Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etude

Crystal Shine Fortress is the capital of the Kingdom of Ordo. It’s named after the gigantic crystals found in the nearby Rocky Mountains.

The earlier monarchs of the Rodney Dynasty had moved the capital several times. It was during the reign of the fifth king that the capital was finally established here, gradually becoming the political and economic center of the entire kingdom. After meticulous development by eleven subsequent generations of kings, the capital had grown to a population of over 100,000, making it one of the largest cities in the known world.

In the spring of the year 1990 of the Holy Calendar, the eastern territories of the kingdom were harassed by the Highland Barbarians. Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine personally led the troops to suppress them. After the princess’s army had all reached the eastern highlands, the Grand Duke Jars, whose lands were in the south, raised a rebel flag and began to advance rapidly northward.

But worse was to follow. Sir Hals, the commander of the city guard left in the capital, betrayed the royal family and also initiated a rebellion in response to Jars in the south.

It was now midday, and the fields along the King’s Road leading to the capital were still bustling with activity.

The farmers did not want to rest. The recent rebellion by the city guards had thrown the vicinity of the capital into chaos, making people afraid to leave their homes and delaying much farm work. Now that things had calmed down a bit, many were working from dawn to dusk to not miss the planting season.

“Chirp chirp chirp…”

Many birds, flustered, flew in from the north. People looked up and saw an army appearing at the end of the road.

There was initial tension until the fluttering banner within the troops was recognized, bringing relief.

As one unit after another passed, the road was shrouded in dust. A vast number of soldiers and countless banners merged into a colorful river, winding and surging towards the capital.

“Giddy-up!” A group of riders, dressed as knights, galloped past the marching soldiers towards the front of the column. Leading them was a female knight, her bright golden hair shining in the sunlight, dancing like flames in the air.

As they neared the front of the column, the knights noticed someone riding towards them at speed. They pulled on their reins, slowing their horses.

The rider reached them quickly, facing the leading lady and bowing his head with his right hand on his chest: “Your Highness.”

Princess Catherine waved her hand, signaling him to dispense with the formalities, and asked, “What’s the situation ahead?”

“The vanguard has already joined the loyalist army at Olen Town. The temporary command post is set up, waiting for you to arrive.”

“Alright, let’s hurry over,” she said.

“Yes!” The others acknowledged her command, spurring their horses to follow Princess Catherine as she raced ahead.

About half an hour later, Catherine and her party arrived at the Olen Town Hall, serving as the temporary command post. As she dismounted, a female commander appeared at the entrance. She walked down the steps and kneeled on one knee, “Your Highness.”

The female commander had black hair and eyes and wore black armor, creating a stark contrast with the princess’s white armor.

Princess Catherine immediately extended her hands to lift her up and then hugged her tightly, saying with relief, “Ofina, thank the Lord of Light for arranging you to be by my side in such dire times.”

“Your Highness, I have sworn to always follow by your side,” the female commander said with a rare gentleness on her otherwise frosty face.

“Thank you, Ofina…”

“Your Highness, please stop tormenting your subject. The lords who have come to support the king are waiting for your audience.”

“Alright. I saw many troops on the way here; choosing you to gather the loyalist army was indeed the right decision.” Praising her, Catherine held Ofina’s hand tightly as they entered the town hall together.

Upon the princess’s arrival, those engaged in a heated discussion inside immediately stood up to greet her.

Princess Catherine walked to the main seat in the hall and sat down, gesturing for everyone to be seated. Ofina sat to her right, and the rest who had followed the princess also found their seats.

The princess surveyed the hall, nodding in satisfaction.

“After the incident in the royal capital, my father, the king, fell slightly ill and commanded me to temporarily take charge of state affairs. This is an order signed by His Majesty himself.”

The princess unrolled a scroll, and immediately a servant took it with both hands, passing it around the hall for everyone to see. The edict indeed bore the king’s own signature.

There was no objection to Catherine’s regency. Her capabilities were already well-known: literate at five, skilled in martial arts by ten. While her peers were still diligently studying, she was already helping her ailing father manage various state affairs, earning unanimous praise from the ministers.

Moreover, at fifteen, she formed her own knight order, repeatedly leading troops to the highlands to drive away the various barbarian tribes attacking the kingdom. No wonder she was again chosen to lead the troops this time.

Catherine spoke loudly, “In times of national crisis, true loyalists are recognized. All of you have shown great understanding and loyalty by adhering to the ancient oaths and assisting the royal family in this emergency. My father would be immensely gratified.”

“Your Highness, the Harden family swears to follow the royal family to the death…”

“By the Almighty, the loyalty of the Deli family to the royal family has always been unwavering…”

“My Aedley family is willing to be the vanguard for Your Highness, to punish the rebel Jars!”

“Jars betrayed His Majesty the King, his crimes are unforgivable. The Lord of Light will punish him.”

…

After the loyalist nobles from various regions expressed their loyalty to the royal family, the meeting entered a substantive phase: discussing how to recapture Crystal Shine Fortress.

“Your Highness, Jars’ main force is being blocked by Duke Dodge, and they can’t reinforce the rebels in the capital for now. The city guard is only about five thousand men, while we have more than forty thousand. We don’t need to wait for the rest of the loyalist troops to arrive; we can gather all our forces tomorrow and take back the capital in one fell swoop.”

“These five thousand are the elite guards of the capital, not some hastily conscripted farmers. We should still be cautious.”

“Are you looking down on our provincial troops?”

“Not at all, sir.”

“My intelligence indicates that Hals has coerced at least twenty thousand able-bodied men to defend the city for him.”

“You are overthinking it. A disorganized mob is not a concern. Once they see the royal banner, they will scatter like birds and beasts.”

“They only need to know how to operate the city’s defense machinery. The capital is not like those rural fortresses that fall at the first attack. Without more than ten times the number of troops, it’s hard to conquer.”

…

After an afternoon of discussion, it was decided that Duke Walker would lead fifteen thousand troops in a feigned attack on the north gate of Crystal Shine Fortress, while Princess Catherine would lead the main force of twenty-five thousand troops to attack the east gate.

The next day, the attack on the north gate began first.

The royalist army started with catapults and archers. Due to accuracy issues, the catapults were mainly used for psychological intimidation, while the archers, firing volleys of arrows at the city walls, exerted real pressure on the defenders.

The rebel side lacked archers, with only sporadic counterattacks. Most could only rely on battlements and shields to resist the rain of arrows.

Under the cover of the catapults and archers, large numbers of royalist soldiers slowly moved towards the city walls, pushing siege towers and battering rams.

People on the walls were occasionally hit by arrows and fell. The real city guards were relatively calm, diligently protecting themselves with shields, but the conscripted militia couldn’t maintain such composure, especially when comrades beside them were hit.

Finally, a militia man couldn’t take it anymore. With one comrade dead and another injured beside him, he figured the next arrow would hit him. So, he left his post during a lull in the arrow volleys and quietly moved towards the ramp leading to the city walls.

“All I want is to get out of this damned place,” he thought.

Just as he saw the ramp and no one guarding it, he was about to rejoice when a sharp pain struck from his chest to his back. Looking down, he saw a bloodied spearhead protruding from his chest. Before he could understand what had happened, his consciousness began to blur, and he collapsed on the city wall.

The city guard officer behind him, eyes red, pulled out the spear and hysterically yelled at the others, “This is the fate of deserters who abandon their posts, kill without mercy!!!”

Just then…

“Bang!” A loud collision echoed. This was the sound of the siege tower hitting the city wall.

“Charge—” A large group of royalist soldiers shouted as they rushed up the ladders on the tower.

“Prepare the fire oil! Shield and swordsmen, forward!” The rebels also prepared for the attack.

Woooooo-

The horns of both attackers and defenders sounded almost simultaneously, marking the official start of the battle for the capital.