Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 184: Fortress Site Selection and Super Crater
The moonlight is like water, and in the sky an eagle flaps its wings and flies as fast as lightning.

Byron had just finished a sumptuous dinner with Catherine and sent her into the treasure house to enjoy the happiest thing of the day - counting the spoils.

He immediately projected his consciousness onto the body of Alvin the Falcon, transformed himself into an eagle, and set out from the city of Uxmal, heading north along the Candelaria River.

Start looking for the most suitable place to build Violet's new home.

During this period, Alvin, a servant of the Wild Hunt, happened to stay in the Taya Empire.

Teach lessons to Byron's cheap disciple, the new king Mikteka, and a large number of "clergymen" of the "Father of Medicine".

Since he no longer had the chance to lick the lip of his beloved Ms. Beatrice, he could only turn his grief and anger into motivation and start a second spring in his professional field of medicine.

Under the guidance of Byron's advanced theories, his medical skills improved by leaps and bounds.

In the three major city-states of Uxmal, Tayapan, and Chichen Itza.

The epidemic in the city of Uxmal was the most serious at the time. After surviving the disaster, the residents, under the leadership of the new king, became most fanatical in their belief in the "Father of Medicine."

It seems that he can't wait to put Byron's skull in the temple and worship it as a holy relic.

In addition, Geronimo, who was originally the captain of the temple guard in Chichen Itza, also benefited from Byron.

First, he led his people to take revenge on the Azik Empire, and then helped the city-state survive the plague safely, winning himself great prestige among all classes.

In addition, the Great Shaman Iekotel, as a shaman who communicates with spirits, is affected by three random costs among widower, widowed, lonely, disabled, and sick.

He has no wife, children, or offspring, and has no strong desire for power.

After the royal family became extinct, this upper noble had become the new king with the support of many city-state nobles!

Wyandot, the gunner on Byron's ship, also rose in status in Chichen Itza, and it was not impossible for him to inherit the throne in the future.

These two city-states were already within Byron's reach and received the greatest support.

Among the three major city-states, only Tayapan has the least intersection. Currently, only official business is handled and there are no too close personal relationships.

"Iron ore, coal, deep-water ports, inland canals, and a large number of laborers. My lady, your requirements for your new home are really too harsh.

I sought information from several great shamans and searched five or six places along one of the six major rivers on this island, but none of them seemed suitable. "

As the distance between the two [Echo Conches] shortened rapidly day by day, the delay in their communication became much shorter than at the beginning.

Say a sentence now and wait a little while before you can hear a response from the other party.

Soon, a girl's sweet laughter like a silver bell could be heard from the [Echo Conch].

“Haha, this thing depends on resources and location endowment.

Do you think that the industrial city you have planned can be built anywhere easily?
I only mention the necessary requirements. Only if you provide me with the necessary information can I achieve great success, such as revolver, blast furnace, lathe, and coking coal steelmaking.
If all can be realized in the future, adding a few more relics for you will definitely not be a problem.

You should know that the iron production of all the countries in the Old World is now determined by the area of ​​forests.

Only by mixing charcoal and iron ore together can qualified iron be produced.

About 100 kilograms of wood can only produce 1 kilogram of iron. An ordinary iron smelter in the Old World would consume 2400 acres of forest a year.

If the solution you come up with works, the significance it brings will be epoch-making.

The limit of steel production is the limit of your military force.

Of course, in addition to these, there is one most important factor.”

Upon hearing this, Byron couldn't help but turn pale:

"I know that a new fortress must not only have the above conditions, but it would be even better if there was a gold mine for you to squander, right?"

Having been an "online friend" for such a long time, Byron already knew the other person's character very well.

He also knew that if his plan failed, his sister, who was working hard to make money one gold coin at a time, would probably go crazy and want to kill someone.

I will definitely die a horrible death.

The joys and sorrows between people are not the same.

Hearing Byron's somewhat stiff voice, Violet on the other side smiled even more happily:
"Correct! Good citizens have already learned to answer quickly, good, good.

No other conditions are required, but the money must be in place!

I don't know whether the legendary "panacea" can make up for all the costs of black magic is true or not.

But I am very convinced that gold can really make up for all deficiencies in economic production.

As long as you have enough money, I can use my ability to force you to get all the things. Don't worry, there will be absolutely no problem.

And I do know a place that has all the right resources.”

Byron's eyes lit up:
"where?"

After a while, the girl's teasing voice came from the conch:

"Of course it's your Kingdom of Hattings, the Channel Islands.

I'm going to bed, good night, good citizen.

I hope that when I go to you, you won’t leave poor Violet sleeping on the street.”

After saying that, he hung up the phone with a laugh.

Byron shrugged helplessly.

He was used to having salt rubbed into his wounds by this Taiwanese princess once again.

Apart from her sister and Bruch, the two people he grew up with, Violet is the only outsider who knows his true identity.

It's a rare opportunity to let go of the disguise and relax.

Moreover, he knew that the Channel Islands would be a good fit.

The Channel Islands were the first place on the entire east coast where coal was discovered. The resource output accounts for 80% of the Old World, and there is no shortage of iron ore.

However, the way countries use coal is still lacking, and the value of this resource is far from being realized.

“The Channel Islands are like a pearl covered in dust in the hands of the White Rose York family.

Sooner or later, I will fight back, and under my leadership, the potential of that precious land will be fully realized!"

He flapped his wings to speed up, and patrolled along the river. He lowered his head and watched the forests and mountains recede rapidly under his feet with his eagle eyes. "Little Hans is not able to build a heavy cruiser for the time being. He must wait until Violet is in place before he can start.

But a series of preparatory work can be done in advance.

Hopefully that last clue provided by Cheap Disciple and Wyandotte will be helpful.

Otherwise, there would be no place to store the 2,000 pieces of teak that have been processed and transferred from the Taiman Islands.”

Thinking of the ideal battleship he had always dreamed of, Byron couldn't help but feel excited.

Sailing ships have various world records, such as the largest size, the largest number of passengers, the most onboard artillery, the fastest speed, and so on.

In the long river of history, they are also constantly performing the tragedy and comedy of elimination and being eliminated.

It is common for a series of [Relics] that once become the most influential one to be dethroned by more advanced newcomers within a few years.

It just happens to promote technological upgrading and the development of human civilization as a whole.

But if we talk about the memory of another world, the most legendary warship in the sail age and the one most suitable for pirates to use for privateering is none other than the Bald Eagle's Constitution.

Including five other uniquely designed "heavy cruisers" of the same period.

In particular, the USS Constitution experienced more than 40 naval battles during its service, earning it the reputation of "never defeated and invincible in single combat."

This shows how powerful this type of heavily armed cruiser is.

It is also the object that Byron will entrust Violet to imitate and improve.

As Byron's spirituality grew stronger, his memories of his past lives became clearer and clearer, and he had already drawn the design of his "Dream Boat".

Construction specifications: The total length of the ship is 62.2 meters, the width is 13.6 meters, the depth is 6.85 meters, the displacement is 2200 tons, the speed is 13 knots, the capacity is 400 people, and the forecastle and stern are completely eliminated.

Armament: Double-deck gun deck, with 30 32-pound cannons on the lower deck and 24 42-pound carronades on the upper deck, capable of both long-range and close combat.

Sails: Full sails (full cross sails on three masts), bow diagonal sail, stern sprit sail.

Compared with the battleships of the same period, which had powerful firepower but poor self-sustaining ability, this enhanced super cruiser had many advantages:
First, heavy cruisers with a lower center of gravity can be equipped with more heavy cannons than third-level battleships, and can even be equipped with all heavy cannons, thus having firepower that is almost as good as that of third-level battleships in naval battles.

Second, the forecastle and stern towers were eliminated for the same tonnage, so a thicker hull could be equipped. The Constitution even had the reputation of "Old Ironclad" back then.

It is not an ironclad ship, but it is better than an ironclad ship.

Third, lower the altitude and get closer to the water surface, increase the length-to-width ratio, and increase the speed.

Of course, in comparison, the clipper ship with a length-to-width ratio of 6:1 is actually faster than it, but because it is too slender and lacks stability and strength, it cannot be equipped with heavy artillery.

Byron is not ready to use this killer weapon that could revolutionize the shipping industry.

“It can be said that the configuration of the heavy cruiser has reached the pinnacle of sailing warship design performance.

The idea is to give up large-scale fleet warfare.

Those who can beat it can’t outrun it, those who can outrun it can’t beat it, and of course, there are more cases where they can neither outrun it nor beat it!

With its powerful firepower and excellent speed, this heavily armored cruiser dares to compete with any non-extraordinary warship.

The most important thing is that it can be mass-produced.

It must be very impressive to go on a robbery in a "cruiser" with firepower comparable to that of a battleship.

As long as I equip my privateer fleet with four or five of these, I don't think anyone will dare to speak loudly to me. "

This is also the type of sailboat that is most suitable for serving as a pirate ship according to Byron's knowledge.

Of course, a force that can equip itself with heavy-duty cruisers on a large scale can no longer be called a privateering fleet or a pirate group.

This ship cannot be called a pirate ship, but should be called: a commerce raider!
The purpose is to destroy the enemy's sea routes, logistics and other sea transportation lines.

It is a national weapon that can serve as the foundation of a country.

As long as they had it, those nominal level 4 battleships that now dominated the Bantaan Islands could be relegated to the second line on the spot.

Especially when battleships above level three are not suitable for ocean voyages.

Relying on the heavy-duty cruisers that can be mass-produced, it is enough to control all of Bantaan’s sea transportation lines. Controlling the lifeline means controlling the islands!

Although it is just a wild ambition or even a fantasy now, Byron will move forward towards this goal step by step.

“More importantly, there is more than just one boat behind this.

A whole industrial system has been built around it!

Iron and steel making, gunpowder, artillery shells, milling machines, boring machines, artillery, muskets, wood processing, tar chemicals, shipbuilding and other subjects all require research.

When the heavy cruiser is completed, it will also be the time for the original industrial system of metallurgy, shipbuilding, coal chemical industry, military manufacturing, etc. to be established in my territory. "

Byron headed north along the Candelaria River. When he was still dozens of kilometers away from the sea, he suddenly discovered that the terrain under his feet had changed significantly.

The originally continuous mountains and forests suddenly sank in a circular shape, the river became turbulent, and a very regular circular basin appeared in front.

"We've arrived at the place they mentioned."

The basin has a diameter of 180 kilometers, half of which is on land and half in the sea. A place called Chicosulub on the seashore is its center.

The best location was found by combining suggestions from local indigenous city-states and even the two great shamans' communications with ancestors and nature spirits.

——Chicosulub crater.

“Legend has it that in ancient times, a huge meteorite fell here, causing the earth’s crust to shatter and underground lava to surge up, creating this rare super meteorite crater.

The fear of natural disasters has even been deposited in the collective subconscious of all living things on this land from generation to generation.

The Great Shaman could still feel the terror of world destruction when he was communicating with spirits.

However, the upwelling of lava also brought rare mineral veins. They said there used to be a gold mine here that has now been exhausted.

When panning for gold, many yellow and red stones were also dug up, all of which were thrown aside by the indigenous tribes who had not yet emerged from the Stone Age.

Perhaps this is the hematite I am looking for, and its associated chalcopyrite.

Then, using the more advanced mining technology from the Old World, we can dig deeper and maybe we can find a gold mine. That would make us rich!"

(End of this chapter)