Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 11: The Resolute Royal Commissioner

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

A debate was underway.

"Lord Earl, I still think this isn't appropriate..." Captain Holman, a former family knight who now led his own squadron and had come for training, spoke thus.

"Don't persuade me, Holman. This matter has been underway for some time now. How can we abandon it midway?"

"But I must say, teaching soldiers to read seems entirely unnecessary. They just need to understand commands."

"No, I intend to create a unique army. The first difference being that soldiers will be knowledgeable and have thoughts."

"Well, let's not discuss whether they deserve education, but have you considered that once they learn, will they willingly remain soldiers under your command?"

"I will make being a soldier a noble profession, not the kind found only in noble circles but a profession truly belonging to the masses. If even then they choose to leave my leadership, it would only mean I'm not qualified."

"What? That's absurd. Ah, forgive me, Earl, I've been impolite. But you are their lord; what qualification is there to question? Ruling them is both a right and a duty, as natural as the rising and setting of the sun."

"Enough, Holman. My decision is made. After all this time, are you suggesting I rescind my own orders? That would be self-defeating."

Seeing Holman about to continue arguing, Paul raised a hand. "That's enough. I'm going back to town immediately to meet with the envoy from the capital. I expect to stay a few days. I hope that when I return, the soldiers of the Second Battalion will not only be physically fit but also able to read and write their own names."

After a brief stint as an "enlightenment teacher" himself, Paul dared not set his expectations too high. With that said, he turned and walked out of the camp.

Holman turned to Claude beside him. "Is the Count really personally teaching soldiers to read?"

Claude shrugged helplessly. "When I first heard his plan, I thought I was dreaming. Our young Count, always doing things beyond the norm!"

...

Paul arrived at the blacksmiths' camp. "How's the progress with the firearms?"

Smith Herman was tinkering with several colleagues. Seeing Paul enter, he immediately stood up to salute. "My Lord, we're working on improving the trigger mechanism for the flintlock. It's a bit challenging since we're not machinists."

He honestly admitted, "With the current trigger I have here, the misfire rate might be high."

Paul nodded. On Earth, when flintlock firearms were first invented, due to issues with steel and bullet manufacturing techniques, the flints sometimes failed to spark, or the sparks produced were insufficient to ignite the gunpowder, leading to high misfire rates. This was understandable.

"It seems technological advancement cannot be rushed."

He picked up a finished matchlock gun nearby and examined it closely. Its structure was extremely rudimentary, lacking sights or a rear sight, with only a barrel, stock, powder chamber, and trigger. Yet, it was indeed a functional firearm, similar in principle to a flintlock but much simpler in firing mechanism.

The mechanism consisted of a serpentine rod and trigger. The serpentine rod held the match cord, and when the trigger was pulled, it leveraged the rod to bring the burning match cord into contact with the powder chamber at the rear end of the barrel. The flame passed through the touchhole into the barrel. Such a firing mechanism was much easier to manufacture.