Chapter 367: Cannons

Chapter 367: Cannons

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Twelve cannons along the port side of the warship erupted in a series of white flashes, the thunderous roar shaking the entire naval base. Thick smoke rose like a shroud, blotting out the sky.

The commotion startled the horses on shore. They reared on their hind legs, while the riders stood frozen, too stunned to calm them.

Even Cleopatra and Drogon were startled, flapping their massive wings and releasing sulfur-laced roars that reverberated through the air.

Margaery and Daenerys, despite Samwell's prior warning and their hands over their ears, were utterly stunned by the spectacle before them.

In mere moments, the iron cannonballs smashed into the water 200 yards away, sending up geysers of spray.

As the acrid smoke began to dissipate, Margaery and Daenerys still hadn't recovered from the shock.

Qyburn, who was already accustomed to such sights, stood tall with his chest puffed out, eagerly awaiting praise.

Unbeknownst to him, Samwell was slightly underwhelmed by the cannons' power.

Having seen the devastating might of modern artillery in his past life, Samwell found it hard to be impressed by these primitive muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons, which fired solid iron balls.

With their current power, these cannons might take dozens of hits to inflict significant damage on a large ship, let alone sink it.

"Not bad," Samwell nodded, careful not to dampen Qyburn's enthusiasm. "Now, switch to explosive shells."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Qyburn relayed the order, and the soldiers began reloading.

Reloading these muzzle-loading cannons was a lengthy process. The gun crew first had to clean out any remaining gunpowder residue from the barrel, then carefully load the new charge and shell.

Although the crew selected for this demonstration was highly skilled, the reloading process still took around five minutes per cannon.

Once the order was given, the gunners simultaneously lit their fuses.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The rolling thunder of cannon fire echoed again. The massive recoil made the nearly 1,000-ton warship sway noticeably.

This time, with explosive shells, the resulting plumes of water were significantly larger than before.

Still, in Samwell's eyes, the performance remained underwhelming. The explosive shells had a shorter range and lower accuracy compared to the solid iron balls.

After all, even solid shot wasn't particularly accurate, given the lack of rifling in these smoothbore cannons.

"Is this magic? How incredible!" Daenerys exclaimed, her violet eyes wide with amazement.

Margaery, however, quickly pieced things together. "Sam, isn't this the same black powder you used to blow up the city walls?"

"Exactly," Samwell replied with a smile.

He reminded himself not to set his expectations too high. Given the medieval production capabilities, it was already impressive that Qyburn had managed to create cannons, even these rudimentary versions, based on Samwell's crude guidance.

Though not particularly powerful by his standards, these cannons were revolutionary.

For the first time, warships could engage in ranged combat instead of relying solely on ramming and boarding actions. Sea battles, which had essentially been land battles fought on decks, were now entering a new era.

With cannons, any enemy hoping to engage the Stormlands fleet in close combat would first have to endure several devastating volleys.

Samwell had conceived the idea of cannons as soon as Qyburn successfully developed black powder.

While the principles behind cannons were simple, improving their power, accuracy, and portability posed significant challenges.

The current batch of cannons was far from ideal: their power was only marginally superior to catapults, their accuracy was questionable, and their heavy weight was a logistical nightmare.

To prevent barrel explosions, the cannon walls were made exceptionally thick, requiring at least two horses to transport a single cannon. Even then, they could only be moved on smooth, paved roads; uneven terrain risked breaking the axles.

Thus, while the cannons had been developed before Samwell's conquest of the Stormlands, they hadn't been used in the campaign.

Instead of wasting resources transporting these cumbersome weapons, Samwell had opted for black powder charges to breach walls.

Mounting the cannons on ships, however, eliminated the transportation issue. For a 1,000-ton warship, the weight of these cannons was negligible.

"Sam, are these your secret weapons to counter the Redwyne Fleet and the Iron Fleet?" Margaery asked, her intelligent eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Exactly," Samwell replied with a grin. "Do you think we stand a chance?"

"How many of these ships do you have?" Margaery asked.

Samwell turned to Qyburn, who promptly reported:

"Your Grace, we currently have twelve of these new warships, each with a displacement of 1,200 tons and equipped with 24 cannons. Additionally, we have thirty smaller ships with a displacement of 600 tons, each outfitted with 10 cannons and paddle wheels."

"The numbers are still too few…" Samwell murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He didn't blame Qyburn; assembling a fleet of this scale in such a short time was already a remarkable feat.

Given the Stormlands' lack of naval tradition, catching up in such a short period was an uphill battle. The only way to bridge the gap was through technological innovation.

Cannons significantly enhanced long-range combat capabilities, while the paddle-wheel design addressed the shortage of skilled rowers.

Unlike rowing, which required years of training to master, operating the paddle wheels was relatively straightforward. Soldiers could be quickly trained to keep the ship moving, reducing the reliance on experienced seamen.

Moreover, the paddle wheels allowed for continuous propulsion, a significant advantage in rivers or calm coastal waters, especially against the current.

The trade-off was a loss of maneuverability compared to traditional oared ships, but for the Stormlands, this compromise was necessary.

In the future, Samwell envisioned steam engines replacing manual labor to drive the paddle wheels. Coupled with cannons, such ships would dominate rivers and coastal waters.

For now, though, the current fleet was a stepping stone, and time was running out.

"Your Grace," Qyburn added, "we have three more 1,000-ton ships under construction. They should be ready within two to three months. If you're willing to wait a year, our fleet size could double, making us a match even for a combined Redwyne and Iron Fleet."

"We can't afford to wait that long…" Samwell said, shaking his head.

Winter was fast approaching, and the chaos in the North was worsening. Samwell had planned to march on King's Landing as soon as the Unsullied army arrived in Westeros, three months from now.

Delaying any longer risked the White Walkers breaching the Wall.

"The key is to strike before they realize our new fleet's potential. We'll bait one of them out and hit them hard before they can react," Samwell said decisively.

Margaery offered a suggestion:

"Horas Redwyne is currently leading a portion of the Redwyne Fleet in the Greenblood River. Perhaps we could lure him into an ambush."

"He's in the Greenblood River?" Samwell asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes," Margaery confirmed. "They're supplying Sunspear. Without their help, the prisoners in Dorne might have revolted."

Samwell wasn't surprised. Paxter Redwyne, driven by vengeance for Olenna Tyrell's death, would seize any opportunity to oppose him.

"How's the civil war in Dorne progressing?"

"It's at a stalemate," Margaery said. "House Yronwood sent an envoy requesting our aid. He's been waiting in Storm's End for months. Would you like to meet him?"

"Bring him to the Storm Hall," Samwell ordered.

(End of Chapter)

TL; A lot of technical stuff has been ommited by me, I didn't necessarily remove it, but summarize it for easy reading.