I will be crowned king

Although he was shocked by the appearance at first, after careful consideration and actual operation, Karl still recognized the advantages of this "new artillery", or the shortcomings that were completely negligible.

How to put it this way, it may not meet the expectations of some people in the legion for "black technology", nor does it match the enthusiasm of a certain Archbishop's own son for "cannons", but it is really useful - and even very cheap. It's so cheap that with the current military potential of the Storm Legion, it can even be mass-produced.

A "Taiwan Balm" artillery that can shoot flatly within the normal field of view, or fire in a bunker and trench, can move and turn quickly, and can adapt to a variety of terrains. It is suitable for an army like the Storm Legion that lacks firepower and is mainly infantry. It couldn't be more appropriate.

Even if the pattern is enlarged, this kind of artillery is almost naturally prepared for the Clovis people... Eighty percent of the generals of the Royal Army, which is keen on infantry firepower, cannot use artillery. This kind of artillery can only attack enemies within the field of vision. , a support weapon that can also provide fire cover when hiding in a trench, and is definitely easier to use than a cannon.

And because of the sacrifice of range and cost, of course this artillery does not have rifling, but it is not impossible to have it; and if it is really improved like this, let alone support weapons, it can be used as the main firepower of the artillery position.

As for the name... Under the guidance of some bad taste, the chief of staff named this artillery "Signal Flag" - with the range of this big toy, when it fires, the front row should almost have bayonets. Charge to your death amidst the long iron whistle... Ahem, charge into battle.

In addition, because the artillery itself is very light, Wilhelm Gottfried also improved the artillery carriage based on the Imperial Cavalry Cannon, making it easier to move quickly on the battlefield; at the same time, he also redesigned a The heavy carriage has a cargo capacity one-third less than the original model, but requires half the animal power.

All in all, in Karl's eyes, this technical consultant may not have had much contact with weapon design, but he seems to be very good at designing existing things to be "more reasonable" or "more in line with needs" and discarding unnecessary parts. In exchange for better value for money.

Anson also agreed with this point. He initially thought that the other party might come up with "black technology" such as "steam machine guns", "steam artillery" or mortars. The result was somewhat uneventful, but soon Satisfactory.

After all, on the one hand, the performance of equipment such as machine guns certainly meets the needs, but it also puts greater pressure on the already weak logistics of the colony; replacing it with a "signal flag" that can be deflected is obviously cheaper and more practical.

And things like grenades or mortars... are actually small-caliber mortars, but those weapons are mainly used against skirmishers and enemies in trenches, and are too cost-effective for the current Storm Legion.

Anson even considered building a carriage drawn by four horses, equipped with a small three-pounder cannon and two skirmishers' "gun mounts" to make up for the lack of mobile troops.

It was only after he really tried that he gave up; the three-pounder was not too light, and even if it was installed on a carriage, it could not be turned at all. And if the artillery was abandoned and only soldiers were carried...an ordinary cargo carriage could fully undertake this task. There is no need to assemble a "gun and card company" from scratch.

After communicating with Major (quasi) Jason Cavalry, Anson discovered that he might have put the cart before the horse... A heavy firepower platform like this is either meant to bully enemies who have no mobility, or to provide nearby fire support for one's own mobile troops. It has never been the case. A separate army... after all, a carriage cannot be more flexible than a cavalry.

The key to weapons and equipment is practicality. With the current level of military industry in Beluga Port, even if Anson can build a steam tank by hand, he has neither suitable shells nor a small steam core that can make it run.

But this does not mean that he has completely given up on black technology. On the contrary, with the military factory sponsored by Miss Sophia and such a technical consultant who is good at "practicalizing" original designs, he will not squeeze as much as possible... let Isn't it a waste of them to realize their potential?

So on the day after the delivery of the "Signal Flag" six-pounder cannon and the "Gottfried" rifle, William received a new order from the Storm Legion, requiring him to design a low-cost weapon that could attack beyond visual range. , and at the same time try to make it easier to carry weapons.

This time Anson no longer asked for originality, and simply gave specific requirements and a rough appearance drawing - he wanted to build a rocket.

Of course, it does not need to be able to fly into the sky. As long as it can fly three to four kilometers and successfully drop six to ten pounds of explosives on the enemy's head, it will be considered a success.

Now that there are beyond-visual-range weapons, long-distance reconnaissance must also keep up, so Anson also asked to design another hot air balloon.

In fact, Clovis already has hot-air balloon technology. Even if the current Beluga Port wants to make one, it is not completely impossible. However, one is that it is inconvenient to carry and it is also very unstable. It is obvious that it can already make large-scale ones that can carry people. Airships, the Church of Order is still unwilling to fully open up more mature technologies in this area.

As for why, no one knows.

The Church of Order has reiterated countless times that premature opening of technology to the countries of the Order World will cause social turmoil, fragmentation, and even collapse, completely destroying the world that people are familiar with, and causing completely unpredictable consequences; but how exactly should technology be opened, and in what aspects? The Holy See has the final say regarding knowledge.

But this is a new world, a new world without even a church... Unless the Judgment Knights and the Inquisition can "capture across the sea," no one can organize Anson's "industrial upgrade" plan.

In the previous War of Independence, he had used the power of the Rune family to lay out the colonies of the Free Confederacy, built a small steel factory in Black Reef Port, vigorously promoted the livestock trade in Red Hand Bay, and made the construction of textile factories from an absolute Losing money became profitable, and at the same time, it funded the colonial undertakings of Gray Pigeon Castle and Winter Torch City, reducing the risks and costs of pioneering.

The cost of land transportation is too high, so start with the New World Company to promote the postal and security industries. The Shooting Army was born for this purpose.

Most of the colonies are close to the sea, and the shipbuilding industry is always profitable, so the shipyard in Sailing City must have a bright future, so you must invest in it as soon as possible.

The most difficult part of the real industry is the lack of capital and the inability to find a market. Reinhard Roland and his newly established New World Bank are nothing short of a shot in the arm. By the way, their mining-based financial model has also helped New World Corporation. Controlled the raw material market in the New World.

Finally, the newspapers scattered in various colonies are responsible for opening up the last barrier in the entire new world. You may never leave the colony where you live, but you need to know that this world is not only the world in front of you, but also what is happening in many places. You are closely related.

During a war of independence, colonies that were originally self-sufficient and had basically no connection with each other were forcibly kneaded together. Following Anson Bach's baton, they began industrial upgrading without realizing it.

They may not know what happened, but they don't want to, and can't, go back to the way things were before.

Granting freedom to the indigenous people is also part of this plan. The expensive animal slaves must be turned into cheaper labor so that the shooting army can have sufficient soldiers and further expand the population base of the colony.

Neither the representatives of the Free Confederacy nor the local wealthy businessmen and farm owners of Beluga Harbor were able to adapt to this drastic change, and various objections were rampant, either euphemistically or directly expressing protest.

Red Hand Bay and Black Reef Port, which had the most intense attitudes, openly stated in the "Beluga Port Good People" that they would never recognize the indigenous people and themselves as "equal". At the same time, the slave trade had a great impact on the prosperity of the colonies. , must not be easily shaken.

In contrast, Changhu Town's attitude is much more tactful, mainly emphasizing that this will be a long process and should not be rushed, but step by step - for example, they are allowed to join the shooting army, and elderly beast slaves can choose to leave their masters. Be free, or continue to live as a beast slave.

The situation in Sailing City is rather special. Although Louis returned, he still left a representative in Beluga Port. As someone who could be trusted by the young knight, this representative honestly told Anson in private that the Governor would definitely agree. But that's not necessarily the case for Yangfan City and the Bernard family behind him.

Dong Ju City did not express any opinions, and the same was true in Hui Xue Town, but everyone did not care about their thoughts at all.

In the end, the only colony that agreed with Anson's proposal was Gray Pigeon Castle. Polina Frey announced directly in public that she had granted freedom to all the slaves under her name, and would also set up a special agency in Gray Pigeon Castle to help more indigenous people. Not only are they no longer enslaved, but they can get a job that allows them to support themselves.

Reinhard Roland, who had just become the son-in-law of the Frey family, immediately followed up and announced that the New World Company would support this glorious cause. All workshops, factories, shops, or farms and mines in Pigeon Castle would hire indigenous migrant workers. Wherever you go, you can get interest discounts or even exemptions when taking out loans.

At the same time, Anson announced to the White Whale Port Council that the first round of training of the Shooting Army has been basically completed and has entered the fielding stage; the second round of recruitment is about to begin, and this time about 6,000 Shooting Army soldiers will be recruited - still being recruited. The animals are mainly sold as slaves.

This is already an undisguised coercion and inducement, but it still cannot shake the opposition forces from all parties, including the local congressmen and wealthy businessmen in Beluga Port. Of course, they dare not object openly, but as long as Anson does not include animal slaves on the illegal list, they will Prepare to keep pretending to be deaf and dumb.

"...Then what are you going to do?"

In the headquarters, Karl, who had just returned from a visit to the military factory, frowned slightly and said: "It is January now. We really need to recruit a shooting army of ten infantry regiments. It will start in half a month at the latest."

"Don't worry, everything is under plan." Anson said confidently:

"I am going to convene the Supreme Council of the Free Confederacy in the new year at Beluga Harbor, and then ask them to agree to this matter at the meeting."

"What?!"

"Why, can't it?"

"Is this a question of whether it can be done?" Karl's eyes widened: "There are some things that can be done, but they cannot be said. You can't even cover up!"

"Don't be nervous, it's not as serious as you said."

"No?!"

"of course not."

Anson chuckled: "I just 'agreed' to the Free Confederacy to convene the Supreme Council in Beluga Port. Have you said that you want to join?"

Carl Bain: "...What's the difference?!"

"The difference is that the latter is tantamount to treason, while the former is just a little geographical convenience for allies."

Anson explained happily, with a confident look in his eyes: "Of course, in order to avoid misunderstandings, I will not let the Supreme Council be held in Beluga Harbor City. Instead, I will find a place in the wild and temporarily build a building that can accommodate everyone." MP’s venue.”

These words made the chief of staff, who was still emotional just now, look stagnant and scratch his head in confusion - he suddenly couldn't figure out what Anson Bach wanted to do.

Placing it in the city can also be interpreted as allowing the Free Confederacy to recognize the status of Beluga Port. What is the operation of moving it to the wilderness?

Show off force? There is no need. Everyone in the Free Confederacy knows the strength of the Storm Legion clearly, and there is no need to make them realize how weak they are.

"To sum it up in one sentence, let them fully understand their identity." Seeing his best friend's doubts, Anson explained:

"This is actually a bit like the slave trade - a newly freed indigenous people, even if he is nominally free, can he really be equal to the masters who granted him freedom, or even other colonists?"

"Of course it's impossible. If I had to guess, not only the colonists would think so, but even the indigenous people themselves know this. But in many cases, it is not ruled out that some special cases really feel that freedom means equality. In the end, because of this' Absurd freedom' causes trivial riots."

Karl thought for a while and quickly understood: "You mean those colonial representatives are actually the same as the indigenous people who have just gained freedom?"

"Isn't it?" Anson sneered:

"They think that freedom means having choices, and they are completely unaware that the purpose of others granting freedom is to make them more willing to obey; since they do not realize it, then as the person who grants freedom, I have an obligation to remind them at this point."

Looking at the guy in front of him who looked like a "slave owner", Karl couldn't help but twitch his lips, and he couldn't help feeling pity for the "poor people" who were about to be in bad luck.

Of course, it's just pity. After all, they chose this path themselves, and they can't blame anyone.

The chief of staff shook his head and turned around and left the room. Just as Anson picked up the coffee on the table, three familiar figures appeared outside the door. Anson was stunned for a moment and asked with a chuckle:

"Oh, why are you back again?"