I Created Scientific Magic

On the training field, a series of piercing booms echoed one after another.

Cleaning the gun bores, ramming in lead bullets, loading gunpowder, aiming at targets, pulling the trigger…

A group of guards, strictly following the procedure, fired lead bullets one by one under Lowen's scolding, quickly turning the targets ahead into tatters.

In the end, Lowen had to replace all the targets with steel ones; otherwise, they simply couldn't withstand the wear and tear.

An entire afternoon passed by just like this, and although their palms and shoulders were somewhat sore from the recoil of the muskets, the novelty of the weapons made old York completely disregard the discomfort, wishing he could spend all day at the range.

Even when they heard Lowen announce the end of the shooting practice and that they could rest, many of the new recruits felt a sense of reluctance.

During the break, old York went to inspect the steel targets and couldn't help but gasp— the two-finger-thick copper shields had been pitted and dented by the lead bullets, the surface caved in.

It was clear that not even steel could completely resist the attack of the muskets, armor would be instantly shattered, and if it were a person… old York shivered involuntarily, no longer daring to imagine.

After a short rest, it was time for the routine run; three thousand men carrying the new muskets, formed a long queue and jogged around the entire city. The townspeople on the streets cast envious glances their way.

Everyone knew that the musket team had the best treatment in Yiyeta Harbor— not to mention the payment of twenty silver coins a month, but also free food and lodging.

Unfortunately, the musket team was very strict in recruiting; too fat, too thin, too short, too old, none were wanted.

Old York basked in the envious, jealous gazes of the public, hugging his flintlock musket. If these people knew that the City Lord had actually provided each of them with a powerful alchemical weapon that could penetrate steel armor, they would be even more envious.

"Lynn, Sir, having them constantly perform these basic drill exercises, is it really useful?" Watching the new recruits disappear into the distance, Lowen voiced his doubts.

He felt that rather than spending so much time on how to keep the formation meticulous and how to maintain the neatness of the files while running, it would be better to put all efforts into practicing shooting accuracy, which would be more important on the battlefield.

"Of course it does! I've always believed that one of the most important criteria for a qualified army is strict discipline!" Lynn said decisively. "Especially for the musketeers, maintaining a tight formation is essential to maximize their firepower!"

In the era of the flintlock, the most famous tactic was the line infantry tactic sarcastically referred to as "standing in line for a shooting execution."

The early muskets had limited accuracy and range, and they could only ensure sufficient accuracy at long distances by lining up in formations and firing volleys.

Of course, Lynn did not plan to use this tactic because his opponents were not equipped with muskets and cannons; instead, he intended to use the renowned platoon volley fire method to compensate for the poor firing rate of the flintlocks!

This so-called platoon volley fire involved dividing the firearm units into three ranks, firing in rotation. After the first rank had fired, they moved to the back to reload, while the ready second rank of musketeers could begin firing, and so on in repeats, allowing the barrage of bullets to incessantly pummel the enemy.

This is when discipline became extremely important; otherwise, it would only result in disarray during battle!

Lynn explained the combat methods of the musket squads to Lowen and then curiously asked.

"What do you think of war? And what factors do you think determine the outcome of a battle?"

Lowen also came from beyond the Mist Sea, it was said that he had served as a knight for a time under an Earl, leading several small-scale wars before he was forced to flee to Wizard Land after teaching himself witchcraft and being denounced.

It was precisely because of his experience leading troops that Lynn had put him in charge of the musket squads.

"Normally, armies are divided into two types," Lowen said as he considered the so-called volley firing method. "One is the temporarily conscripted serfs, holding pitchforks, hoes, and other farm tools, with large numbers yet very limited combat ability. The other type consists of well-equipped, trained elite guards who usually serve as the reserve forces.

When the battle starts, they typically form ranks, loose a few volleys of arrows, and then everyone charges in with their swords. Whichever side breaks first loses.

Normally, the factors that decide victory or defeat are the number of troops, the rate of armor-wearing, the number of crossbows, and the quantity of knights," Lowen continued uninterrupted.
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Of course, this is about the internal wars between nobles for land, where the Church usually doesn't interfere; otherwise, with the involvement of Priests or even Bishops, the situation would be entirely different.

Is it really that primitive? Lynn paused, then remembered that, aside from Divine Arts and Magic, this is essentially a medieval empire. The battles between nobles usually only involve a few thousand people, so how could they develop any novel tactics?

After introducing the nature of wars among the nobility, Lowen spoke about his understanding and use of firearms.

For example, when facing smaller numbers of enemies, they could form a circular array to surround them and create a crossfire, establishing a net of firepower to improve shooting accuracy.

Compared to crossbows, flintlock guns are powerful due to their armor-penetrating capability and the speed with which troops can be trained. The downsides are the slow loading speed and weak close combat abilities.

Bayonets are no match for great swords or spears, so there might be a need to train a company of about a thousand sword and shield soldiers to assist the musket squads in close-quarters combat.

"There's no need for that, using bayonets only happens in the direst circumstances. If close combat is a disadvantage, why not simply prevent the enemy from getting close?" Lynn interjected.

"Lord Lynn, war is not a joke. Any punitive force sent by the empire will likely outnumber us by more than tenfold, and a few rounds of musket fire will not be enough to rout them," Lowen frowned, feeling that Lynn's confidence in muskets was perhaps a bit too great.

"No, precisely because our forces are so few, we can't afford to waste them in close combat, which would mean significant losses!" Lynn shook his head. "If we have a superior firepower, then this is how we should fight!"

"With the aerial advantage provided by the skyships, as the enemy approaches from three kilometers to three hundred meters, we baptize them with cannon fire! From three hundred meters down to about seventy meters, we bombard them with magic; from seventy to ten meters, the muskets fire in volleys, aiming to eliminate the enemy before they're even fully visible!"

"And within ten meters, depending on the enemy's resistance, we decide whether to use the Flame Torrent or the Earth Wall Technique to support a retreat…"