Chapter 6 Is White Clothes Crossing the River? (1)
"The people, the gods, the lineage, the father!"
"The people, the gods, the lineage, the father!"
"Eternal glory to the Seven Hills Empire!"
"In all eras, your army will be famous all over the world!"
"The Empire of Seven Hills, the Empire of Seven Hills."
"The Empire of Seven Hills, the Empire of Seven Hills."
"I am full of affection and love my motherland."
…
…
“Perfect!”
Ella imitated the behavior of a band conductor and raised her hands passionately, and the singing stopped abruptly, leaving only ups and downs of echoes in the air.
These days, Andrea refused to surrender, so Ella turned her interest to the band he used to command the fleet. Under her training, these Aphros pipe players finally learned the song of Empire of the Seven Hills just now.
Traditional music.
"This song is very energetic when I listen to it! Let it be our charge horn from now on! Next, we will practice the instructions for outflanking. This time we won by using dry land boating to go around Andrea's rear.
Or use the "Dry Land March" for the outflank command?"
"Your Majesty, this is not good..." Amy whispered, "You are the King of Sweden now. Are you going to command those pirates with the music of the Seven Hills Empire?"
Ella scratched her head: "Yeah, I was so excited that I forgot about it. As soon as I saw Avros taking care of me, I wanted to use the music of Empire of the Seven Hills... Then how about rehearsing again?"
Just when Ella and Amy were discussing what song to use, a piece of news came: the envoy of the Island Republic had arrived in Azov City and was waiting for Ella to receive her.
Half a month ago, Ella sent a messenger to the island republic, asking for the pre-agreed military expenses and discussing the transaction of Azov City.
Time passed day by day, but there was no reply from the island republic. She could only continue to station the army in Azov City. An army of 20,000 people consumed huge amounts of supplies every day, which made Ella feel heartbroken. So for a while
When she heard that the envoy from the Island Republic was coming, she rushed over impatiently.
However, just as she was about to enter the room used to receive the envoy, Glahid hurried over from behind. He stopped Ella and whispered a few words in her ear.
"What did you say? Before the Island Republic's goods were plundered, the Republic of Liguria had already gone to war with the Island Republic? Are you sure?"
Amy, who was listening on the sidelines, screamed in surprise.
Glahid glanced at the room where the envoy was, signaled Amy to speak down, and then said in a lower voice: "I heard this rumor a week ago. Since the authenticity is unknown, I asked my subordinates to inquire about it through various channels.
Intelligence. So far, the intelligence returned from every route supports this statement. Originally, I wanted to investigate more clearly, but when I heard that the envoy from the Island Republic was coming, I felt that I must report it to the King of Sweden immediately."
"Is that so? No wonder I feel a little weird." Ella murmured in a low voice, "The Republic of Liguria is not a pirate, so why would it rob the island republic's ship?"
"Your Majesty, I don't understand. Aren't the Ligurian Republic and the Island Republic both vassals of the Seven Hills Empire?" Amy asked Ella in a daze, "If they fight like this, the Seven Hills Empire won't care?"
"A vassal state is a vassal state, but only in name. The Seven Hills Empire currently has very limited control over the two republics. The Ligurian Republic and the Island Republic have been competing for trade rights in the Mediterranean. It is not surprising that a war will occur -
—I guess the source of this war is trade disputes. Right, Glahid?"
Glahid nodded: "That's right. According to the current intelligence, the cause of the incident was a banquet held by the general of Cyprus. Representatives of the two countries had a dispute over a ranking issue, which eventually turned into a bloody conflict. What happened next
The situation intensified and eventually turned into a war. The island republic’s merchant ships were robbed, probably because the Republic of Liguria wanted to crack down on the island republic’s trade.”
"Although it's unexpected, it's not surprising at all." Ella shrugged, "After all, it is a merchant ship flying our flag, and it has a famous reputation. Moreover, the island republic also contributed money, so we can still make some profit."
"Your Majesty! I thought there was a problem with your financial ability before! You actually think you are making money?"
"Really made a profit? The Island Republic pays 80% of our expenses. The supplies in the Azov City Treasury, plus the trophies seized from the mercenaries, are enough to offset the other 20% of the military expenditure. In addition, there is also the sale of Azov
The city’s income...has made a lot of money, right?"
Amy stamped her foot: "Your Majesty, haven't you discovered it yet? What you originally wanted to sign was just an agreement to protect trade during peacetime, right? And this protection is one-way. The agreement can also be applied to losses caused by war.
If so, wouldn't His Majesty become a mercenary? The other party only needs to pay 80% of the expenses. This is cheaper than their own army, a super cheap mercenary!"
"Indeed." Glahid said from the side, "I also heard that the Island Republic has a very tough attitude this time and has been actively escalating the situation after the bloody conflict. I am afraid it is because of the agreement made by the King of Sweden."
"Gu... I should have added 'peacetime only' to the agreement! But who would consider it so carefully? These unscrupulous businessmen! Let's go! Follow me and ask for money!"
Ella opened the door angrily and rushed in.
The envoy was the same person who came to the Pirate Kingdom before to ask Ella to send troops. Before, he traveled across mountains and rivers to the Pirate Kingdom, and his clothes were still bright and beautiful. This time, he only needed to take a few days' boat ride to Azov City, and his clothes were
It was even more luxurious. The expensive silk was embroidered with large areas of gold thread. If she hadn't known in advance that he was just a messenger, Ella would have mistaken him for the governor of the island republic himself.
He was slowly drinking tea in the room. When he was on a mission to the Pirate Kingdom last time, he felt that the tea in the Pirate Kingdom was not delicious, so this time he brought a bag of tea himself. This bag of tea comes from the far east, and each stick
Tea leaves were picked by young girls with their mouths and were extremely expensive. He added the best cream and the finest sugar to the tea, sipped it one mouthful at a time, and thought about what he would say after meeting Ella for a while.
Ella rushed in with murderous intent on her face, grabbed the messenger by the collar and tried to pull him up from the chair. Although she was unable to pull him up due to lack of strength, her momentum frightened the messenger and dropped the tea bowl in his hand.
.
Ella's momentum did not diminish at all, and she shouted in the face of the messenger: "Give me the money quickly!"
"Money...what money?"
The messenger looked at the pirate king in front of him in a panic, not knowing what made her angry.
