Rain lashed down outside the window.
"Our target assembly point this time is here — Amedlin Port."
The meeting room was sparsely occupied — only Fatty,
"The reason for choosing Amedlin Port is that it's only a day and a night's sailing from Hidden Gold Bay, and just two days' travel from the Mana Hill Plains front line. Even if our family's Northern Fleet suffers a setback at Hidden Gold Bay and fails to destroy the Invincible Fleet as originally planned, it won't hinder us from executing the contingency plan to reinforce Brovik City.
Of course, if we can smoothly destroy the Invincible Fleet, land at Hidden Gold Bay, and capture Morant City, that would be the ideal outcome. We could deliver the heaviest possible blow to the Mercantile Alliance in the shortest time at the smallest cost, forcing them to sign an armistice with our kingdom. This war has been raging for over two years now. Both the Mercantile Alliance and our kingdom have suffered tremendous casualties and losses. The time has come to bring this bloody conflict to an end.
Sending troops to aid His Majesty the King is not a matter of self-interest or mere obedience to a royal decree, nor is it because we are warmongers who crave battle. Bear in mind that the King's only condition for our deployment was to grant our family administrative control over the Province of Yungeshangdela — a barren province that will require enormous development investment from our family before it can be of any use. We certainly have no reason to sacrifice the lives of countless loyal and brave family soldiers for the sake of one such province.
Our reason for entering this war is to bring it to a halt, and at the same time to teach the Mercantile Alliance a lesson. The
All right, everything Lorist had just said was bluster — every person in the room knew it full well. The real reason for adopting Malek's proposal was, in truth, to go raid and plunder Morant City. It was the wealthiest city on the entire Galentea Continent, a gathering place of riches and the continent's foremost commercial metropolis. If Malek's plan succeeded, seizing Morant City and stripping it of its wealth would be a supremely gratifying affair. Moreover, Morant City had never once fallen to an enemy. Once the Norton Family's forces captured it, both fame and fortune would be theirs.
Of course, Lorist wasn't speaking without purpose. He had to provide himself and the family's armed forces with a righteous and honorable justification. He couldn't very well tell the family soldiers, "Come with me, everyone — we're going to loot Morant City..."
So the Mercantile Alliance's actions over the past two years — sending Sword Saints into the Northland to track down Lorist's whereabouts and assassinate him while his severe injuries had yet to heal, conspiring with Steward Hansk to incite a civil war within the family, slaughtering soldiers at the artillery training base, and making off with a massive haul of weapon and equipment blueprints designed by Master Seid — all of this provided the perfect pretext. Never mind whether those Sword Saints had actually done all of it or not; once the mud was flung, those Sword Saints wouldn't dare show up before Lorist, a Sword Saint, to argue out the truth of the matter...
Genorio sat to the side, quill scratching furiously across parchment. He had to transcribe every word of Lorist's speech, then have it printed as pamphlets and distributed to all of the family's armed forces, so that every soldier would grasp this simple truth: our raid on Morant City is an act of justice. We represent the righteous side, punishing the despicable and shameless Mercantile Alliance. Everything we seize shall serve as compensation the Mercantile Alliance owes to our Norton Family...
Lorist had no intention of turning his family's armed forces into a bandit gang, so a healthy dose of rhetoric was absolutely necessary — ideological work had to be taken seriously. Experience had shown that robbery carried out with organization, discipline, and a full sense of justice was the most efficient kind. In his previous life, his homeland had delivered a thundering slap to the face of that arrogant monkey nation on the southern border. After a swift counterattack, the troops withdrew home, and that neighboring country's once wealthiest and most developed region was left without a single telephone pole still standing — the best proof of all. So ideological work had to continue...
"...This war should never have occurred. The Mercantile Alliance illegally seized the former Krisen Empire's territories. Our Andinak Kingdom has inherited the Krisen Empire's legal succession, and His Majesty the King is the legitimate bloodline heir of the Krisen royal house. Therefore, our reunification of the Krisen Empire's former territories is entirely justified, and restoring the glory of the former Krisen Empire is both our duty and our responsibility.
His Majesty had no desire to wage war against the Mercantile Alliance. He wished only to negotiate in good faith and sign a peace accord. But as everyone already knows, the Mercantile Alliance violated the noble tradition of honor, broke their oaths, and played treacherous schemes during the peace talks — not only attempting to abduct His Majesty, but launching a sneak attack with their forces, causing this unnecessary war to drag on until now.
Our Norton Family has committed forces to this war in order to punish the unjust Mercantile Alliance and bring this cruel conflict to an end, sparing the peoples of both our nations from further misfortune and catastrophe. May every soldier of our family fulfill his duty and fight with valor, earning undying merit for our family and our kingdom, and bringing the dawn of peace and hope to the innocent people suffering in this war!"
Lorist wiped the sweat from his forehead. Thank goodness he'd only had to speak in the meeting room this time. Due to time constraints, the family's four great legions had already made their own travel arrangements, so there had been no pre-deployment parade speech — otherwise, he wasn't sure he could have produced such a sanctimonious string of rhetoric in front of a public crowd.
This had been an impromptu idea. Malek had suggested that as the family head, Lorist ought to give the departing soldiers a pep talk to boost morale. It looked like he'd need to cultivate a staff of speechwriters in the future. Lorist had once looked down on
Genorio had finished transcribing Lorist's speech. He tidied up the manuscript and handed it over. Lorist read it through once, then signed his name. The document would then be printed in countless copies and sent to each of the four great legions heading out on the campaign. As for whether the soldiers would use the pamphlets to wipe their backsides or keep them as souvenirs, that was none of Lorist's concern. The only thing that truly mattered was making the family's soldiers believe that the raid on Morant City was a righteous act.
With the nonsense out of the way, it was time for business. Lorist called on Fatty Shi first.
"Baron Shrade, by agreeing to the king's request for troops, the province of Yungoshandra now falls under the family's jurisdiction. I intend to appoint Sudekamp as acting governor of Yungoshandra Province to oversee its development plan in full. As the Steward of the family's Administrative Hall, Sudekamp reports directly to you — you'll need to monitor and supervise the execution of the development plan."
Fatty Shi rose to his feet. "Your Highness, the Administrative Hall originally planned to have Sudekamp oversee the development of Muyeyuan Province. If he's being sent to Yungoshandra, may I suggest Baron Hiked take over Muyeyuan?"
Lorist nodded. "Appoint Baron Hiked as governor of Muyeyuan Province. Have him manage the development affairs there according to the original plan."
Next, Lorist turned his gaze to Steward Spear. "Steward Spear, starting this year the family will be developing both Muyeyuan and Yungoshandra provinces. The development funds for both must be disbursed on time. Is that clear?"
Steward Spear stood and nodded. "Your Highness, rest assured. I'll handle the financial oversight."
The third was
"Steward Kodan, you're in charge of establishing a patrol police system in the Northland and our other administered territories. This is of paramount importance to the security of our family's domains — you absolutely cannot be lax about it. This will also serve as the family's second armed force. The candidates for leadership positions in each town and city must be selected carefully, otherwise it will affect the reputation and authority of our Norton Family among the populace..." Lorist said.
Steward Kodan stood and replied with a serious expression. "Your Highness, I understand. All local leadership positions will be filled from retired officers of the family's armed forces. They have already proven their loyalty and reliability to the family. I've also arranged for them to be trained and then reassigned to different posts, with performance evaluations and rotations conducted every five years."
"Good," Lorist said. "As soldiers, what's needed is loyalty and courage. As patrol officers, they need to be meticulous, impartial, and law-abiding. From now on, the family's garrison legions will no longer interfere in local administrative affairs — except in cases of natural disasters or unrest. Maintaining order in the family's territories and ensuring the safety of the people will be left to your patrol police."
Steward Kodan bowed his head. "Yes, Your Highness. We will do our utmost."
"Mm, Malek, now it's your turn. Tell us the current situation of the family's four great legions."
Malek stood up with an expressionless face, flipped open a white folder in his hands, and began his report: "Your Highness, according to the comprehensive plans of our Armed Forces Department, the Bedrock Legion has already sailed to Shilowas Island. They will spend the rainy season on the island before setting out for Amertrin Port. They will then decide their next move based on the outcome of the battle between the Northern Sea Fleet and the Trade League's Invincible Fleet—whether to reinforce His Majesty the King or to land at Morant City."
"The Flying Tiger Legion and the Hunter Cavalry Legion have already reached Vandenas City in Draelmuk Province. After the rainy season, they will travel overland to Amertrin Port. The twentieth of May is the arrival date for both legions—there should still be a few days' margin for two cavalry legions. The Guard Legion was tasked with logistics and supply support this time, and they were the first of the family's armed forces to depart. According to messenger hawk communications, they used sleds during winter to reach Flowing Water River, where they established a logistics and supply headquarters."
"The overall logistics commander for the four main legions' expedition is still Baron Camola. He will be stationed at the Armed Forces Department to manage the allocation and coordination of all logistics, equipment, and supplies for the expeditionary forces. Meanwhile, Commander Terelman and I will continue to reorganize the garrison legions in the Northland and the provinces under our jurisdiction, so they can become a reliable family fighting force as soon as possible."
Lorist nodded with satisfaction, gestured for Malek to sit, then turned to look at Terelman sitting next to Malek: "Terelman, are you upset that your knight order wasn't sent on the expedition? This is the second time the order has been kept from battle. Your knights have been grumbling quite a lot..."
Terelman stood up, his face flushed: "Your Highness, our Iron Bear Knight Order obeys the family's arrangements, but we truly do hope to be sent to battle to earn merit for the family..."
[Your knights] also serve a law enforcement role on the side. Looking at the current situation of all the main forces in the family's armed forces, there really isn't a more suitable unit than the Iron Bear Knights to remain and guard the family's territory. Don't worry—there will be opportunities for you to fight in the future."
Terelman gave a knight's salute: "Your Highness, I too look forward to the day we can march out to battle."
Lorist tapped his fingers on the tabletop: "In fact, the key to this expedition lies with the Northern Sea Fleet. Malek, at the end of February, Sembawood reported on the Northern Sea Fleet's two engagements with the Invincible Fleet, and he requested punishment, taking responsibility for the loss of two torpedo attack ships, four large armed warships, and nearly a thousand fallen soldiers and officers. Has the Armed Forces Department reached any conclusions or opinions on how to handle this?"
Malek stood up once again: "Your Highness, after investigation, the Armed Forces Department believes that the Northern Sea Fleet's losses during the second engagement were not Admiral Sembawood's fault—his command contained no errors. The loss of six warships was due to falling into the enemy's trap. On the contrary, after escaping danger, the Northern Sea Fleet under Admiral Sembawood's command fought brilliantly. From this perspective, Admiral Sembawood deserves credit, not blame."
"So you believe the Northern Sea Fleet has a chance of defeating the Invincible Fleet and escorting our family's armed forces to land at Morant City?"
"It'll be tough." Malek thought for a moment before answering: "Your Highness, the Northern Sea Fleet has clashed twice with the Fourth Squadron of the Invincible Fleet stationed at Hidden Gold Bay. The Fourth Squadron has already been battered by the Northern Sea Fleet, but the Invincible Fleet still has two full squadrons in the southern seas. Although Admiral Sembawood burned every warship of the Third Squadron during his surprise raid on El Niba Port, when the First and Second Squadrons return to Hidden Gold Bay, the Invincible Fleet's warship numbers will still overwhelm the Northern Sea Fleet. Our torpedo attack ships are too few—only fourteen remain..."
"Warship numbers aren't something you need to worry about. The Bull's Horn Bay shipyard has been working day and night to refit the remaining warships, and Master Hiddle has forged nearly three hundred bronze cannons. Sixteen whaling ships have already been converted into large torpedo attack ships, and by the end of April, over eighty more large and medium-sized armed warships will be equipped with bronze cannons. The cost of warship refitting and bronze cannon installation alone ran the family an extra two million or so gold Fortes. With these warships, I believe defeating the Invincible Fleet shouldn't be a problem." Lorist said with a touch of pride.
"Your Highness, if that's the case, I'd hope the Northern Sea Fleet could lure the Invincible Fleet out of Hidden Gold Bay for a decisive naval battle. After defeating or destroying the Invincible Fleet, they can then attack Hidden Gold Bay—this would reduce the Northern Sea Fleet's losses. However, looking at combat power, the Northern Sea Fleet's greatest weakness is its lack of high-end combat strength. Just as Admiral Sembawood reported, a single Sword Saint slaughtered every crew member aboard a torpedo attack ship..."
A grim smile crept across Lorist's face. "High-end combat strength? No problem. I, along with Reddy and Sword Saint Hughes, will sail to Silovas Island after the rainy season. When the time comes, we'll bring the Guard Battalion aboard to provide assistance. Heh heh, I'd actually love to see whether the Invincible Fleet has a Sword Saint stationed aboard."
...