Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The fifty-six-meter-long Storm was like a monster that could spit fire. It was faintly discernible amidst the flames and white smoke that filled the air as it shot out deadly bullets one after another.
Three hundred meters away, the steep cliff collapsed with a deafening explosion. Large chunks of boulders and rocks fell onto the waves that hit the reef.
"Hiss …" Sembarwood's mouth fell open as he raised his binoculars. The scene before him was beyond his imagination. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the bronze cannons Laurist spoke of would be so powerful. He was so shocked that he was speechless.
After a long while, Sembarwood finally came to his senses, and his face was filled with ecstasy. "My, my lord, with this warship, I can guarantee that no fleet in Galinthea will be a match for our family …"
"Mm." Laurist nodded. His mind was still immersed in the two battle reports he had read the day before.
Last night, Laurist had made a strategic prediction based on the battle report of the Trymber Kingdom sent by Rummed. In the end, he came to a shocking conclusion. Other than the Trymber Kingdom being destroyed as expected, there were at least four or five smaller kingdoms that would be caught in the crossfire of the eleven kingdoms that had sent reinforcements, other than the Ulubaha Duchy and Delia Duchy that had already been annexed by the Trade Union …
In other words, after the glass war ended, the territory of the Commerce Alliance would expand by four to five times, and they would become the third largest force on the Galint continent. This did not refer to influence or commercial power, but the territory that was laid out on the surface. The territory under their jurisdiction would replace the former Krisen Empire, which had been torn apart, and become the third largest country on the continent.
If the Trade Union was given a few more years to digest and integrate the annexed kingdoms, then even if the second prince unified the Chrison Empire, he would not be able to suppress and interfere with the development of the Trade Union like the Chrison Empire had done a hundred years ago. Perhaps he would even be suppressed by the Trade Union …
To Laurist, the most surprising thing was that the Chikede Merchant Group had actually made the Ulubaha Duchy their territory. This was good news, as it meant that the Chikede Merchant Group had completely given up on seizing Cirvas Island as their territory. From the map, Lollister found that this was a very wise choice for the Chikder Merchant Group. With the Ulubaha Duchy as their territory, the Chikder Merchant Group would be able to firmly control the Golden Coastline in the south of Galinthea, and they wouldn't have to waste their strength in the war against the Norton Family over Cilovas Island …
"My Lord, my Lord …" Sambarwood called out for a long time before Laurist came to his senses.
"What's the matter?" asked Loriste.
Samba Wood was a little embarrassed. "Sir, I want to go down and see how these bronze cannons fire. Is that okay?"
Laurist laughed involuntarily. "Sambarwood, you're now the captain of the Storm. You can do whatever you want as long as you don't sink the ship. If you want to see it, go ahead. Familiarize yourself with the functions of this warship and understand its characteristics as soon as possible. You don't have to ask me. "
When the 24 bronze cannons were installed on the Storm and fired for the first time, the new warship was shaken so badly that cracks appeared on the surface of the warship. Seawater gushed in, and it took them a great deal of effort to return to the Oxhorn Bay Shipyard to repair it. It took them three days to repair it. Now, the cannons would no longer have such leaks. Once Sambarwood familiarized himself with the ship, Laurist would set off for Cirvas Island.
After firing two more rounds of cannons, Sunbarwood returned to the berth with a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "My Lord, this is truly an unparalleled warship. It has excellent maneuverability, nimble and light steering ability, and moves like the wind. Apart from the Flying Fish of the Kingdom of Dawn, no other warship can compare to this Storm. Coupled with the long-range attack power of the bronze cannons, this is truly an invincible warship. No ship can get close to the Storm … "
The three-masted sailing warship, Storm, was a new type of ocean-going warship designed by the shipbuilders of the Oxhorn Bay Shipyard, using the Flying Fish of the Kingdom of Dawn as a model. The ship was 56 meters long, and its hull and sides were 10 and 8 meters wide. Its height was 11.7 meters, and it was divided into four levels. The bottom level was the ballast, the third level was the warehouse, and the second level was the cannons. Each side contained 12 bronze cannons, a total of 24. The top level was the deck, cabins, and berth.
Apart from the 24 bronze cannons, the 24 cannons had 120 men, and the Storm had a full complement of 128 sailors. The minimum number was 52. It could also carry two platoons of 200 men on the sea. Be it close combat or long-range attacks, it was more than enough to handle them. It was no wonder that Sambarwood felt that this was already an invincible warship.
Laurist laughed. "In the Oxhorn Bay shipyard, there are five similar cannons being built. I reckon that by next year, you will have six Storms. By then, the cannons will be truly invincible, much more so than the Cangjin Bay Invincible Fleet owned by the Commerce Alliance. "
Sambarwood snorted disdainfully. "My Lord, the so-called Invincible Fleet at Hidden Gold Bay only relies on their numbers to gain an advantage in close combat. In a real fight, those modified merchant ships are as slow as tortoises compared to the Storm. Just the cannons on the Storm alone are enough to send the modified merchant ships of the Invincible Fleet to the bottom of the sea … "
That was true. Sambarwood was right. The warships of the Commerce Alliance's Invincible Fleet were modified to look like moving castles. They looked top-heavy and light-footed. They could still flaunt their might in the calm Cangjin Bay, but in the Sad Ocean, they were obviously not acclimatized. They had to constantly worry that the warships would capsize due to the strong winds and waves.
"It's good that you have confidence, Sambarwood. While familiarizing yourself with the ship, you also need to note down the weaknesses that are not suitable for naval combat. You can improve them at any time during the construction of the next five cannons. Once the five warships are completed, the shipyard will build a really big one, a five-masted warship that is 120 meters long. That ship will be equipped with more than 60 cannons … "Laurist said.
"Ah, there's a warship that big?" Sambarwood drooled. "Sir, I will definitely work hard. Once that warship is completed, you must let me command it …"
… …
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Laurist was about to board the Storm to Ciloas Island. Before he left, he called for a meeting of the higher-ups of the family in the camp at the bay.
"Terman, the safety of Monolith Castle, the Xingan Plains, the Red River Plains, and the farms in the west of the north will be in your hands. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." Terman bowed solemnly.
"Vasinma, Ross the Ferocious Tiger has irresponsibly left two cavalry divisions to you. I'll have to trouble you."
"Sir, it's fine. I'm already used to it." Vasinma's reply made everyone in the tent laugh.
"Malek, when Dolles returns this time, you will hand over the chariot and crossbow divisions with him. Then, you and Yuri will be in charge of transporting the remaining resources and men to Ciloas Island …"
"Yes, sir. Don't worry, we will complete the mission." Malek and Yuri stood up.
"Peter, you will lead the cavalry division to guard Crouching Bull Hill. Although the mountain barbarians have not caused us any trouble in the past few years, we cannot be careless."
"Yes, sir. I understand." Peter smiled wryly. His immediate superior, Joske, was just like Ross the Ferocious Tiger. He was also someone who liked to follow the lord everywhere. The matters of the cavalry division all fell on him as his assistant.
"Paciko …"
"Sir, I await your orders." Paciko stood up.
"From today onwards, you will be Berunik's assistant. You will be in charge of the second battalion of the imperial guards. You will also assist Berunik in reorganizing the third battalion of the imperial guards and creating the fourth and fifth battalions. The first battalion of the imperial guards will have five battalions under it. Berunik will be the commander, and you will be his assistant. "
"Yes, sir." Paciko stood up and bowed. He had been promoted this time.
Berunik stood up. "Sir, where will the first battalion be stationed?"
Laurist pointed at the map of the family's territory behind him. "The first battalion, Monolith Castle. The second battalion, Tortoise Mountain Stronghold. The third battalion will be stationed at the port city after reorganizing. The fourth and fifth battalions will need to undergo three months of discipline training after being established. They will be stationed in the recruit camp as reserves for now. Decisions will be made when they return from this expedition. “
Laurist had no choice. This year, nearly 60,000 captives were released. More than 50,000 of them had to stay in the family's territory, and some of them had to go back to bring their families back. Although the family had already started the development of the Red River Plains and could accommodate some of them, there were too many young men who met the requirements for conscription. In the first half of the year, the heavy armor division and the cavalry division were expanded, and the single-wheeled crossbow division was added. There were still nearly 10,000 young men who wanted to be soldiers. Those who could swim were sent to the marine training camp, and the rest were simply stuffed into the imperial guards.
Chief Steward Spear stood up. "Sir, our family's reserve fund is less than a million gold fords. Expanding our family's military like this will make our family's funds even tighter. In addition to the following development and construction projects, I'm afraid that we will be out of money by May or June next year …"
"It's fine." Laurist waved his hand. "In a few months, our family will have a large sum of money, enough for us to spend. Oh right, Chief Steward Spear, you will be in charge of the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce's new products. The income here will be of great help to our family. "
"Yes, sir." Chief Steward Spear sat down worriedly.
"Chief Steward Boris."
"Sir, please give me your orders." Chief Steward Boris, who used to be Earl Kenneth's butler and was now the person in charge of the Civil Affairs Department, stood up.
"Knight Shredder is not here, so you will be in charge of the Civil Affairs Department. This year, Fengle Plains and Xingan Plains will start collecting taxes. You must hurry up with these two tasks. "
"Yes, sir. Don't worry, I will do my best." Chief Steward Boris bowed.
"Old Man Barlek, the family's mines and workshops will depend on you."
Old Man Barlek stood up and replied, "Sir, don't worry. I will not let you down."
"Sederkamp, you came from my side. This time, you will be in charge of the development of the Red River Plains. Don't embarrass me."
"I understand, sir." Sederkamp had been trained for the past few years, and looked smart and capable.
"Chief Steward Cordan, Chief Steward Hansk will be returning to Syrovas Island with me this time. He will be in charge of the mess left there. So, the various affairs of the family territory will need your supervision and inspection. "
"Sir, don't worry with me around. But sir, I just want to know if we really don't need the second prince's permission before we go to the Haneabada Kingdom? After all, it's a kingdom, "Chief Steward Cordan asked.
Now, everyone in the tent knew Laurist's plan. No one was surprised that he was going to attack the Haneabada Kingdom. The family's territory had been attacked by the slave traders and slave hunters, and they had suffered heavy losses. If Laurist did not want to take revenge, he would be the head of the Norton family in vain.
However, Chief Steward Cordan's concerns were very reasonable. If they were also nobles, there would be no need to say anything and they could just start fighting. However, the other party was a kingdom. According to the rules, Laurist should at least inform the second prince first, and the second prince would represent the Andinac Kingdom to protest and negotiate with the Haneabada Kingdom. If they could not communicate or get a satisfactory answer, then the Norton Family would be authorized to take revenge on the Haneabada Kingdom, or the Andinac Kingdom would send troops to attack the Haneabada Kingdom. This was the so-called diplomatic process between kingdoms.
Laurist shook his head. "We can't afford to waste time. Also, the second prince is in the Redelis Kingdom now, so he might not care. This is a small matter to him. If we continue to wait, who knows how long we'll have to wait. Speed is the most important thing in war. Just like how the Peterson Merchant Group attacked the Duchy of Delia, didn't they also inform the Trade Union? "
"Sir, the Trade Union is a group of upstarts who have no sense of propriety. It's not strange for them to do anything. We are a noble family with centuries of history, and we should respect the traditional rules. It's best to seek the opinion of the superior lord before proceeding with a major matter like conquering a kingdom. Otherwise, people will easily say that we have no respect for our superiors and are arrogant and despotic. This concerns the reputation of our family, please consider it, sir. "Spear stood up and advised.
"Stop it." Laurist's face darkened. "Your concerns are for the sake of your family, and that's right. But have you considered the feelings of the family knights who have fallen into the hands of the slave masters and slave traders? Every day that passes, they will suffer one more day of torture, and their lives may even be in danger. If we want to get the second prince's approval, this year will be over, and we might not even get any results by the end of next year.
Besides, has the Haneabada Kingdom and the Andinac Kingdom ever had diplomatic relations? When has the Andinac Kingdom ever acknowledged the Haneabada Kingdom?
This time, our target is not a kingdom, but a pirate nest, a sinful port city that sells slaves. Remember, there has never been a Haneabada Kingdom. We are only going to take revenge on the slave traders and slave hunters who attacked Syrovas Island, and to rescue our family members and citizens. As for the Haneabada Kingdom, that's all made up by our enemies. There is no such kingdom.
Remember, those who offend Norton will be punished no matter how far away they are! Understand? "
"Yes! Sir, those who offend Norton will be punished no matter how far away they are! "
Everyone in the tent stood up and shouted in unison.
… …
Eight days later, Laurist appeared on Syrovas Island. Bofinger led a group of family knights to welcome him.
"How many ships do we have?" This was Laurist's biggest concern.
"Sir, Swordmaster Erik, Josk, and Ferocious Tiger Ross have gathered more than 30 medium-sized ships. Together with our original ships, it's enough to transport more than 20,000 people. The Peterson's Chamber of Commerce replied that they can lend us fourteen ships, four of which are large ocean-going merchant ships and ten of which are medium-sized seagoing ships. However, these ships can only reach Syrovas Island by the end of August, "Bofinger replied.
"Yes." Laurist nodded. This way, as long as Erik and the others gathered another 50 or 60 medium-sized ships, it would be enough to send more than 30,000 people to the Haneabada Archipelago. Then, they would be able to set off in September.
"How's the morale of the family's armed forces? Do they have any opinions or comments about this expedition?"
"Sir, everyone is enraged by the tragic situation on the island. Although we didn't see the second batch of soldiers, we heard from the soldiers who cleaned up the island that they felt the same way. They are all rubbing their fists and swearing to teach those slave traders and slave owners a lesson."
"That's fine. We can't vent our anger. Take advantage of the time when the fleet goes to the north to transport the remaining troops over to strengthen our combat readiness and training. Otherwise, we will all become weak crabs," Laurist said.
"Yes, sir."
… …
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