I'm not a lord

Chapter 347 Forged Iron Cannons and Frankish Cannons
"Sixth brother, you don't need to be afraid. There are plenty of kings, prime ministers and marshals in their early twenties on this continent. What's wrong with you being a principal? A university is just a school. As principal, you don't need to teach. You just need to take good care of this school and the teachers and students for me. Didn't you do a pretty good job in the past?"

After Lynn's patient persuasion and encouragement, Timo, the sixth son, finally made up his mind to take on the heavy responsibility of the principal.

However, he still seemed somewhat dazed, as if he were walking on clouds, and almost bumped into Lynn while walking on the road.

Becoming a university president in one's twenties sounds quite incredible, doesn't it?

However, in the feudal aristocratic era, such a thing was not strange at all; in fact, it was quite ordinary.

For a long period in ancient times, the East was also in an era of aristocratic clans. At that time, the system for selecting and appointing officials was the so-called "Nine-Rank System," which almost entirely determined the rank of officials based on their family background and social standing.

Those from noble families are born as high-ranking officials of the third or second rank, a starting point in life that is an end point that scholars from poor families can never reach even after a lifetime of struggle.

The situation on the continent of Dievas is actually quite similar. Whether in the south or the north, when selecting and appointing officials, family background is usually the primary consideration, with ability being secondary.

The eldest son of a duke is born half a duke, and most high-ranking positions in the royal court are also allocated according to bloodline. Throughout the history of the North and the South, there have been many young prime ministers or royal marshals.

People in their twenties can become prime ministers and marshals, so is it too much for Timo, the sixth son, to become a university president at the same age?

That's perfectly normal!

And as Lynn said, this principal doesn't need to actually teach; he just needs to manage the school's daily operations.

Judging from his status, Timo is Lynn's best friend and confidant, whom he personally mentored. It is perfectly reasonable for him to be the headmaster, and it would not cause any controversy in the North today.

Those in the know would only say, "Oh, Mr. Timo, that's the lord's most trusted subordinate. He should have been leading a legion like Yang and Joseph. It's a real waste of his talent to be just a headmaster now."

In the current continent of Dievas, relationships and blood ties are paramount; without these two things, it's really difficult to get ahead.

This is why the officials Lynn promoted from the bottom were so devoted to him, because he truly changed the fate of many individuals and families.

Besides, Lao Liu's abilities are really not bad.

After several years of experience, his ability rating has risen from one star to three stars, making him more than capable of managing a startup university.

For Lynn, the university's current political role far outweighs its educational role, and it doesn't usually enroll many students.

For a kingdom to not have its own university is undoubtedly unqualified, after all, this thing symbolizes the 'civil administration' in the context of both civil and military achievements.

The Northern Kingdom also has its own native university, namely the University of Amber Harbor.

However, that school is currently located within Otto III's sphere of influence and has a strong religious background; its flagship program is theology, which is closely related to religion.

The new university founded by Lynn will completely abandon theology and focus on law, medicine, and mathematics.

Referring to several well-known universities in the South and North, their majors are usually structured with 'seven basic and three core' components.

The so-called seven fundamentals are grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.

These are basic courses that every college student must take. The first three courses mainly cultivate language and critical thinking skills, while the last four courses cover the foundations of nature and mathematics.

Completing all these courses will generally earn you a university diploma.

Above the seven basic disciplines are the three advanced disciplines: theology, law, and medicine. Completing any one of these three disciplines guarantees a master's degree.

At universities like the University of Amber Harbour, which have a strong theological atmosphere, students are qualified to graduate from theology programs at the doctoral level, and once they complete their studies, they become highly respected doctoral students.

For example, the former Bishop of Tristan, Rothgier, who had been decapitated, held the title of Doctor of Theology and used it to rise through the ranks of the Church, eventually becoming a regional bishop.

Lynn had no respect for theology. Whenever he acquired a new territory, the first thing he would do was confiscate the land and people of churches and monasteries, and also eradicate the entrenched religious networks.

These worthless bastards, relying on the so-called will of 'gods,' have been engaging in all sorts of corrupt and disobedient activities, seriously encroaching on the lord's rights. We must take strong measures against them!

After removing theology, Lynn planned to replace it with mathematics, that is, to make up the 'upper three subjects' with mathematics, law and medicine.

Although his understanding of mathematics was rather superficial, he was well aware of its role in promoting other disciplines, such as ballistics, which is closely related to artillery.

Furthermore, mathematics is the foundation of science and engineering. With this foundation laid, the new university will surely nurture a large number of advanced talents and disciplines in the future.

As Lynn strolled through the campus in early winter with Timo, she meticulously described her various ideas for the new university.

"You don't need to worry about the teachers. Once I am officially crowned and gradually conquer the Crown Territory, there will be more or less talent to serve as university teachers. What you need to do now is to first build the framework of the university, and then fill in the details later. As for the current civil service school, it will be merged into the university to become a separate political college."

Finally, Lynn took the initiative to solve Timo's teacher shortage problem.

In fact, by this time, quite a few older talents had already taken the initiative to join him, and some of them had actually had teaching experience at the University of Amber Harbour.

These intellectuals always had some kind of political fastidiousness, unwilling to accept the rule of a king of the South, but powerless to resist, so they could only give in to his influence.

Moreover, the church and monastery schools that were banned in various places also had many talented people. These schools had established various basic disciplines and were not only for theological talents.

Integrating these two types of faculty resources should be enough to build the basic framework of a university.

As for the school's operating expenses, Lynn's court could cover a portion, with the students bearing the remainder.

Higher education these days is incredibly expensive. Tuition alone costs five gold shields or more, not to mention the various rare textbooks that are even more costly. Even wealthy knight families can't afford to support a university student.

Lynn's words conveyed the same message: Don't be afraid of criticism or difficulties; build the university first, and all problems can be solved gradually in the future.

During this time, the fear and hesitation on Timo's face gradually subsided. After thinking it over carefully, he tentatively asked:

"Brother, please rest assured, I will do my best to build this new university. As for the name of the university, how about we name it after you, Lynn University?"

"Lynn University?" Lynn was taken aback at first, then laughed and said, "If you think it's okay, then it's okay."

"It is an immense honor for this new university to be named after my elder brother. I believe that future students of this university will be proud of its name."

Timo had figured out exactly why his older brother insisted on making him the university's first president; the main purpose was to set the tone for the new university.

This university was established with the full support of the lord, and the lord's kindness can never be repaid. The talents trained must be used by the lord and their loyalty must be impeccable.

After finalizing the details of establishing the university, Lynn continued his journey north along the Baihe River the following day, arriving at Chixi County without stopping, where he witnessed the first collective test firing of wrought iron cannons. At the artillery firing range north of Chixi County, the sound of cannons resounded continuously; Eric's forging department had produced over a dozen wrought iron cannons, all of which were brought out for the test firing.

Eric accompanied Lynn to observe the test firing. When he saw the dozen or so cannons of different shapes on the field, his face immediately fell.

"My lord, in my opinion, the biggest drawback of this forged iron cannon is that it does not have a clear standard like cast cannons. Even two cannons forged by the same craftsman will have visible differences. Fortunately, the cores used are of the same specification, so the shells can be used interchangeably."

Although Eric did not understand the advanced concept of 'standardization', as a skilled blacksmith, he was able to intuitively grasp its benefits.

The most advanced plate armor in the Southern Territory is made of multiple layers of stacked steel plates.

Although its defensive capabilities are far inferior to the plate armor invented by Lynn, many parts of the plate armor are interchangeable, and if a piece of armor is damaged, it can be repaired in a short time. This advantage can play a significant role in large-scale wars.

Plate armor forged in one piece is completely unsuitable; once damaged, it can only be reworked and handed over to a blacksmith for forging and repair.

The bronze-cast mortars also had the same advantages: because they used the same molds, they were almost identical in appearance, could use the same type of shells, and their frames were completely interchangeable.

The army can keep a stock of spare parts for gun carriages, so that if a gun carriage is damaged, it can be replaced immediately, thus not slowing down the march.

Because wrought iron cannons use cheaper raw materials, their cost is certainly much lower than that of bronze mortars. However, these things are all hammered out by blacksmiths, and different finished products will inevitably have various subtle differences.

Lynn didn't care about this and waved his hand, saying, "As long as we can ensure that the shells are compatible, this kind of forged iron cannon is mainly equipped on warships, so there's no need to worry about the problem of marching."

“On a warship? That would certainly avoid a lot of trouble.” Eric said, imagining the scene of mounting wrought iron cannons onto a warship.

Boom boom boom boom
Meanwhile, the artillerymen had already loaded the wrought iron cannons with ammunition and conducted the first round of test firings. The huge roar startled a large flock of crows in the forest.

The results of this round of test firings were somewhat satisfactory; about 40% of the wrought iron cannons withstood the chamber pressure generated by the burning gunpowder and successfully fired cast iron shells.

The other 60% of the wrought iron cannons suffered barrel explosions or similar problems; in short, they failed to fire, leaving flying iron fragments everywhere, creating an extremely unsightly scene.

Fortunately, the artillerymen were all wearing armor, used long enough fuses, and quickly retreated after firing, thus preventing any casualties.

Eric, however, was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly apologized, saying, "Sir, this...this is entirely my fault. Please give me some more time, and I will definitely be able to manufacture a batch of high-quality wrought iron cannons!"

Before this collective test firing, he had actually conducted several small-scale test firings, with fairly good results. However, he never expected to lose face in front of the lord today.

Lynn smiled and reassured them, "It's not your fault. After all, these are the first batch of finished products forged by the blacksmiths. They lack experience, so it's normal for them to have flaws."

The biggest problem with forged iron cannons is that they require a high level of skill from the blacksmith.

To be honest, a 40% success rate even exceeded Lynn's expectations.

He knew very well that some of the cannons must have been damaged by the chamber pressure during the initial test firings, and today's test firing finally caused the chambers to explode completely.

This isn't Eric's fault; it's Lynn's fault for being too eager for quick success, since he entrusted the important task to the forging department.

Although the craftsmen involved in forging iron cannons were very experienced, and could even hammer out plate armor by hand, they were still greenhorns in the field of cannon forging, and it would be a problem if they didn't make mistakes.

However, this drawback is also easy to overcome. As long as the craftsmen improve their skills, the probability of the wrought iron cannon exploding will drop rapidly.

After all, the chamber of this cannon was forged from layers of tough wrought iron, and its internal structure was almost identical to that of refined steel. It could withstand chamber pressures that were not much less than those of bronze cannons.

In subsequent rounds of test firing, most of the 40% of the surviving wrought iron cannons successfully withstood the chamber pressure, but their range was rather pitiful, only reaching a maximum of two or three hundred meters, which was worse than the earliest batch of bronze mortars.

This is another major drawback of wrought iron cannons: insufficient airtightness will seriously affect the firing range.

This problem is essentially unsolvable; it's a structural issue with the forged iron cannon, and it can't be solved simply by increasing the craftsmen's skill level.

However, the wrought iron cannons are sufficient for inland river warfare, and they will surely give Otto's navy a huge surprise next year.

After the test firing, Lynn went to inspect the blacksmith's workshop.

He stood beside the seemingly tireless large waterwheel, gazing at the water flowing beneath it, and asked, "Winter is coming soon. Once the waterwheel stops working, will it affect the production speed of the forged iron cannons?"

"You can rest assured, sir. We have already prepared a large number of wrought iron bars in advance using water-powered forging hammers. Even in the coldest times, it will not affect the production of the forged iron cannons." Eric finally regained some confidence when he talked about this.

He knew, of course, that the harsh winter would freeze the waterwheels, and he had made the necessary preparations in advance.

The shutdown of the water-powered forging hammers will not affect the blacksmiths' superhumanly strong arms.

For these skilled blacksmiths, the water-powered forging hammer played only an auxiliary role, replacing the repetitive labor of forging iron ingots into shape.

The final precision forging still requires them to wield the hammer that has accompanied them throughout their lives.

Upon seeing the mountains of wrought iron bars piled up in the warehouse, Lynn praised him highly: "Eric, you did a great job. It was definitely the right choice to put the forging department in your hands."

He then turned to look at Eric, and in his view, Eric's attributes had all improved, especially his leadership and domestic affairs abilities, which had increased significantly, and his rating had quietly risen to four stars.

This blacksmith from the South not only possesses superb forging skills, but his management abilities are also gradually shining under Lynn's promotion.

However, Eric was not easily flattered; his face, which had been exposed to charcoal fire for years, still managed to turn red.

"By the way, I also have the design blueprints for a rapid-fire cannon. Take them and have the blacksmiths try to forge it."

After touring the workshop, Lynn solemnly handed a piece of parchment to Eric.

The old blacksmith looked down and saw a strangely shaped cannon drawn on the blueprint.

The gun chamber of this cannon is actually detachable and replaceable, and the name of this cannon is clearly written next to it - Eagle Cannon.

Many people may be unfamiliar with the term "Eagle Cannon".

In normal times and spaces, this type of cannon has another famous name: the Frankish cannon.

Early breech-loading cannons were typical breech-loading forged iron cannons. The main barrel, or mother cannon, was made of multiple iron bars joined together, while the detachable cannons were usually cast from iron or copper.

The most distinctive feature of this cannon is its extremely high rate of fire, capable of firing one shot every one or two minutes, and its manufacturing difficulty is not particularly high.

(End of this chapter)