Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 745:

TL: Rui88

The court of Ordo, which had also been closely watching the situation in Horn Bay, soon received news that the war was over.

This caused a considerable stir and discussion in Crystal Shrine.

King Rodney XVIII carefully read the intelligence reports from each battle. The performance of the five thousand Ordo soldiers and the twenty thousand Horn Bay mercenaries trained under the Alda system on the Hestia battlefield was truly astonishing. The twenty thousand Horn Bay mercenaries, in particular, were able to adjust their formation timely and accurately after the friendly forces on the right flank collapsed, blocking the threat from the flank.

Rodney XVIII believed that the new-style army he had trained with Alda instructors would definitely be no worse than the Horn Bay mercenaries, not to mention that his soldiers and the Alda soldiers were both Ordans, sharing the same blood.

This further strengthened the king’s confidence in forming a new army. Undoubtedly, the events in Horn Bay were a powerful blow to the old fossils who opposed his military reforms. The Alda army had once again proven its combat prowess through actual battle. What reason was there not to emulate a victor?

However, not all words regarding the Alda army, or rather, its lord Paul Grayman, were complimentary.

Many people criticized his intervention in the Horn Bay War, even though it was under the guise of a civic group from Lion’s Port.

“Although he is a sword-bearing lord, to engage in battle with other forces outside the kingdom without the kingdom’s consent is truly improper!”

“Does he even have any respect for His Majesty the King?”

“Someone should be sent to Northwest Bay to reprimand Grayman.”

Those who already had a poor opinion of Paul Grayman voiced their dissatisfaction one after another. Some even believed that the most powerful lord in the kingdom’s northwest had degenerated into a rebellious subject, no different from the likes of Jars and Viburen.

“But, it is the inherent right of a border lord to defend his own territory and property from invasion!”

“Indeed, it was Collins who invaded first. Grayman was exercising his rights completely legally!”

“The kingdom has an obligation to lend aid to its vassals. Shouldn’t we be pleased that a lord has dealt with the enemy himself without troubling the royal family?”

There were also many who spoke up for Paul.

In the end, it was Rodney XVIII who settled the debate—Paul Grayman’s exercise of his rights as a sword-bearing noble was legal!

In the king’s address to the court, he stated that Marquis Grayman was still loyal to the kingdom. The fact that his army used the identity of the Horn Bay Volunteer Army rather than any other official title was one piece of evidence. There was also another, greater piece of evidence—Paul Grayman had transported all the soldiers under Jars’s command captured in the Horn Bay War to Crystal Shrine, asking the kingdom’s government to handle them. This also showed that in Paul Grayman’s eyes, the king was still the supreme arbiter of Ordo.

In addition to all this, the war in Horn Bay had attracted many observers, and new weapons from Northwest Bay, such as muskets and cannons, were displayed before the world. These weapons, which could almost nullify the differences in physique and strength between warring parties, intrigued many.

This naturally included Rodney XVIII. These firearms had proven their worth time and again, and His Majesty the King had long coveted the firearms of Northwest Bay.

The relationship between the royal family and Paul Grayman needed to be taken to the next level.

If the Horn Bay War brought a sense of confidence and anticipation to the court of Ordo, then for Jars in Fivehsheep Fortress, it could only be described as terror.

The formidable Undead Army was Jars’s mainstay. He had once relied on this army to pacify all the defiant lords in the south and had also resisted the royal army’s southern campaign.

They did not think for themselves, were highly obedient, and feared no casualties. He had once been so proud to command such an army.

Previously, due to the restrictions on the drugs provided by the Arcane Society, the size of the Undead Army could only be maintained at six thousand men. Now, Jars had spent a great deal of money to secretly recruit some wizards. After painstaking research, they had finally discovered some of the key elements of the drugs provided by the Arcane Society and created a substitute. Although its effect was somewhat inferior to the original, it was enough to satisfy Jars.

Thus, the size of the Undead Army broke through the six-thousand-man limit. With a large supply of counterfeit drugs, the size of this powerful army had finally reached ten thousand.

However, what happened in the Horn Bay War shattered the pride in Grand Duke Jars’s heart.

The initial night raid on Lion’s Port had failed, but Jars had only attributed it to being outnumbered and the lack of timely coordination from the Collins forces outside the city.

But then, after Lion’s Port officially entered the war, the Undead Army he relied on proved to be completely vulnerable in the face of the Alda army’s muskets and cannons. Peyton had known beforehand that the penetrating power of Alda’s firearms was very strong, so he had his soldiers wear thick armor. But when the battle started, he found it was useless; the armor could not stop the flying bullets at all.

In the face of this terrifying firepower, the soldiers of the Undead Army, cultivated with expensive drugs, were shot down one by one by the Alda army’s firearms, just like the cannon fodder troops used for support. Even Jars’s beloved general, Peyton, died before the Alda army’s firearms.

After receiving the news of his army’s defeat, it was as if all of Jars’s former high spirits vanished overnight, replaced by deep anxiety.

What made him even more uneasy was that the court of Ordo was hiring officers from the Alda army to train its own troops. He might be far from Northwest Bay, but he was very close to the royal domain. Rodney XVIII’s large-scale military buildup was probably not just aimed at the orcs, but also at him, Jars.

He had to act immediately and not just wait for his doom.

Jars thought of the Arcane Society again.

The ripples caused by the Horn Bay War in the outside world did not affect Paul Grayman.

Before officially dispatching his army, the Department of Intelligence, led by Cecil, had already investigated the general situation in Horn Bay.

Information on human geography, customs, food and drink, as well as knowledge of various plants and animals were compiled into manuals and distributed to the officers and soldiers for reading and reference, just as they had done during the orc invasion.

To prepare for a possible war, Lion’s Port had stockpiled war-related supplies in advance, such as food, gunpowder, ammunition, and military uniforms and boots. A large amount of manpower was also allocated to maintain the various transportation lines. These tedious preparations ensured the smooth progress of the subsequent battles.

Paul had absolute confidence in his well-prepared army. When he received news of his side’s victory, he was naturally very happy, but his emotions did not fluctuate dramatically.

After instructing the relevant departments to properly handle the compensation and rewards for the army, he threw himself into the preparations for his wedding with Catherine.

Alda was finally about to welcome its mistress.