Chapter 443 -443-Sweeping Through the Kingdoms
In just half a year, John had built up an army of 550,000 soldiers.
During those six months, artillery technology also advanced by leaps and bounds.
A brand-new cannon had been developed, one whose range completely surpassed every existing piece of artillery.
It was called the Super High-Angle Cannon.
And it had already entered mass production.
With the Super High-Angle Cannons equipped, John’s fleet finally possessed the ability to bombard enemies from extreme range.
Enemy artillery simply couldn’t reach his ships.
Another three months passed.
By then, the academies had trained a total of 1.85 million students, instantly swelling John’s total military strength to 2.75 million troops.
At the same time, his shipbuilding program had produced—
50,000 small assault boats.
5,000 medium-sized warships.
3,142 large warships.
And an astonishing 25 battleships.
Even more importantly, around 20,000 Super High-Angle Cannons had already been deployed.
Meanwhile, the ammunition factories throughout the Lather Kingdom continued operating day and night, frantically producing even more of these new cannons.
Once John finished reviewing the current strength of his forces, he knew the time had come.
It was time to attack the Qinka Kingdom.
They were finally ready to sweep through the remaining kingdoms.
Anyone who dared stand in his way...
would be crushed.
John immediately began mobilizing his forces and making preparations for war.
This would be another war of national destruction.
And the target was—
the Qinka Kingdom.
...
At the same time, John’s fleets had already begun cruising through waters belonging to the Qinka Kingdom.
Naturally, they were detected almost immediately.
The Qinka Kingdom reacted quickly.
Every major city immediately began expanding its military preparations.
At the same time, factories began producing all kinds of wartime supplies without pause, while civilian vessels were urgently requisitioned for military service.
For a time, the entire Qinka Kingdom became extremely tense.
Everyone feared that John might launch his invasion at any moment.
John, however, couldn’t care less about their preparations.
He casually captured several cities, using them as bases to resupply and rest.
This time...
he intended to capture the royal capital first.
Afterward, he would sweep up the rest of the Qinka Kingdom’s cities.
After resting for several days, John personally led his enormous fleet toward the waters surrounding the royal capital.
It was the strongest fleet he had ever assembled.
The greatest number of troops.
The greatest number of ships.
And the most terrifying firepower.
At this moment, the surrounding sea was eerily quiet.
Not a single Qinka merchant ship or warship dared show itself.
They had all withdrawn into defensive positions, allowing John to surround the waters around the royal capital without interference.
John dispatched a reconnaissance fleet of several hundred ships to gather intelligence.
Before long, one of his subordinates returned to report.
"Chief, our scouts have confirmed that the Qinka Kingdom has recalled Naval Corps units from across the country back to the royal capital."
"At present, more than one million troops have gathered there."
"There are also over a thousand destroyers and frigates."
"The defenses around the royal capital are extremely tight."
"Oh."
John merely gave a casual response.
Then he said,
"Prepare for battle."
"We take the royal capital within seven days."
Previously, it had taken John nearly half a year to capture the royal capital of the Lather Kingdom.
But now...
he was confident that he could take the Qinka Kingdom’s royal capital in just seven days.
It wasn’t merely because his soldiers were better trained.
Nor because he had far more battleships.
The greatest reason was that John now possessed a true superweapon—
the Super High-Angle Cannon.
...
Early the next morning.
Thousands of medium and large warships from John’s fleet began sailing toward the Qinka royal capital.
The movement immediately confused the Qinka Kingdom’s supreme commander.
"Strange..."
Standing atop the walls of the Outer City, the commander frowned.
"Aren’t the King’s Edge Pirates most famous for their swarm tactics and wolf-pack tactics?"
"Why would they abandon the tactics they’re best at?"
He thought silently,
"The defenses of our Qinka royal capital may not be stronger than those of the Lather Kingdom’s capital, but they certainly aren’t weak."
"If the enemy uses large warships like this, they’re simply presenting us with enormous targets for our artillery."
"This is an extremely unwise decision."
That was what confused him.
And he wasn’t the only one.
The other senior officials were equally baffled.
Several naval warfare experts even sneered.
"The King’s Edge Pirates have become far too arrogant."
"Looks like all those victories have gone to their heads."
"They really think they’re invincible."
"Large warships are enormous targets. Our artillery will sink them easily."
"Once the King’s Edge Pirates lose all their large vessels..."
"that will be the moment for us to counterattack."
Almost everyone agreed.
Only the supreme commander remained suspicious.
He had studied their enemy carefully.
"The leader of the King’s Edge Pirates is cunning and unpredictable."
"Many of his actions appear reckless on the surface, but only because he already possesses some key piece of information that no one else knows."
"He makes his enemies believe they have the advantage."
"But in reality..."
"he never fights an unprepared battle."
"We must be careful."
The more the commander thought about it, the more vigilant he became.
And just then...
John’s fleet suddenly stopped.
The distance at which they halted was extremely strange.
They had stopped outside the normal maximum range of artillery.
To an outsider, it appeared simple.
The royal capital’s cannons could not reach the pirates.
But at the same time...
the pirates’ cannons shouldn’t have been able to reach the royal capital either.
The man commanding this section of John’s fleet was Captain Madman.
Dressed in a brand-new military uniform, he stood proudly on the deck and stared toward the distant silhouettes of the royal capital, its harbor, and the enemy fleet.
Once upon a time, if anyone had told him that he would someday become a general of a Maritime Kingdom...
he would probably have chopped that person into pieces.
He was just a pirate.
How could a pirate ever become a general?
And yet now...
not only was he a general, he had become one of the naval commanders most highly valued by John.
Even among generals, his rank was exceptionally high.
"Crossing the T!"
Captain Madman gave the order.
At once, hundreds of medium and large warships surged forward.
Then, with beautifully coordinated turns, they swung around and stabilized their hulls, presenting their broadsides toward the distant enemy.
"Fire!"
Captain Madman decisively gave the command.
The instant his voice fell—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of warships opened fire simultaneously.
Countless shells soared into the sky like a torrential rainstorm...
then descended toward the enemy.
On the Qinka Kingdom’s side, the senior officials stared wide-eyed, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
They personally watched as cannonballs came flying toward them from an impossibly distant position.
Dense clusters of shells filled the sky like a black cloud blotting out the heavens.
And without the slightest surprise...
they crashed directly into the Outer City walls of the royal capital.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Screams immediately erupted across the defensive walls.
One after another.
Endless and unceasing.
Those were the cries of soldiers struck by the bombardment.
"How is this possible?!"
The supreme commander seemed to no longer hear the screams around him.
He stood frozen in place.
"How can their artillery range be this great?!"
"It’s more than twice the range of our longest-range cannons..."
The Qinka supreme commander felt as though he had fallen into a dream.
Nothing around him seemed real.
How could artillery this terrifying possibly exist in this world?
If the King’s Edge Pirates truly possessed weapons like these...
then what was the point of defending the royal capital?
They might as well surrender immediately!
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Captain Madman roared over and over again.
His face was filled with excitement as he watched the distant royal capital disappear beneath the rain of shells.