Realm of Power

Hearing the guards rushing to report Urcondo's personal visit, the lord of Willandra, Austin Carlos, stood up from the long seat of the military meeting in surprise and took a few steps back and forth with a strange look on his face. "Why is he?" Here he is? Didn’t he say that he is not in charge of the military?”

"Sir, what happened to make you so uneasy?" Seeing Austin Carlos's uncharacteristic expression, a bearded middle-aged man sitting below him stood up and asked.

"Do you still remember the several merchant ships transporting iron ore that were impounded some time ago? Those were the ships that were impounded and used as troop carriers."

Austin Carlos stopped with a solemn look, turned around and asked, these people who are qualified to attend the military meeting are all his personal followers who have been with him for many years, and there is no problem with their loyalty.

"The impounded merchant ship? Your Majesty, what you are saying is that the other party is coming." Several generals below stood up together, and the bearded one among them shouted arrogantly, "With our current strength, do we really need to consider this? Since When they come, we will fight. I don’t believe it. The northern warriors we have trained for several months can’t defeat a bunch of tired sailors who have been at sea for more than ten days.”

"Fight? That's easy to say." Austin Carlos frowned, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, waved his hand to him, and said sternly, "Dozavid, how many times have I told you, impulsive It will only make things more troublesome. What we are seizing is the merchant ship of the Falcon Empire. Behind them, there is a huge empire with hundreds of thousands of warriors. If you can win this time, you can win every time in the future. ?”

Austin Carlos's voice stopped and he said in a concentrated voice, "I have considered the reaction of the Falcon Empire. This place is too far away from their homeland. At most, they can only send someone to negotiate, but who knows that they will directly A fleet was sent, and out of caution, I asked the port to strengthen its defenses, but the port guard reported that there were as many as 8 warships on the other side. For more exciting novels, please go to . According to visual inspection, the minimum number of soldiers carried by this inland warship is about 200, which means that the fleet outside our port has a strength of about 1,600. The person who came here is not a good person."

"1,600 people." After hearing the number from Austin Carlos's mouth, some of the generals below changed their expressions and took a deep breath of air-conditioning.

"How can there be so many people?" That bearded Dozavid who was shouting just now

They finally knew what Austin Carlos was worried about. Although Willandra could be said to be a strong force now, with a total force of 4,500, that was only compared to other nearby lords. Troops on the border. There are only 2 squadrons of soldiers left in Willandra City now, with less than 500 soldiers.

If a fierce conflict really breaks out, the opponent's 1,600 people will be a crushing advantage for the small Willandra. Although the defenders in the city are not afraid of them relying on the strong castle, the residential areas in the outer areas of the castle and The commercial area and port will inevitably suffer heavy losses, which is for Veerandra, who is about to take major actions. It's definitely not a situation you like to see. If this arouses the vigilance of the main city of Austin, it will be too much.

"No matter what. It never goes wrong to be prepared."

After a moment of silence, Austin Carlos waved decisively to one of his confidants and said, "Morris, you immediately call back all the patrols outside the castle. If there is a conflict, close the castle gate and wait for help."

As for the area outside the castle, no matter what happens, we absolutely cannot send people out. As long as we do not expose our true military strength, even if the main city of Austin sends people to investigate. At most, it's just a border dispute. They have no interest in delving into it, so they won't notice our unusual troop deployment."

"Yes, I know what to do." The confidant stood up and saluted Austin Carlos, turned around and hurried away, after a few words of advice from An. Austin Carlos received Urcando in the main hall of the castle hall

"My dear friend of life and death, what is it? I need you, a big man who makes me look up to me, to come in person. It really makes me feel honored and scared." Half of Austin Carlos's face was covered with a silver half-face mask, and his face was covered with a silver half-face mask. With the hideous scars on his face covered and his hair tied in a ponytail, he looked particularly energetic. As soon as he saw Urcando walking in, he walked up with an eager look on his face.

"Come here, tell me about the chef from the main city of Austin. Today I have distinguished guests and I will hold a banquet that is no less than that of the upper class in the main city." Austin Carlos walked towards Urcondo affectionately and said to The servant next to him shouted loudly, his impassioned voice showing no signs of worry just now.

"You're welcome. This time I'm here to inquire about an urgent matter on behalf of the Falcon Empire." Urcondo waved his hand calmly and sat down opposite Austin Carlos.

"Emergency matters? Is there anything that requires you, the general manager of Northland, to take action?" Austin Carlos pretended to be confused.

Urcondo took a sip of water, was silent for a while, and then said solemnly, "I received a complaint from the empire merchants. They said that they shipped iron ore to you as agreed, but you used iron ore to Not only did the defectors not be paid, but they were also impounded and their merchant ships were requisitioned into your fleet. What on earth is going on?

"Isn't it possible? Absolutely not." Austin Carlos pretended to be surprised and shook his head with certainty.

"How long has it been since this happened? Shouldn't we still treat each other with sincerity?" Urcando's eyes widened angrily, he stood up excitedly, walked back and forth a few steps, then turned around and said, "Do you know the seriousness of this matter? ?Because of this matter, the empire is already considering whether it should continue to fulfill the secret agreement between you and me. What impact will this have on me? It is so great that it has even directly affected His Majesty’s trust in me. The Navy Department has written a letter saying that it was my negligence that led to such a bad incident that damaged the empire’s credibility. If there is no reasonable answer, the anger of the imperial fleet will be poured out on the threat. On Randra’s head, this is not what you want to see, nor is it what I want to see.”

"I can use my royal surname to guarantee that such unjust things will never happen in my territory. There may be a mistake somewhere, or some misunderstandings and rumors." Austin Card Los's face changed color slightly, but he still insisted that there was no such thing. He secretly thought that those businessmen had been executed secretly. For more exciting novels, please go to Qinqin Novel Network. Merchant ships have also undergone appearance modifications at the dock. Without proof, no matter what you say, I will not admit it.

"Really? Really not?" Urcondo looked at Austin Carlos with burning eyes. It seems that Austin Carlos would have shied away from the matter. He waved his hand to the guard next to him.

The guard respectfully handed over several drawings with descriptions in the document in his hand. When he saw the drawings that Urcondo took, the face of Austin Carlos, who had just refused to admit it, suddenly looked extremely ugly. Several ships were drawn using simple drawings. It's those merchant ships that have been renovated.

"Can you explain it? What's going on? Why do the empire's merchant ships appear in the dock of your fleet?" Urcondo spread out these drawings on the table in front of Austin Carlos. He tapped one of them heavily with his finger and said sternly

"This is not a merchant ship from the empire, but a merchant ship that I bought from the mainland for 100,000 gold coins." Austin Carlos blinked his eyes, the embarrassment on his face flashed away, and said firmly in denial, "You don't want to Forgot. According to the agreement, I can send merchant ships to the inland coast of the empire for business, so I spent a lot of money to buy these ships."

Austin Carlos pointed to a raised fitting pattern on the left side of the ship's drawing. He said, "Look here, this is a fixed sail wing that our North Sea ships only have. In order to achieve the appropriate wind speed even in headwind situations, this is not available on your inland ships. This is all This is something we have already requested when customizing inland.”

"That's nonsense." Looking at the position of Austin Carlos's finger, Urcondo said angrily and said nothing. The ship had already entered the dock. How he wanted to change it was not a matter of a sentence. He used this as an excuse. excuse, the other party's behavior is too despicable.

"Okay, I hope what you said is right, but those missing businessmen must be found. They must be seen alive and their bodies must be seen dead. This is the bottom line of the empire. Otherwise, I will not be able to explain to the main fleet docked outside the port. " Urcondo's expression softened, and he sat down with a decadent look on his face. He knew that with the viciousness of Austin Carlos, it was absolutely impossible for these businessmen to still be alive.

The reason for saying such words is to give the other party an excuse to step down, so that the other party will naturally use the logistics fleet currently appearing at the port in front of the empire's main fleet.

Sure enough, a relieved smile appeared on Austin Carlos' nervous face. "Of course, as long as it is in my territory, I can help you find even an ant." Austin Carlos' voice suddenly stopped. , asked tentatively, "I have long heard that the Falcon Empire's fleet is the real overlord of the sea, and even us Austinites are willing to be defeated. I wonder if I have the honor to board the battleship and have a look?"

"I can't do anything about this. I'm just the person in charge of the North Sea region of the Business Alliance, not the person in charge of the military. The military affairs are not my responsibility." Urcondo shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands with a look of helplessness.

"As an Austinite, it's such a pity that I can't board the battleship of the mainland's No. 1 Navy to have a look." Carlos Austin sighed with some disappointment, his eyes rolling around, obviously making a calculation. What, the main naval warship of the Falcon Empire has actually come to the North Sea. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we can drag this powerful force into our side, we will be more confident against the main city of Austin. point

"Seeing the worried look on Austin Carlos's face, Urcondo secretly laughed in his heart. This cunning northern fox finally took the bait.

According to recent intelligence, Austin Carlos has mobilized its troops frequently in the past month, launched several battles in succession, and plundered a lot of areas and populations from nearby lords. The military power has also expanded rapidly, ensuring that With sufficient weapons, the number of soldiers quickly expanded from the original 1,000 city guards to an army of more than 4,000 people.

In terms of the army alone, Austin Carlos is already the largest lord among the many lords in Austin, second only to the main city of Austin in terms of military strength. However, Austin Carlos's weaknesses are also obvious.

That is because there is an extreme shortage of warships, and Willandra is backed by the coast and is the city most vulnerable to sea attacks. This is why the main city of Austin sealed this area to him. As long as he makes the slightest move, Austin will The main city's fleet can then flow down the river and defeat the weak Veerandra in one fell swoop.

The navy is the pain in Austin Carlos's heart, and it is also the reason why he has been wavering on raising troops. Soldiers can be recruited temporarily, but warships cannot be built in a short time, not to mention the lack of supplies in the North, even if they are fully guaranteed. Austin Carlos's three shipyards only build two ships a month.

This is still a very small sampan warship, which is completely unable to compete with the sailing warships in the main city of Austin, so I have no choice but to target the Falcon Empire merchant ships coming and going. The size of merchant ships is much larger than ordinary sail warships. If it is fully loaded with soldiers, it can reach about 200 people. It is an extremely ideal weapon for fighting at sea.

"Just let me give you one last push."

A sharp cold light flashed in Urcondo's eyes, he deliberately pretended to be mysterious, and said hesitantly, "Actually, there is no way to board the warship. All you need is the fleet commander's permission. You don’t understand the organization of our imperial fleet. The squadron in front of you is only part of the main fleet.

According to the Imperial Navy regulations, as long as it is an Imperial Navy fleet that leaves the mainland to perform tasks. In the face of different situations, its commander has the greatest command power over the fleet, and even has the power to declare war. Compared with these, if you just want to go up and take a look, it doesn't matter."

"What? The commander of your Falcon Empire's squadron can decide on his own whether to declare war?" Austin Carlos's eyes gleamed, and he couldn't wait to ask about this extremely important information.

"this......"

Urcando looked hesitant and hesitated to speak. He looked around, obviously he had some concerns. Austin Carlos sternly said, "Everyone, go down first. No one is allowed in without my order."

"You guys also go down." Urcondo also raised his hand and asked all the guards to leave.

There were only two people whispering in the hall. Urcondo whispered in the ear of the eager Austin Carlos opposite, "It's really embarrassing to say it. In our Falcon Empire, the power of the fleet commander is extremely great." Contrary to your imagination, even if I am the head of the North Sea Business Alliance, they can not sell their accounts.

The right to war of self-determination was formulated when the imperial fleet was called a privateer fleet. I heard that it was to facilitate the fleet's long-sea operations. On the vast sea, once attacked, it can immediately counterattack without reporting. and was personally approved by His Majesty the Falcon. Until now, the empire has not canceled this regulation that allows almost all fleet commanders to do whatever they want to any fleet on the sea.

"You put it this way, I can understand. If you are attacked on the vast sea, you have no chance to report it. Instead, taking an immediate and decisive counterattack is the most correct decision." A trace of shame flashed across Austin Carlos's face. He had just said He thought that Urcondo was deliberately perfunctory with him, but with the information revealed by Urcondo, Austin Carlos' blood boiled.

As long as you are attacked, you can counterattack. What a wonderful rule this is! If the Austin main city fleet attacks the Falcon fleet without knowing it, does that mean that the entire Falcon Empire fleet will attack the Austrian fleet? With the declaration of war in the main city of Austin, when the main force of the Falcon Fleet moves north, even if the fleet in the main city of Austin wants to attack by sea, I am afraid they will have too much time to take care of themselves.

"Okay, that's it. If you have the opportunity to get close to the fleet commander, I believe your request to board the ship for a look can be agreed to." Urcondo looked at Austin Carlos who was about to move, knowing that the fish had already He bit the hook, stood up from his seat, patted the dust on his sleeves,

He said, "That's it. I hope you can handle the business affairs as soon as possible. I've also told you the other things. I want to go back immediately. The fleet is still waiting for my reply at the port. It's really troublesome to talk about it. It's just a few merchants and a few ships." Is a broken ship worthy of the Empire taking it so seriously?"

Looking at Urcondo who was full of dissatisfaction and muttering, Austin Carlos secretly smiled in his heart. Several merchant ships were indeed not worth such a big fight, but if these merchant ships were not only loaded with iron ore, Moreover, more than 1,500 sets of infantry weapons and armors are installed, which is another matter.

Because of this windfall, Austin Carlos's troop equipment was upgraded to a whole level, and he completed the replacement of the infantry a few months in advance. Of course, he did not know that these merchants were actually smuggling ships under the banner of trade. , the ship owner above is not a businessman from the Business Alliance, but a black market businessman disguised as a smuggler sent by the Supervision Department. Anyone who dies is dead. All the painstaking arrangements are to make Austin Carlos Ambition expanded rapidly,

"How many days will the fleet stay in the port?" At the gate of the castle, Austin Carlos rarely personally held the head of Urcando's war horse and asked Urcando to turn over and mount the war horse. Mainly reindeer, but as a Dongting native, Urcondo still insists on riding horses.

"The flagship will stay in the port for supplies. The other ships have records of damage, so they will go to our port to rest. According to estimates, it will take at least 5 days. I don't know what happens next. I am just a businessman, not a navy, nor You have no right to interfere with the navy's actions," Urcondo replied, seeming a little distracted.

"Five days." Austin Carlos waited until Urcondo disappeared around the corner of the road leading down the mountain, then raised his head and looked at the boundless white land of the North. He smacked his lips subconsciously, preparing to do something. Hasty, but not completely without chance,

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