will prove my sincerity.”
Paul understood and didn’t wish to rely on feudal personal attachments to ensure the loyalty of his troops.
Accompanied by others, Knight Schroeder visited the family cemetery to pay respects to the long-departed old Count. Afterwards, he requested to inspect the current military forces of the territory.
In the afternoon, four companies assembled in the military camp’s parade ground. Seeing the soldiers’ assembly speed and posture, Knight Schroeder was greatly surprised.
“Fine soldiers indeed. Even His Majesty’s army couldn’t achieve such quick formation and uniform marching.”
Hearing the old knight’s words, the young Count puffed up with pride, seemingly forgetting the recent defeat.
“But they lack spirit.”
“Uh… Most of them are fresh recruits, and our initial outing was not successful. However, we have a powerful secret weapon, which we will demonstrate for the first time in front of the entire army.”
He then commanded the soldiers, “At ease, everyone.”
“Soldiers, do not be disheartened by yesterday’s defeat! I’ve had our latest secret weapon brought here to showcase its power. With it, we will certainly redeem ourselves. First, let’s demonstrate the hand grenade. Grenadiers, step forward.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of soldiers carrying packages ran to a distance in front of the crowd and formed a line, facing thick wooden stakes planted in the ground. They were wrapped from head to toe in thick cotton.
First, they took out bamboo fire tubes (similar to ancient Chinese fire starters), lit them, and then each took out a strange cylindrical object from their backpacks. These were guessed to be the hand grenades mentioned by the Count, with a wooden handle protruding from the bottom and a thin cord wrapped around it. After unwinding the cord, the soldiers held the handle tightly.
At the Count’s command of “Throw,” the demonstration soldiers ignited the fuses on the objects with their bamboo fire tubes. After burning for a while, they vigorously threw them towards the wooden stakes.
The thrown “hand grenades” exploded among the stakes, creating loud noises. Some exploded upon hitting the ground, while others burst in mid-air, sending shrapnel flying in all directions and causing thick smoke to rise from the stakes.
Those who hadn’t participated in the new weapon’s development were startled by the explosion. They soon realized that the explosions they often heard during training were caused by these devices.
A soldier clad in heavy armor checked the area around the stakes to ensure there were no unexploded grenades. Once he signaled safety, Paul ordered the formation to be dismissed, allowing officers and soldiers to inspect the new weapon’s effects.
Covering their noses against a pungent odor, they approached the stakes and found that the explosion had embedded the grenade’s shrapnel (mainly iron nails) deeply into the wood. They expressed amazement; a grenade thrown into a crowd could severely injure those with little protection, and if it hit someone’s face, the thought was too terrible to contemplate.
Knight Schroeder genuinely praised, “This will be very effective against hastily conscripted rabble. Just a few throws will scatter them.”
“Next, let’s showcase the second weapon. With this, even a farmer who has just put down his hoe can easily kill a well-trained warrior.” Paul clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone’s attention with a tantalizing statement.
Two thick steel plates were fixed on the ground, followed by two soldiers each holding a matchlock gun. The crowd quickly became fascinated by the strange weapons in their hands.
The soldiers stood 10 meters from the steel plates and followed a well-rehearsed procedure. They took out a small bottle of gunpowder, filled the breech end of the gun barrel with some gunpowder, and covered it with a breech lid.
Then they stood the gun upright, poured the remaining gunpowder from the bottle into the barrel, and inserted a lead bullet. Using a ramrod pulled from below the barrel, they tamped down the gunpowder and bullet.
Finally, they fixed the burning end of the match cord onto the clamp at the end of the serpentine on the lock mechanism. The presence of the breech lid effectively prevented accidental ignition of the priming powder by the match cord.
“Aim!!!”
On command, the two soldiers pointed their guns at the steel plates in front of them, resembling crossbowmen taking aim.
“Fire!!!”
Closing their eyes, the soldiers pulled the triggers. The trigger action opened the breech
lid, while the serpentine’s head rapidly struck the priming powder, igniting it and setting off the gunpowder in the barrel.
With a “bang,” flames and smoke burst from the barrels. Looking in the direction of aim, everyone saw large holes in the steel plates.
“Oh…!!!” Those unfamiliar with the new weapon development were stunned, and someone muttered, “Is this… magic?” The small bullet had penetrated a steel plate.
The terrifying power of the matchlock guns created a massive stir among the onlookers, especially Knight Schroeder, who had decades of military experience. He had only admired the hand grenades, but the matchlock guns filled him with terror.
His decades of martial training were formidable, and he could take on several ordinary men in close combat with equal weapons. However, with these guns, even a slightly stronger child could easily kill him.
Suddenly thinking of something, he turned and said, “Lord Count, please strictly control the use of these weapons, or they could cause great turmoil.”
The young Count replied with a grin, “Of course, Knight Schroeder. I certainly don’t want someone to suddenly put a big hole in my chest.”
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