Realm of Power

The rain showers caused the streets of Moons City in southern Salander to be shrouded in colorless curtains. The commander of the three flags of the Southern Army, Reposti, the commander of the third flag, looked at the raindrops climbing on the windows and thought about this year. The weather in winter seems not to be smooth,

Winter is a very beautiful season for southern Salande. Unlike the cold white snow falling in the north, southern Salande is full of sunshine and greenery during this season because it is affected by the warm air currents from the ocean.

Romantic and passionate Salander girls can be seen everywhere, walking past in colorful costumes, wearing brightly colored waterproof cloaks, chatting with friends like a group of chirping birds, emitting a sound like a silver bell. A string of pleasant sounds and such a beautiful scene almost make people forget about the war that cost the entire Salander a heavy price.

"Now I finally know why, in Salander's lyrics, winter is nature filled with transparency and a eulogy of abundant human life.

Some people even say that nature often plays a role in alleviating the dissatisfaction among the common people... General, won't you eat something?" Li Sidan, the young adjutant sitting opposite, reluctantly looked back from the beautiful shadow on the street in the distance. , there was a burst of emotion in his mouth, he was still young in his early 20s, but he still managed to show the vicissitudes of his thirties and forties.

“It’s good to be young!”

Reposti, who was sitting across from him, couldn't help sighing. Fesarik's Second Flag Regiment and his own Third Flag Regiment had been training for three months to cross the sea. Everyone from officers to soldiers had trained. After three months of rolling in the sea, even he, the commander of the flag regiment, only returned to Yuansi where the legion headquarters is located ten days ago.

With some thoughts, Reposti filled the deep-bottomed rough clay pot with dark beer and drank it in one gulp. After all, the richness of the dark beer shipped from southern Vikia was what the Salanders liked. The fruit wine is incomparable. If he closes his eyes and tastes it carefully, he seems to be able to feel the fragrance of wheatgrass from his hometown, which brings about a vague nostalgia in his heart.

As the Southern Army entered southern Salander, the soldiers missed their hometown more and more. In order to deal with this situation, the Southern Governor Statunko asked His Majesty Falcon for permission to rotate the Southern Army units on a quarterly basis. This proposal Fat Man's approval has been obtained, allowing the existing 40,000 Southern Army troops to be divided into four parts, three in Salander, and one in the southern coastal area of ​​​​Wikia.

Rotating every quarter ensures that everyone can spend one quarter in their hometown every year, and winter is the time when their flag regiment returns to the country. However, the order from the Legion Headquarters is to allow them to continue to stay in their hometown. Rand, and stopped crossing the sea training to rush to the Legion to report

"Bang!" The door of the restaurant was pushed open by an officer of the Falcon Army. The serious-faced officer's eyes fell on Reposti, and he walked straight over. He hesitated and asked, "Is this Mr. Reposti?"

"Yes, I am Reposti." Reposti nodded and stood up from his seat. He saw the silver cross star representing the adjutant of the Legion Department on the officer's chest.

"This is an order signed by Governor Statunko personally." The officer took out a sealed document from his arms and handed it to Reposti, saying, "Because the matter is urgent, the Governor will no longer meet with you alone. "Adult"

"Oh, what's the emergency?" Riposti looked stunned for a moment and asked in surprise.

"I don't know the military secrets very well!" The officer hesitated with an embarrassed look on his face, and then whispered, "I just heard that it was an order from His Majesty that the Southern China Sea must be opened this winter! Although the Governor has made ample preparations for this , but because it involves the navy assisting in operations, we rushed to the fleet base in the north of Salander overnight to discuss the matter."

"It seems that what is supposed to come will always come!"

A cold light flashed in Riposti's eyes, and he felt that the order book in his hand was so hot. This was a signal of war! Compared with the unique enthusiasm of the young adjutant, Reposti's eyes, which had seen various scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, could no longer look at it all calmly.

Beneath this calm and beautiful surface, what he saw was the sound of the empire's rolling chariots rolling forward, the metal clanking of the army preparing for war, winter, a beautiful season, but it was also a rare period of calm in the southern sea of ​​Salander. . According to the strategic plan set by His Majesty Falcon in June, he will never miss such an excellent opportunity to attack. But I don’t know where His Majesty Falcon’s sharp sword will land across the sea this time!

At this time, at the Victon military port in the north of Salander, the Imperial Navy Minister Dostronkai, who had just returned from the Barro Sea in Northern Europe, was standing in front of a huge map. He also received the message from the attack on Normandy Island. chain of commands,

As various squadrons were dispatched some time ago to explore the sea route to Obarro, most of the fleets have now returned to the military port. The densely packed battleship masts look like a huge forest in the direction of the military port.

In the hall of the fleet headquarters, the lights were brightly lit. Commander Frye of the Second Squadron, Commander Effinger of the Third Squadron, Commander Frederski of the Fourth Squadron, and Commander Frederski of the Fifth Squadron. , Commander of the Sixth Sail Squadron, Tiegel, and Commander of the Logistics Fleet, Rosfur, sat on both sides of the long table, with everyone's eyes focused on the map on the wall.

In front of these elites of the Imperial Navy, Yorus, the Minister of Naval Intelligence who is responsible for collecting maritime intelligence, was holding the wooden whip in his hand, pointing at the map behind him, and said, "The Normandy Island Chain is a section of the sea south of Salander." The island chain is about 400 nautical miles long, with a total of 131 large and small islands. It used to be controlled by the Salander Navy, but later fell into the hands of the Normans.

In order to serve as a logistics line to support the army, the Normans built many small ports on these islands to serve as transfer stations. Although some of them were destroyed when the Normans withdrew, everything within a hundred miles of the coastline was preserved. Among these dotted ports, Antoros Port is definitely the most important natural port.

It is located in the right recess of Antoros Island in the middle of the island chain. It is a natural and calm harbor with very few winds and waves on weekdays. Even the storms in the southern sea never seem to erode this place.

I once went there in person disguised as a businessman. Ships from Normandy to Salander usually choose to dock at the port of Antoros. Even if they are not trading, they have to replenish food and fresh water there. The ships come from Barro in Northern Europe. Some merchant ships will also choose to sell part of their goods here in exchange for supplies. Therefore, the focus of our battle should be whether we can capture this place in one fell swoop before the Normans react, thereby completely cutting off the Normandy's sea routes.

"According to the intelligence brought back by the latest merchant fleet, the Normans attach great importance to the defense of the port of Antoros. There are 31 warships alone, a strength of 11,000 people, and three strong fortresses built there. The northernmost port is no more than a mile away. Once the warning is received, stop The Normandy army based in Normandy will also move. It is worth noting here that our enemies may not only be the Normans. There are also a considerable number of pirates near the waters of Antoros Port. These pirates are not very powerful in combat. But it’s enough to threaten our logistical supply lines.”

"Pirates? What an unexpected surprise!" After hearing the words of Intelligence Minister Yorus, Commander Fry of the Second Squadron asked, "Do you know the specific hideout of these pirates? Since they can stay in the waters of Antoros Port for a long time, , proves that these guys must have a very secret stronghold nearby. I think this is an opportunity that we cannot miss, or we can spend a little money to get some useful information from these pirates! "

"I think this proposal is good! But you need to be cautious." Dostronkai nodded and agreed. His iron-black hair looked a bit dignified. He was only in his twenties and should be one of the important ministers of the empire. His hands were The Minister of the Imperial Navy, who controls thousands of miles of sea, has long lost the arrogance of the young boy.

He stared at the map and frowned slightly and said, "Although our intelligence is very clear, the Normans are not fools, so contact with these pirates is very dangerous. Since you can beg for food in the waters of Antoros, you should have some connections with the Normans." What kind of person is sent to contact with the inextricable relationship will become the key to this incident! And now there is another problem, because many fleets have just returned, and the veterans on board have also been rotated. The Normans also have eyes in Salander. In order not to attract the attention of the Normans, I decided not to mobilize the warships for this battle. There will be more than thirty ships, and many of the main attack warships will be captained by recent graduates! "

Logistics Fleet Commander Rosvol frowned and asked, "Are the recruits and interns also going to attack?"

"Of course!" shouted Frye, who had a rough personality. "After all, they were distributed to the fleet for the sake of the war. Anyway, sooner or later they have to experience the taste of the "first battle". For most of them, they can even experience it. For all the new recruits, this battle comes too early.

But at this point, fighting is inevitable, and it is impossible to fight with only a few veterans."

"Well said, our Imperial Navy does not need cowards!" Dostronkai turned to look at the stars in the night sky outside the window and said, "Aren't we the same at the beginning? We didn't dare to face the twenty-meter-high bloody waves, and we didn't dare to listen to the God of Thunder. The navy is firing and roaring, what do we want them to do?

"All the recruits are participating in the war in the name of training at sea! There is no time for them to sit and watch the war, let them go out! Spread their wings and soar like eagles!" Dostelenko's eyes flashed,

While giving orders, he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart. He didn't know how many recruits could return to the fleet port safely after this battle, but this was the only way for the Imperial Navy, and it was also the only way for the Imperial Navy to write this letter. The secret order specifically mentioned in

The Imperial Navy needs an effective training system. If we follow the usual practice and let the soldiers practice in the port for one year and then on the deck for one year before they are qualified to actually set foot on a battleship, then the Empire's naval strategy will be the least It will also be postponed to three years later, so only the bloody and tragic battlefield can make the recruits who have just stepped onto the deck of the warship become a force that truly makes the Obarro Continent tremble in the shortest time.

Urcondo's Northern Fleet is a quick-finished product trained in this way. Although its combat effectiveness is still unable to compare with the real fierceness of the Empire's offshore fleet, compared to the Northern Navy's old-fashioned battleships, its strong suppression is already more than enough,

According to the report last month, His Majesty Falcon has officially appointed Urcao as the Commander of the Northern Navy. He is equally beautiful as the Commander of the Southern Navy, and his title has also been promoted to Under Secretary of the Navy.

Wealth is sought in danger. The rocket-like promotion speed of Urcando, a native of Dongting, also made Dostronkai see one thing clearly. His Majesty's ambition is not just for the southern part of Salander, but for the entire southern part of Salander. Oparo’s vast and endless coastline! This is a battlefield that is vast enough to make one's blood boil. No naval commander would face such an ambitious and indifferent situation.

"If there was a trace of hesitation before, it no longer exists now." Dostronkai retracted his gaze from a distance and looked at the map behind him again, like a burning fire invading his heart, secretly saying

"If what the empire needs is a powerful navy that can intimidate the entire continent of Opalo, and if what your Majesty wants is the entire Thousand Miles of Coast of Opalo, then let Opalo tremble under His Majesty's wings. Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will carry it out without hesitation.

In early November, in the cloudless sea south of Salander, seven Dragon Tooth warships lined up in a long column and marched against the wind and waves on the calm sea. The bows of the ships raised white waves and drums blown by the sails, and from time to time beside them, There were many trading ships passing by on the sea. They were all surprised to see this naval fleet flying the Falcon flag silently heading south.

"What is that? Some businessmen who had rarely seen the strange appearance of the Dragon Tooth Ship asked

"Have you never seen the Falcon Kingdom's battleship?"

Some people in the know said disdainfully that although the Falcon Empire almost unified the entire Ikadiva continent, for the real main continent of Obarro and the more distant Central Belia continent, the so-called continent of Ikadiva, It's just a peninsula separated from the main continent. Naturally, no one would call it the Falcon Empire, but just the Falcon Kingdom.

"Nonsense, of course I know this is the Falcon Kingdom's warship, but what are they doing here?"

The robbed businessman murmured with embarrassment. He had instinctively realized that this calm-looking but menacing fleet was definitely coming with bad intentions. Perhaps, the waters south of Salander would no longer be peaceful, but if we judge a person based on this, The peninsula will fight the entire Obarro. Such an assertion is too ridiculous.

In the command room of the flagship. Commander Frye of the Second Squadron, wearing only a gray linen coat, was lying on the table looking at the charts. The terrain in the southern sea area of ​​​​Saland is very complicated, which makes people dizzy. More than a hundred small islands are scattered on the sea map like countless broken pearls. Even if Fry had been a pirate, for such a Complex sea areas are also quite a headache.

It’s not that the main routes in the sea are very dangerous, or that there are too many reefs, but that there are many small islands of various types that protrude from the water from time to time. Some small islands are not considered by the Intelligence Ministry because of their small size. It is recorded on the chart, which makes it difficult for Fry to judge. These dotted islands are exactly the terrain that pirates like.

Because it is a good hiding place, any fleet can hide among those islands without anyone noticing. This is of course a headache for those who search for them.

According to the collection of the Intelligence Department, there are a total of 7 pirates in the waters of Antoros. Among them, a pirate named Ruel is the most powerful. He controls the passage north of Antoros and often plunders the passers-by from Barro in northern Europe. of ships,

It is said that the man named Ruhr was a fisherman in northern Normandy before he became a pirate. He fled to the sea to become a pirate because he killed the tax official who was having an affair with his wife. Some people also say that the pirate of Ruhr is from The troubled nobleman of Scandania in Barro, Northern Europe. There are even rumors that this Ruhl is the younger brother of Duke Ona, one of the two major forces in Scandania. Because of his dissatisfaction with the family, he led his subordinates to anger. Then he joined the pirates and went into exile here.

In any case, this most powerful pirate leader has never dealt with the Normans, because the Nordic Barrow route he controlled severely damaged the Normandy trade line to the north, and Salander's failure caused The Normans, who urgently needed to expand the access route, were even more aggressive towards this guy who was against them. However, they launched several encirclement and suppression campaigns, but they still let this Ruhr escape.

"Commander, I don't think this is the way to go!" the adjutant said with his finger on the map. "Almost every island has been visited, but we still can't find the hiding place of the Ruhr pirates. We have to find a ship among these dotted islands, and This is an area that the other party is familiar with. It is really easy to avoid us. In fact, we can find another way to find "

"Oh, what method?" Frye raised his head and asked

"Define an area, and then throw ten thunder bullets on each island!" the adjutant said with a sneer on his face, "I believe the other party has discovered us a long time ago, and is just hiding in a dark harbor and not coming out. As long as When the thunder cannon fires, the mouse cannot come out of its hole. Can't we use smoke to diffuse it? When the opponent is panicking, he must first think of escaping by boat. In terms of speed, our nimble Dragon Tooth Ship is better than the huge sail warship." The adjutant snorted coldly. He snorted and said with a sneer.