Chapter 123: The Weapon Equipment Plan
Bruno had been contemplating the Idar Army's equipment for quite some time.
When the magic crystal bombs were developed by the mage apprentices at an astonishing speed, Bruno instantly realized that his previous ideas such as enchanting blades or arrows were far too primitive!
More importantly, those ideas did nothing to reflect his brilliance and strategic vision!
With the successful application of magic crystal bombs, Bruno's thoughts naturally evolved.
After all… if those incredibly talented mage apprentices could develop magic crystal bombs, what couldn't they create?
Since magic crystal bombs were now a reality, then at the very least, it was imperative to develop magic cannons as soon as possible!
Otherwise, relying solely on catapults to hurl bombs seemed far too crude!Moreover, with a mere throwing distance of 100 to 200 meters, catapults couldn't fully exploit the long range firepower potential of the magic crystal bombs.
Caliber is justice. Range is truth! Bruno firmly believed in these principles.
Only by equipping the Idar Army with large-scale magic cannons could they attain an unmatched deterrent ensuring that Idar's forces would fear no one!
So far, there had been no updates regarding the northern war, but the sheer number of refugees flooding into Idar was enough to indicate that the situation was grim.
Thus, Bruno had to prepare in advance at the very least, he needed to ensure that Idar had enough military strength to defend itself!
Aside from magic cannons, Bruno also envisioned the development of a "magic energy rifle"!Since magic crystals could already store magical power, theoretically, if magic was stored inside them beforehand and later triggered through an enchantment circuit (similar to a trigger mechanism) or better yet, if magic crystals were cut into tiny particles and propelled through a special magical force field, generating a powerful burst of energy
Biu~ biubiu~! (lol plasma guns sci-fi shit)Just imagining it got Bruno fired up! It was exhilarating just to think about!
Imagine while enemy soldiers were still fighting with bread knives, Idar's forces could simply charge in with magic energy rifles and unleash a wave of firepower! Absolutely thrilling!
Of course, the so called "magic energy rifle" was still merely a concept, and its feasibility and practicality remained to be tested.
However, the magic cannon was something tangible and within reach!After all… if magic crystal bombs were already in production, how far could magic cannons be?
Furthermore, if magic energy rifles were eventually mass produced
Thousands of meters away, the magic cannons would unleash relentless bombardment.Hundreds of meters away, the magic energy rifles would provide overwhelming fire coverage.Up close, soldiers would wield sharp and lethal combat knives ensuring bloodshed in every strike!
And this was the modernized weapon system that Bruno had devised for Idar's army the very reason why he wanted to replace short swords with lightweight combat knives.
As for why he said he came up with this plan it was because his previous idea of enchanting arrows was so lame that he needed a self consolation excuse if this one turned out to be flawed as well…
Seriously… why enchant arrows when you could just enchant the bow instead? (See Chapter 45)
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Wagner was originally a commoner from Soren Territory, but he was among the first wave of refugees to arrive in Idar. (See Chapter 69)
After the devastating Battle of the Grand Highlands, Soren Territory suffered a crushing defeat.The Earl of Soren began forcibly conscripting commoners into his military, so Wagner fled to Idar with his pregnant wife through the Soren River crossing.
At first, like the others, Wagner was fearful—afraid that the Earl of Idar might be an unreasonable and oppressive ruler.
However, the moment he crossed the Soren River, he immediately sensed that Idar was different.
The officials of Idar treated them the lowest of commoners without any arrogance or prejudice.They spoke to them as equals and didn't demand any bribes an unheard of practice in any other noble's domain!
After all, in the Norman Empire, it was common practice:Great nobles oppressed lesser nobles.Lesser nobles exploited their subordinates.Officials bullied commoners and serfs.
But Wagner had no idea that Bruno himself had personally punished several corrupt and arrogant officials, using them as examples to establish a new standard of governance.
Thus, after a week-long quarantine in Idar, Wagner was allowed to enter and was settled in the laborers' district of Grand Highlands Grand Town.
With his temporary residence permit, he could register for work and secure employment in Idar's iron mines.
The wages?20 copper coins per month, plus a commission based on ore extraction.
Wagner had no idea what "commission" meant, but he did understand that 20 copper coins alone wouldn't be enough to sustain his pregnant wife!
So, he worked tirelessly, waking up at dawn, mining all day, and only returning home when everyone else had already left working nonstop without a single day off.
And after a monthWagner received a shocking wage of 43 copper coins more than double the base salary!
Even when he held the money in his hands, he couldn't believe it…
In fact, none of the Soren refugees could believe it.The so-called "commission" was actually real money that they could physically hold in their hands!
With such generous pay, Wagner's motivation skyrocketed!
The Idar officials also noticed Wagner's exceptional diligence.So, when Idar's ironworks were established, Wagner along with dozens of other hardworking laborers was transferred to work in the foundry.
The molten iron flowed through the channels, forming ingots in an assembly line process The entire ironworks was like a miracle in Wagner's eyes!
Because in the Norman Empire, where the "bloomery iron" method was still dominant, this high furnace iron smelting was completely unheard of!
Not only was it efficient, but the quality of the produced iron was exceptional!
But Wagner's biggest shock came not from the ironworks, but from Idar's welfare policies!
Since Idar's population was still small, Bruno implemented a special policy
Every pregnant woman received:Two saltwater fish per month and a five copper coin living allowance
Unbelievable!
In the entire history of the Norman Empire, no noble had ever cared about commoners' pregnancies!
Two fish and five copper coins might not seem like much, but it was a clear sign of Bruno's compassion and concern for his people!
Because of this, every commoner in Idar felt the Earl's benevolence and care for their families.
After joining the ironworks, Wagner's base salary increased to 30 copper coins per month.With his commissions and his wife's pregnancy allowance, their total monthly income reached over 50 copper coins!
Something they could have never even dreamed of before!