Chapter 169: Light and Heavy Artillery
Deep in the mountains, money was useless. It could not fill anyone’s stomach.
The people of Newhaven used grain as currency for barter.
That was why Caelum always rewarded them with food.
As it happened, Newhaven lacked almost everything except grain.
The discovery of the iron mountain solved one of Caelum’s biggest problems.
Once mining began in earnest, Newhaven would have access to vast quantities of iron tools and weapons.
Caelum could also produce large numbers of flintlock muskets, bullets, and even cannons and cannonballs, which consumed enormous amounts of iron.
The Wardens’ combat strength would rise dramatically.
Once their black powder reserves were sufficient, artillery could enter the battlefield at any time and deliver a devastating technological blow to this age of cold weapons.
Before long, the townspeople cleared a mountain road leading directly to the mine.
Under the old blacksmith’s direction, they began extracting iron ore and transporting it in a steady stream to the stockyard outside Newhaven.
All Caelum had to do was refine the iron from the ore.
In less than half a month, Newhaven had more iron than it could use.
[Smelting and Steel Production Complete]
[Flintlock Musket Production Complete]
[Flintlock Musket and Iron Ball Ammunition Production Complete]
[Cannon and Artillery Production Complete]
After a round of accelerated production, Caelum had made six hundred flintlock muskets, countless iron balls, eighty light steel cannons, and twenty heavy cannons.
Including those produced earlier, he now possessed a total of one thousand flintlock muskets.
The Wardens were not yet large enough to use them all.
Because of this, Caelum continued expanding their ranks.
Given Newhaven’s population, that was not a problem.
As for the artillery, each light cannon measured three feet long with a bore of three inches.
In modern measurements, the barrel was roughly one meter long with a caliber of about ten centimeters.
These cannons were light enough that several men could carry one even without a gun carriage.
They were well suited for highly mobile warfare.
The heavy cannons were completely different.
Each one measured one zhang in length with a bore of four inches.
Converted into modern units, the barrel was around three meters long with a caliber of twelve centimeters.
They consumed enormous amounts of powder, but their power was equally tremendous.
A single iron ball fired into an enemy formation could punch through an entire line of men.
Their weakness was their weight.
Unless positioned in advance, moving them around during battle would be extremely difficult.
The amount of powder consumed by artillery was even more alarming.
A light cannon used only around two hundred grams per shot.
A heavy cannon, however, could consume several pounds at once.
Forget taking them into battle.
Even a single test firing was painful to consider.
Until Caelum had built up a vast powder reserve, he truly did not dare use them freely.
Their range was impressive.
A light cannon could strike targets more than five hundred meters away.
A heavy cannon could easily reach beyond five li, far exceeding the range of even the largest bows and crossbows.
Against Thalric cavalry, Caelum would only need to deploy light cannons.
They could fire several rounds from beyond bow range and inflict severe losses before the riders had any chance to respond.
Thalric cavalry relied on speed.
They did not carry heavy crossbows and depended entirely on bows to strike distant targets.
Against light artillery, they would have no choice but to endure the bombardment.
Once the artillery production technology was completed, the next technology unlocked.
[Cannon and Iron Cannonball Unlocked]
Caelum had been thinking that if he could seize a city, his development would accelerate tremendously.
The frontier, however, was politically unstable and extremely sensitive.
Any major disturbance might provoke both the Grand Concord court and Thalric.
If that happened, Newhaven would never know peace.
Edrick considered the matter before offering a suggestion.
"My lord, why not consider Valdren?"
"Valdren?"
Caelum looked puzzled.
"Where is Valdren?"
"My lord, please look."
Edrick drew a crude map on the ground.
"Newhaven lies on the frontier of the Grand Concord Dynasty. To the south is Grand Concord, while Thalric lies to the north."
As he spoke, he marked a small territory near the eastern border shared by Grand Concord and Thalric.
"Valdren lies fifty li east of Newhaven, along the coast."
"Its position is unique. It submits neither to the Grand Concord Dynasty nor to Thalric. It is also one of the most important centers of trade between them."
It was called a country, but in truth it was a city.
Valdren was a large fortified city covering roughly twelve square kilometers.
Long ago, it had served as the capital of the previous dynasty and had once been extremely prosperous.
More importantly, Valdren possessed a harbor.
If either Grand Concord or Thalric seized it, their warships could sail directly south or north from there.
Its strategic value was enormous.
The Grand Concord Dynasty and Thalric had fought over Valdren before.
Every conflict ended with both sides suffering heavy losses.
Each understood that the other could never be allowed to control the port.
In the end, they permitted Valdren to remain neutral.
Valdren was too small to cause serious trouble and posed no real threat to either power.
That arrangement suited both Grand Concord and Thalric.
Valdren was a vital center of commerce, possessed a strategic harbor, and could eventually serve as a gateway into an age of ocean exploration.
At the same time, neither Grand Concord nor Thalric dared send troops there lightly.
Caelum sighed in admiration.
"It could not be more perfect."
Edrick asked, "My lord, do you mean..."
"Valdren it is."
Remaining in Newhaven placed too many limits on Caelum’s development.
Even though they had discovered an iron mountain, it did not change the fact that the region lacked many other resources.
If he relied entirely on raw materials acquired through Torran, there was no telling how long Newhaven would take to develop.
Besides, even after capturing Valdren, Caelum could continue mining Newhaven’s iron deposit.
The two places were only a few dozen li apart.
The distance was negligible.
A sharp light flashed through Caelum’s eyes.
"Pass down my orders. From today onward, the Wardens will intensify their training. Send a team of scouts to Valdren to gather intelligence, and have men closely monitor the movements of both the Grand Concord Dynasty and Thalric."
"Understood, my lord."
Excitement surged through Edrick.
His lord was finally preparing to reveal the scale of his ambition.
First, Caelum broke free from the control of the Grand Concord court and secretly developed Newhaven.
Then he devoted himself to creating new weapons.
Every sign pointed to a far greater plan.
Edrick was not the only one who understood.
The Wardens also knew what this meant.
The moment had finally come for them to astonish the world.
Ever since Caelum first displayed his miraculous powers, an unshakable image of divinity had taken root in the hearts of Newhaven’s people.
No one could rival his authority.
Not even the reigning emperor held a place in their hearts equal to Caelum’s.
Forget attacking Valdren.
Even if Caelum ordered them to attack the Grand Concord Dynasty itself, the Wardens would charge without fear or hesitation.
"The word of our lord cannot be defied."
"Our lord is a god descended into the mortal world. We are the army of a god."
"Those who defy our lord will be condemned beyond redemption."
Such words were constantly spoken among the Wardens.
Their loyalty and faith in Caelum had reached a level beyond belief.
Ten days later, the scouts sent to Valdren returned.
