"What's wrong?" Lorist looked up and asked.
Fatty Shi shook his head with a bitter smile: "The
As the main force for the invasion of West Sidgley Province in the Madras Duchy, the Rock Fortress Legion had already relocated camp to the Blade Mountain Range — specifically to the white-sand beach midway along the smuggling tunnel previously used by the Four Great Families of Northwild Town. They had set up a temporary camp there. From there, sailing to Silver Beach in West Sidgley Province was a mere five- to six-hour journey. With nearly two months remaining before Lorist's planned attack date, the Rock Fortress Legion was conducting boarding and landing drills using several large ships dispatched by the Naval Legion to assist them. No one had expected such an accident.
"How did it happen?"
"Knight
Fatty Shi opened his folder and took out a sheet of parchment, handing it to Lorist.
Lorist stood up, his expression grave. This was his own oversight — he had planned an amphibious assault without making proper preparations for the landing. The lifeboats from seagoing vessels had flat bottoms and virtually no stability against wind and waves; even moderate swells could capsize them. For sailors and crew it wouldn't have mattered much, since they could all swim, and the naval training camp's lifeboat drills had never resulted in casualties, because even if the boat capsized it could simply be righted.
But this was an amphibious landing, and most of the Rock Fortress Legion's family soldiers couldn't swim. They were wearing standard-issue equipment, plus weapons and everything else — once the boat capsized, they sank like iron blocks. Eighteen family soldiers had been lost, and the thought filled Lorist with deep regret. As for those floating wooden rescue boards — they were just lightweight pieces of wood that floated on water, shaped like pillows. Typically, if someone fell overboard you'd throw them one to cling to while waiting for rescue. But these family soldiers sank straight to the seabed; by the time a rescue board was thrown, it was already too late for them to grab it!
Lorist picked up a quill pen and drew a life vest and a life preserver on a blank sheet of paper: "Send this blueprint to the Ironforge production base. Have Steward Kamora order his people to rush production. The life vest is a vest stuffed with small pieces of floating wood, and the life preserver is a ring made of floating wood that fits around a person's waist to prevent them from sinking."
With life vests and life preservers, the drowning problem was temporarily solved. But what about the landing boats? Adding a fin board underneath the hull, extending into the sea, would indeed make the boats harder to capsize. But that would create a new problem — the landing itself. Flat-bottomed boats could rush straight up the beach, yet with a fin board underneath they couldn't approach the shore. The landing was scheduled for the end of December. At that time of year, having family soldiers wade through the water to shore would be deadly — no one could withstand that sea temperature without freezing.
Right — if they couldn't add fins underneath, they could add flat boards to the sides instead, increasing the boat's surface area on the water to prevent capsizing. Inspiration struck Lorist. He first sketched a flat-bottomed landing boat on paper, then drew a pole spanning across the beam, with large flat boards on each end pressing against the water's surface. Each small boat would have three such poles fitted with boards on both ends, and the gaps between them wouldn't interfere with rowing from inside the boat.
"That'll do. These three balance poles are removable and won't interfere with transporting the landing boats. Put the small boats in the water first, attach the three balance poles, and then load the soldiers. That way capsizing will be far less likely. Send this blueprint to the Oxhorn Bay Shipyard. Have them build a few and send them to Knight Bodfinger for testing. Also send a few craftsmen along so any needed improvements can be made on the spot." Lorist handed the blueprint to Fatty Shi.
Fatty Shi nodded, then pulled another document from his folder: "My lord, this is the Hunter Cavalry Legion's report.
"Oh?" Lorist said with surprise. "Why does the Hunter Cavalry Regiment need war-wagon crossbow units? Their role is rapid and flexible hit-and-run warfare. Wouldn't equipping them with war wagons and crossbows slow them down?"
Fatty Shi glanced at the document: "My lord, Knight Jossk says this is to protect the Hunter Cavalry Regiment's supply lines. When they strike deep into enemy territory, they need to prevent the enemy from attacking their food and fodder stores. Soldiers can manage without food for a while by improvising, but if all those horses lose their fodder, the entire Hunter Cavalry Regiment is finished."
Lorist thought for a moment and nodded: "Fine. Since Jossk and Yuri are in charge of building the Hunter Cavalry Legion, I'll trust their judgment. Tell Steward Kamora to allocate the steel-crossbow war wagons they need."
"The Hunter Cavalry Legion also requires long-range weapons and standard-issue equipment so they can begin training the First Hunter Cavalry Regiment as soon as possible and build combat effectiveness. They believe the family soldiers' current standard-issue armaments are unsuitable for hunter cavalry and hope the family can provide lighter, more durable standard-issue armor."
"I'm aware of that — no need to push me on it. Master Sid and Master Falin will be arriving this afternoon with samples. You should come take a look too. I've already sent El with a message to Jossk and Yuri, asking them to come as well," Lorist said. "Is there anything else?"
Fatty Shi picked up yet another document: "My lord, this is a financial report submitted by Steward Spear. Our family has been spending money like water these past two years. Last year, reorganizing twenty guard battalions cost nearly three million gold Forde. The resettlement of freed slaves to Northland and development of the Taichuan Plains in western Northland also had a budget of nearly one million. Add in various additional expenditures, and last year alone the family overspent by nearly five million gold Forde.
This year, while the arms deal with the Fisablen Family is expected to earn about five million, you allocated one million each to Master Sid and the Gunpowder Laboratory for research and development. The Naval Legion's warship procurement cost two million gold Forde. Additional living supplies, military equipment purchases, pensions, and bonuses also came to about one million — nearly all the profits from the Fisablen arms deal are gone.
Now we're forming a new Hunter Cavalry Legion, estimated to cost no less than three million. Your planned war against the Madras Duchy will also cost no less than one million. Then there's the territory-swap assistance for the Kemais and Shahin families — another one million gold Forde in expenses. On top of that, there's the cost of supporting
So Steward Spear specifically sent this document to remind us to stop spending so freely. Even if we destroyed the Haneabada Kingdom and captured its decades of accumulated savings — a staggering twenty-seven million gold Forde — at this rate the family will be broke again in two or three years…"
Lorist laughed dismissively: "Steward Spear is always like that — he'd be happy if the treasury were stuffed full of gold coins. But you know as well as I do that gold coins sitting in a vault don't breed little gold coins, and they're quite likely to depreciate. Right now a cow might cost five gold Forde, but in a few years it might take seven or eight. Only by putting gold coins into circulation can we earn more of them down the road. My current spending isn't reckless — it's investment, laying the groundwork for the family's future."
But Fatty Shi said with a bitter smile: "My lord, we're talking about twenty-seven million gold Forde. Your reasoning has merit, but even as an investment, I doubt we could ever recoup this amount from the family's territories — not by your grandchildren's grandchildren's generation, at least. If we weren't forming new legions, undertaking new development, or launching wars, the family's financial situation these past two years has actually been quite sound. With some frugality, we might even have netted over a hundred thousand in pure profit.
There's another thing, my lord. The family has a policy of hiding wealth among the people. In the four developed regions — Fengle Plains, Xing'an Plains, Red River Plains, and North Sea City — the family only collects forty percent in taxes. Garrison soldiers' families pay thirty percent. Serving family soldiers' families and administrative officials' families pay twenty percent. Family Knights pay only ten percent. These taxes cover administrative costs with some surplus, but they do nothing for the enormous military expenditure of the family's armed forces.
Currently, the military spending is primarily funded by profits from the family's various workshops and factories, thanks to the Snow Salt Trading Company purchasing large quantities of snow salt and daily necessities from us to dump onto Fisablen territory and the Iblia Kingdom. But as you yourself noted, once the Fisablen Family opens trade routes to the Four Central Duchies, they'll clearly reduce their dependence on the Snow Salt Trading Company's supplies. When that happens, the enormous military expenditure will become a real burden…
My lord, Steward Spear has proposed raising all taxes in the family's territories by ten percent, increasing the family's thirty-percent share in privately-run workshops and shops to fifty percent, and raising the tax on small private businesses like snack shops and variety stores from ten percent to thirty percent. Compared to other feudal lords who take sixty or seventy percent in taxes, even with these increases we'd still be incomparably merciful. This would bring in an additional three hundred thousand gold Forde annually — nearly half of the military budget."
Lorist shook his head: "Raising taxes is the most foolish idea there is. There are plenty of ways to get gold coins out of commoners' pockets without that. Leave Steward Spear's report here — I'll write him a reply when I have time. His concern over the family's spending and his willingness to offer suggestions are worthy of my gratitude, but I cannot adopt his proposal, as doing so would destroy the trust and loyalty that the commoners in our territories have in the family."
"Very well, then. I'll go handle the tasks you've assigned. See you this afternoon." Fatty Shi turned and left.
…
At noon, Lorist had lunch with the heavily pregnant Dilliana. She was six months along, her belly quite large. The apothecary who examined her said it was very likely twins and that she needed extra nutrition. The young Dina family aunt had swelled up enormously, nearly twice her former size. In addition to her changed figure, she had grown quite drowsy — she yawned her way to a nap right after lunch.
His eldest sister-in-law, having successfully advanced to the Silver rank, was in high spirits. She had taken the second Dina young miss to Nico Academy to visit her little brother, planning to hold a ceremony there to become the Dina family's female knight and acting family head. She would hand over the family head's authority once her little brother came of age at eighteen. She probably would not return to Rock Fortress for some time.
Lorist also took a nap, then went to his study after waking. A little over an hour later, Schwade entered to announce that Master Sid and Master Falin's carriage had arrived, and that Knight Jossk and Knight Yuri had also been waiting in the reception room downstairs for quite a while.
"Have them go to the large reception room on the third floor — it connects to the back mountain and has a big courtyard. If Master Sid and Master Falin brought their long-range crossbow weapons, we can test them right there and see if Jossk and Yuri are satisfied. Also, call Knight Shrade over to inspect everything with them," Lorist said.
"Yes, my lord."
Soon everyone had gathered in the third-floor reception room of the central castle. This time, Master Sid and Master Falin had brought three large crates. The first contained a set of steel-wire chain mail, completely different from the
Master Sid explained: "My lord, you said the hunter cavalry needed equipment that was light and durable. I consulted many family soldiers who had served as scouts and light cavalry and incorporated their suggestions to design this set of standard hunter cavalry equipment. Since our family's newly formed hunter cavalry is modeled against the Fisablen Family's rangers as their hypothetical enemy, and since the rangers' standard equipment is also produced by our family, this set of hunter cavalry equipment has been improved based on the rangers' characteristics. It is lighter, more flexible, sturdier, and has stronger defensive capability than the Model 103 cavalry equipment we sell to the Fisablen Family.
The primary offensive method for both hunter cavalry and rangers is medium- to long-range attack. Rangers frequently dismount over a hundred meters from the enemy, deliver a three-shot volley with longbows, then remount and ride away — this is their main harassment tactic. At medium range they use stone crossbows with an effective range of fifty meters or less. At closer range they employ javelins and throwing axes. Therefore, what the hunter cavalry needs to defend against primarily is the rangers' long-range attacks, not the kind of charge-and-slay tactics used by our family's lance cavalry.
Chain mail provides the strongest defense against long-range attacks. We've used steel wire to create this sample. Its defensive capability against long-range projectiles exceeds that of plate armor. In particular, this conical helmet — all you need to do is lower your head, and long-range archery becomes completely ineffective. It can even serve as a shield in close-quarters combat. On the outside, the chain-mail set is supplemented with black demon-ox leather armor, which not only enhances defense but also provides warmth, wind protection, and concealment.
Furthermore, we've designed insert-style steel-wire barding for the warhorses, providing essential protection for the mount's frontal vitals. The entire standard equipment set, including the horse armor, weighs one-fifth less than the Fisablen Family's Model 103 cavalry equipment, ensuring the mounts' load capacity and endurance are maximized. We've also standardized and improved the saddles, stirrups, and other horse fittings, making them more durable, lighter, and longer-lasting than your current old-style equipment…"
"Excellent." Lorist nodded in approval. "Thank you for your efforts, Master Sid, Master Falin. I'm very satisfied with this hunter cavalry standard equipment. You've been extremely thorough in your considerations. But can production capacity keep up?"
Master Sid was delighted by Lorist's praise: "Of course, my lord. The steel wire is now drawn using water-powered machinery, and I've redesigned the equipment to easily cut the wire and form it into rings. Apart from the weaving, which still requires manual labor, the rest is straightforward. I estimate a thousand workers can produce a thousand sets per day."
"Good, then the hunter cavalry will adopt this standard equipment. I'll instruct Steward Kamora to arrange the manpower and complete the legion's requirements as quickly as possible. But Master Sid — what about the long-range weapons for the hunter cavalry? Have you finished designing them? I want the hunter cavalry to have a long-range weapon that can completely outmatch the rangers', so we can improve our odds against them," Lorist asked.
"Heh heh, my lord — come and admire the masterpiece that Master Falin and I have painstakingly designed." Master Sid opened the second crate, and Master Falin took out a crossbow with a strikingly unusual form.
"My lord, this is the steel crossbow — a new long-range killing weapon!"
…(to be continued.)