Chapter 14
(Kyle Calendar
Year 501: Age 8)
Sixth Arrow,
Archer Training
Translator : PolterGlast
With Weiss-san's
endorsement secured, I unveiled the developed crossbow to my parents.
The usual members were
present, along with my brother.
This time, we prepared
the unveiling venue in the courtyard.
It was a joint
proposal from my brother and me, and we prepared with excitement.
"Father, Mother,
Raymond-san, thank you for taking the time today."
Starting with the
usual opening remarks, first and foremost, seeing is believing.
My brother, an amateur
with the bow... or rather, with skill only befitting his age compared to his
sword talent, was taking aim at a distant metal plate target.
"Brother Dalek,
please."
After a while...
"Ba-thwack!"
A loud sound rang out,
and the arrow hit the target, which was too far for an amateur, perfectly,
almost piercing through it.
"Wh-what?!"
My parents were
speechless with their mouths half-open.
Raymond-san was still
grinning as usual.
"Shyah!"
My brother, pleased
with his hit, let out a shout of spirit.
Actually, he had
practiced shooting to his heart's content at Weiss-san's place yesterday and
had improved considerably.
"Takuhir... is
this also knowledge from a book?"
After a while, Father
finally spoke.
"The parts used
are. I thought about whether I could use them for a bow and tried applying
them."
"It's newly
completed, and after test-firing it yesterday and getting Weiss-san's opinion,
he said that with this, even the iron cavalry of the Griffonia Empire could be
defeated..."
"Fool! Report
such an important weapon to me first!"
I got scolded...
"With this, even
the weak and inexperienced territorial soldiers should be able to achieve
considerable success, I believe."
"Compared to
bows, crossbows take time to reload, which is why they are not always highly
valued. What are your thoughts on this?"
As always,
Raymond-san's pointed question hit the mark, or rather, was exactly as
expected.
My brother and I
exchanged glances.
We had already
discussed this point.
"We have a
proposal regarding that as well."
〇Mass Production of the New Crossbow
Utilizing the
advantage of crossbows not requiring much skill, we propose equipping all
soldiers with the new crossbow.
This would allow us to
leverage the power of numbers as archers. To that end, we propose proceeding
with mass production and deployment.
・The pulley mechanism will be kept secret for the time
being to secure our advantage.
・Crossbows with pulleys will only be deployed to
soldiers.
・Crossbows with pulleys will be kept secret except
during actual combat and training.
〇Training and Securing of Archers
We will also
mass-produce improved versions of the old crossbows, incorporating elements of
composite bows, and use these for training archers.
Training will be
conducted not only for soldiers but also as part of entertainment involving the
citizens, and we will provide facilities such as free shooting ranges.
・For entertainment, we will hold events with prizes,
such as archery tournaments.
・General citizens will be allowed to participate with
the aim of winning prize money.
・Through these tournaments, we will discover those with
high skills and recruit them as soldiers.
〇Entertainment System
At the shooting
ranges, we will incorporate elements that appeal to participants' psychology,
such as awarding points and attaching prizes to difficult targets. Furthermore,
we will hold regular tournaments with prize money as recurring events, creating
a system that will also excite spectators.
・A large tournament will be held once a year, turning
it into a festival.
・We will implement betting on the winners of the large
tournaments.
・Prize money will be distributed to those who correctly
predict the winners, exciting the audience as well.
・We will secure a portion of the revenue as the
organizer and use it for operating expenses.
〇Military Application
Regarding the issue of
rate of fire, we believe it is not a problem considering the advantage of
numbers, and that it can be resolved through operational tactics.
Long-range combat: All
soldiers will perform suppressive fire as archers.
Mid-range combat:
Soldiers will be divided into three teams to perform continuous firing in
shifts.
Close-range combat:
Roles will be divided according to unit type, mainly for sniping.
Operations will be
based on these principles, with flexible changes, and the continuous firing
system using division method will be kept secret until critical situations.
This is a second-hand
version of what Oda Nobunaga is said to have done with firearms at the Battle
of Nagashino in the Sengoku period of Japan, regardless of whether it's
historically accurate or not...
My brother and I took
turns explaining this.
The key points were:
・Keep the crossbows with pulleys as secret as possible.
・Spread the use of crossbows for both entertainment and
practical benefit, turning the entire citizenry into a fighting force.
・Secure profits from tournament operations to fund
future and ongoing activities.
・Keep battlefield tactics secret until they are needed.
"By the way,
although his swordsmanship is extremely excellent, my brother Dalek is terrible
with a bow... no, I mean, he has average skill. But even he was able to make
shots that pierced that target at that distance after just one day of practice
yesterday. Wouldn't it be amazing if all the soldiers of the baronial army
could do the same?"
This was the final
blow.
Raymond-san looked
impressed and let out a surprised sound.
Father's mouth was
opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.
Mother was holding her
head a little.
We didn't miss her
small voice saying, "The expenses..."
"By the way, we
haven't told Weiss-san about any of this yet, of course."
My brother and I
exchanged knowing smiles.
Also, I added that
Weiss-san wanted the crossbows with pulleys, and that it might be a good idea
to provide them under certain conditions.
〇Conditions for Providing to Weiss-san (Draft)
・The information about the new crossbow must be kept
secret.
・The mercenary group must ensure thorough management.
・The provision fee will be offset against part of the
mercenary group contract fee.
・Test operation of this weapon will be conducted in
actual combat against monsters.
・Reports on improvements and issues encountered during
operation will be provided.
If these are possible,
we will deploy early production models to the mercenary group, and later, those
familiar with handling them will be dispatched to the army as instructors.
How does that sound?
※
Currently, for the
Kyle Kingdom army and the Margrave of Hastburg's forces defending the border,
the greatest threat is the iron cavalry of the Griffonia Empire. There is
currently no effective countermeasure against the mass charge of over 1,000
iron cavalry.
The current situation
is that we are barely holding out thanks to the fact that the Griffonia Empire
is always the attacker and the Kyle Kingdom is always on the defensive in the
border wars.
Our offensive power is
overwhelmingly inferior, and I have heard that we suffered greatly from the
mass charges of the iron cavalry in past battles.
Also, turning the
citizens into a fighting force has been a long-standing issue.
When troops are
dispatched, the defenses of various regions inevitably become weaker.
Not all mobilizable
forces are taken to the battlefield.
Although reserve units
are left behind, the defenses of smaller towns and villages visibly weaken.
We cannot say that we
have sufficient forces to deal with bandits who lie in wait for such
opportunities or monsters that attack irregularly.
If we can turn the
citizens into a fighting force, I believe we will be able to leave the defense
of our territories to them with peace of mind.
※
I think all three of
them probably agreed with this proposal as well.
Right now, Father,
Mother (though she is a woman), and Raymond-san are taking turns test-firing
the crossbow with pulleys.
They are letting out
joyful cheers...
Seeing this, it goes
without saying that my confidence in shooting as entertainment deepened.
If anyone says
anything, I can just refer to this scene.
This was the first
step towards what would become the renowned Solis Archer Corps on the
battlefield in the not-too-distant future.
Along with this new
crossbow... a weapon that would be called the Estol Bow in this world.
※Afterward
Crossbow: Refers to an
improved version of the conventional crossbow.
Estol Bow: Refers to a
combination of a crossbow, a composite bow, and a compound bow.
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