Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 16: Don't be afraid, confront it head-on.

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

After the demonstration of new weapons, the soldiers were left behind for further training. Paul, Sir Schroder, and officers of rank lieutenant and above gathered in the castle hall for a meeting.

In front of all the officers, Paul announced the appointment of Schroder as his chief of staff, explaining that this position was equivalent to the chief of staff in other armies. After introducing the military system he had established, Paul promoted Schroder to the rank of major and assigned his attendant Joyce the rank of captain, temporarily serving as a regular staff member.

Next, they summarized the reasons for the previous failure. The officers each took out hastily written drafts and one by one read their insights on the last battle.

Finally, the young count said, "Everyone's summaries are very detailed. Basically, there are two main reasons: new recruits hesitating in battle and acting without orders. To address this issue, I have decided to introduce drummers and buglers into the army, so that soldiers develop a habit of marching to the beat of the drum."

"When advancing on the battlefield, soldiers will all march to the drumbeat, neither advancing recklessly on their own nor retreating in fear. Buglers will sound two types of calls: charge and retreat. When the charge call sounds, even if ahead are mountains of knives and seas of fire, they must charge with all their might; when the retreat call sounds, even if ahead are mountains of gold and silver, they must not pause for a moment."

"During combat, each unit's inspectors will be responsible for supervising battlefield discipline. Violators of the above disciplines will face punishment, up to the most severe penalties depending on the seriousness of the offense."

"Bryce, please draft detailed regulations. I expect every soldier to remember them and begin training immediately."

"Yes, my lord," Bryce responded promptly.

The old knight was surprised. Although this young rural lord was not yet of age, he had quite a few insightful ideas about military affairs.

He suggested, "My lord, I have already reviewed the previous battle. Please identify the soldiers who disobeyed orders and retreated without permission, and publicly execute them to boost military morale."

"Ah... I have already sentenced them to hard labor in the mines..."

"Very well, since you have spared their lives, we'll let it pass this time. But next time, do not show such unnecessary mercy. Continuing to lighten their punishment for the same mistake will obviously affect your authority."

"Let's discuss how to approach the next battle..."

After witnessing the power of firearms, the officers were all very excited. Most of them believed that with ample equipment, they would surely win the next battle.

However, Schroder held a different view. "Gentlemen, the Earl showed us the firearms to boost our confidence, not to make us arrogant. Remember, 'Pride in arms leads to defeat.'"

"This old knight truly understands my heart," Paul silently gave a thumbs-up.

Schroder continued, "Gentlemen, I believe in the next battle we must not rely on firearms. We must let the soldiers defeat the pirates solely through hand-to-hand combat to overcome their inner fears and establish true confidence and honor."

"Well said," Paul agreed. Wasn't there a saying from Suvorov on Earth, 'Bullets are fools, bayonets are heroes'? Soldiers who dare to fight with bayonets are the best soldiers.