Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Winters did not return to Tiefeng County as soon as possible, but instead stepped into the country of mountains. Although it was outside of the original plan, it was not just a whim.

In fact, Winters had been thinking about the possibility of a trip to Steel Castle since his visit to [Arpad Dujaum].

Up to now, the main way for the Tiefeng County Army to obtain weapons is through seizure.

The weapons seized from the enemy were not only limited in number, but also of uneven quality, and there was a serious lack of muskets.

Tiefeng County can barely make its own simple weapons such as spears and maces. If the cost is not considered, maybe we can also build a ignition door gun.

However, long-barreled muskets or long swords with higher technical content are beyond the capabilities of local blacksmiths such as [the three Goncharov brothers].

It's not impossible to insist on making...

If you can't make a long barrel, make a short one, and then splice the short barrels into a long barrel. The musket made in this way looks decent in appearance - but it is useless.

Spliced ​​barrels naturally have hidden dangers. No one knows whether there are hidden wounds inside the joints, let alone whether the hidden wounds will cause the barrel to explode the next time it is fired.

After the Battle of Blood Mud, officers and sergeants from each musketeer unit reported similar acts of cowardice: some musketeers always loaded as little gunpowder as possible, and even deliberately poured the gunpowder in the paper bag out of the muzzle, causing the power of the lead bullets to Not enough, hitting the barbarian armored soldiers only made a muffled sound and no blood was seen.

Winters' actual investigation found that most of the "cowardly" musketeers used spliced ​​muskets, and they had generally witnessed the tragic situation of their comrades being seriously injured when using spliced ​​muskets, which made them afraid to load enough gun ammunition.

How can a warrior be expected to fight if he is afraid of the weapon in his hand?

That's why Winters traveled across mountains and rivers to Steel Castle - his army needed weapons, and Steel Castle was the largest weapons production center in the republics.

As for how to transport it back...remember the pass issued by Arpad?

The traditional route for steel castle ironware to be exported to Plato is water transport, which goes straight down the Rose River to the Ashliu River, and then is sold to various parts of Plato.

It's just that this trade route is impassable now, because the lower reaches of the Rose River are areas controlled by the military government.

Of course, the military government would not let the steel fortress flow into the territory of the "puppet government", so the merchant ships on the Rose River could unload their goods in Jiangbei Province and could not go any further.

But... the merchant ships of the Tiefeng County rebels may be able to be kept aside.

The so-called enemy of the enemy is a friend. For the military government, the Second Republic is the enemy, and the New Reclamation Army is the enemy at both ends.

Compared with the first two who are hateful in appearance, the "Tiefeng County Rebels" who are hostile to Red Rose and the New Reclamation Legion look much cuter.

Moreover, the military government has now formed a substantial alliance with Veneta, and the attitude within the military government towards the Tiefeng County rebels—especially Winters Montagne—has become very ambiguous.

Winters tested the bottom line of the military government and even made some excessive demands to Lieutenant Colonel Elek (such as asking to take away all his former subordinates).

As an engineer lieutenant colonel, Elek was not actually qualified to give Winters clearance.

But Winters' demands were all met in the end, and there weren't even any complications. Even with Alpad's tacit approval in advance, it is incredible that it could be accomplished so smoothly.

This shows that not only Arpad, but other senior members of the military government also choose to turn a blind eye.

Winters speculated from this: There is probably an idea within the military government to win over the Tiefeng County Army, and it is even more likely that there is a plan to use the Tiefeng County Army to contain the New Reclamation Army.

Therefore, while passing through Jiangbei Province on his way to the Monta Republic, Winters sent a letter to Lieutenant Colonel Elek.

In addition to sincere greetings and some information about Hurd's ministries, Winters also enclosed thirty gold bars and a simple message:

"Can the Tiefeng County Chamber of Commerce be allowed to purchase some farm tools in Steel Castle... for spring plowing?"

Winters has not received a reply yet, but according to the situation explained by Mr. Ed, the issue of "the military government is not allowed to buy" is more urgent than "the steel castle is unwilling to sell".

…

"Steel Castle is going to impose a trade embargo on Plato?" Winters felt a bit of black humor: "Isn't that to block the military government? Anyway, the route from Monta to Jinliu River is all under the control of the military government. The King's Castle would not have received the weapons from the Steel Castle."

Mr. Ed's smile was a bit mocking: "The State Council's statement is 'for peace'."

"Has the Kingdom of Mountains chosen a side?" Winters took a sip of ice water.

"Rather." Mr. Ed corrected lightly: "The position of the Monta Republic has never changed."

Winters held the iron cup and sighed - there was nothing anyone could do about the problems left over from history.

…

Unlike the United Provinces, Veneta, and Plato, which won their independence in blood and fire, the sovereignty of Monta and Varn was not earned on their own.

No one knows what conditions Marshal Ned offered to Richard IV at the gates of Guitu, but everyone can see the result: the Mad King withdrew his troops, and most of the Monta Royal Domain and the Duchy of Vanne were incorporated into the United Provinces. Territory, from now on south of the Shade Mountains, there will no longer be any flag flying of the Sun Royal Family.

However, as soon as the imperial army withdrew, the United Provinces, Veneta, and Plato were immediately on the verge of breaking up due to the [New Territory Disposal Plan].

The lions of the United Provinces opened their mouths and believed that Monta and Vineland should be merged into the United Provinces nearby. The reasons are also very good:

The United Provinces have the smallest land area; the United Provinces have paid the highest price in the war; placing the Shade Mountains completely under the jurisdiction of the United Provinces is more conducive to the overall planning of the empire's defense.

Plato firmly opposed the proposal of a federal province, and proposed that the Wane Territory could be merged into the federal province nearby, but the premise was that Monta Territory must be merged into Plato.

Veneta borders neither Monta nor Varne, so the Republic of Veneta cannot accept either of the above two options.

In the end, at the call of Marshal Ned, the three parties compromised: Montaland and Wineland joined the alliance as independent republics. The preparation and early operation of the republican government would be guided and supervised by the alliance government, and the two countries would not have any influence on alliance affairs. Has veto power.

On the surface, the final plan is a result acceptable to all countries.

However, the representatives who signed the agreement never expected that the United Provinces would win everything in the end.

In the few years after the empire withdrew, the Federation Province people successfully turned the alliance government into the glove and mouthpiece of Guitu City by infiltrating and controlling key departments of the alliance.

This kind of play eventually caused Plato and Venetta to leave the field angrily, and the alliance government existed in name only.

However, by controlling the federal government, the United Provinces have also been deeply involved in the political ecology of Monta and Vane, spreading their influence to every blood vessel and pore of the two new republics.

In this political game, in the end, the more shameless people win everything, and the more moral people lose everything.

But the real loser is the "permanent alliance of free republics"

After the vision of a great alliance collapsed, Marshal Germany died within a few years.

And then until today.

…

Winters lived in the military school for nine years and honed his skills in the Islands, Wasteland and Plato for three years. Although he had little contact with politics, he still had a basic understanding of the internal affairs of the alliance.

At least when I was still studying at the Army Academy, the decision of [Plato and Veneta to withdraw from the coalition government] and give up if they couldn't win was often criticized in internal discussions, and Often leading to fierce quarrels.

The reins of Monta's government are held by the United Provincial Republic, so in Winters' view, it is only a matter of time before the Mountain Country intervenes in the Plato Civil War.

The Palatine military government and the King's Castle can still compete with each other, but if the United Provinces and Monta send troops at the same time, the military government has no hope of surviving under the three-sided strangulation.

The future of the Tiefeng County Army not only depends on its own struggles, but is also affected by the games of the republics.

[Those who do not focus on the overall situation cannot defend even a corner of the chessboard].

It was precisely because he kept this sentence in mind that Winters took the risk to sneak into the country of mountains, not only to purchase ordnance, but also to find out the movements of the Monta Republic - it would be better if personnel could be stationed to send back information regularly. .

…

Therefore, the key to Monta’s problem is——

"To what extent is Monta State Council prepared to intervene?" Winters asked Mr. Eide: "Trade embargo? Political condemnation? Military confrontation?"

The old gentleman shook his head slightly: "I don't know... Mr. Montagne, can I ask a question."

"Speaking."

Mr. Ed asked slowly: "Among the mountains, between the sky and the earth, is there a people named Monta Republic?"

Winters understood what the old man wanted to say and replied with a smile: "Of course not. A country is a collective composed of thousands of people."

"Yes, just like a chamber of commerce, the interests of the partners are not always consistent." Mr. Ed looked at Winters: "For example, some people think that you are a rare commodity, some people think that we must draw a clear line with you as soon as possible, and some people From the beginning to the end, he never expressed his stance...the most important person."

"What do you think?" Winters asked politely.

"Me?" Mr. Ed looked at Anna and said kindly: "I'm just doing a little favor for the dear little lady."

Anna nodded gratefully and gently held Winters' hand: "Mr. Ed was a close friend of my grandfather, and a partner who moved to Veneta from Rhode Island with my grandfather."

"Time flies." Mr. Ed smiled with nostalgia and regret: "Let's go back to Monta. The interests of the United Provinces and the interests of the Monta people are not completely consistent. The interests of the Monta State Council and the interests of Steel Castle It’s not entirely consistent. There are considerable differences among the Montana states on the trade embargo policy alone.”

"You mean there's still a chance?"

"What I mean is that a consensus has not yet been formed, and no one knows what the final result will be." Mr. Ed pointed to the mountains in the distance: "The customs of Monta and Veneta are very different. You saw it when you came. In essence, the Republic of Monta They are small settlements divided by mountains. That's why the small Republic of Monta has twenty-six states, and each state still retains a considerable degree of autonomy. This kind of organizational structure is not available even to the people of the United Provinces. Change……"

Winters listened patiently and then asked a simple and rude question: "According to the current power structure of the Monta Republic, who owns the command of the Seventh [Mountain] Army and the Eighth [Iron Wall] Army?"

Mr. Ed was startled and replied hesitantly: "It should be the Army Council."

Winters asked again: "Who does the Army Council listen to?"

The old gentleman thought for a moment and smiled helplessly: "I can't figure out the inside story of the army. Mr. [Borso da Este] should know better than me. You can ask Bai Ying then."

Winters took a long breath: "If even you can't figure it out, I roughly know what's going on. It must be another issue left over from history... On the surface, I listen to the State Council, but in fact I don't listen to anyone else. .”

Mr. Ed didn't quite understand, and the other two people were also full of doubts. Winters was still sighing: "Why can't the people from the United Provinces teach me better?"

Mr. Ed coughed lightly and drew the attention of others: "At present, if you want to find a channel to purchase agricultural tools, you can only start from the divergence of interests between Steel Castle and Monta State Council."

Winters took the hint: "You mean we have a chance to get around the embargo restrictions."

The old man said unhurriedly: "If the Steel Fort Blacksmith Guild is willing to trade, there are 10,000 ways to circumvent the embargo; if the Steel Fort Blacksmith Guild is unwilling to trade, there are 10,000 ways to circumvent the embargo." The way the terms are set out doesn’t make sense either.”

"What if we don't purchase the finished product directly?" Winters asked word for word: "But exchange formulas, customize machinery, hire craftsmen... is it feasible?"

Weapons are consumables and will break down sooner or later as long as they are used. Simply buying them is not a long-term solution. In addition to purchasing ordnance, Winters also has a higher priority-purchasing technology.

Mr. Ed was surprised at first, and then laughed heartily, with a smile that was half appreciation and half regret.

He shook his head and advised sincerely: "Your Excellency Montagne, you have longer-term ideas than many people, which is rare at your age. But I still recommend that you focus on your most urgent needs. When it comes to supplies, it’s best not to mention other requirements.”

"Excuse me...why?"

Mr. Ed didn't say anything clearly, but just smiled and replied: "You will know when the time comes."

[Currently owing two chapters] (previous parts are counted separately)

[Numbers of the ten standing legions of the alliance]

[I ‘Victory Goddess’ Legion, United Provinces]

[II ‘Running River’ Regiment, United Provinces]

[III ‘Grand Veneta’ Legion, Veneta]

[IVth ‘Emerald’ Legion, Veneta]

[Vth ‘Galloping Horse’ Legion, Plato]

[VIth Legion of Kings, Plato]

[VII ‘Mountains’ Regiment, Monta]

[VIIIth ‘Iron Wall’ Legion, Monta]

[IXth ‘Skylark’ Regiment, Vann]

[Xth ‘Thalia’ Legion, Vann]

[The standing army is also the product of political compromise. For the sake of nominal fairness, each republic is only allowed to maintain two standing armies]

[But in actual operation, those who have no money (Vine) can't wait to cut the standing army budget, and those who have money and want to expand their army (the United Provinces) will set up an additional "National Corps/Reserve Corps\