The booms of the cannons rang out one after another. The fifty-six-meter-long warship, Stormwind, was like a fire-breathing beast, its form flickering amidst the flames and billowing white smoke as it launched deadly projectiles…
Three hundred meters away, a steep cliff crumbled under the deafening blasts, large boulders cascading down onto the crashing surf below.
"Hss…" Semba Wood held up his spyglass, his mouth agape. The scene before him had surpassed his wildest imagination. He could never have dreamed that the bronze cannons Lorence had spoken of possessed such terrifying power. For a moment, he was too stunned for words.
After a good while, Semba Wood finally recovered, his face alight with manic joy. "M-my lord, with a warship like this, I can guarantee that no fleet on Galentea will ever be a match for our family again…"
"Mm." Lorence nodded, but his thoughts were still consumed by the two war reports he had received yesterday.
According to the report from Rummert regarding the Kingdom of Trinboro, Lorence had made a strategic deduction on his map the previous night. To his surprise, he had reached a conclusion: besides the expected annihilation of the Kingdom of Trinboro, at least four or five smaller nations among the eleven-country coalition that had sent reinforcements would also suffer collateral damage—excluding the Duchy of Urubaha and the Duchy of Drelia, which had already been absorbed by the Commerce Alliance.
In other words, after the Glass War concluded, the Commerce Alliance's territory would balloon four- to fivefold, vaulting it to become the third-largest power on the Galentea Continent. This wasn't in terms of influence or commercial strength, but tangible territory; its administered land area would surpass the fractured remnants of the former Krisen Empire, making it the third-largest nation on the continent by landmass.
If given just a few more years to digest and integrate these annexed states, even if the
For Lorence, the biggest surprise was that the Chike Commerce had actually claimed the Duchy of Urubaha as its own commercial territory. This was good news; it meant the Chike Commerce had completely abandoned its bid to seize the Silovas Islands for that purpose. Studying the map, Lorence recognized this as an exceptionally wise choice for them. With the Duchy of Urubaha as their territory, the Chike Commerce could more firmly secure its control over Galentea's southern Golden Coastline, without having to waste its strength in a protracted war against the
"My Lord, my Lord…" Semba Wood called out for a long while before Lorence finally snapped back to his senses.
"What is it?" Lorence asked.
Semba Wood looked a little embarrassed. "My Lord, I was hoping to go down and watch the bronze cannons being fired. May I?"
Lorence laughed in spite of himself. "Semba Wood, you're the captain of the Storm now. You can do whatever you like, as long as you don't sink the ship to the bottom of the sea. Go ahead and watch. Getting to know this warship's performance and understanding its characteristics as quickly as possible is your duty as captain. There's no need to ask me."
Back when those twenty-four bronze cannons had first been installed on the Storm and fired for the very first time, the shockwaves had immediately cracked several large fissures in the brand-new warship, seawater pouring in through the gaps. It had barely managed to limp back to the Ox Horn Bay shipyard for repairs, which had taken three full days to complete. These days, a cannon firing exercise no longer produced such disasters. Once Semba Wood had familiarized himself with the ship, Lorence would set off for the Silovas Islands.
After two more rounds of cannon fire, Semba Wood finally returned to the bridge with a face full of elation. "My Lord, this is truly an unparalleled warship! Outstanding handling, nimble and responsive turning, and speed like the wind — apart from Dawn's Flying Fish, no other vessel can compare to this Storm. And with these thunderous bronze cannons for long-range firepower, this is a genuinely invincible warship. No vessel can get close to the Storm…"
The Storm was a three-masted sailing warship, designed and built by the many shipwrights of the Ox Horn Bay shipyard as a new type of ocean-going sailing warship. Using Dawn's Flying Fish as their template, they had pooled their collective expertise and incorporated its best features into the design. The ship measured fifty-six meters in length, with a hull beam of ten meters and a width at the gunwale of eight meters. Standing eleven point seven meters tall and divided into four decks, the lowest held ballast, the third served as cargo hold, the second housed the gun deck — twelve bronze cannons mounted on each side, twenty-four in total. The uppermost level comprised the deck, cabins, and bridge.
Beyond the twenty-four bronze cannons, their twenty-four gun crews of a hundred and twenty men, the Storm carried a full complement of a hundred and twenty-eight sailors, with a minimum crew requirement of just fifty-two. She could also transport two squadrons — two hundred marines — and whether in close-quarters combat or long-range bombardment, she could handle it all with ease. No wonder Semba Wood considered her an invincible warship.
Lorence chuckled. "At the Ox Horn Bay shipyard, five more identical cannon warships are currently under construction. By next year, you should have six Storms in your fleet. A cannon fleet assembled from all of them — now that would be a truly invincible fleet, far more deserving of the name than the so-called Invincible Fleet the Commerce Alliance keeps in Hidden Gold Bay."
Semba Wood scoffed. "My Lord, that Invincible Fleet of Hidden Gold Bay is a joke. They just rely on sheer numbers to gain an advantage when boarding in close combat. In a real fight, those retrofitted large merchant ships are slow as turtles compared to the Storm. Never mind anything else — the Storm's cannons alone would be enough to send every last one of their converted merchant ships to the bottom of the sea…"
She was like a moving castle, top-heavy and unwieldy. In the calm waters of Hidden Gold Bay she could still put on a good show, but once she reached the Sorrow Sea she was clearly out of her element — always having to worry about rough seas capsizing the warship.
"Good to hear you're confident, Semba Wood. While you're familiarizing yourself with the ship, make sure you record every weakness you discover that makes it unsuitable for naval combat. We can make improvements during the construction of the next five cannon warships. Once those five are complete, the shipyard will build a real giant — a five-masted sailing warship stretching a hundred and twenty meters long, equipped with over sixty cannons..." Lorence said.
"There's an even bigger warship than that?" Semba Wood practically drooled. "My Lord, I'll work my hardest — when that warship is finished, you have to let me command it..."
……
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and Lorence was about to board the Storm for Shilowas Island. Before his departure, he convened a meeting of the family's senior leaders at the bay's main camp.
"
"Yes, my Lord." Terman saluted solemnly.
"Wasingma, Tiger Ross irresponsibly dumped two raiding cavalry regiments on you, so I'm afraid you'll have to bear the burden."
"My Lord, it's no trouble. I'm already used to it." Wasingma's reply drew laughter from everyone in the tent.
"Malek, once Dors returns this time, you and he should handle the handover of the war chariot and steel crossbow regiment. Then work with
"Yes, My Lord. Please rest assured, we will complete our tasks." Malek and Yuri stood up.
"Pete, your Mounted Archers Battalion holds position at Lying Ox Ridge. Even though the mountain barbarians haven't given us trouble these past few years, you still can't afford to be careless."
"Yes, My Lord, I understand." Pete smiled bitterly. His direct superior Jostek was the same kind of fellow as Tiger Ross — a man who loved running off with the Lord wherever he went, leaving the Mounted Archers Battalion's affairs entirely on Pete's shoulders as his deputy.
"Pachko…"
"My Lord, awaiting your orders." Pachko stood up.
"Starting today, you will serve as Beluneck's deputy. Hand over the Second Guards Battalion to your own deputy, and assist Beluneck at the Recruit Camp in reorganizing the Third Guards Battalion and establishing the Fourth and Fifth Battalions. The First Guards Division will be formed under five battalions. Beluneck will serve as Division Commander, with you as his deputy."
"Yes, My Lord." Pachko snapped to attention and saluted. He had just received a promotion.
Beluneck stood up. "My Lord, how should we arrange the stationing locations for the First Guards Division?"
Lorist had no choice in the matter. Nearly sixty thousand laborer captives had been released this year, and over fifty thousand of them wanted to remain in the family's territories — some even planned to return to bring their families back. Although the family had already launched the development of the Red River Plains, which could resettle a portion of them, the number of able-bodied men among them who met the conscription criteria was simply too great. Besides the expansion of the Heavy Armored Division and Lance Cavalry Division in the first half of the year, plus the addition of a Single-Wheeled Steel Crossbow Division, there were still nearly ten thousand young men who wanted to enlist. Those who could swim had been sent off to the Marine Training Camp, and the rest were simply stuffed into the Guards Divisions wholesale.
Steward Speer stood up. "My Lord, our family's reserves are now under one million gold Forde. Such aggressive expansion of our family's armed forces will only put further strain on our finances. Add to that all the development and construction projects ahead, and I'm worried that by May or June next year, we'll be completely out of money…"
"That's fine." Lorist waved his hand dismissively. "In a few months, our family will receive a large sum of income, more than enough for our expenses. Oh, and Steward Speer — all the new products our family is releasing this time should be handled through your negotiations with the Snow Salt Trading Company. The revenue from that won't be a trivial supplement to the family coffers."
"Yes, my Lord." Steward Speer sat back down, his face heavy with worry.
"At your service, my Lord." Boris, once the steward of the late Count Kemmis and now the head of the Civil Administration Hall, rose to his feet.
"With Knight Shrade away, the Civil Administration Hall falls under your responsibility for now. The harvest tax from the Fengle Plains this year, and the fact that the Xing'an Plains have begun collecting taxes as well — you need to press forward on both matters."
"Rest assured, my Lord. I will do my utmost." Steward Boris bowed his head in acknowledgment.
"Father Balak, the family's mines and workshops are all in your hands."
Father Balak rose and replied, "You can put your mind at ease, my Lord. I won't let you down."
"
"Yes, my Lord, I understand." Sedekamp had grown considerably more experienced over the past few years and now cut the figure of a sharp, capable man.
"
Everyone in the great tent now understood Lorist's intentions — to launch a campaign against the Hanayabada Kingdom. No one found this at all surprising. The family's domain had been attacked by these slave traders and slaving parties, suffering such devastating losses. If Lorist swallowed his pride and chose not to retaliate, he would be unworthy of his position as head of the Norton Family.
Steward Kodan's concerns were perfectly reasonable, of course. If the enemy were of the same noble class, there would be nothing to discuss — they could simply attack. But the other side was a kingdom. According to protocol, Lorist would at least have to notify the Second Prince first. The Second Prince would then represent the Andinak Kingdom in lodging protests and negotiations with the Hanayabada Kingdom, and only if communication proved impossible or satisfactory answers could not be obtained would he authorize the Norton Family to retaliate against the Hanayabada Kingdom, or allow the Andinak Kingdom to wage a campaign of its own. This was the so-called diplomatic procedure between kingdoms.
Lorist shook his head. "We can't afford to waste time. And the Second Prince is currently in the Redlis Kingdom — he'll most likely disregard something he considers a trivial matter. If we wait for his reply, who knows how long that will take. Speed is the key to victory in war. Just like how the Peterson Trade Association seized the Delia Duchy without ever notifying the Trade Alliance, didn't they?"
"My Lord, the Trade Alliance is nothing but a bunch of uncultured nouveau riche — no one would be surprised by anything they do. But we are a noble house with centuries of heritage. We should respect traditional protocols when conducting our affairs. A matter as momentous as waging war against a kingdom — it would be best to first seek the opinion of our liege lord and proceed only after receiving a reply. Otherwise, it would be very easy for others to say we are disrespecting our superiors and acting with reckless arrogance. This concerns our family's reputation, my Lord — please give it careful consideration." Steward Speer also rose to his feet to plead his case.
"Enough," Lorist said, his face darkening. "Your concerns are made for the sake of the family, and that is entirely right. But have any of you considered what our Family Knights who fell into the hands of those slave masters and slave merchants are enduring? Every additional day means another day of suffering for them, and their very lives may be at stake. If we seek the Second Prince's approval, back and forth, this entire year will pass, and we might not even have an answer by the end of next year.
Besides, has the Hanayabada Kingdom ever had any diplomatic dealings with the Andinak Kingdom? When has the Andinak Kingdom ever even recognized the Hanayabada Kingdom?
Our target this time is not a kingdom — it is nothing more than a pirate's den, a sinful port city that trades in slaves. Remember, there has never been any Hanayabada Kingdom. We are simply going to retaliate against the slave traders and slaving parties that attacked Silovas Island and rescue our family's people and subjects. As for this so-called Hanayabada Kingdom — it was fabricated by the enemy. There is no such kingdom.
Remember this: whoever offends the Norton Family shall be struck down, no matter how far they flee! Understood?"
"Yes, My Lord! Whoever offends the Norton Family shall be struck down, no matter how far they flee!"
The crowd in the great tent surged to their feet as one and roared the words back.
……
Eight days later, Lorist appeared on Silovas Island. Bodfing led a contingent of Family Knights out to welcome him.
"How many ships do we have now?" This was what Lorist cared about most.
"My Lord, Great Swordmaster Inderik, Josk, and Ross the Wild Tiger have already rallied more than thirty mid-sized warships. Combined with our existing vessels, that's enough to transport over twenty thousand men. The Peterson Trading Company has written back to say they can lend us fourteen ships — four large ocean-going merchant vessels and ten mid-sized warships — though those ships won't arrive at Silovas Island until the end of August." Bodfing answered.
"Good." Lorist nodded. That meant if Inderik and the others could rally another fifty or sixty mid-sized ships, they'd have more than enough to transport over thirty thousand Family troops to the Hanayabada Archipelago. They could set sail in September.
"How's the morale of the Family forces? Any particular opinions or discussions about this expedition?"
"My Lord, everyone has been enraged by the horrors on this island. The second batch of soldiers who arrived didn't see it firsthand, but hearing the cleanup crews describe it was enough to make their blood boil. Every last one of them is itching to teach those slavers and slave owners a lesson they won't forget."
"That's fine. We've got the momentum, and we're not losing it. While the fleet makes its run to Northland to bring back the remaining troops, let's use the time to tighten up combat readiness and training. I don't want anyone turning into dead weight when the time comes," Lorist said.
"Yes, my Lord."
……(To be continued...)