Joint Operation Preparations

The history of naval warfare in this world had diverged sharply from that of Earth. The existence of mages and underwater monsters was the reason. A single mage could single-handedly sink an enemy surface vessel, while underwater monsters lurked beneath the waves before suddenly surging forth to shatter enemy ships.

In such an environment, the role of fleets naturally diminished. They became little more than surface platforms for mages, decoys meant to draw the attention of enemy sea monsters, or mere cannon fodder on the water. With the fleet’s reputation already tarnished, mages went even further by imposing technological restrictions upon them.

As a result, the Eastern Navy tasked with guarding the empire’s seas consisted of outdated sailing ships armed with antiquated culverins. This was because the East’s primary military force was its underwater monster corps. And the defining characteristic of that underwater monster corps was…

“They’re ridiculously huge.”

The colossal giant squid known as Tusoteuthis. This massive underwater beast, whose tentacles alone stretched a hundred meters, possessed the strength to seize a sailing ship in one go and drag it beneath the waves.

No matter how hard surface vessels struggled, there was simply no way to defeat a giant sea monster that hid in the ocean depths before striking without warning. A single sweep of its enormous tentacles could reduce several ships to splinters at once.

That was why only other underwater monsters could truly contend with them. Naturally, the Eastern Navy began to revolve around ever stronger and more powerful sea monsters.

It was a similar context to the battleship-centric doctrine of Kyle’s previous world. And when one considered how that doctrine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had ultimately collapsed, the downfall of the underwater monster corps had been inevitable.

Armed with a powerful spear capable of delivering devastating blows, one slowly wore down the enemy from beyond the reach of their massive opponent. For battleships, aircraft carriers had been that counter. For the gigantic beasts beneath the waves, submarines would fulfill that role.

Therefore, to dominate the seas in the future, a large number of the new vessel type—submarines—would be essential. The role of destroyers had also become critically important. To deal with the medium and small monsters that roamed the surface, depth charges dropped from destroyers were absolutely necessary.

That did not mean battleships had become obsolete. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the end, it would be their battleships that delivered the final blow to enemy mages, hostile naval fleets, and enemy ports.

“Therefore, for the second half of this year, we will focus on the construction of submarines and destroyers.”

The budget allocation issue was settled just like that. Three matters remained to be considered: the armament submarines would use, the eyes of the submarine, and the anti-submarine capabilities of the destroyers.

The naval doctrine of this era centered on clashes between massive monsters. Naturally, the weapons employed underwater amounted to little more than simple offensive spells. As a result, battles tended to become contests between giant creatures rather than large-scale fleet engagements.

Moreover, these large monsters possessed considerable magical resistance. Even without that factor, a mage’s role was not particularly significant in the limited visibility of underwater combat. Consequently, there were almost no weapons or spells suitable for underwater warfare.

The development of weapons always followed the conditions of the battlefield. For them, this was an extremely favorable situation. Even the primitive torpedoes of the early First World War boasted a range of six to seven kilometers. The enemy would be torn apart by a barrage of torpedoes long before they could even approach a submarine.

Furthermore, this world possessed Magic Stones, natural semiconductors. Even without vacuum tube semiconductor technology, it meant they could imitate guided torpedoes.

The eyes of the submarine? That side was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already somewhat prepared. During the recent Albion air raid incident, they had presented the concept of an early sonic radar based on the radar used at the time. Research into this “radar” had continued steadily ever since.

Besides, they held one advantage that the navies of Earth had never possessed. For gigantic underwater monsters, concealment or cover was virtually impossible. One only had to look at their representative sea monster, the Tusoteuthis.

The creature propelled itself through the water by vigorously thrashing eight tentacles each a hundred meters long. The turbulence it generated was truly tremendous. Even without advanced technology, a skilled sailor could sense the disturbance from a considerable distance.

It was practically advertising, “I’m right here!” If their opponent was such a large underwater monster, even a simple acoustic detector used on fishing vessels would suffice.

Finally, there was the destroyer’s anti-submarine measure: the depth charge. Submarines would handle the large monsters. Of course, once torpedoes and sonar were developed they could also deal with smaller ones, but torpedoes were far too expensive for such use.

Moreover, submarines could not always accompany the fleet. In the end, the fleet’s anti-submarine defense would fall to the destroyers, and depth charges would be the ideal tool for that purpose.

A depth charge was an incredibly cheap, simple, and powerful weapon. One simply packed explosives into a drum, added a basic pressure-sensitive detonator, and rolled it overboard. Because it contained no propulsion system, most of its weight was pure explosive.

Using the pressure sensor, it could sweep clean everything in the ocean depths. It was no coincidence that the weapon remained in use even into the twenty-first century.

In that sense, it seemed the design bureau would be busy for quite some time to come.

“Lucilla!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Send all these materials to the design bureau as well. They are the list of items that must be completed within this year.”

Once these three weapon systems were finished, they would no longer need to worry about a naval blockade. Securing complete maritime dominance near the Belfort Archipelago. The day they secured the South’s right to survival was not far off.

While the South was busy preparing for the aftermath of its merger with the West, changes were also taking place in the West. The most significant transformation occurred, naturally, within the military.

To the soldiers of the Western territories, who had only ever handled spears, swords, bows, and muskets, the weapon system called the “machine gun” was not merely new—it was utterly alien.

The machine gun had no sharp blade attached to it. For soldiers living in an era when even muskets were fitted with bayonets, it was a completely unfamiliar weapon. Yet no one doubted its performance. They had witnessed hundreds of barbarians rendered utterly helpless before their eyes.

“Joint operation preparations?”

Thus, the attention of countless soldiers turned to the notice posted by the Southern army titled “Joint Operation Preparations.” The content of the notice could be summarized simply.

Immediately, the area in front of the Southern army barracks was packed with Western volunteers. Over the past fifty years, a deep chasm of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hatred had built up between the West and the barbarians.

They had killed and plundered one another until their relationship had reached its worst possible state. Had it not been for practical constraints, they would have launched attacks against each other long ago.

To the Western soldiers who had struggled to capture barbarians, the appearance of the machine gun was nothing short of revolutionary.

The barbarians who refused to die no matter how many times they were struck or stabbed were now being swept away in a single burst? No one would refuse the chance to use such a weapon.

Willy, a soldier of the Western army, was one such man. Having been fortunate enough to be selected as one of the demonstration soldiers, he headed to the firing range with a heart full of joy.

“I am Willy, a soldier of the Western army!”

“Nice to meet you. I am the machine gun operator who will assist with your firing demonstration. First, take these.”

The machine gun operator handed him earplugs. At first, Willy felt a slight doubt.

Why wear earplugs when using a weapon?

It was a natural question for someone unfamiliar with firearms. Wouldn’t wearing earplugs during training prevent him from properly hearing his superior’s orders? That doubt was soon resolved.

“First firing lane, commence fire!”

Rrrrrrrrrt—!

From far away came the sound of a machine gun roaring like a chainsaw. Even though the noise originated from more than a hundred meters away, it drove straight into his ears. It was far sharper and more chilling than the war cries of barbarians.

Upon hearing it, Willy’s heart filled with complex emotions. Fear of the unidentified weapon. And anticipation that he would soon be able to use that very weapon himself.

“The third firing lane is open.”

Upon receiving his subordinate’s report, the machine gun operator led Willy to the third lane. The machine gun was mounted at roughly shoulder height. Seen up close, the “machine gun” was a truly peculiar weapon.

A solid lump of metal consisting of a rectangular body and pipes riddled with holes. It was too heavy to lift, so it had to be fixed in place for use.

Moreover, with no knowledge whatsoever, Willy could not even begin to guess how to operate the device. The machine gun operator kindly explained it to him.

“This is the buttstock. Place it against your shoulder to help control the recoil. Put your hands here, and the moment you pull the trigger, it will fire.”

Contrary to what he had imagined, pulling the machine gun’s trigger did not require much strength. The trigger yielded so easily that even a child could pull it. However, the result was anything but light.

Dddddddddt—!

Together with noise that pierced even the earplugs, the large wooden target board literally shattered to pieces. Willy, along with the other Western soldiers who were encountering a machine gun directly for the first time that day, all had the same thought.

The South had created a weapon even more magical than magic itself. And perhaps this upcoming native subjugation would be different from all those that had come before.