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IBHJ Chapter 112
🕑 Added 2023-02-21 23:00:47 +0000 UTCMerlin defeated Shirou in less than a year.
The map showed only the island of Britain, which left Shirou with very little strategic depth. He struggled to familiarize himself with the terrain, while Merlin led his troops with great momentum and killed him without giving Shirou any chance to develop.
Merlin truly lived up to his name as a wise man, with top-notch military strategy and tactics. The most critical factor in Shirou's defeat was that the enemy was too familiar with the British terrain. Shirou was defeated before he had even studied the terrain well.
After defeating Shirou, Merlin turned to Artoria with a smug grin and quipped, "See that? The kid talks a big game, but he's not as great as he thinks he is."
Shirou, now tied up by Merlin's soldiers and feeling like a prisoner, responded, "You're just taking advantage of my unfamiliarity with the terrain and my lack of military strategist."
Merlin arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "So you're saying that if you knew the terrain and had a competent general leading your troops, you could have defeated me?"
"I never said that," he responded defensively, "but at least I wouldn't have lost so easily."
Merlin raised an eyebrow and declared, "Alright! I'll make you admit defeat!"
He waved his staff and pulled Kay into the dream realm. After explaining why he had been summoned, Kay looked confused and frustrated. "What does this have to do with me? You guys can play without me. I don't care," he grumbled.
Kay had been immersed in a dream where he was helping his adopted sister restore peace to Britain, receiving the title of lord and searching for a lady of the manor. However, Merlin's sudden intervention rudely cut the dream short.
"Don't accuse me of bullying you," Merlin retorted. "This time, it'll be a fair 2 vs 2. Artoria will be the queen on my side, and I'll assist her. You'll be the king on your side, and Kay will assist you."
Kay's anxiety skyrocketed at the thought of facing Artoria and Merlin together. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me? If Artoria is on your side, it's already an unfair match! We'll definitely lose! Guinevere may be able to do math, but he's not a knight!"
"Don't worry, let's just play for fun," Shirou reassured Kay as he patted his shoulder.
Kay wore a helpless expression as he confessed, "I should probably say this upfront - I don't know much about strategy, and I'm no match for Artoria in combat."
Shirou nodded in understanding. "We just need to hold the front line and minimize losses. We'll find a way to turn the tables."
Suddenly, a soldier burst into the room, breathless with urgency. "Your Majesty, there's a golden-haired madman shouting in front of our army!"
Kay's hand instinctively went to his sword. "I'll go defend our troops."
"Go ahead," Shirou replied.
As Kay departed, he pondered his next move. In truth, he was new to the experience of being a "king" in this game. The only other time he had held a position of power and leadership was during the Holy Grail War in the city of sin, when he had been consumed by All the World's Evil.
Now, the situation was far greater than a mere city. The kingdom he ruled spanned half of Britain, leaving Shirou feeling overwhelmed. What could he do? What was within his capabilities? Create bombs, nuclear weapons, tanks? He quickly dismissed these thoughts, realizing he didn't even remember the recipe for gunpowder from before he crossed over.
Drawing on his past experiences and historical knowledge, Shirou knew he needed to start by establishing laws. He set up a large wooden post in the market and offered a reward of ten thousand semis to anyone who could move it to the city gate. To add drama and tension, he hired a dozen actors to blend into the crowd. Some acted as antagonists, sowing distrust among the people, while others acted as cheerleaders, building support for the cause.
As the atmosphere heated up, the crowd became uncertain between belief and disbelief. Finally, the actors successfully moved the post to the city gate, earning the reward and the people's cheers and trust.
However, Shirou recognized that there were significant differences between the simulated kingdom in Merlin's dream world and reality. For instance, in reality, there were many complex aristocratic forces at play, but here it was just a facade. While the laws he established did affect interests, there was no opposition from any powerful forces, making it feel artificial and like NPC.
Compared to the city of sin created by All the World's Evil, which had gangs causing trouble, the simulated kingdom was much simpler. However, the lack of aristocratic forces made it easier to implement the law smoothly.
With the law in place, Shirou pondered what else he could do to govern the country. However, he quickly realized that he had no experience in this area. He sighed in frustration, "Ah... I don't know anything about this. I can only do some farming!"
Without the knowledge of gunpowder or the ability to create weapons, Shirou was left with only farming as a viable option. However, when he saw the Britons using forks, axes, and even their bare hands to till the soil, he was at a loss. He couldn't understand how such methods could be efficient at all.
Without hesitation, Shirou applied his knowledge of farming to the situation at hand. He utilized all the farming tools he knew of, including plows with multiple types of hitching systems, and various tilling methods such as burning and earth-blending.
Though he couldn't remember the recipe for gunpowder or other advanced technologies, he was confident in his farming expertise. After all, farming had been an essential part of life for at least three generations in his homeland. Even with the advent of urban living, farming methods and tools continued to be taught in history classes.
In high school, detailed lessons on sowing methods were provided, and in geography classes, students learned methods for discerning climate and soil fertility. This was a vital part of cultural traditions that Shirou had inherited and one that he had even studied intensely for his college entrance exam. It was hard to imagine how he could forget such valuable knowledge now.
Thanks to the implementation of these effective farming methods and tools, which had been tested and refined over time, Shirou's grain production increased almost exponentially. His grain silos were overflowing with abundance!
However, Shirou couldn't help but feel that Merlin's kingdom simulation was severely lacking. There were no events like droughts, locust plagues, or soil salinization to add to the challenge.
He sighed, "Why isn't there any difficulty at all? Without these challenges, it's too easy."
While grain production had explosively increased, the situation on the front lines remained dire. As Kay had previously warned, He was no match for Artoria in terms of personal combat or strategy. Every battle seemed destined for defeat.
With no other option, Shirou and his army resorted to a defensive strategy and fought a war of attrition. Despite being outmatched by Artoria's forces, Shirou's military strategy had improved, and he managed to hold his ground.
As winter approached, both sides ran out of food and had to return home to prepare for the next harvest. This was a common feature of warfare during this era, where low agricultural productivity often led to food shortages, forcing soldiers to return home to farm and hunt.
Shirou proudly pointed to the nineteen nearly overflowing grain silos and told Kay, "We have enough food to go around! You can fight with ease."
Kay was left speechless at the sight of the seemingly endless supply of grain, pouring out like a waterfall. He had never seen so much food in one place before.
