Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

"Fire tubes? What are those?"

Baldwin looked puzzled. As a civil official, he had little knowledge of military weapons, so he asked.

Fire tubes were the local term for cannons in the Eldorian Empire. The earliest cannons came in various shapes, with tube-like designs being the most common, hence the name ’fire tubes.’

In Simon’s previous world, fire tubes were also known as fire lances. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

However, even with firearms more advanced than those of the great army, the Old Dynasty still met its downfall.

Therefore, Simon did not believe in the supremacy of weapons, as it was the people who wielded them who determined the outcome of wars.

Over the past few months, Simon had deeply realised that the core of governance was to unite the people of his domain around him. Only when his commands were followed by all could he achieve true stability.

Of course, under this premise, equipping the army with more advanced weapons would make it invincible. "As for fire tubes, Baldwin will soon find out what they are," Simon said, exchanging a glance with Aiden before smiling.

Then he added. "But the name ’fire tube’ is too crude. Let’s call them cannons instead."

"Cannons?" Aiden was momentarily stunned. "That name does have a ring to it."

Aiden had brought up the idea of using cannons for defence, indicating that he had some understanding of them. Simon then asked. "Since you mentioned cannons, do you know how to cast them?"

"I’m afraid not," Aiden admitted. "But I have seen the power of fire tubes, no, cannons. A single shot can reach about three hundred meters. If filled with stone pellets, they can cause widespread damage to the enemy."

Baldwin chuckled upon hearing this. "After all that talk, you don’t even know how to make cannons. How can we achieve strong city walls and powerful cannons?"

Aiden looked embarrassed. He had forgotten that this was not Eldora.

"Aiden may not know, but I do," Simon said with a faint smile. He had only wanted to find out if the Eldorian Empire’s cannon-making techniques were similar to those of his previous world.

Since Aiden didn’t know, he decided not to press further.

"Your Highness knows?" Baldwin and Aiden were both surprised.

Simon nodded. "Without some trump cards, how could I dare to boast about defending Dunmere?"

Aiden’s face lit up with excitement. "If we place a hundred cannons on the gates of Dunmere and command them effectively, the city will be impregnable."

Simon gave a bitter smile. A hundred cannons sounded easy, but it was incredibly difficult. Cannons were not like plate armour; they weighed several tons each.

After all, when materials were not up to standard, the only solution was to make the cannon barrels thicker and sturdier to reduce the risk of explosions.

Although Brambleford’s steel industry had advanced, casting cannons was still a highly technical task. The first challenge was the material.

The cannons Simon planned to produce would not be comparable to the crude fire tubes of the Eldorian Empire, which Aiden had marvelled at for their three-hundred-meter range. Those were practically garbage.

Without knowing the technological levels of the outside world, Simon could only rely on his knowledge to improve the performance of the cannons as much as possible.

Even so, he estimated that the best he could achieve was the level of the late Old Dynasty, with performance comparable to the Red Coat Cannons.

The system contained various methods for manufacturing cannons, but even the most skilled chef couldn’t cook without ingredients. More advanced cannons required materials and boring techniques that Brambleford did not yet possess. It would take time to explore and develop these.

If they were to produce Red Coat Cannons now, whether made of bronze or iron, the cannons would have to be cast, which required moulds.

Creating these moulds was no simpler than producing the cannons themselves.

"A hundred cannons? I’d be satisfied with ten." Simon sighed.

Casting cannons from scratch was a daunting task. The experimental phase alone would likely take several months.

Moreover, cannons required trained operators, and training artillerymen was another challenge.

Aiden did not argue with Simon. He understood that even the Artillery Bureau in Eldora found it difficult to produce cannons, let alone Brambleford.

Setting aside the matter of cannons, Simon changed the subject. "You may not know about cannons, but do you know how to build fortresses?"

"I have some knowledge in that area," Aiden replied confidently.

Simon nodded. Ancient scholars were often modest, and ’some knowledge’ usually meant expertise. He spoke. "In that case, go to Dunmere and conduct a field survey. When you return, submit a plan for how to improve the city’s defences."

Aiden had travelled thousands of miles to Brambleford to fulfil his ambitions and put his knowledge to use. Now was his chance to prove himself in front of Simon. He solemnly said. "Yes, My Lord."

Baldwin nodded slightly beside him and said to Simon. "By the way, Your Highness, I’ve also assigned Aiden to handle the problem of the remaining noble clans. He’ll have his hands full with so much work."

"Oh? Is that so? It seems Baldwin holds you in high regard. Tell me, how do you plan to deal with the remnants of the noble clans?" Aiden was about the same age as Simon had been in his previous life, so their mental ages were similar.

Faced with Baldwin, an old stick-in-the-mud, Simon preferred interacting with people like Aiden.

"My Lord, Brambleford is in a state of recovery. Taking drastic measures would harm us as much as the enemy. The rise of the noble clans began with large families relying on their numbers and influence, gradually growing into the unmanageable situation we see today. Therefore, in dealing with these remnants, I believe the ringleaders should be executed as a warning, the secondary leaders enslaved, and the rest, numbering in the thousands or even tens of thousands, should not be punished too harshly. Instead, they should be dispersed to other cities. This way, they can no longer form a cohesive force in their new locations." Aiden explained.

"You’re right. The Redwyck family, including its main and branch lineages, numbers over ten thousand members. With Bertram dead, these people can no longer remain in Brambleford. By splitting them up and relocating them to other counties and cities, large clans will become small, and small clans will become ordinary families, never to reunite. From then on, the six cities will no longer have noble clans."

After a brief exchange, Simon left the Governor’s Office. Aiden had left a good impression on him, but whether he was truly capable remained to be seen.

For now, Simon’s most important task was figuring out how to produce cannons as quickly as possible.

With Brambleford’s limited troops, he couldn’t afford a war of attrition with the reavers, especially with Prince Gerad lurking in the shadows with ill intentions.