Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 767 Magic Stone and Rifle

"Can any of you explain to me what's going on?"

Harvey pointed to the standard magic gun on the desk and asked with a wry smile.

Phil Holden, the Son of Flame, sat on the sofa in the study, along with Fran McCawlin, the Shield of the Law, and his nephew, Duarte Holden, who rushed over later. They all looked somewhat embarrassed and at a loss.

“Ahem… Your Majesty, this matter was actually approved by you before…” Seeing his two colleagues remain silent, the Shield of Magic reluctantly spoke first to explain, “A long time ago, the Holden family of Darth requested you to purchase standard weapons. At that time, the military factory had been selling to the Annihilation Lance of the Old Union for a long time, and the military was also replacing old magic-powered gun models on a large scale…”

The initial batch of single-shot rifles used to equip Harvey's newly established militia were piled up like mountains in the military factory's spare parts warehouse. The outdated models had been completely obsolete in terms of metal materials, casting technology, and even the attack arrays engraved inside the guns. As the territory's treasurer, Reiner had a flash of inspiration and proposed to "recycle" these weapons that were on the verge of being scrapped.

The result was that the already limited ammunition reserves were sold to the Holden family through connections, and with Harvey's approval, a separate production line for magic stone bullets was set up for them. The small-batch supply of ammunition has been maintained to this day.

Harvey suddenly realized that he had indeed issued such a permit at the beginning of the city's construction.

The wizarding kingdom of Darth, where the Holden family resides, is located in the central part of the southern border... The neighboring kingdoms on both sides are all war-torn regions such as Saint Valentine, Grace, and Eisengard. In addition, the Old Union's control over the area is weak. Therefore, the wizarding families that have been secretly in charge of their country's politics, led by the Holden family, are the first to extend an olive branch of alliance and friendship to Harvey.

When the civil war broke out in Saint Valen, Daus also gave full support to Starfire City's military operations on the kingdom's borders. He even sent a mage warband stationed in his own country to aid them in their attack on Bluethorn City of the Duchy of Barkley.

“Even so, they shouldn’t just resell our weapons to the nobles of Eisengard, should they?” Asdaren didn’t care about the Emperor’s private friendship with the Son of Flame, and questioned him coldly.

"The purpose of selling the old weapons that the army has replaced to the Holden family is to help you strengthen your military and defend against any alien races that may infiltrate from the Papal States. It is not to encourage you to supply weapons to the nobles of the Flying Cavalry Kingdom to invest in cultivating friendly forces with foreign countries."

The Son of Flame's face flushed red, and he exhaled two heavy breaths from his nostrils. He stood up and patted his chest, saying, "I dare to assure His Majesty personally that the Holden family would never do such a foolish thing... It must have been the work of other allied families. Please allow me to return to Daus to investigate their overstepping of authority!"

Seeing his uncle take the initiative to assume responsibility, Duarte quickly stood up and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, although they are audacious enough to secretly sell weapons, at least the production and manufacturing of guns and ammunition are still in our own hands. The portion that flows into Eisengard should not cause too much trouble."

Harvey nodded, waved his hand to let the somewhat exasperated fire mage sit down, and chuckled, "Alright... I don't intend to get angry about this. The total number of guns sold is only a little over five hundred. The Daus families have divided up and kept most of them. At most, only a few dozen guns can be exported. It's no big deal."

This primitive model, which requires reloading after each shot, is less threatening than even the instant-cast spells of a mid-level mage. It is only effective in killing lizardmen and penetrating their magic-resistant hides.

He paused, then changed the subject and continued, "However, in principle, we should still get to the bottom of this. Mr. Holden doesn't need to go back in person. Let the wizarding families of Darius come to the capital themselves and explain the ins and outs of the matter to me personally."

Upon hearing this, the Son of Flame abruptly stood up, his expression apologetic, and said, "Your Majesty, I will immediately send a letter summoning them to the Northern Territory for investigation!" Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he angrily turned and left.

Harvey shook his head with a wry smile. Given the Fire Child's personality and temperament, as well as his personal prestige within the Holden family, those wizarding families would likely face a reprimand and warning beforehand, and would probably be filled with anxiety and fear on their way here.

……

After the others left, only Harvey and Asdaren remained in the study.

After frowning and pondering for a while, Harvey suddenly tapped the table with his finger and said to Asdaren, "Do you think... it would be a good idea to gradually invest the old weapons that the army is replacing into the reserve militia that is being formed?"

Asdaren hesitated for a moment, then cautiously inquired, "Your Majesty, the reserve troops... are meant to replenish the casualties and losses at the front lines after we engage in a full-scale war with the alien races. Wouldn't it be... risky to send them to the battlefield too early...?"

"All-out war? I know exactly what the Ministry of Defense is thinking... What they're really worried about is that the Lizardmen will subsequently deploy a large number of troops to Eisengard as a breakthrough point and then invade our territory. Once a breach appears in the eastern defense line, the battle will likely break out in the border region soon..."

Without the natural barrier of the Divine Ridge Mountains in the eastern part of the kingdom, it would be easy for small groups of winged beings to break through and enter. The entire border region would be riddled with holes, with the risk of attack everywhere.

This is also the main reason why the military leadership, led by Pierce, has continued to increase troop numbers despite pressure from all sides.

All fear stems from insufficient troop strength and firepower...

"That's why I want to get the militia into the battlefield as soon as possible. The non-enemy-occupied areas south of the Eisengard Line are definitely areas we need to defend. Relying solely on the regular army's mobile units to patrol back and forth will keep them busy and unable to attend to everything."

The reserve recruitment that began first in the eastern part of the kingdom was mainly aimed at refugees who had fled from the grasslands and were taken in. Among them were key figures like Baron Herrera, who were eager to return to their homeland to avenge their enemies.

If these people are used properly and organized into militia guerrilla units with a certain combat capability, dispersed into small combat units, and flexibly deployed in non-enemy-occupied areas of the vast grasslands to deal with small groups of enemies that cross the eastern defense line, it will greatly reduce the combat pressure on the front-line troops.

These people can also assist the transport team in continuing to rescue refugees, achieving a dual benefit.

"Magic stones and rifles, guerrillas active in the rear of the grasslands..." Harvey found the thought alone exhilarating. "These militiamen, who cherish their homeland, will certainly not show mercy to the common enemy of all mankind."

(End of this chapter)