Ch.124Firepower Demonstration

To trace the origins of gunpowder weapons, one must go back to the central region of this continent.

As previously established through multiple accounts, everyone knew that this continent was of an extraordinary size. The central part of this supercontinent, formed by the convergence of numerous landmasses, was where multiple tectonic plates merged, resulting in intense geological activity.

Conversely, being so far from the coastline that even clouds couldn’t reach it, the region rarely received rainfall except around a few large lakes, resulting in predominantly steppe or desert climates. The only places with frequent rainfall were near lakeshores or in forested highlands.

As mentioned earlier, the central part of the continent was a breeding ground for armies, where densely packed nations drafted troops at full capacity daily just to survive. Gunpowder weapons were born from the rational conclusion of “how can I hit them without them hitting me?”

Naturally, in the geologically active central region, it was possible to mine sulfur from the mountains behind and saltpeter from the front yard, allowing for the maintenance of large-scale gunpowder weaponry at minimal cost. This total warfare centered around gunpowder weapons came as a tremendous shock to humans from other regions, including the north.

However, this doesn’t mean they were overwhelmingly powerful.

They critically lacked population due to their constant warfare.

In other words, they could win battles, but when battles escalated into wars, they inevitably lost due to sustainability issues.

Another problem was that the central region’s armies were particularly weak against large monsters and demons.

This was largely due to environmental factors. Land good for humans was generally good for other races too, so the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions developed knowledge about fighting monsters and exorcising demons through continuous conflicts due to high racial density.

But the central region was so barren that even basic sustenance was scarce.

Even demons had long since abandoned it, thinking “there’s nothing worth taking here,” let alone monsters. The few cultists or dark mages who did exist were often conscripted before they could do anything and died riddled with musket bullets, cutting off their lineages.

The fact that the struggle of all against all has continued for thousands of years means that only humans have survived in the barren central region for millennia—perhaps this is a kind of tribute to humanity.

Above all, “tactics and weapons for humans to kill other humans” almost all originated from the central region.

With nothing to do but wage war, weapon development and tactical and strategic advancement progressed abnormally fast compared to other regions.

In the end, this rapid development culminated in creating the final form of muzzle-loading firearms within the limits of the pre-modern era. But considering that nations in other regions lacked the technical capability to properly make even a crossbow, let alone firearms, the humans of the central region had certainly done their part.

*

July of the 31st year of the Amurtat Calendar.

“Load!”

“Loading commenced!”

Swish, swish…

Roll… roll…

Click! Click! Clank!

At the top of the fortress wall, they were loading a 24-pound howitzer.

Numerous officers were positioned to observe this loading process, as it was essential to have at least basic knowledge of how powerful these gunpowder weapons being introduced to Amurtat were and how to operate them.

The loading process was as complicated as all firearms of this era.

First, they cleaned the barrel thoroughly with a stick wrapped in a water-soaked cloth, then inserted gunpowder pouches wrapped in oiled paper to prevent water damage. The amount of gunpowder could be adjusted according to the desired range. (This time, they used maximum charge for demonstration purposes.)

Then they inserted a wad to propel the cannonball farther, followed by the 24-pound (about 11kg) cannonball itself.

This cannonball was made of iron with a lead coating on the outside. Making it entirely from iron would cause too much barrel wear, while making it from lead alone would be too soft, hence this composite design.

“Ready to fire!”

“Ready to fire!”

The cannon, like the musket, used a firing mechanism with pyrite and flint.

However, it boasted a much larger and more beautiful size to ensure durability and reliable operation.

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

As the lanyard was pulled, the cannonball flew out with a thunderous sound, tracing an arc beyond the fortress wall.

BOOM!

Eventually, the cannonball plunged into the ground, tearing through the soft earth and traveling quite a distance before finally stopping.

“……”

The faces of the senior knights and the standard-bearer stiffened at the sight.

Unless one was a Sword Master, any knight engaged in combat would be unable to avoid fatal injury if such a powerful cannonball came flying at that speed.

But conversely, this meant that a Sword Master could deflect even the maximum power of a 24-pounder head-on.

Damn, they’re really hard to kill. I guess it was the right call to end it after killing those forty knights back then.

“Prepare the next cannon!”

“Prepare to fire the 12-pound direct-fire cannon!”

The demonstration was far from over. Next was the turn of the 12-pound direct-fire cannon, which had a loading process not much different from the 24-pound howitzer.

It was just smaller, so the process finished more quickly.

“Ready to fire!”

“Fire!”

BANG!

Once again, with a thunderous sound, the 12-pound cannonball was fired, only stopping after completely destroying several perfectly healthy trees.

Murmur, murmur…

This time, the knights gradually began to open their mouths and gossip.

“That kind of power seems… about equal to a large ballista…”

“I think I could deflect it, but knights less skilled than me would have no choice but to dodge…”

“To think these are the weapons of the central region… are the humans there monsters?”

For knights whose identity centered on close-quarters combat, such overwhelming firepower that denied approach altogether was enough to shake their worldview.

Even in the Joseon Dynasty, the matchlock gun was described as a weapon that allowed women and children to stand against Xiang Yu. Considering how the knight class collapsed with the advent of gunpowder weapons, their shock is understandable.

Unfortunately for them, the cannon demonstration was not yet over.

“Next! Load the grapeshot!”

“Loading grapeshot!”

Grapeshot was loaded into the 12-pound direct-fire cannon.

Yes, the same grapeshot used in shotguns, just scaled up in size.

And the grapeshot cannon, surpassing its smaller counterpart, spewed fire once more.

Rat-tat-tat!

The iron and lead alloy rained down like lightning, reducing the barely standing trees to complete sawdust.

Needless to say, no armor could stop the grapeshot fired from a cannon.

“We can’t… approach?”

A knight’s despairing words struck a chord with me.

In just one day, their pride was being shredded more finely than chicken breast on a salad.

If they die before approaching, and die even if they do approach, what difference is there between knights and common soldiers?

“Next! Prepare the 6-pound mortar!”

“Mortar ready!”

Finally, after witnessing lead balls in the sky desecrating the graves of the already mangled trees, the firepower demonstration ended.

“….”

The knights’ expressions were truly shocking.

If their expressions before the demonstration were -_-, now they were more like 0o0.

And not just the knights, but the commanders of the regular troops also wore grim expressions.

Until now, they had firmly believed in forming tight formations, and that breaking those formations meant certain death. In just one day, that belief had been shattered.

“What’s the meaning of formations… the purpose of drill training…?”

“With weapons like these, why form ranks…?”

“Isn’t this just slaughter then?”

The commanders and knights muttered in a daze, forgetting I was watching, as if possessed by ghosts. But I didn’t push them.

Both in actual history and in the game Polistory, forces that properly and collectively utilized gunpowder weapons inevitably crushed armies equipped with outdated weapons.

Now Amurtat’s army had to prepare for a paradigm shift.

They needed to throw lead bullets instead of arrows, cannonballs instead of stones, and conduct attrition warfare focused on firepower—killing the enemy before being killed themselves—with mortal troops who feared death.

“…It won’t be easy.”

But it had to be done.

Failure to adapt meant obsolescence, and in this world, obsolescence meant extinction.