City Defense Deployment
After finalizing the details of the weapon improvements, Shien put the charcoal pencil on the table, turned around, and left the underground Workshop.
The Blood Moon was approaching, and fires were still burning at several construction sites in Blackpine Fief.
The foundation for the outer Fifth Ring wall has been laid, and trenches, wooden fences, and Caltrops are being laid out section by section.
Inside the shed, Chief Engineer Mack, was waiting for Shien's arrival.
The craftsman, whose face was covered in scars, usually had a loud voice, but he was unusually quiet now, while his trembling legs betrayed his anxiety.
On the large wooden table sat the defensive Sand Table he had just finished.
The wooden walls, moats, arrow towers, and outer Caltrops were all placed in their proper proportions.
With the Steam Repeating Crossbow about to enter mass production, Mack, as Shien had previously requested, also added arrow turrets and firing positions.
The arrow towers were evenly arranged along the front, with firing points positioned against the main wall, layered with trenches, wooden palisades, and Caltrops, creating an impenetrable barrier.
This is a typical defensive template for the Eternal Night Wall, aiming for a thick front that can withstand multiple layers of attacks.
From the perspective of an ordinary Long Night Lord, this set of items is already considered quite solid.
Shien did not nod. He stood by the table for a while, his gaze sweeping along the front wall, the distance between the arrow towers, the direction of the moat, and the gaps on both flanks.
Deep within his vision, several lines of pale gold characters, visible only to him, silently rose to the surface.
[Lv.3 City Defense Deployment], [Lv.2 Fortification Placement], [Lv.2 Kill Zone Estimation], [Lv.1 Bastion Crossfire]
That was a skill he had replicated from Mack during this period, using the Canon of Grace and Righteousness.
And on top of these experiences that belong to this world, there is another set of things.
Those fortress structures, crossfire techniques, and defensive fortification strategies derived from past lives and refined by Sacred Canon.
Once the two sides overlap, the problems in this Sand Table immediately become apparent.
With heavy firepower like the Steam Repeating Crossbow about to enter mass production, spreading firepower evenly across the fifth Fifth Ring front is a waste of firepower.
Shien then reached out and picked up the wooden pusher, flattening the entire row of arrow towers that were lined up in front of him. The wooden blocks crashed down in a mess.
Mack's eyelids twitched, and Fabien beside him also subconsciously looked up.
"Putting all our heavy firepower on the front walls and waiting for the Beast Tide to crash in will only tie us down."
They look orderly in normal times, but if a real battle breaks out and the front lines are in chaos, the rear will follow suit.
Mack opened his mouth, but didn't speak immediately. He knew Shien wasn't talking nonsense, but what other choice did he have?
Shien picked up the charcoal pencil and redrawn a few lines along the edge of the Sand Table.
Those were several outward-protruding sharp angles, staggered from one another, like fangs sticking out from the wall.
"Here, here, and here, repair outwards." Shien's pen tip touched several key locations in turn.
"Don't use rounded corners or flat slopes; make it a protruding section, with the walls pushing outwards, leaving firing ports on the sides, and digging Dark Bunker inside."
Mack frowned and stared at it for a while, feeling increasingly awkward.
Shien ignored his reaction and continued drawing.
Soon, two, four, and six dotted lines swept into the open space ahead from different directions, cutting the entire position into a dense killing zone.
"Don't leave the Steam Repeating Crossbow exposed. Pack them all inside these Dark Bunker. Leave one layer at the front, and another layer on each of the left and right flanks. When the Beast Tide rushes into this area, no matter which side they attack from, they will simultaneously encounter fire from three sides."
Mack stared at the intersecting lines, a chill running down his spine.
He had experience with Blood Moon Season, and he immediately recalled the battlefield scene that Shien had described in his mind.
A group of Dark Creatures pressed forward from the front, thinking there was only a city wall in front of them.
As soon as they rushed into the Fifth Ring, they faced countless traps below and fire from the city walls in front, with arrows spitting from the Dark Bunker on both sides, leaving them nowhere to hide.
After a moment of silence in the study, Mack finally let out a heavy sigh, "Understood, Your Lordship. I'll go back and have people remeasure and redesign."
Having resolved the city's defenses, the group didn't immediately disband, because another problem remained.
That's the newly discovered Blood-Patterned Black Steel vein deep in Ashen Gorge. How exactly do we mine it?
Fabien stood to the side, his expression grim. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "My lord, that land has already fallen outside the protection range of the eternal Sacred Flame."
During mining, miners not only face attacks from monsters but also the corrosive effects of the Blood Moon. Ordinary miners, after a while, either go insane or undergo mutated mutations.
The Eternal Night Wall is full of such examples; yesterday a living person carrying a pickaxe could become a monster that bites people indiscriminately a few days later.
However, the value of the Blood-Patterned Black Steel is immense, Shien cannot simply give it up.
Whether it's boilers, Heavy Repeating Crossbow frames, or even larger projects in the future, these materials can help advance the technology further.
Shien looked down at the Sand Table, then picked up a charcoal pencil and drew a circle around the Ashen Gorge: "There's no need to dig the entire mine tunnel all at once; Blackpine Fief doesn't have the resources for that right now."
Everyone in the work shed looked up at him.
"Since the permanent Sacred Flame cannot reach us, let's bring Sacred Flame in. Let Victor's side first drive out a few Portable Sacred Flame Brazier, and then select a group of Convicts with a foundation in Battle Aura to form a rotating advance team."
Don't be greedy. Only do short-term trial mining each day, and stop when the Blood Moon is about to rise. First, get back the easiest-to-obtain high-quality Black Steel, enough for the Workshop to make the first batch of Heavy Repeating Crossbow frames. We can discuss the rest next year.
After listening, Fabien slowly nodded.
Now is not the time for Blackpine Fief to splurge; taking a bite first is better than staring blankly at the whole cow.
But another practical problem soon came to the forefront.
Mack frowned and said, "My lord, we need manpower to repair the Bastion, dig the Dark Bunker, expand the underground Workshop, and now we have to rotate elite troops into the canyon for mining... Blackpine Fief Territory is almost completely drained of its labor force."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but give a wry smile.
"The people on the construction site are moving stones during the day and Pig Iron at night; some even have to take turns sleeping. If this pressure continues, they'll collapse from exhaustion before the Blood Moon Season even arrives."
This is no exaggeration. What Blackpine Fief Territory lacks most right now is manpower. To maintain the current pace, they have to break down their existing manpower into smaller units and use them in a more efficient way.
Shien stood in front of the Sand Table, looking at the rings of city walls that had not yet been built and the mine tunnels that had not yet been dug, and remained silent for a moment.
"Blackpine Fief can't produce any more people right now, so let's prioritize the projects: trenches, crossbows, and Bastion. All other projects should give way."
According to the schedule, the supply convoy promised by the family should be arriving in the Defense Zone soon. According to the letter the Earl gave me, a large number of people will definitely arrive by then.