Volume 1: Raging Waves City Chapter 174: The Battle of Cape Harbor
When Lambert and his Cape Area Secret Service Special Forces Team 2 of 500 people arrived at Cape Harbor, Luke's detective convoy also arrived. The two imperial secret service teams joined together and entered the port area aggressively.
When the gangs on the dock saw Inspector Meteorite making such a move, they responded very actively, even though they didn't know what exactly happened. A large group of people swarmed in at once, and the tough guys all stood in front to cheer for Inspector Meteorite.
The armed merchant ship docked at the dock occupied the inner waters of Cape Harbor under the command of Lady Tassia. The gun ports on the sides of the ships were opened, and the black cannon muzzles protruded from inside.
Aim at a fleet in the port.
The fleet belonged to the Saxon Engineering Company and consisted of four ships in total, all of which were the latest steam-powered warships.
When Luke arrived at the dock, he also saw these four most advanced warships.
Adonis-class steam battleship: displacement 2,745 tons, speed 7 knots, equipped with 20 recoil-loading guns independently developed by Saxon Engineering.
Although the main structure of the ship was still made of wood, a steel armor plate with a thickness of 80 mm was added to the outside of the hull. Therefore, when facing the overwhelming number of armed merchant ships from Cape Port, the four Adonis-class steam warships were not panicked at all. They left the dock and calmly formed a defensive formation.
Come prepared!
Luke hadn't even met the Saxon Engineering team yet, but he already felt their strength. If things don't go well today, there will really be a big fight here!
At Pier 9, Luke met one of Yomington's followers.
"Hello, Inspector Meteorite." The attendant, who was facing the Saxon Engineering Fleet in the sea, saluted Luke, but his expression was very arrogant: "My master and Mr. Edgar of Saxon Engineering are waiting for you on the Coral Reef. If you want to meet them, we have prepared a small boat for you."
Luke saw the boat moored at the dock, with four sailors sitting inside with oars.
He lit a cigarette for himself, then said to Yomington's entourage: "I'll give you an hour. Let Yomington and Edgar come to my Lucky Princess to find me. If I don't see them by then..." Luke took out his pocket watch and looked at the time: "The thugs on the sea will attack your four ships. If something unfortunate happens, all I can do is report the death to the Prime Minister and Saxon Engineering."
The attendant did not expect Luke to threaten him so blatantly. He said angrily, "Inspector, you are facing four of the most advanced warships on the sea. The guns on your ships cannot penetrate the armor of our warships."
Luke blew out a smoke ring and chuckled, "How to eliminate you is the business of the sea thugs. Don't associate me with the thugs. I remind you... every word you say to me here will be counted."
Although the attendant was annoyed, he did not dare to waste any more time. An hour seemed to be enough, but considering the round trip by boat and the boarding and disembarking, there was not much time for Yermington and Edgar to consider.
The consequences were not something a small follower like him could bear.
The attendant hurriedly boarded the boat and urged the sailors to row hard towards the Coral Reef.
Luke boarded the Lucky Princess which was docked at the pier.
In the captain's room of the Lucky Princess, Luke met Lady Tasia and the core captains of the armed fleet who were formulating an attack plan.
After Luke sat down, he asked the backbone of his fleet: "The enemy is out there, and we need you to have a plan to wipe them out."
Mrs. Tasia spread out a topographic map of Cape Harbor in front of Luke, and the staff and captains used models to draw a picture of the enemy and our own situation.
"Inspector..." Lady Tasia pushed four merchant ships from her fleet forward, and the other ships lined up behind the four ships: "The defense and firepower of the Saxon Engineering warships are very strong, and the artillery on our ships cannot penetrate their protective plates. But fortunately, they are trapped in the inner waters of the port. We can fight them in a boarding battle with some casualties.
There's no problem in annihilating them all.
The only concern is... whether there are other warships of the Saxon Engineering in the open sea, and the response of the Imperial Navy stationed in the naval port of Raging Waves City.
Our fleet is not yet strong enough to engage in battle with any of them."
Luke also thought about the consequences of... beating!
The navy should not have to worry about their intervention. The military does not get involved in the internal affairs of Nutao City. As long as the war does not enter several important urban areas of Nutao City, the army will not move.
But the Saxon Project is a behemoth that is difficult to resist for the existing strength of the Cape District.
Saxon Engineering is the leading private military-industrial complex in the Golden Shield Empire. Its main business areas are cargo ships, warships, ship-related equipment, and overseas colonization.
In order to control overseas colonies, the Saxon Project established a private fleet whose equipment level was no less than that of the regular navy.
The Adonis-class steam battleship is just a near-shore frigate for the Saxon Engineering, but for the current Yanyang Armed Fleet, it can only use the most primitive tactics to win in this specific environment.
If a regular naval battle were fought at sea, the Yan Yang armed fleet would probably be completely destroyed.
At this moment, Luke had never been so eager to have a powerful fleet. At the same time, he also realized that even if he controlled Cape Harbor, without the protection of a fleet, others could strangle his maritime artery at any time.
"Unit-01" is still purchasing equipment, so there is no need to expect it to come to the rescue now.
But no matter what, we must not retreat from this step today.
Retreating is a dead end.
"Just fight the war I tell you to fight." Luke was determined to fight if the negotiations failed. "If we have to fight, try to capture these four Adonis-class steam battleships intact. This will help us deal with the subsequent retaliation from the Saxon Project."
"Yes, Inspector!"
Luke set the tone, and Lady Tasia led the captains to continue to develop a specific attack plan.
In the captain's room of the Coral Reef, Yormington and Edgar, the representative of Saxon Engineering, were also discussing... whether Inspector Meteorite dared to initiate an armed conflict.
Edgar was a middle-aged man with a military bearing, and he had a strong pressure when he sat there. After listening to the warning from Inspector Meteorite relayed by Yomington's entourage, he said to Yomington: "As you said, Meteorite is very unruly. Do you think he will attack us?"
Although Yomington had anticipated Luke's reaction, this direct military threat was beyond his expectations.
He asked Edgar, "Can your fleet stop the attack of those thugs?"
Edgar didn't think too much: "In the open sea, my fleet can easily destroy them. But here... as long as they are willing to make certain sacrifices, they can engage in a boarding battle with my fleet. At that time, our firepower and defense capabilities will be useless.
The other side will win, but the sacrifice will certainly be very great.
Then the head office will send more warships to avenge us."
Edgar's answer was very rational, and he showed no worry at all that he might die here.
Yomington asked again: "Do you think the other side is bluffing, or will they really attack when the time comes?"
Edgar smiled and said, "That's for you to judge. The order I received was to follow your arrangements. But I think Inspector Meteorite would never come to the Coral Reef, and he doesn't value the lives of the so-called 'thugs'."
From this point of view, there is a high possibility that the Meteorite Detective will fight.
But doesn’t he know the consequences of fighting?
Yomington knew clearly what kind of follow-up impact this war would cause. No one could bear the military and political chain reaction it would trigger. Even if Meteorite was highly regarded by the eldest princess, he would not escape any punishment.
Does he dare to fight?
Reasonably speaking, he didn't dare to fight!
But Inspector Meteorite is definitely not someone who can judge with reason. Yomington recalled the series of events he had encountered with Meteorite. He is a person who can do anything.
While Yomington was still thinking, his attendant whispered, "Sir, Inspector Meteorite only gives you one hour, and the timer was set before I left the dock."
Yomington looked at Edgar, a retired naval officer who was only responsible for military operations and made decisions himself.
"Prepare the boat. Mr. Edgar and I will go to see Inspector Meteorite." Yomington made the decision.
"Yes, sir." The attendant left.
Edgar asked Yomington: "Do you also think that the meteorite will attack us?"
"He is a madman!" Yomington said helplessly, "I'm sorry, I should have let your fleet deterrence outside the port."
"If the Saxon Engineering ships don't even dare to enter Cape Harbor, what's the point of deterring them outside the harbor? This can be considered an attempt. At least we know the determination of our opponents. Lord Yominton, let's go... let's go see Inspector Meteorite."
"Please, Mr. Edgar."
When Yomington and Edgar boarded the boat heading for the Lucky Princess, they could see that the armed ships surrounding the outer circle had already formed an attack formation. Just as Edgar had judged, these dual-powered wooden ships did not form a conventional naval battle line, but all pointed their bows at them like a land battle.
As soon as the attack began, the leading ship attracted the attack and covered the other ships approaching. There were also a large group of sailors sitting in small boats on the coast, ready to use swarm tactics to break through and engage in boarding battles with the four warships in the middle.
Faced with an attack from an enemy that was dozens of times its size, the Saxon Engineering fleet had no chance of winning.
Luke got what he wanted and met Edgar, the representative of Yominton and Sachs Engineering, on the Lucky Princess. A crisis did not break out for the time being, but the tense atmosphere in the entire Cape area and even in the City of Raging Waves did not ease at all.
Inspector Meteor's warning has reached the ears of major officials in the city.
The fierce reaction of the Meteorite Inspector was beyond everyone's expectations. Faced with the Saxon Project coming from the imperial capital and the thundering judgment of the city council, the Meteorite Inspector not only did not accept the facts, but also showed a fierce determination to fight to the death.
The Cape District was closed under the control of the Secret Affairs Bureau. It was difficult for information from inside to come out, and it was difficult for information from outside to come in. Everyone was waiting anxiously outside, fearing that the powder keg of the Cape District would explode and affect the entire Nutao City.
Councillor Ibel, Lady Michelle, and Viscount Iscolan used all their energy in Raging Waves City to lobby everywhere. If Inspector Meteorite really caused unrest in Raging Waves City, the three of them would be implicated.
At the same time, they also knew...if they couldn't save the situation and take back the Cape Harbor renovation project, then they would lose completely.
The situation in Cape Harbor is tense; various parties are wrestling in Raging Waves City; Luke sets up a Hongmen Banquet on the deck of the Lucky Princess.
There were three chairs on a dining table. On the grill next to the table, a chef with a lot of fat on his body was grilling large pieces of fish. Surrounded by fully armed sailors and imperial spies, Luke was like a gangster, smoking a cigarette and tapping his legs. He said casually to Yominton and Edgar who were on board: "Please sit down... I heard that you came to Cape Harbor for an inspection. I came to see you without even having breakfast. Let's talk while we eat. I hope that after breakfast, we can reach a satisfactory result."
Luke waved his hand, and a sailor came forward and placed two oak glasses filled with beer for John Minton and Edgar.
The grilled fish was also cut into pieces and placed on the table.
After sitting down, Yomington asked angrily, "Inspector Meteorite, what do you mean by this? Do you know what you are doing?"
"I know what I'm doing! I'm afraid you don't know what you're doing! I've paid a lot to get the Cape Harbor renovation project... I've invested the money, I've gathered the people, I've ordered the equipment and materials. I'm just waiting for this project to be in hand, so that I can drive the Cape District to revive.
You suddenly jumped out and took the meat from my plate... If you were me, what would you do? "
Luke brought the whole plate of barbecue in front of him, picked up the fork, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, his eyes staring at Yomington.
Yomington replied: "Inspector Meteorite, business requires fair competition. Saxon Engineering is a 200-year-old engineering company with very strong technical strength. Moreover, as a company mainly engaged in shipbuilding, Saxon Engineering is clear about the direction of future ship discoveries and what kind of ports will be needed in the future.
What is the Yan Yang Trading Company that you support?
Building a port is a technical project. Is there anything wrong with the City Council of Raging Waves deciding to hand it over to a professional company? "
What Yomington said is well-founded and hard to refute.
Luke did not follow the pace he started. "We are not just building a port when we build Cape Harbor. I have a whole set of infrastructure projects in the Cape District ready to be implemented. I am not here to stop Saxon Engineering from taking on this project. If Saxon Engineering is willing to invest in my Cape District revitalization plan, Cape Harbor can be built by anyone."
Yomington immediately remembered that he bought Virgil from Inspector Meteorite. Did he occupy the renovation project of Cape Harbor or did he want to make money?
Yomington was a little confused about the inspector's purpose.
"Can you tell me about your plan to revive the Cape? If it's profitable, I think Saxon Engineering might be interested."
"For a location like Nutao City, it's profitable to invest in it." Luke said, eating meat in big mouthfuls, "Rebuild all the roads in the Cape District according to the standards of the central city, and make all the civil systems of water conservancy, electricity, and transportation match those of the central city.
Build a heavy machinery factory, a smelting plant, a large shipyard, a textile factory, a chemical plant, and a steam engine factory for the Cape area..."
Luke opened his mouth and asked for a sky-high price.
When he finished explaining what he wanted, Yorminton asked, "If Saxon Engineering is willing to invest in these projects, what kind of return can it get?"
"Isn't it a reward to let you build Cape Harbor?"
Yomington's face turned dark instantly.
It turns out that all these things you offered were for free, and even the factories didn't plan to give out any shares.
Playing fools !
"Mr. Inspector, you are very insincere!"
Luke smiled and said, "No, I am sincere! As long as Saxon Engineering pays the money, I will bring people back immediately and give you this port."
Saxon Engineering will definitely not be taken advantage of.
Yomington said seriously: "Meteor, don't continue to make trouble. The City Council of Raging Waves has made a decision. You are subordinate to the Imperial Secret Intelligence Bureau and have no right to interfere in the city's political affairs.
If you insist on preventing the normal progress of the Cape Harbor renovation project, Saxon Engineering will sue you in the Imperial Supreme Court."
Luke snorted in response to Yomington's threat, ignored it and continued eating.
But Yomington thought Luke was timid, so he took advantage of the situation and said, "Inspector Meteor, accept the facts. Although you have an important mission, you can't take over the City of Raging Waves. Wouldn't it be better to be an inspector here for a few years and then leave safely with a considerable fortune?
Other Secret Service detectives did the same thing, knowing that they could not go against the course of history."
Luke said nothing.
When Yomington was about to continue persuading him, an imperial spy came to report: "Inspector, a professor from Oulu College who calls himself Bruce Ban is here."
Luke picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth: "Professor from Oulu College? Let him come over."
"Yes, Inspector!"
After a while, Bruce Band boarded the deck of the Luck Princess. He saluted Luke and said, "Hello, Inspector Meteorite!"
Luke nodded in return, "Hello, Professor Ben, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Bruce Ban replied: "I came here on the orders of Professor Qingkong, the head of the Oulu College's Esoteric Arts Department. A few days ago, our Esoteric Arts Department discovered an unidentified girl who called herself Red Falcon and had lost her memory.
When we examined Hong Jian, we found that her brain had been modified and her bones had been replaced with alchemical metals. Dean Wilred was very angry that a poor girl was treated so inhumanely and asked Professor Qingkong to investigate the matter.
The reason I came this time is to invite Mr. Yomington to Oulu College.
Professor Qingkong has some questions for you."
Bruce Benn's last words were addressed to Yomington.
But to Yomington's ears, it undoubtedly revealed too much information.
Dean Wilred expressed his attitude...very angry!
This is the attitude of the Oulu Academy .
But isn't the Oulu Academy extremely cautious in politics? The Oulu Master is only engaged in academics and does not take sides in any position.
Yomington explained: "Red Falcon is my adopted daughter. She was already like that when I adopted her. I have been looking for the person who murdered her..."
Bruce Ban interrupted Yomington's explanation: "I'm sorry, Mr. Yomington. It's Professor Qingkong who wants to see you. It's useless for you to explain to me. Please follow me... It's nighttime at Oulu College now. Don't keep Professor Qingkong waiting for too long."
Yominton didn't want to go.
This is obviously a trap!
The entire Raging Storm City knew that the Elf Qingkong and Madam Michelle were good friends, and that Madam Michelle was on Meteorite's side.
Qingkong didn't come to see him earlier or later, but at this time. Yomington would never believe that she was just asking about the red falcon.
"I'm sorry, I don't have time right now. I have something very important to discuss with Detective Meteorite."
Luke said, "What can I talk to you about! The representative of Saxon Engineering is Mr. Edgar, we can talk here. Lord Yomington, you can go now."
"I……"
Just as Yomington was about to find an excuse to stay, Bruce Ban took out his magic wand and said, "Mr. Yomington, I am not a man who is good at speaking. Professor Qingkong asked me to take you back, and I must take you back. If force is required, I will use force."
The situation immediately became tense, and Yomington knew that he had to go to Oulu College. Without knowing the true attitude of Oulu College, he must not offend this behemoth.
"Okay, I'll go with you to Oulu College. I want to explain to Dean Wilred in person." Yomington stood up and warned Luke, "Inspector Meteorite, don't think your little tricks can do anything to me. I don't believe that Oulu College will interfere in the government affairs of Raging Waves City. You must have deceived Dean Wilred.
Ending it in time is your best choice!"
Luke glanced at Yomington and said, "Goodbye, Yomington... I think Miss Qingkong will treat you well."
"Don't be happy too soon. The way of doing things at Oulu College is different from yours. I will be back soon."
Yomington followed Bruce Ban away.
The only one left was Edgar, who had said nothing since he got on board.
Luke continued to eat, and after he finished a large plate of grilled fish, he pushed his empty plate forward.
"My appetite is for this plate of meat, and no one can take a piece away. In this mess of Raging Waves City, do you really want to enter Saxon Engineering? Can you afford the price of entering?"
Edgar picked up the glass and drank the whole glass of beer in one gulp. Then he wiped the foam from the corners of his mouth and replied to Luke: "We are all pawns in the royal game. You have your mission and I have mine.
My mission is to lead my fleet to follow the command of Yominton. Now Yominton has been taken away by the people of Oulu College, and I cannot make a decision. "
Luke smiled and asked his men to bring Edgar a plate of grilled fish.
"I'm afraid you need to make a decision. Until I get the Cape Harbor renovation project, Yorminton won't be around again."
Luke's words startled Edgar: "What do you mean? Oulu College will detain Lord Yomington! He is the staff officer of the Prime Minister."
Luke said meaningfully, "I just told you that the water in Raging Waves City is very deep and you can't control it. Let alone Meton, even if the Prime Minister comes, it will be useless...
Eat this meat and take your fleet away, the waters of Cape Harbor are unsafe at night."
