"This place looks very rich …" Baron Fagley sighed in admiration as he looked at the scenery, but the three envoys sitting in the same carriage could hear the greed and desire to plunder in his words.
"Haha, Tyrrsim hasn't been through any wars, or rather, the war theatre has managed it well. The market here is quite prosperous.
A few years ago, this place was the shipping point and port for the ocean trade. It seems that the interruption of the ocean trade in the past few years has not affected the Port of Capicus at all … "Viscount Angelink also expressed his satisfaction with the prosperity here.
The four envoys in the carriage were all merchant nobles close to Stellin XI. Not only did they come to Nubissia to plunder the king's wealth, they also had the heavy responsibility of bringing the colonies under their wing.
Had it not been for the lack of ships, the viceroys and governors of the six colonies would have come with the envoys. They were all part of the merchant nobles.
Unfortunately, they could only wait for the next batch of ships to arrive. They could only take up their posts after the first batch of envoys brought the Alliance back to the kingdom.
After all, the sea route between the two continents was very dangerous without the escort of a fleet. They would have to risk their lives to take up their posts.
"It's not like Tyrrsim hasn't been through war before," Viscount Oribout said sinisterly.
"If you've seen the war theatre's report to the ministry of the army, you'll know that Storm rebelled in Whitestag and sided with Prince Hansbach, cutting off the trade with Port Cobicus.
The viceroys and governors of Tyrrsim, Aduras and Mormaly were also prepared to side with the first prince. They even imprisoned Bolonik, the highest commander of the war theatre, who came to discuss military expenditure.
"But the war theatre reacted quickly and immediately sent troops to quell the rebellion. The three colonies were brought under the war theatre's jurisdiction because of that."
"You mean …" In the carriage, Baron Fogli and Viscount Angelinck both revealed expressions of ecstasy.
Viscount Oribut nodded reservedly. "I've brought a copy of the report from the war zone. It says that in order to stabilize the situation, the war zone only punished the governor and admiral who led the rebellion. They didn't pursue the people who accompanied the rebellion.
We're all ambassadors of the war theatre, so it's our duty to investigate and punish all rebels who followed the first prince.
So, when we take over the authority of the war zone, we can investigate the rebels of the eldest prince's faction who are hiding among the people … "
"Haha, I was wondering if the viceroys and governors of the three colonies collected taxes from the commoners when they rebelled. Did the commoners of the three colonies pay the taxes?" Viscount Angelink asked with a sinister smile.
However, Viscount Oribout and Baron Fugli didn't find it strange that Viscount Angelink would ask such a question. This was something they were used to in the kingdom.
No matter if the first prince's army had forcibly conscripted soldiers or collected taxes, in the eyes of these ambassadors, they were all supporting the first prince's rebellion. Many families had been destroyed because of this.
Unless they could satisfy the appetites of these envoys, offering them gold and silver or family treasures that could satisfy them …
"This wasn't written in the report," Viscount Oribout replied honestly.
"But it's very easy for us to find evidence against them. We just need to check the tax records of the colonies.
As long as one of the taxes was collected during the rebellion, we'll have reason to conclude that they were supporting the first prince's rebellion. "
"It's too early for you to be happy."
At this moment, Count Davanel, who had been looking out the window, spoke up faintly. "Don't you feel that the local officials' attitude towards us is very strange?
These two days, they don't seem to be willing to deal with us in private. Everything is done according to the rules.
Our lodgings and food, as well as the horses and carriages they provided for us, were all in line with the terms of hospitality in the colonies. They were neither above nor below the standard. It was a stark contrast to the hospitality we received in the local counties of the Kingdom....
Also, look at the eyes of the people in the market when they see our carriage. I feel that they aren't afraid of us being the kingdom's ambassadors. Instead, they're disgusted with us.
A few of the marines escorting us took a few apples from a fruit stall on the street without paying. The stall owner wasn't begging, but cursing and even wanted to attack us.
In the end, the people next to him pulled him back. I'm very curious. Isn't a fruit seller afraid of the soldiers' muskets? "
"I think everything you've said can be easily explained," Viscount Oribout replied after some thought.
Viscount Oribut thought for a moment before replying, "We've all seen the hospitality clause stipulated by the Union Territory's war zone. It's indeed written in detail and thoughtfulness. This is probably a rule made by the war zone to prevent local officials from taking advantage of the hospitality fees.
Without the chance to make a fortune, the local officials naturally have to do things according to the rules, just like us. If we can't make some money for ourselves, we won't have the motivation to offend others and be the ambassador to settle accounts.
"Besides, this is the overseas colonies. The local officials are under the jurisdiction of the war zone.
They don't know that we're here to take over the war zone, so there's no need for them to flatter us.
To them, they had fulfilled their duty by sending us to Lanhu City.
I believe that after we take over the power of the war zone and come back here, those local officials will definitely treat us as their own parents. By then, even if you ask their wives and daughters to come and warm the bed, they will still wash them and send them to our bed obediently …
As for the fruit vendor, he could only be said to be a simple-minded and crude person.
When we start tracking down the rebels here, you can come and take a look. At that time, don't talk about eating a few fruits for free. He'll kneel on the ground and offer us the freshest and most delicious fruits for our soldiers to taste. He just hopes that we won't accuse him of being a rebel.
To them, we're just passers-by, ambassadors of the kingdom going to the war zone to perform official duties, so they're not afraid of us. "
Viscount Oribout's analysis won the admiration of the three nobles in the same carriage. It was the third day since they arrived at Port Cobicus in the Tyrrsim colony.
The seven ambassadors of the kingdom only rested for two days before they asked the local officials who received them to prepare carriages and horses for them to set off for Lanu, where the war zone headquarters was located.
The local officials of the port of Caucicus, who regarded them as a plague, were eager for them to leave as soon as possible. Soon, they mobilized carriages and supplies for the envoys of the seven kingdoms and the battalion of marines to go on their way.
There were farms and farms on both sides of the road after they left Port Cobicus.
Soon, a group of five to six month old piglets playing around in front of a farm caught the eyes of the envoys. They called for the carriage to stop.
"Send a squad to capture all the piglets in the farm ahead. The lords will be eating roasted suckling pigs with honey when we set up camp at night."
The personal attendants of the Kingdom's Special Envoy naturally knew the talents that their master liked. A steward directly appointed a few squads of Marine soldiers to carry out the order to catch the piglet.
The Marines of this battalion were all recruited later and were not the main Marine forces of the original Storm Fleet.
After returning to the kingdom from the colonies, the dozen or so ocean-going warships of the original Storm fleet were arranged by Stellin XI to guard the seas near the Ibnister Plains. This was to prevent attacks from the sea and prevent the royal capital from being caught off guard again.
At the same time, they were given a few ocean-going ships to form a naval squadron.
Generally speaking, a complete naval fleet would have four to five squadrons. Each squadron would have around twenty ocean-going warships and transport ships, as well as a marine battalion.
A complete naval fleet basically had more than a hundred warships and ocean-going ships, as well as the establishment of a marine regiment.
At the same time, they would need a good, deep-water port to maintain the ships and allow the soldiers on board to rest.
Of the two major fleets of Aueras, one was Dreadnaught, which was destroyed by the rebellion of the first prince and Seaking and the Alliance. The other, Storm, rebelled and defected to the first prince's side. Now, there were only twenty or so warships and ships left.
Therefore, there was no need to choose a large port. Instead, they found a fishing port in the coastal area of the Ibinister Plains as their base. The Marine Battalion was formed by the local ruffians, veterans, and sailors that were recruited near the town.
After three years of civil war, quality soldiers were scarce. Even if there were, they were all controlled by the three ace corps.
It was already very good that this Marine Division could organize a battalion of Marines.
Due to the lack of funds, they didn't undergo any strict military training or education.
Most of them were good at stealing and taking advantage of others, but when they went into battle, they would run until their stomachs turned to jelly. They were basically useless.
This time, the soldiers of the Marine Battalion had already regarded this trip as a cushy job. In the name of the envoy's escort, they had already done a lot of things without paying in the past two days in Port Cobicius.
Fortunately, those things weren't worth much. With the local police keeping an eye on them, they couldn't do anything that would implicate the kingdom's envoy. So, they kept their temper and didn't cause too much trouble.
This time, when they had just left the city, they heard the kingdom's envoy say that they wanted to eat roasted suckling pig with honey tonight. They were told to catch the piglets in the farm in front of them. This time, everyone was courageous and fought to be the first. Some got off their horses, while others got off their carriages and swarmed to the farm's fence. They tore a hole in the fence and rushed in. Those who didn't have the mood to catch the piglets rushed to the house and the back of the farm, preparing to steal something for themselves ….
Then, gunshots rang out. Soon, four or five soldiers who ran to the back of the farm ran out crying as if they had abandoned their weapons and armor. As they ran, they shouted, "Murder, murder …"
A battalion of Marines has a full complement of more than a thousand people, but this new battalion only has about seven hundred people due to the lack of manpower.
The local officials of Cobicus Port mobilized seventy four-wheeled flatbed carts and about two hundred pack horses for them. It was enough for them to travel in the carts, and they could also form a squadron of cavalry guards.
As for the seven kingdom's envoys and the dozen or so naval officers who were going to receive the Combined Fleet, they naturally sat in six relatively new four-wheeled luxury carriages.
Just now, there were only about thirty soldiers who obeyed the order to catch piglets in the farm. The rest of them got off the carriages and went to the side of the road to relieve themselves. Then, they just sat there and watched.
Unexpectedly, before they could catch a few piglets, gunshots came from the farm. Then, they saw five or six people fiercely rushing out from the back of the farm. At the front was a strong man waving a large shovel. Behind him were four middle-aged men holding large dung forks, shoulder poles, and iron rods. At the back was an old man in his fifties or sixties holding a matchlock gun. The reason why he fell behind was that he was reloading his gun as he ran …
When the strong man with the large shovel saw a soldier holding a piglet in front of him, he didn't hesitate and smashed the soldier's head with the shovel.
The soldier threw away the piglet, held his bloody head, and screamed as he turned and ran. The four middle-aged men behind him didn't hesitate either. They beat up the soldiers in their courtyard, causing them to cry for their fathers and call for their mothers, covering their heads and scurrying away like rats.
The kingdom's envoys, who were watching the show, were furious. How dare they resist the kingdom's soldiers? What wicked people! The people in this farm must be traitors!
Immediately give the order to arrest these traitors, dead or alive!
When the five or six people in the farm saw that the road outside was full of the soldiers' comrades, they immediately retreated to the back of the farm. Using the cover of the house, they picked up the guns that the soldiers who caught the piglets had thrown on the ground and confronted the soldiers outside.
At the same time, smoke rose from the back of the farm, sounding the alarm.
A large group of Marine soldiers was sent to attack the farm. However, after the first two soldiers rushed into the farm and were killed, one was injured, and the other fell to the ground screaming in pain, the soldiers behind them didn't dare to rush in anymore. They all hid outside the fence and fired at the farm with their guns.
After a series of gunshots, except for a dozen white spots on the walls of the farm house, they didn't hit anyone.
Viscount Oribut had once been a supervisor of the Red Dragon Legion during the kingdom's civil war. Apart from the envoys of the two veteran aristocratic families, he was the only one among the five new merchant aristocratic envoys who knew a little bit of military knowledge.
He angrily pointed at the officers in charge of the Marine Battalion. "Send another group and rush in directly from the front. The other party only has a few guns, they can't kill many people.
Send another squadron to the back of the farm, don't let these traitors escape … "
The officer in charge of the Marine Battalion didn't agree to Viscount Oribut's request. Instead, he blew the copper whistle to retreat, which made Viscount Oribut so angry that he almost vomited blood. "How dare you disobey my orders!"
An officer pointed around. "Viscount Oribut, look around our team first …"
Viscount Oribut looked back and was dumbfounded. He didn't know when, but a black crowd had appeared around the road, vaguely surrounding the entire team of carriages and horses.
What made the kingdom's envoys even more chilled was that the people at the front of the crowd were holding guns. The muzzles were pointed at them, and the matches on the guns were burning with sparks …
What was going on?
Why did the residents of the colony have so many muskets? What were they trying to do?
A horn sounded in the distance, and four rows of soldiers in gray and black uniforms of the local garrison regiment ran over in an orderly manner. A few officers rode in front. "Who gave the alarm?
Where did these bandits come from? "
The kingdom's envoys were overjoyed. They were finally saved.
Just as he was about to step forward and report his name so that the soldiers could arrest the people around him, he saw the people who were confronting the Marine Battalion running out of the farm. They rushed in front of the officers and pointed at the Marine Battalion soldiers and began to narrate their story.
The officers' expressions changed. With a wave of their hands, the soldiers behind them rushed up and surrounded the entire Marine Battalion.
"How dare you!
We are envoys from the royal capital! How dare you be rude to us! "The kingdom's envoys were enraged.
"Kingdom's envoys?
Ptui! "
A colonel with three silver moons on his epaulette spat on the ground in disdain. "We've had envoys come to the colonies several times, but we've never seen envoys barging into farms like bandits to rob their property.
You say that you are envoys of the Kingdom. Show us the proof of your being envoys of the Kingdom.
Otherwise, we'll treat you as bandits pretending to be the kingdom's envoys and take action immediately! "
Ugh … You want us to prove we're the kingdom's envoys?
That's simple. Just show us Stellin XI's edict.
Viscount Angelink was about to get into the carriage to get the King's decree, but Count Davanel grabbed his arm and said, "Are you crazy? Showing them His Majesty's decree here? If the contents are leaked, we're done for …"
The kingdom's envoys only then remembered that Stellin XI's edict contained the punishment of the five generals and two corps.
If it was exposed now and someone with ulterior motives tried to sow discord, they would all die without a grave.
Only when the edict was read out in front of the command center would it become a fait accompli. By then, they would have taken over the command center and wouldn't have to worry about any changes.
In any case, the edict couldn't be shown now.
"My apologies, His Majesty's edict can only be read out in front of the highest commander. We can't show it to you."
Baron Fogli stepped forward and greeted the officers with a smile. "We are indeed special envoys from the kingdom. Look at these carriages and horses, as well as the permits issued by your local officials to us, and the documents to prove that we are not bandits in disguise."
The colonel took a look at the documents and ordered, "Disarm all their muskets. Also, give all those who barged into the farm thirty lashes. They've disgraced the kingdom's military.
If they resist, execute them on the spot! "
In front of the ferocious local garrison guards, the members of the Marine Battalion were very obedient. They handed over their guns and voluntarily confessed to the 30 soldiers who rushed into the farm to catch the piglets. They watched as they were stripped of their clothes and whipped on the side of the road.
"We still have two dead and one injured in our farm …" A middle-aged man who came out of the farm said.
"Those are your spoils of war. Do as you please.
If you can save the wounded one, he'll be a laborer in your farm for ten years. Just go and register him.
If you can't save him, you can feed his corpse to the dogs. "
Then, he looked around and ordered, "Tell everyone to disperse. This time, you guys have done a good job in joint defense.
We'll send troops to escort them out of the country. I guarantee they won't disturb the peace here … "