The arrival of His Royal Highness Philip was, at least on the surface, warmly welcomed by the Poitou people.
This is the first official visit by a royal member in the history of the Fifth Empire. After all, this place is too far away from the Holy City. When the founding emperor Carlos I established the Fifth Empire, his army did not even cross Austria.
Special Mountains, the whole south declared surrender.
Of course Princess Elizabeth does not count last time, although it is now known that she lived in the Rose Garden for a period of time last year.
The Kliman slowly docked at the dock under the guidance of two steam boats. From this position, you can see the busy scene on the other side of the harbor.
"That's the shipyard over there, Kang's Shipbuilding?" Philip asked Governor Byrne who came to greet him.
Byrne humbly replied:
"Yes, Your Highness. Kang's Shipyard works 24 hours a day, with workers working in two or even three shifts. It can build five ironclad ships at the same time. In fact, in addition to Kang's Shipbuilding, there are three other small-scale ships in Poitou.
The shipyards in Point are building new steam ironclads, and the average total water displacement of ships launched in Poitou every month has reached 20,000 tons."
"This is an astonishing number." Philip praised.
The shipbuilding industry was originally a pillar industry in the north. In addition to economic needs, the north had a large amount of shipbuilding timber, but no one thought that the south would suddenly emerge. Technically speaking, it was a revolutionary development. Once the technology matured, the construction speed would be faster.
Now it seems that Sean has great foresight and overall planning ability. The steel and coal produced by his steel company and coal company in Northern Genoa are directly transported here through the railway, and there is no worries about sales. Whether it is shipbuilding, steam engines, railways,
It also consumes a huge amount of steel and coal, and the linkage between various undertakings is excellent, producing extremely high overall benefits.
As for the chimneys standing behind the shipyard, it is the industrial area of East Poitou. There is a branch of the railway line that runs through the entire industrial area.
As one of the undesirable consequences of economic development, the air here always smells of coal smoke, so wealthy people move to West Poitou.
Philip felt like he was back in Gyeonggi, but obviously the industry here was more concentrated, led by heavy industries such as shipbuilding and trains and locomotives. Basically, they were the two black economic forces of steel and coal.
Philip did not see Sean among the warmly welcoming crowd.
Someone told him that because Sean was training the National Army in the north, he took the train south yesterday and expected to arrive in Poitou in the evening.
The Poitou people held a grand ceremony for the prince, and the way from the dock to a private residence prepared for him by the Kovar family was filled with flowers and processions.
Philip refused to ride in a carriage. He rode slowly on horseback and waved to the people. He deliberately expressed the goodwill and affinity of the royal family in order to save the royal family's precarious credibility.
The prince has always been known for his intelligence and affability. He has always had a good image among his subjects, and many people even subconsciously distinguish him from the royal family.
In the prince's opinion, at least the people of Genoa are satisfied with their current life, which can be seen from the decent clothes and excited mental state of ordinary citizens on the street.
Count Scott Koval also accompanied the prince back to Poitou. However, due to the space limitations of the Kliman, Philip and Count Torres and their personal guards and servants filled the battleship to the limit. This was already the prince's.
The result of repeated downsizing of a row.
Therefore, Count Koval had no choice but to take another warship.
This trip was nothing for the young prince, but it was not easy for Count Koval, who was nearly sixty years old. After all, it was a warship and there were no luxurious suites. The small space and hard bed inside the warship made his waist tight.
It's about to break.
Returning to Poitou was more emotional for Count Coval, because in the ten years since he left Poitou, his hometown had changed so much that he could no longer recognize it.
This change has mainly occurred rapidly in the past six or seven years.
After accompanying the prince to a luxurious private residence owned by the family, Count Koval got into a luxurious carriage sent by his family.
His nephew Sidya Koval reported to him important news:
"Earl Connery recently submitted a report to the Estates-General, requesting permission to send troops north."
"This is a big event. How does public opinion view this issue?" Count Koval asked.
"Half and half!" Sidya replied, "Morally and responsibilities speaking, the Genoese should make their own contribution to the country, but others claim that the National Army has no urgent need to cross the Otter Mountains and it is not worth it.
Bloodshed and adventure. Some of them believe that if the National Army goes to the battlefield, all costs should be borne by the state, and the Genoese have already spent too much money."
"Yes, we have already spent too much money, and people are selfish." Count Koval said, "Why did Count Connery file this report?"
"It is said that Earl Connery wanted to make his own meritorious service to the country. After all, he was the recipient of the Golden Dragon Order." Sidya said, "Of course, no one doubts his military talent. Opponents
It’s not against him personally, but I think the war in the north has nothing to do with us in the south.”
"But it's very delicate to raise it at this time." Count Koval shrugged, "Isn't it?"
"Uncle, what do you mean?" Sidya asked.
"I guess Count Connery is just stating his position, especially when His Royal Highness Philip arrives." Count Koval said, "As a noble, my opinion is also the same. In matters of national justice, we must do
Impeccable.”
"I understand." Sidiya said.
"My nephew, you have to remember that the interests of the Koval family and Earl Connally are currently aligned. The Earl's influence has far exceeded that of the Koval family because he can bring benefits to the widest range of people.
The interests, including the Koval family, are really formidable!"
"yes!"
"In fact, when I received the order to accompany His Highness to go south, I was very surprised because I didn't get any information beforehand. But today I seem to understand that Your Highness is here specifically for the National Army. Such an army cannot but say
There are some signs that the royal family is uneasy." Count Koval said, "By the way, Your Majesty needs to observe the true thoughts of the Genoese people through His Highness's eyes. By the way, Professor Major who publicly proposed the 'Southern Alliance' is now
Where?"
"Mr. Major is now the confidential secretary of Earl Connery," Sidia said. "This is a very outstanding scholar. Many people admire him. Of course, some people accuse him of being a conspirator and a traitor."
"This is intriguing." Count Koval said, "I heard in the Holy City that someone wanted to arrest him for treason. Apparently he is now under the protection of Sean. At least no one dares to touch him in Genoa."
In fact, he had already discussed deep-seated issues with Sean in their letters using obscure language to test the young noble's views. It seemed that the young earl was already making preparations.
The carriage stopped because there was a railway crossing in front of it, and someone lowered the railings to prohibit pedestrians from passing.
Soon, a train loaded with coal rumbled past, with more than a dozen cargo carriages dragged behind the front of the train like a long queue.
Count Koval watched for a long time. Until the carriage left the crossing, he still looked back at the back of the train.
"This is a train. Uncle must have never seen it before. I will take you for a ride on the train another day." Sidya couldn't help but smile.
He said this as if his uncle was a country bumpkin.
"Nonsense, of course I haven't seen it before. I just lamented the great changes in my hometown." Count Koval said, "I have to admit that Count Connery has brought too many benefits to Genoa. This is where his confidence lies."