Chapter 497: The Iron Revolution(3)
Chapter 497: The Iron Revolution(3)
Originally, Geist (the Factory Party) enjoyed strong support not only from the factories of Makina but also from the oppressed dwarves.
In a dark and gloomy atmosphere, who wouldn't be drawn to those who encouraged them, saying they could do it and that they no longer needed to endure?
The propaganda that began in the capital soon consumed all of Makina, and numerous factories went on strike and joined the party.
While this plunged the entire world into an economic panic, let’s save that for later.
Of course, even before the Bloody Sunday Incident, there were dwarves who still believed in the King.
In fact, they were busy disparaging the movement, saying that rebelling against the King was just fancy talk from people who couldn't face reality.
Furthermore, while reality was indeed cruel, many were hesitant about whether it was right to completely collapse the regime.
Geist ignored this and pushed forward with their propaganda campaign. They encouraged participation, declaring that the voice was power itself.
After the Bloody Sunday Incident occurred, most of the factories joined Geist, allowing the party to grow into a formidable force.
However, no matter how strong a faction is, it is futile without the "might" to oppose an army.
The Minerva Empire supported Geist under the table, and a few soldiers who felt disillusioned after the Bloody Sunday Incident defected, but it was still significantly insufficient.
Dwarves have a long lifespan of about 300 years—though not as long as elves or demons—and this creates an environment where the establishment is difficult to dismantle.
This means that once a soldier or politician grasps power, they rarely let go, which is also why the military follows the King's orders so faithfully.
Why would they refuse when following the King's orders brings them wealth and glory?
The military was essentially nothing more than the private guards of the King and the factory owners. This meant that for Geist to drag the King down, they would have to face the army head-on.
No matter how corrupt the military was or how many units had defected out of disillusionment, it wasn't enough. To bring down a giant, "power" was an absolute necessity.
"Wh-where did you get this much material?"
"Shh. Keep it down. These are goods sent from the Empire, so we must make sure we aren't caught."
"The Empire is helping us? For what reason?"
"How should we know? If they tell us to use it, we use it."
Just then, under Lina's leadership, the Minerva Empire was sending support. Most of it was raw materials, but as mentioned before, it only took the dwarves to manufacture them.
Not only that, but several party members went to the Minerva Empire to receive separate training and then trained other members based on that education.
Now, they possessed both the influence and the might. The members of the Factory Party grew their strength steadily in the shadows, waiting for their moment.
Time passed, and today, with the appearance of the "tank" and the signal being raised, the true power of the Factory Party was unleashed.
[The forge’s fire flows as sweat,]
[Our sweat, our value, our proof.]
[The hammer’s rhythmic beat becomes a song we hum.]
[From my hands, the new is born. With our hands, we raise a great mountain.]
[Let us build together. Let us sing together. Let us dance together.]
Countless dwarves sang the national anthem with powerful voices. As they marched forward with dignity, their thunderous voices united.
It was a completely different sight from when they had marched in a procession to beg the King.
Back then, they sang to hold onto a fading hope, but not anymore.
They were no longer marching for a meaningless hope; they were advancing while fanning the flames of revolution burning in their hearts.
"It’s a good thing Bourgeois V made such a royal mess of things."
Handai followed behind, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched the citizens singing the anthem and the party members marching alongside the tank.
The revolution was now on the verge of success. All that remained was to drag the King down and establish a new nation.
Many people might wonder: even if Bourgeois V was an idiot, didn't the military collapse too helplessly?
Even if a never-before-seen monster (the tank) had appeared, wasn't the army too weak?
"If they had poured money into the military, we wouldn't have broken through so easily."
"Indeed. Isn't it just poetic justice?"
In fact, it was normal for there to be almost no "standing army" in this era. At most, there were only the soldiers guarding the royal palace.
Even the Minerva Empire, despite managing such a vast territory, only had a standing army of about 200,000.
Of course, if war broke out, they could mobilize up to a million, but that was only in the event of a "war."
Therefore, having a standing army of 200,000 was already an insane amount. It was only possible because their economic power supported it.
Given the era, it was "natural" for the standing army to be significantly small. Furthermore, Makina had a small standing army because it focused on "production" rather than "military."
Above all, the fact that Makina had been at peace for 300 years played a major role. Occasionally, the Minerva Empire set its sights on Makina, but they quickly gave up.
Due to the racial characteristics of dwarves who constantly move in and out of mines, Makina is mountainous. There are so many mountains it's sickening.
Since the entire country was surrounded by massive walls, even finding a path, let alone invading, was a nauseating task.
Crucially, Bourgeois V gave "money" to the soldiers under his command, but the budget was a separate matter. In any case, the corrupt military had no reason to care about the budget.
"I can see it now."
As they marched leisurely, they soon arrived right in front of the royal palace.
When Handai narrowed his eyes and announced the fact, Geas immediately took action.
Just as he had united the factories of Makina, he picked up a loudspeaker and shouted loudly so the people behind could hear.
[Comrades! We have arrived before the palace of the King, the embodiment of greed who fired arrows and cannons at us! The goal is right before our eyes!]
Waaaaaaa!!
The dwarves in the back cheered at Geas's news that they had finally reached the palace.
In contrast, the members of the Factory Party who had to engage in direct combat had tense expressions.
Geas, sensing the difference in the atmosphere, shouted again.
[But you do not need to shed blood again! Leave the rest to us, the Factory Party! We will become your spear and shield and shed blood in your stead!]
At Geas's bold declaration that they would bleed in their place, the cheers of the dwarves gradually died down.
They had been caught up in the fervor of the revolution, but now they realized: there was more blood to be shed.
And that blood would be shed not by their weak selves, but by that giant steel monster and the party members.
They could trust Geist. But regardless of trust, they couldn't help but worry when told that others would bleed for them.
Geas smiled inwardly as he read the atmosphere. The fact that they were worried meant they trusted them completely.
[You don't need to feel sorry. You don't need to worry. Just as one might hurt a finger while hammering, Makina and Geist are simply going through such a process. Mist?]
"Yes! Party Leader!"
At Geas's call, a dwarf stepped forward, answering with a vigorous voice.
He was neatly armed, and his eyes burned with passion. However, his beard was on the shorter side.
A short beard meant he was a young dwarf. Geas made a request in a gentle voice.
"Please protect the citizens so they don't get hurt. There may still be remnants of filthy greed lurking about."
"Understood! Everyone! You may now return to your homes—"
BOOM!
Before Mist could even finish his sentence, a massive explosion erupted right in front of them.
The dwarves, including Geas, were startled and looked ahead to see what had happened.
As the rising dust slowly settled, they realized what it was after seeing a massive iron ball embedded in the ground.
[The bastards in front are forming a line! Get inside, quickly!]
Just then, Handai's shout came through the hose.
Geas's face hardened as he climbed into the tank. His role was the gunner.
Soon after Geas entered, Handai climbed out of the hatch. He barked orders to the party members lined up on both sides.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! As instructed before, some of you stick close behind the tank! The rest, support us with cannons and crossbows!"
"Yes, sir!"
"By your command!"
After giving orders to the party members, Handai looked ahead. Timely as ever, Geas handed him a telescope from inside the tank.
Taking the telescope, he looked toward the palace, the presumed source of the shell.
Soldiers were already lined up in front of the palace gates, having likely received the report.
Although the party members had taken out the soldiers scattered throughout the city when the signal was given, there were still many left.
If they could break through that, only the Royal Guard protecting the King would remain.
BOOM!
While they hesitated, another shell fell. Fortunately, their marksmanship was abysmal, and it landed right in front of them.
Handai didn't go back inside the hatch but kept his eyes forward and shouted fiercely.
"Advance!"
Hiss!
With the shout to advance, the steel monster exhaled a rough breath.
Subsequently, the monster that had made everyone tremble began to move forward slowly.
Grrrrrr—
The Ogre No. 1 Tank moved forward with a beast-like growl. Handai used the telescope to observe the reactions of the soldiers guarding the palace.
Judging by their expressions, they all looked quite flustered. Even if they had received a report, they probably hadn't found it easy to believe.
But what they were seeing was a stark reality. This steel monster was steadily approaching.
Handai smirked, then used the telescope again to count the number of cannons.
'There are about 20 cannons... and no... mages.'
As mentioned before, mages were practically non-existent in Makina. Especially those specialized in lethal magic.
It was more efficient to build more cannons than to mass-produce mages, and given their racial tendencies, they didn't feel the need for magic.
Even for items like refrigerators or air conditioners, they would borrow magic from elves to mechanize them; there was almost no independent growth.
There might be mages guarding the King, but their skills weren't good, to put it mildly.
'They’ve really made up their minds.'
Still, seeing that they had brought out 20 cannons, it seemed they intended to make their stand here.
Furthermore, the most striking thing was the number of soldiers. There seemed to be at least 500.
On the other hand, the number of armed party members was about 300 at most. Since it takes at least a year to learn how to use weapons properly, even this was a lot.
And there would be even more soldiers guarding the inside of the palace. Even the first gateway to enter the palace was going to be tough.
'It's a relief we don't have cavalry.'
Surprisingly, Makina had no cavalry. They had no suitable breeds, and the race itself was far from combat-oriented.
Above all, the 300 years of long-lasting peace had made the existence of the sword nominal.
If they had been frequently invaded by foreign powers, Makina would have sufficiently increased its military strength, but that hadn't happened.
Considering that tanks would eventually replace the role of cavalry in the future, Makina's level of scientific development could be called bizarre.
KABOOM!
As they advanced silently, several shells landed all around them.
The explosions were deafening. However, the direct damage was practically non-existent.
"Ugh!"
"Get a grip! Trust this monster! It will never break!"
The party members following closely behind the tank were the same. They were faithfully using the tank as cover.
This wasn't a tactic taught by Isaac, but one devised by the Dwarf Trio themselves.
It was a tactic they wouldn't have even thought of if the tank hadn't existed. Handai shouted as they endured the barrage of cannon fire.
"Take out the cannons first! 12 o'clock!"
[Distance?!]
"About 500 meters!"
Whirrr—
As he calculated the direction, the main gun slowly rose. As soon as the gun stopped, Handai shouted loudly.
"Fire!"
[Firing!]
BOOM!
The Ogre spat fire, and the tank recoiled slightly from the impact.
Since they hadn't thought of technology to suppress recoil, the tank couldn't help but jerk every time it fired.
Phew!
Unfortunately, the first shot zipped right over the soldiers' heads. Instead, it blew the large palace gates wide open.
Handai clicked his tongue at the sight. In that case, he just needed to lower it slightly.
Moreover, the other party members—not the ones following right behind the tank—were supporting them vigorously from the rear, firing cannons and arrows.
"Lower the barrel! 400 meters!"
Whirrr—
The angle of the barrel was adjusted once more.
"Fire!"
[Firing!]
BOOM!
Fire erupted from the monster's mouth.
KABOOM!
"Aaaagh!"
"Guaaargh!"
A direct hit. The shell accurately struck the soldiers at the 12 o'clock position.
The soldiers at 12 o'clock were instantly thrown into chaos. Handai grinned and shouted to Geas.
"Prepare the Thunderclap Shell!"
At the mention of the Thunderclap Shell, Geas inside the tank looked at the loader in the back.
The loader, who also handled coal charging, nodded at his signal and pulled out a unique shell that was different from the regular ones.
Unlike other shells, it had a distinct blue tint overall.
The loader didn't put the shell into the gun yet but looked at Geas. Geas, seeing that the loader was ready, shouted to Handai.
[Thunderclap Shell ready!]
"2 o'clock! 400 meters!"
Click!
As soon as Handai's instruction was given, the loader shoved the blue shell in without hesitation.
He didn't forget to channel mana into it before loading. Then, the blue shell began to glow brighter and brighter.
"Fire!"
[Firing!]
BOOM!
Before the shell's light could get any stronger, Geas pulled the cord and fired.
At the same time, the blue shell streaked forward like an arrow.
Before long, the shell landed exactly where Handai wanted. BOOM! With the sound, the enemy ranks were broken once again.
But it didn't end there. As mentioned earlier, the shell had begun to glow as mana was channeled into it.
CRACKLE!
—Aaaaagh!
—Grrrr...!!
—L-lightning! Everyone, watch out!
The shell didn't just stop at being embedded in the ground; it scattered powerful lightning in all directions.
It was as if a literal thunderbolt had exploded. The soldiers scrambled to break formation before the current could reach them.
A shell that utilized the mechanization of magic, the exclusive property and symbol of dwarven engineers.
If Isaac had seen this, he would have been so horrified by what he had created that he might have fainted.
The dwarves had finally achieved something that was impossible even on Earth.
"Hahaha! That’s gotta be shocking! You bastards!"
Handai laughed heartily as he watched the panicked troops. At this rate, breaking through would only be a matter of time.
Furthermore, the other party members were providing fierce covering fire from behind.
BOOM!
As if refusing to back down, the palace army fired their cannons once more.
"Ha. Not a chance—"
CLANG!!!
Handai was about to mock their actions but was forced to stop mid-sentence.
His entire body shook. No, beyond that, the tank itself shook violently.
At this completely unexpected phenomenon, Handai barely managed to stop himself from being sucked into the hatch.
He then gripped the edge of the hatch tightly and assessed the situation.
"What? What was that..."
[Eins! Hey! Wake up!]
As Handai lost his words, Geas's urgent shout came from inside.
And for good reason—a massive "Iron Spear" had pierced through the tank's thick armor and entered the interior.
To make matters worse, the place where the Iron Spear had pierced was the driver's seat—where Eins was.
[Ugh...! I'm okay! But what... is this? Is this an Iron Spear?]
[Those bastards! They brought out an Iron Spear meant for dragons! This is what the Minerva Empire people ordered back then! Why is it still in the palace?!]
A weapon designed to "damage" giant monsters like dragons, not ogres.
"...Shit."
An "Iron Spear" had pierced through the front of the tank.