Chapter 314 314-The Importance of the New World
Howard, deeply engrossed in the aftermath of the battle, felt his thoughts stirred by Resarite's words.
He invited Resarite into his tent for a private conversation.
Resarite opened a bottle of Champagne and poured a glass for Howard.
However, Howard pushed aside the offered drink and asked, "What danger are you speaking of?"
Resarite spoke candidly, "My lord, this battle has revealed that the enemy's morale is indeed high. Despite the continuous hardships, their spirit seems more elevated than our troops. The moment Duke Bourbon's personal guard charged, we nearly failed to hold against their heavy cavalry. It was alarmingly close."
Howard blinked, absorbing this without comment.
Resarite continued, "The Empire's tactical prowess is far behind that of our enemies."
Howard pursed his lips and responded, "I understand. You may go attend to your duties."
After Resarite left, Golan entered the tent to report on the condition of the troops, the casualty rate among the horses, and issues concerning the maintenance of medical supply routes.
Howard listened intently and provided appropriate solutions.
As Golan prepared to leave, Howard inquired about his opinion on the battle.
Golan replied, "I don't know about the enemy's strength, but I do know that Bohemia was truly weak this time."
The war raged on, and after several more battles, the enemy sought peace, bringing the conflict to an end.
…
Upon returning, Nora discussed Howard's achievements with her father, Emperor Fritz III.
Pleased with what he heard, the Emperor bestowed upon Howard the title of Duke of Lagusa, a region within the kingdom.
During Howard's time leading troops against the enemy, major nations waged war, and smaller states also engaged in various conflicts.
Among these, the war between Venice and Milan was somewhat related to Howard.
Howard had met the Governor of Venice; while his impression of him wasn't particularly good, it wasn't bad either.
In the terms of merchants, it might be described as 'strictly business.' As for the Governor of Milan, Howard had never met him; all interactions were handled by Vettel.
This war, initiated by Venice against Milan, was predicated on a trade dispute.
Milan sought Ferrara's help, and Rolf, representing Ferrara and Romagna, readily agreed.
Venice, wealthy, hired mercenaries.
But Milan was affluent too.
Venice, a republic with a strong commercial atmosphere, was matched by Milan, also a republic and a fervent advocate of mercantilism.
If Venice could afford mercenaries, so could Milan.
The forces were evenly matched, but with Rolf leading the troops on Milan's side, Venice gradually faltered.
After two battles of varying scales, Venice was confined to its city walls.
Venice didn't hold out for long.
The second wave of recruited mercenaries hadn't fully assembled before Rolf, leading his forces, defeated them in detail.
Sadly, they didn't earn the safe spending money they had hoped for.
Venice surrendered, shifting the competitive edge in trade to Milan.
For the duration of the treaty, Venetian merchants were prohibited from competing with those from Milan.
The territories of both sides remained unchanged, but Milan began to earn more in the Mediterranean.
Returning to the present, Howard, accompanied by Catherine, was familiarizing himself with Lagusa when Rolf visited Luka to find him.
Since Howard was not there, Rolf left a message with Howard's Chancellor of the Seal.
Six or seven days later, the letter arrived with Howard via ship.
Howard casually opened the letter sealed with red wax, showing little interest in the embossed family crest of Rolf.
Fresh from a bath, Catherine snuggled into Howard's arms, peering at the letter curiously, "What is it? Let me see."
Howard smiled, "It's nothing much.
Rolf is just telling me about how Venice's merchants turn tail and run whenever they see Milanese merchants in Ferrara."
Catherine took the letter, reading aloud, "It also says that Istan has become an independent city and now falls under Duke Rolf's jurisdiction.
He's specifically informing you."
A hint of playful mockery flashed across Howard's face.
"I won't contest him for Istan. He organized the entire colonization of the New World and the frontier, so I won't compete with him. But for future colonization efforts, I'll be working independently."
Catherine pouted, "Won't Rolf be upset?"
Howard chuckled heartily, his voice brimming with confidence, "Rolf is a duke, and so am I. There's nothing to fear. Regarding colonization, a cordial parting with Rolf is all that's needed. But in the Mediterranean trade, Rolf and I will continue our cooperation."
Catherine asked, "Is expanding into the New World that important?"
Howard replied without hesitation, "Very important."
Catherine smiled, "Really?"
Howard pulled out a map and showed Catherine the latest map of the Yoruba continent.
He drew a large circle over the entire empire with his right index finger and said, "Tell me, how vast is this entire map? How strong would we be if we owned all the territory of the empire?"
"I don't know, but definitely very strong," she replied.
Howard then drew another circle, this time encompassing not just the entire empire but also all the surrounding countries.
With confidence, he told Catherine, "See this circle I've drawn? The land available for colonization in the New World is bigger than all these areas combined!"
Catherine, hearing such a claim for the first time, asked skeptically, "Then why does my father say that only fools would go to colonize the New World? He says it's thankless, laborious, and the returns are slow?"
Howard thought to himself that her father was the fool.
However, he certainly couldn't say that about Catherine's father, so after a moment of thought, he said, "Your father, being from an inland territory, doesn't even understand maritime trade, let alone the New World. So naturally, his words lack credibility."
Catherine, still somewhat doubtful, said, "If what you say is true, then the New World really does sound impressive."
Howard nodded and walked out of the room.
Howard arrived at the ducal office and met Bosiden.
He instructed, "Write a letter in my name to Rolf, telling him that I plan to independently send people for the colonization of the New World. Also, inform him that I'm aware he's allied with the Governor of Milan. In terms of the Mediterranean, I'll support him with the commercial benefits from the Lagusa trading node."
"For Venice and Genoa, I need his help to speak with the Milanese Governor. Ensure the tone is amicable and repeatedly emphasize that we remain cooperative partners."
Bosiden nodded, then asked, "What about those escort ships and transport vessels that were originally part of Rolf's fleet? We paid for those ships. Now that we're going independent in the New World, should we ask Rolf to return them?"
Howard's eyelashes flickered as he replied, "Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish. Rolf has taught me to fish, and I will always remember that. Let's not discuss the ownership of those ships anymore; consider them a gift to Rolf. As for our ship needs, I'll have Vettel negotiate purchases. You focus on maintaining stability in Lagusa."
Bosiden accepted the order and left the room.
Following Alonso's notification, Vettel met with Howard to report on the financial situation and then, following Howard's instructions, set off to negotiate with the Governor of Venice and others for purchasing ships.
Nearly a week later, Vettel returned to report on the outcome of the ship acquisition.
Initially, the Governor of Venice was receptive, but suddenly, for some unknown reason, he flew into a rage, accusing Howard of insolence and refused to sell the ships.
The Duke of Naples was willing to sell, but at a steep price.
The most interesting response came from the King of Aragon, who offered Howard forty Caravel ships and twenty transport ships for free, in exchange for signing an alliance treaty.
Vettel was particularly puzzled by the King of Aragon's intentions.
After pondering, Howard said, "As for Venice, it seems there's been a misunderstanding; he probably took my request as an insult. I'll have Bosiden clarify the situation with the Governor of Venice; you don't need to worry about that. Regarding Naples, negotiate and buy the necessary quantity of ships after haggling."
"As for Aragon, it's likely they want our alliance due to strained relations with the Kingdom of Castile. But we can't agree to that."
Vettel, having received hospitality from the King of Aragon, had developed a fondness for his kingdom.
He somewhat defiantly asked, "Why can't we form an alliance with Aragon? It's our good fortune that they hold us in such high regard."
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