Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"What? Stop the surveying work and head back to Alden Town?" The students were stunned; the news came too suddenly.
Jos shrugged helplessly. "That's the order from above. We've just received it."
He inwardly grumbled about having to deliver such an unwelcome message.
"Tomorrow or the day after, we'll need to head south to engage the enemy. Only the necessary garrison forces will remain here, and they might not be able to ensure your safety."
The lead student, the group leader named Nick, quickly responded with a worried look, "Mr. Jos… maybe we can…"
Before Nick could finish, Jos shook his head vigorously. "I'm just a private, and I can't make any decisions. If you have any requests, you should talk to Captain Bryce or Captain Joyce. Only they can decide your fate."
Nick nodded. "Thank you for the advice. We'll discuss it among ourselves…"
Jos said goodnight and left, leaving the students to quietly discuss their situation.
"We can't just leave like this; we've only completed a small part of the surveying."
"If we go back like this, our group's performance will definitely be the worst."
"Such bad luck, getting assigned to this place."
"Let's discuss it with Captain Bryce and Captain Joyce tomorrow."
…
The next morning, Bryce and Joyce were discussing the southward advance. They had planned to leave today but found they needed to make additional preparations.
A guard came in to report that the students from Weis Academy requested to see them.
Bryce pondered for a moment. "Those students? Let them in," the earl took these students seriously.
"What? No way!"
When the students entered, they made a request that left Bryce astonished—they wanted to continue staying here to complete their surveying work.
"Alden Town insists that we ensure your safety. I can't let you run around without guards."
Nick, the leader of the group, appeared anxious and once again pleaded, "Captain Bryce, we appreciate your concern for our safety, but completing the map is crucial. The development of mining in Alden relies on accurate maps, and maps facilitate travel for merchants, promoting commerce. For your military, having precise maps would greatly aid in troop deployment and planning. The lord's manor attaches great importance to this task; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent us, students who have not yet completed our studies."
Bryce shook his head. "No matter how many reasons you have, I can't let you run around recklessly."
Both sides were at a standstill, unable to convince each other.
One student suddenly proposed, "If we can't stay behind, then let us accompany you south! The geographical data there also needs to be surveyed eventually."
"Hey, that's a good idea! Let us join your operations!"
Nick supported the suggestion, and other students nodded in agreement.
"Still no! We're going to fight, not to sightsee!"
Bryce frowned in continued opposition. Although he was fully confident in his troops and it was a feint, the battlefield was unpredictable, and he couldn't guarantee that no accidents would occur.
Seeing that Bryce couldn't be persuaded, Nick had a sudden idea.
"Captain Bryce, how about this: if you let us go with you, we'll teach your artillerymen a simple method to measure distances. They can accurately… well, relatively accurately measure the distance to a target without moving from their position."
"Oh?"
Bryce and Joyce perked up their ears. Nick's suggestion hit a sore spot for them. Alden's artillery units relied on visual estimation to gauge target distances, which required a lot of experience. Some seasoned gunners could estimate distances quite accurately with a glance and then adjust their aim or charge to hit the target consistently. However, such talent was rare, and most gunners, especially newcomers, had to adjust their aim shot by shot.
If there were a method to measure distances relatively accurately while standing at the cannon position, it would greatly enhance the effectiveness of the artillery.
Nick smiled with satisfaction, seeing that he had captured their interest.
Bryce asked, "What's the method?"
Nick shook his head. "You need to agree to let us accompany your forces south first."
Bryce was a bit annoyed. The impudent kid dared to negotiate terms with him, thinking he could easily dismiss the importance of artillery rangefinding. However, he didn't want to be petty about it and decided to keep his temper in check.
He looked at Joyce, who, though a bit older than the students, had a look of agreement in his eyes.
"Cough!" Bryce cleared his throat. "Alright, I agree to let you go with the troops."
"Really, sir?"
Bryce bristled, "Do you think I, as the first battalion commander, would lie to you? But first, tell me how you measure distances!"
"Yay!"
The students cheered, glad they could continue their surveying work.
Joyce, despite being a young battalion commander, was moved by the students' excitement. He brought out some paper and pen and smiled at Nick. "Congratulations. Our Commander Bryce isn't usually easy to please. But don't celebrate just yet; let's hear your method. If I guess correctly, it's probably related to this so-called 'mathematics,' right?"
"Bingo!" Nick snapped his fingers and nodded.
He took the paper and began to draw. "This is a method we often use in surveying…"
Everyone leaned in to see Nick draw a triangle. It was a right triangle with one long side and one short side, forming a right angle.
The students recognized it as a right triangle.
"Assume your artillery is here!" Nick marked the right angle with a circle.
He then traced the longer side of the right triangle, stopping at the tip of the angle. "This side represents the distance between the artillery and the target."
"And this side," Nick marked the shorter side, "is a known fixed distance from the side of the artillery position. For ease of calculation, you can use a round number like one meter or two meters, and call it the 'baseline.'"
"Now, if you measure the angle size here," Nick circled the larger angle, "and combine it with the known fixed distance…"
"You can calculate the straight-line distance between the artillery and the target."
He emphasized the longer side of the right triangle with a few bold strokes. "That's the distance!"
TL Note: I have no idea what's going on, don't you also need to calculate the force with which the cannonball is propelled?
(End of the Chapter)
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