The welcoming ceremony was far grander than he expected. Claude couldn't quite understand what was going on.
Claude recognized the smiling prime minister, Marquis Blancarte. He had to admit that he was a sly old fox who was hard to deal with. He was one of the king's most trusted supporters.
It was just that Claude's invasion of the royal capital had put the king and queen in a difficult position. It was thanks to Blancarte's mediation that both sides were able to get out of the situation.
Logically speaking, Claude was a taboo figure in the royal family. What was the old fox trying to do by welcoming him with such fanfare?
Anyone could do the superficial work. Claude got off the ship and hugged Blancarte warmly as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in 20 years. He then inspected the guard of honour and shook hands with the naval officers and local officials who came to greet him. Finally, he gave a speech to the crowd and ended it with a few chants of "Long live the king".
Next was the handing over of the ironclad warships. It was the third batch of six to be handed over to the royal navy. It was also the last batch.
The first two batches had already delivered six Iron Armored Destroyers and four Iron Armored Ocean Carriers.
The next batch to be handed over were two cruisers and four destroyers. After the handing over, it would signify that the arms deal between the region and the kingdom had been completed.
The six ironclad warships that were to be handed over to the Royal Navy had all been modified and refurbished, and their iron shells had been repainted.
The warships of the region were all grayish-black, but the six ironclad warships were painted silver. They looked rather elegant and beautiful on the outside. The admirals who came to receive them were quite satisfied.
Upon entering the cabins, one would find that the walls were all luxuriously wrapped in walnut wood. It was completely different from the white paint on the ironclad warships in the region.
"Why are your cannons different from ours?" Blancarte asked after a quick tour of the warships.
The only difference between the six ironclad warships that were handed over to the kingdom's navy and the autonomous region's warships was their cannons.
The ironclad warships of the autonomous military zone were equipped with fully enclosed cannons, while the six ironclad warships that were handed over to the Royal Navy were equipped with semi-open muzzle-loading mounts.
"This is the request of the Navy."
Claude explained, "If you use the same cannons as us, you'll have to buy all your cannons from us.
Therefore, after some investigation, the Navy felt that it was better to equip these old heavy cannons. At the very least, you have the ability to guarantee the supply of ammunition.
After the ship cannons are improved in the future, we can even equip the battleships with the latest cannons … "
There were many things that did not need to be said. For example, one of the first four ironclad destroyers that were handed over to the Royal Navy was directly pulled into the dock and dismantled into pieces for the warship designers of the Royal Navy to study and depict.
It was said that the kingdom had already caught four to five spies from other countries who were carrying blueprints of warships. They had even implicated a noble officer of the navy. His Majesty the King was furious because of this.
Claude said it politely, but it was actually his idea.
The ironclad warships could be given to the kingdom after modifications, but the new cannons couldn't be provided. They would have to be dismantled and replaced with the heavy muzzle-loading cannons of the kingdom's sailing warships.
The first admiral of the Royal Navy protested, but Moriad told them that if they wanted the same cannons, they would have to buy all the cannons from the autonomous military zone. Each cannonball cost ten crowns, so the objection was settled.
The first ironclad warship built by the autonomous military zone was equipped with the same kind of heavy muzzle-loading cannons anyway.
The agreement with the Royal Navy for the 16 ironclad warships didn't specify what kind of cannons they would use, so they had to take advantage of the situation.
He showed the blueprints and told the navy that the new cannons were rear-mounted and that they would have to spend real money to buy them.
Other things aside, just the purchase price of that cannonball was enough to intimidate the kingdom's Navy …
It should be noted that a cannoneer would have to fire nearly a hundred rounds of cannons before they could become proficient. An ironclad warship had more than a dozen cannons on both sides. The cost of these cannons alone was enough to give the generals of the Royal Navy a headache.
In the end, they decided to keep it as it was. At the very least, the heavy muzzle-loading cannons could be equipped with their own ammunition.
That was all Prime Minister Blancarte said, and the transfer ceremony was quickly completed.
The trained sailors and officers of the royal navy boarded the six warships and hoisted the Aueran royal insignia and navy flag to show that the six ironclad warships were now under the command of the royal navy.
The onlookers on the shore cheered. Many of them waved their handkerchiefs and flags at the Iron Clad Warship …
"Lord Marshal, let's get on the carriage. I'll take you somewhere." Blancarte gestured for Claude to sit in the same carriage as him.
Claude entered the carriage. His adjutant, Captain Fachselin, got into the driver's seat at the front of the carriage and sat beside the coachman. Gemi and his squad of guards rode beside him on horseback.
As the carriage sped along the smooth streets, Claude admired the scenery on both sides of the road.
Unlike the ruins he saw the last time, Whitestag had been rebuilt. There were no longer any of the low wooden shacks. Shops with two or three storeys built on both sides of the streets were clean and beautiful. It was obvious that Whitestag had regained some of its former glory.
"Would you like a glass of fruit wine?"
Prime Minister Blancarte took out a bottle of fruit wine and two silver glasses from a small wine cabinet beside his seat.
"Thank you, but I'm not thirsty. Where are we going?"
"Your home.
Blancarte said: "His Majesty specially allocated funds for you to build this, and he even sent three famous architects from the capital to build it.
After a year of construction, you're back just as it's finished. What a coincidence. "
Claude was taken aback. "My home?"
The first thing that popped into his mind was the familiar red brick house. But wasn't it destroyed during the kingdom's civil war?
A few years ago, when Claude passed through Whitestag to visit Morssen's grave, the red brick house he saw was nothing but ruins.
It was said that it was destroyed by many cannons during the civil war. Even the frames and windows were taken away by the refugees to build shacks.
He had thought about rebuilding the red brick house, but Whitestag lacked manpower and resources at that time, so he couldn't even find qualified construction workers.
He could only give up on that idea and return to the region.
Now that Blancarte mentioned it, Claude recalled the report Svenson had given him. His mother and Kefnie returned to Whitestag in September two years ago and started a lawsuit with Queen Christy. They wanted to take back the five thousand acres of Ferde Forest that had been annexed by Normanley Forest.
In the end, King Fredrey I stepped in and traded a mansion in the royal capital and a manor in the outskirts of the royal capital for the ownership of the five thousand acres of Ferde Forest and settled the lawsuit.
Claude rubbed his brow and realized that he had too many things on his mind. He couldn't quite remember anything about the red brick house.
He couldn't remember whether Svenson had reported anything about the red brick house or not. All he remembered was that the king conferred the title of an honorary viscount upon his late father. His mother was so touched that she teared up and left for the royal capital with Kefnie and her two children.
Claude slapped his forehead again. The latest report about his mother and Kefnie was from two months ago. It seemed that they got into a fight and separated for some reason.
His mother stayed in the mansion in the royal capital while Kefnie and her two children stayed in the manor in the outskirts.
Svenson, Staff Sergeant Kester and the other old servants followed Kefnie and her mother to the manor. Claude didn't know what his mother had done since there was no one there.
Claude was too worried about the autonomous region and didn't pay much attention to the report about his mother and Kefnie. All he remembered was that his mother and Kefnie seemed to have gotten into a conflict over the thirty percent profit from the tobacco factory.
It seemed to be because his mother had overspent on hospitality in the royal capital and wanted Kefnie to give her the profit. Kefnie wasn't willing and they got into a fight. Kefnie brought her two children to live in the manor in a fit of pique.
"You should go back to the royal capital."
Blancarte seemed to know what Claude was thinking. He shook his head. "Your mother and your wife's quarrel was a little too big. It's become a hot topic in the royal capital and the people love to gossip.
If not for His Majesty, your wife and children would've been chased out of the manor by your mother. "
"Hmm?" Claude felt a headache coming on. "Why did they fight?
And they even made it to His Majesty … "
"As the prime minister, I can't gossip about nobles behind their backs," Blancarte said with a straight face.
Prime Minister Blancarte said seriously, "You can send someone to the capital to inquire about the reason. Right, you have a big brother, right? He returned to your mother's side …"
Arbeit?
How many years has he been missing? Where did he come from?
Claude had always thought that the elder brother of his was no longer in this world.
Back when his father committed suicide by jumping off a building, Arbeit found a prostitute to give him a signed note to give up on the inheritance before disappearing from Whitestag without a trace.
Back when his mother was still in the dominion, she would sometimes mention him and tearfully say that she didn't know if Arbeit was dead or alive.
In any case, Claude, Angelina and Bloweyk didn't miss their big brother at all and treated him like a dead man.
Back then, Arbeit didn't act like a big brother at all and treated his three siblings like a thorn in his side, afraid that they would fight him for his father's inheritance.
But after something happened to his father, he never returned home. When his father committed suicide due to debt, he left Whitestag and disappeared without a trace.
The carriage stopped and the adjutant, Fachselin, opened the door.
Claude stopped his thoughts from running wild and got off the carriage. The first thing he saw was the majestic manor.
It was built on the site of the old red brick house. It looked completely different from how it was before. It was much bigger than the old one and looked more like a palace.
It had four floors and five pavilions. The roof was pointed and the entrance was lined with white stone pillars and about a dozen granite steps.
There was even a fountain in the middle of the plaza where the carriages were parked. Around it were large patches of grass.
It seemed to have taken up the entire area of the old neighbor's house and street. Claude looked at the grass and recalled the old red brick house and the neighbors' houses.
"Let's see if it looks the same."
Blancarte smiled. "Of course, we can't completely restore His Majesty's home, but we'll try our best to make it look the same as before. That way, His Majesty won't lose the feeling of home you had when you were young."
Claude smiled bitterly. "I'm grateful for His Imperial Majesty's care and for the prime minister's efforts.
However, my home was a Hogo-style red brick apartment and not a palatial manor like this.
My father was only a small town's administrative officer back then. Do you think he could have such a luxurious manor as his home? "
"It can't be …" Prime Minister Blancarte was a little doubtful. "But when our architect showed your mother the renderings of this building, your mother said that the original home looked like this, just a little shabby …"
"My mother said that?" Claude was surprised, but he quickly understood.
Needless to say, his mother must have thought that the old red brick house was too outdated and shameful. That's why she said it was a palatial manor. She didn't know that it would only make people laugh at her.
"Let's go in and take a look," Blancarte invited.
The manor was indeed luxurious. It was even more beautiful than the white palace in Normanley Wood.
The hall on the first floor was big enough to host a ball for close to a hundred people. The second floor was for the guest rooms and the third and fourth floors were the main living quarters. There were five lofts above that were twice the size of the one Claude used to live in. They even had a complete bathroom and shower.
Blancarte said that the manor required a butler, four servants, a gardener, a groom, and two cooks. That added up to six crowns a month.
However, the butler didn't receive a reply after sending the bill to Claude's mother in the royal capital. Now, the servants and butler hadn't received their salaries for two months.
As the manor was built with the king's personal funds, the local administration could only pay for the servants and butler's upkeep. The salary would have to be discussed with Claude's mother in the royal capital.
After all, such a beautiful manor would quickly fall apart if no one took care of it. That would be a slap in the face to the king.
Claude had no choice but to accept it. He called the butler over and told him that he would open an account in Whitestag's Minsheng Bank and send a hundred crowns into it every year to cover the servants' salaries and living expenses.
The extra money would be used to maintain the manor. If there were any large expenditures, they could write to him. It wouldn't be a problem as long as the accounts were clear.
After that, Claude gave the servants and butler three months' worth of salary and living expenses and arranged for them to live in the palatial manor.
Claude and Blancarte enjoyed a decent dinner under the hospitality of the servants and butler. They went to the study on the third floor and had Fachselin bring over two bottles of decent fruit wine before getting down to business.
"As the prime minister of the kingdom, I believe that you didn't come all the way to Whitestag to introduce me to a new home or to let me know how my mother and wife are doing in the royal capital. If there's anything you want to say, just say it. You know I hate nonsense and riddles," Claude said as he lit a cigar and went straight to the point.
Blancarte toyed with the cigar Claude tossed at him. "Alright. I heard you came back this time to attack Shiks?
Is that true? "
Damn it, Claude really wanted to curse. The moment he arrived in the royal capital, he received the news and even the prime minister came all the way here to meet him.
Needless to say, it had to be one of the generals in the military who leaked the news.
Claude's intention to attack Shiks had only been explained to the officers during the meeting and the reason for it.
The meeting was kept secret from his subordinates. Those without the rank of general weren't allowed to participate.
It was obvious that some of the promoted generals were loyal to the kingdom, just like Bolonik who obeyed the kingdom's orders.
The royal capital had already received the news right after the meeting. Claude suspected that even the minutes of the meeting had been sent to the royal capital.
Claude took two deep puffs of his cigar. "What? Do you think I'm lying?
Don't worry, I don't want to attack the royal capital.
I'm not an ambitious person, nor do I want to be a traitor to the kingdom.
I did come back this time to attack Shiks. After all, they haven't finished their war with the kingdom yet.
As the military of the region, it's only right for us to attack them. "
"We're just curious. We don't doubt your intentions," Blancarte said.
"The strategists of the ministry of the army conducted a simulation and concluded that there are only two ways to attack Shiks. One is by land and the other is by sea.
The two kingdoms were separated by land, and this road was blocked, so they could only send troops over by sea to carry out the landing battle.
"They believe that you intend to send Thundercrash by sea, but that's Shiksan territory. No matter how capable you are, you'll only be sending your troops to their deaths.
That's why His Imperial Majesty sent me here to advise you not to be so rash. "
Claude smiled. "I know what I have to do. In fact, I'm quite confident that I'll be able to win.
However, there are still some things I have to consider. I won't attack Shiks right away. "