Although Port Qilin was the only port city in the northern part of the cursed coastline, it wasn't big. It only had a population of 20,000, and the port facilities weren't complete. After the establishment of the Andinak Kingdom, it inherited the tradition of the former Christen Empire that did not value shipping. Although the Port of Qilin boomed for a period of time due to the civil war in the Empire, the Second Prince, who was in charge of state affairs, imposed a heavy tax on the ships that came to trade. Hence, the Port of Qilin gradually became deserted.
After the smugglers stopped coming to Chilin Port, the only place left was the seafood trading market. It was also the largest trading market for fish in the Andinac Kingdom. The fishermen of Chilin Port would return every evening to sell their catch to the fishmongers in exchange for gold coins. The fishmongers would then pick out the more precious fish and deliver them to the dining tables of the Andinac Kingdom's nobles.
In the past, the fishing teams on Syrovas Island would also send their catch here to trade, and they would be squeezed dry by the fishmongers. However, the catch of the fishing fleet on the island in a day was not even enough to supply the consumption of the 60,000 soldiers of the Monolith Army on the island. Even if there was more catch, it would be used to make salted fish or dried fish. They no longer had to go to the seafood market in Chilin Port to trade. The only connection between Syrovas Island and Chilin Port was a ferry that came and went once every three days.
Laurist had always been interested in Qilin Port. Although Cirvas Island was good, it was still an island. It was fine as a transit station, but if he wanted his family's products to have a sales base that could reach the entire continent, Qilin Port would be better. Currently, in the northeast region of the former Christen Empire, the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce, led by Earl Cummings, was seizing the market. It already included the entire Iberian Kingdom and half of the Madras Duchy. Currently, Earl Cummings was ambitiously thinking of opening a trade route to the four central duchies.
To the south of Sirovas Island, Loriste wanted to sell the goods produced in his territory to the Commerce Alliance through the Peterson Merchant's Guild. However, he did not expect that the glass war would greatly reduce the Commerce Alliance's sphere of influence, and they would become enemies with the surrounding countries. With their trade routes cut off, the Peterson Merchant's Guild was also greatly weakened. They could not even fend for themselves, and it would take another two to three years for them to recover.
The coastline between the North and Syrovas Island was known as the Cursed Northern Coastline. They were all shallow waters with dark reefs. There were no ports for ships to dock at all. That was why Laurist had his eyes on Qilin Port. If Port Qilin was under the family's jurisdiction, Laurist was confident that he could develop Port Qilin into a large commercial port city in just a few years. He could then use Port Qilin to expand the trade route to the south of the Reidlis Kingdom.
Laurist had sent Governor Hansk as an envoy to the Imperial Capital, ostensibly to show concern for His Majesty, the second prince, who was trapped in the Redelis Kingdom. In reality, he had volunteered to help the kingdom and rescue the second prince from the siege. Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch. If he wanted the Norton family to send troops, he would have to give them something in return. Since the Andenak Kingdom and the Redelis Kingdom had been at war for a year and a half, and the Andenak Kingdom's treasury was starving to death, Laurist's condition was to obtain jurisdiction over Kirin Port.
Originally, Laurist wanted Kirin Port to become his family's territory. However, after thinking that it would be difficult for the second prince to agree to such a condition, he decided to take a step back and obtain jurisdiction over Kirin Port. If the Imperial Capital agreed, the Norton family would send troops to conquer Cambona Province and reestablish contact with the second prince. However, he did not expect Marquis Reid, who was in charge of the kingdom's affairs in the Imperial Capital, to reject Laurist's request without hesitation. He even ordered the garrison of Port Qilin to guard against the Norton family's armed forces.
If such an order was given in secret, Laurist could not do anything about it. However, he did not expect the few knights who escorted Governor Hansk back to Port Qilin to vent their anger. In front of Governor Hansk, they ordered the garrison of Port Qilin not to let a single soldier of the Norton family's armed forces come ashore. They wanted to use this opportunity to humiliate the Norton family. This gave Laurist a reason to make a fuss.
The garrison of Port Qilin used to be the 3rd Division of the Andenak Kingdom's Royal Guards Reserve Legion. Its commander, the Gold Knight Fivenmantle, had once led his troops to Shirovas Island. Nominally, they were there to help Viscount Aslan collect taxes, but in reality, they were there to extort money. In the end, they encountered Laurist and were brutally beaten up. Although the second prince saved him, he was worried that Laurist would not let the matter rest. Thus, he transferred the 3rd Division away and reorganized a garrison of 2,000 people.
As a local garrison, the Qilin Port's garrison was treated like a stepmother's child. There were two thousand of them, and the only weapons they were equipped with were spears and wooden shields. They only had three pieces of leather armor, which were tattered and could only be equipped by the captain of the garrison and his two deputies. Taking the funds that were allocated to them as an example, the garrison's salary was not paid for every month. The garrison members wandered around the seafood market every day because they could earn some extra money there …
Laurist really wanted to know why Marquis Reid, who was in the imperial capital, was so confident that the garrison of Port Qilin would be a threat to the Norton family's armed forces. He was so confident that not a single soldier of the Norton family would come ashore.
At this moment, Laurist was already standing on the dock of Port Qilin. Behind him, the 1,000 guards were disembarking from the ship and reorganizing themselves. Next to them, there were close to a hundred soldiers of Port Qilin's garrison who were laughing and watching. Their eyes were filled with envy for the guards' superior equipment. None of them were so arrogant as to stop the Norton family's armed forces from coming ashore.
But soon, someone was using an egg to smash a rock. Two knights in half-body armor rushed out of a tavern at the dock and shouted loudly. They reeked of alcohol and demanded that the guards who came ashore immediately board their ships and leave. They were not allowed to set foot on the dock of Port Qilin.
Laurist raised his head, and a few guards came over to drag the two drunkards off the dock and beat them up. Not long after, the two of them began to cry for their parents.
"Get them to confess why they stopped Count Norton's journey, and whether they were trying to assassinate him. Get them to write their confessions and leave their fingerprints on them. Then, throw them into the prison of Port Qilin. Now, follow me to the mayor's mansion. I want to see the order from the imperial capital, "Laurist said.
As a noble, it was perfectly normal for him to bring along guards when he went out. Even though Lollister had brought a thousand guards and a regiment of fifteen thousand, it could only be said that the Norton Family was rich and overbearing. The Earl was afraid of death, and was afraid that someone would harm him, so he brought along more armed guards. It could not be said that he had done anything wrong by breaking the rules. As long as he did not disturb the place and provided his own supplies, it was reasonable behavior.
Laurist was taking advantage of this loophole. As for the order from the imperial capital to not allow a single soldier from the Norton family to go ashore, that was a joke. The Norton family did not rebel, so why did they not allow Count Norton to bring guards when he went out? Did they want to harm him? It didn't make sense. Even if the case was brought to the second prince, Laurist was guaranteed to win.
As the mayor of Port Qilin, Baron Fenston had always been satisfied with his position. It was not in vain that he had spent a large sum of money to bribe the second prince's people to get this position. As a noble, Baron Fenston had always thought that only idiots would make money from their own fiefs. How big was a baron's fief? The baron was very clear about how much money the poor citizens had. Instead of investing money to develop a fief, it was better to spend money to buy a position. That way, there would be a big return.
It had only been five years since he became the mayor of Port Qilin, but Baron Fenston had already earned back the money he had spent. The income had already exceeded his investment by several times. Now, he was thinking about building a small fleet of seven medium-sized armed ships to buy some luxury and fashionable clothing from Morent City that the nobles of the Andenak Kingdom urgently needed. On the one hand, he could befriend those with status, and on the other hand, he could use the fleet to unite the nobles and rich merchants of Port Qilin. If there was money to be made, everyone could earn it. Giving them some shares would not require him to invest, and he could also better control the port. It was really killing two birds with one stone.
However, Baron Fenston also had his own troubles. Two days ago, the imperial capital had inexplicably sent an order to strengthen the defenses of Port Qilin to prevent the Norton family's armed forces from Cilovas Island.
Baron Fenston thought that the people in power in the imperial capital must have gone mad and attacked anyone they saw. The king was trapped in the Redelis Kingdom, and the situation at the frontlines was not good. Yet, they still wanted to force the Norton family. Thinking about how the Norton family had just sent messengers to the imperial capital, Baron Fenston was very sure that the messengers from the Norton family must have offended the nobles in the imperial capital. Either the gifts were not delivered, or there was some kind of conflict.
Baron Fenston wanted to throw the order into the wastepaper basket, but after thinking about it, he put it away. This was because the imperial capital had not only sent this order, but also sent six knights. Not only did they want to take over the Port Qilin garrison, but they also wanted to expand the garrison into three brigades of three thousand people.
Baron Fenston decided to let the six knights do whatever they wanted. After all, he did not have money or equipment. He only had the salary that was allocated to the garrison every month. He wanted to see what the knights from the imperial capital could do. Moreover, the Norton family was not easy to bully. Some time ago, his trusted family member had gone to Morent City and brought him a newspaper. There was a sensational piece of news in it. It said that the Norton family's armed forces had gone to the Kingdom of Haneabada. Not only did they destroy this slave country, but they also beheaded the 170,000 citizens of Haneabada and used their heads to build a huge pyramid.
Baron Fenston immediately believed that this news was not fabricated. As the mayor of Port Qilin, he also received an order from His Majesty's secret guards to monitor the movements of Cilovas Island and the Norton family. If there were any abnormalities, he had to report it to the imperial capital. It was only at the beginning of last year that there was no news from His Majesty. However, Baron Fenston did not forget his duty. The sailors and the captain of the ferry that came and went every three days were his trusted eyes and ears. The information that they reported to him about Cilovas Island was accumulated, and he would report it to His Majesty when he returned.
Cilovas Island was attacked by pirates, and the island was like hell. At that time, the ferry to Cilovas Island was also affected. Fortunately, the captain saw that he was about to die, and three sailors managed to escape with the ferry. Port Qilin was in chaos at that time, and the people were afraid that the pirates would turn around and attack. They guarded the island for more than a month until the armed fleet of the Norton family docked to purchase supplies. Only then did the people of Port Qilin know that the pirates had retreated, and the rest had been annihilated by the Norton family. Cilovas Island had been recovered.
Later, the Norton family's armed forces gathered a large number of soldiers and ships on Cilovas Island. Only then did Baron Fenston know that the Norton family's armed forces were so powerful. Then, these soldiers and ships suddenly disappeared. Two months later, these ships returned with a lot of supplies. Although the captain and the sailors on the ferry were ordered not to go to the island, they could still estimate how large the supplies were and how many people there were.
Now that he read the newspaper, Baron Fenston understood that the Norton family had really sent troops to destroy the Haneabada Kingdom. Otherwise, how could they have obtained so many supplies? No wonder His Majesty was so afraid of the Norton family's armed forces and ordered him to monitor their movements. Baron Fenston recalled a rumor from the past. It was said that Earl Norton and His Majesty's favorite general, Earl Aslan, had a falling out. Earl Aslan had sent nearly ten thousand men to besiege Earl Norton's five hundred men under the command of His Majesty the King. In the end, not only was Earl Norton defeated, but he also lost his life. His Majesty the King had Earl Aslan's family confiscated and exterminated, but there was nothing he could do about Earl Norton.
Therefore, when Baron Fenston heard about Earl Norton's report to the Castellan Mansion, he keenly sensed Laurist's intentions. Not only did he warmly welcome Laurist to his study, he even took the initiative to hand over the letter of command to Laurist. He also deeply mocked and criticized the idiocy and ignorance of the nobles in power in the Imperial Capital.
Lolist fiddled with the order in his hand and smiled. "Since the imperial capital has ordered Qilin Port to expand the garrison, and Qilin Port is currently unable to support it, the Norton family is willing to help the kingdom and support the establishment of the garrison. What do you think, Lord Baron?"
"That's great!" Baron Fenston was overjoyed. "My lord, you are loyal to the kingdom and do not care about gains or losses. It is truly admirable. I will entrust the Qilin Port garrison to you, my lord."
"Even if I pull the Qilin Port garrison to Sirovas Island for three months of training, it will be fine?" Lolist asked.
"Of course it will be fine. Since I have entrusted everything to you, my lord, of course we will do as you say. I have long heard that the Norton family's armed forces are unparalleled. It is a good time to borrow your hand to reorganize the garrison. I am not satisfied, my lord, that the current Qilin Port garrison is not very good. They are good at bullying commoners and peddlers, but when they see blood on the battlefield, they become useless. My lord, if you want to reorganize them, you can beat or kill them as you wish. It is time to discipline these bastards. You have to know that I once received more than 20 complaints against the garrison in one day. I had to run all over the place to clean up after them … "
Seeing Baron Fenston's grateful expression, Lolist laughed out loud. "Actually, there is no secret to training them to increase their combat power. Pay them well, eat well, wear well, and provide the soldiers with good equipment. Train their combat ability so that they will no longer think of themselves as cannon fodder. At the same time, teach them to strictly adhere to military discipline and value the honor of soldiers. Then, their combat power will naturally increase. How about this, while the Qilin Port garrison is undergoing training on Sirovas Island, I will let my family's armed forces take over the defense of Qilin Port. It just so happens that I have brought a division with me on this trip. Let them guard Qilin Port for three months. What do you think, Lord Fenston? "
Baron Fenston cursed in his mind. Which noble would bring a division with them? Was it an armed parade? They really had too much money. A division with more than 10,000 people would cost a lot of gold coins in a day. But Lord Fenston had a smile on his face. "That's great. I was just worried about what would happen to the defense of Qilin Port after the garrison went to Sirovas Island. With your division here, I can rest assured. But Lord Fenston, the people of Qilin Port are exhausted. I'm afraid that we can't afford the supplies of your division. Can you station fewer troops here? "
Lolist smiled and shook his head. "Lord Fenston, it's alright. You only need to provide the supplies for the garrison of 3,000 people. The Norton Family will bear the rest ourselves. In fact, we have another reason for stationing a division here. I heard that there are many refugees in the kingdom now. We are preparing to take them in to the north to relieve some of the burden on the kingdom. "
Baron Fenston's face was full of respect. "Lord Fenston is truly benevolent. You are actually willing to take in the refugees and give them a way out. You are truly a pillar of the kingdom. Alright, I will issue an order for your family to take over the garrison of Qilin Port and the official letter inviting your family's armed forces to guard the port. "
Lolist nodded. Since Baron Fenston was so tactful, he would not make things difficult for him. "Lord Fenston, if you have any problems in the future, you can ask the Norton Family for help. We will do our best. This is my promise to Norton Lolist. "
"Thank you …" Baron Fenston was truly overjoyed this time.
On the 3rd of July, Qilin Port was taken over by the Monolith Army of the Norton Family.
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