"I've only heard that the natives of Nubissia have red skin, but I didn't expect the entire continent to be red," Claude said as he looked at the approaching coastline.
It was indeed unexpected that the clouds in the sky were pink in the middle of the day and the cliffs and beaches were a dark red. Even the seawater looked light red.
Claude wasn't the only one surprised. All the soldiers who came to Nubissia for the first time crowded onto the deck and looked at the sight curiously.
"There's nothing strange about it.
That's only the first time you see it, "Tornado's captain, Lesting, said," You won't find it any different after a while.
I remember the kingdom sent an expedition here a few years ago. I heard from a professor that the red color here is actually due to some kind of red substance in the soil of the continent. That's why even the seawater looks red.
In fact, the seawater here is the same as the seawater on Freia. It's said that the clouds in the sky are dyed red by the lakes and mountains on the land. "
"I see. Captain Lesting, how much longer do we need to reach the shore?" Claude asked.
Lesting looked at the bustling docks and shook his head. "I reckon it'll be another two to three hours. We'll have to wait for them to drive away the fishing boats to make room for us.
We have more than two hundred ships this time, so it'll take them quite a while.
Also, we're on a first-grade battleship of the kingdom. We'll have to guard the port before the transport ships arrive, so we'll only be able to get in later. "
"There seem to be a lot of people here. As the capital of Tyrrsim, it doesn't look too bad. It's quite lively here," Claude said.
Lesting smiled. "The liveliness of Cobicus is thanks to our new route.
In the past, the kingdom had taken an eastbound route to Port Patres in the Robisto colony of Nubissia. After switching to the westbound route, Port Cobicus began to prosper while Port Patres became deserted.
The viceroy of Robisto, Earl Falwater, requested to swap positions with the viceroy of Tyrrsim, Viscount Cruise. The two of them had a heated argument … "
"Is the governor of Tyrrsim still Viscount Jerryhausen van Cruz?" Claude asked.
"It should be. I don't know his first name and given name. I only know that his last name is Cruz.
However, it was said that he had been the governor of Tyrrsim for 17 years, and in three years, he would retire and return to the royal capital.
Do you know this governor? "Captain Lesding asked curiously.
Claude shook his head. "I've never seen him before, nor do I have any impression of him.
But my long-dead father once told me that he was my godfather and that he was the one who gave me my name. "
"You can go see him now. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you," Lasting said as he looked at Claude's epaulette.
Claude couldn't help but chuckle. He had no intention of getting himself a godfather.
According to the late Morssen, when Claude was born, Viscount Jerryhausen van Cruz happened to be passing through Whitestag and was invited to a banquet.
When Morssen received the good news of the birth of his second son, Viscount Cruce, who was in high spirits, volunteered to be the child's godfather and gave him the name Claude.
Back then, Morssen had the intention to curry favor with the viscount, so he took the initiative to write a letter to report on Claude's growth. The viscount also sent some gifts and toys to Claude, his godson, in return.
But when he went to Nubissia to take up the position of a high admiral, he lost all contact with Morssen.
The last thing Mr Morssen knew was that this Viscount Cruise had been promoted from admiral to governor of Tyrrsim, and nothing more had been heard of him.
He still remembered that when he was 16, his father wanted him to go to Tyrrsim in Nubissia to look for his godfather, Viscount Kris, and become one of his guards.
That way, he could avoid the kingdom's compulsory conscription and be sent to the battlefield. Serving under Cruise's guard would be much safer than serving in the kingdom's corps and it would be much easier to earn merits.
Poor parents. Mr. Morssen did not expect so many unforeseen events to happen. He had only taken one wrong step and was doomed. In the end, he was forced to commit suicide by jumping off a building.
Claude, on the other hand, was recommended to join the army and shone brilliantly during the war. Not only did he become an official lieutenant colonel of the kingdom, he also became a legendary figure in Whitestag.
If Claude went to see Viscount Cruise right now and admitted that he was his godfather, the viceroy would definitely be delighted.
Just as Lesting hinted, Claude had already become a lieutenant-colonel at such a young age and was in charge of a battalion all by himself. It wasn't hard to imagine that his future would be much brighter than that of a viceroy who would be retiring in three years.
But was that really necessary?
That route had been open for eight years already.
If Cruise still remembered that he had a godson in Whitestag, he would've sent someone to contact him long ago.
However, there weren't any letters between them. He was treated as a stranger. Perhaps he did ask around, but after hearing about Morssen's suicide and Claude's enlistment in the army, he probably didn't think there was a need to bother with House Ferd anymore.
Colonel Bolonik walked over. He was Claude's senior and the jarl of Line 033.
Just like Claude, he was concerned about when they would be able to dock. He asked, "Captain Lasting, do you know how many troops are stationed in Cobicus, the capital of Tyrrsim?"
Lasting gave it some thought before replying, "There's a cannons stationed at the docks and the forts along the coast. They're in charge of defending against pirate attacks.
There's also a local garrison stationed at the outskirts of the city under the command of the admiral. They're in charge of defending the city and suppressing rebellions in the colony.
Also, the viceroy and the admiral each have their own company of guards around them to protect them and their residences.
That's about it. I'm not too sure about the rest. "
Colonel Bolonik looked at the bustling pier in front of him. Groups of soldiers disembarked from the transport ships and lined up neatly, waiting for the warhorses to unload their mounts. Then, they would lead their mounts into the city.
Cheers could be heard from the docks and the crowds on both sides of the road.
"How many citizens of our kingdom are there in Cobicus?" Bolonik asked.
Lasting shook his head. "I'm not too sure myself. I heard that there are around three hundred thousand people in Tyrrsim. Cobicus is the capital, so I'm guessing there should be around seventy to eighty thousand of them.
But most of the people in the city are the mixed-blood natives. I estimate there to be around three to four hundred thousand of them.
They're not considered citizens of the kingdom, you know. They're only responsible for paying taxes and serving the kingdom. "
It wasn't until three o 'clock in the afternoon that the Tornado finally docked. Count Saramento, the admiral of the fleet, finally walked out of his cabin. He nodded to everyone on the deck and was the first to disembark. He got into a carriage waiting for him at the dock and left with his guards.
Lasting whispered to Claude, "Count Saramatos has a mistress in Cobicus. He has a manor and a pair of sisters there.
Every time you go to Cobicus, you'll go straight to his manor. All official business is handled there.
If the viceroy is hosting a banquet tonight, he'll definitely invite Count Saramatos. Perhaps you can see the beauty of the sisters in the viceroy's manor. "
When Claude and the two seniors disembarked from the warship, a group of people who had been waiting at the docks came to welcome them.
The leader of the group was a lanky middle-aged man who claimed to be the viceroy's personal secretary. He extended an invitation to Claude and the two commanders. Just as Lasting expected, the viceroy, Viscount Kris, would be hosting a grand banquet and ball in his manor that night. All high-ranking officers of Ranger were invited to attend, including those above the rank of captain.
They were followed by the military commander of the territory, the aide sent by Baron Strathern, the commander of the local garrison of Port Cobicus, and the commander of the port artillery guard battalion. They were here to welcome the reinforcements and were responsible for arranging the encampment, logistics, and many other matters.
Finally, there were the local nobles of Cobicus. Two white-haired old men sobbed and said that they hadn't seen the kingdom's invincible army for many years.
Now that they did, they noticed that the kingdom's army was getting more and more heroic. They wished the kingdom's army would be invincible on the battlefield and teach the insolent Shiksan colonial soldiers a good lesson.
Claude believed that the local nobles would do the same thing again when General Michelc arrived with reinforcements.
He looked around and saw that most of the people at the docks were young, dark-skinned natives. They looked rather disappointed.
He asked Captain Lasting and was told that in the past, the natives were required to unload the cargo when the fleet arrived and earned some money for their labor.
Now that the army was here and they weren't needed, it was only natural that they would be disappointed if they didn't earn any money.
With great difficulty, they waited for the two senior leaders to finish exchanging pleasantries with those famous people. Only then did they mount their horses and enter their carriages, parting ways with each other.
However, they would still meet again at the governor's banquet that night. They had to go back and make preparations.
Naturally, Claude and the others had to return to their new camp. Captain Lasting also bade them farewell. He had some personal goods on Tornado that he needed to deal with.
Captain Hinks, the adjutant sent by the governor of Tyrrsim, didn't act like a soldier at all. Instead, he looked more like a shrewd businessman.
He said that Baron Strathern had been bedridden for more than two months due to his illness. Otherwise, he would've brought the garrison troops to support the frontlines.
Unfortunately, when he heard about the Shiksan invasion, the baron had relapsed. He wanted to kill the enemy, but he couldn't get out of his sickbed to serve the kingdom.
After that, Captain Hinks asked the two senior captains if there were any surplus military supplies for sale, because the equipment of the admiral's personal guards was very outdated.
He expressed that he was willing to fork out money to purchase some extra advanced weapons and equipment from the two senior captains. Even if the price was a little higher, everything was negotiable.
Lieutenant-Colonel Alvelard, the jarl of Cobicus' garrison, was a fat man who only knew how to be a yes-man.
Bolonik asked him about the situation of the garrison troops in Tyrrsim, but his answers were completely off the mark.
As for the size of the garrisons in the other four towns of Tyrrsim, he didn't even know. He replied eloquently that it was none of his business and that he was only responsible for the garrison and local law and order of the port of Cobicus.
Cobicus was divided into the inner and outer city. There was a city wall between the docks and the inner city. After entering the city, Claude saw that the buildings in the inner city were arranged in a picturesque manner. Trade was flourishing. Soldiers, women and children could be seen on both sides of the streets paying their respects to the riders.
The men took off their hats and the women waved. Cheers could be heard from time to time.
But after leaving the inner city, Claude found that the outer city was filled with mud and mud houses and wooden sheds. The streets were filled with potholes as they were all paved with red mud.
Most of the people watching the procession were dark-skinned mixed-blood natives with numb expressions. It was rare to see any neatly dressed citizens of the kingdom.
The inner city and the outer city were like two different worlds.
"How many mixed-blood natives are there?
Have you counted them? "Claude asked the adjutant, Captain Hinks.
He couldn't be bothered to ask the fat Lieutenant-Colonel Alvelard. He believed that he wouldn't be able to answer.
"Apologies, Sir. I'm not too sure myself.
Captain Hinks defended himself, "After all, our admiral is in charge of military affairs, and the governor is in charge of civil affairs.
But I heard that there were more than two hundred thousand mixed-blood natives in the outer city five to six years ago. "
"What do they do for a living?" Claude asked.
Captain Sinks shook his head. "Who knows? They either work part-time or work at the docks. The young women sell meat in the taverns or on the roadside. Some of the lucky men find long-term jobs in the plantations and farms outside the city.
I heard that some of the big shots in the inner city have set up a few workshops in the outer city and hired many workers. "
"By the way, your commander is bedridden. The ministry of the army has asked you to recruit soldiers to form a new garrison. Have you completed that?" Bolonik suddenly asked.
"I … I'm not too sure about that. It should be Lieutenant-Colonel Alvelard who's in charge. He's the jarl of the local garrison," Hinks said.
"The commander didn't give me an official order. I don't have money or weapons. Where am I supposed to recruit soldiers?"
The two seniors could only shake their heads. They didn't expect to encounter such a situation. All they could say was that the military was beyond repair.
When they arrived at the camp in the outer city, even the two seniors were a little angry. "This is the camp you arranged for us?"
The camp was far too run-down. There weren't many pieces of wood left on the gate and half of the surrounding walls were gone. Not to mention riding a horse, they could even cross it on foot.
"Apologies, Sir."
Captain Sinks sincerely apologized, "This is how it is in the barracks. Once the garrison leaves the city, those bastards from the outer city will come to steal the bricks and tear down the walls. They will take whatever they see.
But apart from here, there's no other empty space in Port Cobicus for you to set up camp. "