In Terra, I Have No Books to Read

Ursus charged forward aggressively, completely catching the Victorians off guard.

Two entire army corps! The sheer logistics of transporting them here would be a significant drain. Was Kazdel really willing to invest so much to back them up?

However, Ursus was unaware of Victoria's surprise. Once the troops reached their designated positions, they began to deploy.

Soldiers formed combat formations facing the Victorian fleet. Ship cannons shed their protective covers, their dark muzzles slowly rising and, with the rotation of the turrets, pointing towards the Victorian fleet.

Although it was a joint exercise, Ursus was clearly the main protagonist on stage. Kazdel had only sent its cavalry corps and Wendigo units.

As soon as the Sarkaz soldiers were in place, Ursus announced the official start of the joint exercise. The ship cannons, which had been held back all this time, could now speak freely.

Countless shells flew from the muzzles, tracing arcs through the air before falling back to earth. The thunderous explosions and the dust kicked up continued without a moment's pause.

Seeing the commotion on their side, the Victorian soldiers seemed to be spurred on by a competitive spirit. They were also part of the naval forces and possessed their own pride.

Thus, the Victorian ship cannons began to roar, and both sides vied to see whose 'voice' was louder!

For a time, the desert between Siracusa and Kazdel was filled with deafening artillery fire. Countless animals that inhabited the desert were startled and leaped about in distress. The fortunate ones had already fallen into a quiet slumber, spared from this terrifying ordeal.

A small hill was coincidentally chosen as a target by both Ursus and Victoria. One side bombarded its northern slope, while the other attacked its southern flank. This caused the surrounding terrain to rapidly change in altitude.

As the Ursus infantry began their drills, Kazdel's cavalry corps and Wendigo units joined in as supporting elements. However, when Bodjokas saw the cavalry corps, he was greatly surprised. He hadn't expected the Sarkaz to have Beastmaster Knights, and moreover, they were using imitation Kazimierz knight armor.

At this point, Kazdel's cavalry corps had taken initial shape after a period of training. Through constant simulated combat, they had even differentiated into light cavalry and heavy cavalry units.

The light cavalry were equipped with blades to deal with isolated infantry. The heavy cavalry, with better protection, used lances derived from improved piercing long spears, responsible for engaging Kazimierz's Beastmaster Knights and breaking through enemy heavy infantry. To enhance their combat capabilities, both units had additional mounted archers and mounted mages for fire support.

As a swift exercise concluded, Victoria unexpectedly sent a diplomatic letter to Theresica, stating that their diplomat was feeling unwell and their friendly visit would be postponed by one day.

Theresica paid no mind to this letter, as he was currently preparing for a call with Mr. Wei.

After some negotiation, Theresica announced that trade between the Lungmen Special Administrative Region and Kazdel could be settled directly in Lungmen Dollars, and Yan would exert influence to assist Kazdel in its current predicament.

On November 11th, while Ursus continued to compete with Victoria in the volume of their ship cannons, Yan sent a diplomatic letter to the Victorian Parliament. It used unusually direct language, accusing Victoria of disrupting regional peace and wantonly interfering with the normal activities of other nations.

All of Victoria's warships were equipped with communication base stations, so Parliament urgently sent a message to the fleet.

'What are you still doing in Kazdel?!'

After glancing at the transcribed note, Victoria's fleet commander, Vice Admiral Brown, tossed it into the trash can.

Ridiculous. This fleet, from the soldiers to the officers, including himself, was loyal to Duke Wellington. What right did Parliament have to interfere?

The captain beside him also seemed puzzled and ventured to ask, "General, why are we wasting time here with Kazdel? Isn't our mission to suppress the riots in Leithanien and annihilate the remnants of Duke Cumberland's forces?"

"The Duke has his arrangements. Let's not discuss it."

Vice Admiral Brown gave him a faint glance. Just then, another transcribed message arrived. This time, after reading it, Brown's expression changed drastically. He instructed his adjutant.

"Find those old men responsible for the verbal sparring."

On November 12th, Victoria's friendly visit arrived again.

This time, Victoria's diplomatic personnel behaved much more reasonably. They presented only one request.

"The export price of Kazdel's ships must be increased by 20% compared to the current rate."

"Agreed."

Theresica nodded. There was no need for hesitation; he had spoken with Vitt the previous night.

During this conversation, Theresica learned that the true objective of Victoria's actions was to suppress Leithanien and restore the flow of Originium ore for Victoria.

Their presence in Kazdel was purely because Kazdel's transport ship export prices were too low, which had impacted many of Victoria's shipbuilding companies, causing them to lose orders directly.

Without orders came no profit, and consequently, no taxes could be remitted to the military. This was why Duke Wellington had come to Kazdel to recoup his losses, for the sake of the merchants and for himself.

"Perhaps we should just raise the price a bit."

Vitt wanted to put an end to this matter. Since the boss had already made his stance clear, Theresica had no choice but to go along with it.

After the agreement was reached, the Victorian fleet and the Ursus fleet set sail simultaneously, one heading to Leithanien and the other returning to Ursus.

Kazdel could still enlist foreign aid, but Leithanien was truly left to fend for itself.

Victoria's fleet moved to wherever they could find individuals or organizations that disobeyed Victorian law. Once a target was identified, infantry units would storm the city and initiate unrestricted combat. If any city declared its complete secession from Victoria, warships would directly open fire on the urban areas with ship cannons of 400mm caliber or larger.

In the instant of the explosion, pedestrians vanished into the smoke and dust. The seemingly sturdy buildings collapsed as if they were disintegrating into particles. After everything settled, the once relatively orderly urban area had become a festering wound.

Sarkaz drones had been continuously tracking Victoria's fleet. The brutal scene of the ship cannons bombarding the city was also presented before the clan chiefs of the Royal Court.

"You all saw it. This time we could exchange goods for aid, but next time, it might not be the case."

Theresica took a deep breath. "I need more comprehensive institutional reforms. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one in the council hall voiced any dissent. With the permission of the clan chiefs, Theresica began to further abolish the power of individual tribes to manage their own affairs, building upon the existing framework. Emulating Victoria and Ursus, various departments were established, and all national affairs would be uniformly managed by the relevant departments, rather than each tribe playing its own game behind closed doors.

Theresica first established the Ministry of Finance and proposed the budget allocation for the following year.

"Military expenses will account for 8%, education and research expenses will account for 15%... Give ourselves a few years, and give Victoria a few years."

Victoria had indeed caused Kazdel to give up a lot. Although this matter was concluded under Ursus's intervention, this chapter was far from over.

Chapter 101: Infantry Cannon

With a large portion of the budget allocated to the military, and under Theresica's direction, the Kazdel army formulated entirely new training regulations.

The entire army's rations were improved, and basic physical training also had higher requirements. Furthermore, the number of arrows archers used daily increased from 60 to 120, and mortar crews could fire 10 shells per week, double that of Ursus mortar crews.

In addition to daily individual troop training, there was a collective training session once a week for each regiment and a combat drill once a month.

However, focusing solely on soldier training was not enough; suitable weaponry was also necessary.

Under the Military Committee, Theresica established an Equipment Department. On the day of its establishment, he summoned Zeppelin, Alfred, Mel, and others to a meeting.

"Alfred, how is the technical documentation for the mortar shells sent from Ursus coming along?"

"Your Majesty, we have figured out what chemical products Ursus adds to their propellant and have successfully test-produced three shells to Ursus specifications. After removing the shell casing structure and firing them consecutively three times, there were no residues inside the barrel!"

Alfred's face was full of confidence. "The new shells can begin mass production by next January."

"Mm, very good."

Theresica nodded, then asked, "Can we make the shells bigger? Like Victoria's naval guns."

Alfred's eyes widened, seemingly taken aback. His Majesty shouldn't be asking such a question.

"Your Majesty, we don't have the excellent metalworking capabilities of Victoria. If we were to make 400mm shells, we could only produce a bomb that would explode on the spot."

"They don't need to be that big."

Theresica waved his hand. He remembered that mortars had an inner diameter of about 60mm. Since that was the case...

"Can we try making a 75mm one first?"

"Uh... we can try that. If we thicken the barrel..."

Before Alfred could finish speaking, Theresica interrupted him, "I want a completely new type of artillery."

Alfred was stunned. They only knew how to produce mortars right now.

At this moment, Zeppelin, sitting beside him, leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Alfred quickly took out paper and a pen, then tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, what are your thoughts?"

Theresica paused, then inexplicably picked up a water bottle.

"Do you remember the casings we made before? At that time, they were just used as covers to block incomplete combustion. But now, now I have a new idea."

He pointed to the water bottle in his hand. "What if the casing were as big as this water bottle, and the projectile was as big as the stopper? And inside, like the water bottle filled with water, it was filled with propellant. What would the effect be?"

"Your Majesty, if that were the case, the barrel would have to be as large as the casing. The projectile wouldn't fit snugly in the barrel, which would lead to a waste of the propellant's energy."

Alfred looked worried, but Theresica chuckled.

"That's for mortars. That's why I said I want a new type of artillery. What if artillery using this kind of shell didn't load from the front, but from the rear?"

He put down the documents and traced his finger from the bottom of the water bottle. "We can create a tapered section inside the barrel. The rear end would be the same diameter as the casing, and then it would extend forward and constrict, allowing the barrel's inner diameter to fit the projectile snugly. If we're worried about the barrel bursting, we just need to additionally thicken the rear of the barrel. This way, once ignited..."

BANG——

The stopper of the water bottle in Theresica's hand suddenly flew out, and the sound of boiling water could be heard continuously.

Alfred, seeing this, stood up excitedly. "The casing has a forward constriction, which can also gather the energy of the propellant, producing a more focused thrust!"

"But how do we ignite it?"

Zeppelin also had some knowledge of mortars. If loading was from the rear, how would the propellant be ignited? With his question, the excitement on Alfred's face gradually faded.

"If we can't make the projectile hit the firing pin, then let the firing pin hit the projectile!"

Theresica suddenly reached out and flicked the bottom of the bottle, producing a crisp sound. "Like this, doesn't it work?"

Zeppelin was stunned, then suddenly covered his face and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, heavens, such a simple thing, how could I not have thought of it!"

"This... this... I don't even know how to describe it."

Everyone present erupted into laughter. They were all veteran craftsmen and highly educated intellectuals, and unexpectedly, they were stumped by a problem as simple as 1+1 today.

However, Theresica did not laugh. He knew very well that the breech mechanism of a breech-loading cannon was extremely complex, and having the firing pin hit the projectile was not as easy as it sounded.

"Zeppelin."

"Yes."

Theresica solemnly instructed, "You and Alfred will work together to complete this new artillery. I'm counting on you."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost!"

"Alfred."

Noticing Theresica's gaze, he quickly stood up. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"I need a propellant that can burn continuously and provide sustained power, rather than an instantaneous burst that creates immense recoil."

"Your Majesty..."

"I need it."

"As you command."

After finishing these matters, Theresica looked around at everyone and asked, "What do you think of the Steam Knight?"

"Very powerful!" Mel glanced at Theresica. "Boss, you're not thinking of making that, are you? It's impossible. Kazdel definitely can't produce it, not even Columbia. The mechanical structure of that thing is too complex!"

"I understand. Steam Knights have mobility, and they can jump so high and land without any issue, which shows they're quite sturdy. Plus, they're very destructive."

Theresica pondered, "Can we use simple mechanical structures to piece together weapons with the same characteristics?"

Everyone in the conference room exchanged glances, no one spoke, but Theresica muttered to himself.

"Mobility... use personal land vehicles? But we need to consider terrain traversability, so let's go with tracked ones. Protection... use high-strength metal for the outer shell, and for attack methods... add a turret on top?"

Seeing his absorbed state, Mel couldn't help but remind him, "Boss, Kazdel doesn't have many factories that produce personal land vehicles. Also, artillery and the high-strength metal land vehicles you just mentioned, these all require a large amount of high-quality steel. Can Kazdel's steel production support this?"

Mel's remark jolted Theresica awake.

'Right, producing these weapons requires a lot of steel!'

He quickly found the head of the metal smelting plant to inquire about steel production. The other party said with a pained expression.

"Your Majesty, our monthly steel consumption is 90% of our production. If you need to increase consumption, we might have to import some steel."

Chapter 102: Preliminary Preparations

After hearing from the head of the metal smelting plant, Theresica immediately decided to delve deeper into the current situation of Kazdel's raw material production.

He took Mel to tour various raw material processing plants in Kazdel, only to witness a horrifying scene. He was shocked to realize that while he had been trying his best to optimize industrial machinery and machine tools, he had overlooked the production of raw materials!

The current capacity of the metal smelting plant is limited by two factors. Firstly, the equipment. Kazdel is currently using extremely old and worn-out machinery, which is completely behind Terra's general standards.

Secondly, there's the manpower issue. This is straightforward; it's just the current population of the Sarkaz. The troop deficit in the First Division hasn't even been filled yet!

Besides these two direct factors, there's an indirect impact. Kazdel itself has no mineral resources; all raw ore is dependent on imports!

After much thought, replacing the machinery seemed like the most realistic option.

But where could they get new machinery?

Near Kazdel, besides Siracusa, there are advanced metal smelting technologies. However, Theresica didn't want to cause such a large commotion.