Chapter 304 It seems that we need to meet the mysterious Mr. Prince
The pointed fortress is located on the steep sea cliff, and the imperial flag is buzzing high in the sky.
The spacious port is filled with sail warships and steam supply ships, and soldiers and dock workers are rushing in and out like a tide.
This is St. Ilburg, the empire's military stronghold in the New World and the hub of the "Mistral Route".
Him Half a year ago, when the legions of hell raided Port Sardo, General Hamelton's troops marched out from here for reinforcements.
The weather outside the fortress is good today, the sky is clear and cloudless, and seagulls are hovering around the flag.
It's just that the air still contains the dampness and saltiness brought by the sea breeze.
Just two weeks ago, a sudden storm hit here and lasted for a whole week.
Fortunately, St. Il's Castle has solid stone walls, meticulous underground drainage channels, and the most critical spellcasting group.
Under the protection of the barriers put up by the mages one after another, this towering fortress was able to maintain its vitality and was not blown away from the map.
It was a thrilling week.
When I think about it now, the soldiers in the fortress will still get chills down their spines, thankful for the blessing of Saint Sith.
In short, St. Ilburg was unscathed for the time being.
But poor Porto Saldo was not so lucky.
It was an important supply port for the empire on the coast of the New World, and it was also the throat leading from the empire's mainland to the inland colonies.
Now, the port has been reduced to ruins. The pontoons in the port area were torn apart, the warehouses were swallowed by the sea water, and the entire coastline was shattered as if it had been severely chewed by some giant thing.
Even when the legions of hell occupied it, they never caused such serious damage!
There are many rumors about this tsunami.
Some people say it is a giant monster that suddenly appears in the deep sea, others say it is a subspace demon descending on the sea, and others describe it as an ulterior conspiracy from hell.
But no matter what it is.
Humlton can be sure that the thing lurking in the storm is definitely not a kind thing...
The command room of the fortress was filled with smoke.
General Hamelton was sitting on a large oak chair, wearing a military uniform with a stern look on his face.
He held a heavy pipe in his mouth, with light blue smoke rising from the copper mouth. He listened motionlessly to the quartermaster's report, his eyes fixed on the strategic map spread out on the table.
I saw densely packed flags on the strategic map, and many ports and routes were circled in red or marked with a red cross.
That means "temporarily invalid".
"...This storm almost destroyed one-third of our fleet deployed on the east coast of the New World," the Quartermaster said in a low tone, with his head buried in the air. "Especially the supply ships stationed in Port Sardo and Seagull Bay suffered particularly heavy losses due to their inability to escape the storm in time. Currently, all supply lines in the entire eastern part of the New World are paralyzed, not just here... Several other fortresses are probably also having a headache now."
The empire has no rivals on the vast ocean. The usual mission of warships is to support battles on land or fight pirates.
As for supply ships, pirates generally do not dare to rob them, and it is difficult to sell the things they robbed, so they do not need very advanced power at all. Sailboats are enough.
The biggest damage caused by this storm are also these old sailing ships.
Hamilton did not speak, but slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
The quartermaster's Adam's apple moved, and he struggled to squeeze out the cruel truth from his mouth.
"According to the news from the rear headquarters, it will take at least three months for them to replenish the ships and reorganize supplies! General... We must admit that we may not be able to count on them for the time being."
Three months is a conservative estimate.
Although supply ships are not as troublesome as warships, it is also extremely troublesome to recruit so many ships in a short period of time.
Hamilton knocked the ashes in his pipe and said in a hoarse voice.
"What's your suggestion?"
The quartermaster hesitated for a moment, but then said it.
"We may have to... seek help from private forces."
The air was silent for a moment.
General Hamelton narrowed his eyes and was silent in thought.
This sentence is very vague. To put it into perspective, it is nothing more than relying on the power of the major chambers of commerce in the empire.
It's not that he doesn't trust those chambers of commerce, but the prices they offer are often not cheap. Turning to those guys for help may solve the immediate problem, but he will definitely face new troubles after three months - such as asking him to turn a blind eye to their smuggling business.
Being able to conduct business to the extent of controlling thousands of ships is not something that ordinary merchants can do. Behind them are basically the nobles of the empire.
It is unrealistic to expect to eat these people clean and then kick them away. Once you get on their pirate ship, it will be difficult to get off.
However, the reality is that there is indeed not much supply in the warehouse of St. Ilburg, and he can never convince the soldiers to agree to starve.
Hamilton's brows furrowed.
Even when facing the indiscriminate bombardment of hell's magic crystal cannon, he has never felt as troublesome as he does now.
Perhaps...
This problem can only be left to the Governor.
Slowly taking off the pipe, Hamelton was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.
He calmed down, signaled the quartermaster to retreat, and then said in a deep voice.
companies
The door opened, and an officer in navy uniform strode in.
His posture is tall and straight, his steps are neat, and the face under the military hat is a familiar face - it is the captain of the "Grace", Derek Hawthorne.
The captain, who had narrowly escaped the storm, had just docked at St. Ilburg and immediately reported something important, so Hamelton summoned him.
Passing by the quartermaster who was leaving the room, Derek walked to the table and stood at attention, giving a standard military salute.
Hummelton raised his head and looked at him.
"I heard that you have something important to report to me in person."
Derek nodded and said seriously.
"Yes, I have compiled a written report on the unusual circumstances of this voyage, but there are some contents that I think still need to be explained in person."
Hammelton made a "please speak" gesture.
With the general's acquiescence, Derek did not hesitate and immediately told everything he had seen and heard in the continent of Janna.
"First of all, regarding the political power of the region - the local area is ruled by a political entity that calls itself the "United Kingdom of Gutav". Its main race is the lizard people common in the coastal areas of the Whirlpool Sea. They have their own culture and religious beliefs, and have established a relatively mature civilized society. They are not the loose primitive tribes we encountered in the New World. "
He paused and looked solemn.
“The most shocking thing is that they seem to have mastered steam power technology that is more mature and even more advanced in some aspects than the empire.”
Is steam power technology superior to the Empire?
How is this possible!
If this is the case, the steamships of the Gutav United Kingdom should be scattered across the vast ocean, not the glorious empire.
Although he was dissatisfied with the information provided by Derek, General Hamelton did not interrupt him, but motioned for him to continue.
Derek paused for a moment and continued.
"Secondly, there is another thing that surprised me - although this is the first time I have heard of the existence of the continent of Janna, there are already traces of the existence of imperial colonies on this land." With a hint of playfulness, he said, "How did our colonists colonize an area that does not exist on the sea map?"
"I was surprised at first, but after contacting the local residents, I think I have found the answer."
Derek nodded and continued cautiously.
"The local residents are mainly refugees of unknown origin. According to my observation, among them there are suspected to be sailors who died in the shipwreck, as well as descendants of the missing crew members."
Hamlton grinned.
「原来如此，搞了半天这些年来失踪的船员都去了那儿……我还以为那个会吞船的海域是什么谣言。」
「这……我不知道，但根据我的观察, I'm afraid not in recent years. According to the locals themselves, Deadwood Port has a history of more than a hundred years. An imperial prince named Roxai Colin ruled there. While establishing order in the area, he also claimed colonial rights in the area on behalf of the empire. "
Looking at Hamelton who looked surprised, Derek continued speaking in a hurry.
"During my stay, Prince Colin did not show up. Instead, his vassal, an Imperial Baron named Teach Kosia, served as the lord of the barony area around Deadwood Port. The nearest Deadwood Port was under the responsibility of Governor Kedeson appointed by Teach."
"According to the baron, "Cosia" "Prince Lin" had a military conflict with the United Kingdom of Gutav, and has currently signed a ceasefire agreement and is in a state of truce."
"The two sides agreed to use the Sun Step Mountains as the boundary and set up trade routes, at least on the surface, peace was maintained."
He said this, his eyes dropped slightly and his tone was dark.
"Originally, I planned to stay there for three to five days to resupply and observe the situation, but in view of the many doubts and complexities of what I saw, I decided to return immediately on the day the ship was repaired."
"In addition, regarding this matter——"
Derek paused, and a complicated look appeared on his face.
"My ship's steam power system was severely damaged in the storm, and I thought there was no hope of repairing it in a short time, but... Baron Teach sent a messenger to bring in repairmen from the United Kingdom of Gutav, and it only took half a day to complete the repair!"
Hamilton's expression finally changed slightly.
Although he does not know much about the technical aspects of repair, he is clear based on common sense - a fault that is enough to cause the battleship to break down cannot be solved in half a day!
Most of the time, it takes their engineers at least half a day to find out where the problem lies!
In the end, this guy said that the natives on Janna continent repaired it in just half a day? !
What a hell joke!
As if seeing the shock and disbelief on Hamelton's face, Derek continued to tell him the most shocking fact -
"...They not only repaired our engine, but also repaired our power components. Improvements have been made, increasing its operating efficiency by at least 30%! "
"I can swear to Saint Sith that everything I said today is not exaggerated. You only need to arrange for a craftsman to come to the Grace to take a look."
After Derek finished speaking, he stood upright and waited quietly for instructions, without disturbing General Hamelton's judgment and thinking.
Hammerton had been smoking for a long time, and suddenly put down his pipe, stared into his eyes sharply, and said.
"The technology of the steam engine...could it be leaked to them by Prince Colin."
Derek hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said.
"This... I don't know, but judging from the level of engineers dispatched by the United Kingdom of Gutav, even our engineers who graduated from the Royal Naval Academy are inferior to us. I don't think Mr. Roxey Colin also graduated from the Royal Naval Academy."
This is...
I think that the ancestor of the imperial prince was also an unlucky guy who was washed ashore. Otherwise, so many years would not have passed, and the continent of Janna would have been lying in the vast ocean without any news.
According to the opinion of the chief spell caster of the St. Ilburg Mage Group, this big storm should have destroyed a certain barrier on the vast ocean, causing the Janna continent's concealment method to fail.
As for why there is a barrier there that isolates the entire continent, and what is hidden under the barrier... we can only leave it to the adventurers of the empire to find out.
They are the best at this.
Hammerton's brows relaxed slightly, but then he frowned again.
After all, if the technology of steam engines did not flow into the Kingdom of Gutav from Prince Colin, it would mean that the locals relied on their own wisdom to develop maritime power tools that were not inferior to—or even stronger than—the empire!
It’s a good thing that they have no interest in sailing.
Otherwise, I don't know what kind of terrifying monster this storm has unleashed...
"What's the local population? What's the productivity situation? What clothes do they wear? What kind of transportation do they use? Horse-drawn carriages? Or rickshaws?" The thoughts in Hamelton's mind were spinning rapidly, and he quickly asked Derek.
Derek was caught off guard for a moment. After all, he didn't stay there for too long. He could only shake his head and replied cautiously.
“My stay there was too short, so I don’t know the specific situation of the Kingdom of Gutav. However, with the reproduction speed of the Lizardmen, as long as there is no shortage of food, their footprints may have spread all over the entire continent of Janna... As for technological capabilities, I think we can refer to the many vassal states of the empire, such as the Kingdom of Lane, which is good at steam power technology.”
The Principality of Campbell under the Kingdom of Lane is the empire's largest shipbuilding base on the northeastern coast of the Whirlpool Sea. It is second only to the Royal Shipyard in the Holy City in terms of scale. Technically, it may be a little ahead. After all, it seems to be the birthplace of the steam engine.
Hamilton continued to ask.
"Where is Deadwood Port?"
Derrick answered quickly.
"I heard there were one or two thousand people...but I only saw a hundred or so."
Hammelton frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Derrick continued.
�
Hamilton's eyes flickered slightly.
"It seems they have a good relationship with the local lizard people?"
Derrick lightly shrugged his shoulders.
"I think this is normal. If they had a stalemate... given their isolation and helplessness, I'm afraid they would have become the opponent's meal."
This is the truth.
With the lizardmen on the opposite side being able to jump onto the deck with ease, if there was no technological difference between the two sides, the entire colony would have been wiped out in minutes.
That Roxsay Colin is the prince of the empire, and his strength may not be weak, but after all, he is only one person and cannot change the entire situation of the war.
He is not a professional army general, but he still has common sense - it is unrealistic to rely on a group of civilians washed up on the beach to fight against the entire kingdom.
What's more, that dragon god seemed to be quite powerful in the first era?
I just don’t know why he suddenly disappeared.
Looking at Captain Derek standing in front of the oak table, Hamelton fell into deep thought again, tapping his index finger lightly on the table.
A closed kingdom with a huge population, with steam power technology that is not inferior to the empire. Its achievements in the extraordinary field are unknown, but it is not too weak...
Those are Gutafu's people after all.
To this day, there are still a large number of adventurers on Osland practicing the "Qi" skills left behind.
Humlton suddenly felt a slight movement in his heart when he thought of this.
If this Gutav Kingdom is really that powerful.
Perhaps——
Perhaps they can solve the supply shortage problem faced by St. Ilburg! ?
His thoughts immediately opened up when he thought of this, and his eyes quickly looked at the strategic map spread out on the table, and his eyes gradually became brighter.
Collaborating with pagans is certainly unsettling, but from a practical point of view, it is better than mixing with the white gloves raised by the nobles of the Holy City.
At least he has no intersection of interests with Prince Colin, and the latter does not have enough ability to force him to make concessions on the bottom line issue.
And you can also take this opportunity to find out the reality of the Gutav United Kingdom!
Hamilton quickly raised his head, looked at Derek and asked.
"How far is it from here to there?"
Derek was stunned for a moment and answered immediately.
"If it's fast, it will arrive in one week, if it's slow, two weeks is enough!"
Hamilton was overjoyed.
It will take another four to eight weeks to get from the Empire mainland to St. Ilburg!
The time saved by this shipping trip was even enough for him to help the Deadwood Port build a port for transferring supplies!
If they can get part of the supplies from Janna continent, they can allocate the saved transportation capacity to the transportation of key supplies.
Saint Sith does not prohibit believers from eating pagan food.
And——
He actually does not necessarily need to have too much contact with the pagans on the continent of Janna. He can completely use Roxai Colin as a middleman. In this way, his supplies will be purchased from the colonies of the empire, and even the Holy City will not say anything!
This matter may not be possible, but as long as there is hope, it is worth a try!
It didn’t take long for Hamelton to make a decision. He pushed away the oak chair and stood up, speaking vigorously.
"It seems that we need to meet the mysterious Mr. Prince!"