Chapter 388: Why?
At the square in front of Imperial Hall, the ministers formed a crescent shape around Liam and his group.
Emperor Alaric and Simon stood in the middle of the formation.
Alaric looked surprised as Liam took out one long, stick-like weapon after another from wooden boxes. He asked Simon. "Simon, are these the firearms?"
"Yes, Father. These are the firearms used in the Preston battle. Actually, it’s quite simple, just a smaller version of a cannon." Simon explained.
All ten firearms brought were matchlock muskets, which had a slow-burning cord called a matchlock at the firing mechanism.
To fire, the soldier had to light the matchlock, which was also a disadvantage.
Since firing required the matchlock, musketeers had to carry several meters of cord on themselves.
In humid weather, the matchlock was hard to light. Usually, soldiers lit both ends so they could fire a second shot quickly. But the cord burned out fast, so during sieges they might run out of cord and be unable to fire.
Another drawback was that the burning cord gave away their position at night, making night raids difficult.
Because of all these problems, the matchlock musket was quickly replaced by the flintlock musket.
Simon was confident in the advantages of the matchlock over the flintlock, which was why he wanted to sell these weapons.
Alaric laughed happily. "Hmmm, it does look like a small cannon. Simon, you’re clever. This means every soldier now can carry a cannon, right?"
The Eldorian Empire had struggled against the tribes because it lacked horses. This new weapon gave Alaric hope.
He had been paying close attention to the firearms unit, and now that a new weapon was ready, he was very excited.
Simon added with a smile. "Though it’s a smaller cannon, the power is much weaker."
Liam handed all ten muskets to the soldiers. These soldiers had already practiced loading and firing in Brambleford, so they loaded quickly and waited for the command.
Simon gave Liam a signal.
"Fire!" Liam shouted.
At once, the soldiers lit their matchlocks, igniting the gunpowder and firing. A loud bang echoed, followed by white smoke.
Though prepared, Alaric was still startled by the noise. Some ministers even trembled.
"Wow, these firearms are loud." Someone said.
"Yes, but why didn’t a single target get hit?" Another asked.
After the muskets fired, the ministers whispered among themselves.
No one dared criticize Simon in court, partly because of his great merits, and partly because he held Snake Pass, the key to the north.
More importantly, the new firearms represented the interests of many noble clans. No one wanted to offend Simon, since they all wanted this weapon.
Alaric heard their whispers and felt a bit awkward. He asked Simon. "Simon, why didn’t any bullet hit the target?"
Simon said calmly. "Father, the musket works with volley fire. It’s very different from archery. In fact, muskets aren’t as accurate as bows."
At the time when cold and hot weapons were exchanging dominance, muskets were criticized for being unreliable.
Because of these problems, Simon’s troops only equipped two muskets per squad; the rest used cold weapons.
So even though Simon brought the muskets for demonstration, it was still uncertain if the commanders would accept them.
"If muskets are worse than bows, then what use are they?" One general suddenly asked.
Other ministers shared this doubt. Without Simon’s victories over the tribes using firearms, they would have been even more disdainful.
Then Lancet spoke loudly. "Your Majesty, a single musket isn’t as useful as a bow on the battlefield. But I’ve seen Prince Simon’s musket squad, thousands formed in ranks, firing while riding. The power is huge. A skilled archer needs years of training, but even a common man with a musket can kill tribal cavalry. The tribes have many horses, but the Eldorian Empire has many soldiers."
Alaric looked at the empty targets and the muskets again. Lancet spoke exactly what he was thinking: the tribes’ advantage was cavalry and skilled archers, which was the Empire’s weakness.
Muskets could make up for that.
He asked again. "Simon, how about the musket’s power and range?"
"The range is less than a bow, but the power is much stronger. It can pierce tribal armor from ninety paces away." Simon said.
For Simon, bringing the muskets was all about selling weapons and making military profits.
Now the north was stable, and the blood oath was signed. Whether or not it worked, the princes should behave for now.
After marrying Elin, Simon wouldn’t come to Eldora often. He would focus on building up his lands and closing the technology gap with the west.
This trip to Eldora was about money, trade agreements, and military sales.
As long as these two succeeded, he could profit and upgrade his territory’s industry.
Alaric was tempted by Simon’s words about the musket’s power.
He thought for a moment and said. "In that case, like cannons, equip a batch for testing. Let’s give the firearms unit five thousand muskets."
The last cannon purchase cost millions of caps of silver, and buying muskets would also be expensive.
So Alaric didn’t want to buy too many at once; ministers might complain. After all, the firearms unit was still new, with no real battlefield experience.
Also, the muskets’ accuracy made him doubt their effectiveness in battle.
"Five thousand muskets?"
Simon was a bit disappointed by the number, but seeing the expressions on Emperor Alaric and the ministers, he understood why.
After all, they still doubted the effectiveness of muskets in the army, or maybe they just hated spending so much silver.
In Brambleford, Simon had often heard ministers complain about the cannon prices. Some even wanted the court to fund their own clan workshops to copy Brambleford’s cannons.
Those ministers weren’t patriotic; they just wanted their share of the cannon trade profits. Naturally, they hated seeing silver flow out without their cut.
To Simon, the Eldorian Empire was heading toward corruption, just like every dying dynasty.
Party fights, extreme corruption, traitorous merchants selling out the country, and citizens loyal only to clans instead of the nation — all signs of a declining dynasty— were present.
What troubled Simon most was the Imperial Guard, the Empire’s elite army. They were often unpaid and hadn’t updated their equipment in years.
These were facts Lancet personally told him.
Because of this, the Eldorian Empire’s failure against the tribes wasn’t just about horses; it was also because civil officials oppressed the military.
And since Alaric took the throne through a coup, he was wary of the army, focusing more on civil governance than defending against enemies.
Thinking all this, Simon smirked silently. He sold weapons not just to make money but for the Empire’s future.
If he really handed over cannon and musket tech, he knew the silver would be skimmed off layer by layer. The army would end up with faulty weapons, dud barrels, or misfires, while other princes got the good stuff.
After all, those princes were sharpening their knives at all times.
Knowing this, Simon didn’t care about the weapon numbers. The trade agreement was the real prize. As for how many muskets to sell, sell as many as possible.
After his wedding, he’d return to Brambleford and ignore the storms in Eldora. He just needed to manage his land and stay safe.
Setting the musket issue aside, Simon said. "Father, now let’s see the hot air balloon. This one will surely surprise you."
"Yes, yes, this is exciting," Alaric said eagerly. He was truly interested in this flying machine