"Everyone, stand up! Your Royal Highness has arrived." Before the interval had even begun, Iron Axe was already clapping and shouting.
Vanne swiftly returned to his position. The rigorous training had conditioned him to obey commands reflexively. Almost instinctively, he raised the wooden pole and assumed the ready stance for the previous thrust.
The Prince and his entourage ascended the city wall, passing behind the procession. As they moved past, Fanna noticed Your Highness slowing down when he passed by his position.
Roland sighed inwardly. As the saying goes, 'A late start ruins the morning, and an early start ruins the day' —and this was indeed true. Having just finished handling the aftermath of the night raid on the castle, he now had to rush to inspect the militia's recent training progress. Poor him, he hadn't slept all night and was now drowsy. But he couldn't afford to miss it. The troops had now entered the pre-battle training phase, and as the supreme commander, his prolonged absence would diminish his presence and destabilize morale.
Hmm... What should I say during a routine inspection? Roland paused for a moment. 'Hello comrades, thank you for your hard work.' If no one answers, shouting this slogan would be awkward. Better to strike up a casual conversation and show respect while boosting my reputation.
With that in mind, he patted a young man who looked solid and sturdy.
"Have you been tired from training? How about your meals?" Based on past experience from watching news, the other party would likely respond excitedly and loudly, "Not tired, very good!" However, despite his excitement, he suddenly turned around and knelt down on one knee, startling Roland.
Fanna felt blessed by fate when His Royal Highness inquired about his training fatigue with such warmth. Unlike the royal family, even ordinary Nobles rarely spoke to them. Without hesitation, he mimicked Knight's salute to His Royal Highness, disregarding the propriety of the gesture. A single thought echoed in his mind: Once back on Old Street, he would be the undisputed top figure.
When asked to stand up, Vanna's mind remained in a fog, unable to recall how he had answered.
When Your Highness finally asked for his thoughts on the training, Fan Na suddenly became much more alert—this was a golden opportunity! If he could convince Your Highness that the militia alone couldn't handle the heavy responsibility of guarding the city walls, wouldn't he have to worry about whether to stay or leave?
He carefully crafted his words in his mind, "Your Highness... The militia is far too small. With the current training regimen, we can barely defend less than a third of the city walls when the evil beast strikes. Your Highness..." Even if Prince recruits more troops, the training period would likely be too short, Faner thought. Moreover, the weapons they used were a significant expense. Border Town could hardly muster 300 men with long spears in two months—let alone 100. So they were still training with wooden clubs.
If Your Royal Highness could grasp this, he might recruit mercenaries from other towns as the main defense force. At least they can go straight to battle without training, armed and armored, though at a higher cost.
Roland pondered for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. Relying on a single militia to guard the entire city wall is hardly practical." Faner felt a surge of relief. His Highness's implication was... he had endorsed his opinion?
But the Fourth Prince did not say what he had expected. Instead, he called Iron Axe over and said, "In a way, evil beasts are merely variants of wild beasts. They lack the capacity for thought, don't they?" "Yes, Your Highness. Ordinary evil beasts are no different from wild beasts, even sharing similar habits... But hybrid types? I've seen few, and I can't be certain." "That's fine. Though the distance from the Chishui River to the foot of Beipo Mountain is nearly 1,800 feet (600 meters), we could lure them to attack specific areas." "Do you mean setting traps?" Iron Axe asked.
"It's a trap, but not the kind hunters typically use. Conventional traps rely on concealment to capture prey, but I plan to do the opposite. I'll set up pocket-sized barriers like fences, earthen slopes, and ditches far from the walls, forcing these mindless creatures to detour. The continuous obstacles will guide the prey to designated spots, ultimately concentrating them in our prepared defensive zones," Roland said, glancing at the Iron Axe. "As for luring these monsters, I doubt anyone's better at it than you." The Iron Axe pondered. "Guiding them isn't a problem—the wolf breed avoids water, the boar breed shuns light, and other creatures have their own habits. But Your Highness, wouldn't this concentrate all the monsters within a six-hundred-foot radius? Wouldn't that be dangerous?" "Indeed, if we relied solely on spears and arrows," Roland replied confidently. "But now we have new weapons." As they left, Prince returned to Faner's side and patted his shoulder. "Good observation. What's your name?" "Fan... Faner, Your Highness." "I'll propose to my Chief Knight that you serve as spear squad deputy, Mr.Faner. Do your best."...
Roland built a new bungalow in the back yard of the Duan Shao House to produce snow powder, which is gunpowder.
This roughly 300-square-meter room features a single entrance and operates under the strictest security protocols. Two Knights stand guard at the door, where all visitors must register and undergo a body search to prevent the introduction of flammable materials. The interior is strictly fire-free, so work is only permitted during daylight hours. To deter nocturnal intrusions, sheer curtains are installed around the door frame.
"Is this the new weapon you mentioned?" Carter, summoned over, pinched a speck of black powder and sniffed it. "Isn't this snow powder?" Though Iron Axe might not know, Carter—frequent at royal ceremonies—was well aware the ceremonial bucket held this substance. The Alchemy Workshop's prized creation, its formula kept secret from outsiders, but Prince could certainly obtain it if he wished.
"It's snow powder, but not quite," Roland said. "The alchemist's workshop has recently refined it into what I call gunpowder." Gunpowder is practically every time-traveler's essential farming tool. With sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter in the perfect 1:1.5:7.5 ratio, it's a no-brainer to make—no technical know-how required.
The gunpowder of this era was a low-grade mixture containing 60% charcoal, 20% sulfur and saltpeter, and 20% miscellaneous oddities like mercury, butter, and honey. It burned slowly, released minimal gases, and failed to deliver the intended effects of gunpowder. Yet Roland knew alchemists were constantly experimenting with new ratios. Within thirty years at most, a gunpowder formula closer to the standard black powder would emerge.
Historically, gunpowder took a long time to completely replace cold weapons, due to its chemical composition and the lagging behind in weapon manufacturing techniques.
But what many people overlook is that gunpowder itself is a very scary weapon, even without guns.