Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etude

At noon, two companies from the new recruits training camp arrived at Lakeheart Town. The scout cavalry reported that the pirates hadn’t gone far. After assembling all the planned forces, the entire army had a hearty meal, and Paul Grayman announced their departure towards the pirates’ location.

By evening, they finally spotted the pirate crew, who had set up a camp by the river. The pirates, numbering around four to five hundred, were cooking over fires.

Paul thought to himself, “We don’t have a numerical advantage. But we have the benefit of modern military training, something this ragtag bunch can’t match.”

“Form up!” The company officers began directing their soldiers, switching from column to line formation.

The pirates, noticing the approaching army, quickly armed themselves and stood ready for battle.

A burly pirate with a large beard shouted, “Hey, little Grayman, have you prepared what grandpa asked for? Are you that eager to pay tribute?”

His words were met with roaring laughter from the pirates.

Bryce asked, “Lord, what should we do? Shall we attack?”

Paul regretfully thought, “If only we had brought the big firecrackers, we could have given them a real scare.”

The ‘great weapons’ developed earlier, after several experiments, turned out to be less effective than hoped. Initially, they filled hollow iron balls with gunpowder and hurled them, but the throwing distance was disappointing. The explosions were dangerous to the throwers, many got injured, and there were many duds. No wonder the grenadiers in “Total War: The Wheel” seemed so ineffective.

They later reduced the powder and switched to clay pots for longer throws, but this reduced the impact. The craftsmen added iron nails to the pots, resembling the Song Dynasty’s spiked fireballs.

After many modifications, he still viewed them as an ineffective version of modern grenades, but they were produced as an emergency measure. However, these subpar weapons were forgotten in the rush to summon reinforcements from the training camp last night.

After his internal rant, Paul lifted his riding crop and declared boldly, “Annihilate them.”

“Grasp your weapons!!! Forward!!!” On receiving the order, Bryce shouted, and the soldiers, in their line formations, began to advance slowly.

Observing his own troops in uniform and somewhat coordinated in their movements, Paul felt a sense of pride. In contrast, the pirates were disorganized and lacked formation, resembling a regular army encircling bandits. How could they lose?

Just then, the bearded pirate shouted, “Slaughter these noble dogs!!!”

The pirates collectively roared and charged recklessly towards them.

Initially, the territorial soldiers advanced steadily, but as the pirates drew closer, panic visibly set in, especially among the new recruits, who struggled to hold their weapons steady.

Then, unfortunately, someone in the front row, perhaps to bolster their courage, shouted,

“Charge!”

This call acted like a signal, sending the soldiers into a frenzied rush forward. In moments, the once tight formation scattered, with the officers swept along in the surge, leaving only Bryce and the internal security soldiers close to Paul.

Soon, the soldiers and pirates were embroiled in close combat, leaving Paul, mounted on his horse, muttering, “This isn’t how it was supposed to go! How did it turn into a reckless charge?”

Bryce cursed, “These good-for-nothing fools.”

The pirates, ferocious and ruthless, quickly gained the upper hand as the soldiers, lacking formation and real combat experience, were no match for these desperate outlaws. Within half an hour, the battle tipped in favor of the pirates.

Predictably, a soldier, using all his might, managed to fend off an attack and then turned and ran.

Then, a second and a third followed, until eventually, all the soldiers began to retreat in disarray. The officers shouted orders to stop them, and Bryce lashed at the retreating soldiers with his whip.

But all efforts were in vain.

“Lord, we must retreat! I’ll cover the rear with the cavalry,” Bryce said, realizing the situation was beyond salvageable and returned to advise Paul to withdraw.

Paul glared bitterly at the bearded pirate still pursuing their soldiers, bit his lip, and reluctantly ordered, “Cavalry, cover our retreat! Withdraw!”

He then turned his horse around, lashed it fiercely, and it began to gallop back the way they came.

“All those on horses, follow me to cover the retreat!”

…

After covering the retreat and regrouping the scattered soldiers, Bryce finally shook off the pirates’ pursuit. About an hour later, they caught up with Paul. After a headcount, including missing soldiers, they had lost over 30 men with more than 50 wounded.

“A disgrace!” Count Paul was on the verge of tears. This was his second defeat to pirates after his father’s failure. If word got out, his family would become a laughingstock in the Northwestern Bay.

He gritted his teeth: “Find those two scoundrels!!!”

Bryce asked, puzzled, “Which two, my lord?”

“The one who charged without orders and the one who retreated first! I’ll have them in the mines for life!”

“Yes, Lord Count.”

“Let’s return to Lakeheart Town. We need to reflect on the lessons from this operation.”

…

That night, every officer was required to write a battle report while Paul shut himself in his bedroom. While the officers struggled with their reports, Steward Philip heard the sound of objects being thrown and smashed in the Lord’s bedroom but didn’t inquire, understanding that his young master needed to vent.

…

The next day, Paul encountered an excited Bryce as he entered the hall.

“Lord Count, look who’s back!”

Beside him stood two people: an elderly man, around 50, looking vigorous, and a young man, probably in his early 20s. Both bowed respectfully to him.

“Who are these two?”

“Sir Schroeder and his squire Joyce. Owen Schroeder. You met him when you were a child. Oh, right, you were too young to remember.”

The elderly man slowly spoke, “Please allow me to introduce myself…”

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