Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Fatty Shi and Spear returned to the Raging Bear City after a day. Seeing them, Loriste was relieved. He immediately handed over the family's internal strife to the family's administrative center, which was made up of Fatty Shi, Spear, and Coldan. The most important thing now was not to deal with Hansk and the other rebels, but to arrange for the five to six hundred thousand immigrants in Winston Province to settle down in the North.
Then, Loriste brought Redi to the artillery training base in Blade Peak Mountain. This was the family's guarantee for conquering cities in the future. It was Loriste's greatest trump card, but it was unexpectedly injured before it even finished training. This made Loriste feel aggrieved and angry.
Schwald had already assumed the position of commander of the artillery battalion. He reported to Laurist that there were currently 342 soldiers in the artillery battalion who had recovered from their injuries. In total, there were around 1,300 soldiers left. There were also more than 100 soldiers who were injured. The total number of soldiers who had been killed by the Great Swordsman's attack was 1563. The most heartbreaking thing was that more than half of the soldiers who had died were trained members of the artillery firing team.
Loriste went to visit Jim, the commander of the artillery battalion, who was heavily injured. Jim's injuries had recovered a little, and he could at least sit up and tell Loriste about the night attack. He thought that the artillery was a great threat to the Great Swordsmen, but it was complicated to operate, and its biggest weakness was its movement.
When they were attacked by the Great Swordsmen during the day, Jim used the artillery to cover a large area of the battlefield. He used 46 bronze cannons to form a defensive line, and killed three Great Swordsmen in a single strike, heavily injuring two Great Swordsmen, and forcing the enemy to retreat. However, he did not expect the other Great Swordsmen to use the cover of the night to sneak into the artillery formation. Once they got close, the bronze cannons would lose their effectiveness, and they would have to fight the enemy at close range.
Three thousand soldiers of the artillery battalion against nine Great Swordsmen. This was a massacre, and the soldiers could not stop it at all. Seeing that the casualties were increasing, the seriously injured Deputy Commander Paul Binns carried a barrel of gunpowder and a torch and rushed forward. With a loud bang, Paul Binns' corpse was destroyed. Even if the Great Swordsmen dodged quickly, one of them was still seriously injured.
Seeing that this method was effective, the rest of the soldiers followed suit. They grabbed the barrels of gunpowder and wanted to die together with the Great Swordsmen. Explosions sounded one after another in the valley. After another Great Swordsmen was seriously injured, the rest of the Great Swordsmen were finally afraid. They cursed at the madmen as they evacuated the artillery training base with their injured companions.
At this point, Jim burst into tears and choked with sobs. Laurist was also dejected. He could only comfort Jim. He would not let those great swordsmen who attacked the artillery training base go. He would definitely take revenge for the soldiers of the artillery battalion who had died. After reminding Jim to recuperate, Laurist left his house.
Compared to the seriously injured Jim and the heroic sacrifice of Paul Robbins, Professor Bob and his wife in the gunpowder laboratory were not as frightened. Before the attack of the Great Swordsmen, the attentive Jim had moved the old couple to another place. Although the gunpowder laboratory had been turned upside down by the Great Swordsmen, and even half of the house had been destroyed, at least Professor Bob was fine. This was the best news for Laurist.
Professor Bob told Laurist about his research and insights on gunpowder in the past few years. Professor Bob's research on the bronze cannons was on the granulation and customization of gunpowder. Laurist had only casually mentioned this before, but after a few years of continuous experimentation, Professor Bob had finally achieved these two goals. Just these two goals alone had doubled the firing rate of the bronze cannons. Now, the problem was the heat dissipation of the bronze cannons. Professor Bob was prepared to discuss this with Master Julien and Master Sid to see if they could use better materials to cast the cannons to solve this problem.
Apart from this, Professor Bob's greatest achievement was the improvement of the collection and extraction process of saltpeter. In terms of effectiveness, Laurist felt that this was Professor Bob's greatest contribution. The Galinthia Continent was not Earth. Some of the physical and chemical principles and laws in this world were different from those on Earth. For example, gunpowder on Earth consisted of one sulfur, two saltpeter, and three charcoal. With the addition of other materials, it formed the most standard black gunpowder. However, in this world, a portion of fire crystal powder was needed to achieve the explosive effect of the black gunpowder on Earth.
Unfortunately, Laurist had only been the director of a small handicraft factory in his previous life. Physics and chemistry were not his forte. Although he had some basic knowledge, in the Galinthia Continent, which was a different world from Earth, Laurist's knowledge was completely useless.
In the Galinthia Continent, there were two main factors that shattered Laurist's fantasy of the era of firearms. The first was the steel used to make firearms. For example, Master Sid's Darksteel Smelting Base relied on primitive forging methods to forge fine iron into the required steel. Although Laurist had provided the idea of hydraulic forging machinery, forcefully raising the Norton family's ironmaking standards to the top of the continent. However, compared to the steel needed to make firearms, there was still a despairing generational gap. Before there was the fiery hot molten steel, Laurist's era of firearms could only exist in the world of dreams.
The second factor was the lack of saltpeter ore to refine gunpowder. It was said that only the Dwarf Kingdom in the Titanic Mountains had an underground saltpeter ore. The reserves were not large, and the dwarves treated it as a treasure. The gunpowder that Laurist used relied entirely on the extraction of saltpeter. To the Norton family, the biggest factor that prevented the artillery battalion from appearing on the battlefield was the amount of gunpowder they had.
Some of Laurist's experience from his previous life on Earth was not applicable in this world. For example, the granulation of gunpowder was very simple on Earth. One only had to wet it, knead it into a ball, use a sieve to separate it into granules, and dry it. However, in this world, the result of the same procedure was that the gunpowder granules turned into smoke. When ignited, it emitted thick smoke instead of a violent explosion. Professor Bob's guess was that the fire crystal powder lost its effectiveness after being soaked in water, and the results of the experiment proved this point. For the sake of the granulation of gunpowder, Professor Bob conducted three years of research and experiments before overcoming this difficulty.
The granulation of gunpowder not only improved the quality of the gunpowder, but also increased the effectiveness and power of firing. It also reduced the amount of saltpeter used, and made the gunpowder of bronze cannons a reality. At the same time, after several years of research, Professor Bob discovered the best medium for cultivating the soil saltpeter, which more than doubled the production of the collected soil saltpeter, and finally increased the family's gunpowder storage by several times. It also made the appearance of the artillery battalion on the battlefield inevitable in the near future.
Although Laurist was sad and resentful for the artillery battalion's heavy losses, the good news that Professor Bob told him made him overjoyed. There was no better news than this. Laurist conferred the title of viscount to Professor Bob on the spot. This decision would be announced during this year's New Year's celebration. Professor Bob was also overjoyed. Finally, he did not have to look at Sid's smug expression in front of him. They were all viscounts, and no one was lower than the other.
Laurist circled around the artillery training base for more than ten days. He then went to Sid's Darksteel Refinery and stayed there for half a month. He adjusted the production plan and arranged for Sid and the others to forge a new batch of bronze cannons to replenish the artillery battalion. After that, Laurist brought Redi and Genolio back to the Bearfury City.
It was already the 7th of October when they returned to the Bearfury City. At the end of September, Princess Silvia, her four concubines, and two children had already returned from the Cherry Blossom Ridge Manor to the Bearfury City. After not seeing each other for two years, the husband and wife were naturally very close. The only thing that didn't go her way was that the big-breasted and brainless Lady Dilina, Aridoli, purposely wrote a letter to Princess Sylvia and her four concubines to show off, announcing to everyone that she was pregnant with Lollister's child.
Princess Silvia, who was jealous, was naturally furious. She questioned Laurist on whether he was going to Baron Dilina's territory to recuperate or to knock up Aridoli's belly. Laurist was in a difficult situation. The four concubines added fuel to the fire. They all wanted to be treated fairly. Just as Fina had said, the older sister, Aridoli, was only Laurist's lover, but she could bear two children for him. As Laurist's concubine, she should not be left behind. So … Lollister began his blissful sex life once again …
Fatty Shi, Head Supervisor Spear, and Head Supervisor Cordan came to report to Laurist. As the highest decision-makers of the Norton Family, the three of them had different expressions. Fatty Shi's face was full of bitterness, as if he had a lot on his mind. Head Supervisor Spear, on the other hand, was full of joy. Head Supervisor Cordan's face was expressionless, unmoved.
Fatty Shi was the first to report. He had already made plans and arrangements for the migration of the immigrants. With the help of Sederkamp and Baron Camorra, the immigrants had already been escorted by the Flying Tiger Army to their respective settlements in the Northern Lands. They were expected to be settled before winter arrived at the end of November. With this batch of immigrants, the total population of the Northern Lands had reached 317 people. This had already satisfied the manpower requirements for the development of the Northern Lands. Fatty Shi suggested that there was no need for large-scale migration to the Northern Lands in the future. In another ten years or so, the population of the Northern Lands would naturally explode.
The migration was complicated and troublesome. Fatty Shi was exhausted, and he looked much more haggard. Laurist nodded and accepted his suggestion. He comforted him a little, telling him to rest well and let Sederkamp handle any matters. After the migration was settled, Laurist still had to discuss the military reform of the family's armed forces with the three of them. At the same time, he wanted Fatty Shi to host this year's New Year's celebration. This was the first New Year's celebration since Laurist became a Sword Saint. One could imagine that it would be a grand celebration of an unprecedented scale.
Next was Head Supervisor Spear. She was so excited that the family must have gotten another windfall. Laurist asked, and as expected, the Flying Tiger Army had escorted the Norton Family's armed forces to the Northern Lands as spoils of war from the Trade Alliance. Originally, Laurist had brought the family's armed forces to sweep through the Andwolf Province, Podorg Province, and Cambona Province. They had seized two to three million worth of valuables. After that, the Flying Tiger Army had defeated the Trade Alliance's 100,000 reinforcements and entered Marivia Province to clear one-third of the Trade Alliance's noble territories. They had seized another three million worth of valuables.
After that, Laurist had been seriously injured in the battle with the Storm Sword Saint. Ferocious Tiger Ross and Jost had brought the Flying Tiger Army and the Hunter Army to the frontlines to take revenge on the Trade Alliance. Without Laurist's restraint, the two were like wild horses that had let loose. They led the Flying Tiger Army and the Hunter Army to sweep through five provinces of the Trade Alliance. They had seized countless valuables and spoils of war. There were nearly a thousand four-wheeled carriages carrying the valuables. Ferocious Tiger Ross and Jost knew that their disobedience would anger Laurist, so they decided to seize more valuables and kidnap more people to lighten their sins …
Head Supervisor Spear was happy that the total value of the spoils of war had exceeded 15 million gold fords. There were about seven to eight million gold coins, and the rest were precious art, decorative crafts, gold products, and jewelry. This was the second time the Norton Family had so many spoils of war. The first time was when they destroyed the slave kingdom.
Since there was so much money in the account, Laurist didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately made a series of arrangements to spend money. For the past few years, the three main armies of the family had been fighting outside. The soldiers also needed rest and rewards. Thus, two million gold fords were spent. Then, another million was allocated to the gunpowder laboratory and the artillery training base. There was also the compensation for the deceased soldiers and the cost of rebuilding the artillery battalion. There was also Professor Bob's experimental funds.
In addition, Master Sid, Master Falin, and Master Julien's experimental funds, the cost of recasting the bronze cannons, and the replenishment of the standard equipment of the three main armies of the family were all listed in a long list by Laurist. Head Supervisor Spear did some calculations with a bitter face. She realized that only a little more than half of the 15 million gold fords that she had been so happy about had actually entered the family's treasury. However, Head Supervisor Spear knew the severity of the matter. She frowned and tidied up the list, ready to approve it when she returned.
Head Supervisor Codan was the last to report. He was in charge of the trial and punishment of all the people involved in the internal strife that Head Supervisor Hansk had initiated. Head Supervisor Codan took out a folder. On it were the trial results of over a thousand people involved. However, there were a few names listed at the beginning of the document. Head Supervisor Codan did not write down the punishment plan. This required Laurist to personally decide the fate of these people.
The first name was Lescott. As Laurist's eldest son, Head Supervisor Codan left a blank after the name. He felt that he did not have the authority to give Lescott a punishment plan. After all, Lescott's situation was a little complicated.
Laurist asked, if a commoner had committed Lescott's crime, what kind of punishment would he receive? The answer was simple. The execution platform or the gallows. He could choose between the two.
"I've said before that when a prince breaks the law, he will be punished like a commoner. So, he will be hanged. His crimes are enough for him to be hanged ten times over. It is not a crime to be placed on a platform to be a puppet. What is wrong is that he does not know his place. Furthermore, he has been spoiled and pampered since he was born, which resulted in his violent personality. If he had not committed these crimes, I could have forgiven him. However, if I let him live now, then the Norton family will be shamed because of him. He did not bring glory to the Norton family, but shame! It is decided then … "
Laurist had personally decided the fate of his eldest son, Lescott. Although the father and son did not spend much time together and did not have deep feelings for each other, they were still related by blood. Thinking back to the joy he felt when Lescott was born more than ten years ago, Laurist could not help but tear up …
Maybe it was Lescott's final fate that triggered Laurist to punish all the people involved in the case severely. The main culprit, Steward Hanks, was stripped of his family title, and all seventeen members of his family were beheaded in public. All the members chosen to be Lescott's bodyguards were hanged as well, and their families were exiled to the Haneabada Archipelago. Other than that, more than three hundred people who had first responded to Steward Hanks and supported Lescott as the heir of the family were also sentenced to death by hanging, and their families were exiled to the Haneabada Archipelago.
The remaining people involved in the case had their families forcibly moved out of the north due to their minor crimes, and were exiled to the Makinohara Province. The sentencing this time would be carried out publicly, and there were more than ten thousand people and their families involved in the case. To the family, this was no less than a political earthquake.
"As for the punishment of the First Imperial Guard Division, it will be delayed for a while. I am still considering whether to reform the military system of the family …" After hearing the punishment plans for all the people involved in the case, Laurist only left this sentence before leaving the study with a gloomy expression.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
