Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 70 Good Luck
"Do you know this person?" Cage's attitude softened somewhat, but he still gripped his naval scimitar tightly.

"I wouldn't say I know him... He was originally a pirate captain who tried to rob our ship, but we captured him. As for how he ended up on your navy's ship, I have no idea."

"To expedite our attack, the governor has granted us permission to conscript all the most serious offenders." Cage sheathed his naval scimitar. "This guy's lucky. Piracy is a capital offense; rowing a ship is better than hanging himself, right?"

Good Luck Gold was no longer the dashing figure he once was, the one who roamed the Inner Seas. Half of his teeth had been knocked out by Layton, the flesh on his cheeks was sunken in, and his lips were cracked and bleeding. His shoulders and arms were nothing but bones, and he looked utterly withered.

Winters felt sorry for him and said to Cage, "Get him some water."

Cage glanced at Gold, whistled at the sailors watching from the platform, and a water bag was thrown down from above.

The latter, who was sobbing uncontrollably, saw the water bag and forgot all about his grief. He lunged forward, grabbed the water bag back, held it to his chest, wiped away his tears, and eagerly pulled out the stopper and gulped down the water.

Winters didn't say anything more and turned to leave with Cage.

What else is there to say? In Winters' view, Gold's downfall was entirely his own fault; he should have been prepared to face the gallows when he became a pirate. He felt the same way about himself; when he changed into black clothes and holstered his musket, he had already decided that if he were to be hanged for this, he would not utter a single complaint.

He wouldn't sympathize with Gold, but he also didn't have the habit of kicking someone when they're down, and he certainly wouldn't think he'd become a saint just because he gave Gold a bag of water.

Winters originally thought the matter was over, but he didn't expect that someone at the stern had already noticed the sudden situation.

On the high platform in the middle of the deck, several people dressed in naval officer uniforms walked over from the stern, and the sailors made way for them.

The leader wore a loose-fitting naval uniform: a dark blue overcoat, a white shirt, and riding breeches. The collar, cuffs, and front placket were trimmed with gold lace. On the filthy ship, this officer was remarkably clean.

Even the most obtuse person could now tell that the captain had arrived.

Unlike army officers, naval officers do not wear military boots, but Captain Spyder still makes a "thump-thump" sound when he walks.

Several officers wearing tricorn hats without brims followed behind him. Winters guessed these men were probably the officers of the Golden Lion, since the naval cadet Cage had never worn a tricorn hat.

Upon seeing Captain Spiel approach, Cage immediately stood up straight and gave a military salute, while Winters simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“Mr. Bastiel, please tell me what happened here?” Spiel’s voice was slightly hoarse, but when he spoke, the entire Golden Lion fell silent instantly.

"Yes, sir. A rower has stopped this army gentleman."

Captain Speyer withdrew his gaze from the water bag in Gold's hand; he already knew exactly what had happened.

The captain of the Golden Lion pointed at Gold and ordered, "Give him ten lashes when the thirteenth bell tolls. Mr. Delon, please carry it out."

"Yes, sir."

Cage shook his head slightly, signaling to Winters with his eyes not to plead for him.

After dealing with this incident, Spyder turned and left. The lieutenant, along with several sailors, jumped down, unlocked the iron locks, and dragged Gold away.

After Captain Spyder had gone some distance, Cage spoke to Winters and said, "Giving him only ten lashes is already showing you leniency. If it were any other oarsman, cutting off an arm would be considered a light punishment."

“This… I didn’t mean to plead for him.” Winters realized he had been misunderstood and said with a wry smile, “How could a mere Army Warrant Officer like me be so arrogant as to interfere with things on the ship? Besides, I have no relationship with that man, but rather a grudge.”

Cage chuckled. "He's lucky to have gotten back an arm."

After delivering the nautical chart to Captain Speyer, Cage and Winters left the Golden Lion.

Before leaving, Winters carefully observed the stern deck of the Golden Lion. The Golden Lion did not have separate cabins specifically for officers in the deck; Spyr's "single room" was just a small space temporarily partitioned off with thin wooden planks at the stern.

Several iron hooks were screwed onto a pillar, making it look like a place to hang a hammock. A few wooden sticks supported a board, on which a map was weighed down with a slide ruler and an ink bottle—this was the captain's desk. There was no chair, only a small, upside-down wooden bucket.

Next to the desk was a large cannon, and Spyder lived next to the stern gun of the Golden Lion. It seemed that this was only the captain's room when not engaged in battle; once the enemy was encountered, it would become a gun emplacement.

"Does the captain live in such a shabby place? It doesn't even look as nice as ours." Winters couldn't help but ask Cage as they boarded the small boat to return to the Glory.

Cage sighed and said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. Galleons have limited space. These kinds of ships are meant to be used for fighting during the day and resting at night. They can't go too far from the port, let alone on long-distance expeditions. Alas, there are really no other ships available, otherwise we wouldn't have sent out all these coastal vessels."

Everyone was saying that the Federation's shameful sneak attack had severely damaged the Venetia Navy, but most people didn't understand the true extent of the Venetia Navy's losses. On the contrary, the Venetia Navy quickly assembled this massive revenge fleet, leading many, including Winters, to believe that "the Navy didn't seem to be seriously injured."

It was only at this moment that Winters truly realized just how severe the naval losses were. The navy was merely holding on; they had even incorporated coastal ships into the fleets set for long-distance expeditions, forcing sailors and officers on galleys to endure harsh living conditions.

"It seems that the Tanirian's punch really hit a vital spot..."

Cage, however, was unwilling to show weakness in front of the army. He cheered and said, "It's alright, the people on board are still here. If the ship is gone, we can build another one. Out with the old, in with the new, so let's build a new ship."

Winters nodded, but the prospect of revenge only darkened his heart further.

——Cut——

Not only along the coast of the Sea of ​​Cenas, but even in the whole world, few ports could provide supplies for such a large fleet as the Venetta Revenge Fleet.

The Republic of Veneta has approximately 400 small towns with populations around 1,000 each, and 58 medium-sized cities with around 5,000 each. However, there are only nine towns with populations exceeding 10,000, all of which are historically significant and important cities. Including the suburban residents, Aquamarine City has a population of about 70,000, making it one of the most prosperous cities on the continent. The 43 large ships and over 20 small ships in this fleet carry more than 20,000 sailors, soldiers, and officers, which is equivalent to an entire city's population floating on the sea at the same time.

Only a few large ports, like Blue Harbor and Golden Harbor, could accommodate so many ships at the same time. Most ports had fewer inhabitants than the fleet, and could only provide limited fresh water and food.

Lighthouse Port cannot accommodate so many people at the same time, and its dock is not big enough.

It would take two days for everyone to disembark at Lighthouse Harbor, and the same amount of time to get back on the ship.

In the Navy's original plan, only twelve oar-powered warships with poor endurance and harsh conditions were allowed to dock and rest for a day.

Because the large sailing warships and requisitioned merchant ships carried enough supplies to sail continuously at sea for more than a month, these ships anchored outside the harbor and did not go ashore.

But just as Winters and Cage were returning to the Glorious in a small boat, Admiral Naresha, who was in charge of the entire fleet, suddenly discovered that no one at Navy Headquarters had consulted the Army when formulating the plan.

Sailors could endure the crowded and harsh conditions of living on board for long periods, but the more than 5,000 army soldiers of the Third Army Corps might not be able to. Moreover, many of them were suffering from seasickness, and seeing the navy personnel able to go ashore while they could not, they were bound to feel resentful.

“That’s how it is, Your Excellency Serbiati.” Admiral Naresha found the highest-ranking man in the Third Army Corps and explained the actual situation of the fleet to him.

“You can just call me by my name, Lord Naresha,” Antonio said with a polite smile.

The admiral, his temples already streaked with gray, leaned slightly forward and said anxiously to António, “Please believe me, I have absolutely no intention of treating you differently. It is truly unavoidable; several old-fashioned galleys don’t even have cargo holds, and the sailors only have their own food and drink, so they must go ashore to replenish their supplies. If any army officers wish to go ashore to rest, I can send small boats to take you there. I myself will remain on board, and I will not disembark until even one army gentleman has left. The navy personnel on the other warships will also remain on board. Is that alright?”

The Navy and Army had always been at odds, and the admiral had prepared himself for a barrage of criticism. But to his surprise, the Army major general opposite him abandoned the Army's overbearing style and became quite reasonable.

Antonio reached out and grasped Admiral Naresha's arm, saying sincerely, "Your Excellency Naresha, you need not worry. With a major battle at hand, we should unite and exercise restraint. Since this is the practical necessity, you do not need to consider what the army might think. My opinion is the opinion of the Third Army, and I have no objection to it, nor will the Third Army."

Admiral Naresha shook Antonio's hand with delight, nodding repeatedly in approval.

However, Antonio suddenly changed the subject and said, "I have another small suggestion."

The admiral's smile faded as he thought to himself: So this was what they were waiting for. It was a mistake to expect the army to understand others.

As if oblivious to Naresha's change in mood, Antonio earnestly stated his proposal: "Veneta, you must know better than anyone the existence of the Army-Navy dual structure. The Army has one chain of command, and the Navy has another. The result is that the Navy treats the Army like cargo on a ship, and the Army treats the Navy like a transport ship."

"And then?" Nareshaw asked indifferently.

"But my soldiers can board the ship, and your sailors can go ashore. We should establish a joint wartime command to combine the two chains of command, thus maximizing our combat power. Military affairs should not be mixed with political differences; we must do everything in our power to win victory for Veneta. Taneria has hundreds of islands of varying sizes, with a combined population of hundreds of thousands; it is definitely not the Ash Tower that the Parliament imagines to be easily blown away. If we act independently, we will give the Federation an opportunity to exploit us."

"And then?" Nareshaw remained unmoved, asking coldly, "Establish a joint command that can command both my ships and your legions. So, who controls this joint command – your army or our navy?"

"The purpose of establishing a Joint Command is to resolve the differences between the Army and the Navy. There's no point in continuing to haggle over trivial matters." Antonio paused for a moment, then said sincerely, "If Your Excellency agrees, I am willing to follow your orders and have you serve as the Chief of the Joint Command!"

……

Naresha's adjutant had been waiting outside Antonio's cabin. When he saw the admiral come out, he hurriedly asked, "The army didn't speak rudely to you, did they? Why...why are you being so submissive?"

Naresha walked back to his cabin without saying a word.

The adjutant, who had followed Naresha for many years, followed behind, growing increasingly angry. He muttered, "You shouldn't be so polite. These army barbarians only respond to force, not persuasion. What's wrong with not letting them disembark? I'll do it from now on..."

Nareshaw waved his hand, signaling the other man to stop, and his adjutant wisely shut his mouth.

The admiral slowly sat down in a chair, supporting his knees, took off his hat, and said with some emotion, "You're wrong, and I'm wrong too... There are still gentlemen in the army."

——Cut——

After the Revenge Fleet arrived at Lighthouse Harbor, the messenger from the Glorious read aloud a joint letter drafted by the two generals to everyone on the fleet—regardless of whether they were from the army or the navy.

The letter mainly mentioned three things:
First, the fleet's current situation and the shortage of berths at Lighthouse Harbor were explained to all sailors. It was announced that only twelve galleys would be able to dock for resupply, while all other ships would remain anchored outside the harbor. It was also announced that thereafter, upon arrival at any port insufficient to accommodate the fleet, galleys would still be given priority for resupply, without further notification.

This was a plan that the Navy had already formulated.

Secondly, the two generals thanked all the officers and soldiers of the Army and Navy for their resilience and tenacity; many had endured poor living conditions yet still fulfilled their duties. Although the large ships could not dock, small boats could be used to transport small quantities of supplies and personnel. The two generals decided to draw lots to select twelve men from each ship to go ashore for a day of rest as a reward. A similar lottery ceremony would be held upon arrival at other ports, without further notice.

This was the solution provided by Antonio, as the army major general put it: "Hope, you must give people hope. With hope, people can persevere."

However, neither of these events was as shocking to the officer corps as the third.

Admiral Narešo and Major General Serbiati announced the establishment of a Joint Command Council. Command of the fleet and the Third Army Corps has been transferred to the Joint Command Council. All military operations against the Tanilia Federation will be the responsibility of the Joint Command Council effective immediately.

The committee has three members with voting rights, one each, with Narecio and Antonio. The two generals have already sent messengers back to the Vineta Military Council, and the third member will be appointed by the 13-member group.

The army and navy officers were stunned by the news: What? They've become one family just like that?
Thank you to all the readers who voted for the book before, and thank you to all the readers who have continued to vote. Thank you everyone. Thank you to writersblock, 20181013204343295, unknown name, kkkkk, and this mountain yo for your votes. Thank you all so much. Thank you to this mountain yo for the reward.

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(End of this chapter)