Chapter 327: In The Sky?

In Brambleford, front-line battle reports were quickly transmitted back to Prince Simon’s residence via the official relay stations along the road.

The news that the reaver commander Rowe had been slain and his ten-thousand-strong unit shattered reached the Governor’s Mansion within a single day. Benjamin had specially ordered the relay to deliver the news overnight to Brambleford.

"Excellent! Benjamin executed a flawless field annihilation outside Cardiff City. According to his report, our casualties were almost negligible, a true and total victory."

In the Governor’s Hall, Simon handed the report to Aiden.

Aiden studied the document intently, stroking his beard as he smiled and commented:

"It appears that flintlock rifles, when combined with this new formation, now allow the Brambleford army to fight the reavers even in open terrain. If that’s the case, we may even be able to stand toe-to-toe with Clinton’s main force."

"Benjamin wrote that he plans to rest a few days before advancing to Preston. The success of combining hollow square and wagon fort formations has clearly bolstered his confidence." Simon said.

"My Lord," Aiden replied. "Perhaps it’s unwise to have General Benjamin advance into Preston so hastily. Clinton’s forces still hold the upper hand in numbers. Once we push further into Preston, our supply lines will be dangerously extended. The region is crawling with displaced mobs; if the reavers or rebels sever our logistics, our soldiers would be in grave danger. We’re aiding Preston, yes, but preserving our strength must also be a priority."

Simon nodded. Brambleford soldiers didn’t fear battle; they feared running out of rations. If Clinton surrounded the Brambleford army without launching a direct assault, within ten days they’d face starvation.

"So what do you propose?" Simon asked. In the realm of ancient political strategy, Aiden was the true expert.

"Wait for the imperial guard and Prince Gerad’s army to move. Let Prince Gerad’s troops guard our supply lines. He’s unlikely to agree to spearhead the assault, but if it’s about protecting the grain, he won’t refuse."

Baldwin added:

"Aiden speaks wisely. The troops sent by Prince Gerad this time belong to the so-called ’Mountain Camp,’ the most worthless of his units."

"So I can only rely on the imperial guards in this Preston affair?" Simon sighed, frustration rising.

He was deeply angered. How could the Eldorian Empire, plagued with backstabbing and infighting, ever hope to fend off the reavers?

"I’m afraid so," Aiden said solemnly. "And remember, Clinton is only the vanguard. If Fern arrives, Brambleford’s forces will be in real trouble."

Simon let out a long breath. Benjamin had taken nearly all his elite troops. He couldn’t afford to lose them on someone else’s behalf.

Just like Aiden said, aid Preston, but don’t get used as someone else’s blade.

The ever-cunning Prince Gerad would gladly pay money to avoid sending soldiers.

Still, Simon also saw the silver lining: the battlefield would temper his troops, and perhaps even foster new military talents.

After the discussion, Simon drafted an order instructing Benjamin to wait for Prince Gerad’s army before advancing into Preston.

He also renewed instructions to lead refugees into Brambleford.

More than ever, he realized: population was military strength. Population was productivity. Without enough people, his territory couldn’t sustain a war effort.

This was the tragedy of small states facing large ones; even with similar weapons, sheer numbers could destroy them.

His territory had only one-fourth the population of the reavers, and that didn’t even count the reavers’ slaves.

That’s why he was desperate to attract people. Under Prince Augustus’s rule, the civilians lived miserably. But if they came to his lands, things would be different.

They would serve as recruits for the army and laborers for every industry in Brambleford.

Only with sufficient manpower could he grind the reavers down through attrition until they collapsed.

Just as Simon was engrossed in writing orders, a commotion arose outside the Governor’s Mansion.

A guard rushed in, breathless.

"Your Highness! There’s something strange in the sky!"

"In the sky?" Simon paused, then suddenly smiled. He turned to Baldwin and Aiden:

"Come on. Let’s go take a look."

The two officials followed, intrigued.

Out on the streets, the citizens of Brambleford had all stopped in their tracks, staring upward and murmuring.

In the sky above, a giant gray balloon was slowly drifting. It hovered about fifty meters above the ground.

Its ten-meter diameter made it appear massive. You could see it from anywhere in Brambleford.

"My Lord, what... What is that?" Aiden gasped in alarm.

Like most of the Eldorian Empire’s officials, Aiden was steeped in superstition and couldn’t help associating the sight with spirits and omens.

Baldwin and Aiden both looked pale with fear.

Some citizens on the streets even clasped their hands in prayer, muttering to themselves.

"Don’t panic. That’s a hot air balloon, something the students at the Oxford Academy developed." Simon explained.

He looked up. The balloon appeared unmanned, with only a burning brazier suspended below. A rope still trailed from its side.

He realized: the balloon must’ve broken free during a test flight and floated off on its own.

Sure enough, he soon spotted Ethan running down the street, jumping and trying to grab the trailing rope.

Behind him, physics students shouted frantically, waving and yelling,

"Come down! Come down!"

"Idiot," Simon muttered, exasperated. "Someone could die from this."

He was familiar with Ethan’s research. The student had used tung oil as fuel for the hot air balloon.

Tong oil, traditionally used to waterproof wood, also served as lamp oil in many rural households.

Instead of burning straw like the primitive designs described in textbooks, Ethan had refined and modernized the balloon with tong oil.

The earliest hot air balloons had very limited endurance, only about 20 minutes of flight, with a max distance of around 10 km.

By using tong oil, the balloon could fly much farther.

Still, its energy density was far lower than modern propane or natural gas. At best, the tong oil setup could extend flight time by a factor of five.

Without refined fuels like propane, this was the hard limit of current balloon technology.