Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 72: Confidence Boost

Translator: Cinder Translations

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When the First Infantry Battalion arrived at the city gate, there was no resistance left; Ankiro and his men had all fled.

They quickly took control of the gate area. The residents of the city had long since hidden away, shutting themselves inside their homes, making the entire small city eerily quiet. Bryce left a company to guard the gate and directed the other two companies to advance towards the lord's manor.

Paul soon arrived in Buteya City with his staff and the musketeer company. Through his binoculars, he had already seen that Ankiro and his men had not even returned to the city but had instead fled around the city walls. Unfortunately, without a cavalry unit, he had no way to chase them down.

Bryce sent a report that they encountered no resistance from the west gate to the lord's manor. One company had already occupied the manor, and another was conducting a search around the area to ensure no enemy remnants were hiding.

Upon reaching the lord's manor, they found it in disarray. A thorough search by the Alden army revealed no sign of the conspirator, Butler Miles, who had likely already slipped away.

His subordinates and confidants—servants and guards assigned by him within the manor—had also fled, taking whatever valuables they could find, fearing retribution after learning of the Ankiro's defeat outside the city.

Only a few terrified servants remained, hiding in corners and trembling. These individuals were temporarily detained by the soldiers.

An hour later, the second battalion, having gathered prisoners and counted the battlefield, entered Buteya City. They assisted the earlier troops in conducting a thorough search of the city and secured the other three city gates.

By this time, the lord's manor had been tidied up a bit. Paul gathered the officers in the hall to share a meal.

The recent victory had greatly excited the officers. The Alden army had defeated an enemy twice their size, a triumph that could be called an "epic victory" in the remote northwest bay.

They could hardly sit still for the meal, eagerly sharing their battle experiences with each other.

"I was standing at the front of our company. You should have seen it—a huge group of Byerldine militiamen trying to break our formation, a massive crowd of them. Fortunately, they were armed with scythes and shovels. When we thrust our spears in unison, the poor souls at the front were skewered. One of those shovels even scraped a big chunk of skin off my shoulder."

Company Commander David, his right arm bandaged, passionately described how his spearmen held off a large group of Byerldine militiamen.

At the start of the battle, the musketeers were positioned on the left flank, while his company was on the right. The enemy, lacking the threat of muskets, had charged right up to them during the mortar intervals, making his unit the only one to engage in hand-to-hand combat in this battle.

"Thinking back, it's still quite scary. The edge of that thing was pretty sharp. If it had hit my head..."

"Here's a toast to you. Let's hope his shovel wasn't used for shoveling manure."

"Hahaha..."

Everyone continued to praise the artillery's performance on the battlefield. Without that earth-shattering volley from the artillery company, which decimated the enemy cavalry, many of those present might not have survived.

The artillery company commander, Wende, received toasts from all the officers one by one. If Paul hadn't strictly forbidden drinking at this time, Wende would likely have been completely drunk by the end of the night.

Some, like Bryce, felt there were regrets in this battle.

"Sigh, it's a pity we don't have cavalry! Otherwise, those traitors wouldn't have escaped."

The officers agreed, not just because they couldn't chase Ankiro and his men: Earl Grayman was too cautious. He wouldn't allow pursuit of the retreating enemy, fearing that the scattered units could be surrounded by the numerically superior enemy. He was also worried that the precious artillery might be ambushed if it lost the infantry's protection.

If they had a cavalry unit, its high mobility could drive away enemies appearing on the flanks or rear, and they could timely support surrounded allies. They wouldn't have to be so cautious on the battlefield.

Paul comforted everyone, saying, "Don't worry, bread will be available, milk will be available, everything will be available." Seeing the high spirits of everyone, he was equally excited inside.

By this time, night had fallen. Given that the troops had marched all day and just fought an intense battle, Paul didn't want to strain them any further. It was best to let the officers and soldiers rest as soon as possible.

He gave a few orders: First, to maintain vigilance and prevent any sabotage from remaining enemies in and around Buteya City. Second, to not disturb the residents; if there weren't enough barracks, set up tents on the streets. Third, to manage the prisoners properly.

After everyone dispersed, Paul sent someone on horseback back to Alden Town overnight to report the victory to those staying behind and to ask Malon Ganard to set out for Buteya the next day.

A guard prepared a room for Paul to rest. After 10 PM, Paul lay in bed but found it hard to sleep, his inner excitement still unabated.

Previously, eliminating pirates had been a minor trial, and that victory didn't bring a great sense of achievement, as they were just a band of outlaws. But this time, the campaign against Byerldine was his first direct confrontation with the old world order. Though he had only seen the tip of the iceberg, this victory gave him confidence in challenging it. The technological advantage placed him at a certain peak in this world, overlooking the masses.

Firearms had shown great power in this battle. According to the officers' descriptions during dinner, it was fortunate that the common folk in the northwest were robust and straightforward. Despite the conscripted militiamen facing continuous musket volleys and cannon fire, half of them still reached the enemy and even summoned the courage for close combat. In wealthier regions, those soft people might have scattered after a single volley.

In the future, when firearms are further standardized in the Alden army, with each soldier equipped with a musket and firing volleys in unison, the enemy would fall in waves before even reaching them. Supporting artillery would hit precise targets from the rear—what an exciting scene to imagine.

Volley fire is the romance of men.

Then there's the cavalry mentioned by the officers. In this era without Maxims, cavalry is indispensable. Without cavalry against an enemy with cavalry, tactical options become too limited.

Of course, this requires money, money, and more money.

Paul decided to further expand the scale of the paper and porcelain factories. He decided not to wait for the maritime routes to open but to use overland trade routes directly. The new products would not be limited to the northwest but would expand to the entire kingdom and the whole continent.

Previously, he had always feared developing too quickly, drawing the covetous eyes of surrounding powers. But now, Paul's confidence was soaring.

Victory made him fearless.

(End of the Chapter)

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