Chapter 266: Regarding the Artillery Branch

“That aside, Martina—to have written this book at only 9 years old is truly astute of you.”

Still only 9 years old.

A single girl even smaller than my own scrawny 14-year-old self.

I’ve invited Martina von Bösel here.

Just the two of us in my office.

“I am honored to receive an audience with Your Imperial Majesty.”

She’s not lying.

Martina holds a certain degree of respect for me—not quite to the extent she does for Lord Polydoro, but respect nonetheless.

When it comes to the Electors, every last one of them is scum who shows no respect for the Emperor. For me, the reactions of Valiere, Lord Polydoro, and this girl are refreshing.

They’re pleasant people. If only the Electors were all like Valiere and the Polydoro retainers, I might have been willing to go down with this empire.

But that’s not happening.

“Let’s move to the main topic. Today, I want to have a frank discussion with you.”

Her book sits on my desk.

Guns, Cannons, Knights.

I need to ask her about this today.

“The content was extremely interesting. Particularly the fact that the Cologne faction is concealing the gunpowder formula. Of course, I had my suspicions, but—were you really allowed to reveal this?”

“Regarding that, I consulted with the Cologne faction’s Holy Mother and obtained confirmation. I also received permission to disclose the details.”

“I see.”

Now then, how many guns and cannons have they managed to prepare?

That’s something I’m curious about as well.

“Tell me, Martina. Cannons are certainly powerful, but do you really think they can handle the Mongols so easily—a cavalry force, that is? Do you think they can keep up with cavalry’s speed of movement?”

I asked bluntly.

Ultimately, what I want to know is how Martina views the war with the Mongols coming in two years.

That’s what I need to understand.

First, there’s the matter of weapon functionality—if that’s below standard, there’s no point in discussing anything else.

“Of course, the Mongol side will employ their own ‘tactics.’ They’ll quickly discern the approximate range on the battlefield and that moving cannons is difficult, whether by manpower or horse-drawn transport. However, Your Majesty Maxine knows better than anyone the power of cannons. They represent one-sided violence that cannot be easily countered.”

“True enough.”

I do know the power of cannons.

The assembly hall where that detestable City Council gathered was riddled with holes.

The scene was littered with musket bullets and copious amounts of blood spilled by those people, which made me burst out laughing.

It was truly delightful.

“Hmm, then let me ask again. Martina, do you know the range of the Cologne faction’s cannons?”

“With the canister shot used against the City Council, I understand it’s approximately 800 meters. To avoid collateral damage and concentrate the impact, they fired from much closer against the City Council.”

“—That’s excellent.”

I’m genuinely impressed.

Indeed, how formidable.

The range exceeds that of Mongol composite bows and would even nullify their Parthian shots.

There’s no need to chase after the swift movements of horse archers.

The cannon bombardment just needs to reach them in time.

However.

That only applies if we’re dealing with a scarecrow-like enemy charging straight at us.

In reality, the targets move swiftly at the speed of horses.

They have far more experience with large-scale battlefield maneuvers than our Holy Gusten knights could ever compare to.

And what about numbers?

“Martina, you probably don’t know all the details, but how many cannons do you think the Cologne faction has prepared?”

“…There are various types ranging from 3-pound to 12-pound cannons, but from what I’ve heard, approximately 20 pieces. However, that’s the current result of prioritizing weapons development. If we pivot to production now, we could prepare 200 pieces by the time of the decisive battle.”

“—”

Far too few.

The number of cannons is far too small to face 158,000 Mongol cavalry.

If we fight with just those 20 pieces, it won’t even be a joke.

Forget horse archers—I don’t think we could even handle a charge from Mongol heavy cavalry if they maneuver properly.

Cannons aren’t weapons that can be easily repositioned.

However, she did say “current result.”

If they openly mass-produce what they’ve been manufacturing in small quantities to maintain secrecy, they can prepare ten times that number.

“Besides, cannons aren’t exclusive to the Cologne faction, are they?”

“True, Duke Temeraire and the various Electors, as well as powerful lords, commonly possess one or two cannons each—but what do you plan to do about artillery’s current low status?”

In other words, the number of cannons is important, but.

The status of the artillerymen who operate them is low.

The values of this Gusten Empire still lean heavily toward chivalric spirit and direct engagement.

Cavalry is the star of warfare, and in the rural areas with little warfare, there are still pigheaded anachronists who even disdain bows.

Unlike the Cologne faction itself or the progressive—or rather, “fashion-loving”—Duke Temeraire, there are no artillerymen anywhere else.

Naturally, commoners who can barely manage literacy education cannot handle cannons.

Cannons are weapons that only military personnel can operate.

They’re special weapons usable only by those in the military, and those military personnel are currently knights who disdain the artillery branch.

To shatter these knights’ stubborn delusions and convert them into artillerymen requires materials we lack.

I press this point.

“Should we print newspapers featuring artillery’s great exploits?”

In response to this question, Martina turned both palms upward as if to say she surrendered.

“Hmph.”

I snort, but.

Printing newspapers—novels—is actually not a bad idea.

I think about the currently best-selling novel in the Holy Gusten Empire.

A story woven by a country squire who relentlessly pursues chivalric ideals and his realistic attendant comes to mind.

In that work, the squire rejected guns and bows, but conversely, that represents an outdated way of thinking now.

After all, that squire is such a great fool that he mistakes a windmill for a giant, charges at it on horseback, and gets blown away.

Such thoughts cross my mind.

“Jokes aside, I’ll admit I was lacking in consideration on that point. However, someone has agreed to supplement this.”

“Oh?”

How interesting.

Saying that, Martina produced something thicker than Guns, Cannons, Knights sitting on the desk.

An “expanded edition.”

Carved on it, besides Lord Polydoro and Martina, was a third author—a name I knew well.

“Duke Temeraire?”

“He’s someone who actually values the artillery branch, appointed knights as commanders, and has experience educating hired commoner soldiers as artillerymen. His military education methods and content learned from practical experience are more realistic than what I conceived, and they’ve been added to the expansion.”

“…”

Duke Temeraire is progressive.

As I mentioned earlier, he has a tendency to be “too keen on trends”—for example, his attempt at combined arms, which was thoroughly defeated by the Landsknechts led by Reckenber.

However, I cannot dismiss that experience lightly.

“You’re saying that in just two years from now, you’ll educate artillerymen and properly prepare enough soldiers for the mass-produced cannons?”

“We can do it if we try. We can’t do it because we think we can’t—that’s what Duke Temeraire said.”

Now, how will this turn out?

Martina tilts her head as if to say that.

Even Martina must think it’s difficult.

But.

“Hmm.”

For example, what if a great proclamation by the Empress—by this Maxine—resounds throughout the empire?

What if we could make the image that artillery is the star of the battlefield—or at least a cutting-edge, efficient killing weapon—fashionable among knights?

I find myself thinking such things.

This is dangerous. I’m really thinking about all sorts of things.

“If you were to feature a protagonist who excels as an artilleryman in a novel, who would you choose?”

“Well, a knight would be appropriate. A fictional character would be best. However, the superior should be a real person, and that’s already been decided. Previously it would have been Lord Reckenber, but…”

“Now it would be Valiere.”

The most heated, outrageous woman in the empire right now.

She seems to think she’s ordinary, but if she were truly mediocre, she would have lost to the Elector of Mainz.

Mainz was no weakling—he was an experienced battlefield veteran among the elite.

Valiere is a benevolent aberration who just thinks herself mediocre while completely disrupting people’s emotions.

She’s a charisma.

Everyone’s attention is on her.

If it’s a story featuring her, people will show interest.

More than anything, I want to read it.

“How about a rags-to-riches success story about a fictional character who swears loyalty to an Elector’s daughter and is tasked with forming a new artillery unit as a knight?”

“Interesting.”

The content is quite entertaining.

And we’re blessed with writers.

The Cologne faction’s scribes likely include people capable of spinning such tales.

I’d very much like to read it, but that’s not today’s main topic.

“Now, the discussion about artillery was extremely interesting, but let’s set that aside.”

I don’t know whether it can actually be achieved.

Not everything will go smoothly, but at least the girl before me, Martina.

And behind her stands Duke Temeraire, an oddly progressive practitioner.

Perhaps we really can mass-organize the artillery branch in two years.

However.

“That alone won’t be enough to win.”

The problem is the 158,000 Mongol cavalry.

Even if we have the artillery branch, if there’s an overwhelming difference in troop numbers, it’s a drop in the bucket.

In other words, we’re inferior in quality and inferior in numbers.

Artillery alone cannot compensate for that quality or quantity.

We’ll lose.

We’ll lose this war.

“By the way, Your Majesty Maxine. This is something Cardinal Cologne was originally supposed to submit, but I’ve been asked to deliver it in his place—a gift.”

“Hmm.”

I’m thinking about various things regarding the unchanged conclusion, but.

Far from interrupting my thoughts, she accelerates them by producing three lumps.

They’re deformed.

Unlike the round musket bullets, they’re shaped like acorns.

Like the handle of the holy relic possessed by the Cologne faction, the bottom of the bullets has grooves carved into it, creating ridges.

“Bullets?”

I answer with just a word.

“Well, it’s best to confirm what they are firsthand. As it happens, the latest firearms and bullets have just been delivered to Lady Valiere. I believe it would be best for you to witness that scene.”

With an attitude so confident it borders on insolent.

Martina recommended I visit the training grounds to see for myself what these new bullets can do.