Chapter 107: The 666 Plan
TL: Etude
On the beach, a crowd had gathered to witness the trial run of a new ship, among them Barnett Todd and several of his merchant friends.
He asked his friends, Did you all see that? That ship seems to be without a single oar.
Youre not mistaken, it indeed has no oars. Its entirely driven by wind, confirmed the salt merchant Gedwin.
I wonder if Lord Graymans summoning of us has anything to do with this ship.
What do you mean?
Remember, Lord Grayman previously mentioned establishing an overseas trading company? But at that time, there were no ships suitable for ocean voyages, so the idea was shelved. Now such a ship has been built.
The performance of the ship is still unknown, though.
The merchants buzzed with speculation on the beach.
In the afternoon, the City Hall called another meeting with the merchants from Port Fran and the surrounding areas. As expected, Count Grayman brought up the matter of overseas trade again.
After the construction of the second ship, Ill conduct an ocean trial voyage! announced Paul to the merchants.
The destination is tentatively set for Balmor Port within the kingdoms territory. If possible, we will sail southward to Horn Bay.
Balmor Port is located at the mouth of the kingdoms largest river, the Senna, from which one can sail upstream all the way to the capital, Crystal Shine Fortress.
Soon, someone asked, Lord Grayman, will you sell these ships to us, the civilian merchants?
Of course, Id be delighted the more you buy. But only after fulfilling the militarys needs. We must have a strong navy to ensure the safety of the trade routes. You wouldnt want to encounter pirates at sea, would you?
You can now place orders at the shipyard, first come, first served!
Hansel, the head of the Administration Council, will soon journey to the capital. You can either go with him or send representatives to explore the southern market.
Upon hearing this, the merchants were ecstatic, eagerly preparing for a big venture.
Under the administration of Alda and Baylding, more than a dozen private factories had emerged with Pauls technical support. They were either solely or jointly owned, producing items such as paper, porcelain, and canned goods. Additionally, several salt fields were established along the coast, reducing salt prices in the local and surrounding territories.
Naturally, the private entrepreneurs who invested in these industries made a hefty profit and were keen on expanding their market reach.
To Pauls surprise, when he initially invented canned goods using wide-mouth glass jars based on his memory, the local canners substituted the glass jars with ceramic pots, significantly reducing costs.
This was considered a great innovation. Indeed, the profit-driven nature of businessmen is formidable.
To prevent his own cannery from being outcompeted, he ordered the use of ceramic pots for canning as well.
While Paul was enticing the merchants with grand prospects, a military meeting was also underway at the heavily guarded naval base.
The attendees included Chief of Staff Schroeder, Navy Commander Austin, Head of the Equipment Department Kelly, Head of Logistics Ron, and Bryce, the newly arrived commander of the armys first battalion in Port Fran.
Chief of Staff, this is our proposed development outline, Austin respectfully handed a stack of papers to Schroeder.
After receiving them, Schroeder carefully reviewed the document.
He frowned as he read the outline, then passed it around for others to review.
The first to receive it, Bryce glanced over the document and said with a trembling voice, Isnt the navys ambition too grand?
Expanding to 600 personnel within the next two years?
Sixty cannons, both large and small?
Equipping at least six sail warships?
Bryce slammed his fist on the table, indignantly saying, Austin, youre not joking with me, are you? The entire army currently has only eight cannons that can truly be called such.
Austin pointed out to him, You need to look closely. Many of these sixty cannons are small weapons like the revolving cannon.
Bryce shook his head, Thats still too many!
Austin explained, This is a result of careful deliberation and is quite conservative. Six hundred men, sixty cannons, six warships, known as the 666 Plan.
He explained to everyone, Count Grayman has ordered the navy to open and secure the southern sea route as soon as possible. With just a few rowing and sailing ships equipped with swords and a few firearms and manned by hundreds of new recruits, how can we eliminate the various pirates along the way?
The navy must ensure that four ships are patrolling at the same time, one is in training, and one is undergoing maintenance.
Bryce asked, Training makes sense, but why does a new ship need maintenance?
Of course its necessary!
Austin patiently explained to the landlubbers, Building a qualified warship takes a long time. However, to equip them as soon as possible, our first batch of warships will inevitably be hastily constructed. For instance, the Hope, built in just over a month, used many wood parts that were not fully air-dried. This can lead to rapid decay of the ships body, hence the need for frequent maintenance. Of course, even for qualified ships, regular maintenance is necessary.
What about this Marine Corps? Dont we already have the army?
Its necessary to have personnel skilled in land combat. Pirates wont foolishly float on the sea for us to bombard them. If things go south, they might flee to land. Moreover, their hideouts are either on islands or coastal strongholds. We must go ashore to eradicate them, and waiting to coordinate with the army could lead to missed opportunities.
As Austin laid out his reasons, he left the others unable to refute, and then he added:
Im sure you all understand Aldas urgent need for overseas trade now. Once trade begins, the Administration Council will collect more taxes, which can then be allocated to our military budget.
Not just for the navy, but also for the army.
This last statement painted a very appealing prospect.
After pondering for a while, Schroeder said to Austin, I fundamentally agree with the plan, but it ultimately requires Lord Graymans approval. The allocation of resources is already heavily skewed towards the navy. The army, with over a thousand men, is equipped with only eight cannons, while the navy, with just a few hundred men, has ten. Many army officers are unhappy with this.
Austin glanced at the still discontented Bryce, thinking to himself, Theres one right here.
Even in the face of the threat from Emden, this imbalance hasnt changed. Many soldiers in the newly expanded third battalion are equipped only with wooden sticks. Thankfully, God has blessed us, and the Kent family has no intention of waging war for now.
Schroeder stared at Austin, emphasizing each word, Therefore, the navy must produce convincing results.
Austin stood up, saluted everyone present, and firmly stated:
Please rest assured, Lord Grayman, Chief of Staff, and everyone here. We are already working with the Intelligence Department to investigate and compile information on various pirate groups. We will soon take action. I assure you, within a year, only our military will wield power in the waters of the Northwest Bay.
Schroeder stood up, patted his shoulder, and said, Very well, to support the navys operations, the Equipment Department will construct a new armory in Port Fran, providing the navy with nearby access to guns, gunpowder, and other types of weapons.
This was indeed good news. An excited Austin said, We will certainly not let down the high expectations of Lord Grayman.
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