The cold rain blew against his face, bringing with it the faint smell of the sea.
"My lord, you should return to the cabin and rest. We're very familiar with this part of the sea, we can reach the north with our eyes closed. There's no need to slow down or anchor at night, we can sail at full sail as long as there's wind. It'll only take us eleven or twelve days to travel from Syrovas Island to the north. We'll be back at Oxhorn Bay in two days. "
Laurist stood on the berth with a black poncho made of animal hide draped over his shoulders. Freya was standing beside him, trying to persuade him to return to the cabin.
"It's fine, I just came up to take a look and breathe in the fresh air. Just go about your business, don't mind me, "Laurist said.
Laurist was now on a large three-masted merchant ship. This was also the flagship of Freya, the commander of the maritime army. Freya had brought twenty-eight medium-sized two-masted merchant ships back to the north in order to transport the large amount of magical beast pelts they had accumulated to Syrovas Island to carry out the trade agreement with the Peterson Merchant's Association.
Laurist took Dorus and Ell back to the north on Freya's ship, leaving Josk and Jim with Fatso. Freya and Sunbarwood each led a fleet of ships out on the sea every day. Laurist felt that the island needed a Gold-tier knight, so he left Josk on the island.
After sending Freya away, Laurist stood alone at the front of the berth, watching the ship cut through the waves of the raging sea in the howling cold wind and drizzling rain. He was in a very happy and relaxed mood. The news of the glass war between the Ford Commercial Alliance and the Trymber Kingdom, as well as the second prince leading an army to cross the snowy mountains and take over the capital of Redelis Kingdom made him feel relieved. At least no one had designs on Syrovas Island anymore, and all the original development plans could proceed as usual.
Laurist now only hoped that the two wars would drag on for as long as possible. It would be best if the Commercial Alliance could deal with the Trymber Kingdom and then fight with the second prince over Lulm. The armies of the two kingdoms would then face off against each other. That way, the more time his family's territory would have to develop, the better.
Once he returned to the North and developed cannons and brought them to the warships, even if the Chikede Merchant Group wanted to come and take over Cirvas Island, they wouldn't be a threat anymore. The warships equipped with cannons would bombard their merchant ships one by one. At that time, people would know who was the true ruler of the sea …
Thinking of this, Loriste realized that he would be very busy on this trip back to the north. There were many things waiting for him to do, and most of them could not be passed on to others. He had to do them himself, so his mood worsened again.
El, also wearing a poncho, came to Lollister's side and leaned against the railing.
"Locke, I've been puzzled for the past few days. Before returning to the north, you asked me to make a trip to Baron Dina's territory to the west of Port Qilin and deliver a thousand gold merit points and some gifts. I'm just curious. When did you get to know the Baron sisters? En, that aunt is also a great beauty, and they seem to be very familiar with you. When that sister heard that you didn't go, she even scolded you for being heartless.
I've always been puzzled. I'm the commander of your guards, and I've been by your side most of the time. How could I not know when you hooked up with those two sisters? Right, that aunt must have something going on with you, and she's very concerned about you. However, after hearing your identity, they seemed very depressed, and then politely dealt with us before letting us return. What's going on? "
Every time El called Loriste Locke, it meant that they were talking to each other as friends and not as superiors and subordinates. This meant that he was very curious about this matter.
Loriste's lips twitched. He understood what El meant when he said that they were depressed after knowing his identity. If Loriste was just a knight of the Norton Family, then his status would be equal to the sisters. It wouldn't be a problem for the sisters to marry him together with the younger sister. However, he was the head of the Norton Family, and his status was that of an earl. The sisters were out of his league, unless they also had a noble title, and not the sisters of a baron …
"It's nothing. Didn't I sneak out with Dolus and Karetok for a night in the imperial capital? We attended a party that time, and I got to know that sister and her aunt. That girl thought I was just a knight, and hoped that I could marry her … "
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My Lord, you're quite lucky with women. Just one night, and that sister and aunt fell head over heels for you …" El turned back into a subordinate.
"Alright, don't talk about me. You're not getting any younger yourself. Isn't that Mancheni technician's daughter quite close to you? Do you want me to propose marriage for you when we get back, and let him marry his daughter to you? "
"Ugh …" El didn't expect to get caught in the crossfire, and Loriste changed the topic to him.
"Yes, Locke. I'm thinking that in a year or two, I'll propose to her when I advance to a Gold Knight. She'll feel better that way. Also, with a knight's manor, I won't have to worry about what if something happens to her in the future … "
Loriste slapped El's shoulder heavily, and said angrily, "Nonsense, what do you mean by what if something happens to her in the future? Stay by my side, and I'll make sure you live to a ripe old age. You'll have many children and grandchildren. "
El didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "My Lord, now that you mention it like that, who's whose guard …"
… …
Loriste returned to the north on the 11th of March.
Freya was right. The return trip only took eleven days.
Schwald stood at the pier with red eyes, waiting for Loriste to disembark. Loriste had forcefully sent him back to the north last time. Just like he said, if the Chikede Merchant Group wanted to attack Cirvas, Loriste would definitely appear at the frontlines, and he'd have to deal with a great swordsman. Under those circumstances, it would be very dangerous for Schwald to stay by his side. It was better to return to the north as soon as possible, and he wouldn't be easily distracted.
Loriste stroked Schwald's hair and smiled, "What's wrong? You're already so old, and you're still crying? Alright, let me take a look at this port city first. Let the carriage go around first. "
This port city, located in the highlands of the Black Clay Swamp, had already begun to take shape. Two communities had already been built and residents were living in them. Of course, these residents were the descendants of the pirates who had migrated here from the pirate fishing village of Sunbarwood. There were also residents who had migrated here from Syrovas Island. They had taken advantage of the early arrival.
Grandmaster Siroba, who was in charge of the construction of the city, had planned for the port city to be very large. Loriste found that there were still ten communities under construction, and when all of the construction was completed, it was estimated that the port city would be able to accommodate around fifty to sixty thousand residents. There was also a lot of space left for expansion.
In the center of the port city was a very large lord's residence, as well as a very large garden square. This was the same plan as the other cities in Galinthea, but Loriste would have to wait a few more years before he could move into the lord's residence. Right now, the area was still under construction.
"Not bad, Grandmaster Siroba has done a good job. Remember to reward him and the people in charge of the construction. Right, has this port city been named yet? "Loriste asked.
"No, it should be up to the lord to name it," Schwald said.
"Then tell Grandmaster Siroba that I give him the right to name this port city, in recognition of his contributions in designing and building it. When it's finished, I will also order people to make bronze statues of these meritorious people and erect them in the port for future generations to commemorate. Oh, and by the way, remind him that he's already named that hundred-mile dyke Xiluba Dyke. I don't want to hear about Xiluba City anymore. Tell him to think of a better name, "said Lollister.
At the end of last year, the nearly hundred-mile long dike from the port city to Turtle Mountain along the Lancang River was finally completed after three years of hard work by nearly two hundred thousand labourers. With this long dike, not only could it prevent the Lancang River from flowing into the Black Clay Marsh that had been developed into thousands of acres of fertile land, it could also prevent the magical beast Ironback Bay Crocodiles from the Black Clay Marsh on the other side of the Lancang River from crossing the river.
The family had invested no less than five hundred thousand gold fords on this long dike along the river. More than fifty thousand captives were the main labor force, but they would be released after their hard labor ended this year. In addition, there were sixty to seventy thousand migrant laborers recruited from Winston Province. They would bring their families and build villages near the long causeway, turning the Black Clay Swamp that used to be the family's territory into another food production base for the family.
In addition, all of the family's armed forces and garrison troops had to serve three months of labor every year. Adding on the people who came from Fengle Plains and Xingan Plains to earn some wages during the slack seasons, it took three years for the dike to be completed. When reporting the good news to Loriste, Grandmaster Siroba asked Loriste in his letter what he was going to name the dike, or if he wanted them to name it.
Loriste didn't think too much about it, nor could he be bothered to think of a name. He wrote back and asked them to come up with a name for the dike. In the end, Grandmaster Siroba named the dike after himself, and even erected a stone tablet as a memento. The others were both envious and angry, but Master Siroba, with Lollister's reply, acted as if he was holding a chicken feather as a token of authority. No one could do anything to him, so they could only pinch their noses and accept the name Siroba Dyke.
This time, Loriste learned his lesson and forbade Grandmaster Siroba from naming the dike after himself. This was to prevent him from carving Grandmaster Siroba's name on all the projects he was in charge of. However, Loriste believed that giving him a bronze statue as a reward would make him put in more effort …
In the remaining twenty days of March, Loriste inspected the military camps and the conditions of the people. He only stayed at Maple Villa and Miss Tracey's Nicole Academy for a day each before hurrying to Rock Castle. The new year's family meeting was about to begin there.
…
The Norton family's new year's meeting officially began at Rock Castle on the 5th of April.
The process of the meeting was the same as previous years, except that Fatty Shi and the others who stayed on Syrovas Island weren't present. There was an additional agenda for honoring and bestowing titles. This time, Steward Kedan replaced Fatty Shi as the host of the meeting.
After summarizing the achievements of the previous year, it was time for honoring and bestowing titles. Loriste announced that the eight Golden Knights of the family, Bofinger, Roth the Tiger, Josk, Freia, Berunik, Malek, Terman and Yuri, would each receive a knight's manor in the Xingan Plains. This knight's manor would become their family's inheritance. It didn't matter if their descendants could become knights or not, the knight's manor would belong to their family.
Next, Loriste ordered Sadekamp to imitate the Xingan Plains and build eight settlements and eight knight's manors in the Red River Valley territory of the Kenneth Family. This place would be named the Red River Plains. This decision was questioned by many retainers. Given that the family and the Kenneth Family had become allies, was it appropriate to occupy the Kenneth Family's original territory and develop it? Would it cause the Kenneth Family to react too violently?
Loriste smiled. The Kenneth Family was currently focused on their territory in the eastern part of the north. The Red River Valley Viscount had already been abandoned by them. They didn't dare and weren't willing to develop it so close to our family. If we occupied this place and began to develop it, the Kenneth Family would truly be at ease, because they believed that we had truly let go of the grudges and grievances between us in the past …
The last topic of discussion was the expansion of the army. This was the idea of the fifty thousand captives who were about to be released after completing their hard labor. Furthermore, the second prince's army of three hundred thousand finally made Loriste feel a little uneasy. Who knew if the second prince had nothing better to do after sweeping through the Iberian Kingdom in the future? It was always better to be prepared.
Bofinger's heavy cavalry was expanded to two divisions, and Roth the Tiger's lancers were also expanded to two divisions. Dolus was in charge of building a chariot and steel ballista division. Loriste wanted to see if an idea he had in mind could be realized. If it was possible, Dolus's chariot and steel ballista division would become a walking ballista division.
After the meeting ended, Loriste left behind the person in charge of the Iron Furnace Fort, Master Sid, and the person in charge of the weapon production base in Stormwind City, Manager Camorra, and gave them two tasks.
The first was Loriste's idea. He drew a picture of a wheelbarrow from his previous world, and wanted Master Sid to see if he could install the steel ballista from the chariot onto the wheelbarrow. Not only would this save the trouble of taking care of the warhorses pulling the chariot, it wouldn't affect the movement of the steel ballista, and it wouldn't affect the rapid deployment of the steel ballista, as well as the flexible shooting preparation. Some of the mountains and hills that the chariots couldn't go up could even be used on wheelbarrows to take up advantageous firing positions …
The second was for them to design a batch of gorgeous standard equipment that only needed to have slightly lower defense than the White Lion standard armor. This was to be marketed to the Trade Alliance. With the nature of merchants, the more fancy and beautiful they were, the more they would attract their attention, making them more interested in buying it …
… …
5th April, noon of the same day, in a private room of a hotel in Morent City.
The third young master of the Chick Merchant Association, Meribach, was holding a cup of tea, deep in thought. The person who had just left was an informant from the Peterson Merchant Association that he had bribed with a large sum of money, and this informant was one of the attendants who had accompanied the vice chairman to Syrovas Island. From him, Meribach learned a lot about the situation on Syrovas Island. For example, there were tens of thousands of refugees who were in the midst of development and construction, a three thousand elite guards, Count Norton on the island, and so on …
However, even though he knew the situation on Syrovas Island, the third young master was helpless. All of the arrangements had gone smoothly, but suddenly, the situation had changed drastically, and everything he had done had become useless. Whenever he thought of the one-track minded King Trumbo the Seventh, the third young master gnashed his teeth in hatred. It was this lunatic who had interfered and ruined all of the plans of the seven giants of the Trade Alliance. Now, they had lost half of their territory, but they still stubbornly refused to admit defeat. What a lunatic.
The third young master, Meribach, had always been known as a shrewd schemer in the Merchant Association. He also understood that in such a situation, the Merchant Association could no longer touch Syrovas Island. Especially after the news that the second prince of the Andinac Kingdom had taken over the capital of the Redelis Kingdom, he knew that it was not just the Chick Merchant Association. Even the Twin-Headed Dragon Merchant Association, the Mayflower Merchant Association, and the Peterson Merchant Association had given up on the ambition and strategy of obtaining territory from the Redelis Kingdom. No one was willing to stand against the second prince's army …
However, the third young master's heart was filled with rage. He was very unwilling to let go of that bastard lord who had looked down on him. Was a third-level great swordsman so great? Did he think that nothing had happened after killing so many people from the Merchant Association? He had arranged for the interception at sea last time, but the Merchant Association had suffered heavy losses. Whenever he thought of the second prince who had looked at him with a mocking gaze, the third young master could not take it anymore and wanted to explode.
"By the way, will the northern fleet set sail in a few days?" the third young master asked.
"Yes, young master. They will set off on the twelfth," the old personal servant standing beside him replied.
"Inform the others that I will set off with them. I will also make a trip to the Shaisya Kingdom and the Haneabada Kingdom, "the third young master decided.
… …
On the afternoon of the same day, at the frontlines of the Telimbo Kingdom.
The leader of the Twin-Headed Dragon Merchant Association, Cumbert, saw that the number of soldiers under his command had increased to nearly a hundred and fifty thousand. Furthermore, the rainy season had already passed, and he could no longer stand the noise in his tent that was like a vegetable market every day. In the end, he finally sent an ultimatum to the allied forces of the four kingdoms. If they did not retreat in three days, the army of the Trade Alliance would attack them without hesitation, and all the consequences would be borne by the allied forces of the four kingdoms …
Alright, the commander of the allied forces of the four kingdoms felt that they had held off the army of the Trade Alliance for three months, and that they could answer to King Telimbo VII. Furthermore, no one wanted to provoke the Trade Alliance, so he sent a letter saying that they would retreat in three days. The silent war that had lasted for three months was over …
… …
On the afternoon of the same day, at the capital of the Redelis Kingdom, Felicia.
The flag of the Andinac Kingdom's Royal Guards that had set off from the southwestern frontlines finally appeared below the capital.
The second prince, who was standing on the city walls, finally heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since the surprise attack on Felicia's capital, he had not slept well for more than a month. His cheeks were extremely thin, and his chin was covered with a beard. It took him a lot of effort to negotiate with the seventy thousand soldiers of the Cambona province, but they had finally put down their weapons. Now that the army under his direct command had finally arrived, the next step was to sweep away the remaining enemies and capture the eldest prince alive.
"Men, send messengers to the nobles of the Andvov province, and order them to offer their loyalty and respect to me. Otherwise, I do not mind wiping out their families and territories."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Your will is our mission. But what should we do if the nobles have their prayers? "
"Do they still want prayers? They were the ones who conspired with the eldest prince to disrupt the peace of the Empire and ignite the flames of war. I have already pardoned their crimes, spared their lives, and spared their families. Do they still think that is not enough? Tell them that if they can satisfy me, the most they will accept is a reduction of their seals and a transfer of their seals. I believe that is enough … "
"Yes, Your Majesty. We will set off immediately to convey your will."
… …
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