Claude was very angry when he woke up, especially since he and Sheila spent most of the night last night, and it could be said that he fell asleep at dawn. In addition, he had just returned to the overseas autonomous territory, and then held a military meeting for most of the day. When he returned to the manor late at night, he was pestered by the excited Sheila to discuss matters related to the promotion of the magician. After finally lying down, Sheila, who was in a happy mood, took the initiative to climb up. After Claude tried his best to satisfy Sheila's strong desire, he felt that his whole body was hollowed out and he couldn't move a finger... ...
If possible, Claude hopes to lie in bed and sleep for two days and three nights to restore his energy. Anyway, he has three days of vacation in the next three days and does not need to go to the military headquarters to work. But he didn't expect that after only four or five hours of sleep, General Boker broke into the manor uninvited. Sheila naturally knew the relationship between the two of them, so she didn't stop him and let him go directly to the bedroom to forcefully control him. Lord pulled himself up from the bed.
Claude stared at General Boquear with murderous eyes. If possible, Claude would like to cut this hateful fat man into pieces as he imagined in his mind. There is nothing more irritating than waking someone up from a deep sleep, but the fat man in front of him has no self-awareness at all. He doesn't know that his arrival has disturbed his master's sweet dreams, and he still sticks out his butt to himself. Searching the wine cabinet for the fruit wine he likes...
Suppressing his anger, Claude washed his face and finally woke up his groggy mind: "What's the important thing for you to come here so early in the morning?"
General Bockard did not notice the suppressed anger in Claude's tone. Relying on the relationship between him and Claude as young friends, he was already used to being casual with Claude, and they were used to being the same in the military camp. Not to mention private occasions like two people at home. He finally selected a bottle of fruit wine that satisfied him from the wine cabinet, opened the lid skillfully, poured himself a glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then replied in a joking tone: "I heard that right, Claude. , it’s already past ten o’clock and you still say it’s early in the morning? You can have lunch in more than an hour...”
Claude rubbed his temples with two thumbs to make himself more awake and calm: "I'm not you. I'll go to bed when I go home. I still have a lot of things to deal with. I slept very late last night and went to bed. It's almost dawn. So if you don't tell me why you came so early to disturb my dream, I don't mind using you as a punching bag to exercise."
Bockaar was stunned and looked at Claude's face carefully. Only then did he realize that he had been rash. Claude's behavior didn't seem like he was joking. He immediately gave up and said, "Boss, you are still asleep. I was there yesterday." I didn't sleep all night. I thought about it all night and couldn't figure out why the method I proposed at the military meeting yesterday was opposed by so many people.
In my opinion, using pirate power to suppress the fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands is obviously a very cost-effective thing for our Dominion Military Region. What our Dominion Military Region has paid is only a small amount of property. We have captured so much profit in the Hicks Kingdom this time, and taking some as rewards for the pirate force is the best of both worlds... "
Claude sighed deeply. At the military meeting yesterday, Bockar's proposal to use or bribe pirate forces to suppress the United Kingdom's naval fleet in the Fox Islands was refuted by most of the senior officers present at the meeting. They believed that this was not a good idea. good idea. This was a blow to Bock'ar, who had just been promoted to the Kingdom's Major General. He was unhappy and struggled all night before running over to Claude early in the morning to discuss it.
"How should I explain it clearly to you? My general..." Claude waved his hand tiredly: "Boa, you have the shrewdness and precise vision of a businessman, and you are able to formulate a wildfire plan. Implementable strategic planning with a long-term vision is your strength. But you are not an orthodox soldier and do not understand the code of conduct and stubbornness of soldiers. From the perspective of us soldiers, pirates are untouchable and untrustworthy, let alone dealing with pirates. The forces united to fight side by side.
As a businessman, you believe in the spirit of contract. For example, if you sign an agreement with a certain pirate force, you require them to protect your merchant ship from reaching its destination safely and avoid being attacked by other pirate groups. Generally speaking, after paying the money, the safety of your merchant ship will be guaranteed. Even if something happens, some pirate forces with good reputation will even compensate the merchants for their losses. Therefore, for some businessmen, pirates are trustworthy, and at least they can provide safety and insurance after paying money.
But as soldiers, they naturally treat pirates differently from businessmen. Pirates are enemies. They are robbers on the sea. They do business without capital. Not contacting and trusting pirates is the most basic code of conduct for a soldier. As General Beach Kerin said at the meeting yesterday, pirate forces basically bully the weak and fear the strong. It is easy for them to attack the merchant fleet, but if they are allowed to take the initiative to provoke or attack the regular navy fleet of a kingdom, then It's tough.
Even if we can contact a pirate group powerful enough to compete with the navy fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, and pay a high price to get them to agree to attack, the result will definitely be unsatisfactory. No pirate force is willing to go head-to-head with a powerful kingdom's navy fleet to damage their own strength. At most, they can just fight a naval battle and sink two or three warships, then they can call it a day and give us an explanation.
In particular, if we take the initiative to contact the pirate forces and ask them to launch an attack on the United Kingdom's naval fleet in the Fox Islands, we will automatically hand the handle of the Dominion Military District into the hands of the pirate forces. This is simply a scandal for our overseas dominions. Once exposed, no one can bear this responsibility. Therefore, your speech at the military conference yesterday was a very bad proposal, and it was natural that it was refuted by everyone...
However, you are mainly responsible for investigating the enemy's situation and colluding with local indigenous forces. It is not surprising that you have such an idea. No one will blame you for your proposal. At the meeting, we only discussed the rights and wrongs of the plan in a matter-of-fact way. What is your personal opinion? Besides, you have just been promoted to the Kingdom's Major General, so you should show off to your father and relatives for a few more days. Anyway, like me, you have three days of vacation, so don't worry about the implementation of these specific military affairs... "
Claude wished that Boquear would get out of bed so that he could go back to bed and sleep again. It’s just that Bokoar still refused to give up. He poured another glass of fruit wine and drank it in one gulp: "Other pirate forces cannot be trusted, but what about the Black Sails Pirates? Erikson is our young friend. If he is willing to agree to help us If so, I believe he will do it. As long as we are willing to provide him with funding, such as transferring a few armored warships... "
Claude suddenly understood why Bockaar proposed using pirate forces to attack the United Kingdom Navy Fleet in the Fox Islands at the military meeting yesterday. He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No, although Erikson is our teenage friend, his current identity is still a pirate. He is also the leader of a black sail pirate gang. For us soldiers, pirates cannot be trusted. of... ... "
Bokoal was a little anxious: "Claude, don't forget that we grew up together. I believe that Erikson, although he is a pirate, is still our good friend. To give the simplest example, the black men he led The Sail Pirates have always maintained a friendly relationship with our Dominion Military Region. Just like in the years when our Overseas Dominion did not establish a navy and possess an ironclad fleet, he did not let the Black Sail Pirates plunder our coastal areas, and even drove out other The pirate gangs that entered the waters of our autonomous territory have maintained the security of the offshore shipping routes of our autonomous territory..."
Claude stood up, walked to the window and looked into the distance. After a while, he asked quietly: "Boa, has Erikson been communicating with you..."
Bockal angrily drank another glass of wine: "So what? I didn't betray any military secrets of the Dominion Military Region. He and I only wrote to each other for several months to exchange greetings and talk about some trivial matters. Recall the good times of our boyhood, our mutual friendship, and those adventures. He didn’t ask me to do anything for him. This time I went with you to explore the Kingdom of Hicks. When I came back, I found that he had already He wrote four letters to me. Because I didn’t reply, he was worried that something had happened to me and asked if he could help... "
Claude laughed: "Why does Ericson only write to you and I never receive one?"
"That's because your nobleman is busy, and Erikson doesn't dare to disturb you. Besides, you are now in a high position, the first person in the autonomous military region, the marshal of the kingdom, and a hereditary earl. How dare Erikson have a friendship with you? Besides, he doesn't You want to save face. If he writes you a letter and you disdain it, he will feel very embarrassed..." Bockar spat at Claude as if to vent his anger.
Claude smiled and shook his head: "That's not the case, Boa. Erikson is a smart man. You know very well that writing to me will definitely not get a response. Because even if I respond, I will persuade him to surrender to the kingdom, or I want him to give up his pirate career and spend the rest of his life quietly in the overseas dominions. With my protection, no one will pursue his past. But he is very ambitious and hopes to become the king of pirates and establish a pirate kingdom, so he will not give me Writing letters is asking for trouble..."
Bokoal was angry: "Claude, how do you know that Erikson is very ambitious and wants to become the king of pirates and establish a pirate country? You can't make random guesses about Erikson's inner thoughts. He has several The man in the letter told me that he wanted to find a peaceful and peaceful place to be an ordinary person and stop being a pirate. I advised him to come to live in the Dominion. Now he is just burdened by so many subordinates, who are all fighting for their lives together at sea. He just can't let go of his comrade who is fighting to the death..."
Claude looked at Bockar quietly until he stopped talking and then asked calmly: "Do you still remember the first time you saw Ericson at sea? What did he tell you at the time? , have you forgotten it?”
Bokoal was speechless. He recalled the moment when he first encountered the Black Sails pirates at sea and recognized Erikson. At that time, his father sold his property at a low price, took the employees and their families of the family business, and the refugees who came along the way, purchased shabby seagoing ships, formed a fleet, and ventured out to sea with a little coarse grain to prepare for overseas autonomous territories. , and then encountered the black-sail pirate ship led by Ericson at sea...
Erikson was so high-spirited at that time that he even wanted to take this immigrant fleet to his hometown, a small archipelago deep in the Silent Ocean. He also asked Bokoar to follow him and promised to give Bokoar a duke after he established the pirate kingdom. Fortunately, Bock'al came up with a quick idea at that time. If the immigration fleet had too many people, it would bring a heavy food burden to Erikson. The reason for disrupting his old nest persuaded him to let the immigration fleet go...
At the same time, he used his father's statement that he wanted to settle in the overseas dominions to make Erikson no longer ask him to follow him as a pirate. However, Erikson then asked Bokoar to bridge the gap between his Black Sails Pirates and the overseas dominions, so that the Black Sails Pirates' ships could obtain supplies of grain, grass and other logistical supplies, and purchase weapons and ammunition from the overseas dominions. The Black Sails Pirates Then he can sell the looted goods to the overseas autonomous territories. For this reason, he is willing to let the Black Sail pirates maintain the security of the autonomous waters and ensure that they are not disturbed by other pirate groups...
However, the Autonomous Territory Military Region later used captured enemy warships to form its own naval fleet, giving the Autonomous Territory waters a more reliable security guarantee. A few years later, after the Dominion Military Region launched iron-clad battleships, it became clear to all discerning people that the method of naval warfare had changed and sailing battleships had become outdated. In the future, those who will sail across the oceans will definitely be coastal countries with armored warships.
This is also the reason why the coastal countries of Falea continent have spent energy and huge investment in developing iron-clad warships. There are also many smart people in the pirate forces. They know very well that this is the end of sailing warships' last show of power on the sea. In another ten years, these pirate gangs with sail warships will usher in the end, because with sail warships, they will no longer be able to rob ships on the sea, but will only become the target of the gunfire from the armored warships, sinking to the bottom of the sea one by one. ... ...
Bockaar finally recalled with some clarity that at that time, Erikson's correspondence with him became more and more frequent, and the words in his letters became more and more cowardly. He no longer had the high-spirited and angry tone of the past. Instead, he said that he had no choice but to become a pirate. Back then, he joined the Storm Fleet in order to obtain a naval battleship to find his father. He used the connections left by his father to successfully start a rebellion at sea, rebelled against the kingdom, and became a pirate captain.
As a child, Erikson was very good. He found his father on the vast sea and reunited his mother with him. As a pirate, Ericson was also very successful. Not only was he a rebel in the kingdom, he also led the Black Sails pirates to plunder the coastal areas of the kingdom and caused countless human tragedies. Ericson has always been at the top of the wanted list in the kingdom, and he must have a place among the ten most wanted criminals in the kingdom...
In addition to the overseas autonomous territories, the kingdom now also has an armored fleet. Although it is not enough to pose a threat to the Black Sail Pirates, it is more than enough to protect the coastal zone from harassment. Bockaar remembered that he once mentioned the principle of power of armored battleships in his reply to Erikson. He only had a rough idea and was not an expert. Then the people Erikson sent to purchase supplies purchased them from the Dominion. A few steam engines go back.
Six months later, Erikson complained to Bockaar in a letter that in order to test that kind of marine power, he modified three sail warships, but all failed. Because the result of the experiment was that he found that the sailing battleship using a steam engine moved like a snail on the sea, without the original dexterity and speed...
Bockaar laughed loudly in his reply and told Erikson that marine power was not simply a matter of purchasing a few steam engines and modifying them. It took Master Bird of the Dominion Military Region more than two years to trial-produce a power steam engine suitable for use on ships, and only then did the iron-clad battleships appear. As for the development of the armored battleship alone, even with Claude's plug-in, it still took the Dominion Military Region more than two years to finally create the first practical armored battleship.
A pirate force like Erikson doesn't even have to think about imitating armored warships. To borrow from Claude, this is a systematic project that not only involves the shipbuilding industry, but also has the closest relationship with metal refining, forging, and welding. This involves technical cooperation and infrastructure improvements in several industries. . If a large coastal country wants to develop iron-armored warships, it will be difficult to make progress without five or six years of continuous investment and technological research.
Then Erikson no longer discussed the ironclad battleships in his letter to Bokoal. Instead, he wanted to ask Tobokoal if the Dominion Military Region had any intention of selling ironclad warships. It seems that he knows very well that only iron-clad battleships can deal with iron-clad battleships. If he wants to continue his pirate career, he must have iron-clad battleships. When there is no possibility of research and development, acquisition at a high price regardless of the cost becomes the only option...
When Bockal proposed at the military meeting to contact the pirate forces to attack the United Kingdom's fleet in the Fox Islands, there was a certain intention and intention to allow Erikson to get his wish. Only by allowing Erikson's Black Sails Pirates to serve the Dominion Military Region will the Dominion Military Region fund the Black Sails Pirates and provide them with several ironclad battleships for their use...
Claude sat down, tapping his fingers on the table, looking at Bockaar in a daze. Finally he finally spoke: "Boa, I'll give you a chance. Contact Erikson and ask him if he is willing to serve for the Dominion Military Region. Forget it, just think of it as cooperation, Erikson. I know this man very well, and he will not bow his head easily. Just tell him that if he can destroy a maritime fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, then the Dominion Military Region is willing to provide him with six armored warships... "