Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 48 The Brutality of the Battle

Chapter 48: Chapter 48 The Brutality of the Battle

Thinking about the "benefits" a war might bring, even Perfikot was considering whether it was really necessary to start a war as a cover for the disaster response plan.

But in the end, she abandoned that idea, not for any particular reason, but because she knew how much a large-scale war could cost in the industrial era.

In the original world, the Seven Years’ War, acclaimed as the true First World War, engulfed Europe, America, and Africa in battles between the Anglo-Prussian Alliance and the Franco-Austrian Alliance, lasting a full seven years.

The war resulted in approximately 900,000 to 1,400,000 deaths, indirectly prompting the independence of the thirteen North American colonies and the outbreak of the French Revolution.

However, for several of the main participating countries, it was far from debilitating. Russia even saw the rise of Empress Catherine the Great, whose remarkable talents led to a modernization attempt in the aging Tsarist Russia.

Even the United Kingdom, which lost the thirteen North American colonies, leaped to become the empire on which the sun never set, benefitting from the war.

It is evident that during this period, people were not aware of how much wealth a world war could deplete or the extent of the damage it could inflict.

Until the outbreak of World War I, they were still extolling war. Whether the public or the nobility, they all longed for war.

Then, in World War I, they witnessed the horror where 60,000 people could die or be injured in a single day.

Countries not only fought to financial bankruptcy but also depleted an entire generation of young adults, unable to recover for decades.

This is why, in the early days of WWII, Britain and France implemented the appeasement policy, as they were genuinely terrified.

Thinking about these, Perfikot could only persuade Eldest Princess Annie: "Don’t do this! The expenses of war are too high; the Empire cannot afford to conduct a full-scale war and simultaneously support the costs of the disaster response plan.

We not only need a vast amount of resources but also a vast amount of labor. We can’t send them all to the battlefield for meaningless depletion."

"Yes, I agree with you; the Empire’s finances indeed can’t support such expenditure, but our opponents also know the same." Eldest Princess Annie shook her head regretfully and then sighed: "If they are destined not to survive, do you suppose they would drag us down to mutual destruction?"

"So my Steam Knights have become the Empire’s military deterrent?" Perfikot felt a headache. She only wanted to deal with the impending world-destroying disaster and survive, but she had not expected to be entangled with these issues now.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh, "Can I take back the plans for the Steam Knights and pretend nothing happened?"

Seeing Perfikot’s sigh, Eldest Princess Annie let out a chuckle and shook her head, "I’m afraid not. Those old generals took your plans at the first opportunity to find an alchemist capable of crafting them, intending to make a few first to see how they perform.

Even I had to bring the Imperial Guard Knight to find you. I think Butler Foster must have told you what value this technology holds in warfare?"

"I designed it, so of course, I know what role it can play on the battlefield." Perfikot was quite satisfied with her design, but the thought of it being used in war left her with mixed feelings.

There was a sense of pride, proud that her invention could influence the course of war, knowing her name would be written in history books. Yet, she also felt unease about her invention being used to cause significant casualties.

It’s akin to Dr. Markin inventing the heavy machine gun to reduce casualties on the battlefield, or Kalashnikov designing the AK-47 to protect his comrades. Sometimes, the purpose of a weapon diverges from its inventor’s intentions.

Thus, Perfikot didn’t dwell too much on it but said to Eldest Princess Annie: "I based the Steam Knights’ design on Grandpa Foster’s physical fitness, so it requires the physical fitness of a grand knight to control.

However, if some of the machine’s performance is weakened, a regular knight should also be able to operate it, but the strength would be much lower, and correspondingly, the cost would be reduced slightly.

If it’s for use by titled knights, I suggest strengthening some critical components, so it can withstand their rigorous use."

She still provided suggestions for improving the Steam Knights, after all, even if she didn’t, the Empire’s alchemists would discover them once they fully understood her plans, so there was no need to hide them.

She also didn’t want to be embroiled in this matter again, so after voicing her improvement suggestions for the Steam Knights, she earnestly told Eldest Princess Annie, "The subsequent modification of the Steam Knights can be entrusted to other alchemists. Although they lack a spirit of innovation, they have a solid foundational knowledge, so improving the Steam Knights shouldn’t be an issue.

I don’t want to get involved in this matter, so I will soon head to the New Continent. Aunt Annie, please notify the Empire Exploration Company to prepare the things I need promptly."

"Alright, I will hand over these matters to the military department’s alchemists to handle." Eldest Princess Annie could equally discern the relative importance of matters; compared to the Steam Knights, Perfikot’s venture to the New Continent was of utmost priority and could not afford any mistakes.

So she glanced at the Imperial Guard Knights outside the window and said to Perfikot, "Your explorative team will need additional personnel. I will later assign a team of Imperial Guard Knights to you; they will be responsible for your security work.

You are now indispensable to the Empire, so security issues need to be given serious attention. A team of Imperial Guard Knights for close protection is necessary."

"By the way, I suppose I should give each of them a set of Steam Knights, right?" Perfikot jokingly remarked, without much enthusiasm. Although she joked this way, she was indeed contemplating the matter seriously.

To someone who has successfully developed the Steam Knights like her, mass-producing a few sets is not a problem, apart from wasting some time.

And Eldest Princess Annie followed up with humor, "If that’s the case, it would be perfect. Though the Steam Knights are very appealing, manufacturing them could be a challenge; we need you to think of solutions in this regard."

Faced with Eldest Princess Annie’s request, Perfikot immediately shook her head in refusal: "No time, find someone else! I will dedicate all my future efforts to constructing shelters, don’t bother me with other matters. With so many alchemists in the Empire, why keep focusing on me alone?"

"The more capable, the more work, right? You also mentioned that the Empire’s alchemists lack a spirit of innovation." Eldest Princess Annie complimented Perfikot with a smile.