Chapter 477: Bang! Nothing To Show Off

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots echoed across the training grounds as the rifled guns struck targets four hundred meters away.

After completing their demonstration, the twelve Dutch soldiers lowered their weapons and stepped aside.

Earl Grey wore a proud expression as he turned toward Prince Simon.

"Your Highness, it’s your turn."

Simon nodded slightly before examining the distant targets.

"This is quite impressive. I have to admit that we are somewhat behind in firearms technology. Brambleford doesn’t yet possess guns capable of accurately hitting targets at four hundred meters."

With that, Simon turned toward Lancelot and instructed him to conduct their own demonstration.

The results were almost identical to those of the Dutch soldiers.

However, rather than being disappointed, Simon appeared perfectly satisfied.

Grey, on the other hand, was completely astonished.

He had expected Brambleford’s firearms to fall short of Dutch standards. Yet the demonstration had shown that their weapons were remarkably comparable.

"Your Highness, there’s no need to be discouraged. These rifled guns cannot replace the battlefield advantages of traditional flintlock muskets. For now, they’re merely a surprise weapon."

Grey paused before continuing with a confident smile.

"If you’re interested, I can sell you the manufacturing techniques for these rifled guns."

Simon couldn’t help chuckling inwardly.

This old fox was already looking for an opportunity to make money from him.

"How much are you asking?"

"Following the Eldorian Empire’s usual trading practices, five million silver caps should be a reasonable price. Of course, you don’t necessarily have to pay in silver. Tea, porcelain, and raw silk would also be acceptable."

Grey spoke confidently, clearly believing he had presented an attractive offer.

Simon nearly laughed.

Tea, porcelain, and raw silk were among the most sought-after luxury commodities in Europe. A single shipload could generate enormous profits for merchants.

This was precisely how the Fletcher family and Prince Valeric had accumulated their enormous wealth over the years.

The Dutch transported vast quantities of silver from Europe to purchase these valuable commodities. Through this trade, the Fletcher family had gradually established a financial network that extended throughout the Eldorian Empire.

Their money house had been built upon an enormous reserve of silver.

Thinking about this, Simon couldn’t help glancing northeast, in the direction of Prince Valeric’s territory.

He still remembered the bustling harbour at Kingsfall. The number of merchant ships and the volume of overseas trade were far beyond anything currently seen in Brambleford.

Compared with Brambleford, Prince Valeric’s domain remained a major gathering place for merchants, particularly those involved in overseas commerce.

Unfortunately for them, Prince Valeric’s confrontation with the Dutch had severely disrupted their maritime trade routes.

For Simon, however, this presented an opportunity.

Once he reopened the maritime trade routes, those merchants would inevitably need a new partner.

And he intended to become that partner.

"No need," Simon replied after a brief consideration.

Grey’s expression stiffened slightly.

He hadn’t expected such an easy offer to be rejected.

Simon had no intention of purchasing military technology from the Dutch. Why should he spend millions of silver caps acquiring something that Brambleford could eventually develop independently?

Besides, he had already taken note of Grey’s asking price.

He suspected that before long, the Dutchman himself would be eager to sell him weapons rather than manufacturing techniques.

Grey’s disappointment was difficult to conceal.

He had originally believed that selling rifled gun manufacturing techniques to the Eldorian Empire would earn him millions of silver caps.

Yet Prince Simon showed no interest whatsoever.

Looking at Simon’s calm expression, Grey suddenly developed another suspicion.

Could it be that Brambleford already possessed similar technology?

The thought made his earlier excitement disappear.

After a moment, he sighed and changed the subject.

"Very well. Let’s proceed with the artillery demonstration."

Simon nodded.

The next demonstration involved field artillery.

As expected, the results were similar to those of the firearms test. Brambleford’s field cannons performed almost identically to their Dutch counterparts.

Neither side possessed a decisive advantage.

The demonstration had given both parties a clearer understanding of each other’s military equipment. However, Simon wasn’t particularly impressed by the Dutch results. He understood that Dutch weapons did not necessarily represent the highest level of European military technology.

By the eighteenth century, the Dutch had already begun losing its former position as Europe’s dominant maritime power.

Countries such as England, France, Prussia, and Austria were gradually emerging as the major military powers on the continent.

If Brambleford wanted to remain competitive, it couldn’t limit its ambitions to matching Dutch technology.

After the demonstrations ended, Simon and Grey began discussing the deployment of their troops.

According to their agreement, Prince Simon would leave two thousand soldiers in Fort Zeelandia to maintain order alongside the Dutch garrison.

Grey accepted the arrangement without objection and agreed to hand over the western barracks of Fort Zeelandia to the Brambleford soldiers.

With the arrangements settled, both sides decided to rest for two days.

On the third day, the combined fleets of Prince Simon and Earl Grey finally moved into action.

Their warships established a blockade around Split Rock’s main island, while several vessels maintained patrols along the surrounding waters.

Their objective was simple: prevent reinforcements from reaching Blackthorn Castle.

In particular, they couldn’t allow the Latin pirates to slip through the blockade and reinforce the defenders.

At the same time, the Allied armies began landing on the island.

Combining the Dutch and Brambleford forces, the expeditionary army numbered twelve thousand musketeers and was supported by seventy-two field cannons. With such a formidable force, they quickly began establishing positions around their primary objective.

Half a day after the landing, Lancelot approached Simon with a report.

"My Lord, our soldiers have completed the encirclement of Blackthorn Castle."

Simon nodded.

Grey, who was standing nearby, appeared particularly relaxed.

In his estimation, unless something unexpected happened, the Latin forces inside the castle had little chance of escaping.

They would eventually run out of food and supplies. With the allied fleet controlling the surrounding waters, receiving reinforcements by sea would be extremely difficult.

A prolonged siege would eventually force them to surrender.

"Maintain strict vigilance," Simon ordered. "Don’t allow anyone inside that castle to slip through our lines and launch a surprise attack."

Although their fleet had established a naval blockade, Simon wasn’t foolish enough to believe that every enemy vessel could be detected.

In an era when observation still depended heavily on human eyesight, there were always gaps in surveillance.

A determined enemy could exploit even the smallest weakness.

Therefore, he wasn’t prepared to leave anything to chance.

While Simon was busy arranging the siege, the situation inside Blackthorn Castle was becoming increasingly tense.

Zack stood atop the castle walls, observing the enemy forces spreading across the island before returning inside.

When the unfamiliar fleet first appeared in Fort Zeelandia’s harbour, the defenders had immediately realised that trouble was coming.

They hadn’t expected the Dutch to return with such a large reinforcement fleet.

What surprised them even more was the presence of warships belonging to the Eldorian Empire.

And among those ships was Prince Simon’s fleet.

The defenders had already encountered these warships during the earlier confrontation at Ashenford. They knew exactly how dangerous their cannons could be.

Nevertheless, Zack hadn’t panicked when he first saw the fleet.

Blackthorn Castle was no ordinary fortress.

With its strong defensive walls and more than ten thousand soldiers stationed inside, he believed they could withstand an enemy assault.

However, when the allied armies completed their encirclement, his confidence began to crumble. He finally understood that the enemy had no intention of launching an immediate attack.

They intended to starve the defenders into submission.

The situation was becoming particularly troublesome because their food supplies were already running low.

Inside the castle, one of the pirate leaders approached Zack with a worried expression.

"Lord Zack, the Dutch and the Eldorian Empire forces intend to besiege us. Are we really going to sit here and wait for them?"

He glanced toward the surrounding walls before continuing.

"Our food supplies won’t last much longer. Their fleet has blocked the coastline, making it impossible for us to receive reinforcements or replenish our provisions by sea."

The pirate leader was one of Zack’s trusted wandering fighters. His men had spent years attacking merchant ships and plundering maritime trade routes, accumulating considerable wealth for their organisation.

But now, the very waters they had once dominated had become their prison.

Before Zack could respond, another voice suddenly interrupted.

"The Red Wolves will never starve to death inside this castle!"

The speaker was a fierce-looking man whose expression was filled with indignation.

"That would be a disgrace to our honour. We are warriors, not frightened merchants hiding behind walls!"

He tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Lord Zack, rather than waiting here until we run out of food, why don’t we leave the castle and fight? Our swords and guns will tear through those miserable weaklings. We would rather fall on the battlefield than suffer the humiliation of surrender!"

"That’s right!"

Another one immediately stepped forward.

"For Lord Scott, we can die without hesitation, without regret, and without doubt!"

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

The surrounding men raised their voices, their anger spreading throughout the hall.

For them, retreat was an insult, and surrender was an unforgivable disgrace.

They would rather die fighting than allow themselves to be remembered as cowards.

Zack remained silent as he watched the increasingly agitated men.

However, it was the man sitting beside him who attracted everyone’s attention.

Lord Zack slowly raised his head.

A ruthless glint flashed through his bloodshot eyes as he listened to the men declarations.

The corner of his mouth gradually curled into a cold smile.

"Since you are all so eager to fight..."

He paused, allowing his gaze to sweep across the room.

"Then perhaps it’s time we reminded these people why the Red Wolves have ruled these waters for so long."