Volume 2 chapter 46
Talisk Fortress.
Clyris stood on the ramparts, her eyes misty as she watched the ragged squadrons of fighters limp back home.
It had been over a month since the stalemate began. The Alliance had not launched a major offensive, only probing attacks.
But in this month, the defenses of Talisk had been transformed.
Outside the walls, nine trench lines stretched for over twenty kilometers, creating a defensive depth of ten kilometers. Even the closest trench was still twenty kilometers from the main walls.
On the walls, twenty-four Triple-Barreled 152mm Cannons and fourteen Twin-Barreled 250mm Guns stood sentinel.
Inside the city, fifteen Triple-Barreled 305mm Small Fortress Guns towered over the buildings.
Finally, dug deep into the mountain rock above the fortress, sat the kings of battle: six Triple-Barreled 460mm Cannons and eight Single-Barreled 400mm Super-Heavy Fortress Guns.
The entire fortress had become a dense artillery stronghold. From a distance, the forest of gun barrels looked like the spines of an angry hedgehog.
Clyris walked to the rear armory, where several tons of Mana Stones were stacked.
"Are you ready on your end?" She spoke to Charlo through the System interface as she walked.
"Ready!" Charlo made an 'OK' gesture on the screen.
"I'm sending the stones. Catch!" With that, Clyris tapped the Mana Stones, then hit [Transfer].
A white light flashed, and the mountain of stones vanished instantly.
"Received! Get ready on your end! 50,000 Rifles and 5,000,000 rounds of ammunition coming through!"
Another flash of white light, and crates upon crates of weapons appeared in the empty space where the stones had been.
"Kane! Derman! Bring your men to collect the weapons!" Clyris ordered the two Demon Commanders.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Soon, tens of thousands of demons lined up, receiving their rifles and ammo boxes.
These 50,000 rifles were the first batch from Ironwood, each equipped with 100 rounds.
"Make sure they practice according to the manual I sent! Get them proficient as soon as possible!" she instructed Kane and Derman.
"Yes!"
In the following days, the Alliance noticed a sharp increase in demon air raids. The number of planes per sortie grew, and bomber squadrons began to appear.
The Alliance went on high alert, suspecting a new demon offensive. Under the pressure, they moved their camps constantly. If spotted, they moved that very day, fearing that the few scout planes would be followed by a thousand-bomber strike force the next morning.
But half a month later, the intensity of the raids dropped.
The Alliance commanders realized they had been played. Furious and humiliated, they began planning to teach the demons a lesson.
____________________
CRACK!
A First-Rank Beast Demon held a brown-stocked rifle, aimed at a target 800 meters away, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck the target instantly.
The instructor brought the target over. The one-centimeter-thick steel plate had been punched clean through.
Clyris examined the hole and nodded in satisfaction.
This rifle was developed by Charlo based on the Mosin-Nagant M1891/30, with modifications for the local world.
Length: 1.35 meters.
Weight: 5 kilograms.
Barrel Length: 850mm.
Caliber: 7.5x75mm Full-Power Cartridge.
Capacity: 8-round internal magazine.
Effective Range: 1,500 meters (though accuracy and lethality dropped off at that distance).
As for why the 7.62mm became 7.5mm... Charlo had famously ranted: "The Imperial System is shit!"
So, he standardized everything to what he called the "Metric System." All parameters in Ironwood were integers: 12.5mm Heavy Machine Guns, 200mm Heavy Cannons, 300mm Naval Guns...
Clyris didn't know what the "Imperial System" was or why Charlo hated it so much, but who cared? As long as the weapons worked!
"This rifle can damage a Fourth-Rank Knight from a thousand meters away! It completely compensates for our low-rank demons' weakness against mid-rank knights!" Kane said excitedly.
"Our warriors finally don't have to rely on trenches to get close! Even on open ground, a low-rank demon can kill a mid-rank knight from outside their attack range!"
Previously, to kill a mid-rank knight, demons had to use trenches and suicide tactics. Killing even a Fourth-Rank Knight cost dozens of demon lives.
Knights could project mana externally starting at the Third Rank. By the Fourth Rank, they had ranged attacks effective up to 200 meters. Without trenches, the casualty ratio would have been even worse.
But now, with rifles, demons could engage from 800 meters away. It drastically increased lethality and reduced casualties. Aside from Magic Archers who could shoot 3-4 kilometers, the demons now had no range disadvantage!
"Excellent! How is the training progressing?" Clyris put down the target and looked at Kane.
"The first 50,000 troops have completed basic training. They have mastered shooting techniques and can proficiently strip and maintain their weapons!" Kane replied solemnly.
"Good! Keep drilling them! I intend to give the Alliance a surprise soon!" She looked into the distance, the corners of her mouth turning up.
A few days later, it was time for the next transaction.
Ten tons of Mana Stones were sent. 100,000 Rifles and 15,000,000 rounds of ammo were received.
"That's so much more than last time!" Clyris exclaimed.
"Of course. I'm not expanding my army anymore, so I don't need to equip new troops. All excess capacity goes to you!" Charlo said proudly. "This is our current maximum output! But in two months, capacity will double again! By then, it will be 200,000 rifles per month!"
"Haha, then I will be waiting with my Mana Stones!" Clyris smiled and signaled Kane to move the mountain of weapons.
"What is the situation with the Alliance?" Charlo changed the subject.
"Still quiet. I drove them back to the foothills of the Dragonspine Mountains! They're hiding there, thinking they haven't been spotted, but my air force has been watching them the whole time!" Clyris chuckled.
"Don't get careless! Maurice Empire just launched another conscription drive!" Charlo warned. "This time, they are drafting mostly Mid-Rank supernaturals and huge numbers of Low-Rank knights! Even Ironwood was forced to contribute a squad of Low-Rank knights. I had to send some captives from Balar to deal with it!"
"Other nations are likely doing the same. The Alliance is probably organizing a massive operation! Be careful!"
"Is that so? I understand!" Hearing this, Clyris put away her joking demeanor and turned serious.
"Good luck. May everything go smoothly!"
Charlo ended the call.
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