CH 357

I was severely scolded, and the next day I was experimenting again. Of course, I’ve told the others about it this time. I didn’t expect something like that to happen yesterday. I thought it would be easier to make a gun if I could just ignite the gunpowder with magic, so I tried it.

I’ve told them that I’m going to do a proper experiment this time, and I’ve set it in a safe place with no people, where I won’t be throwing guns into the sea like I did yesterday. Well, to put it bluntly, it’s the site of the defensive position we planned to withdraw. I’ve told people not to get too close, so it should be safe.

I don’t get criticized for doing dangerous experiments or breaking guns. I usually do dangerous experiments. And since all of these guns belong to me, no one will complain if I break them in an experiment.

During a war like this, there’s a chance the people around you will scold you for doing this in the middle of a battlefield, and that you don’t give enough consideration to the safety of those around you. Also, they will probably tell you not to destroy valuable weapons through experiments while you are in the middle of a war. But no one said anything about the experiment itself, and even the guns are mine, so it’s up to me if I break it.

That’s why I quickly broke one. The result is the same as yesterday. Instead of opening the fire pan’s lid and allowing the ignition source and gunpowder a chance to connect, the gunpowder inside is magically ignited. Of course, just like yesterday, the barrel exploded and broke. I had checked it properly this time, but although the bullet blew out, the power and speed were low. It’s too obvious to even think about why.

The structure of the gun is very simple. Fill the bottom of the cylindrical container with gunpowder. Place the bullet in front of it. When gunpowder explodes, it expands rapidly. Is it complicated to say that it receives the energy of the expanding combustion gas? In other words, the exploding gunpowder pushes the bullet, accelerating it and ejecting it from the barrel. That’s all.

At this time, the problem is how to explode the gunpowder inside, and if there is a gap between the bullet and the barrel, combustion gas will leak through the gap, so it must be sealed as much as possible. And the longer it receives the expansion energy, the more energy the bullet gains, so the problem is how long we can sustain its exposure.

Matchlock, flintlock, and percussion lock ignition systems are as described before. Push a flaming rope to transfer the fire, create a spark with a flint to ignite it, or ignite the detonator with an impact. It’s that simple. And even today people still use detonators for guns.

As for sealing, a musket like the one we’re using now would have a lot of gaps. I think there are a lot of gaps here and there, such as the fuses for the ignition charge and between the bullet and the barrel. Anyone should intuitively understand that this is sealed, combustion gas does not escape, and the power increases enough to transmit the expansion energy to the bullet.

It’s the same story that the longer you expose it, the stronger it gets… and the shorter the barrel, the shorter the distance from the explosion to the tip of the gun. Once out of the barrel, the gas escapes in all directions, so no energy is transferred to the bullet. It is more powerful if the bullet receives energy all the way through the long barrel.

That’s why rifles with longer barrels are inevitably more powerful than pistols and short rifles. Even with the same bullet, the longer the barrel, the more energy you receive.

That the barrel in this experiment exploded, was because the fire pan is blocked, so the air-seal increases and I magically burn all the gunpowder inside at the same time. The barrel cannot withstand the force and bursts.

Naturally, if the barrel explodes and the expansion energy escapes while the bullet is still accelerating, the bullet fired is slow and weak.

To do anything about this, we must first solve the industrial problem. That there are problems with barrel material strength in that there is not enough iron manufacturing and processing technology. If it’s from modern Earth, it might be able to withstand the power of this experiment, but the gun barrels made with our inexperienced industrial power couldn’t withstand the power of this experiment.

Also, there must be a problem with my magical ignition method. Normally, if you burn gunpowder or an ignition source, the fire will spread outward from where you lit it. But my magic ignites all the gunpowder inside at the same time. Instead of burning and gradually growing in size, all the expansion energy is concentrated at the moment when it is ignited. It also increases the strain on the barrel.

Instead of burning the gunpowder evenly and simultaneously, igniting only a portion of the gunpowder and allowing the rest to spread naturally may reduce the burden somewhat.

Well, either way, I’ll have to be able to make a more durable barrel. It turns out that it is possible to ignite with magic. However, it is impossible to put this into practice right now. At least the guns at the current stage will explode if you ignite them with my method. I broke three guns in the same fashion just to make sure.

I won’t be able to go back for a while, so I’ll write this in a letter and send it to Eins. Eins may come up with something and develop it, so it’s better to share the research content and results.

So, let’s finish this experiment and do what we can do now.

I can’t play around forever and I can’t waste my guns, so I’m going to move on to the next one. It’s not like I’m playing around, but… that’s what I call a twist of words.

In the end, the landing site used in the previous battle was withdrawn. We’re doing a lot of force reduction and withdrawal, but if the Kingdom of Alvaland attacks us again, we’ll be attacked from behind, and we’ve already accumulated a certain amount of supplies. Also, rather than moving supplies, we are trying to make effective use of already-made stockpiles.

Of course, we don’t have a good port, and it’s too close to enemy territory. Even if we find a good port, I’ll convert it if I get it, but as a current measure, I feel like we’re protecting the supplies we have now and also guarding the northern border.

Guillaume’s army has already been annihilated, but recapturing the southern part is not necessarily safe. Our fleet will take over and recapture the coastal areas, so it’s fine, but it’s dangerous to leave the overland route to Harold and the others. That’s why my army and I accompany the land route march.

Since the Galleon fleet is dominating near the coast, we will advance inland where the Galleon fleet can’t reach. There are times when there is some resistance, but after all, Guillame’s and the Frasian Armies have already collapsed. Even if there were units that remained in defense or logistical support, most of them surrendered when we announced the destruction of Guillaume’s army and showed them their captured soldiers.

The nobles and soldiers from Wessek will soon join us after Harold’s triumphant return. We went south in no time, and in a week we were able to enter the south, Laudinium, and its main city, Laudin.

You can come up to Laudin from the Herman Sea through a great river called the Saymes River. It prospered as a major city in the Wessek, but it seems that this is not the royal capital.

The important bases we secured were the port town of Corchistel, which is located slightly north of the mouth of the Saymes River, and this Laudin, which is ahead of the Saymes River. Ships are important to us, so we need a safe and large port.

The capital of the Kingdom of Wessek, the royal capital? It is a city called Winchestel, southwest of Laudin. Winchestel is a port town in the south facing the Blish Strait, and it’s close to the Kingdom of Frasia because it’s on the other side of the water. It’s an unsuitable place for our ships to navigate safely, and there’s a high chance that the enemy will find it, so I’d like to avoid an unnecessary approach.

So, after all, our main ports are Corchistel, which faces the Hermann Sea, and Laudin, which can go up the Saymes River. It’s better to go around to Winchestel after the Kingdom of Frasia is somehow sorted out. If it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t hesitate, but I don’t think I’ll show this side and give information when I don’t have anything to do with it or cause unnecessary conflict.

I’ve made it this far, but I have to return to my territory soon. The rest is only the southwest region, and it’s not like I’m withdrawing all the army. Since the fleet and the army will remain, there is no worry that King Harold will be killed by the Frasian army’s counterattack.

Well… I can’t throw away the possibility that there will be traitors among the nobles and the army of the Old Wessek kingdom and they will be assassinated… but we can’t do anything about that. Harold will have no choice but to be careful and identify the enemy. If we say something terrible, we will fight with the Old Wessek forces.

The Kingdom of Wessek intends to take over, but I don’t want to fight needlessly. If the other side obediently surrenders the country, there is also preparation to treat them properly. Before even doing that negotiation, if I told them to doubt the former Wessek vassals, it would create unnecessary friction.

In any case, the fleet does not intend to invade the Blish Strait too much. All we need to do is maintain sea superiority on the Hermann Sea’s side. Harold is sent with an army to help recapture Winchestel in the southwest direction.

“King Harold, I have to return to my territory at once,” I said.

“Sire! It is no trouble!” Harold replied. “Only the southwest area is left. Our army has also increased in numbers, and it is possible for us alone to recapture the southwest area. Before you return, Lord Flora, the enemy will be cleared out. We will take everything back, gather our forces, and prepare to return everything to our King Karruzer!”

What in the hell~… I just have a bad feeling about this, you know…

Almost everyone in the regions they had recaptured so far welcomed Harold’s return. In a sense, it was natural, but for the people of this country, even if it was for a short period of time and he didn’t practically rule, the legitimately crowned king of this country was Harold. We would probably be thought of as nothing more than the soldiers who followed Harold.

It seems that Harold went around to explain things here and there, but even if the Local Lords who didn’t even see the battlefield said that thanks to our help that Harold and the others recovered, defeated the enemy, and regained their power to this extent, they wouldn’t be convinced.

Even if they believed all of that, then Harold would hand over the throne to me, so I don’t think the other nobles would quietly obey me. The remnants of Guillaume’s army and Frasia’s army have been dealt with smoothly, and the Kingdom of Wessek is regaining its former unity, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to the future that Harold and I have in mind.

“Then… I’ll leave the southwest area, including Winchestel, to you,” I said.

“Sire! Leave it to us! Surely… surely we will dedicate it all to you, Lord Flora!”

No… I didn’t ask you to dedicate it to me, but…

I have a lot of worries, but I can’t help it. It would be more troublesome to make the Demon Country wait and get angry at the delay. At the very least, the restoration of Wessek and Harold’s reinstatement would be certain. In that case, even if the situation here could get a little worse, let’s do something about the Demon Country first and then the rear.

You can’t go on an expedition if the rear isn’t safe. Stabilize and develop the territory, eliminate surrounding enemies, and increase allies. Otherwise, I can’t even go on an expedition.

I give the army that accompanies Harold a large amount of authority. If you don’t make a lot of decisions on-site without me, it will be too late if something happens that needs a choice.

After that, I told the galleon fleet to absolutely defend the sea superiority of the Hermann Sea. They don’t have to hold on to the South or the Blish Strait. In the worst case, securing Corchistel and Laudin is enough.

“Then follow the instructions of Ignatz for the army and Schwartz for the navy…”

“You can leave it to me.”

“I’ll make sure to protect the Young Miss’s interests while she’s away.”

Separated from Harold and the others, they will talk on their own. In the worst case, we will also fight against the Kingdom of Wessek. There is no need to blindly leak our information and strength. From the beginning, the Kingdom of Wessek had a common interest, so we were cooperating, but I never thought of it as an ally. Everyone must be very aware of that.

“Now then, let’s go home!”

“Finally, we’re going to take relaxing baths.”

“I liked getting into that small bath with everyone, though.”

“Then, will you only be using a bath like that all the time, Claudia?”

“Ah, I didn’t say that, did I?”

“”””Ahaha!”””””

The laughter of my wives echoes. We board a galleon escorting the goods transport back to the Caan Knighthood. Carrack ships, which are our main transport ships, are slow. It would be quicker to proceed with just the galleon ship, but I can’t send out the galleon ships just to go home. At most, I’d like to have the escort of the transport ship ride with me.

Kanbee and Mikalojus are probably handling the negotiations with the Demon Country. Maybe I’ll be able to welcome the arriving delegation, and then all that’s left is to confirm the contents of the treaty and sign it. I don’t want to be away from the Blish Isles for too long and I want to wrap it up as soon as possible.

Since there is a treaty signed independently by House Caan, it seems that the template has already been made, and this negotiation will end soon.