That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 69 Artillery and Textbooks

After returning to his office from the firing range, Ronan buried himself in drawing up the artillery design.

Compared to rifles, this thing is a bit more difficult: he had dismantled many guns in his previous life, but he had never actually handled a cannon before, at most he had seen them in textbooks or documentaries.

Of course, the fundamental principle remains the same. As Barthes said, a slightly larger caliber is fine.

Ronan designed two types of artillery: one was a heavy artillery that could be transported by a cart, with a caliber of nearly 150mm and a theoretical maximum range of 2.5 kilometers; the other was a mortar that could be carried by a single person, with a caliber of 70mm and a theoretical maximum range of about 1 kilometer.

The two have different functions: the former is a powerful tool for attacking and defending cities, while the latter is a highly mobile individual firepower.

With its current mechanical manufacturing capabilities, Thorn Territory is clearly no match for the modern military industry of his previous life. However, Ronan combined modern artillery design concepts with maximum optimization while maintaining the same level of technology:

He added long-range adjustable sights and a horizontal bubble level to the heavy artillery, thereby improving fire accuracy and eliminating blind bombardment. At the same time, he streamlined the propellant chamber to reduce turbulence when the shell leaves the barrel, thereby increasing muzzle velocity and range.

The mortar has undergone even greater optimization. Not only have heat dissipation grooves been added to the outer wall of the breech, but a quick-release pusher assembly has also been added to simplify the cleaning process of black powder residue. At the same time, a two-way adjustment structure for both elevation and horizontal movement has been added to the support, so that it can be aimed at the target without the need for stones or wooden blocks in actual combat, adapting to a variety of combat environments.

When the battle with the rebels officially begins, Ronan plans to try to get these individual artillery pieces issued to each combat team.

If Bart were there, he would definitely shout, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" But Ronan didn't see anything wrong with it, after all, the rabbit's fear of insufficient firepower was ingrained in his bones...

"I'm counting on you from now on!"

After tracing the blueprints, Ronan turned his eager gaze to Madonna at the table.

"Okay, but you should have dinner now."

The girl who took the blueprints gave a reminder without any expression.

Only after receiving Ronan's assurance and seeing him eat the food with relish did she pick up the blueprints and head to the backyard—a place he had specially prepared for her to combine training and food preparation.

Ronan certainly enjoyed his meal.

Since its advancement, Madier's metal shaping precision and capacity have made a qualitative leap, and after processing the machine several times, it has become increasingly adept at assembling these delicate small parts.

With her skill level, she could finish the prototypes of both cannons by tomorrow morning. Ronan couldn't wait to personally test firing a couple of the cannons.

Just as he put the plate down, a rare face knocked on the office door—it was Grant.

According to Howard, after the first battle against the rebels, he had locked himself in his room to write. Ronan was worried that the boy would get sick from being cooped up, and he was planning to talk to him, but unexpectedly, Howard came to him first.

"Brother, look at these!"

Grant handed Ronan a stack of manuscripts.

Ronan took the manuscript, raising an eyebrow: "These are several short stories, or rather, a few tales, and their themes are closely related to the various changes in Thornholdt."

"Scholar Carter" tells the story of a refugee who, after arriving in Stranglethorn Vale, changes his fate through hard work and education, achieving a happy life. "Warrior Payne" presents the birth and evolution of the militia from a veteran's perspective, covering not only the macro-level military construction but also Payne's personal journey. "The True Militia" focuses on Ironnail, beginning with his acceptance into Stranglethorn Vale as a Northbound deserter and ending with his heroic sacrifice as a militiaman defending Stranglethorn Vale, showcasing how Ironnail and his fellow deserters find new life and meaning in Stranglethorn Vale…

What attracted Ronan's attention, besides the stories themselves, was the language used to organize them.

It's clear that as a rebellious teenager, being a literary youth is Grant's instinct. Initially, he still subconsciously used fancy words and obscure vocabulary. What's commendable is that he consciously overcame this flaw: he crossed out all the parts that were too literary and reconstructed the content with the simplest vocabulary without changing the main idea.

Looking at these manuscripts, one can see large sections of crossed-out and rewritten text, demonstrating the intense internal struggle between Grant's left and right brains while he was writing them.

The results of this effort were remarkable: the final versions of these stories were written in concise and easy-to-understand language, and anyone who had attended the Thornfield School for a while could read them without any difficulty.

"Well done, my brother! One should look at someone with new eyes after just three days' absence!"

Ronan patted Grant on the shoulder, both surprised and delighted.

"No, this is all thanks to your inspiration, Brother Shi."

Grant shook his head meaningfully: "I used to think that literature was the romance of the aristocracy, and had nothing to do with the uncouth common people. The writers were aristocrats, the readers were aristocrats, and the content of their works invariably revolved around the aristocracy."

But after arriving in Thornlands, and especially after witnessing your people's valiant fight against the rebels and their defense of their homeland, I realized I was wrong. The battle reports from the heart of the West have only strengthened my conviction.

Without the power of the common people, so-called nobles are nothing but empty clowns. History is created by these commoners; they should be the protagonists of the story!

My God, he's truly attained enlightenment... Ronan was a little scared, but also somewhat gratified, by Grant's resolute and burning gaze.

He hadn't wasted his time traveling to another world; he had sown the seeds of ideological change there—Grant was one of the fruits of that change.

Ronan continued to look through the manuscript below.

These are some shorter fables. For example, a child who fears a witch unexpectedly becomes her friend and learns to let go of prejudice and treat others with sincerity; a child who doesn't want to study realizes the importance of studying under the lord's patient guidance and becomes a diligent student; and a child who witnesses the militia's heroic fight against the rebels resolves to become a glorious militiaman, demanding and training himself according to the militia's standards, constantly moving closer to his ideal.

Each fable is only a few words long and can be read in less than a minute, and the protagonist of all the fables is a child—completely overlapping with their audience.

"Great job! You've really improved a lot! When I run into Uncle Vance, I'll have to give you a good compliment."

Ronan returned the manuscript to Grant with satisfaction, saying, "When we have the means in the future, we will use this content as a basis to create textbooks, and strive to ensure that every child can read your masterpiece."

"Um!!!"

Grant nodded vigorously.

"Since this is a version aimed at children, you can use your imagination a little and add some fun. For example, you could come up with a story featuring a demonic beast that runs rampant in other territories but is brought to justice in Thorn Territory. That way, children will know that Thorn Territory is different from other places..."

Ronan casually offered his suggestions, while Grant diligently took notes, sometimes pondering, sometimes lost in thought, and sometimes agreeing.

"You've come at the perfect time—I have an important task for you to complete."

"Please speak freely, brother!"

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