From the very beginning, Chris found the training of his soldiers worrisome. On one hand, his forces were capable of crushing any ordinary army in the mortal world from the day they were born. On the other hand, his forces were built on the foundation of traditional ancient armies.

The cold weapon troops wielding knives, guns, swords, and spears were no match for his forces. Modern artillery, once unleashed, could not be resisted by cold weapon troops facing the hellish bombardment.

However, convincing his troops, originally equipped with knives, guns, swords, and spears, to accept these new hot weapons was not an easy task. Qualified veterans couldn't comprehend the new weapons, and recruits lacked the resilience of the veterans.

What frustrated Chris even more was that in this world, there were not only cold weapon troops but also magic troops, making it difficult for him to compare and contrast attacks.

Therefore, the battle style depicted in novels, where one could crush enemies relying on weapon superiority, was not applicable in this world. In the next war, the opponent might have terrifying beings like dragons or magicians. Chris felt that having a few cannons gave him no grounds for arrogance.

If his forces clashed with the army of the Magic Empire, things would need to be reassessed. At least, in Chris's view, the weapons of the World War II era might not be sufficient to deal with dragons and advanced magic.

Currently, although he controlled a principality, he had to pay a large amount of taxes and take responsibility for the development of three cities. The burden on his shoulders had become heavier, and the number of people coveting his wealth would only increase.

What exceeded his expectations was that those coveting his wealth arrived too quickly, and they were a formidable force.

"If we confront General Zorn now, things will immediately become complicated," said Desail, frowning, in another conference room. "Even if I set off for Arland with money now, it won't be in time."

"Yes, we can't delay for too long; they've given us the final ultimatum," Chris, leaning back in his chair, said to the advisers strategizing for him. "I proposed the conditions for raising taxes, and they said they could deduct 20,000 gold coins... If I don't agree, they will leave immediately..."

"Ah..." Deens shook his head and sighed, saying, "Now our defense relies on these twenty-some cannons..."

Since the founding of the Airenhill Principality, only two cannons had been produced. Apart from the twenty 90mm caliber cannons almost entirely handcrafted, there were only two new 75mm caliber infantry cannons.

There were various reasons for this situation. On one hand, it was Chris's decision to abandon the erroneous development strategy of handcrafted weapons and focus on cultivating military talent to enhance military strength. On the other hand, it was due to Mr. Gullo's proposed strategy of steady development with an emphasis on economy and industry before the military. Airenhill was slowly and steadily developing its industrial system, not rushing to produce more weapons and equipment.

Of course, the most crucial reason was the collective judgment that 22 cannons would be sufficient for the defense requirements of the Airenhill Principality at the time, and there was no need to expand the arsenal hastily.

But now, General Zorn had set his sights on these new weapons, explicitly mentioning them in the orders. Moreover, he emphasized that these new weapons were comparable to magic, capable of causing explosions at a distance...

As a result, not only could their own strength be weakened, but the military power of Airenhill might be prematurely exposed. Whether it leaked to the Arant Empire or the Holy Magic Empire, it was not good news for Airenhill.

"There's a way: produce some inferior cannons to send to the Arant Empire. We keep the good ones for ourselves," Chris thought, and this seemed to be the only feasible option.

In fact, he had been considering whether to use some "Red Garb Cannons" or "Divine Martial Generals" and the like to dismiss these messengers from the Arant Empire.

"This move can work, but are you sure... you can get worse weapons and make those people not suspect anything?" Desail asked seriously after hearing Chris's plan.

"Yes, I can. I'll make some things with the same principles. With our current production capacity, making a large batch to give to these messengers won't cost us much," Chris replied. "Just that..." he thought for a moment before continuing to tell Desail, "Once they've truly seen our cannons, the rubbish we send to the Arant Empire will immediately be exposed. And the conflict between us and the Arant Empire will be irreconcilable."

After considering for a while, Desail said, "As long as we can gain about a year's time, we can meet your industrial production requirements, equip a sufficient number of troops... by then, we won't need to care about the face of the Arant Empire anymore."

Since accepting Desail's support, the Arant Empire was destined not to be an ally of Chris. So as much as possible, Chris didn't mind blackening this decayed old powerhouse.

After discussing the strategy, Chris spent an hour creating a blueprint for the Red Garb Cannon. Then he, along with Desail, went straight to a metallurgical workshop outside the castle.

"Come, cast a sample according to this blueprint!" Chris spread out the blueprint and handed it to an old craftsman.

The craftsman glanced at the blueprint, nodded, and began to work. Smith, who was watching the excitement on the side, walked over and bowed deeply to Chris, then looked down at the blueprint.

Next, he stood there completely stunned. He didn't know what this thing was for, but with his good talent, he could immediately see how heavy this thing was! Although not made of top-notch steel, this thing was a solid iron mass!

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Smith looked at Chris, and with a puzzled expression, asked, "Your Majesty... What is this thing for?"

"This is a cannon," Chris said with a cunning smile, like a swindler who had gained an advantage.

Smith hadn't figured it out yet, frowned, and looked at the blueprint, asking in confusion, "Don't we already have 75mm caliber infantry cannons?"

Desail was thoroughly impressed by Smith, the newly appointed Minister of Industry for the Airenhill Principality, who had just been appointed by Chris. Using the smallest voice possible, he reminded, "Cannons for the Arant Empire..."

When he said this, Smith finally understood. He suddenly realized and nodded, looking at the blueprint, "No problem! Although it costs materials, in a few days at most, we can make it!"

Casting a cannon was not a simple task. If it weren't for the exceptional performance of the hui iron exclusive to the Airenhill Principality, which could significantly improve the performance of iron weapons in ordinary iron materials, casting a cannon alone would take even more time.

The modern process of producing cannons was actually faster, and those old iron and copper cannons required clay casting, making them slower.

"Let's make them together!" Chris took out a few more blueprints from his pocket and handed them to the head craftsman Smith. "Since the other side wants explosive shells, we can only give them to them..."

"And the formula for gunpowder! We have to give them the whole set!" Desail, with a smile on his face, added, "Our loyalty to the Arant Empire is as clear as the sun and moon!"

After settling on a plan, Chris spent an hour creating a manual for the front-loading cannon in the workshop. He decided that this time, he must give a big gift to the greedy Arant Empire!

The next day, Chris met the Arant messenger for the second time, and he placed the blueprints in front of him. "The new weapons are too large and cumbersome. I believe it's inconvenient for the distinguished messenger to carry them all the way back. These are the blueprints and instructions for the weapons. Please take them back to Arant."

"This..." The puzzled messenger didn't know what kind of medicine Chris was selling. He took the blueprints and was momentarily at a loss for words.

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke, "I must take a sample back! Even if it's inconvenient, this cannot be changed..."

"No problem!" Chris agreed, seemingly honest and straightforward, without any hidden agenda. "I've already had someone bring back a cannon from the border... Just wait a few more days, and you can see the real thing!"

A few days later, after seeing the sample, the Arland messenger truly believed Chris's words. The cannon was incredibly huge and heavy, causing the people he brought along to be insufficient to carry both cannons.

As if taking a reassurance pill, this messenger, who had felt the power of the flames, immediately rushed back to his lodging, packed up the blueprints Chris had given him, and with the sample cannon, left Serris City at the fastest speed, leaving the Airenhill Principality and returning to the Arant Empire...