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Chapter 476: The Kingdom’s Special Envoy is Here
To everyone's surprise, it was the end of June in the blink of an eye, but the so-called kingdom's envoy still had not arrived. This thing is really weird. It has been more than half a year since the victory over the Kingdom of Hicks in the direct territorial war zone and the colonial victory, but the Kingdom itself still seems to have not reacted.
Even General Bolognik, who excused himself as being ill in bed, could not continue to thank guests behind closed doors at home. After such a long time, the situation in the direct territory has not been turbulent. Both the residents of the kingdom and the garrison troops in various places have calmed down because of the passage of time. Come down. After all, the tragedies that happened in the kingdom were far away from the overseas territories. No matter how ridiculous Sterling XI was, it was just a talk in the streets. The residents of the territory had no personal pain...
As for the reactions of local garrisons and the two directly affiliated legions, they also ranged from excitement at the beginning to indifference later. The victory achieved in the directly-administered war zone relies on its own efforts and does not rely on the support of the kingdom itself. The soldiers were accustomed to obeying orders from the theater headquarters and had almost no awareness of the distant royal capital. After learning about the current situation in the kingdom and the absurd behavior of the new king, no one would have hope in the so-called envoy of the kingdom.
General Bolognik had to go out. As the acting supreme commander of the theater, he had no reason to stay at home to recuperate for two months. The first ocean trial operation of the theater ocean cruising fleet reorganized and formed in the Port of Patres under the direct jurisdiction of Robisto is about to set off, and General Bolognik has to come out to preside over this sailing ceremony.
Claude didn't care that General Bolonik came back to take charge of the major and minor affairs of the theater command. He simply gave a brief report to General Bolonik on the affairs handled in the past two months, and then handed over the documents of these handled affairs. To him, it was regarded as a normal handover of duties between the two. Next, Claude will be busy with the reorganization and disciplinary inspections of the two legions and the troops stationed in various areas of the directly-administered theater. He has no time to be trapped in the theater headquarters with these administrative matters.
Currently, the new direct jurisdiction of the Rocky Mountains is still under military control, and no residents of the kingdom have moved there. The Mining and Commerce Association was very jealous of the gold and silver mineral resources in the Rocky Mountain District. They proposed several times to enter the area for development, but they were suppressed by Claude and General Skerry. The excuse was that the local government was not in peace and the current situation was unstable, so immigration and development matters were put on hold for the time being. This is actually a backup plan prepared by Claude for the direct-administered war zone. It is nothing more than that those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish. It will depend on the situation in the war zone after the Kingdom's envoy arrives.
Since the war at the end of last year, the total number of casualties suffered by the Thunder Legion, the Rock Legion, and the local garrison regiments participating in the war is about 20,000, plus the personnel transferred from the two legions by the newly appointed commander of the ocean cruise fleet, Colonel Murray Ed. As well as preparations to form two new local garrison regiments to be deployed in the Rocky Mountain Territory. In addition to incorporating all the reserve divisions deployed in the two direct territories of Cromwell and Beringana into the personnel vacancies of the army, more than 10,000 additional recruits will need to be recruited to reach full strength.
The last conflict between Claude and General Bockal was also due to these things. General Bocknik believed that the colonial war was over, and the future of the two legions was no longer decided by the theater command, but by the kingdom's special envoy. . If the order you receive is to disband the legion, then there is no need to reorganize it, which would be troublesome and a waste of money.
Therefore, on the one hand, General Bolognik frequently inspected the local garrison troops and promoted that the Kingdom’s envoys would come to reward and promote all officers and soldiers who participated in the colonial war. On the other hand, he delayed signing the order to reorganize the troops and recruit new soldiers. Finally, Claude couldn't bear it anymore and scolded him angrily.
In Claude's view, to forge iron, you need to be strong yourself. In troubled times, the most important thing is to master the army and have the armed forces to protect yourself and your family. Since the three major field ace legions in the Kingdom are doing their own thing, the troops in the directly-administered theater may not be able to follow suit. However, General Bolognik was worried about his future reputation and was unwilling to make arrangements to reorganize the troops in the theater. This is really intolerable.
Fortunately, General Bolognik was scolded angrily by Claude, and he hid at home for two months on the pretext of illness. Claude issued the order to organize the army and recruit new soldiers in his own name, and then he was trapped in the theater headquarters by a large number of trivial administrative affairs in the entire territorial war zone. Now that General Bolognik has recovered from his "illness", Claude will leave these administrative matters to him and go to the army to inspect the progress of the army and recruit training.
The busy time passed quickly. The Kingdom’s special envoy still didn’t come in July, and the Kingdom’s special envoy still didn’t come in August. In the past two months, many major events have happened in the territorial theater. First, the ocean cruising fleet was initially formed. It went to the ocean for a large circle. There were no mistakes in the nearly ten days of going back and forth. This shows that Murray Ed, the new fleet commander, is still qualified. of.
Then the steam locomotive developed by Master Bird finally passed the acceptance test and entered the practical stage. The Overseas Territory Railway Company prepared by Claude has finally opened and is preparing to build railways in various territories. Of course, given the current level of steam locomotives, what is being built should be considered a light rail. The first section of the railway was from the port of Vibato to Wickham Castle in the Cromwellian Territory, and then to the Beringana Territory to the banks of the Dolinibara River.
The third major event was that Butler Yaric's tobacco workshop produced the first batch of cigarettes and cigars. Claude asked him to cooperate with Bockar's father, Mr. Rubwill, to sell these cigarettes and cigars in various municipalities. Wholesale sales were left to his family business. This is also the reason why Claude is thinking about his old friendship and is preparing to let Mr. Lubiwell's family business firm gain a foothold in the territorial war zone by relying on the hot sales of tobacco.
The last thing was that Erikson finally sent someone to contact Bokhar, but Bokhar was still dealing with the Nikancha people in the Rocky Mountain Territory. The visitor had no choice but to find Mr. Lubiwell, who then brought him to Claude. After looking at the purchase list in front of me, most of them were grain and daily necessities. The quantity was not particularly huge. It was estimated that this batch of grain would be enough to consume more than 20,000 people for three months.
Claude knew in his heart that this was just a test move by Ericson, because the direct territories under the jurisdiction of the war zone were very strict on large-scale grain transactions. The buying and selling relationship had to be registered clearly, and there would be raids in the future as to what the grain would be used for. examine. When Erikson's spies deployed in the territorial war zone occasionally buy a few hundred kilograms of grain, no one pays attention to it. But if it exceeds two or three thousand kilograms of grain, it will attract the attention of the patrol police and become the target of surveillance in the war zone.
Therefore, if Erikson wanted to purchase large quantities of grain in the territorial war zone, he could only contact Boquear or Claude. However, as a young friend of Claude, he was angry because his father, Captain Otruny, was attacked by pirates. The relationship between the two had a falling out with Claude's family, so he had no choice but to approach Boquear, but in the end he still needed Claude's consent to be allowed to trade.
Claude signed the transaction list, and the one doing business with Erikson's Black Sail Pirates was naturally the Buffalo Trading Company. But at the same time, in order to win Erikson's trust, Mr. Ruby Will will take charge of this matter. The price of the purchase and sale was also very fair. It only added 50% to the market price in the direct jurisdiction. Ericson paid for it with gold and silver coins from various countries according to the exchange rate with gold crowns issued by the Overseas Minsheng Bank. Use other goods in exchange.
The people sent by Erikson in July only purchased grain, grass and daily necessities. The purchase list in August included various woolen and leather goods, as well as low-priced spirits and other consumables. It seemed that Erikson was preparing for the purchase. The Black Sails pirate force prepares for winter. Several spies from the Buffalo Trading Company deceived the pirates who came to purchase and sold a large number of captured Hicks King's winter standard fur coats to them at a high price. They also said that they could trade them if they needed arms.
Mr. Lubiwell came to Claude with some worries, thinking that it was very inappropriate to sell military supplies and arms to the Black Sails pirates. Claude laughed and replied that the items sold to Black Sail Island were all captured from the Kingdom of Hicks. For the territorial war zone, these things, whether they were military supplies or ammunition, were all garbage and would take up space in the warehouse. . The Black Sails Pirates sold to Erikson were mainly to cover military expenses. On the other hand, they were also used to effectively infer the true strength of the Black Sails Pirates based on the number of goods sold.
In early September, the Kingdom’s special envoys who were thought not to appear finally appeared at the port of Kaubicius in the direct jurisdiction of Tiersim. This time, seven special envoys came, which can be said to be a special envoy. They were escorted by the Kingdom’s new The new Storm Fleet was formed with seven ocean-going battleships and a marine battalion. To put it bluntly, these seven ocean-going warships were part of the dozen or so warships that had escaped from White Deer City and hid in the Port of Corbichus to avoid the kingdom's civil war, and then returned to the kingdom's mainland.
There were supposed to be eight ocean-going warships escorting the special envoy this time, but one was sunk into the sea by black-sail pirates. The reason why the kingdom's envoy arrived so late in the overseas territories was that the black sail pirates were ravaging the coastal areas of the kingdom's mainland. All coastal ports, towns and fishing villages were plundered by the black sail pirates.
Fortunately, this time the Black Sail Pirates did not go on a killing spree, but recruited sailors, craftsmen and refugees, and looted officials and wealthy families in those places. Several local liquidation and accountability ambassadors were caught by the Black Sail pirates and hung directly in the city gates and high places such as big trees. As a result, the Black Sail pirates gained a good reputation among the people in the kingdom for eliminating violence and keeping good people. Some people even took the initiative to go there. Looking for black sail pirates along the coast to seek refuge...
Ever since the royal capital learned that the Overseas Territory War Zone had defeated the Kingdom of Hicks and had won the colonial victory, it could be described as joyful. For the established aristocratic family, this is the only proud and surprising news in the Kingdom of Overas in recent years. The end of this colonial war means that the Kingdom, which has endured the suffering of the war, can quickly heal the wounds of the war and revive its economy as long as it receives a steady supply of resources from the overseas territories.
As for the emerging business aristocrats, the kingdom's mainland has already been tortured by them, and no matter how hard they squeeze, they won't be able to squeeze out much profit. Now that the overseas territories have ended the war, they have become a very attractive piece of fat. The ocean trade between the two continents and the import of various local specialties and resources can be sold to other Farea continent countries. This means countless wealth and profits, and this financial path must be in their hands.
As for Sterling XI, the arrogant Prince Wedelek who indulged in a luxurious life of debauchery, he was happy that there was another source of wealth to harvest. During this time, he had complained several times about the decline in the standards of banquets and dances, but his palace steward clearly told him that these were all the good things he could get in the royal capital. In addition, the wise King must save some money, otherwise the royal court will soon have no money for his consumption.
Well, after the wise Stirling XI defeated his eldest brother, Prince Hansback, he had already issued three laws imposing new taxes just over a year after taking the throne, and all the new taxes levied were attributed to his king. The tine treasury was for his enjoyment and was not turned over to the kingdom's treasury.
Even the wise Stirling XI gave speeches at court gatherings on several occasions, saying that the taxes paid by the residents of the kingdom were still too low. Now that the kingdom is in dire straits and its finances are in dire straits, wealthy residents of the kingdom should take the initiative to donate half of their property to repay the kingdom's kindness in protecting them...
Of course, these are all rumors among the local people in the kingdom. Anyway, in the eyes of most people in the kingdom, the newly ascended King Sterling XI has been equated with the faint king. Even the old aristocratic families do not want to see the new king now. Only the emerging business aristocrats still gather around Sterling XI for the sake of profit and power, protecting this man who represents their rights and interests like a pack of vicious dogs. The new king.
After receiving and confirming the news of the end of the colonial war, Wang Tingli argued for nearly more than a month about which force's representative should be sent as a special envoy to the overseas territories of Nubicia to take over the power of the war zone and the profits of each territory. The veteran nobles The aristocratic family forces and the emerging business aristocratic forces are almost at odds with each other, and no one is convinced by the other. He has moved so quickly that he has proposed several candidates for governors and admirals of each direct territory, waiting for the wise majesty of the king to make a decision.
Regarding the disposal of the direct-administered territory war zones, this is the only consensus reached between the old aristocratic family forces and the emerging business aristocrats. That is, both parties believe that the jurisdiction of each direct-administered territory as a war zone model must be taken back by the kingdom. The leader restored the original system of governor-general and admiral. As for the Thunder Legion and Rock Legion that won this colonial war for the kingdom, they were converted into local garrison forces on the spot, and then they were disbanded and divided by the governors and admirals who took office in the future. The kingdom's overseas territories do not need to retain these two powerful legions.
There is also a plan to deal with the five generals and the officers of the two legions in the war zone. The benevolent King is unwilling to pursue the crimes and faults of these soldiers who have made small achievements for the kingdom, so he decided to show mercy and let them go. Let them downgrade one rank and retire honorably from the king's army. From now on, they can spend the rest of their lives in overseas territories herding cattle and farming. Don't let them return to the kingdom.
It was only after the various forces in the royal court continued to quarrel for half a month, and finally came up with the agreed plan for dealing with the overseas territories and submitted it to the wise King Sterling XI, that someone discovered that they did not own one. An ocean-going fleet can only achieve this goal. The original plan to escort a division to land under the direct jurisdiction of overseas territories and use force to take over all power in the war zone was abandoned. The quarrels and negotiations in the past two months were all in vain.
Fortunately, there were smart ministers of the kingdom who offered a solution to Sterling XI. Didn't the victory over the Hicks Kingdom in the Direct Territory War Zone capture the combined fleet that was leased by the Hicks Kingdom? First send a few people to the overseas direct territory, and after taking over the power in the war zone, recruit people on the spot to form the combined fleet. , used to transport specialties, wealth and resources from overseas territories. After returning to the kingdom, the sailors recruited in the overseas territories will be fired, and trustworthy naval generals will be assigned to reorganize the combined fleet.
In this way, the kingdom has another powerful ocean-going fleet, which can ensure that the resources and wealth of overseas territories can be continuously transported to the kingdom itself. As for the life and death of the sailors recruited from overseas territories, it is none of the big shots' business. After returning to the kingdom, you can even disband them without spending a penny, or it would be good to capture them all into labor camps. This can add a group of free young laborers to the kingdom...
Sterling XI has long been impatient. The royal family's court expenses are becoming increasingly tight, and the internal treasury cannot make ends meet. He is waiting to collect a fortune from overseas direct jurisdiction to fill everyone's pockets. How can he accept this? Because of Wang Ting's procrastination and inefficient work style.
So this suggestion was happily adopted by His Majesty the wise and great King. After scolding all the ministers in the royal court, he directly named two representatives of established aristocratic families and five representatives of emerging business aristocratic forces. , let them go as the kingdom's special envoys to the overseas jurisdictions to take over all powers in the war zone, and those governors and admirals will wait first.
In order to obtain the wealth of the overseas territories, Sterling XI also went to great lengths. Eight of the twenty-three ocean-going battleships of the newly formed Storm Fleet Cruising Squadron, which he regarded as his lifeblood, were used to escort This kingdom's special mission goes to overseas territories and also serves as the backbone of the joint fleet.
His Majesty the King, the wise and great king, repeatedly warned the kingdom’s envoys before they set off. In order to punish the overseas territories for disrespecting him during the kingdom’s civil war and not paying taxes and tributes to the royal family, they first arrived at the territory’s war zone to take over power. What needs to be done is to collect the taxes and tributes that have not been paid by various overseas territories over the past few years and impose ten times the fine.
Anyway, in the minds of the powerful adults in these kingdoms, the overseas territories still have the same impression that they are vast and sparsely populated, and are only used as a source of resources for the kingdom. Perhaps because of this war with the Kingdom of Hicks, it has become even more unbearable now. His Majesty the King, you can do it if you want. No one regards the overseas territories as the Kingdom itself. The life and death of the Kingdom residents who have moved there has nothing to do with big shots like them...
It was just that after these kingdom envoys boarded the warships and set sail to sea, they happened to encounter black-sailed pirates coming to plunder the coastal areas of the kingdom's mainland. Eight ocean-going warships were chased by a dozen black-sailed pirate ships and were chased to the sky and into the ground. They were also shot. A battleship was sunk. Having no choice but to return to the waters controlled by the New Storm Fleet, the Kingdom's envoy returned to the capital and was scolded by Sterling XI.
After finally surviving two months, the black sail pirates that were ravaging the coastal areas of the kingdom finally stopped and returned to their home base full of joy of harvest. So the kingdom's special envoy boarded the ship and set sail again, and hurried to the overseas territories.