Volume 1: Raging Waves City Chapter 218: Thugs at Sea
Under the dual pressure of the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet and Brilliant Island, Captain Jonas had no choice but to surrender in despair. The Saxon Engineering Fleet raised the white flag, and Luke immediately ordered the fleet to stop shelling and take over the warships.
He was also kind enough to empty his two converted merchant sailing ships and hand them over to Jonas and his fleet members so that they could leave Brilliant Island in a dignified and safe manner.
The naval battle on Brilliant Island ended here.
The Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet annihilated the Saxon Engineering Fleet at the cost of losing a batch of ammunition. Due to the pressure from Brilliant Island, Captain Jonas surrendered quickly. Only five of the 34 warships in the Saxon Engineering Fleet were sunk, and the other 29 warships were received and are undergoing battle damage assessment.
It is estimated that twenty battleships can be assembled, and the rest can be dismantled for spare parts.
These are all the mainstream wooden dome-shaped warships now, which are more than one or two generations behind the commercial warships in the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet. However, the warships sent by Saxon Engineering this time are all speed-oriented, and the largest tonnage is the Adonis-class steam warship with a tonnage of nearly 3,000 tons.
It was a pity that there were no battleships over 4,000 tons, but these warships were only a transition for the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet. When the Ibul Shipyard was fully operational to build Unit-01, these wooden dome-shaped ships would be retired sooner or later and sold at a good price.
The "Loyalty" was docked at the port of Brilliant Island. The fire caused by the shelling had been extinguished, but there was still a lot of thick smoke.
Jeff boarded the "Loyalty" with a team of guards under the guidance of Kylena. Excited and curious, Jeff completely lost the grace of a lord. He touched every place he passed by like a child, and his palms were full of the heavy feeling brought by metal.
"Miracle, this is really a miracle!"
Kaileena smiled and said, "Everyone who boards the 'Loyalty' will have the same feeling as you, Baron. The Chief Inspector is waiting for you on the bridge, please follow me..."
Jeff immediately withdrew his hand and replied respectfully, "I am sorry for the rudeness! Please take me to see the Chief Inspector and don't keep him waiting for too long."
In the bridge conference room, Jeff met Luke who was waiting there . He bowed to Luke and introduced himself without waiting for the butler to introduce himself: "Dear Chief Inspector of Meteorite! I am Baron Motlane Jeff, the lord of Brilliant Island. Welcome to the Chief Inspector and your fleet.
Brilliant Island will do its best to provide the best service for you and your fleet.
This is a small gift I carefully prepared for you, please accept it..."
Jeff's attendant immediately stepped forward, holding a small wooden box with exquisite decorations. When the wooden box was opened, it was full of sparkling gems and blue crystal pearls.
"The Baron is really straightforward!" Luke smiled even brighter after seeing what was inside the wooden box. He asked his subordinate to take the wooden box, and then took Jeff's arm and walked into the meeting room hand in hand.
The two of them sat down as host and guest, the servants brought tea, and Kylena was responsible for taking notes of the meeting.
"My secretary, Kalina, should have told you, Lord Baron, the purpose of my fleet and I coming to Brilliant Island this time." Luke went straight to the point and said, "The first goal has been achieved. These damn pirates who constantly harassed the ships in and out of Cape Harbor also got what they deserved. Thank you for the contribution made by Brilliant Island in this battle to annihilate the pirates.
"I would like to offer you a contract to purchase a Unit-01-class steel battleship as a thank you gift. Is the Baron satisfied?"
The attendant handed Luke two contracts from behind. Luke put them on the table and pushed them towards Jeff.
Satisfied, very satisfied!
In the previous second, Jeff was still secretly feeling sorry for the box of gems and pearls; in the next second, Jeff felt that the reward he received for the gift was too good.
This time on board the "Loyalty", he completely understood what a full-metal steam battleship was. Apart from battleships of the same level, nothing on the sea could challenge it. No matter how valuable gems and pearls were, they were dead objects. The sooner he owned such a battleship, the wealth it could create for him would be immeasurable.
"Thank you very much, Chief Inspector!"
Jeff grabbed the contract, and the butler and followers behind him also stretched their heads excitedly to read the contents of the contract.
The content inside made Jeff's already trembling hands shake even more violently.
The Chief Inspector of Meteorite did not poison the contract, and clearly stated the construction time and delivery schedule. After paying the deposit on behalf of Brilliant Island, Ibul Shipyard immediately started construction, allowing Brilliant Island to become the user of the world's first batch of "Unit-01" class steel battleships.
There is no need to queue for special contracts, and construction priority is above imperial orders.
In addition, there is a detailed list of many subsequent projects such as warship training, use, maintenance, overhaul, etc.
Although the price is a bit higher, it is understandable.
After all, developing a warship that could change the future of naval warfare would cost an unimaginable amount of money. These R&D costs would have to be allocated to the order for Unit-01, and there was no competition for the monopoly...
Expensive is reasonable.
If it’s not expensive, you should doubt whether you are being ripped off.
After reading the contracts, Jeff immediately took out a pen, tried his best to control his shaking hands, and signed his name on both contracts.
Then he handed the pen to Luke with both hands: "Please sign it, Inspector. I will send someone to deliver the deposit immediately."
Luke signed the contract casually, gave a copy to Jeff, and kept a copy for himself and asked Kylena to keep it.
Then he said to Jeff: "There is no rush for the deposit for this Unit-01 class steel battleship... If this meeting goes well, I have an order contract for Unit-01 here."
"And..." Jeff suddenly felt so happy that he even felt dizzy and said, "I will do whatever the Chief Inspector tells me to do!"
"Don't rush to agree. First, listen to my second purpose for coming to Brilliant Island." Luke asked Kylena, who was taking notes at the meeting, "Have you told the Baron?"
Kaileena replied: "I have informed the Baron of the Chief Inspector's idea of joint maritime operations."
Luke then asked Jeff, "What do you think? Tell me first."
Jeff knew the big test had begun.
If the answer satisfies the Chief Inspector of Meteorite, the contract for a "Unit-01" class steel battleship will be obtained ; if the answer is not satisfactory, the Chief Inspector will not bother to form a maritime alliance with such a mediocre person.
Jeff sat up straight as if he was meeting an interviewer, and after some thought, he answered, "My father once told me that the future of the world belongs to the ocean. With the continuous development of ship technology, the low cost of shipping determines that it has an overwhelming advantage over other modes of transportation.
Although the current ocean trade is booming, it is far from reaching its peak. This is reflected in the fact that more and more coastal countries are beginning to pay attention to the control of the ocean and are continuously increasing their investment in naval construction.
The Golden Shield Empire and the Rio Republic are neighbors across the sea. They have common interests in this sea area, but also irreconcilable conflicts. Although the overall strength of the Empire is far greater than that of Rio, the international environment Rio faces is much better than that of the Empire, and more national taxes can be invested in the struggle for the ocean. According to the information I have obtained... the naval expenditure of the Rio Republic has exceeded that of the Empire, and it is only a matter of time before its military strength can challenge the Empire, or even surpass the Empire.
..."
Huihuang Island is located on a busy international shipping route and is much more sensitive to changes in maritime forces than the mainland.
Based on the intelligence he obtained, Jeff analyzed for Luke the potential opponents of the Golden Shield Empire at sea, and the one most likely to challenge the Empire's maritime power was the Rio Republic.
Because when invading the Republic of Rio, the Golden Shield Empire faced a period of severe international environment. Therefore, since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Rio, the Golden Shield Empire has attached great importance to the stability of the relationship between the two countries. Directly provoking a maritime military conflict between countries can certainly suppress Rio's navy, but it will also put the empire in an international relations dilemma.
Luke had a plan to attack the Leo navy, but that was a last-ditch effort to lift the blockade. Now that the Saxon engineering fleet was easily destroyed, the suppression of the Leo Republic needed to change its strategy.
Luke continued to listen to Jeff's response.
"Now that it is not convenient for the Empire to fight another full-scale war with Leo, it has become a feasible method for private fleets with technological advantages to harass and attack Leo at sea.
Brilliant Island was once the empire's sea transit station for attacking Rio, and now it is a free port that provides supplies for ships. The size of the island determines the upper limit of Brilliant Island as a free port, and today's battle also showed me that Brilliant Island has no ability to protect itself in the face of attacks from powerful forces.
In peacetime, a neutral attitude brings us wealth. When war comes, a neutral attitude will make us the first target to be occupied by all parties. My father asked me to stand on the side of the victor, and I think the chief inspector is the winner. "
Jeff's flattery made Luke smile.
He knew that Jeff's words could not be fully trusted. This was a very cunning guy who was good at changing his attitude according to the situation. It was human nature to pursue profit, and it could not be considered a shortcoming. If he could be controlled well, this baron would be very useful.
"Your answer is quite satisfactory to me. The empire is facing many problems right now, and Her Royal Highness the Princess wants me to return to Saint Lun City to assist her. I have basically completed my mission in Raging Waves City. The only regret is that I don't have time to solve the problems at sea."
Jeff immediately said, "Glorious Island is willing to help the Chief Inspector and Her Royal Highness the Princess."
"The princess will not forget all those who have contributed to the empire." Luke used the princess's name without any psychological burden. He showed the aura of the princess's confidant and said to Jeff: "I will give you a contract to order another 'Unit-01' class steel battleship. Two 'Unit-01' class are enough to defend your Brilliant Island and have a certain offensive capability.
You should be connected with a lot of pirates.
Business on the sea will only become more and more difficult in the future. Those who can't make it will be recruited to attack Rio ships and coastal towns. The fleet of Brilliant Island will provide them with protection, and the fleet of Fishbone Island will provide protection for Brilliant Island. "
Jeff asked, "What can I get?"
Luke smiled and said, "Don't you think... you should give me something in return?"
Seeing that his thoughts were seen through, Jeff couldn't help but laugh: "Yes, yes... It should be the reward from Brilliant Island to the Chief Inspector. After the delivery of the two 'Unit-01' class steel battleships, I should be able to find enough pirates and implement the plan immediately."
Satisfied Luke asked his subordinates to bring another warship procurement contract and signed it together with Baron Jeff, who was also satisfied.
After they put away their contracts, Jeff invited Luke, "The Chief Inspector must be very tired after taking a bumpy boat ride all the way to Brilliant Island. I sincerely invite the Chief Inspector to the mountaintop palace, where there are fine wines and beautiful women to enjoy. I guarantee that the Chief Inspector will like it very much."
Jeff and Luke both smiled in a way that men could understand, but Luke still refused: "These damn pirates have delayed many things. I must return to Raging Waves City as soon as possible to appease the citizens and get the stalled projects back on track as soon as possible.
I also need to report the course of this battle to His Highness and arrange for the construction of the Unit-01-class steel battleship.
I also want to live the life of a baron, but as an imperial spy, I have to think about serving the empire all the time."
Jeff immediately showed an expression of awe.
"I finally understand why Her Royal Highness the Princess relies on you, Chief Inspector! With your assistance, the empire will surely prosper for a long time.
I won't disturb the Chief Inspector's rest. All the supply expenses of the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet at Brilliant Island will be charged to me. I will go back now and have someone send the deposit for the two Unit-01-class steel battleships."
Jeff said goodbye to Luke, admired the "Loyalty" again along the way, and then reluctantly left the ship.
The area around the port was crowded with people, all admiring the majestic appearance of this all-metal battleship.
Sitting in the car on the way back to the palace, the butler couldn't help but say, "Congratulations, Master. You will soon be one of the first people in the world to own a steel battleship. You will achieve greater feats than the old master."
Jeff looked back at the docked "Loyalty", with no smile on his face for meeting Luke.
"He's a very powerful guy. It's hard not to be afraid of him."
"Master, are you talking about Chief Inspector Meteorite?" The butler couldn't help but sigh: "I've heard some rumors about Meteorite a long time ago. What he did in Raging Waves City was simply an impossible task. It should be a good thing for the master and Brilliant Island that we can form an alliance with such a person."
"Is it a good thing?" Jeff said doubtfully, "We were tied to his chariot and became his vanguard against the Rio Republic. Even though he made so many promises to us, once he needs to abandon us, he will definitely abandon us without hesitation."
The housekeeper asked worriedly, "What should we do?"
"Do we have a choice? If he can sell me two Unit-01 class warships, then he will definitely build ten for himself, or even stronger warships. In front of such strength, we are all pawns. For Meteorite, the owner of Brilliant Island can be anyone, as long as he is willing to be his pioneer.
The philosophy my father has used throughout his life is no longer suitable for this era. I hope we are lucky and Meteorite is really the winner. "
