By mid-May, Claude finally had some free time and no longer had trivial official duties, so he turned his attention to the colonies on the west coast. At present, the colonies of various countries on the west coast have reached a stalemate. When the news spread that the Dominion Military Region formed an alliance with the Pamigal National Republic with great fanfare and sent the Thunder Legion to garrison, the colonial countries on the west coast understood that they had no way to intervene in the Pamigal National Republic. The reason for the Migar people's territory.
To launch an attack on the Pamigal National Republic at this time is simply a declaration of war on the Dominion Military District. No one would do such a stupid thing. As a result, the colonial countries on the West Coast put away their minions and no longer looked covetously at other countries' colonies. Instead, they began to build defensive fronts and defensive positions in their own colonies. They acted as if they were harmless to humans and animals and were defending themselves. The defense looked as if they had transported two or three standing legions to the colony just for defense.
In February, Mr. Veblen organized an economic and trade mission to the colonies on the west coast, preparing to discuss the issues of tariffs and embargoes on goods from the Dominion entering these colonies. It's just that this economic and trade delegation spent three months traveling around the colonies on the west coast and received very warm hospitality from the colonial authorities. However, the issue of the trade ban was still not lifted. The goods and goods produced by the overseas autonomous territories Still unable to officially and publicly enter the colonial markets on the West Coast...
A colonial governor made it clear to Mr. Veblen that entertaining you is a personal relationship and we are friends. But the ban on trade is the principle of the kingdom. Once the ban on trade is lifted against you, the handicraft workshops in our kingdom and those monopolized by the kingdom's nobles will suffer disaster. The goods produced in the Kingdom will not be able to reap huge profits from the colonies. No one can afford such consequences, so we would rather risk offending your Dominion and implement the ban on trade and refuse your goods at the colonial market gate. outside... ...
Well, the economic and trade delegation organized by Mr. Veblen visited the colonies on the west coast and only gained the personal friendship of the responsible officials of these colonial authorities. He wanted to lift the embargo on goods from overseas autonomous territories but hit a wall. After returning, Mr. Veblen spoke in parliament, believing that unless these west coast colonial countries were completely defeated militarily, they would never lift the trade embargo and open their colonial markets to overseas autonomous territories.
Claude also hoped to defeat these west coast colonial countries militarily. But the problem is that the Dominion Military Region has to find a suitable excuse before it can go to war. With just a ban on trade, the Dominion Military Region had no reason to send troops, because the ban on trade was to protect the goods produced in their own kingdom and was issued in order to avoid competition with goods produced in the overseas dominions. It was reasonable and reasonable. The Dominion Military Region cannot knock on the door of others just because their own goods cannot be sold at other people's homes. The Dominion Military Region will not be so overbearing...
No one is a fool, and the same is true for the colonial countries on the west coast. When the Dominion Military Region formed an alliance with the Pamigal people, leased its military port, and sent the Thunder Legion to garrison its borders, the Dominion Military Region came to the forefront as the mastermind behind supporting the indigenous people's rebellion and supporting the indigenous people's independent nation-building. Everyone knew it, but no one loudly criticized the Dominion Military Region. That's what the saying goes.
The only unlucky ones were the Kingdom of Morosik, the Kingdom of Resnia and the Principality of Vasilko that lost their colonies. Other colonial countries on the west coast have accepted the lessons of these three countries and strengthened the supervision and control of the indigenous peoples in their colonies. Of course, they have also issued some benefits to appease the indigenous peoples, and at the same time, they have also allowed the colonial garrison troops to prepare the borders. Defense, set up a complete defensive front and defensive positions to guard against enemy sneak attacks...
Claude and the senior staff officers of the Dominion Military Region took a look around and found that there was really no opportunity for the colonies on the west coast to take advantage of. Everyone was very careful about the Dominion Military Region, so they stopped thinking about doing something. Anyway, the most important thing for the Dominion Military Region this year is internal resettlement. The eight Hicks returning divisions will be reduced and demobilized when they return, and the remaining hundreds of thousands of Hicks military-dependent immigrants must be resettled. Therefore, the Dominion Military Region can wait until next year to slowly compete with the colonial countries on the west coast...
However, sometimes accidents happen very suddenly. One night at the end of May, the Weeds Mountain Harbor Colony of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands was suddenly attacked and robbed by numerous pirate gangs. A sailing fleet was robbed and divided up by the pirates as they had planned. When most of the sailors and sailors went ashore to spend a merry night, these large sailing warships without much garrison soon fell into the hands of these pirate gangs that swarmed up...
About fifty or sixty sail warships in relatively good condition fell into the hands of these pirate gangs, and the remaining forty or so transport ships were all set on fire by the pirate gangs that came to attack. In other words, one of the four prestigious naval fleets of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands was inexplicably lost to the pirates, and even the Mount Guards Harbor Colony, which they planned to build into a shipbuilding base, was also lost to the pirates. Loot everything...
The United Kingdom of the Fox Islands was very angry, as if they had been slapped in the face by pirates. The United Kingdom of Fox Islands, which has always been known as a maritime power, has four powerful sailing fleets. No pirate dares to easily offend their maritime power and dignity. Generally speaking, ocean-going merchant ships flying the flag of the United Kingdom Navy Fleet in the Fox Islands are rarely intercepted and attacked by pirate gangs.
But no one expected that this time the pirate gang would unite to attack a sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands. Not only did they successfully carve up the sailing warships in their fleet, they also robbed their kingdom's shipbuilding base. The United Kingdom of the Fox Islands suffered extremely heavy losses and immediately sent two powerful sailing fleets to the waters of the Nubari Islands to find trouble with the pirate gang and try to find out who was the culprit who planned the attack and robbery... ..
Claude didn't expect that he would face such a trouble. At that time, he just talked about it, thinking that the other party would not dare to accept the move. I didn't expect that I underestimated the other party. After cutting off contact with the other party, the other party actually planned such an amazing attack and destroyed a naval fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, which was regarded as fulfilling the conditions I proposed. Now the other party is asking them to fulfill their promise and transfer six armored battleships to them...
"This is really an attack planned by Erikson," Claude asked General Boquear standing in front of him with a wry smile.
General Boker nodded: "This is the third time you have asked this question, Claude. The third time I am sure that it must be Erikson's Black Sails pirates who gathered the other thirteen pirate gangs to carry out this operation. An attack on the Mount Guards Harbor Colony. For those pirate gangs, obtaining regular sailing battleships is a good thing they dream of. And the sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands has given these pirates a God-given opportunity. ... ...
Ericson said that he has been paying attention to the Mount Guards Harbor Colony in the United Kingdom of Fox Islands since the year before last, because this colony is a rare mining area on the west coast that is rich in mineral resources. If one can be hijacked here, A transport ship loaded with gold, silver and precious minerals means that all pirates involved in the operation will make a fortune.
However, Erikson soon discovered that the minerals mined in this colony were no longer transported to the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, but were instead stored in warehouses. At the same time, the colonial authorities also recruited manpower for harbor construction, town construction and other planning. With Erikson's ability, he quickly found out that the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands was planning to vigorously develop the Mount Guards seaport colony and build it into their armored warship production base...
Since then, Erikson has invested a lot of energy in this seaport colony of Mount Weders and laid many ambushes. Even the colonial authorities of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands did not know that this smuggling ship captain who was somewhat famous in the port town was actually Ericson, the leader of the famous Black Sails Pirates, and they were successfully concealed.
Then Erikson noticed that the biggest defensive weakness of the Mount Guards seaport colony was that it was tight on the outside and loose on the inside. Especially on the night when a sailing fleet from the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands arrived at the colony and anchored in the harbor, almost half of the Sailors and sailors would go ashore to revel in women and liquor and reward themselves for their loneliness on the warship.
If we could control the twelve coastal artillery positions on the hills outside the harbor at this time, control the lighthouse from sounding the bell warning of pirate attacks, and let the pirate ships from outside enter. There is no need to guess the outcome. The sailing fleet anchored in the harbor is finished. It is not clear whether the sailors on the ship can gather the sailors of the ship. They are no match for those wolf-like pirates. .
The seaport towns and shipbuilding bases are like plucked turkeys. In the face of warships with a large number of artillery, no resistance can last long. Erickson believed that the attack he planned would bring him unusually large profits. Because he saw with his own eyes that people from the United Kingdom of Fox Islands drove two armored warships into the shipbuilding base and began to imitate four more armored warships. In other words, there are six armored warships in this shipbuilding base... "
"Then did Erikson obtain these six armored battleships?" Claude asked.
General Bokoal nodded: "Yes, I got it, but Erikson found that what he got was only the hulls of six iron-clad warships, which were not equipped with steam-powered machinery. Experts from the Fox Islands United Kingdom's shipbuilding base and several A rune mage admitted that they were also stumped by the material of this marine steam-powered machine. They were experimenting with replicating it, but had not yet produced results. Ericson had no choice but to drag away these experts and the hulls of six armored battleships. .. ...
Now Erikson has sent someone to come to me and ask me to tell you to fulfill your previous commitment to him. You once said that if Erikson's Black Sails Pirates take the initiative to attack and destroy a sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, you will transfer the six first-generation ironclad battleships staying in the military port to the Black Sails Pirates. Now that Erikson's Black Sails Pirates have teamed up with other pirate gangs to destroy a sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, when will your armored battleships be transferred to them?"
Claude hesitated for a moment: "Boa, do you think it is appropriate to hand over the armored battleship to Erikson? I am worried that our Dominion Military District will be attacked by pirates and cause losses..."
General Boker nodded: "I didn't speak for Erikson, but I think the current situation, allowing Erikson's Black Sails Pirates to join, may bring great unexpected changes to the west coast, which will be very important to us. It is gratifying for the Dominion Military District, and it is better than this stalemate continuing. The iron-clad battleships can be transferred to Erikson, but we need to find a way to let the Black Sails Pirates cleverly obtain these six armored battleships. We cannot let anyone The misunderstanding was that our autonomous military region took the initiative to hand it over to the Heifan pirates..."
Claude tapped his fingers on the table and pondered for a while: "Okay, let me think about it first. You let Erikson wait patiently for three days, and by the way, ask about the six ships he got from the United Kingdom of Fox Islands. Does the hull of the armored battleship need to be modified? If possible, we can help it be modified into a practical armored battleship... "
The Black Sail Pirates led by Ericson gathered other pirate gangs to successfully attack and plunder the Weeds Mountain Harbor Colony of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands, and destroyed and divided up a full sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands. This record really made Erikson and the Black Sails Pirates famous at once. Two sailing fleets from the United Kingdom of Fox Islands went to the waters of the Nubari Islands to find trouble with pirates, hoping to find the traces and whereabouts of the black sail pirates.
The officers at the Dominion Military District Headquarters who were qualified to participate in the discussion of this incident had different opinions on whether to transfer the six obsolete first-generation ironclad battleships to the Black Sails pirates. In the end, it was General Beachlin who persuaded the senior officers present and made the final decision. decision.
General Beachlin believes that Erikson and the Black Sail Pirates have now become the mortal enemies of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands. Two sailing fleets are searching for their whereabouts. The rest of the pirate gangs whose own safety has been affected also hate Airy. Kesen and the Black Sail Pirates are deeply rooted in their hearts. If there is any news about them, they will be handed over to the Navy of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands without hesitation.
Under such circumstances, strengthening the strength of the Black Sail Pirates led by Ericson will give them the ability to compete with the sailing fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, or they can inflict heavy damage to the sailing fleet again. In this way, the United Kingdom of Fox Islands will not be able to continue to dominate the sea. Once their two sailing fleets retreat and avoid fighting, their three colonies on the west coast will be in danger, and they will easily become fat in the eyes of other colonial countries... ...
As for whether the black-sail pirates would pose a threat to the Dominion's shipping after they possess the iron-clad battleships, General Beachlin believes that there is no need to worry about this. First, the navy of the Dominion Military Region is equipped with newer iron-clad warships, which can completely crush them in quantity and quality. Second, the Black Sail Pirates can currently only rely on the Dominion Military Region to refit and repair their armored warships. As long as they are clear-headed, they will not offend the Dominion Military Region for no reason.
Claude decided to give Erikson a chance. He promised to hand over six first-generation armored battleships to the Black Sail Pirates, and said that he could sell the hulls of the six armored battleships that the Black Sail Pirates obtained from the Mount Weders Harbor Shipbuilding Base. It was remodeled and repaired, but a high price of 100,000 gold crowns was quoted. What Claude didn't expect was that Erikson agreed to his request and sent jewelry worth 600,000 gold crowns, as well as the six hull-like battleships.
The deal with Erikson has come to an end for the time being. After all, it will take some time to refit six first-generation armored warships and repair six warships with general hulls. At this time, the ocean transport fleet of the Dominion Military Region once again transported more than 300,000 Hicks military immigrants and four Hicks returning divisions, and the rest would be completed with just one more trip. According to the plan, the eight Hicks Homecoming Divisions will be downsized and deorganized.
"What do you mean?" Claude looked at the blood book in his hand. It should be considered a blood book. At least the names were black and red, and they were signed with blood.
Standing in front of Claude was General Derivic, one of the two commanders-in-chief of the eight Hicks Homecoming Divisions. At this moment, his face was flushed, and he explained with some embarrassment: "Your Excellency, Marshal, this blood book is signed with the names of the officers and soldiers of the Hicks Returning Division with their own blood. They are unwilling to retire, but express their willingness to fight for the overseas autonomous territories." They fought hard on the battlefield, even if they sacrificed their own lives. So they signed the blood letter in the hope that they, the Hicks Homecoming Regiment, would not be reduced or disbanded... "
Okay, no need to explain, Claude suddenly understood. It was nothing more than the cash reward issued a few months ago that made these Hicks Hill red-eyed and enthusiastic, and found that joining the army was also a very lucrative future. Now that we are facing downsizing and demobilization, we have to go back to being civilians, but we are reluctant to part with the generous benefits of serving as soldiers for the Dominion.
Think about it, an ordinary soldier of the Hicks Returning Division just went back to the Hicks Kingdom, found his family and relatives, and immigrated to the overseas Dominion together. All expenses were reimbursed by the Dominion Military District. Soldiers are also paid monthly salary and welfare subsidies. Even this soldier did not fire a single shot in the Kingdom of Hicks, that is, he was performing a normal sentry duty. When he came back, he was given a cash reward of ten gold crowns. How could this not make people excited
If you find a job in a private workshop or farm, you will only be paid two to three silver thalers for a month's hard work. Compared with the officers and soldiers of the Hicks Returning Division who had captured armed resistance elements in Wangjing, there was a huge difference. The rewards for each of those officers and soldiers were more than thirty or forty gold crowns. The more battles they experienced, the higher the rewards. So now these Hicks soldiers also write bloody letters to serve the overseas dominions loyally.
Claude thought for a moment and then told General Derivic thoughtfully: "The Dominion Military Region still has a quota for volunteer corps. The eight Hicks Returning Divisions will be reduced and demobilized. For those officers and soldiers who are willing to serve the Dominion, please They selected and recruited the best from them to form this Hicks Volunteer Corps. The organization is the same as the Thunder and Rock Corps, with four divisions and 90,000 troops. You will temporarily serve as the commander of the Corps... "