Under the shade of the night, in the council room of the Frosthearth Mansion.
Two days, after the rifle trial was a success, I began to draw up a plan for its field test alongside John and Elena, who sat with me at the round table, while Daisy walked around the room distributing drinks, except to me, who received something else instead.
"No drinks for you, sir," she said as she poured herbal tea into the cup in front of me.
I sighed heavily in response. "Thank you, Daisy," I said as I took a sip of the tea, which was aromatic but bitter as hell, to the point that I had to close my eyes and hold my breath.
She smiled cheerfully in response before moving to the corner of the room and standing there in silence as the discussion began.
On the round table lay a rough map of the pine forest north of Farville Village, along with testimony reports from a local hunter regarding a spotted campsite belonging to the Tribe of a Hundred Leopards.
"We will test our new weapon here, with live targets," I declared, pressing my finger down on the marked campsite, which was surprisingly close to the village. The terrain was dense pine forest, unsuitable for strict line formations and even worse for cavalry charges.
"Isn't pinewood, and forests in general, the nemesis of our doctrine, sire?" John asked with a concerned expression. I had only taught him about line formations and linear warfare a week ago.
"And we are planning to attack inside the woods, where the enemy has the home-field advantage and natural cover?" Elena added, equally concerned. "Isn't a rifle meant for direct-range engagements in open fields?"
"Auftragstaktik" I replied to their concerns with a single foreign word.
They both stared at me in confusion.
So I elaborated.
"It means mission-type tactics. In other words, I give you the intent of the mission and near-complete authority to command troops in the field. You decide how to accomplish it according to the situation you face."
I smiled as I finished explaining.
"So basically, think for yourself?" Elena asked with a sarcastic smile and tone, while John, seated opposite her, stared at me in bewilderment.
"Yes. Think for yourself," I confirmed. "And I also have a couple of new tools for you to integrate into our army to help with that."
"And when will those tools arrive?" she asked again.
"Tomorrow. I will personally instruct you on how to use them," I answered.
"And what is the schedule for the campaign?" John raised his hand and asked.
"In two weeks" I replied in an authoritative tone.
John stared at me with concern, while Elena nodded in understanding.
"Then I will explain my general plan of attack, which you two will adapt for your own usage," I said, pointing my finger down at the map again before beginning to outline the general plan of the operation called "Plan A".
-----
The next day at the barracks of Vindia,
Amidst the gentle sunlight of Nordenland, ranks upon ranks of hundreds of infantry stood in formation. They wore surprisingly white uniforms and equally white-painted iron helmets, specifically designed to blend into the snow-covered terrain of the north. Some held wooden mock-up rifles for drilling, while the fortunate others carried the real SIR-01 rifle, polished and ready.
As I descended the steps of my carriage, boots striking gravel in steady rhythm, the entire field seemed to hold its breath.
"Present arms!" John shouted.
In near-perfect synchronization, the soldiers snapped their rifles upward in salute. The motion was sharp, unified, almost mechanical.
I walked past the ranks slowly, returning their salute.
"I'm glad they are this disciplined," I complimented, glancing across the training field in genuine admiration.
"Do not thank me, sir," John replied, raising his hand in salute. "Thank Miss Elena… and her harsh method."
I allowed myself a faint smile, that's explained the rigid posture.
The soldiers did not flinch. Not a shoulder shifted. Not a gaze wandered.
Snow-colored uniforms beneath pale sunlight made them look less like men and more like a moutain of snow awaiting to cause an avalanche.
We walked toward the newly constructed pinewood barracks, their timber still fresh and resin-scented. The officers' quarters stood slightly apart, modest but sturdy.
Before entering, John turned sharply toward the field.
"At ease!" he barked.
The formation relaxed in unison, though even their rest carried tension like a drawn bowstring.
Then we stepped inside the officers' quarters, the door closing behind us as the disciplined murmur of training resumed outside.
-----
Inside the officers' quarters was a chaotic room filled to the brim with various weapons, pieces of armor, and discarded uniforms. The air carried a faint scent of ale mixed with fresh pine resin from the newly cut timber walls.
Helmets rested atop crates. Swords leaned against tables. Rifles lay partially disassembled beside cleaning kits. A breastplate hung carelessly over the back of a chair. It looked less like a command room and more like a battlefield paused mid-preparation.
In the center of this organized chaos stood a large wooden table surrounded by several chairs.
Seated there was Elena, along with a few of her former comrades who had now been promoted to officers. John's knight was also present, similarly elevated in rank.
The moment they saw me enter, all of them rose from their chairs and saluted in unison.
"At ease, at ease. Please, sit down," I said with a smile before taking my seat.
I did not waste time with pleasantries.
My eyes shifted toward the corner of the room, where several strange, thick wooden boxes with leather straps attached, resembling backpacks, were stacked neatly beside the table.
"Do you know how to use those yet?" I asked, pointing toward them. I had already sent them a manual detailing their operation.
"No idea, my lord," one of John's men replied, glancing briefly at Elena. "Lady Elena told us to wait for you to teach us."
"I see."
I turned my gaze to Elena and smiled lightly.
"Next time, take the initiative and decide things for yourself, understood?" I said calmly.
Elena nodded in understanding.
I then leaned back slightly in my chair and gestured toward the wooden boxes.
"Bring one here."
Two officers carried one of the backpack sets onto the table with noticeable effort. It landed with a heavy thud. The leather straps creaked.
I unlatched the metal clasps and opened the lid.
Inside, neatly arranged in padded compartments, were coils of copper wire, a compact spark transmitter, a receiver unit, a morse key, cables and a folded antenna rod with a hand-cranked generator fixed along one side of the device.
"This" I began, resting my hand lightly on the device, "It's field signal code emitter."
They stared.
I lifted the small Morse key.
"Signals transmitted through the air."
One of the officers frowned. "Through… the air?"
"Yes."
I pointed at the crank.
"You generate power manually. One man operates the crank. One man sends and receives."
I tapped the key lightly.
"Short pulses. Long pulses. Code sheet were inside the manual."
I turned to Elena.
"You secure a position in the forest. You raise the antenna. You establish contact. You report your situation to headquarters."
"And they can reply?" she asked.
"Yes."
Silence filled the room.
John looked at the box again, as if expecting it to breathe.
"This changes everything, coordination, response time and chain of commands!"
I allowed myself a slight smile.
"And the next generation of this equipment will allow long-distance dialogue."
They all looked up at once.
"Dialogue?" one officer asked.
"As in speaking," I said casually. "Voice transmission."
They stared at me as if I had suggested casting somekind of magic spell, It's the same kind of bewilderment that's happen when I firstly show them what gunpowder is by blowing up a cattle.
I chuckled lightly.
"But that is for the future."
Then my expression hardened.
"Now. For the purpose of this operation."
The room straightened instinctively.
I stood and placed both hands on the table.
"First, live-fire training in a real combat situation with low risk since we already beat'em twice, they shouldn't have much resistance left in them"
"Second, teach soldiers and commanders to adapt to the battlefield environment. Forest warfare is unpredictable. You must think for yourself."
I glance around at everyone.
"Each of you'll be responsible in command for one company of a hundred men."
They met my gaze steadily.
"Third, we will demonstrate our new weapons."
I tapped the rifle leaning against the table.
"Fear is cheaper than war. If the tribes of beastmen learn what happens when they attack our borders, they will think twice, so we could pour out the resource used to protect our northern border and redirect them somewhere else"
The room grew quiet.
"However!" I added, my tone sharpening, "there are caveats!"
I raised one finger.
"Minimal casualties, both men and material."
Another finger.
"Kill only those who refuse to surrender."
Murmurs flickered across the table.
"Those who surrender" I continued evenly, "are to be disarmed and left alive..."
John frowned slightly. "Left alive?"
"Yes."
I met his eyes.
"They will carry the story, if they're all dead who'll spread the news?"
Understanding dawned slowly.
"The news of our rifles," I said quietly, "must spread amongst those savages!"
Elena leaned forward.
"So a controlled demonstration?" she murmured.
"Precisely."
Then the discussion that followed grew intense, as i let them decide thier own tactic.
They debated spacing between squads in the forest.
Whether to move in staggered columns or dispersed skirmish lines.
How to secure flanks in limited visibility.
When to deploy the wireless set.
Where to establish fallback rally points.
Elena suggested splitting into four maneuver elements of twenty-five men.
John recommended single tight rank that's sweep through the entire forest like a rake.
One officer proposed elevated sharpshooters using tree cover.
Thinking, not blind obedience, Good, I'll need an adaptable commander and expirenced troop if I want to goes to war against the kingdom and comes out on top.
"I can't be everywhere all at once when the civil war broke out" I thought with a humble smile.
-----
Two weeks later.
Elena stood at the front of her own company of one hundred men.
Before them stretched the pine forest north of Farville Village.
Rifles loaded.
Bayonets fixed.
Two wireless operators adjusted the straps of their wooden backpack sets.
Elena turned to her men.
"Remember your training! Keep spacing! Watch your sectors! And most importantly NO FRIENDLY FIRE!!!"
She shouted loundly.
Behind her, the pine forest waited.
She drew her sword slowly, then lowered it forward.
"Advance!!!!!"
And one hundred soldiers descended into the trees line as they seperating into four dfferent section.