Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 492: Family members are his weak spot!

The homeland of the Kingdom of Hattings, the capital of Kingston.

The city's martial law has been significantly relaxed compared to two months ago, but due to the increasingly severe cold wind in late autumn, there are not many pedestrians on the streets.

But whether it is a restaurant, pub, club, chess and card room, or any other public place, the social atmosphere of the residents of the royal capital has a sense of relaxation that was completely absent some time ago.

"The rebellion has finally come to an end. Little Jerry, who served in the Royalist artillery unit, should be back soon, right?"

"It should be soon. The Channel Islands will start winter time soon. If we don't come back soon, it will snow in the north."

Of course there were other complaints as well.

"Why do we have to fight every year?
We first fought the Hundred Years' War with the Iris, and then the Thirty Years' War of the Roses. We didn't even last a year before the royal party and the earl party started fighting again.

This year, the fight has come to an end due to the arrival of winter, but we will continue with the beginning of spring next year. We don’t know when this fight will end.”

"Shh! You're going to die."

The person who was complaining realized that he had said something wrong, looked around, and immediately lowered his voice by an octave.

The situation overseas was turbulent, and the situation in Hastings' country was somewhat unexpected.

The rebellion war over the throne of Hastings has fallen into a stalemate. The seemingly dominant coalition of royalists and neutral parties has failed to achieve a quick victory in the past two months.

The weak Earl's party changed its tactics in time.

They retreated to the numerous bastions built during the Thirty Years' War, and fought a war of attrition with them relying on the ammunition and armaments provided by Rheinmetall.

It is well known that although building a bastion is a considerable expense and wealth, besieging it is equally time-consuming and laborious.

Especially when a [Fortress Expert] is in charge of the commander.

It is recorded in the "History of Continental Warfare" that a siege of a bastion often lasted for months or even years.

In the limited seasons suitable for war each year, an army commander would be considered outstanding if he could capture one or two bastion fortresses.

It is said that even with a huge 7:1 military advantage, it takes about 20-30 days to capture a bastion guarded by [Fortress Experts]. Each bastion is a hard nut that can make the enemy break their teeth.

What's more, the gap in military strength between the Royal Party and the Earl's Party is far from being so great.

This delay allowed the Earl's party, which had chosen the correct strategy and tactics, to successfully delay until winter, giving them the opportunity to regroup.

Because the "winter time" in the Channel Islands is implemented on the last Sunday of October every year, the specific date this year is October 10th, and it will last until the last Sunday of March next year.

The Treasure Fleet set out in early October, and after a series of gusty sailing, sunfish attacks, and chases and escapes, it is now mid-October, and only a few days left until winter time.

The latitude of the Kingdom of Hattings is high, and the distance between north and south is 1000 kilometers. The further north you go, the earlier winter comes.

From this moment on, the time suitable for fighting has ended. If they dare to fight in the field again, the bad weather will give them a heavy blow.

Even if the attacking side does not care about the lives of its soldiers, it is doomed to fail.

In Ganquan Palace, Edward IV had already evacuated from the front line and returned to the royal capital in advance, and was handling government affairs in his study.

Especially everything concerning the counter-insurgency war, he had to personally take care of every detail.

There is a thick pile of documents and instructions on the desk, and his expression has never been very good.

“If you haven’t fought a war, you have no idea how expensive gunpowder and weapons are today.

I had originally wanted to save costs by seizing weapons and ammunition, but the damn weapons and ammunition that Warwick got from somewhere were totally incompatible with ours!
War is a battle of armaments and logistics. If the army is equipped with two different types of weapons, the logistical pressure will almost double in order to achieve the original combat effectiveness, which is simply not worth the cost.

Except for gunpowder, these captured items were almost unusable and most of them had to be put into warehouses to gather dust, and someone had to be assigned to guard them strictly.

Fortunately, Richard found another "Xianyu Second-hand Trading Company" on the online financial street. This company can recycle the goods at 10% to 30% off the original price, which can barely make up for the financial loss.

We did save a little on military spending last month."

After he approved the document to this point, Edward IV's tense face relaxed a little.

Although he was wearing the "Emperor's New Clothes", he still had his basic IQ. Of course, he would not allow himself to be hanged by Rheinmetall, an arms dealer.

Richard, who was in charge of this matter, lived up to his title of "Devil Duke".

When selecting military contractors to recycle the weapons, Rheinmetall was not the only one notified, but a bidding mechanism was introduced for the first time.

Let all the arms companies in the online financial street that are interested in cooperation come and bid, and choose the one that offers the most favorable conditions.

The companies participating in the bidding include second-hand circulation platforms with slightly weaker strength: Xianyu Second-hand Trading Company and Nut Second-hand Pistols.

There are also many regular arms manufacturers: Northern Heavy Industries, Raytheon Technology, and Sonic Power.
There are some familiar-looking companies, but there are even more new ones.

Perhaps many forces have noticed the vast business opportunities in the southern continent. Guns and ammunition are in short supply, and various arms companies have naturally sprung up in the financial street like mushrooms after a rain.

In the end, although Edward IV felt that even the "Xianyu Second-hand Trading Company" with the best conditions was still quite far from his psychological expectations, he had no choice but to accept the result of the bidding.

After all, it’s impossible that these dozen companies came together to bid for the project and they were all in collusion, right?

But in fact?
Hey, guess what?

They are all shell companies that come here to “bid for the sake of accompaniment”!

While the York brothers were still feeling complacent about their own "wisdom", they had no idea about the business secrets hidden in "Sun Xingzhe, Xingzhe Sun, Xingzhe Sun" and "Sprite, Lei Bi."

[Mithril Dragon] Although the arms companies registered by Catherine do have their own office addresses.

In fact, all of them are OEM production, and the real source factory is the arsenal of "Fortress of Torrent".

They are all adaptations of the "all-shills" model used by the original stock fraud groups. They are not something new, but the effects are unexpectedly good.

Not only did it allow them to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, but it also successfully confused the public, making it difficult for the royal party and the earl party to discover the truth of "selling two properties at the same time" in a short period of time.

By the time the truth is finally revealed, it won’t matter anymore.

Edward IV picked up another report from the major royal arsenals, and when he saw the final figures, he finally smiled with satisfaction:

“Outsourcing these arsenal operations to Rheinmetall was indeed the right decision.

By drastically cutting out the military manufacturing industry, which requires high investment but never directly generates profits, the country's fiscal burden has been reduced a lot.

Last quarter's financial report successfully turned losses into profits.

The money saved can be reinvested in Rheinmetall by simply making demands on them, thus saving a series of troubles such as procurement, management, production, maintenance, etc.

Military outsourcing is a genius idea.

By extension, can other industries also be fully outsourced in this way? For example, the time is running out for whale oil power technology?

The last time I communicated with people from Rheinmetall, they said they were also preparing to launch related projects but lacked funds, and they asked me if I wanted to invest.

It all comes down to money.

I will call a royal meeting tomorrow and ask them to abolish the Academy of Engineering, use that R&D funding to prepare a plan, and invite bids again.

When I put down the rebellion, I will mobilize the whole country to develop the southern continent. As long as we can get a few gold mines, we will have everything. Hmm?"

At this time, Edward IV suddenly found that the legal network was triggered, and an expedited letter from the colony of Jamestown fell into his heart.

Seeing the emblem above, he immediately frowned deeply:
"The Earl of Stromgarde? A sudden letter at this time, could it be that the last Lancaster has done something again?"

The Earl's party had already caused Edward IV a lot of trouble, and now the last thing he wanted to see was news from the Bantaan Islands.

No news is the best news.

But I had to patiently open the letter.

Skip the irrelevant greetings at the beginning and go directly to the main text.

“Your Majesty, today I obtained important information about the Wild Hunt Byron Lancaster through the pirate insider in Blacksail Harbor.

I learned that he had united all the pirate warlords and great pirates in the Bantaan Islands and was preparing to plunder the Castilian fleet of treasures!"

"What? The Wild Hunt cracked the [key to the treasure ship]? We can't let him get the money!"

When Edward IV saw the contents of the letter for the first time, his hands trembled violently and he looked down quickly.

“Due to the urgency of the situation, I had to lead the colony’s Seventh Fleet on an emergency sortie immediately.

Thanks to the blessings of the Creator and the Three Fantasy Suns, we caught up with the treasure fleet and the pirate coalition that had already been involved in a melee.

Moreover, the early stages of the war were progressing smoothly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when the Black Sail Pirates were entangled with the vanguard and rearguard, the Seventh Fleet successfully defeated the flagship [Niucheng] and the remaining Castilians, and robbed a treasure squadron.

I was also able to break through to the fourth level by chance, and with the extraordinary knowledge I gained from looting the Lancaster party, I successfully changed my job to the Storm Lord. "

"The Earl of Stromgarde actually captured a treasure squadron? Great! I'm going to be rich!"

After Edward IV was overjoyed, a cold light immediately flashed in his eyes:

"Not only did the Sea Hunter plunder the treasure fleet, but he also used this battle to successfully break through to the fourth level and become a Storm Lord?
If I remember correctly, the Earl of Stromgarde is only twenty years old this year.

Too fast. Even if he was the legendary reincarnation of the Holy Spirit which had not yet been confirmed, his progress was too fast.

If this continues, how can I control this sharp blade?
We must find a way to continue to limit his growth.

It is not a good thing to climb too fast when you are young. If you want to go steady and far, you need more training. This is all for your own good.

and"

A trace of burning greed appeared on his face, and he said silently in his heart:
“The old rule was to hand over one tenth of what you plundered.

But what we robbed this time was a fleet of treasures with each ship worth an average of one million pounds. I also have to help you withstand the pressure from the Castilians at an official level. How can one-tenth of it be enough?
At least we have to split it 70% and 30% for me. No, I have to find a way to get this big piece of meat out of his mouth."

Unfortunately, he was still happily thinking about how to eat Byron's flesh and drink Byron's blood the second before, but when he saw the "but" at the end, he couldn't help but stand up with a whoosh.

"But, [Puppet King] Louis suddenly appeared. The puppet theater was planning to rob the thieves.
Then, [Wild Hunt] Byron Lancaster made a breakthrough in the battle, and as a fourth-level [Storm Lord], he temporarily gained a powerful combat power comparable to that of a fifth-level [King].

It is suspected that he is holding some powerful treasure.

Moreover, he killed the Puppet King in public, and was elected as the Black Sail Pirate King [Uncrowned King] on the spot by the Pirate Port.

I managed to escape the battlefield with the Seventh Fleet with great difficulty, but I also lost most of the spoils.

After deducting combat losses and pensions, there was not much left.

There is not a cent left for defense expenses;

Military pay is something I never forget;

The purchase cost is high and there are leaks everywhere.

Military expenses! Military expenses! Your Majesty, please support us."

Seeing this, Edward IV felt dizzy before his eyes, and was hit all over the face by Byron's "first praise and then suppress" move, which broke his defense on the spot.

I thought it was a surprise, but it turned out to be bad news. I was so angry that my whole body was shaking violently:

"My money! Where's the money?!

Such a good situation is ruined just like that?
Not only did you not give me a penny, but you also continue to ask me for support?"

Just now I thought that [Sea Hunter] Byron Tudor was such a genius that he crushed all the Yorkists into pieces.

He immediately felt like a bastard for being defeated at the crucial moment in the fight against the Wild Hunt. Not only did he betray his trust, but he also lost the money that was already within his grasp.

How much does that cost?
But after Edward IV's anger, he had to start facing the reality.

Byron Lancaster is now a [King]!
Even if it cannot last, it is still a [King Title].

[Sea Hunter] was able to bring the Seventh Fleet back intact without losing the entire colony, which was already an outstanding achievement. No one can fault his contribution.

If he could really stop the other party and bring the money back, Edward IV would not be angry now, but would be worried about whether there would be another covetous person to the throne.

The key issue White Rose is facing now is not to hold the Sea Hunter accountable, but to figure out how to deal with the Wild Hunt, the uncrowned king.

After this battle, the last Lancaster will surely dominate the world again.

The extraordinary system that relies heavily on the power of mind and will is actually the same as economics. When everyone thinks it is a potential stock and wants to buy it when it rises, it will definitely rise!
It is conceivable that with the example of this man who once fell from the throne and regained the top in the Age of Discovery, countless young people will head to the sea in the future, or even directly join his army.

Previously, there was a power vacuum between the Kingdom of Castile and the Star-Moon Empire in the Bantaan Islands. Now, a pirate king has emerged and seized the largest batch of treasures in the sea, the "Treasure Fleet".

With all the elements gathered, the great pirate era may really be coming!
The influence of [The Uncrowned King] is immeasurable.

"Ah! I regret that I did not mobilize the whole nation to kill Byron Lancaster when I found him in Anchor Bay.

This led to the bitter consequences of today.”

Edward IV slammed his fist on the table, feeling extremely regretful.

Unfortunately, there is no regret medicine in this world.

Just like "Tao Intelligence" must have regretted countless times why it did not use the company's full strength to acquire "Bingduoduo" when it was just starting out.

I just subconsciously didn't regard the other party as an opponent.

Edward IV sat back in his chair somewhat feebly, and began to write the warrant with a gloomy face:
“White Rose cannot lose its colony. As long as the Sea Hunters can withstand the pressure, they must be supported.

I have no one now who can replace the Lord of Stromgarde.

In addition, the domestic situation must be stabilized as soon as possible, and the winter offensive against the Count's Party cannot be stopped. The sooner the civil war ends, the better.

Since ordinary soldiers are unable to fight, let the extraordinary people trained by various noble families go into battle to carry out assassinations and sabotage behind enemy lines. In short, the Earl's Party must not have a chance to relax.

At the same time, they continued to increase arms purchases from Rheinmetall and stockpile ammunition. Rather than a long-term pain, they would rather suffer a short-term pain and try to wipe out Warwick's party on the spot after the spring.

Now is not the time to save money, as White Rose York has quite a few assets.

Even if we have to borrow money from the Poor Knights or the bankers of the Remites, or even be the first to recognize the country established by the Remites, this war must be fought and must be won! "

At this point, Byron's plan of "keeping the enemy at bay" was perfectly accomplished.

Things turned out just as he expected.

There is Byron Lancaster, the "uncrowned king" of the Bantaan Islands and the Sapphire Sea, with a sword hanging over White Rose's head.

The York family, which is now unable to take care of itself, can only rely more on him. Not only do they have to spend money to support him, but they also have to indirectly support the enemy.

It also meant that the York family was bled out at an accelerated pace, triggering a series of chain reactions.

This was also Byron's first strategy to launch a counterattack on the mainland.

If you don't give them a good beating when you have the chance, are you still a human being? You don't even have the professional ethics of an "offshore balancer"!
To be honest, even if Byron acts when he is happy and stops when he is unhappy, what can White Rose do to him?
Now that the offense and defense have changed, even if the Sea Hunter's vest falls off, there will be no further losses except losing a backstab opportunity.

If you have the guts, come to the colony and beat me up!

Be careful that Rheinmetall may use the excuse of production line failure to not approve your ammunition.

Warrants were written by Edward IV:

“I will now transfer Thornburg in Lancaster to the Sea Hunter, so that the Wild Hunt will be able to keep his hatred for the latter because his wife and house were taken away by the latter.

Go fight the Sea Hunter first to buy time for the mainland."

After sending out all the warrants, he pinched his forehead and said to himself weakly:
“That damned Byron Lancaster has grown faster than Byron Tudor, and has won over the pirates of Blacksail Harbor.

We must find a way to prepare early, so that he won’t suddenly appear on our homeland and catch us off guard.”

At this moment, a pair of delicate hands gently stroked his temple.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? We have a secret weapon.

Although it has no effect on other enemies, it is easy to take down a small Lancaster."

Edward IV looked back and found his beautiful queen standing behind him. She leaned over his ear and whispered:
"Family members are his weak spot!"

These words immediately made Edward IV's eyes light up:
"Yes! During the last Battle of Dover, we failed to grasp Lancaster's weakness, but it is different now.

Margaret, the queen of Mad King Henry VI and aunt of the Wild Hunt, and all the women of the House of Lancaster were imprisoned in the monastery on the island of Malta in the Middle Sea.

Although it is isolated in the middle sea and very close to the front line where the church countries on the east coast and the Holy Spirit countries on the west coast confront each other, the island is the headquarters of the Knights of Malta and is heavily guarded.

The most elite group of Maltese Knights are stationed in the St. Angelo Fortress, and their Grand Commander [Holy Spear] Valette is a powerful fifth-level legendary [Paladin].

As long as we hold them firmly in our hands, we are not afraid that the last Lancaster will not obey us obediently. "

Elizabeth had no idea that she had come up with a vicious plan, and her face was full of smiles:
"Then we should send a note tomorrow to transfer them back to the capital from the Malta Monastery?"

However, Edward IV raised his hand and flatly rejected Queen Elizabeth's proposal.

"No! People in the country are currently unstable.

Apart from us royal family members who have a mortal feud with Lancaster, no one knows which fence-sitter may have ulterior motives, and someone might be willing to be a traitor who colludes with foreign enemies.

It would be better to keep it in the Maltese monastery.

We sent two female assassins to join the monastery and secretly fed the women an incurable chronic poison.

Become a sword that always hangs over the head of the Wild Hunt.

I wonder if he wants them to live or die!"

Thinking of this, Edward IV finally felt relieved.

Only then did he realize that his queen, Elizabeth, the most beautiful woman in the Channel Islands, was only wearing a gauze nightgown. Her graceful body was looming, and she looked like a beautiful woman under the whale oil lamp.

I couldn't help but feel warm in my heart, so I stood up, picked her up and walked towards the bedroom.

"It's just a little strange. It's been more than two months since Elizabeth gave birth to her eighth child. Why is there still no movement in her stomach?"

The doubt in my heart only lasted for a moment, and then turned into excitement:
"This is probably the Creator's favor to me!
I have been troubled by too many things recently, so the Creator has allowed me to enjoy the most beautiful woman in my kingdom a few more times."

When he put the queen on the bed, he felt a slight tingling and numbness in his lower back, but he didn't take it seriously at all. He just took off his clothes and climbed up.

Edward IV is only in his early thirties this year and considers himself to be a pretty good guy.

After returning to the palace some time ago, he has been partying every night, but he never thinks that the love between husband and wife is a big problem.

I received Byron's letter today and was reminded of the Scarlet Grail.

I couldn't help but become more and more eager for this "experimental product" to obtain a complete ritual as soon as possible.

Recall the part of the ritual requirements that have been obtained: “The promoted must be from the ruling and exploiting class (regardless of the generation);

The hands of loyal servants (13); the bones of relatives (six, who died within three years); the bones of loved ones. What?

Edward IV stroked the fair and smooth skin of the beautiful queen's back, causing her to giggle, but his own eyes suddenly became dim.

"Relatives" are not only Lancaster's weak point, but may also be Edward IV's panacea!

(End of this chapter)