Chapter 294:

Chapter 294:

After further discussion, everyone unanimously agreed that issuing war bonds was a good idea, so Paul entrusted the task to Old Ford and Hansel.

As the meeting was about to conclude, a young officer hurried in, delivering the latest frontline combat report to Paul.

“Oh...” Paul shook his head as he read the report, “We’ve encountered a tough battle.”

With a look of sorrow, he passed one of the reports around for everyone to read. Written by Schroeder, the report detailed a battle that occurred at the border of the Duke’s domain. Alda’s army had won the battle, killing and capturing over a thousand enemies, but they suffered nearly three hundred casualties themselves. Schroeder estimated that the number of troops lost due to death or severe injury would ultimately exceed one hundred.

This was the first time Paul had encountered such heavy losses in his army from a single battle.

“Such things... are inevitable,” he solemnly declared.

“The enemy won’t hand over victory on a silver platter.”

“Count, rather than focusing on the casualties, you should pay attention to the significance of this victory.”

“As a lord, you will eventually become accustomed to these things.”

Seeing the expression on Paul’s face, everyone thought he was shocked by the number of casualties and started to comfort him, considering his young age.

Paul took a deep breath and said seriously, “I hope the army handles the bereavement support well. We must not let the families of the fallen soldiers feel neglected.”

Ron and Kelly, senior officers stationed in Lakeheart Town, quickly noted down the lord’s instructions.

The report also mentioned that due to the heavy losses, Schroeder had to pause the offensive temporarily, allowing his troops to rest and recuperate in the current border area. They also planned to recruit more locals to replenish their strength. Of course, if the Duke’s army launched another attack, they would not back down.

But as long as the worst scenario – the alliance’s complete defeat and subjugation – didn’t occur, Alda would secure a position in the Northwestern Bay, becoming an important force. Grayman would also shake off its previous image as an obscure exiled family, attaining a status befitting its noble title of Earl.

“Thinking about it is quite exciting!”

Paul blurted out something that seemed inexplicable to everyone else.

Then, the Count received another piece of unexpected news – the survey team in Emden had invented a method for quickly measuring distances for artillery, based on the principles of trigonometry he taught at school.

Mixed feelings surged in his heart...

One was the joy of being a lord and teacher: My goodness, has my long-term investment in education finally borne fruit? He had only mentioned the application of trigonometric functions in surveying, never imagining it would be applied to military affairs.

The other was a sense of inexplicable loss: Damn, why didn’t I think of that? I missed a great opportunity to show off in front of my soldiers.

Of course, the primary emotion was the former. This was, after all, a positive sign. Progress in science and industrialization couldn’t rely solely on his knowledge; more people needed to conjecture, think, prove, and apply. Paul believed that there would be more such instances in the future.

Not long after, the meeting ended. Everyone dispersed, and Paul stood at his office window for a long time. Finally, unable to suppress a certain impulse, he sat down at his desk.

Muttering, “The aura of a prophet is still quite necessary at this stage...”

He began to write, “Regarding several ideas for using lens equipment for long-distance measurement...”

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