What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

Balam and his companions slightly modified Krelz's prototype and began to have other craftsmen start mass production.

As for the name of the model, the craftsmen unanimously decided to call it the Kreltz model. Although Fran felt that this was unlucky for the goblin genius, since it was everyone's idea, Fran could only agree.

The Kreuz type does not have rifling, so the hit still depends on faith, but it has the advantage of simple structure and easy production.

Before long, Fran already had a musketeer team of 200 people. Every day they practiced various formations, learned how to quickly load and shoot. With constant training, the muskets that originally took one minute to load now only took an average of 40 seconds, a full one-third less time.

The other soldiers were not idle either. They picked up spears several meters long, learned to form hedgehog-like phalanxes, and cooperated with the musketeers to defend in the intervals between shooting.

When these soldiers were almost done with training, Fran's second wave of conscription plan began.

This time she plans to recruit another 500 people. By the time these people complete basic training, the war will be about to begin.

In the subsequent war, these 1,000 men will become the main force against the Yellow Four Wolves and Margaret. Although after Margaret declares war, Fran will recruit a large number of soldiers in the name of the city lord, but firstly, there is not enough time for training, and secondly, there are no extra firearms to equip them, so their combat effectiveness will certainly not be very strong.

Much expectations.

But just when everyone thought that firearms were Fran's only secret weapon, Fran shocked them again.

On this day, a new toy appeared in the blacksmith shop's testing ground.

This is an extremely huge iron lump, and its shape is an enlarged version of a gun barrel.

"What is this?" Fandi looked at the crude and ugly thing in front of him with some surprise, but old subordinates like Catherine were no longer surprised. When they were in the demon world, Fran always took out strange new things every now and then, some of which were epoch-making inventions, such as a thing called cement (

The outer walls of the military camp were built using cement as a bonding agent).

But some things are quite useless, such as high heels and a hundred practical methods of rope art.

"This is called a cannon." Fran gave the answer directly, and then said: "It is actually an enlarged version of a musket, but it needs to be loaded with more gunpowder. Of course, it is more powerful."

Originally, Fandi wanted to ask how powerful it was, but the heavy and huge projectile beside her answered her. If an ordinary person was hit by such a heavy thing, he would definitely die.

In fact, before Fran proposed the concept of artillery, Balam and others had already put forward related ideas.

The easiest way to increase the power of a musket is to increase the amount of ammunition. However, if the amount of ammunition increases, the barrel wall will explode because it cannot bear it, so the only option is to increase the thickness of the barrel wall accordingly. As a result, the musket becomes a cannon.

Although this method sounds like just adding more water and more flour to the dough, think about the matchlock guns of the time. In order to break the defenses of tin cans, they were built very large. If placed on the ground, it would be a cannon.

Following this line of thought, the craftsmen quickly made the cannon.

"Ahem, everyone please step back a bit." Before the test, Balam specifically reminded everyone: "Since the weapon is not very stable yet, unexpected things may happen."

"Unexpected things?" Catherine asked curiously.

"For example... an explosion!"

Everyone present had seen a musket explode, so after hearing this, they silently took a step back, away from the cannon.

As Balam and several other craftsmen clumsily loaded and lit the fire, a thunderous sound resounded throughout the camp. The sound was so loud that the military camp next door urgently gathered and came to the next workshop. They thought that the four yellow wolves had come in advance!

“What an amazing effect!”

When the smoke cleared, everyone stared at the huge hole in the wall in amazement. The effect was even beyond the expectations of the maker Balam.

Previously, the bullet pellets only penetrated the wall, but the artillery penetrated the cement wall in one go.

If this bullet hits a person, it will not be a question of whether the person will die, but whether all the parts can be found afterwards.

"If this thing appears on the battlefield..." Fandi touched the cannon in front of him, and then said: "Let's not talk about the killing range. If the horses hear it, they will probably be terrified at the first moment. Its destructive power to cavalry should be huge."

Fran nodded.

Indeed, the horses in this world are not used to the artillery on the battlefield, and a few sudden explosions can definitely scare people and horses to the ground. Of course, if I want to train cavalry in the future, I must include the course of adapting to the sound of artillery.

After that, Baram fired four more times in a row, and the wall could no longer withstand the impact and collapsed with a bang. However, the barrel of the cannon had been slightly deformed due to the heat, and it would probably explode if it fired again.

At this point, the artillery test firing was completed.

In general, Fran was very satisfied with the power of the artillery. Its huge power and deafening momentum won praise from everyone present.

Of course, like the musket, it also has many disadvantages.

The biggest problem is heat dissipation.

Frequent use will cause the gun to heat up rapidly, and the barrel will melt and deform, which will cause the barrel to explode. With the current quality of the gun barrel, firing three or four shots is the limit, and cold water must be poured on it to slowly cool it down. This greatly reduces the firing frequency of the gun.

So the timing of firing becomes a very critical matter.

The second problem is that the artillery cannot turn.

The huge power also led to a huge recoil. If it had not been firmly fixed to the ground beforehand, the cannon would definitely overturn itself. But nailing it to the ground meant that the muzzle could not turn and could only attack in one direction.

Of course, this problem is not difficult to solve. Some craftsmen have already tried to design the gun mount, but time is tight and Fran cannot wait until the gun mount is designed and tested before mass production.

Fortunately, we were in a city defense battle, so we only needed to deploy the artillery on it in advance, determine the amount of gunpowder to be loaded each time, and record the approximate explosion position after firing a few times. When the real battle started, we could just sit back and wait for the enemy to enter the predetermined area before firing.

Of course, there is no such requirement for the artillery deployed in the corner. Just wait for the enemy to approach and fire a volley, and any soldier in the trajectory of the artillery will be torn into pieces.

The third question is lethality!

Don't underestimate the power of the cannon. In fact, it is just an enhanced version of the catapult, which can throw stones farther and with greater power.

If the enemy charges in a concentrated manner, the power of the artillery may be enough, but once the enemy soldiers choose to disperse, it is very likely that every shot will be a blank.

To address this problem, Fran asked the craftsmen to make a special kind of ammunition - grapeshot - overnight.

In fact, it is just using a shell to wrap countless tiny ammunition. When the artillery is fired, the shell breaks and the ammunition will scatter.

In this way, although the shells cannot kill people in one shot, they can cause a large number of casualties.

In this expedition, Margaret obviously intended to win a quick victory and obtain a large amount of spoils in the shortest possible time.

Therefore, the wounded soldiers would never have time to recover from their injuries and join the battlefield again. One more wounded soldier and one more dead body would have the same effect of reducing the number of soldiers. Moreover, the more wounded soldiers there were, the greater the pressure on Margaret's logistics.

I hope Margaret will like her new toy by then.

Chapter 37: Ten-Party Talks

Soon the workshop began to mass-produce muskets and cannons. At this time, Fran also received a banquet invitation from Huang Silang.

However, this time it was no longer just her and Huang Silang who were invited; the patriarchs of the other eight major families were also invited.

When Fran arrived at Wolf Castle, the nine families were all present. It seemed that they had discussed this before. Fran took a quick look and found that most of the nine families were from the Fury and Demon tribes, but one of the clan leaders caught Fran's attention.

Long white hair, charming facial features, and dark skin.

This turned out to be a dark elf.

The Dark Elves did not have many businesses, but they controlled all the entertainment venues in Orila City. It was rumored that they also provided training for the various Kabukichos in Vienna, imparted advanced skills, and even directly invested in them. Their financial resources should not be underestimated. In addition, the Dark Elves' own combat power (referring to military strength) was not bad, so they were ranked among the nine major

family.

Unlike other clan leaders who were chatting and engaging with each other, this dark elf woman just sat there quietly from beginning to end, looking a little out of place.

Fran remembered that the habitat of the dark elves was in the northwest of Orila City, not too far from Thermopylae. This action was likely to affect their sphere of influence, and she didn't know if she knew about this.

When Fran appeared, the others greeted her and toasted her, looking very enthusiastic. If you didn't know, you would think that the city lord had great prestige in Orila City.

Although the dark elf did not stand up to toast, he kept looking at Fran with interest, which made Fran feel a chill for no reason. It was as if she was being stared at by a hunter.

Aren't dark elf women only interested in men? Why are they targeting me?

"My Lord, there is news from Queen Margaret of the Holy Roel Empire." Huang Silang said, "In another month, she will be ready to send troops to attack Orila City!"

"One month! So fast! I haven't prepared anything yet." Fran immediately put on her actor's suit and said in a panic.

"Lord City Lord, please be patient. This is just a show. You don't need to prepare anything. Besides, it will take some time for her to march to Orila City."

"That's what I said." Fran said with lingering fear: "After all, this is my first time on the battlefield. I don't know how to lead the troops to fight. I still want to be more prepared."

"Good news!" Huang Silang said, "This time Margaret is going to attack Thermopylae, not the main city gate."

After Huang Silang finished speaking, the other clan leaders couldn't help but smile.

Well, it seems that they have already communicated privately and know Margaret's needs.

"Thermopylae? What kind of place is this?" Fran pretended to know nothing.

"Uh..." Everyone didn't expect that Fran didn't even know about Thermopylae. Huang Silang's smile grew even brighter, and then he explained: That's the north gate of Orila. It's strategically located and easy to defend. It's much safer than the main gate. You'll understand it when you get there."

"Yes, yes! Thermopylae is located between two huge mountains. There is only one narrow road to pass through. It is very, very safe." Another pig tribe leader said: "The surface people don't even have the courage to attack Thermopylae. They would rather take a long detour to attack the main cities."

"Oh! So that's how it is." Fran said, "Does that mean that I just need to lead people to guard the defense fortress of Thermopylae and that'll be all."

"You are right." Huang Silang said, "If you feel there is danger, you can even stay in the fortress for a whole day."

"Then...can I not go to the front line in person?" Fran said.

"That's absolutely not possible!" After hearing this, Huang Silang quickly stood up and said, "As the city lord, you must stay there."

"Why is that?" Fran asked in confusion. "Anyway, I'm hiding in the fortress, and Margaret can't see me. What difference does it make whether I go or not?"

"Lord City Lord! You are not on the front line for the enemy to see, but for the people in the rear." Huang Silang said: "Only in this way will they know that their money is not wasted. If the war becomes "intensive", we can also launch a second or third tax collection."

"There are also the second and third tax payments!" Fran's eyes widened, and then she revealed a greedy expression: "Then can I get a little more in the next few times?"

"Uh... Of course!" Huang Silang said, "After all, the city lord has contributed a lot! And he is the first to do so. Don't you think that's right?"

"Yeah!"

“The next few tax collections will all depend on the city lord.

"I see that the Lord Mayor can take 30% of the next few tax collections. No! 50%!"

The other clan leaders also echoed.

Fran was overjoyed when she heard this, and quickly assured everyone that she would defend Thermopylae to the death, and would show up outside every day to act as if she was determined to defend the city.

After hearing this, the other clan leaders felt relieved.

After everything was settled, Fran pretended to be drunk and was hurriedly taken away from the scene by Catherine.

When Fran left, the clan leaders immediately burst into laughter.

"Mr. Huang, you are right. Our new city lord is indeed naive."

"What a pity for such an easy-to-fool city lord."

"Yes, yes, it's a pity, otherwise we could have made more money from her in the past few years."

"But Master Huang, what if Fran discovered that path?" a clan leader asked curiously.

"Impossible! This trail is very secret. If my men hadn't come across it by chance, they wouldn't have found it at all." Huang Silang said firmly, "Flan doesn't even know where the hot springs are now, how could she have gone around to explore, let alone found this trail."

"Moreover..." Huang Silang added, "Even if she finds it, she must be able to defend it! Margaret is a military god in the Holy Roll Empire, and her soldiers are brave and good at fighting. Do you think this city lord can defend it with her dozen soldiers and those farmers who were temporarily recruited?"

"That's true, we were worrying too much! Hahahaha."

"As long as she stays at Thermopylae, we can rest easy. Then we just need to wait for Margaret's troops to arrive, and we can get the money that those untouchables have hidden away."

At this point, most of the clan leaders laughed and raised their glasses, except for the dark elf.

Huang Silang also noticed it, so he said to her, "Ms. Nalanisuoya, do you have any valuable advice?"

"I have no objection." Nalanisuoya wiped her lips with a tissue, and then said: "Whether you sacrifice the city lord or allow the surface people to come in and plunder, it has nothing to do with me! But I hope that Master Huang will tell Margaret not to touch my people. Of course, I don't care about the money from the looting.

Rarely."

"Of course! Of course!" Huang Silang said quickly, "It's just as we agreed before."

"In that case, I'll take my leave now." As she said this, Naranissoyah walked out of the hall with graceful steps.

"Humph! Why are you so proud? We are all the same, only you are noble!"

"That's right! So powerful, how come you dark elves were driven out of the forest and moved to the dungeon?"

Looking at Naranissoy's back, several clan leaders complained. However, they only dared to complain quietly. The dark elves were very powerful and had a strong desire for revenge. If they were targeted, they would probably have trouble sleeping and eating for the rest of their lives.

When Naranissoya left the gate of Wolf Castle, a group of dark elves immediately came to greet her.

"Your Majesty."

"How's the investigation going?"

"As you guessed, the Lord of Fran is indeed extraordinary." A dark elf half-knelt and said, "The owner behind the mysterious military camp seems to be Fran.

"As if?" Nalanisuoya raised her eyebrows.

"They have done a good job of keeping secrets. I cannot guarantee it completely." The dark elf said, "But... it is almost certain."

"A city lord who dares to recruit a thousand people in one go doesn't seem like a cowardly wimp." Naranissuoya showed a playful smile on her face: "I always feel that Huang Silang's plan is not so easy to succeed."

"Should we go and remind Fran about this trail?"

"No hurry." Nalanisuoya said with a smile: "Let's wait and see for a while."