Claude was very angry when he woke up, especially because he had been tossing with Sheila most of the night last night, and it could be said that he fell asleep at dawn. In addition, he had just returned to the overseas autonomous territory, and then held a military meeting for most of the day, and returned home late at night.
The manor was once again pestered by the excited Sheila to discuss matters related to the promotion of the magician. After finally lying down, Sheila who was in a happy mood took the initiative to climb up. After Claude tried his best to satisfy Sheila's strong desire,
I feel like my whole body has been hollowed out and I can't move a finger...
If possible, Claude hopes to lie in bed and sleep for two days and three nights to restore his energy. Anyway, he has three days of vacation and does not need to go to the military headquarters to work. But he did not expect that he only slept for four or five hours.
, General Boquear broke into the manor uninvited. Sheila naturally knew the relationship between the two of them, so she did not stop him and let him go directly to the bedroom and forcefully pulled Claude up from the bed.
Claude stared at General Boquear with murderous eyes. If possible, Claude would like to cut this hateful fat man into pieces as he imagined in his mind. Never again.
There is nothing more irritating than waking someone up from a deep sleep, but the fat man in front of him has no self-awareness at all. He doesn't know that his arrival has disturbed his master's dream, and he is still drinking with his butt sticking out.
Looking for the fruit wine he likes in the cupboard...
Suppressing his anger, Claude washed his face and finally woke up his groggy mind: "What's the important thing for you to come here so early in the morning?"
General Boquear did not notice the suppressed anger in Claude's tone. Relying on the relationship between him and Claude as young friends, he was already used to being casual with Claude, and they were used to being the same in the military camp.
Not to mention a private occasion like the two of them at home. He finally selected a bottle of fruit wine that satisfied him from the wine cabinet, opened the lid skillfully, poured himself a glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then said a joke
He replied in a tone of voice: "Did I hear you right, Claude, it's already past ten o'clock and you still say it's early in the morning? You can have lunch in more than an hour..."
Claude rubbed his temples with two thumbs to make himself more awake and calm: "I'm not you. I'll go to bed when I go home. I still have a lot of things to deal with. I slept very late last night and went to bed.
It's almost dawn. So if you don't tell me why you came so early to disturb my dream, I don't mind using you as a punching bag to exercise."
Bockaar was stunned and looked at Claude's face carefully. Then he realized that he had been rash. Claude's behavior didn't seem like he was joking. He immediately gave up: "Boss, you are still asleep. I was there yesterday."
I didn't sleep all night. I thought about it all night and couldn't figure out why the method I proposed at the military meeting yesterday was opposed by so many people.
In my opinion, using pirate power to suppress the fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands is obviously a very cost-effective thing for our Dominion Military Region. What our Dominion Military Region has paid is only a small amount of money. Like this time we
The Kingdom of Hicks has captured so much profit, and taking some as a reward for the pirate power is the best of both worlds..."
Claude sighed deeply. Yesterday at the military meeting, Boker's proposal to use or bribe pirate forces to suppress the United Kingdom's naval fleet in the Fox Islands was refuted by most of the senior officers present at the meeting. They believed that this was not a plan.
What a good idea. This gave Bockar, who had just been promoted to the Kingdom's Major General, a blow to his face. He was unhappy and struggled all night, and then he ran over to Claude early in the morning to discuss it.
"How should I explain it clearly to you? My general..." Claude waved his hand tiredly: "Boa, you have the shrewdness and precise vision of a businessman, and you are able to formulate a wildfire plan.
Implementable strategic planning with a long-term vision is your strength. But you are not an orthodox soldier and do not understand the code of conduct and stubbornness of soldiers. From the perspective of us soldiers, pirates are untouchable and untrustworthy, let alone dealing with pirates.
The forces united to fight side by side.
As a businessman, you believe in the spirit of contract. For example, if you sign an agreement with a certain pirate force, requiring them to protect your merchant ship from reaching its destination safely and not being attacked by other pirate groups. Generally speaking, after paying the money, your
The safety of merchant ships will be guaranteed. Even if something goes wrong, some pirate forces with good reputations will even compensate merchants for their losses. Therefore, for some merchants, pirates are trustworthy. At least they can provide safety after paying the money.
and insurance.
But as soldiers, they naturally treat pirates differently from businessmen. Pirates are enemies. They are robbers on the sea. They do business without capital. Not contacting and trusting pirates is the most basic code of conduct for a soldier. Just like yesterday's Beach
General Klin said at the meeting that pirate forces basically bully the weak and fear the strong. It is easy for them to attack the merchant fleet, but it is very difficult for them to take the initiative to provoke or launch an attack on the regular navy fleet of a kingdom.
Even if we can contact a pirate group that is powerful enough to compete with the navy fleet of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands, and pay a high price to get them to agree to attack, the result will definitely be unsatisfactory. No pirate group is willing to go
If they go head-to-head with a powerful kingdom's naval fleet to damage their own strength, at most they can just have a naval battle and sink two or three warships, then they can call it a day and give us an explanation.
In particular, when we proactively contact the pirate forces and ask them to launch an attack on the United Kingdom's naval fleet in the Fox Islands, it is tantamount to automatically handing the handle of the Dominion Military District into the hands of the pirate forces. This is simply a big deal for our overseas dominions.
Once the scandal is exposed, no one can bear the responsibility. Therefore, your speech at the military conference yesterday was a very bad proposal, and it was natural that it was refuted by everyone...
However, you are mainly responsible for detecting the enemy's situation and colluding with local indigenous forces. It is not surprising that you have such an idea. No one will blame you for your proposal. At the meeting, we only discussed the rights and wrongs of the plan in a matter-of-fact manner.
What do you personally think? Besides, you have just been promoted to the Kingdom's Major General, so you should show off for a few more days in front of your father and relatives. Anyway, like me, you have three days of vacation, so don't worry about the implementation of these specific military affairs...
..."
Claude wished that Bocaar would get out of bed as soon as possible so that he could go to bed and sleep again. However, Bocaar still refused to give up. He poured another glass of fruit wine and drank it in one gulp: "Other pirate forces cannot be trusted, but
What about the Black Sails Pirates? Erikson is our teenage friend. If he is willing to agree to help us, I believe he will do it. As long as we are willing to provide him with funding, such as transferring a few ironclad battleships...
"
Claude suddenly understood why Bockaar proposed using pirate forces to attack the United Kingdom Navy Fleet in the Fox Islands at the military meeting yesterday. He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No, although Erikson is ours
A young friend, but his current identity is still a pirate, and he is also the leader of a black sail pirate gang. For us soldiers, pirates cannot be trusted..."
Bockaar was a little anxious: "Claude, don't forget that we grew up together. I believe Erikson. Although he is a pirate, he is still our friend. To give the simplest example, the black men he led
The Sail Pirates have always maintained a friendly relationship with our Dominion Military Region. Just like in the years when our Overseas Dominion did not establish a navy and possess an armored fleet, he did not let the Black Sail Pirates plunder our coastal areas, and even drove out other
The pirate gangs that entered the waters of our autonomous territory have maintained the security of the offshore shipping routes of our autonomous territory..."
Claude stood up, walked to the window and looked into the distance. After a while, he quietly asked: "Boa, has Erikson been communicating with you..."
Bokoar huffed and drank another glass of wine: "So what? I didn't betray any military secrets of the Dominion Military Region. He and I only wrote to each other for several months to exchange greetings and talk about some trivial matters.
Recall the good times of our boyhood, the friendship between us, and those adventures. He didn’t ask me to do anything for him. This time I went with you to explore the Kingdom of Hicks. When I came back, I found that he had already
He wrote four letters to me. Because I didn’t reply, he was worried that something had happened to me and asked if he could help..."
Claude laughed: "Why does Ericson only write to you and I never receive one?"
"That's because your nobleman is busy, and Erikson doesn't dare to disturb you. Besides, you are now in a high position, the first person in the autonomous military region, the marshal of the kingdom, and a hereditary earl. How dare Erikson have a friendship with you? Besides, he doesn't
You want to save face, if you disdain him if he writes to you, he will feel very embarrassed..." Bockar spat at Claude as if he was venting his anger.
Claude smiled and shook his head: "That's not the case, Boa, Erikson is a smart man. You know very well that writing to me will definitely not get a response. Because even if I respond, I will persuade him to surrender to the kingdom, or
I want him to give up his pirate career and spend the rest of his life quietly in the overseas dominions. With my protection, no one will pursue his past. But he is very ambitious and hopes to become the king of pirates and establish a pirate kingdom, so he will not give me
Writing letters is asking for trouble..."
Bokoal was angry: "Claude, how do you know that Erikson is very ambitious and wants to become the king of pirates and establish a pirate country? You can't make random guesses about Erikson's inner thoughts. He has several
He told me in the letter that he wanted to find a peaceful and peaceful place to be an ordinary person and stop being a pirate. I advised him to come to the Dominion to live, but now he is just burdened by so many subordinates, who are all fighting for their lives together at sea.
He just can't let go of his comrade who is fighting to the death..."
Claude looked at Bockar quietly, and then asked calmly until he stopped talking: "Do you still remember the first time you saw Erikson at sea? What did he tell you at the time?
, have you forgotten all about it?”
Bockal was speechless. He recalled the first time he met the black-sail pirates at sea and the moment he recognized Erikson. At that time, his father sold his property at a low price, took the employees and their families from the family business, and returned the goods.
Some of the refugees who followed along the way purchased dilapidated ships and formed a fleet. They ventured out to sea with some coarse grains and prepared to go to the overseas dominions. Then they encountered the black-sailed pirate ship led by Erikson at sea.
.....
Erikson was so high-spirited at that time that he even wanted to take this immigrant fleet to his hometown, a small archipelago in the depths of the Silent Ocean. He also asked Bockaar to follow him and promised to wait for him to establish a pirate empire.
After the kingdom came to an end, Bock'al was given the title of Duke. Fortunately, Bock'ar came up with a quick idea and used the reason that the immigration fleet's overpopulation would bring a heavy food burden to Erikson and disrupt his lair, so he persuaded him to let it go.
This immigration flotilla...
At the same time, he used his father's statement that he wanted to settle in the overseas dominions to stop Erikson from asking him to follow him as a pirate. However, Erikson then asked Bock'al to bridge the gap between his Black Sails Pirates and the overseas dominions.
The ships of the Black Sail Pirates can obtain supplies of grain, grass and other logistical supplies and the purchase of weapons and ammunition from overseas autonomous territories, and the Black Sail Pirates can sell the looted goods to the overseas autonomous territories. For this reason, he is willing to let the Black Sail Pirates maintain the autonomous territories.
The safety of the sea area is guaranteed to be free from intrusion by other pirate gangs...
However, the Autonomous Territory Military Region later used the captured enemy warships to form its own naval fleet, which gave the autonomous region waters a more reliable security guarantee. A few years later, after the Autonomous Territory Military Region launched iron-clad warships, all discerning people understood
, the method of naval warfare has changed, and sail warships have become outdated. In the future, those who will sail across the oceans must be coastal countries with armored warships.
This is also the reason why the coastal countries of Falea continent have spent energy and huge investment in developing iron-clad warships. There are also many smart people in the pirate forces. They know very well that this is the end of the sail warships' last show of power on the sea.
In the next ten years or so, these pirate gangs with sailing warships will usher in the end, because with sailing warships, they can no longer rob ships on the sea, but will only become the target of the gunfire of the armored warships, sinking to the bottom of the sea one by one.
.....
Bockaar finally recalled with some clarity. At that time, Erikson's correspondence with him became more and more frequent, and the words he said in the letters became more and more cowardly. He no longer had the high-spirited spirit that he had before.
Ruhu's tone instead said that he had no choice but to become a pirate. Back then, he joined the Storm Fleet in order to obtain a naval battleship to find his father. He used the contacts left by his father to successfully start a rebellion at sea, rebelled against the kingdom and became a pirate.
long.
As a child, Erikson was very good. He found his father on the vast sea and reunited his mother with him. As a pirate, Erikson was also very successful. Not only did he
The kingdom was rebellious and once led the Black Sail pirates to plunder the coastal areas of the kingdom, causing countless human tragedies. On the wanted list of the kingdom itself, Ericson has always been at the top, and he must have a place among the ten most wanted criminals in the kingdom.
.....
Now, in addition to the overseas autonomous territories, the kingdom also has an armored fleet. Although it is not enough to pose a threat to the Black Sail Pirates, it is more than enough to protect the coastal areas from being harassed. Boker remembered that he once wrote in a reply to Erikson
He mentioned the principle of power of armored battleships, but he only knew a rough idea and was not an expert. Later, the people sent by Erikson to purchase supplies purchased several steam engines from the Dominion.
Six months later, Erikson complained to Bockaar in a letter that in order to test the power of sea ships, he rebuilt three sail warships, but they all failed. Because the result of the experiment was that he found that sail warships using steam engines could operate at sea.
Like a snail, without the original dexterity or speed at all...
Bockaar laughed loudly in his reply and told Erikson that marine power is not as simple as purchasing a few steam engines and modifying them. It took Master Bird of the Dominion Military Region more than two years to trial-produce one suitable for use on ships.
The power steam engine led to the emergence of iron-clad battleships. As for the development of iron-clad battleships alone, even with Claude's plug-in, it still took the Dominion Military Region more than two years to finally create the first practical iron-clad battleship.
come out.
A pirate force like Erikson doesn't even have to think about imitating iron-clad battleships. To borrow Claude's words, this is a systematic project that not only involves the shipbuilding industry, but also involves metal refining, forging, and welding.
It has the closest relationship, which involves technical cooperation and infrastructure improvements in several industries. If a large coastal country wants to develop iron-clad warships, it will be difficult to make progress without five or six years of continuous investment and technical research.
Then Erikson no longer discussed the ironclad battleships in his letter to Bokoal. Instead, he wanted to ask Tobokoal if the Dominion Military District had any intention of selling ironclad warships. It seems that he knew very well that only ironclad battleships can
To deal with armored battleships, if he wants to continue his pirate career, he must have armored battleships. When it is impossible to develop them, acquiring them at a high price regardless of the cost becomes the only option...
At the military meeting, Bokoal proposed that he contact the pirate forces to attack the United Kingdom's fleet in the Fox Islands. He had the intention and intention of allowing Erikson to get his wish. Only by allowing Erikson's Black Sails Pirates to become the Dominion
Only when the military region serves, the autonomous region military region will fund the Black Sail Pirates and provide them with several armored warships for their use...
Claude sat down, tapping the table with his fingers, looking at Bocaar in a daze. Finally, he finally spoke: "Boa, I'll give you a chance. Contact Erikson and ask him if he's willing."
Don’t want to serve for the Dominion Military Region. Forget it, just think of it as cooperation. I know Erikson very well, and he will not bow his head easily. Just tell him this, if he can destroy an army of the United Kingdom of Fox Islands
Maritime Fleet, then the Dominion Military Region is willing to provide him with six armored warships..."