Claude was rather grumpy when he woke up, especially after spending most of the night with Sheerah. He only fell asleep at dawn.
Not to mention, he had just returned to the autonomous region and had to attend a military conference for the better part of the day. When he returned to the manor late at night, he was pestered by an excited Sheerah to discuss matters related to the advancement of magi.
When he finally managed to lie down, the delighted Sheerah crawled back up on her own. After satisfying her desires to the best of his ability, Claude felt as though he had been hollowed out. He couldn't even move a finger.
If it was possible, Claude would want to sleep for two days and three nights to recover his energy. He had three days off anyway and didn't have to work at the military headquarters.
However, he didn't think that Borkal would barge into the manor uninvited after only four to five hours of sleep. Sheerah knew about the relationship between the two, so she didn't stop him. She let him into the bedroom and dragged Claude out of bed.
Claude glared at Borkal with a murderous glare. If it was possible, he really wanted to tear that damned fatty into pieces just like he had imagined in his mind.
There was nothing more infuriating than being woken up from a deep sleep. However, the fatty in front of him didn't seem to have any self-awareness at all. He didn't know that his arrival had interrupted his master's sweet dreams and continued searching for the fruit wine he wanted.
Holding back his anger, Claude washed his face and finally woke up a little. "Why did you come all the way here so early in the morning?"
Borkal didn't notice the suppressed anger in Claude's voice. Since they were childhood friends, he was used to behaving casually with Claude. He was already used to being impolite in camp, let alone in a private place like home.
He finally chose a bottle of fruit wine that satisfied him. He opened the lid and poured himself a glass. After finishing it in one gulp, he said in a mocking tone, "Did I hear wrongly, Claude? It's already past ten, and you're saying it's early?
We'll be able to have lunch in an hour or so … "
Claude rubbed his temples with his thumbs to calm himself down. "I'm not you. I sleep the moment I get home. I have a lot of things to take care of.
I slept very late last night. When I went to bed, it was almost dawn.
So if you don't tell me the reason why you came to disturb my sweet dream so early in the morning, I don't mind using you as a sandbag to train. "
Borkal froze and looked at Claude's face carefully. Only then did he realize that he had been too rash. Claude didn't look like he was joking at all. "Boss, you can still sleep, but I didn't sleep at all last night.
I spent the whole night thinking about it, but I still couldn't figure out why the plan I had proposed at the military conference yesterday had met with so many objections.
In my opinion, using the pirates to suppress the Fochs Islands United Kingdom's fleet is a very worthwhile thing for us, and we only have to pay a small price for it.
For example, we got so much loot from Shiks this time. Giving some of it to the pirates is a win-win situation. "
Claude sighed deeply. Borkal's suggestion to use or bribe the pirates to suppress the Fokes Islands United Kingdom's fleet was rejected by most of the high-ranking officers at the conference. They didn't think it was a good idea.
That was a huge blow to the newly promoted major-general. Feeling indignant, he spent the whole night debating it before coming to discuss it with Claude early in the morning.
"How should I explain it to you, my general?"
My general … "Claude waved his hand wearily." Boa, you have the shrewdness and foresight of a merchant. You were able to come up with a long-term strategic plan like Operation Wildfire. That's your strength.
But you don't come from a military background, so you don't understand the code of conduct and stubbornness of a soldier.
To us soldiers, pirates are untrustworthy and unapproachable, let alone ally with them.
"As a merchant, you believe in the spirit of contracts. For example, if you sign an agreement with a certain pirate faction and ask them to protect your ship from being attacked by other pirates, you'll be guaranteed the safety of your ship after paying them.
Generally speaking, the safety of your merchant ship would be guaranteed after paying. Even if something were to happen, some reputable pirate forces would even compensate the merchant's losses out of their own pockets.
"That's why some merchants see pirates as trustworthy. At the very least, they can provide safety and insurance by paying them.
"But as soldiers, they view pirates differently from merchants. Pirates are the enemy. They're bandits of the sea and do business without any capital. Not trusting pirates is the most basic code of conduct for a soldier.
"Just as Birkin said during the conference yesterday, pirates basically bully the weak and fear the strong. It's easy for them to attack merchant fleets, but it's very difficult for them to take the initiative to provoke or attack a proper kingdom's navy.
"Even if we can contact a powerful pirate group that can compete with the Fochs Islands United Kingdom's navy and pay them a hefty price to make them agree to attack, the results won't be satisfactory.
No pirate force would be willing to go head-on against a powerful kingdom's naval fleet and damage their own strength. At most, they would fight a naval battle and sink two or three warships before calling it a day and giving us an explanation.
"Especially if we take the initiative to contact the pirates and ask them to attack the Fochs Islands United Kingdom's navy. That's equivalent to handing the autonomous region over to the pirates.
"This will be a scandal for our region. Once it's exposed, no one will be able to bear the responsibility.
"That's why your speech at the military conference yesterday was a very bad suggestion. It's only natural for everyone to refute it.
"However, you're mainly in charge of investigating the enemy's intelligence and colluding with the local natives. It's not surprising that you have such thoughts and no one will blame you for it." We were only discussing the merits of the plan during the conference and didn't have any opinions on you personally.
"Also, you've just been promoted to major-general, so you should brag a few more days in front of your father and family. You have three days off like me anyway, so you don't have to worry about the specifics of military affairs."
Claude wanted nothing more than for Borkal to leave as soon as possible so that he could go back to bed and sleep.
However, Borkal wasn't willing to give up. He poured himself another glass of fruit wine and downed it in one gulp. "We can't trust other pirate factions, but what about the Blacksail Pirates?
Eriksson is our childhood friend. If he's willing to help us, I believe he'll be able to do it.
As long as we're willing to give him some aid, such as giving him a few ironclad warships … "
He finally understood why Borkal suggested using pirates to attack the Fochs Islands United Kingdom's navy.
He shook his head with a bitter smile. "That won't do. Even though Eriksson is our childhood friend, he's still a pirate and the leader of a group of Blacksail Pirates.
To us soldiers, pirates are not to be trusted … "
Borkal said anxiously, "Claude, don't forget that we grew up together. I trust Eriksson. Even though he's a pirate, he's still our good friend.
Let me give you a simple example. The Blacksail Pirates he leads have always maintained a friendly relationship with us.
Just like in the years before our overseas dominion established a navy and an armoured fleet, he did not allow the Blacksail Pirates to plunder our coastal areas. He even chased away other pirate groups that entered our dominion's waters, protecting the safety of our coastal shipping routes … "
Claude stood up and walked to the window to look into the distance. After a while, he asked, "Borkal, has Eriksson been communicating with you?"
Borkal gulped down another glass of wine. "So what?
It's not like I betrayed any military secrets of the region.
He and I would only send a letter every few months to greet each other and talk about some random things. We would reminisce about the good times we had in our youth and our friendship, as well as our adventures.
He didn't ask me to do anything for him either. When I went with you to attack Shiks, I found out that he had already written me four times.
Since I didn't reply, he was worried that something might have happened to me and asked if I needed help. "
Claude smiled. "Why is it that Eriksson only writes to you and I don't receive a single one?"
"That's because you're busy and Eriksson wouldn't dare to disturb you.
Besides, you're now the number one person in the region, a marshal and a hereditary count. How would Eriksson dare to try and befriend you?
Also, he wants face. If you don't respond to his letters, he'll feel embarrassed too, "Borkal spat at Claude as if he was venting.
Claude shook his head with a smile. "It's not like that, Boa. Eriksson is a smart man. You know very well that he won't get a reply if he writes to me.
Even if I do reply, I'll just advise him to surrender to the kingdom or give up his life as a pirate and live the rest of his life in peace in the region.
With my protection, no one will look into his past.
It's just that he's very ambitious and wants to become a pirate king and establish a pirate empire. That's why he wouldn't write me a letter to ask for a snub. "
Borkal was furious. "Claude, how do you know that Eriksson is ambitious and wants to become a pirate king and establish a pirate empire?
You can't just guess what he's thinking. He's told me in several letters that he wants to find a peaceful place to live as a normal person and not be a pirate anymore.
I've even told him to return to the region. He's just burdened by his subordinates who fought with him at sea and he can't let go of them. "
Claude looked at Borkal silently until he stopped talking. Then, he calmly asked, "Do you remember the first time you met Eriksson at sea?
Have you forgotten what he told you at the time? "
Borkal was speechless. He recalled the first time he met the Blacksail Pirates at sea and the moment he recognized Eriksson.
Back then, his father sold his family's assets at a low price and brought the staff and family members of the family business, as well as the refugees who followed him along the way. He bought a broken ship and built a fleet of ships. With a bit of coarse grain, he ventured out to sea and prepared to go to the overseas autonomous region. Then, he met the Blacksail Pirates led by Eriksson …
Eriksson was so high-spirited back then that he even wanted to bring the entire fleet back to his old nest, a small archipelago in the depths of the Silent Ocean.
He even asked Borkal to follow him and promised to give him the title of duke after he established a pirate empire.
Fortunately, Borkal was quick-witted and used the excuse that too many people would bring a heavy burden to Eriksson's food supply. That was how he convinced Eriksson to let them go.
At the same time, he used the excuse that his father wanted to settle down in the region to convince Eriksson not to follow him as a pirate.
However, Eriksson requested Borkal to act as a middleman between his Blacksail Pirates and the region. That way, the Blacksail Pirates would be able to obtain supplies and weapons from the region. In return, the Blacksail Pirates would be able to sell their looted goods to the region. For that, Eriksson was willing to have the Blacksail Pirates maintain the safety of the region's waters and ensure that they wouldn't be harassed by other pirate gangs.
However, the region used the captured enemy warships to form its own naval fleet, providing a more reliable guarantee for the region's waters.
A few years later, when the region introduced ironclad warships, anyone with a discerning eye knew that the way naval battles were fought had changed. Sail warships were no longer the norm.
The ones who would dominate the seas in the future would definitely be the coastal countries with ironclad warships.
That was also the reason why the coastal countries of Freia spent so much effort and money to develop ironclad warships. There were also quite a number of smart pirates among them. They knew that this was the end of the era when sail warships could show off their might at sea.
In another ten years or so, pirate groups with sail warships would face their doom. Because with sail warships, they would no longer be able to rob ships at sea. Instead, they would only become the targets of the ironclad warships, sinking to the bottom of the sea one by one …
Borkal finally remembered that it was also around that time that Eriksson's letters to him became more frequent. The words he wrote became more and more cowardly.
He was no longer as arrogant as he used to be. Instead, he said that he had no choice but to become a pirate.
Back then, he joined the Storm fleet in order to obtain a naval warship to search for his father. Using the connections his father left behind, he successfully rebelled against the kingdom and became a pirate captain.
As a son, Eriksson was outstanding. He found his father on the vast sea and reunited with his mother.
As a pirate, Eriksson was also very successful. Not only was he a traitor to the kingdom, he once led the Blacksail Pirates to pillage coastal areas of the kingdom and caused countless tragedies.
Eriksson had always been at the top of the kingdom's wanted list. He was definitely one of the ten most wanted criminals in the kingdom.
Now, apart from the autonomous region, the kingdom also had an ironclad fleet.
Even though it wasn't enough to threaten the Blacksail Pirates, it was more than enough to protect the coastal areas from being harassed.
Borkal remembered that he had once mentioned the principles behind an ironclad warship in his letter to Eriksson, but he only had a rough idea of it and wasn't an expert. Soon after, Eriksson sent some people to buy a few steam engines from the autonomous region.
Half a year later, Eriksson complained to Borkal that he had modified three sail warships to test out the power of the ship, but all of them failed.
The result of the test was that the sail warships with steam engines moved like snails on the sea. They didn't have the nimbleness and speed of the original at all.
Borkal laughed heartily in his letter and told Eriksson that the power of a ship wasn't something that could be modified with just a few steam engines.
Liboyd of the autonomous region spent more than two years to create a steam engine suitable for use on ships, which was how the ironclad warships came to be.
Even with Claude's help, the autonomous region still spent more than two years to create the first usable ironclad warship.
A pirate faction like Eriksson didn't even need to think about replicating an ironclad warship.
In Claude's words, it was a systematic project that didn't just involve shipbuilding. It also involved metalsmithing, forging and welding. It involved the technical cooperation of several industries and the improvement of infrastructure.
Most coastal countries would need at least five to six years of continuous investment and research to develop ironclad warships.
After that, Eriksson didn't talk about ironclad warships anymore in his letter to Borkal. Instead, he asked if the autonomous region had any intentions of selling them.
It seemed that he knew that only ironclad warships could deal with them. If he wanted to continue his career as a pirate, he would have to have one.
Since it was impossible to develop one, the only option was to buy one at a high price regardless of the cost.
Borkal's suggestion to contact the pirates to attack the Fochs Alliance's fleet seemed to have the intention of fulfilling Eriksson's wish.
As long as Eriksson's Blacksail Pirates worked for the autonomous region, the autonomous region would fund the Blacksail Pirates and provide them with a few ironclad warships.
Claude sat down and drummed his fingers on the table as he watched Borkal spacing out.
In the end, he finally said, "Boa, I'll give you a chance. Contact Eriksson and ask him if he's willing to work for the autonomous region.
Forget it, just treat it as cooperation. I know Eriksson very well. He won't lower his head that easily.
Tell him that if he can destroy one of the Fochs' fleets, the autonomous region is willing to provide him with six ironclad warships. "