Artisan

Just as Harald was troubled by this unsolvable problem and his mood was becoming increasingly irritable, a steady but slightly hurried set of footsteps came from outside the hall.

Asgeir suddenly strode in again, a hint of barely suppressed excitement on his face.

"Brother! I have something to report to you!" Asgeir's voice boomed, "There's progress on the matter you've been asking me to keep an eye on! I've recruited a few of the Broomflower artisans who came with the main force!"

"I interrogated them, and they don't seem to be ordinary craftsmen, but rather skilled at handling firearms! I quickly detained them without making a fuss, and brought them here specifically for you to examine and interrogate them in person!"

Upon hearing this, Harald's previously gloomy eyes suddenly lit up, like a flash of lightning in the darkness!

He sat bolt upright in his chair, staring intently at Asgeir: "A firearms craftsman? Are you sure?!"

"Most likely!" Asgeir nodded emphatically. "They can also draw blueprints, though I don't quite understand them, but they're definitely not forging horseshoes or making plowshares!"

"Quickly! Bring them in! No... wait!" Harald suppressed his excitement and quickly regained his composure as the leader. "No, I'll go see them myself!"

Harald took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and looked out the window at the gloomy sky over Frosgard.

Perhaps... the key to solving the Cannon problem doesn't necessarily need to be obtained from outside.

Harald and Asgeir left the empty Lord's Hall together and walked along the cold stone corridors of the castle toward the place where the craftsmen were housed.

On the way, Harald casually asked, "Asgeir, how did you find these two craftsmen? Are they reliable?"

Asgeir replied with a hint of smugness, "Brother, I strictly followed your orders and posted notices in the major towns under our control and the captured strongholds, offering high rewards to recruit craftsmen who know how to manufacture firearms, especially Cannon."

"As it turned out, two people actually took the challenge! I personally spoke with them one by one, asking them many questions about iron smelting, casting, and gunpowder proportions. I found that they were indeed people with real skills, not just scoundrels trying to scam the bounty."

Harald nodded in satisfaction and patted Asgeir's strong shoulder forcefully. "Well done, little brother! You handled this matter very well."

Harald always trusted his younger brother, who was loyal and capable.

The two soon arrived at a relatively secluded stone house inside the castle, which had originally been used as a warehouse. Asgeir's personal guards were heavily protecting the outside.

Pushing open the door, I saw seven or eight people kneeling inside. They were all apprentices or prisoners that Asgeir had brought in to work with him.

Harald glanced around, his gaze landing directly on the two middle-aged men kneeling at the front.

They were dressed in tattered clothes, looked pale and sickly, and their eyes were filled with fear and unease.

"Bring them both here," Harald gestured to Asgeir.

Asgeir immediately stepped forward and brought the two craftsmen to Harald.

The two of them fell to their knees again with a thud, not daring to lift their heads.

Harald, too lazy to make them get up, stood before them and asked in a tone that sounded as gentle as possible but was still authoritative, "What are your names? Where are you from?"

The two men trembled with fear and dared not utter a sound. Asgeir hissed from the side, "The Great Chieftain is asking you a question! Answer truthfully!"

The slightly older craftsman on the left, with thicker fingers, then said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to... Reporting to the Great Chieftain, my name is... my name is Klaus, Field Territory."

The paler-faced, more refined-looking man on the right quickly chimed in, "My... my name is Richard, and I'm from Hewenham Territory."

Harald nodded and got straight to the point. "I heard you can cast cannons? Tell me, can you cast those long-barreled bronze cannons? Like the ones that appeared on the Carnford City?"

Klaus and Richard exchanged a startled glance, seemingly surprised that the Great Chieftain would ask such a specific question.

Klaus mustered his courage and cautiously asked, "No... I don't know what you mean, Great Chieftain, but... but the six-pound bronze long-barreled cannon known as the ' Minerva Cannon ' in the Broomflower Army?"

Harald's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Yes! That kind of cannon! Can you build it?"

Klaus looked extremely embarrassed and stammered, "Great... Great Chieftain, you are wise enough to know that those cannons are incredibly powerful and have an extremely long range, but their manufacturing process is extremely complex and difficult!"

"It requires huge, high-quality copper plates that have been repeatedly forged, rolled into shape, and then welded using special techniques. The requirements for both the materials and the craftsmanship are extremely high! It's simply impossible to complete even one in less than six months, and... the success rate is very low. It would be considered good if one or two out of ten were successful."

"This humble servant... this humble servant dares not boast that he can definitely make it, for fear of wasting your precious materials..."

Harald's face darkened. "So, you just don't know how?"

Klaus was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly. "No, no, no! Great Chieftain, please calm down! It's not that I don't know how, it's just... that kind of cannon is indeed too difficult! However, I know another method of casting cannons! Although its power and range may not be as good as those long-barreled bronze cannons, it is much simpler and faster to cast. If there are enough materials and manpower, I can cast more than a dozen in a month!"

Upon hearing this, Harald immediately became interested. "Oh? Another method? Tell me, how do you cast it?"

Klaus quickly explained, "It's... it's the Mud-mold Cannon Casting Method! First, a solid clay core model is made using clay and sand according to the shape and size of the cannon barrel. After the clay model has dried and hardened, a casting mold is built around it with bricks and stones, leaving a pouring gate."

"Then the molten iron is poured directly into the cavity between the casting mold and the clay mold. After the iron cools and solidifies, the outer casting mold and the inner clay mold are broken to obtain a rough cannon. After grinding and drilling, it can be used."

He added, "Although the iron cannons cast using this clay molding method cannot shoot as far or accurately as the finely forged bronze cannons, they are lighter and easier to transport. Moreover, as long as the molten iron is of good quality and the casting process is careful, they are actually less likely to burst than some crudely made bronze cannons, making them safer."

Asgeir, who had been listening quietly, suddenly brightened up and interjected, "Brother! I think this is a good idea! Let them mass-produce these easy-to-manufacture iron cannons first!"

"This type of cannon is lightweight, making it perfect for rapid movement with our army. It can also be used in mountainous and forested terrain, instantly boosting our legion's firepower! As for the powerful long-barreled bronze cannon you desire, we can let them study it gradually as a long-term goal."

"This will solve our immediate problem of 'whether we have cannons or not,' and we won't waste time and resources by being overly ambitious. If the bronze cannons are not made well and explode, injuring our warriors, then it would be a great loss!"