Munitions Empire

In such circumstances, it had become impossible for King Taren the Tenth to continue controlling his own city.

The nobility, especially the lower nobility, no longer dared to move about freely within the city. Some of them had watched, with their own eyes, as noble caravans were robbed clean by deserting soldiers and rioting citizens.

Naturally, they dared not leave their homes anymore. Within their own estates, relying on their strongmen to guard the gates or secure the mansion castles, they still had some defensive capabilities; once outside, they became fish on the chopping block, awaiting slaughter.

The high social status and class divisions they once relied upon were now cast aside by the rioting citizens and deserting soldiers, their eyes red with killing.

Without the deterrent of law, without the constraint of reason, and lacking the protection of guns and Longswords, these parasites on society's branches had nothing left but cowardice and baseness.

Chaos was everywhere, the King's orders could no longer be delivered, and the garrison forces were each fighting their own battles, with most commanders unable to restrain their troops anymore.

Meanwhile, at the same time, an officer sent by King Taren the Tenth to inspect the artillery battery, along with his guard, finally reached the vicinity of the ruined battery.

Frankly, he himself knew that coming here to inspect was actually pointless—along the way, having seen countless deserting soldiers and rioting citizens, he was already well aware that everything was out of control.

Even if he did notice something odd at this point, what courage would he have to question the artillery defenders? With what clout could he issue orders to a bunch of unruly soldiers?

If they took a dislike to him, who would care if he was shot dead amidst the chaos? The authority he represented was a tiger's skin in normal times, but now it was nothing.

However, when he found the artillery defenders stationed in place, he was still shocked by the scene before him.

Unlike what he had imagined, these defending soldiers were covered in dust, and many were even injured. Most of them looked quite wretched, as if they were a group of down-and-out refugees.

Besides having more survivors than expected, observing these soldiers, they indeed seemed like heroes who had fought bravely to the very end.

No joke, these soldiers had indeed fought, and had fought hard. Their battery had only exploded and become inoperable, but their valor had left a deep impression.

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"Sir, you've worked hard!" The second in command from the King, moved almost to the point of tears, grabbed the hand of the artillery commander and chokingly offered his condolences.

He even noticed that the commander's hands were covered with small cuts, clearly abrasions from falling—the traces of a tumble.

"What did you say? Louder! My ears!" the commander pointed to his own ears and shouted back loudly.

The representative of the King, the second in command, faltered slightly, nodded, and then began to shout, "I will certainly tell His Majesty the King! We must reward you loyal and brave soldiers well!"

The artillery deputy commander beside him was startled, hearing the other's shouts, and thinking to himself that this second in command sent by the King was also an Academy Award-level actor! A true talent!

Although it indeed was the time to appear sincerely concerned, the acting was almost too convincing.

It seemed the other side was also full of the will to survive, afraid of letting slip any hints of their issues, which might lead to them being stealthily killed by these soldier ruffians.

What he didn't know was that it was actually their own performance that had been too convincing, masking all clues and leaving no chance for the other side to detect anything amiss.

Because they had severely underestimated the explosive power of the munitions, they were not far away when the battery exploded.

More than a dozen unfortunate soldiers were genuinely killed by the explosives they had lit themselves, and a dozen more were genuinely blasted with internal injuries.

Of course, there were even more with lighter injuries, and unknowingly, they had used their own errors to create the most authentic impression of a defeat.

No one would have thought they could be so ruthless in their acting, willing to risk blowing themselves up to cover up the fact that they had flinched in battle... Such a thing was simply too fantastical.

They weren't pretending, they were for real! Even the commander's deafness was the genuine article... a real injury!

What's more amusing is that not only were the injuries severe, but the appearance of these artillery defenders was also superbly made up.

Because they were too close, they were covered in a layer of ash, looking as if they had crawled back from hell itself.

Most of their uniforms had become unrecognizable, and on some of their faces, the blood had mixed with the dust, commanding respect from onlookers.

This was far better than domestically-produced anti-Japanese war dramas, absolute high-fidelity prop quality, with perfect marks for costume, makeup, and set design...

So, despite there being just a hint of discrepancy in the number of survivors, in this moment when no one was scrutinizing the details, such a minor slip-up was insignificant.

This was precisely why, in the eyes of the King's trusted confidant Number Two, with his bright red eyes, these people were undeniably the Kingdom's most trustworthy and brave loyalists.

"Everyone has worked hard! Worked hard! His Majesty the King will not forget your contributions! There will definitely be rewards! Definitely!" Completely moved, thinking he had found his organization, the King's trusted confidant Number Two felt instantly assured of his safety.

Standing among such a group of patriots and valorous warriors loyal to the King, what else was there for him to worry about? Apart from the Royal Palace, this was the safest place at the moment, wasn't it?

With this thought, he instinctively puffed out his chest, speaking with a few degrees more bravado than before.

"Hmm?" Hearing news of rewards from His Majesty the King, a group of gunners with guilty consciences were momentarily stunned.

They were unclear about the situation and even suspected the other party of spouting nonsense to deceive them—no joke, the artillery position was lost under their watch, right? How could they not only avoid blame but also receive money as a reward?

Fearing that it was a trick to appease them for the moment, then preparing to question them with an army later, some of the artillery officers even began exchanging glances.

"This, this... we lost the artillery position..." The artillery commander felt a bit awkward, guiltily reminding and preparing to explain.

The other party still casually waved his hand, excitedly explaining, "General, don't mind it! The city is already in complete chaos."

"Even now, there's no news from the city walls! Everywhere there are deserters, groups of dozens or hundreds robbing homes, completely lawless!" The King's trusted confidant Number Two, while moved, gestured towards the smoke billowing more and more from the distant city.

Then, turning his attention back to the artillery soldiers, he cursed through clenched teeth, "The refugees and bandits show no regard for the law, even daring to ambush the Nobility. Almost all the roads are impassable, and I too faced countless dangers on my way here..."

"General, at this moment, finding loyal officers and capable soldiers the King can rely on is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!" Here, the King's trusted confidant Number Two couldn't help but be emotionally stirred.

After expressing his emotions, he didn't forget to deliver what he thought was a spectacular flattery, "The Taren Kingdom is blessed by the gods to have a loyal and good officer like you, General, and so many courageous and fearless soldiers!"

"So, rest assured! Once you and I return, I will definitely speak well of you to His Majesty... When the time comes... General, you must not forget about this little brother of yours."

Uh... was there a mistake somewhere? The artillery commander, whose ears were still not functioning well, hadn't quite grasped what he'd just heard.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Suddenly, he realized something, turning to look at the King's trusted confidant Number Two who was cozying up to establish a connection.

"Ah... it seems the General's ear injuries are still severe! I said... once you and I return..." The King's trusted confidant Number Two looked sympathetically once more at the artillery commander's ears, noticing the dried blood beneath them, and became even more convinced in his judgment. Your next read is at empire

"I'm going back with you?" Pointing incredulously at himself, the artillery commander seized the key point, looking somewhat bemused.

He didn't want to go to the Royal Palace, which seemed even more dangerous at the moment! He wanted to stay here by the destroyed artillery position, doing nothing but waiting for an outcome, alright?

The King's trusted confidant Number Two, thinking that the other party was shocked by his own surprise, proudly repeated, "Yes! Not just you, but all these elite soldiers will return with me! To defend the Royal Palace! To fight the enemy to the death!"

"Fight to the death?" Hearing these words, almost all of the artillery's officers and soldiers were taken aback. To defend an artillery position that they themselves had blown up in a fiery self-destruction, nearly losing their lives, and now to guard the Royal Palace?

"Yes! Fight the enemy warships to the death! Rest assured, General, the King feels the same as you; he will not surrender!" Feeling that he grasped the key point appealing to everyone present, the King's trusted confidant Number Two started to embellish his own tale.

Bloody fight to the death, hell with not surrendering like you! The commander inwardly cursed non-stop and turned away, glancing at his adjutant.

"What should we do now?" he signaled with a look to his adjutant.

"Who knows, we've overplayed it, everything else is so pitiful, and now we've somehow shown our faces..." The adjutant made a helpless expression, conveying his speechless sentiment.

"I don't know either... who would have thought these rascals wouldn't even act..." The artillery commander took the cue, slightly shaking his head.

Then he glanced at the King's trusted confidant Number Two, "I need to give some instructions to my adjutant! We'll set off right away!"

After saying this, he pulled the adjutant aside, making a throat-slitting gesture behind their backs, "Otherwise... if we're going to do it, let's not stop halfway..."

"Ah?" The adjutant grimaced... You started it, and now you're addicted to killing?