The sound of rumbling guns sounded one after another, and the fifty-six-meter-long sailing battleship Storm was like a fire-breathing monster, looming in the flames and white smoke, firing deadly projectiles...
The steep cliff 300 meters away collapsed with a deafening sound, and large boulders and rocks poured down on the waves hitting the reef.
"Hiss..." Semba Wood opened his mouth wide while holding up the binoculars. The scene in front of him was beyond his imagination. He never dreamed that the bronze cannon that Lorist mentioned would be so powerful. For a moment, he was shocked and said no. Speak up.
After a long while, Sambawood finally came back to his senses, and his face was full of ecstasy: "My lord, with such a warship, I can guarantee that there will be no other fleet in Galintia that will rival our family..."
"En." Lorist nodded, his mind still immersed in the two battle reports he saw yesterday.
Last night, according to the battle report about the Trimble Kingdom sent by Rummard, Lorist made a strategic guess on the map, and finally he came to a conclusion in surprise, except that the Trimble Kingdom was destroyed as expected , the Eleven-Nation Allied Forces who sent reinforcements, apart from Urubah and Delia, which have been annexed by the business alliance, there will be at least four or five small countries that will suffer catastrophe...
In other words, after this glass war is over, the territory of the business alliance will expand by four or five times, and it will become the third largest power in the Galintia continent. This does not refer to influence or business power, but to the On the surface, the territorial area under its jurisdiction replaced the fragmented former Krissen Empire and became the third largest country on the mainland.
As long as the business alliance is given a few more years to digest and integrate these annexed countries, then even if the Second Highness unified the former Krissen Empire, it will not be able to use the powerful military strength like the former Krissen Empire for a hundred years. To suppress and interfere with the development of the business alliance, maybe it will be suppressed by the business alliance in turn...
For Lorist, the most surprising thing is that the Chicod Chamber of Commerce actually took the Duchy of Ulu Baha as its territory. This is good news, which means that the Chicod Chamber of Commerce has completely given up on seizing Hilowas Island. As a decision-making for the territory of the chamber of commerce. From the map, Lorist found that it was a very wise choice for the Chicod Chamber of Commerce. With the Duchy of Urubah as its territory, the Chicod Chamber of Commerce will be able to more firmly control the gold in southern Galintia. The coastline, without having to consume the strength of the Chamber of Commerce in the war with the Norton family for Hilovas Island...
"My lord, my lord..." Sambawood called for a long time before Lorist came back to his senses.
"What's the matter?" Lorist asked.
Semba Wood was a little embarrassed: "My lord, I want to go down and see the firing of these bronze cannons, is that okay?"
Lorist laughed dumbfoundedly: "Sumbawood, you are the captain of the Tempest now, you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't sink the ship to the bottom of the sea. Go see it if you want, and get familiar with the capabilities of this battleship as soon as possible." It is your duty as the captain to understand its characteristics, and you don't need to ask me."
Thinking back to when the twenty-four bronze cannons were loaded on the Tempest and fired for the first time, several big cracks appeared on the new battleship on the spot, and the sea water poured into it. Went to Niujiaowan shipyard for rework and took three days to fix. Now that the artillery is launched, there will no longer be such loopholes. After Sambawood gets acquainted with the boat, Lorist will also set off for Shirowas Island.
After another two rounds of artillery firing, Sambawood returned to the berth with a look of surprise on his face: "My lord, this is really an unparalleled warship, with excellent maneuverability, flexible and light steering ability, windy Apart from Dawn's Flying Fish, no other ship can compare with this Storm. Coupled with the long-range attack power of this Thor-like bronze cannon, this is a truly invincible warship. No ship can get close to the Storm... "
The three-masted sailing warship "Storm" is a new type of ocean-going sailing warship designed and manufactured by numerous shipbuilders at the Niujiaowan Shipyard, taking Chenxi's Flying Fish as a model and drawing on its advantages. The length of the ship is 56 meters, the width of the hull and girth is 10 meters and 8 meters, and the height of the ship is 11.7 meters. It is divided into four floors. There are twelve bronze cannons, a total of twenty-four. The top one used to be the deck, the cabin and the slipway.
In addition to the twenty-four bronze cannons and the twenty-four gun crews of 120 people, the full crew of the Storm was 128, and the minimum required was only 52 people. It can also carry two squadrons of 200 sea assault troops, whether it is close combat or long-range attack, it is enough to cope with it. No wonder, in the eyes of Semba Wood, this is already an invincible warship.
Lorist laughed: "At Niujiaowan Shipyard, there are five similar artillery battleships under construction. It is estimated that by next year you will be able to have six Tempests. The artillery fleet formed by then will be called a real artillery fleet." The Armada is much more worthy of the name than the Armada in Gold Bay owned by the Business Alliance."
Semba Wood snorted: "My lord, what is the name of the Armada in the Golden Bay? They just rely on the large number of people to take advantage of the melee combat. Compared with the Tempest, those large merchant ships that have been modified are as slow as tortoises." Among other things, the artillery on the Tempest alone is enough to send all the refitted merchant ships of the Armada to the bottom of the water... "
This is true, Semba Wood is right, the warships of the Merchant Alliance Armada are refitted like a moving castle, looking top-heavy. In the calm and calm Zangjin Bay, you can still show off your prestige, but when you go to the Sad Ocean, you will obviously be unaccustomed to the water and soil, and you have to always worry about the wind and waves being too big and the big ship will be capsized.
"It's good to have confidence, Semba Wood, when you are familiar with the nature of the ship, you have to record all the weaknesses you find that are not suitable for sea combat, so that you can improve at any time during the manufacturing process of the next five artillery battleships. When the five warships are completed, the shipyard will manufacture a real big one, a five-masted sailing warship with a length of 120 meters, and more than sixty cannons will be installed on that ship..." Lorist said .
"Ah, there is such a big battleship?" Sambawood drooled: "My lord, I will work hard, and when the battleship is completed, you must give it to me to command..."
…
Seven days passed in a blink of an eye, and Lorist was about to board the Storm to Hirovas Island. Before leaving, he held a high-level meeting of the family in the big camp in the Gulf.
"Terman, you will be responsible for the safety of Rock Castle, Xing'an Plain, Red River Plain and the pastures in the west of Beidi, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Terman saluted solemnly.
"Wasimma, Tiger Ross has irresponsibly left two cavalry regiments to you, so I have to work hard on you."
"My lord, it's okay, I'm used to it." Vasimma's answer made everyone in the big tent laugh.
"Malek, after Doles returns this time, you and he will hand over the Steel Crossbow Corps, and then you and Yuri will be responsible for transporting the remaining supplies and troops to Hilovas Island..."
"Yes, my lord, don't worry, we will complete the task." Malek and Yuri stood up.
"Peter, the bow cavalry battalion you brought is stationed at Woniugang. Although the mountain barbarians have not caused us any trouble in the past few years, they should not be careless."
"Yes, my lord, I understand." Pete smiled wryly. His immediate boss, Josk, was also a guy who liked to run around with the lord, just like the tiger Ross. All the matters of the archer battalion fell on his deputy.
"Pachko..."
"My lord, I'm waiting for your orders." Pachiko stood up.
"From today onwards, you will serve as Berunek's deputy, hand over the Second Battalion of the Guards to your deputy, and assist Berunek in the new barracks to reorganize the Third Battalion of the Guards and create a new fourth and fifth battalion. The 1st Corps of the Guards, subordinate to the 5th Battalion, Berunek is the commander of the regiment, and you are his deputy."
"Yes, my lord." Pachko stood at attention and saluted. He was promoted this time.
Berunek stood up: "My lord, what are the arrangements for the garrison of the First Guards Corps?"
Lorist pointed to the family territory map hanging behind him: "First Battalion of Guards, Rock Castle, Second Battalion, Guishan Fortress. Third Battalion, deployed in Harbor City after reorganization. Fourth and Fifth Battalions, After the establishment, three months of disciplinary training are required, and they will be stationed in the new barracks as a reserve team first, and then make a decision after returning from this expedition.”
Lorist also had no choice. Nearly 60,000 captives who served hard labor were released this year, and more than 50,000 of them will stay in the family territory, and some of them will go back to bring their family members back. Although the family has started the development and construction of Hongheyuan and can accommodate some of them, there are too many of these young and strong who meet the conditions for conscription. In addition to the expansion of the Heavy Armor Corps and Lancer Corps in the first half of the year, a single-wheeled steel troop was added. In the Crossbowmen Regiment, there were nearly ten thousand young men who wanted to be soldiers. Those who knew how to swim were sent to the sailor training camp, and the rest were simply stuffed into the Guards Regiment.
Manager Speer stood up: "My lord, our family's reserve fund is less than one million goldfords, so the expansion of the family's armed forces will make our family's funds even tighter. Coupled with the next development and construction projects, I am worried. We will have no money in May or June next year..."
"It's okay." Lorist waved his hand: "In a few months, our family will have a large income, which is enough for us to spend. By the way, Manager Speer, the new products launched by my family this time If you contact the Snow Salt Merchant Association, the income here will also benefit the family."
"Yes, my lord." Manager Speer sat down worriedly.
"Master Boris."
"My lord, please order." Boris, the former butler of the Earl of Kenmes and now the head of the civil affairs department, stood up.
"Knight Schrader is not here, and you are in charge of the Civil Affairs Department. This year, Fengleyuan's tax collection, and Xing'anyuan's tax collection have also started. You must pay close attention to these two tasks."
"Yes, please rest assured, my lord, I will definitely try my best." Boris Boris bowed his head in greeting.
"Papa Barek, the family's industrial and mining workshops depend on you."
Papa Barek stood up and replied, "My lord, don't worry, I won't let you down."
"Sedkamp, you are from my side. You are in charge of the development of Hongheyuan this time. Don't embarrass me."
"My lord, I understand." Sedkamp has been trained in the past few years, and he looks shrewd and capable.
"Director Kedan, Director Hanske will return to Hilovas Island with me this time, and he needs to be responsible for the overall management of the mess left there. Therefore, you still need to supervise and inspect the various affairs in the family territory .”
"My lord, don't worry if I'm here. But my lord, I just think that our family really doesn't need to seek the consent of His Highness the Second Highness when we go to the Kingdom of Haneyabada this time? After all, it's still a kingdom. " Chief Kedan asked.
Now everyone in the big tent knows Lorist's plan to go to the Kingdom of Haneyabada. No one will be surprised. The family territory was attacked by these slave traders and slave catchers, and the damage was so heavy. Loris If he swallowed his anger and didn't want to take revenge, he would be the head of the Norton family in vain.
However, Manager Kedan's concerns are also very reasonable. If they are from the same noble class, then they can just start fighting without saying anything. But the other party is a kingdom. According to the rules, Lorist must at least notify the Second Highness first, and the Second Highness will protest and negotiate with the Haneyabad Kingdom on behalf of the Antinak Kingdom. If there is no communication or no satisfactory answer Under the circumstances, the Norton family can be authorized to retaliate against the Kingdom of Haneyabada or the Kingdom of Antinac will send troops to attack the Kingdom of Haneyabad. This is the so-called diplomatic procedure between kingdoms.
Lorist shook his head: "We can't afford to waste our time, and the Second Highness is now in the Kingdom of Ridleys, so he probably won't pay attention to such a small matter for him. If we want to wait any longer I know when to wait. The speed of the soldiers is very high, just like the Peterson Chamber of Commerce captured the Principality of Delia, didn’t they also not notify the Business Alliance?”
"My lord, those in the business alliance are disreputable upstarts, no matter what they do, it is not surprising. And we are a noble family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, so we should respect the traditional rules when we do things. Such a big event of conquest of a kingdom is the most important thing. It’s best to seek the opinion of the superior lord first, and get a reply before proceeding. Otherwise, it will be easy to be said to be disrespectful, arrogant and domineering, and it is related to the reputation of our family. Please think more about it, sir.” Manager Speer also stood Get up and persuade.
"Stop talking," Lorist said with a dark face, "Your scruples are also for the sake of the family, which is quite right. But have you considered the feelings of those family knights who fell into the hands of slave owners and slave traders? Every extra day, they will suffer another day of torture, and their lives may even be in danger. If you want to get the consent of the Second Highness, this year will be over after going back and forth, and maybe we will have no results until the end of next year.
Besides, have there been any diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Haneyabada and the Kingdom of Antinak? When did the Kingdom of Antinak recognize the Kingdom of Haneyabad
The object of our expedition this time is not a kingdom, but a lair of pirates, a sinful seaport city where slaves are traded. Remember, there has never been a kingdom of Haneyabada, we just went to take revenge on those slave traders and slave catchers who invaded Xilovas Island, and rescue our family members and people. As for the Haneyabada Kingdom, it was all fabricated by the enemy, and there is no such kingdom at all.
Remember one sentence, those who commit crimes against Norton will be punished no matter how far away they are! Understand? "
"Yes! My lord, those who commit crimes against Norton will be punished no matter how far away they are!"
Everyone in the big tent stood up abruptly and shouted in unison.
…
Eight days later, Lorist appeared on Hilovas Island. Bodfinger led a group of family knights to greet him.
"How many ships are there?" This was what Lorist was most concerned about.
"My lord, Injerek Great Swordsman, Josk and Tiger Ross have collected more than 30 medium-sized sea ships. Together with our original ships, it is enough to transport more than 20,000 people. The Peterson Chamber of Commerce replied. , They can lend us fourteen ships, four of which are large ocean-going merchant ships and ten are medium-sized sea-going ships, but these ships will only arrive at Shilovas Island at the end of August." Bodfinger replied.
"En." Lorist nodded. In this way, as long as Injerek and the others collected fifty or sixty medium-sized sea ships, it would be enough to send more than 30,000 family armed forces to the Haneyabad Islands. Then you can go out in September.
"How is the morale of the family's armed forces? Do you have any opinions and comments on this expedition?"
"My lord, everyone was enraged by the tragedy on the island. Although the soldiers who arrived in the second batch didn't see it, they felt the same way when they heard what the soldiers who cleaned up said. They all eagerly vowed to teach those slave traders and slave owners a profound lesson. .”
"That's it, you can't be discouraged. Take advantage of the time when the fleet is going to the Northland to transport the remaining troops, and strengthen your combat readiness and training, so that everyone will not become soft-footed crabs." Lorist said.
"Yes, my lord."
…