"Your Highness, an urgent report." Tagger hurried into the study.
This was Seaview Manor on Ciloas Island, Lollister's residence on the island. Twenty days after the rainy season, Lollister bade farewell to his five reluctant wives and arrived at this place with a relaxed mind. Even as a Sword Saint, Lollister felt as if he had escaped from a cage when he left the Northern Lands by ship.
If there was anyone to blame, it was Aridoli's fault. Lollister received a letter from Baron Dina right after the rainy season ended. Aridoli had given Lollister another little princess. In the letter, Aridoli told Lollister that she had named this adorable baby Ellie, and as expected, she was given the surname Dina. At the same time, Aridoli reminded Lollister to especially forget to prepare a generous dowry for little Ellie in the future …
Well, Aridoli's letter had driven Princess Sylvia mad with rage. Other than the pregnant Delia and Maria, the other two concubines, Finnjali and Daisy, were not willing to give up. They were determined to bear Lollister a child. After working hard for an entire winter, Daisy was finally pregnant. However, Princess Silvia and Fina had yet to show any signs of movement. Half of April had passed, and Lollister used the excuse of going on a campaign to get rid of the two concubines and head to Ciloas Island.
Having too many women was so troublesome. Lollister could not understand what those harem stallions were thinking. Take childbirth for example. Naturally, Princess Silvia hoped that her son would have a biological brother who could help him in the future. After all, Andabel was the legitimate son of the Norton Family. On the other hand, Fina, Carrie, and the other three concubines' thoughts were simple. They didn't have any opinions about their children inheriting the Norton family. They only hoped that they would have a biological child by their side when they were old. This was something that Laurist understood very well.
However, childbirth was not something that could be done just because one wanted to. Men and women communicated deeply with each other, and it also depended on luck. Taking the matter between a man and a woman as an example, it was a wonderful feeling. Doing it once a day was exciting, and Laurist was very relaxed and happy. Doing it twice a day was normal, and Laurist could handle it. Doing it three times a day … uh, as a Sword Saint, Laurist could handle it. However, he had to do it four or five times a day, and he had to endure the pain for half a year. Even if Laurist was rich, healthy, and had a high cultivation base, he would not be able to endure such torture. However, it was difficult for Laurist to reject Princess Sylvia and the others, who were about to go crazy from wanting to have children. He had no choice but to cooperate with them and continue to enjoy the pain and pleasure …
When he arrived at Cirvas Island, without a woman by his side, Loriste immediately felt that the sky was high, the sea was wide, and the air was fresh. His spirits were immediately lifted. In the past, when they slept together, they would only feel weak in the morning. Now, when they slept alone, they would be full of energy and vigor. Laurist couldn't help but sigh. His ancestors from his previous life were right. Lust was like a steel knife that scraped bones. Fortunately, this bro managed to pull through …
When Tagger entered the study, he saw Loriste leaning back on a recliner, bathing in the April sun and closing his eyes in a half-asleep state. The reason he was so relaxed was because this period of time was the calm before the great war. Loriste still had to wait for the last batch of armed warships to arrive at the end of April from the North Sea City's Oxhorn Bay shipyard.
After the rainy season, it was still the North Sea Fleet's Commander Sunbarwood and B Squadron Commander Torc who took turns leading fourteen Thunderstruck Warships out to sea. Unfortunately, they did not run into any patrolling warships sent by the Invincible Fleet during this period of time. Even the smuggling merchant ships were few and far between. The golden sea route from Hidden Gold Bay to the southern part of the continent was actually completely silent. There was no longer the bustling scene of a thousand sails race from back then.
This scene was obviously not right. Sunbarwood had even risked breaking into Hidden Gold Bay in order to spy on military intelligence, but he was chased out by the heavily guarded Fourth B Squadron. Tagger, who was the head of his family's Volibel Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, did not stay idle either. He sent people to disguise themselves as smugglers and sneak into Hidden Gold Bay. However, these spies were like stones sinking into the ocean after they were sent out. No intelligence was ever sent back.
"Hmm …" Loriste flipped over and sat up, "What is it? There's news from Hidden Gold Bay?"
"Your Highness, there's still no news from there, but there's news from the Chigda Kingdom. The Invincible Fleet's First B Squadron and fifty thousand reinforcements from the Chigda Kingdom have already set off for the Chikder Merchant Association's territory. They're preparing to rendezvous with the Second B Squadron there and escort a large number of merchant ships filled with supplies north to Hidden Gold Bay.
Also, according to the spy's report, the Invincible Fleet's First and Second B Squadrons will set off for the northern seas after returning to Hidden Gold Bay. Their goal is to occupy Cirvas Island and completely eliminate the threat our family's North Sea Fleet poses to the sea route and Hidden Gold Bay … "Tagger said.
"Is this information accurate?" Loriste's expression turned serious. If this information was correct, then the calm of the sea during this period of time had a very good answer. The Trade Alliance's Invincible Fleet was preparing their ultimate move to teach the North Sea Fleet a lesson.
This information told Loriste three things. First, the Invincible Fleet's two B Squadrons would rendezvous and escort a large number of military supplies, rations, and reinforcements to Hidden Gold Bay instead of letting the transport ships go on their own to prevent them from being hijacked by the North Sea Fleet. There was no doubt that the amount of supplies being escorted this time would be extremely large. It was crucial to the Trade Alliance.
Second, the Chigda Kingdom had once again sent reinforcements to the Trade Alliance. Three years ago, when the second prince led the Andinac Kingdom's million-strong army to the border of Armenia and Marivia, intending to force the Trade Alliance to sign a peace treaty, the Chigda Kingdom had sent fifty thousand reinforcements to the Trade Alliance, fulfilling their responsibilities as an ally. Afterwards, the fifty thousand reinforcements from the Chigda Kingdom had been ambushed by the second prince during that tragic retreat. Apart from a few high-ranking officers who had escaped, the rest were all annihilated.
Now, the Chigda Kingdom had once again sent fifty thousand reinforcements to the Trade Alliance. This also showed the Trade Alliance's determination to fight to the death with the second prince. If they did not take effective measures to severely damage the Trade Alliance and cause it to be unable to sustain itself, then this bloody war would continue until either the Trade Alliance or the Andinac Kingdom fell.
The third point was that the Trade Alliance had already realized the threat that the North Sea Fleet posed to the sea transportation and the Invincible Fleet. They had already made up their mind to eliminate this enemy while the North Sea Fleet's ships were few and far between. Seizing Sirovas Island was to cut off the North Sea Fleet's sea supply base so that the North Sea Fleet would no longer be able to threaten the Trade Alliance's sea transportation and the golden sea route.
"Your Highness, the source of this information is very reliable. Back then, when you asked me to send people to the Chigda Kingdom to gather information on the Great Swordsman, Grand Duke Fausta, I sent two spies. They traveled all over the continent as vets, and finally arrived at the Chigda Kingdom and stayed there. After the rainy season this year, they discovered that the Invincible Fleet's First B Squadron was preparing to set sail, and that Grand Duke Fausta was also about to lead his elite Firebird Army to set off.
Therefore, they found out from a military officer they were familiar with, and received information that the First B Squadron was setting sail to escort the Firebird Army to the territory of the Chikder Merchant Association, and then rendezvoused with the Second B Squadron to head north to Hidden Gold Bay. Therefore, they used the excuse of wanting to return to Moronte City to bribe a captain of the First B Squadron, and boarded a ship to the territory of the Chikder Merchant Association. From there, they obtained further information. The fleet's crew and sailors in the tavern were all proclaiming that they would set off to attack Sirovas Island and destroy the North Sea Fleet after returning to Moronte City.
Therefore, after confirming the date of the Invincible Fleet's departure, they paid a large sum of money to bribe a smuggled merchant ship and set off on their own. On the sea route to Moronte City, they happened to bump into the patrol fleet commanded by Sir Toc, and were brought back after informing them of their mission. They reported that due to the need to gather supplies, the two B Squadrons of the Invincible Fleet will set sail on the tenth of May. The transport fleet escorting supplies and reinforcements this time is nearly eight hundred ships … "
Tagger's words made Laurist suck in a breath of cold air. More than eight hundred transport fleets filled with supplies and reinforcements, in addition to the two B Squadrons of the Invincible Fleet, this was equivalent to more than one thousand two or three hundred ships. There had never been such a large fleet in the history of the Galinthia Continent. Compared to the North Sea Fleet's Thunderstruck Warships, the disparity was almost one to one.
"We must not let this transport fleet reach Hidden Gold Bay!" Laurist said. One could imagine that if the Trade Alliance obtained more than eight hundred transport fleets filled with supplies and reinforcements, it would be as if they were on steroids. It was very likely that they would have an overwhelming advantage over the second prince on the Mana Hill Plains, and perhaps even directly defeat the allied nobles of the Andinac Kingdom. When that happened, no matter how much reinforcements the Norton Family had, they would not be able to turn the tide. They could not possibly let the Norton Family's armed forces go to the frontlines and engage in a bloody battle of attrition with the Trade Alliance, could they?
"Genolio, send a guard to gather everyone. Immediately hold a military meeting to discuss countermeasures. Also, bring me another hundred gold fords." Lollister ordered.
Very soon, Genolio appeared in front of Laurist with five heavy black gold laced pouches. Each of these black gold laced pouches contained twenty gold fords.
"Tagger, please hand these hundred gold fords to the two dutiful intelligence investigators on my behalf. This is an additional reward from me, the head of the Norton Family, to thank them for delivering critical intelligence to the family in time. The family will not forget their contributions."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will convey the reward and gratitude to them," Tagger replied with a bow.
"Alright, go and come back quickly. You have to attend the military meeting too." Laurist waved his hand, then stood in front of the sea map and began to ponder.
At two in the afternoon, the large reception room of the Ocean View Manor was filled with people. Those who came to attend the military meeting were the captains of the North Sea Fleet and the upper echelons of the fleet. After Tagger reported the intelligence about the Unrivalled Fleet again, the large reception room suddenly became noisy. Almost everyone was stunned by the information. Even if the North Sea Fleet had the bronze cannons, which were long-range weapons, it would be impossible for them to destroy half of the fleet as a target. Especially when the enemy was not powerless to fight back.
The radical request for the North Sea Fleet to take the initiative and continue to carry out the sea wolf strategy. Many a little makes a mickle, and they should destroy as many as they could. The problem was that the North Sea Fleet only had fourteen lightning-struck warships that could carry out the sea wolf strategy. The other armed warships that had been modified with bronze cannons were far inferior to the lightning-struck warships in terms of mobility and maneuverability. They did not even have an advantage in terms of speed, so they could not cooperate with the lightning-struck warships to carry out the sea wolf strategy.
The more experienced ones wanted to retreat first and defend the island well to prevent it from being captured by the Unrivalled Fleet. They believed that as long as the island was protected, then the destruction of the Commerce Alliance's Unrivalled Fleet would be inevitable. The fourteen lightning-struck warships could continue to carry out the sea wolf strategy to attack the Unrivalled Fleet. I believe that the enemy will not be able to build their ships as quickly as we sink them. As long as we continue to destroy the enemy warships, Cangjin Bay will one day fall into our hands like a ripe fruit.
Laurist slammed the table impatiently, and the large reception room instantly fell silent. Laurist stood up and reprimanded, "All of you have forgotten the most important point. We must not let the transport fleet escorted by the Unrivalled Fleet reach Cangjin Bay! If we let this huge transport fleet reach Cangjin Bay, the Commerce Alliance's armed forces will have sufficient supplies and reinforcements. They might even defeat the allied forces of the nobles commanded by His Majesty and reach the borders of our family's territory. When that happens, what use is there for us to keep Cangjin Island?
Needless to say, I have already made up my mind to stop this transport fleet. It doesn't matter even if we have to engage in a decisive battle with the Unrivalled Fleet and wipe out the entire North Sea Fleet. Even if the North Sea Fleet is gone, our family can still build a new fleet. However, this transport fleet concerns the final outcome of the war between the Andinac Kingdom and the Commerce Alliance. If we let the Commerce Alliance burn the flames of war to the borders of our family's territory, we will have to pay an even greater price to drive the enemy back.
The enemy's fleet is indeed huge, unprecedented in scale. However, don't forget that more than eight hundred of them are just merchant ships and cargo ships transporting supplies. Their armed forces do not pose much of a threat to us. Our true opponents are just the two squadrons of the Unrivalled Fleet. What's there to be afraid of with three or four hundred bronze cannons? Don't forget about the five hundred bronze cannons that our North Sea Fleet is equipped with. "
Laurist was right. Apart from the three hundred bronze cannons that Sid had hastily produced, Laurist had already brought the two hundred bronze cannons and the artillery battalion that Schwald had commanded. These five hundred cannons were where Laurist's confidence lay in their preparations for the decisive battle at sea.
"Today is the 24th of April. The intelligence says that the transport fleet escorted by the Unrivalled Fleet will set off on the 10th of May. We can't let them reach the location of the decisive battle without any trouble. Sembarwood, continue to lead the Thunderbolt Fleet to the Chikder Merchant Group's territory. As soon as the enemy leaves the port, use the sea wolf tactic … "
Sembarwood stood up, "Your Highness, there's a problem here. The Thunderbolt Fleet can't reach the Chikder Merchant Group's territory. It will take seventeen days to get there from Cangjin Island. Our Thunderbolt Fleet can only cruise for around twenty days at sea. Our family doesn't have a port near the Sunshine Sea's golden coastline that can provide us with notes … "
Twenty days of cruising included a round trip. Er, according to the normal voyage, the Thunderbolt Fleet would never reach the Chikder Merchant Group's territory unless they never returned.
Laurist laughed, "If not, we'll build one ourselves. It would take five days to travel from Syrovas Island to the Hidden Gold Gulf, and one day to travel from the Hidden Gold Gulf to the Port of Airniba. I planned to lead the sixteen modified whaling ships and sixty large and medium-sized warships to the Sunshine Waters in front of the Port of Airniba. We would use that place as our base camp and the location of the decisive battle. Your Thunderbolt Fleet can obtain supplies there and use it as a base for attacks. "
"No, Your Highness, that's too dangerous. What if the remaining warships of the Fourth B Squadron attack from Hidden Gold Bay and harass us from behind? "Sembarwood shook his head. He did not wish for Laurist to take the risk.
"It's fine. Uncle Tolin will lead the remaining forty or so warships back to Cangjin Island at the end of the month. He'll be in charge of monitoring the Fourth B Squadron at Hidden Gold Bay and transporting supplies. Time waits for no man. We must hurry if we want to turn this opportunity into an opportunity for victory! That's it. Everyone, go back and prepare. We'll depart in two days! "Laurist made his final decision.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
… …
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