The sails of the fleet gradually disappeared into the horizon, never to be seen again.
There were only three battalions of nine thousand men heading to Syrovas as reinforcements. There were too few ships, and they couldn't transport that many. If not for the addition of the eight whaling ships, even with the addition of the two large ocean-going merchant ships newly launched by the Oxhorn Bay Shipyard, Sunbarwood's fleet would only be able to transport about four thousand troops at most.
Laurist had wanted to personally lead the team, but Bofinger and the other subordinates dissuaded him. Bofinger said, "We can't let you charge at the frontlines all the time while we, as your retainers, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. That would be a disgrace to us knights.
Besides, with the nature of the Haneabada Kingdom's slave traders and slave hunters, they rarely stay in one place for more than a month. By the time the fleet arrives at Syrovas, they might have already left the island. Not only would you have wasted your time, my lord. Why don't you wait for news from us in your family's territory and deal with your family's affairs? Always running around outside will delay many things in the family's territory … "
Bofinger spoke tactfully, but Laurist understood what he meant. It was safe for him to stay here in the north. If he didn't stay in the family's territory for too long, the three allies might have some ideas. Bofinger and Spear were the ones to receive the four families' gathering at the end of last year. This year, he had to show his face no matter what.
As for Laurist's worry about encountering enemies on this trip to Syrovas, Bofinger smiled and indicated that it was no big deal. According to the reports of the surviving family soldiers and guards from the third battalion of the imperial guards, most of the enemies were just a motley crew. The only ones to worry about were the few great swordsmen. However, there were two heavily armored battalions and one single-wheeled ballista battalion heading to Syrovas this time. Once they formed a formation, even great swordsmen would not dare to face them head-on.
Bodfinger believed that if the enemy was few or had already left Cirvas Island, then the three battalions would sweep through the entire island and deal with the aftermath. If the enemies were still entrenched on Syrovas, Bofinger and the others would advance step by step and occupy a place to deal with the enemies while waiting for reinforcements. With the speed of the Kingdom of Dawn's Flying Fish, it would only take ten days to bring Laurist to the island.
There were a total of five Gold Knights from the Norton Family who were heading to Syrovas Island as reinforcements. Other than Bofinger, Josk, and Sunbarwood, there were also Ross the Ferocious and Yuri, who had just been promoted to a Gold Knight. In addition, there were also two people with a special mission: Tagger and Ell, who were responsible for the establishment of the Volibel Investigation Bureau.
The order Laurist gave them was that if Cilovas Island was recovered, they would go to Moronte City and go to the Kingdom of Haneabada through the Peterson's Chamber of Commerce. They would investigate the whereabouts of the captives and find a way to rescue the captive family knights and civil officials. Most importantly, they would find the whereabouts of Fatty Shi and the others. They would also investigate the military forces of the Kingdom of Haneabada, as well as all the major slave owners, slave traders, and slave hunters …
The sea breeze blew against his face, bringing with it a faint smell of the sea. This was Oxhorn Bay. The cliff was shaped like a bull's horn. It was this semicircular cliff that enclosed Oxhorn Bay inside, forming a tranquil bay that was not afraid of the strong winds and huge waves outside. The family had used nearly a thousand men to dig a path to the top of the cliff. They planned to build a lighthouse at the edge of the cliff to bring light and guidance to ships that had lost their way on a night without the silver moon.
Laurist came to the top of the cliff to send off the fleet that was on a long journey. He also wanted to see the location of the lighthouse, and he had his own plans. He wanted to see if he could build a fort on the cliff in the future. This way, he would not have to worry about foreign fleets attacking Oxhorn Bay and the port city.
The fleet was already far away. Laurist walked to the inside of the cliff and looked down at the port city and Oxhorn Bay.
The port city was still bustling with activity. People came and went from various construction sites. The setback that the family suffered on Cilovas Island did not affect the development of this new city. This time, Laurist had arranged for more than seven hundred refugees from White Bird Town to stay here. Two days ago, he could still hear the cries of the refugees missing their loved ones …
On the other side of Oxhorn Bay was a shipyard that was growing in scale. Looking down from the top of the cliff, he could see the keels of five ships lined up in a row in the empty space of the shipyard. Countless workers were working hard around the five keels like ants surrounding food. In a few months, these five new ships would be launched and become the family's new warships.
At the dock of the Oxhorn Bay Shipyard, there was a warship that looked similar to the Flying Fish of the Kingdom of Dawn but was larger. This was the family's new large three-masted warship, the Storm. A hundred and twenty-eight sailors, selected from all the sailors, were familiarizing themselves with the maneuverability of this new warship. After Sunbarwood returned, the Storm would be equipped with twenty-four bronze cannons and become a veritable storm on the sea, an invincible warship...
"Malek …" Laurist said, "This time, I want to transfer half of the veterans from your Chariot and Crossbow Army to the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army. This will speed up the formation of the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army. I want to place the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army on Cilovas Island."
The expressionless Malek was silent for a moment before replying, "Sir, can I make a suggestion?"
"Oh, go ahead." Laurist did not expect Malek, who was known as Iron Mask, to say such a thing. He was stunned for a moment.
"Sir, I know that Dorais is very close to you, but you have given him too much responsibility. He has been running around with you all the time, which is very detrimental to his personal cultivation." Malek hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Dorais was once the vice commander of the Chariot and Crossbow Army. As my assistant, I know him very well and have sparred with him before. He is quite talented, but he has been stuck at 3-star Silver rank for too long. It has been three years since he made any progress. What he needs is time to properly train himself. Only then will he be able to reach the Gold rank in two or three years.
Sir, I understand why you want to form the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army. You will not let the slave masters and slave traders of the Haneabada Kingdom off. The day the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army is completed will be the day you set off for the Haneabada Kingdom. I hope that you can exchange positions with Dorais. Let me be the commander of the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army and follow you on your expedition.
Sir, I believe that this is the best of both worlds. The Chariot and Crossbow Army is responsible for the defense of the Northern Family's territory and attacking missions. In the past few years, the Norton Family and the three allied families have ruled over the Northern Lands. The next few years will be peaceful, and there will not be any disturbances. As the commander of the Chariot and Crossbow Army, Dorais will have the time to properly train and raise his personal cultivation … "
"Pfft." Laurist could not help but laugh. In the end, Malek was still stuck in the War Chariots and Steel Crossbow Troops without any battles to fight. However, the excuse he came up with was very reasonable. Dolles should focus on training and advance to the Gold rank as soon as possible. That way, no one would be able to talk behind Laurist's back.
"Why do you think that I want to set off for the Haneabada Kingdom?" Laurist asked.
"Sir, we are the Roaring Bears of the Northern Lands. Our family has never been slapped in the face and silently endured it. Based on my understanding of you, Sir, you are not the kind of person to swallow your anger. Sir, you will definitely take revenge. Furthermore, from the way you executed the captured sailors of the Haneabada Kingdom, your revenge will not only be doubled, but it will also be even more cruel …" Malek replied.
"Ugh …" This sounded very awkward. Are you saying that I am narrow-minded and will seek revenge for the smallest grievance? Laurist furrowed his brows and thought for a long time. He decided to give up thinking from this angle. He was very clear about Malek's character. His personality was like this, straightforward and honest.
"That, Malek, there is actually another reason why I made you the commander of the Chariot and Crossbow Army. There are only a few Gold Knights in the family. Even though we have Terman, Yuri, and Sunbarwood, I feel that it is still not enough. Placing you and the Chariot and Crossbow Army in the family territory is to make use of your reputation as a Gold Knight to make others not dare to underestimate the armed forces of the Norton Family," Laurist said.
"Sir, the Xingan Plains and the Red River have two Lancers under the Ferocious Tiger Ross stationed there. Behind us is the Rock Castle, and the front and back walls of the Rock Castle have formed a garrison. There is also the First Battalion of Paul Robbins Guards in the castle and the First Battalion of Garrison Guards in the warehouse. Terman's Knights are also there. No one dares to underestimate the armed forces of the Norton Family.
The Chariot and Crossbow Army has always been kept a secret. Only our three allies know a little, so it does not matter whether I am there or not. If Sir swaps me with Dolles, you can use this opportunity to provoke Dolles and make him understand that if he does not advance to the Gold rank, Sir will not be able to use him. This way, he will be able to train hard … "
Alright, Malek was even trying to provoke him to achieve his goal.
Laurist laughed. "Alright, Malek, you have convinced me. Once the Silovas Island incident is over, I will transfer Dolles back and you will be the commander of the Single-Wheeled Crossbow Army. You must hurry up with the transfer of veterans from the Chariot and Crossbow Army, but do not go overboard. Otherwise, it will affect the fighting strength of the Chariot and Crossbow Army. "
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Sir." Malek stood at attention and bowed.
After descending the cliff, Laurist brought Shiward and a group of guards to the valley where Professor Bob's gunpowder laboratory was located in the Blade Edge Mountain Range. From afar, they could hear the continuous rumbling of cannons.
After entering the valley, Professor Bob rushed over when he saw Laurist. He shouted at the top of his lungs with a red face, "Lord Earl, I can't take it anymore! Either you change the location of the cannons, or move my laboratory to a quieter place!"
Ugh … This was another mistake. Professor Bob's gunpowder laboratory was located in the valley where Professor Bob conducted his own gunpowder experiments. He did not feel that there was anything wrong with placing the bronze cannons there to train the cannoneers. No one would be able to stand the incessant sounds of the cannons …
"Alright, I will immediately ask them to change the location!" Laurist shouted at the top of his lungs. If he did not do this, no one would be able to hear what he was saying.
He waved his hand to signal Shiward to go over and order the cannoneers to stop firing the cannons.
The sound of the cannons finally stopped, and the air was filled with the strong smell of gunpowder.
Master Sid brought Master Julien down from the firing area. Both of them were wearing masks and earmuffs.
"Sir, you're here." Master Sid took off his earmuffs and said, "It's too quiet. I'm not used to the sound of the cannons anymore."
"Both of you are crazy!" Professor Bob muttered loudly.
"Haha …" Master Sid and Master Julien laughed.
"Sir, the 36 bronze cannons that have just been cast have all been tested, and all of them have passed. They are now being given to the new cannoneers to practice. Master Sid added an aiming device on the bronze cannons, and the cannoneers mastered it very quickly. They can already hit five or six out of ten shots, "Master Julien reported.
"Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work." After Laurist thanked them, he asked, "Oh right, have you guys made the recoil cannon rack that I mentioned? These bronze cannons have to be installed in the cannons on the ship, not on land. There is no need for such a heavy and solid cannon rack. "
Master Sid replied, "Sir, we have made it, but it is not the steel wire spring cannon rack that you described. We have failed many times to make those steel wire springs. Later on, Master Fallin thought that we could use the large ballistae to make leather belts to achieve the same goal. We were experimenting just now, and it seems that the results are not bad. The cannons do not have any large displacement when firing. "
"Alright then. First, equip the 24 bronze cannons with the same recoil cannon rack and transport them to Oxhorn Bay to be installed on the Storm. Let the cannoneers practice on the ship. The other 12 bronze cannons also need to be trained in a different location. We don't want to disturb Professor Bob here, "Laurist said.
"Oh right, Sir, there is another problem. The cannoneers said that it is useless to aim accurately on land. On the ship, the ship will rise and fall with the waves. At that time, they might not even hit one out of ten shots. That is why the cannoneers believe that aiming accurately and firing far will be useless on the ship. Do you have any ideas? "Master Sid asked.
"Hm? That's easy to solve. " Laurist had seen a movie about the development of the navy during the Russian Tsar's era in his previous life. He could still remember the scenes of how the cannoneers of warships were trained. "Choose a new training ground near the sea, with the cannons facing the sea. Build a few large swing racks that are the size of the cannons on the ship. Move the bronze cannons onto the swing racks. Place some boats or wooden models a few hundred meters away from the sea. As long as they can float on the water, use them as targets when firing. Shake the swing first to simulate the waves on the sea. With more practice, the cannoneers will gain experience and be able to hit accurately on the sea in the future … "
For the next dozen or so days, Laurist busied himself with the training of the cannoneers of the Tempest while dealing with the matters of his family's territory at the port. Then, he anxiously waited for Bofinger and the others to send back news of reinforcements to Cirvas Island.
There was also good news in the territory. Old Man Barlek worked hard at the papermaking workshop for more than a month and finally produced pure white paper. Laurist heavily rewarded the person who developed the paper, then instructed Old Man Barlek to expand the production of the white paper and form a series of production structures. For example, the waste from the production of the white paper could be used to make toilet paper. Then, he would set up a papermaking factory that would use the white paper to make all kinds of folders, notepads, blank albums, and other finished products, which he would then sell.
Apart from the success of papermaking, Technician Mancheni from the glass production base also brought Laurist two new products. One was a magnifying glass with a golden frame. The golden handle was engraved with exquisite patterns, making it look very elegant. Needless to say, this was the work of the old silversmith.
The second was a pair of exquisite transparent teapots and teacups made by Technician Mancheni using oil glass. After rewarding him, Laurist pointed out to him that the transparent teapots and teacups looked very simple and elegant, which might not be popular with some nouveau riche. If he could engrave some exquisite golden patterns on the edges of these teapots and teacups, he would be able to raise the price of these transparent teapots and sell them at a higher price. Technician Mancheni left with great inspiration.
Another seven or eight days passed. Just as Laurist was waiting anxiously, the Flying Fish of the Kingdom of Dawn appeared in the distance, speeding towards Oxhorn Bay.
… …
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