Magic Industrial Age

The last item that Grand Knight Alfonso took Roy to see was actually an area that had been expanded northwards, beyond the original boundaries of the military camp.

As far as the eye could see, there were trenches and bunkers everywhere.

The winding trenches covered most of the newly opened training ground, and bunkers were set up in key positions.

The bunkers were cylindrical, made entirely of brick and stone, with a thickness of more than a palm's width. The insides were filled with many discarded metal shields to increase their defensive capabilities.

Suitable positions had narrow windows from which heavy machine guns could be extended to carry out unrestricted fire suppression.

When Roy arrived, he saw a group practicing an attack.

Lance Wall, a knight whom Roy considered lacking in talent and strength, was holding a Maxim magic-powered heavy machine gun, sticking half his body out of the trench, and firing wildly.

Da-da-da-da-da!

The machine gun spat flames, reflecting an excited look on Lance Wall's face as he conducted a fan-shaped suppression fire towards the bunker.

Around him, a group of knights carrying magic-powered heavy machine guns, with ammunition belts around their waists, quickly crossed the trenches and charged forward.

From time to time, they would hide in the trenches, peek out to make sure it was safe, and then set up their machine guns to fire, forming a crossfire network.

Then, the knights behind them would continue to charge forward, providing alternating cover.

Roy watched, frowning slightly, as if puzzled.

Alfonso quickly explained, "Lord Earl, I thought your plan for urban warfare was excellent. Combining it with the information you provided, I developed this trench warfare model.

According to you, in the future, as magic-powered weapons become more widespread, this type of warfare, involving digging trenches, building bunkers, and occupying high ground, will become very common.

So, I thought I'd build one first to become familiar with offensive and defensive tactics and accumulate enough experience."

"Good, good, you're showing some initiative, excellent!"

Roy said this, then rubbed his chin and asked, "This is all well and good, but I feel like something's missing."

"What is it?"

"That's right, we have attacking forces, but what about the defenders? An exercise needs both sides!"

Alfonso quickly said, "Lord Earl, if we use live ammunition, people will die!

Plate armor isn't very effective against these bullets. It can only block them head-on, but helmets and limbs are much more vulnerable."

"It's not easy to train one of us, and if we suffer non-combat losses, it's really, really..."

Roy thought for a moment, "I understand. So, what we're lacking is training ammunition."

"Training ammunition?"

"Yes, bullets that can be used normally and fired normally, but won't kill people.

For example, we can replace the bullet head with rubber. It'll still hurt when it hits you, but it won't be fatal.

I can even make them in red and blue, so we can assess the approximate injuries and outcome based on the colors on their bodies."

"Really?"

Alfonso's eyes lit up when he heard this. "If we really had such bullets, I'd immediately organize two groups for live-fire exercises.

No, just exercises are still not enough. I can simulate various battlefields.

Urban warfare and trench warfare are the most basic. We can also have skirmishes, ambushes, and simulate various environments and terrains like mountain valleys, swamps, mudflats, rivers, blizzards, and strong winds!

Although it's not real war, the accumulated experience can save us from taking countless detours."

Roy had to re-evaluate Alfonso.

A pure soldier's focus and sensitivity to warfare are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Roy nodded and said, "In that case, leave the training ammunition to me. I'll get it done for you soon.

As for your plan for competitive exercises and simulated warfare in various environments, create a complete plan.

Think about it yourself, or find others to help. Brainstorming is fine. Anyway, I want to see a practical and feasible plan."

At that moment, Roy stared at Alfonso, waiting for his answer.

Alfonso hesitated for only a moment before nodding decisively, "Okay!"

"Alright, it's settled then!"

After a pause, Roy added, "Inform everyone that we'll have a bonfire party in the military camp tonight. I'll have dinner with all the knights and soldiers loyal to me."

"Yes!"

Roy turned back to Hoover, the butler, and said, "This party will also need your help."

Hoover bowed slightly, meticulously, "Your command is my objective!"

Preparing a bonfire party takes time, but Roy didn't need to worry about that.

Hoover would prepare everything!

Of course, Roy wasn't idle either. He put aside his dignity as an earl and began to talk to everyone in the military camp, and even trained with them.

In front of the magic-powered cannons, he displayed amazing artillery skills.

The Eagle Eye technique's vision, combined with Deep Blue's trajectory calibration, resulted in an exaggerated level of accuracy.

The apprentice mages didn't take it seriously at first, but after seeing every shot hit the bullseye, they were finally convinced.

Roy wasn't stingy either. While testing their skills, he also taught them various techniques for measuring wind speed and making calibrations.

In the urban warfare training ground, Roy displayed a completely different fighting style from the knight squads.

If Tanya Anderson and her team focused on charging straight ahead with brute force,

then he was all about speed, precision, and lethality.

After just one look from a high vantage point, Deep Blue had completely scanned the map into its information database.

Although he also held a Maxim magic-powered heavy machine gun, he chose the burst-fire mode.

He seemed extremely familiar with the layout, moving through the maze like a fish in water. The bullets fired from the Maxim heavy machine gun were almost always in groups of three.

Three shots to the chest, heart, and head, ensuring that no matter what kind of alien the enemy was, they would die without a doubt.

And when he emerged from the maze, all the dummies had bullet holes in them.

Please note, I said 'all' of them, without exception!

This scene stunned the knights, even Alfonso Zeke and Vincent Ackerman!

With this display, the knights listened to Roy's instructions with exceptional seriousness.

Of course, these were just small demonstrations.

After becoming one with the knights, he spent more time communicating, talking, listening to their opinions and requests, and even joking with some of them.

For example, with Tanya Anderson, he patted the female berserker's arm and asked if she still had any grievances or if he had disappointed her.

The fiery-tempered female knight was even embarrassed by his question, and finally patted the Maxim heavy machine gun in her hand and said, "This is what future warfare should look like!"

And this was just a small interlude. With Deep Blue's convenience, Roy could talk to almost every knight, including every attendant.

He didn't even need to use too many complicated techniques. Just calling out their names, origins, and mentioning one or two of their achievements could win their hearts.

These knights may be violent, but they are also loyal; they may be stubborn, but once they are loyal, they will die for you!

Until nightfall, when the bonfire was lit, illuminating half the sky, and the band played melodious and cheerful music, along with various foods provided, the atmosphere became even more lively.

After an afternoon of laying the groundwork, Roy also danced and sang around the bonfire with everyone, drinking freely, and enjoying a rare moment of relaxation and happiness.

He still liked the atmosphere here. These were people he could trust with his back, and he felt very relaxed here.

However, he did not fully participate in the party.

As usual, the knights were planning to play all night, but he wasn't willing to. Instead, he took a magic carriage near midnight and headed to Lionheart Manor.

In the carriage, Roy rubbed his brow, looking genuinely relaxed.

Although he had spent the entire day in the military camp, he had been able to clearly understand one thing through in-depth communication and exchange with everyone.

These old aristocratic knights had seen the benefits of promoting the magic-powered industry and had even benefited from it. Perhaps it wasn't much yet, but they had seen hope.

In other words, they had already begun to transform from traditional small landowners into capitalists.

This change in identity made them no longer reject magic-powered machinery, and they were more accepting of the current changes and actively participating in them.

This was a subtle result, and it was what Roy had hoped for!

With their support, not only would subsequent development be greatly facilitated, but more importantly, Roy could be more aggressive and bolder.

Of course, this was all for later.

Now, what he needed to do most was to deal with the backlog of affairs that had accumulated over such a long time.

In the following days, Roy really transformed into a spinning top, working tirelessly.

On the one hand, he needed to travel between different magic-powered factories to conduct on-site inspections.

Seeing something with your own eyes is more effective than hearing a hundred sentences from others.

Then, comparing it with the various statistics, everything would be revealed.

From customers to rework rates, from consumables to production cycles, from the number of employees to profit margins...

All of this allowed Deep Blue to generate a chart, which basically showed the specific operating conditions and the problems that needed to be solved urgently.

It could be said that in the first half of the year, Fresh Flower Territory's magic-powered industry rose from the ruins and entered a stable process.

Although there was an income of nearly 500,000 gold Thalers, it was the result of high net profit margins.

In the second half of the year, the focus was on continuously growing, expanding, and cultivating more talent while ensuring stable production.

This talent cultivation could be very slow, but it could also be very fast!

For example, the steel mill already had a complete work process and a group of skilled workers.

If it wanted to continue to develop, it would have to build new magic-powered steel furnaces.

Then there were the processing machinery factory and the armory.

These were the most profitable industries for the family. No matter what was produced—lathes, milling machines, grinders, planers, or Maxim heavy machine guns—the Habsburg Empire wanted as much as there was.

It was like a bottomless pit, devouring vast resources.

Of course, it also brought Roy considerable profits and cultivated a group of skilled machine operators.

No one knew better than Roy that these operators were treasures.

In fact, most of the parts in the processing machinery factory and the armory were turned out by them, one cut at a time, and the precision was not bad.

Of course, magic-powered factories were only one aspect. The construction of railways and the mining of mines were also top priorities.