Chương 187: Statue of the Penal Corps

Two months later, at Citizen Square in the heart of the Alliance. As the final wooden scaffolding was disassembled and cleared away, the soaring Statue of the Penal Corps stood fully unveiled against the sky. Li Qinwu looked up at the towering monument, a surge of emotion washing over him. The Alliance officially possessed its very first national totem. A series of system notifications flashed across his vision: [Ding! Construction of the "Statue of the Penal Corps" is complete. All citizens receive the following permanent effects:] [Martial Reverence]: The brave soldiers shield the fatherland; they deserve the absolute respect of the nation. (Social status and prestige of military personnel increased.) [Unshakeable Morale]: All organizations under your domain gain a flat +10 Morale. This bonus cannot be reduced or degraded. [Eternal Vigilance]: The direction the statue gazes... points directly toward the enemy!

While the three traits might not seem game-breaking at a glance, scaling their passive bonuses across tens of thousands of citizens yielded immense practical value. The permanent +10 boost to Morale was particularly impactful. While a minor flat increase in video games wouldn't stop low-morale units from routing, its real-world applications were staggering. Assembling raw levies instantly granted them a baseline composure level of 10, drastically reducing the time required to drill recruits.

Furthermore, goblin younglings organized into basic schooling cohorts now inherited this +10 baseline from birth, saving the administration untold logistical friction. Li Qinwu immediately ordered all standing units to assemble beneath the shadow of the statue. Taking his place before a parade formation of over ten thousand soldiers, he gestured with fierce intensity, addressing the ranks:"Soldiers! Brave warriors! Honorable defenders of the realm!

"The Alliance will never forget the contributions you have made! The Alliance will never forget the sweat you have shed, the blood you have spilled, or the lives given in service of our future!

"Warriors make history—and through history, we shall ensure our warriors are remembered for all eternity!" He thrust his arm toward the giant statue.

"Look upon it, warriors! This monument is the physical embodiment of every single one of you! So long as the Alliance stands, you will remain standing right here in Citizen Square!!" The next instant, soldiers of every species roared in unison:"Long live the Alliance!" Whether human, goblin, or kobold, every trooper present felt an overwhelming wave of pride. The collective force of the massed formation imparted a sensation of absolute invincibility—a level of power no individual could ever dream of holding alone.

Standing in those ranks alongside their regiments, they felt capable of felling gods! Notifications reading [Charisma Proficiency +1] cascaded through Li Qinwu's vision. With a broad sweep of his arm, he gave the command:"March out!!" To the sharp shrill of military whistles, the blocks of infantry adjusted their bearings and filed toward the western road. This deployment was not an invasion aimed at conquering the Kingdom of Sarthos, but a large-scale field drill involving a ten-thousand-man corps.

The primary objective was testing and cultivating operational field commanders capable of handling independent grand commands. Chief command of the maneuver was assigned to Gob-Spear, supported by Gob-Bow, Gob-Gallop, and Knight Reo. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Their mission target: maneuver an army of over ten thousand troops 400 li into the western wilderness, then execute an orderly withdrawal back to base.

Li Qinwu intentionally refrained from participating in any aspect of the march. Route planning, morale management, supply distribution, and tactical security rested entirely on the shoulders of Gob-Spear and the regimental commanders. Li Qinwu wanted to see if Gob-Spear—the very first goblin who had followed him—possessed the capacity to command ten thousand men. It was a formal test to determine his readiness for promotion to high generalship.

He did not expect Gob-Spear to demonstrate miraculous genius; a commander who could maneuver an army into battle without collapsing under logistical strain was already exceptional. That was the extent of the standard Li Qinwu set for him. Furthermore, it served to reveal how unit commanders collaborated, communicated, and resolved friction once separated from his direct oversight.

To ensure proper evaluation, Li Qinwu dispatched military police inspectors to observe the officer corps throughout the exercise, keeping detailed records of every command decision for later review. The exercise also served a strategic geographical purpose: familiarizing the army with the 500- li mountainous expanse separating the Alliance from the Kingdom of Sarthos. This region was almost certain to become the principal theater of engagement in future full-scale wars.

Adapting to the terrain in advance meant saving blood when real conflict erupted. It took over an hour for the long column to clear Citizen Square before vanishing along the western horizon. Once they were under way, Li Qinwu turned toward the Industrial Zone to review recent manufacturing progress. The Industrial Zone had fully earned its name.

Rows of tall blast furnaces operated side-by-side, coal reserves were stacked as high as hills, and a workforce of over 7, 000 laborers produced hundreds of standardized iron goods. Li Qinwu first visited the main armory to claim the latest output from his system inventory, retrieving iron ingots, high-grade steel, rifled muskets, and paper-cartridge ammunition.

Operating at double yield proved exceptionally lucrative; this batch alone provided over 500 newly minted rifled muskets—enough to equip five full infantry companies. He then headed toward the Magic Blast Furnace to find Tie-Ouk, only to be informed by foundry workers that the master smith was currently at the weapons testing range. Located a short distance from the furnace complex, the testing grounds echoed with the continuous thud of small-arms fire and artillery discharges.

Every piece of ordnance manufactured in the complex underwent at least ten test firings before entering active inventory. Upon arrival, Li Qinwu spotted Tie-Ouk inspecting a lightweight artillery piece. The gun possessed a 40mm bore and weighed under 100 kilograms, consisting of a short barrel mounted over two large wooden carriage wheels—utilizing a breech-loading swivel gun architecture. Swivel guns offered rapid firing rates; their ammunition was pre-loaded into removable breech chambers (sub-cannons).

Once fired, a crew member simply removed the spent chamber and slotted in a fresh one. With a sufficient supply of pre-loaded chambers, the gun could achieve remarkable sustained fire. However, traditional swivel guns suffered from significant gas leakage through the clearance gap between the removable chamber and the main barrel, drastically reducing muzzle velocity and effective range. Fortunately, current industrial capabilities allowed the machinists to cut screw threads into the breech interface.

Gunners could now thread the breech chamber directly into the main barrel, creating a tight seal. Once discharged, the chamber was unthreaded and swapped out, preserving high muzzle velocity while maintaining rapid reloading speeds. While thread-locking was impractical for heavy siege guns due to the weight of the chambers and severe recoil stresses, it was ideally suited for a 40mm light piece.

Each breech chamber was roughly the size of a metal mug, holding a light powder charge that the threaded structure could easily contain. Tie-Ouk crouched beside the light piece, flanked by ten pre-loaded breech chambers. Working with methodical speed, he fired, unthreaded the spent chamber, threaded in a fresh one, and fired again. In under a minute, all ten rounds were expended downrange.

"Impressive," Li Qinwu remarked. Tie-Ouk turned, startled to find Li Qinwu standing behind him, and hurriedly straightened up.

"Your Majesty!"

"At ease." Li Qinwu gestured toward the piece with his chin.

"How is production scaling? Can we begin mass-producing these rapid-fire light guns? The cavalry regiment is eager to take delivery." Tie-Ouk wiped grease from his hands.

"Your Majesty, all firing tests have passed with flying colors! The cavalry horse-artillery piece weighs just 92 kilograms. Firing solid shot, it achieves an effective range of 600 meters. Firing canister shot, it discharges eight steel balls per round out to roughly 200 meters. Best of all, a single crewman can operate the entire assembly!" Li Qinwu nodded in satisfaction.

This weapon was the direct result of Gob-Gallop's doctrine of mobility: at just 92 kilograms, a single war-spider could tow the piece without slowing the unit down. Its main drawback lay in the precision required to manufacture the threaded breech chambers. Each gun required a minimum of five chambers, and machining the locking threads demanded skilled turners. Li Qinwu instructed: "Expand production capacity immediately.

Now that we have operational steam engines, focus on training workers to adapt to these new production tools.

"By the way... how is the progress on the steamship prototype?"