Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

The possibility of an invasion in the autumn.

Apart from Baldwin, military generals like Lancelot soon received the news.

”My Lord, as long as the equipment and weapons can keep up, defending Dunmere City won’t be a problem. But so far, even the equipment for the Brambleford camp hasn’t been settled. Can you hurry Bjorn along?” Lancelot shot a sideways glance at Bjorn, who stood with his eyes fixed straight ahead, his teeth clenched in frustration.

Bjorn had a calm temperament, while Lancelot was hot-headed. Naturally, the two didn’t get along. Bjorn replied. ”Captain Lancelot, producing plate armour isn’t easy. Producing a thousand sets in a month is already quite an achievement.”

”But Your Highness said we could produce a hundred sets a day. Are you trying to deceive me?” Lancelot, his chest wrapped in bandages, glared and questioned.

Now it was Simon’s turn to blush. When the hydraulic hammer was first implemented in the steel workshop, he had confidently claimed they could produce a hundred sets of plate armour a day.

Later, reality had slapped him in the face. It wasn’t that he had misjudged the production capacity.

The problem was the insufficient supply of iron ore. Now he understood that while smelting iron and steel was relatively easy, mining was a different story.

After the shallow layers of ore were exhausted, the mines had to be dug deeper. Then, whenever it rained, the mines would flood, turning into ponds. Once the rain stopped, the first task was to drain the water from the mines before mining could resume.

At the same time, the deepening of the mines increased the difficulty of transporting the ore. The three iron mines under Roland’s management were producing less and less ore.

The same problem was occurring with the coal mines.

In the past, Brambleford had never engaged in large-scale steel production, so the shortages of coal and iron ore during the rainy season hadn’t been noticeable.

But now, the steel workshop was not only producing weapons and armour but also bearings for ox-powered waterwheels and farming tools for civilian use.

Bjorn glanced at Simon and said to Lancelot. ”My Lord is clearly worried, so you can see I’m not deceiving you.”

”My Lord, what’s going on? If this continues, we’ll only have eight or nine thousand soldiers ready in six months. These soldiers, trained for only half a year, are no match for the reavers, who are born riders and archers. Without the advantage of superior armour and weapons, we’ll suffer heavy losses.”

Simon rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair. ”Do you think I don’t want to equip the entire new army with plate armour? The reality is what it is, and I’m helpless.”

With plate armour production already lagging and now the need to produce cannons, Simon was truly overwhelmed.

Now he understood why ancient states struggled to maintain a standing army of even a hundred thousand soldiers. Feeding, clothing, and equipping an army were expensive, and maintaining weapons like plate armour added to the cost.

Cavalry was an even greater expense. Each cavalryman needed four horses and a dedicated auxiliary soldier to tend to the equipment and horses.

These auxiliary soldiers were similar to the squires, responsible for maintaining the cavalry’s gear and horses.

And the warhorses were no small expense either, requiring high-quality fodder, which cost a fortune.

The workshop district was a major source of income but also a major expense. The slaves in the workshops needed food, clothing, and other necessities, not to mention the costs of Roland’s mines.

In short, while he had earned a lot recently, he had also spent a great deal, with most of the silver going into production. Even agricultural investments like oxen and farming tools had consumed a significant portion.

Lancelot fell silent.

Bjorn comforted him. ”Captain Lancelot, don’t worry. If we have enough materials, military needs will naturally take priority.”

”That’s right. You focus on training the troops. I’ll handle the armour and weapons.” Simon said.

Lancelot had no choice but to relent.

After sending Lancelot away, Simon said to Bjorn. ”With Brambleford’s mineral supply insufficient, it seems we’ll have to purchase from outside.”

”That’s possible, but Your Highness must be wary of slander in the court,” Bjorn warned.

Simon frowned. Although he was a feudal lord, he wasn’t free to act as he pleased. He was still subject to the court’s restrictions.

Iron ore was strictly controlled in the Eldorian Empire. Generally, other feudal lords rarely purchased iron ore from outside, relying instead on internal supplies.

Because large-scale purchases of iron ore could only mean one thing: the feudal lord was mass-producing weapons and armour.

This was a sensitive issue. With no major conflicts in the Eldorian Empire, if a feudal lord couldn’t meet his needs with local ore and had to purchase from outside, what were his intentions?

”I understand. I may have to report this to the court. In the meantime, balance production as best you can and prioritise the needs of the Brambleford army.” Simon sighed.

With his power still growing, he couldn’t afford to act recklessly. Otherwise, he might lose his life, and all his hard work over the past months would be for nothing.

”Yes, My Lord.” Bjorn nodded.

Roland had been silent in the main hall. After Bjorn left, he asked. ”My Lord, how should we deal with the water in the mines?”

”I’ll have the Machinery Department prepare a few more ox-powered waterwheels for you. Since mining is temporarily halted, focus your efforts on prospecting, especially for wolframite, followed by tin and lead ores.” Simon said.

The reason for seeking the latter two ores was to prepare for the possibility of cast iron cannons failing, in which case they would have to resort to bronze cannons. Cast iron cannons had a high risk of exploding.

Pure copper cannons were simply too expensive. Copper coins were still in use throughout the Eldorian Empire.

Roland nodded.

After giving instructions to the three regarding the reaver threat, Simon personally wrote a report about the reavers and sent it to the courier station for swift delivery to Eldora.

Meanwhile, he went to the Machinery Department to discuss cannon production with Fjord.

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Eldora.

In the imperial palace, the willows were sprouting new leaves, and the trees were in full bloom, creating a vibrant scene. Empress Gretchen was strolling through the rear garden with a group of concubines.

Lady Isolde walked beside her. Over the past six months, the concubines had noticed that Empress Gretchen and Lady Isolde were growing closer.

Some of the more astute concubines had already discerned the underlying implications and dared not show any disrespect to Lady Isolde.

A few days ago, Prince Ravencrest had arrived in the capital to meet the emperor. Alaric personally went out of the city to welcome him, showing the importance he placed on Prince Ravencrest. Back in the day, without Prince Ravencrest’s assistance, Alaric would never have secured the throne. It was no surprise that Prince Ravencrest’s daughter had become the current Empress Gretchen.

Now, with the position of Crown Prince in flux, Prince Ravencrest’s arrival in the capital spoke volumes. However, the Crown Prince’s recent assertiveness in court suggested he was feeling confident.

As for Lady Isolde, she seemed to be gaining more of the emperor’s favour lately. But the palace was a place where news travelled fast.

The actions of Prince Simon against the local nobility in Brambleford had already caused a stir in the palace.