……
Roland stood on the rooftop of the bridge command center, gazing at the long line of ships arrayed behind him, his heart swelling with emotion.
Although, aside from the flagship Roland, the other vessels were slow and clumsy cement ships, the sight of over a dozen of them together was still impressive. White smoke billowed from the chimneys, stretching into a long line, and the river water surged to both sides from the massive fleet. Feeling the rise and fall of the ship's bow as it cut through the waves, he felt a sense of unstoppable momentum.
And the gunboat, as the flagship, was the most dazzling star in the formation—its towering bridge and slender shape set it completely apart from ordinary sailboats and cement ships. Its weaponry included a 152mm main gun at the front of the hull and two Mark I machine guns at the rear. The specially designed high-pressure steam engine and propeller drive system could propel it to a top speed of 12 kilometers per hour. In this era, it was undoubtedly the overlord of the inland rivers.
"You seem to be in a good mood," Nightingale smoothed her wind-blown hair, "Because you'll soon be returning to your old stomping grounds?"
"The palace? No, I'll never go back," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "The Western Territory is my home. I'm just happy that I can quickly quell the disputes."
"Hmm... half a lie."
Roland couldn't help but pause. He almost forgot that she could discern lies. "Ahem, well, I'm actually quite satisfied with myself for churning out so many ships in the space of a single Evil Moon."
"That's true," Nightingale blinked. "But it sounds a bit boastful."
"That's why I didn't want to tell the truth."
"Understandable," she chuckled twice and walked to Roland's side. "Actually, I'm not blaming you. If it's not something related to me, I wouldn't mind if you told a little white lie."
"..." Roland secretly grumbled to himself. If you didn't mind, why did you have to point it out?
"Oh right, I haven't thanked you yet," Nightingale said softly, looking ahead.
"Thank me for what?"
"For ending the disputes and pacifying Graycastle, so that both ordinary people and witches can live happily under your rule," she said slowly. "I knew you would definitely do it, but I didn't expect this day to come so quickly."
"It's not that fast. Even if we overthrow Timothy, the nobles will still retaliate and struggle to the death. It will probably take several years to fully integrate Graycastle." Roland exhaled. "After all, history always advances in spirals. There's still a long way to go to achieve the ultimate goal."
"It's already far beyond my imagination. I was worried I wouldn't be able to witness this in person."
"Don't talk nonsense," he glared at her. "Do you think I would let you put yourself in danger?"
"Because I'm a combat witch, it's only natural to be active on the front lines. And to break the existing rules, some price has to be paid," Nightingale turned her head. "From the moment I swore allegiance to you, I was prepared for this."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Roland shrugged. "There will definitely be a price, but it will basically be paid by the enemy. Besides, I actually have to thank you for this."
"Why?" she asked in surprise.
"Because if I hadn't met the witches, I wouldn't have made up my mind to take this step so quickly."
If it weren't for Anna, he wouldn't have immediately made the decision to save the witches. If there was no magical power in this world, he would probably still be living in the barren Border Town, living a primitive and crude life in constant fear.
"That's... the truth," Nightingale looked up at him.
"Of course," Roland smiled.
Suddenly, a golden figure descended from the sky and landed next to them. "Your Highness, there are four single-masted sailboats approaching us twenty kilometers away. They have oars on both sides and look a lot like the Hawk-headed ships mentioned in the intelligence." Lightning exclaimed, "But I didn't see any eagle-like statues on the bow of the ship."
"The hawk's head probably refers to the underwater ram," Roland patted her head. "Well done, keep monitoring."
"Then…"
…can the homework I have to do as punishment be reduced by one?" The little girl looked at the prince expectantly.
The latter couldn't help but be amused. "Okay, if you can guarantee that you won't run around, you can just do one set."
"Yes!" Lightning's eyes lit up immediately, and then she leaped up and flew quickly eastward like an elf.
"You shouldn't have let her off so easily," Nightingale said disapprovingly.
"Rewards and punishments make the memory more profound," Roland waved his hand dismissively and turned to walk towards the climbing ladder. "Let's go back to the command center. We have work to do."
……
In the four-meter square command center, there was nothing but a wooden table fixed to the floor and four benches. Iron Axe, commander of the First Army, Brian, commander of the Musket Battalion, Vanna, commander of the Artillery Battalion, and Kakxim, captain of the Victory, stood around the table, formulating a battle plan for the upcoming first naval battle.
"According to the information provided by Tassha, Timothy's four warships are all inland river oar-sailboats. Their speed should be comparable to that of cement ships, but their turning is more flexible." Roland pointed to the schematic diagram on the table and said, "The general method of attack for this type of ship is to approach the enemy ship and then board it for battle. They can also load gunpowder or sulfur and other flammable materials to ram the target, sacrificing themselves in the process. However, considering that the other party's original intention in sending warships is to block the river and make some easy money, it is unlikely that they will adopt the second method. This is our first time conducting surface warfare, so feel free to share any ideas you may have."
"Your Highness, it is difficult for artillery to hit a moving target, and we are also constantly moving, so I suggest opening fire when we get close," Vanna was the first to express his opinion. "As long as we get within about fifty meters, I guarantee that my boys will knock over one enemy ship with every shot!"
"But I heard that a cannonball not only consumes a lot of gunpowder, but can only be manufactured by Anna xiaojie," Brian shook his head. "So it's better to wait for the other party to actively board us. As long as they dare to approach, we can completely riddle them with bullets with the heavy machine guns on both sides."
Roland looked at Kakxim, "What about you, what do you think?" The reason why he summoned this old man to the flagship was because he was probably the only person in Neverwinter City with naval combat experience. According to him, he had encountered pirates more than once while running merchants, although he was always the one being robbed, it was still a kind of experience.
"Uh, Your Highness..." Kakxim hesitated for a while, "In my opinion, just ram them directly."
"What?" The other two stared at him in unison.
"Your ship is big and fast, and it's made of steel. Wooden ships will probably fall apart after just one hit. Even if they don't fall apart, the water entering through the breach will make them lose their ability to move." He looked up at everyone. "Of course, this... this is just my personal opinion."
Hearing this tactic, Roland couldn't help but think of the poem, "Today the sky is clear and the waves are high, the d flag flutters on the flagship's mast."
"Very good, let's do it this way," he finally decided. Although there was no d flag, it was the same to replace it with the Four Stars flag of the High Tower. "Give my order, raise the Neverwinter City flag on the Roland, sound the whistle, full speed ahead!"(。)