Chapter 19 The Knight's Allegiance
Paul was holding back his anger. The drama between the officials and the gangster family that existed only in the history books in his previous life was actually played out before his eyes.
Through Quirk's explanation, it turned out that Edward led his fleet of cronies to leave suddenly a few months ago. As for what they were going for, they, the peripheral minions, were not qualified to know. There are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys are kings, and the scattered pirate gangs that have lost control suddenly rebelled, fighting each other, and fighting for territory. Before, they were still under Edward's strict order, and they were not allowed to take advantage of the land. Now it's okay, no matter what. Seven twenty-one, you can take whatever you can. Several pirate groups close to Graiman's territory boldly advanced into the interior that they had not touched in the past twenty years.
After continuing to interrogate Quick for a period of time, Paul ordered this guy to be thrown into the dungeon, and announced to everyone with a dark face: He was going to take advantage of the absence of the main pirate force to eradicate the remaining pirates in the Northwest Bay and return the territory to a peaceful world. .
Controller Ford said with concern: "I understand your indignation at this time. It should be no problem to wipe out the current scattered pirate gangs, but what if Edward's main fleet comes back? You also saw it some time ago. , other families will not help us until they are violated. With our own territory alone, we have little chance of winning against Edward.”
"So we need to build a powerful navy and defeat them with ease when Edward comes back." The nobles of the Aldo Kingdom had no sense of sea power at all, so they allowed the pirates to grow.
"Sir, building a ship costs a lot of money. Coupled with the training of sailors and daily maintenance, it is simply a bottomless pit."
"Don't worry, everyone, there will be bread. Yes, there will be milk too," the little earl assured.
The reason why he wants to eradicate pirates is not only because of his indignation at the nobles' disregard for the lives of the people along the coast, but also for other reasons.
After this period of understanding, he found that this world is quite backward. Except for the illusory magic in legends, the overall technological level is comparable to that of the European Middle Ages on earth, and all kinds of supplies are basically polished by craftsmen. So he thought hard about plans to make a fortune, and after eliminating all kinds of unrealistic ideas, he finally settled on several industries that could make money immediately, such as papermaking, printing books, and ceramics.
But here’s the problem. Aldo’s northwest region is still relatively backward. The people generally don’t know a single word and don’t have much money in their hands. Who will buy the things he makes? The nobles may be interested in novelty gadgets. I bought it for decoration or something, but I couldn't make much money just by selling it to the nobles. Therefore, he must sell his products to more economically developed places further south, such as the Royal Capital Jingyao Castle, and the Corner Bay Alliance further south. He can even use the help of the Corner Bay Alliance to transport products to further places.
How to transport the goods there? It is impossible to take the land route, not to mention the war going on in the south. The royal family and Giles are fighting in darkness. Even in peacetime, there are many checkpoints, and the big and small lords are basically just plucked geese. So he turned his attention to the sea route. As long as the pirates were eliminated and the sea route was opened, he could give full play to the advantage of large shipping capacity and reach his destination directly without having to endure the layers of extortion from the lords everywhere.
To achieve this goal, it is indispensable to build a maritime force that can attack and defend. Although except for commercial countries like the Corner Bay Alliance, other countries do not have much awareness of sea power. The seas of the known world are not a vacuum of power. There are numerous pirates and bandits of all sizes, and Edward who travels across the North Sea is one of the famous ones. Criminals punished by law, serfs who cannot survive due to harsh rule, and people driven away by war. Refugees, thrill-seeking adventurers, and ordinary people who were forcibly plundered and joined, continuously injected fresh blood into the pirates.
"Lord Graiman, on behalf of the people in my hometown, I would like to thank you for your great kindness." The old knight suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Paul, his voice even choked with sobs.
"Where is it? This is my duty as a lord."
"I am willing to be driven by you from now on, but please don't think that I am old and useless." Although it is not a formal knight's declaration of allegiance, anyone can understand its meaning.
After the old knight said this seriously, he sat down and remained motionless, as if he was remembering something.
What happened? Did my domineering spirit suddenly explode? Paul was full of questions. At this time, Butler Philip whispered again: "When Knight Schroeder was young, his family was killed by pirates..."
So that's the case, no wonder the old knight was suddenly so excited.
He cleared his throat: "Let's discuss our future actions." Second Battalion Commander Claude spoke first: "Earl, taking advantage of this great victory and the army's morale is high, it is better to regain the wealth in one go. Lan Port, drive the pirates off the land.”
Someone immediately objected: "Don't underestimate the enemy. According to the prisoners' confessions, they have at least seven or eight hundred people in total. We are still at a disadvantage in terms of numbers."
Little Earl Immediately ordered: "Bryce, you are responsible for recruiting a group of new soldiers immediately. Within a month, I hope to see two fully equipped infantry battalions."
Bryce stood up and responded: "Yes, Lord."
The old knight who was still recalling the past suddenly spoke: "We need to train a group of soldiers who are proficient in water warfare. The new soldiers should be recruited from fishermen's families. After all, our enemies are pirates, so they are considered pirates. Let’s cultivate seeds for the future navy.”
"Second suggestion, it would be best to dedicate two companies to build water troops, and train more water fighting skills such as gang fighting, so that you don't have to be so passive next time you face pirates."
"I see, Lord Earl. The invented firearms are very suitable for use on the water, especially the grenades. You need to equip them in large quantities and throw a few when you are close to the enemy ship to ensure that everyone on the other side is defeated."
"Muskets are also good, I saw it with my own eyes. When four of the opponent's unlucky ones are hit, they'll be finished after one hit."
"Build a few galleys with ramming horns, or requisition fishermen's boats for modification, and move them along the Vis River. Down the river..."
"What you all said is good. I will deploy manpower to increase the production of firearms and build warships."
The atmosphere at the meeting became more and more lively, and everyone was in high spirits with the victory they had just won, and they all made suggestions and suggestions.
While Paul was listening and thinking about everyone's suggestions, a servant came in quietly and said something to the butler Philip. Philip immediately pulled the corner of his clothes.
“What happened?”
“Sir, the bell maker you wanted has been found.”
Paul slapped his thigh and was overjoyed: “Oh? Haha. , Finally arrived." Then he said to everyone who was discussing: "You discuss it first, I will come when I go."
Then he urged the servant who came to report the news to lead the way, and ran away quickly.
Everyone who was left behind looked confused. Is there anything more important than dealing with pirates?
(End of this chapter)