Claude was really annoyed that his family kept causing trouble for him.
Why would they go back to Whitestag at a time like this? It was still in ruins and the day it could be rebuilt was nowhere to be seen.
Not to mention, there weren't many of his old friends and neighbours left after the civil war. His mother and the others would be in an unfamiliar place and he wouldn't be able to take care of them if anything happened.
Claude had no choice but to order a carriage to get to the train station as soon as possible.
His mother and the others had somehow gotten their hands on train tickets and were about to board a ship to Cobicus to return to the kingdom.
Even Svenson, the steward of Ferd Manor, was kept in the dark about the trip. He only found out that he was going to Whitestag after his mother and the others packed their luggage.
Claude summoned his adjutant, Mason Hughes. "Send someone to the bureau to find out who arranged this trip for my mother and the others."
When he arrived at the train station, Claude realized that his thoughts were a little off. His mother and the others didn't seem to be running away from home.
Instead, they seemed to be going on a holiday, as they were in a private carriage.
There were also many people there to send them off. They were all noblewomen who had visited Ferd Manor before.
Claude saw the old butler, Alek, there as well. His mother seemed to be giving him some instructions.
Claude forced a smile and nodded at the people who greeted him before squeezing his way through the crowd of noblewomen. Along the way, someone grabbed his crotch.
It was probably one of the ladies who saw that Claude's wife, Kefnie, was going on a long trip and wanted to see if they could seduce him.
His mother's expression darkened when she saw him. She glared at him coldly as if he was her enemy. "What are you doing here?"
"No, why are you going back to the kingdom for no reason?" There were many people around and Claude couldn't just stare at her coldly, so he had no choice but to plead.
"I want to visit your father. It's been so many years since I've visited his grave," his mother said, before she straightened her face again. "Aren't you busy?
If there's nothing else, you can go back … "
"I've even visited my father's grave," Claude said. It was the truth. Every time he passed by Whitestag, he would visit Morssen's grave. After all, only the graveyard in Whitestag was untouched. "Then why did Kefnie and the others go back? Amelisa is still so young …"
Kefnie turned around with her daughter in her arms, still unwilling to talk to Claude.
On the other hand, the little daughter she was carrying, Amerissa, was very happy. She was not even four years old yet and was very interested in the lively scene before her. Her eyes were wide open as she looked around.
As for the fifteen-year-old second son, Belgassi, he was sitting in a corner of the carriage, quietly reading a book in his hands as if the commotion around him had nothing to do with him.
"Kefnie received a letter from her sister, Kathlyn, saying that her sister's family has returned to Whitestag. Her brother-in-law, Gerrard, has returned to Whitestag, so Kefnie decided to bring the children back to visit."
It was rare for her mother to help Kefnie explain, but she immediately chased her away, "Go back, there's nothing for you to do here. Don't be an eyesore.
I still have something to say to them … "
In the first half of last year, Kefnie finally received a letter from her missing sister, Kathlyn. The letter said that Tempest in Whitestag had rebelled before the civil war and wanted to seek refuge with Prince Hansbach.
Kefnie's brother-in-law, Gerrard, was coerced as well, but he managed to gather his friends and former subordinates of Shark and stole three ships to return to Whitestag.
Then, they brought their families to Stormsea and occupied a remote island, living the life of a half-thief, half-smuggler.
Gerrard had been to the region a few times in the past and asked around about Claude's family.
However, he didn't want to join Claude, as he was rather disheartened by the fate of the Tempest crew that fled to the region.
The navy that came to seek refuge in the region didn't want to join the war theatre at the time, so their lives were rather difficult. All they could do was transport goods along the coast to earn some money for alcohol.
After the civil war subsided, the remnants of Tempest who sought refuge in the region prepared to return home. They called Gerrard, who made a living in Stormsea, over.
Surprisingly, Stellin XI didn't put them in an important position. Instead, he sent them to patrol the coastal waters to protect the safety of Ibnister Plains.
Those days were tough. Their pay was low and they were often late. Gerrard sometimes even wanted to return to Stormsea to continue his smuggling business.
But after Frederick I came to power, he started to place more importance on the navy, but the kingdom didn't have the money or ability to build another Dreadnaught.
Then came the Debt War and the invasion of the Alliance, which took over half of the kingdom.
At that time, the kingdom's patrol sub-fleet that Gerrard was in only had a dozen light warships. They were navy and could not go ashore to fight the Alliance Army desperately. They could only fight guerrilla warfare on the sea, harassing the seaports occupied by the Alliance Army, or intercepting and robbing the Alliance Army's supply ships. They made a lot of contributions in this war.
Now that the treasury had more money and the kingdom's navy was given more, officers like Gerrard were promoted and put in important positions.
A while back, Kathlyn sent a letter to her sister, but Claude was in a cold war with Kefnie and didn't know the contents of the letter.
Now that he heard from his mother, he understood that Gerrard had been promoted and returned to Whitestag. Kathlyn wrote to Kefnie to invite her sister to Whitestag for a reunion. That was why Kefnie took Bayergassi and Amelisa away.
Claude wanted to persuade his mother and Kefnie to wait for a while longer and send them back to the kingdom after he was done with his work.
But his mother didn't have time to bother with him. Instead, she felt that his presence was a hindrance and only cared about talking to the noblewomen.
Kefnie, on the other hand, ignored him and the carriage was filled with people.
Claude had no choice but to leave the carriage and make way for the noblewomen who came to see them off. The carriage was filled with their insincere flattery.
"Sir …" The old butler Alek appeared beside Claude.
Claude nodded. "Are you alright, Alek? Why did my mother call you here?"
"I'm fine, Sir.
Alek bowed. "The madam and Kefnie called me over to say that they'll be staying in Whitestag for a while after returning to the kingdom, so they asked me to deposit the profits of the tobacco factory into Minsheng Bank and have someone send them a draft every six months."
When Claude took stock of the family's assets, he took back all the shares he had in the region that Kefnie kept and only left her with 30% of the profits from the tobacco factory for her daily expenses.
That wasn't a small amount and the business was so good that she received more than ten thousand crowns in dividends every month.
She did not expect that she would still be thinking about these profits when she and her mother were about to return to the kingdom. She specially asked the old butler, Alec, to deposit all the dividends in the bank and send someone to send her a bank transfer every six months …
Claude had originally wanted to persuade his mother and Kefnie to stop causing trouble and bring them home.
But who would've thought that there would be so many noble madams here to send her mother and Kefnie off?
It would be a joke if word got out that they were to cause a ruckus at the train station. However, he couldn't squeeze into the carriage to persuade his mother and the others.
The train whistled, signaling that it was about to depart.
The noblewomen in the carriage began to bid their farewells to Kefnie and the others. Just as Claude was about to enter the carriage again, he was stopped by Alek. "Sir, let them go. I know what happened in the manor. You did the right thing.
The old madam and Kefnie will throw a tantrum if they don't take it easy. Let them go back to the kingdom to relax.
You don't have to worry about their safety. I asked Staff Sergeant Kester to bring seven hired gunmen to protect them. These seven gunmen are retired veterans and security guards of the tobacco factory. They know each other well and are loyal and reliable.
With them around, the safety of the second young master, the young miss, and the madam won't be a problem.
Svenson also brought a few servants with the madam this time. With him around, nothing will happen. "
Claude stopped in his tracks and gave it some thought. He felt that Alek was right. His mother and wife, Kefnie, viewed him as their arch nemesis for forcing him to join the army after he left Tesoray in the barracks.
Even if he forced them to stay in Ferde Manor, he would only be asking for trouble and their relationship wouldn't improve.
It would be better to let them go back to the kingdom to relax, just as the old butler Alec had suggested.
As the train slowly moved forward on the tracks and the people waved at the carriage, Claude had already bid farewell to Alek and boarded the carriage to head for the headquarters.
When he arrived and entered his office, he received an intelligence report from the bureau. His mother's itinerary was clear from the report.
There was a councilor in the autonomous region called Braas Bay Willister who was a rancher and leather worker.
He was planning to devote himself to the ocean shipping business and invested in a partnership with a friend to run the route from Port Cobicus to Whitestag.
However, the four ocean freighters and one luxury liner that the company ordered were all ironclads. They were the only ones in the region and caused quite a stir when they were launched a while ago.
Now that the five ironclads were ready, they were about to embark on their first voyage to the kingdom.
Councilor Braas Bay Williston also invited his friends and family to board the luxurious ocean liner to enjoy the maiden voyage of the ironclad ship named Martha. At the same time, he also prepared to bring his wife and children to the Royal Capital for a sightseeing tour.
Madam Braas was a frequent visitor to Ferde Manor and was said to have a good relationship with Claude's mother. They often had afternoon tea together.
So, she bragged about the luxury liner to the kingdom before going to the royal capital to earn some face.
When Madam Kefnie found out about it, she got interested and asked her mother to ask Madam Braas if she could buy a few tickets for them to go to Whitestag to take a look at their ancestral estate.
When Braas Bay Willister heard from his wife that Madam Kefnie and Claude's mother would be taking his luxury liner back to the kingdom, he was overjoyed.
He patted his chest and promised to reserve the best first-class cabin for them. At the same time, he paid for a luxurious carriage on the railway company's train for the day and had his wife accompany Marshal Claude's mother, his wife, and the children to the port of Cobicus.
Due to Braas Bay Willister's hospitality, Svenson and the servants didn't know that his mother and Kefnie had already decided on a trip back to Whitestag. They only found out about it when they were about to depart and hurriedly sent a letter to Claude.
Even if Claude made it to the train station, it would be too late. Unless he got someone to forcefully take them off the train, he wouldn't be able to stop them from returning to Whitestag.
Claude was speechless after reading the report in his hand.
He knew very well that Councilor Braas Bay Williston was so attentive to his mother and wife just to build a relationship with him.
It was a pity that his attempts at flattery had gone too far. He wasn't aware that his relationship with his mother and Kefnie was in a terrible state.
If anything happened to Tesoray in the camp, his mother and Kefnie would definitely want to eat him alive.
Forget it. It's going to rain and they're going back. Nothing can stop them.
Alek was right. It wasn't a bad idea to let them go away for a while. Hopefully, they would come to their senses.
As for their safety, that wasn't a concern. Svenson would be by their side and could help them solve any problems.
Moreover, Alek had arranged for Sergeant Kester and seven gunners to stay by their side, so they shouldn't be in any danger.
Moreover, the five ironclads of Councilor Braas Bay Williston weren't traveling alone. Instead, they were heading to the kingdom's mainland together with the ocean patrol fleet of the Overseas Dominion.
Not only were they escorted by a hundred sailing warships, but they were also being used as transport ships. They had to deliver two hundred thousand new rifles and ten million rounds of ammunition to the ministry of the army.
They were also escorted by a fleet of ironclads. Given that they were already very familiar with the sea route, there shouldn't be any problems during the half a month journey.
Claude rubbed his brow. Forget it. Let's not bother with this anymore.
Picking up a new letter from his desk, he saw that it was another one from Colonel Borkal. The letter stated that due to the trade ban imposed by the eight colonies on the west coast and the increasingly strict patrols of the colonies' seas, the smuggling industry in the coastal waters had almost been wiped out.
In other words, goods from the region could no longer be smuggled to the colonies.
As the trade ban had been in effect for half a year, the markets of the colonies of the Kingdom of Morosik could no longer find any goods from the Overseas Dominion except for those produced by the Kingdom of Morosik.
The high prices and inferior quality of the goods from Moloshik had caused a great deal of dissatisfaction among the people of the colonies. There were many trade disputes and even a few riots, but they were all suppressed.
Colonel Borkal said that the situation was good. The recruitment of the pamigar youth was also being carried out in secret.
However, due to the lack of resources and high prices on the market, the mixed-blood baron, Tazinger Nora Taganem, couldn't gather the necessary supplies for the training of the twenty thousand youths.
So, Colonel Borkal hoped that the region could organize a transport team to send them a batch of supplies through the land route they had opened up so that the ten thousand youths wouldn't be able to hold on due to the lack of supplies. What a headache.
What a headache. Accidents always happened like this.
According to the original plan, the region only had to provide the pamigar national liberation front with weapons and equipment and recruit a folk of volunteers to help them launch an armed uprising.
In the meantime, they would send some officers to help the pamigar folk with military training. As for the necessary supplies, the pamigars would have to prepare them themselves.
Claude didn't expect that the pamigars wouldn't even be able to gather the necessary supplies and needed the region's support.
Claude gave it some thought and decided to move on to the next step of his plan.
He rang the bell and his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Mason Hughes, entered.
Claude ordered him to invite the region's parliament's Andros Ro Joist to the military headquarters. He had something important to discuss with him.
Councilor Andros Leigh Joist was the councilor who requested the autonomous military zone to declare war after hearing about the trade ban issued by the eight colonies on the West Coast. As he was promoted to a hereditary baron of the kingdom, he added the word "Leigh" to his name and was granted the title by His Majesty.
His family had opened 17 workshops for daily necessities in the overseas autonomous region. The trade ban in the eight colonies on the west coast had a huge impact on his family.
Andros Ro Joist came to Claude's office an hour later. He was a little confused as to why the famous Claude was looking for him.
Even though the two of them had met before, they were only acquaintances and weren't close. To him, Claude was someone he could only look up to.
"I hope you can keep everything you hear to yourself. You'll have to bear the consequences if you leak it," said Claude.
He stopped Andros Ro Joist from speaking and went to the map. He briefly introduced Operation Wildfire to him before telling him, "We currently have a secret land route to Morosik's colony.
"We now have a secret land passage to the colony of the Morosik Kingdom. We can give you this secret land passage and let it become your smuggling trade route, but you will be responsible for transporting a batch of armaments and supplies for us.
It's not that we can't organize an army to transport the supplies, but we have to take precautions to avoid being used against us.
If it's a smuggling caravan organized by the civilians, it has nothing to do with the region if it's discovered. But if we organize an army to transport the supplies, it'll be easy for the entire region to be involved in the upcoming armed uprising on the west coast.
That's why we have to be careful … "
"Don't say anymore, Lord Marshal. I'll do it!
Let me be in charge of these things … "Councilor Andros Le.Joist could no longer suppress the excitement and surprise in his heart. He stood up and patted his chest as he promised.