It was only on December 34th that Lorist led his requisitioned fleet to Hilovas Island. Another day will be December 36th, which is the rest day of the three major festivals of Galintia, which is a festival to celebrate the arrival of the new year.
In ancient times, the people of Galintia stayed at home to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The cold wind was howling outside and the snow was flying. It was the winter season. People celebrated at home, ate and slept, slept and ate, and did nothing, so they were called rest days. However, with the popularity of anti-cold and anti-freeze clothes, people began to like to go out on the streets, and some stores also launched new year discounts in a timely manner, which added to the festive atmosphere.
Fatty Shi was anxiously welcoming Lorist at the pier. Although Lorist wrote him a letter, the letter was vague, and Josk and El came and went in a hurry, only telling him that the family was in big trouble and that the family was in serious trouble. Fatty Shi couldn't eat or sleep well during this time, and he was so worried that he even had dark circles under his eyes.
But after seeing Lorist, Fatty Shi didn't drag Lorist to ask what happened, but told him a good news first. The letter from the North said that Terman and Yuri The two were successfully promoted to one gold star, which meant that Lorist had two more golden knights, and the Norton family already had eight golden knights.
This is indeed good news. Lorist turned his head and looked at El, who shrugged: "I guess next year, I have a hunch."
Lorist looked at Fatty Shi again, and Fatty Shi said with a wry smile: "I may need two or three years, and I don't have enough time to deal with trivial matters. How can I calm down and practice cultivation? I've been stuck at this hurdle for more than a year..."
Terman, Yuri, El, and Fatty Shi are all friends Lorist made during his ten years of study at Dawn Academy, and they are also his closest and most trusted subordinates. When they followed Lorist to become a knight of the Norton family All are silver stars. Terman and Yuri's cultivation aptitude is not good, but hard work can make up for it. Seven years of military career finally made them a step forward and became Golden Knights.
El cultivated the family-inherited dark-attribute grudge, which was originally a grudge that was difficult to cultivate and slow to enter. Even though El was not very outstanding as the commander of the guards beside Lorist, but Lorist believed that once El was promoted to the Golden Knight, he would definitely be a blockbuster and shine.
Fatty Shi is the one with the best cultivation talent among the four, but it is a pity that he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Lorist, and his outstanding administrative ability slowed down his progress in fighting qi cultivation. This is what Lorist feels most indebted to him. .
Lorist hugged Fatty Shi tightly: "I'm sorry, old man, the burden I put on you is too heavy, you will go back to the Northland with me after a while, and you can stay in the family territory for two years with peace of mind. , practice hard and get promoted as soon as possible, and you will also have a knight's manor and castle like Terman and the others."
Fatty Shi was stunned: "What's the matter, Locke, didn't you agree that I would be in charge of all development affairs on Hilovas Island?"
Lorist smiled bitterly: "I'm sorry, we've gotten into big trouble, Hilovas Island will soon become a battlefield. Our enemies this time are very powerful, I can't keep you here, it's too dangerous, You have to go back to the family territory. Let’s talk slowly when we get back to the camp, this is not a place to discuss..."
Sambawood walked over and reported to Lorist, "My lord, all the ships have been lined up and anchored, and the sailors and crew have also been assembled. Please give me your instructions."
Fatty Shi looked at him curiously: "My lord, is this...?"
"Oh, come on, Sembawood, let me introduce you. This is Shredder, the chief knight of our Norton family. If I'm not here, he can make decisions for me." Lorist introduced to both parties: "This is Sembawood. , Golden-ranked pirates are rare, but now he is my sea charge captain. He has done a good job during this time, and I am planning to promote him as Farrea's deputy."
Sambawood was a little dumbfounded, he looked at Lorist with aggrieved face: "My lord, don't talk about pirates, I'm your subordinate now, if I were a pirate, you would be the leader of the pirates..."
Not to mention the captain of the Sea Charge, Samba Wood thought he was the number one cannon fodder, but he ended up robbing the Sad Ocean, oh no, when he requisitioned those ships, he found that Lorist was faster than him, and often alone Got a boat. So he, the captain of the sea assault, became the fleet chief who cleaned up the mess and dealt with the follow-up for Lorist, organized the fleet, gathered the prisoners, and arranged for the sailors and crew. As a result, Lorist thought he did a good job and praised him all the time. Fan.
Fatty Shi nodded at him: "Hello, Semba Wood, don't mind what your lord said, he just likes to joke. Since you have joined the Norton family, do your best, and you will have a bright future."
But at the same time, Fatty Shi made a decision in his heart. He must practice hard and rise to the golden rank as soon as possible. Seeing that his former friends have become golden knights, the adults are now recruiting from the outside. The chief knight is a silver three-star peak, which is really a bit embarrassing.
"Fareya, come here, this Sembawood will be your deputy from now on." Lorist yelled at Farea who came to greet him but ran to the large ocean-going merchant ship and kept watching.
Farea got off the boat and came over: "Hi, I'm Farea, the commander of the sailor battalion."
Lorist continued to introduce: "This is Toke, the vice-captain of the Sea Stormtrooper, and he is also a good naval fighter. Now it's yours. Farea, this is Uncle Torin, Toke's father, he is good at handling logistics Baggage, look at so many ships, he assisted Semba Wood to manage them in an orderly manner, and now they are also managed by your sailor battalion... "
Fatty Shi asked from the side: "My lord, did you requisition all these ships?"
Lorist nodded, and everyone knew what the so-called expropriation meant.
Fatty Shi asked hesitantly, "My lord, why did you do this?"
Fatty Shi knew Lorist's disposition well. He had known Lorist for many years, but he had heard from Lorist that roadblocking and robbery were the most unskilled and bottom-line crimes, and what he despised most was this kind of behavior of bullying the weak by force. Now that Lorist has requisitioned so many ships at sea, there must be difficulties. Reminiscent of the big trouble that Lorist said and Shilovas Island is about to become a battlefield, Fatty Shi wants to know what the truth is
"Go back and tell, you'll know soon..." Lorist said with a sigh.
After returning to the camp, Fatty Shi quickly learned the reason, and angrily charged the case: "It's unreasonable, why does the business alliance implement the lord system and make our Shilowas Island the territory of the Chicod Chamber of Commerce!"
Unlike the anger of the Norton family knights Pat, North, and Jim, as well as the two stewards Hansk and Kedan, the father and son of Sembawood, Thorin, and Tork who were fortunate enough to attend the meeting were stunned. The pirates are unlucky to be caught by the Lord Norton, and it is the blessing of the business alliance.
Lorist went crazy and wiped out all the ships on the Sad Ocean. He actually wanted to organize an armed fleet to compete with the Chickard Chamber of Commerce at sea. This truth frightened their darlings, and at the same time, But there is a strange excitement. Once upon a time, these pirates who hide their secrets in a simple way and run away after grabbing a hand also had the opportunity to confront the fleet of the Commercial Alliance. It really makes people excited to think about it.
The Chicod Chamber of Commerce is the maritime overlord in the southern seas. Is there any hope of winning against such a behemoth
"Don't be afraid," Lorist said with a wave of his hand, "I'm going to transfer Bodfinger's heavy armored corps from the Northland, and then form a chariot and steel crossbow corps. With these two corps defending the island, they will definitely be able to defend the island." It is solid. The Chicod Chamber of Commerce only dominates the sea, but it is a soft-legged crab when it goes ashore. He must go ashore if he wants to occupy Hilovas Island. We will wipe out as many as he comes up, and see how much manpower, material and financial resources he has to fill the shore. .”
"My lord, what is the mission of our sailor battalion?" Farea asked.
"Your sailor battalion will be renamed the Marine Corps from today, Farea, and you will be the Commander of the Marine Corps." Lorist originally wanted to use the title of the Navy, but he thought he didn't have such a habit in Galintia and used it. Such an easy-to-understand title for the Sea Legion.
"The sailor battalion in Niujiao Bay in the Northland will become the reserve training camp for your sea corps. This time, the ship I requisitioned will let Sambawood assist you in forming two armed fleets. Patrol, security and maritime strike missions. The other one is slower to carry out the transportation of materials and personnel and is responsible for frontal combat, understand?"
"Yes, my lord, I understand." Farea replied.
"Let me remind you of one thing. This time I have requisitioned a large number of ships, including those on board. There is a detailed list in Semba Wood. Now the two armed fleets are composed of our sailors and followers. The pirates sent by Sembawood are mainly members, and their families are in our territory, so they are the most reliable. Those who are requisitioned by me with the ship should be carefully selected and used, after all, if something happens at sea It is difficult to control any changes immediately. Of course, if those people perform meritorious service, they must be treated equally, and no differential treatment can be made... "
"Yes, my lord, I will do as you tell me." Farea promised.
After dismissing Farea, Fatty Shi said: "My lord, you said just now that it's okay to call in the Bodfinger Heavy Armored Corps, but if you form another Chariot Steel Crossbow Corps to come over, Hilovas Island will be too much..."
"Well?"
"My lord, although Hilovas Island is large, two-thirds of it is mountains and forests, and the flatter part of the eastern part is the main farming and settlement area. A chariot steel crossbow corps came over so many horses and men eat horses We simply can’t afford it, and some time ago we just recruited 50,000 to 60,000 refugees from the two provinces in the southwestern part of the kingdom, preparing for large-scale development and construction. The grain purchased from the Second Highness is only enough for us to last for more than four months, Second Highness He refused to trade with us again, he said that the rest is reserve military rations and cannot be sold..." Fatty Shi explained.
"Oh, that's what happened." Lorist had a headache. He forgot that Hilovas Island was not self-sufficient in food, and it was easy to mobilize troops to raise food, but it became a problem.
Bodfinger's heavy armor is good at close combat and hand-to-hand combat. Although their armor is the same as the standard equipment of the family's armed forces, it is like Terman's knights, with an extra piece of steel wire soft armor, which is a heavy burden. Can be more defensive. However, they have to cooperate with the steel crossbow of the chariot to exert their greatest power, one attack and one defense complement each other.
However, the steel crossbow in a chariot needs two horses to move quickly, which is convenient for the battlefield layout. Without the horses, no one can carry the steel crossbow and run with the team, and the battlefield layout also increases the trouble. It is not like being ready at any time on the chariot. Launch, that's a really big problem.
It would be best for Lorist to return to the Northland right away, and discuss with Master Sid and the others how to solve this problem. Moreover, there are still many things to be resolved in the family territory over there, such as Professor Bob's gunpowder research, and the glass production that Mancheni technicians are in charge of. They all need to be inspected. There is also the idea of artillery and guns in Lorist's heart. With the gunpowder, the artillery will be produced. After being equipped on the battleship, the so-called powerful armed fleet of the Chicod Chamber of Commerce will all become targets. Then we can see who it is. Is the real master of the sea...
The problem was that Lorist couldn't leave. He knew in his heart that the shortcoming of the Norton family was the lack of high-end force. Looking at the family's armed forces, if Lorist considers himself the second child, no one can be called the boss. No matter in terms of the elite soldiers or the excellent equipment, the Norton family's armed forces have surpassed their contemporary opponents by a large margin. Even the 300,000 troops of His Highness the Second Highness were not in Lorist's eyes.
But apart from Lorist, there is no great swordsman in the family. This time when I went to Morente City, Lorist realized that the seven major chambers of commerce, like the seven giants of the business alliance, had four or five great sword masters at random, and the Norton family had only experienced it themselves.
Although the great swordsman could be overwhelmed by crowd tactics, how many loyal family soldiers would need to be sacrificed? The bloody wound that the great swordsman of Calinan brought to the Norton family last time is still bleeding, so Lorist is not planning to leave during this time Hilowas Island, he has to wait for the Chickard Chamber of Commerce to launch an attack on Hilowas Island.
In Lorist's mind, he thought that the Chicod Chamber of Commerce had already hung up a great swordsman, so three or four more great swordsmen could be taken by himself, and when one or two more great swordsmen were eliminated, his family's armed forces would be destroyed. It can completely annihilate those enemies who go to the island. With this lesson learned, the Chicod Chamber of Commerce will understand that it is wishful thinking to get Hilovas Island. At that time, Lorist can return to the Northland with peace of mind.
"Then how about this, Farea, you organize the two fleets as soon as possible, and let the fast fleet be responsible for the patrol and security tasks of Hilovas Island. After the formation of the other armed fleet, it will fully transport food from the north to the island. Here, at least one year's worth of supplies must be stored." Lorist made a decision.
"My lord, what about the refugees we have recruited? Will the development and construction we are planning to carry out be stopped?" Manager Hansk stood up. He was responsible for the statistics and planning of all development and construction projects in the family territory, holding a thick A stack of animal skin paper documents, it seems that they are all things that need to be reported.
Lorist almost went crazy, and lamented in his heart, why can other traversers spend all day comfortably picking up girls to make money, and when a war starts, hundreds of thousands of soldiers go to the battlefield with a wave of their hands? I have no food to transfer to the two regiments here, and there are so many things to do, so busy to hold meetings all day long.
Rubbing his own forehead, Lorist asked, "To make a long story short, Manager Hansk, first tell me about the development plans you have arranged?"
Manager Hansk flipped through the documents in his hand and replied: "My lord, it is mainly about the overall relocation of Bainiao Town, the expansion of the dock area, the construction of defense facilities such as the business district and the city wall of Bainiao Town, the seawall to protect the island in the east, seven The planning and reconstruction of the village and the development of terraced fields, as well as the reconstruction of Wanghai Manor are nearing completion. The location of the sailor battalion and its dedicated dock has been determined, but the address of the fortress castle of the Guards Battalion has not yet been determined. Boycott by Birdtown residents…”
"Well, what's going on?"
"My lord, the residents of Shiratori Town think that there is no need for a Guards Battalion with a garrison of 500 people. They think that the Garrison can be responsible for the safety of Shiratori Town. We originally planned to transfer the Guards Battalion to the castle. Built between Shiratori Town and the commercial and commercial dock area..." The commander of the 3rd Battalion of Guards, Pat, stood up and answered.
"Then where are the locations for the sailor battalion and fleet dock?" Lorist asked.
"Here," Manager Hanske unfolded a map of Hilowas Island: "It's on this swordfish ridge between White Bird Town and Wanghai Manor. There is a small bay here that can avoid the wind and waves, but we need to spend a lot of manpower To level the terrain…”
Lorist nodded: "Well, let's arrange the third battalion of the guards in the original village of Farama and reinforce it. In this way, the guards battalion, the marine corps and the two guard brigades of Wanghai Manor just form a tripartite confrontation. Before the family transferred the corps, the soft-legged crabs from the Chicod Chamber of Commerce could not break through our defense."
"As for White Bird Town, let's let it go for a while and let the garrison maintain law and order. But also inform them that the war between our Norton family and the Chickard Chamber of Commerce on Hilovas Island is about to break out. If you want to leave, we will send They go to the North. The garrison can remain neutral. After all, the Chicod Chamber of Commerce also wants to take this place as its territory, so it shouldn't do anything to ordinary residents like them... "
As soon as I said this, El, who was in charge of the guard, pushed the door in with a white letter: "My lord, just now the Second Highness sent a messenger. Five days ago, King Antinac I passed away due to illness..."
The third prince is dead? The founder of the Kingdom of Antinak who had been lingering in bed for several years under the assassination, the third prince, King Antinak I, the orthodox royal successor of the former Krissen Empire, finally passed away. The Second Highness finally lost the only shackles that could restrain him, and he can command an army of 300,000 to launch a war to revive the Krissen Empire.
Lorist took the funeral letter from El and murmured, "The sky is about to change..."
…