Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 308 Bad News: The legendary warship, the Thousand-Winged Angel, is being deployed!

Above the fortress-like grandeur of Norwich Palace, several red dragon knights and their mounts, subspecies of dragons, circled in the sky, displaying royal majesty.

In the small chapel, the Virgin Queen Elizabeth handed two privateering letters, personally signed by her, to two young captains kneeling before her.

"Hawkins! Drake! The future of the Kingdom of Britannia, whether it can rise on this sea, rests entirely in your hands!"

The two young captains were so excited that their faces turned red:

"Your Majesty, we will offer you our hearts and give our lives to fight for the kingdom!"

Elizabeth nodded with satisfaction.

She greatly admired these first privateer captains who volunteered for the mission.

In particular, the young captain in front of him, John Hawkins, who was only twenty-nine years old, shared many ideas with Wang Cheng's smuggling trade plan during their conversation.

His cousin, Francis Drake, who was only twenty-one years old, was also very outstanding. He was full of drive and dreamed of becoming the first navigator to circumnavigate the globe alive!
The Queen suddenly remembered the second letter Wang Cheng had just sent yesterday, and the "new class" mentioned in it, and encouraged them again:
"You just need to do your best. Here, heroes are not judged by their origins, and the path to advancement is always open to everyone."

I hope that one day I will see you all, now members of parliament, in the hall of the council, and even more so, I hope that you will serve as my right-hand men, deciding the future of the entire kingdom.

The Kingdom's upper house is a traditional noble house, needless to say.

The House of Commons was a political alliance dominated by the "gentry" and incorporating the "urban bourgeoisie".

Together they represent the propertied, non-aristocratic social elite of the kingdom, and their power is rapidly growing, making them an increasingly significant group within the country.

This group mainly included rural knights, gentry, and lawyers from the four major law firms. They either came from the vast countryside themselves or had their power base in the countryside.
There were also wealthy merchants, bankers, moneylenders, successful guild leaders, and workshop owners in the city.

In short, the boundaries between land wealth and commercial wealth are blurring, and they are merging into a new "capitalist" class.

It can be said that in the Eastern empires, the emperor and the scholar-officials shared the world, while in Britannia, the king, the nobles, and these capitalists shared the world!

At the same time, not only was the power structure of the kingdom changing, but the profession of mysticism was also undergoing profound evolution among these Protestants.

Originally, the mainstream of the Western Continent consisted of traditional theological professions derived from the various patron saints.

For example, the mainstream professions of Severus are derived from the miracle of the "Remains Crossing the Sea" by the patron saint, Saint Vincent, such as the Tide Rider and the Navigator.

The mainstream theological professions of the East Francois were derived from the patron saint, St. James, who served as the protector of the "Reconquest Movement," including professions such as the "Holy Sword Knight" and the "Supreme Swordsman."
However, Protestants believe that everyone can communicate with the supreme God and can acquire a new theological career based on their life experiences, secular profession, and faith.

By bypassing the church as an intermediary, and allowing everyone to connect directly with God, much like in that more secularized ancient Eastern empire, new professions sprang up like mushrooms after rain:
Alchemist, banker, lawyer, watchmaker, navigator, singer

They broke free from strict religious constraints and became the most dynamic part of society.

For example, the cousins ​​Hawkins and Drake were two outstanding mid-level navigators.

Elizabeth also heeded Wang Cheng's advice and placed greater emphasis on the fundamental aspect of smuggling trade—productivity. She introduced the "National Alchemist" system and established the Royal Society.

Betting on navigation and industry, and having the state lead the military industry which is fundamental to national strength, we must never follow the example of the Franco-German Empire by "buying everything" and undergoing a deindustrialization that is like self-castration.

In short, Wang Cheng's three major strategies for Britannia hit the nail on the head and were highly recognized by the Privy Council and a number of senior officials in both houses.

Many in the kingdom's upper echelons knew that the mysterious Eastern king was Her Majesty the Queen's pen pal.

With his planning, the kingdom's strategy became crystal clear, and everyone was filled with enthusiasm.

Of course, Oriental black tea, porcelain, and silk, which already represented status and prestige, became increasingly popular throughout the kingdom.

Starting with Her Majesty the Queen, it became fashionable among nobles to drink afternoon tea, while also showing off their exquisite tea sets and silk dresses to their guests. This trend quickly spread to the lower classes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer predicts that silver coins used solely for purchasing tea could grow to 10% of the national treasury within the next decade!

Most of them are imported from Yuegang.

Many people even know that the ancestor of black tea is Zhengshan Xiaozhong from Wuyi Mountain in Minzhou, and that it has no interest in the Donghai Kingdom of the Jinghai King.

You see, although we all share a common enemy, the Frankish Empire, that king is truly a selfless and kind person!

In the small auditorium, as Hawkins and Drake, having received their Letters of Marauder, bid farewell to the Queen, Hawkins bowed again and remarked with deep emotion:

“Your Majesty, I have learned a great deal from reading the collaboration proposal of ‘Wang,’ the author of ‘The Influence of Sea Power’.”

Actually, I also have my sights set on intercontinental trade between the Western Continent, the Black Continent, and the New Continent.

They planned to transport wool products, glassware, and firearms to the Black Continent, then purchase slaves from local tribal leaders, transport them to the New World, exchange them for gold and silver from the Frankish colonists, and finally return home along the Triangle Current.

However, none of them have the meticulous planning of this 'King'. Now that we have his plan, all that remains is the issue of execution.

"Your Majesty, just wait for my good news."

Drake, who was standing nearby, also asked curiously:

"Your Majesty, do you have the contact information for the author of 'The Influence of Sea Power'? I'm a big fan of his books! In my ideal world, the Britannian navy should be just like the one he described in his book, with high-speed warships and cannons being the future of the navy, not some outdated boarding action."

It would be wonderful if I could meet him in person someday.

After saying that, the two brothers looked at each other.

Drake and Hawkins both said in unison:
“I feel like I’ve always been living in the shadow of that ‘king’.”

Wang Cheng was unaware that his flapping of wings in the distant East had changed the fate of some people in the distant West.

Fortunately, he produced his plan early enough, otherwise the original owner of the idea would have beaten him to it.

Of course, if it weren't for his intrusion, the Queen wouldn't have spent a fortune to personally receive two greenhorns who hadn't yet achieved fame and success.

The two brothers left with Wang Cheng's address.

The Queen looked down at the stub copy in her hand, which had subtly turned a golden hue, and her face lit up with delight:
"Sure enough it happened!"

This touch of gold marked the birth of the world's first true Letter of Marauder.

The words of the King of the Eastern Sea Kingdom echoed in my mind once again:
"You will personally usher in a 'Great Pirate Era' where scimitars dance with wine and flames sing wildly, and the relics produced from this alone will be enough to satisfy your cravings."

Now it seems that is indeed the case.

In fact, her ancestor Henry III of the Plantagenet dynasty had also issued similar documents, but those were only used to mobilize civilian forces for temporary retaliatory actions in coastal waters, and were hardly a grand strategy.

However, following Wang Cheng's advice, she carried it forward and elevated it to a core national strategy, expanding it to the world.

The above covers the complete authorization information:

"The name of the authorized person (private owner/captain); the name and basic information of the vessel; the enemy state to be attacked; the validity period of the authorization; and the rules of international and domestic law to be followed."

It is about to become one of the core means for Britannia to accumulate primitive capital, train its navy, and strike strategic rivals.

Their influence is naturally incomparable.

The Queen felt it had the potential to be elevated to the level of a national treasure, a "sacred relic".

She couldn't resist taking out the two letters Wang Cheng had written to her again and reading them carefully, word by word.

The first letter, titled "Three Defeats and Three Victories," addressed the Frankish Empire, offered three suggestions for defeating the adversary: ​​privateering licenses, smuggling trade, and offshore balancing.

The text mentions Colony 1.0 and Colony 2.0, but only throws out a hook before abruptly ending the discussion, leaving the Queen furious.

The second one was similar.

Finally, it concluded with: "You should face the fact that the power of a new class is rapidly rising."

If your successor ignores the interests of this group, he may very well become the first 'clueless' king of the Western Continent.

That's it.

"Then tell me what you mean by 'completely baffled'?"

The young queen bit her red lips, unaware of how many times she had cursed the King of the East Sea Kingdom, who was ten years younger than her.

"They always disappear at crucial moments, leaving others in an awkward position."

Those who cut off chapters deserve a terrible death!
Despite his young age, 'Wang' acts like one of those cunning bankers in the House of Commons; he's anything but endearing.

Isn't it because there's been no news about the matter you entrusted to us?
I've been trying really hard to find it, okay?

Suddenly remembering from the intelligence report that the other party was a "Chaofenglang," whose function seemed similar to that of a banker, her mood worsened.

Just then, the door reopened, and a tall woman with dragon horns and a head of bright red hair that shone like flames strode in.

This is Charlotte, the red dragon, the mount of the Virgin Queen, a mid-ranking "Red Dragon Knight," and also the highest-ranking lady-in-waiting in the court.

"Your Majesty, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

The Queen rolled her eyes at her, clearly annoyed.
"How did you end up like someone who's gone astray? Stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me."

Charlotte naturally knew who the person was, and sticking out her tongue, she recounted the information she had just received in detail:
"The good news is that potatoes and sweet potatoes have been found on our Emerald Island, and have already been adopted as a staple food by some of the local Celts."

As you know, they only have 5% of their land reserved for themselves; the rest is our colony. They can't survive on anything other than high-yield crops like potatoes.”

After saying that, she glanced at Wang Cheng's letter in her hand, and her expression turned serious:
"The bad news is that there's been some activity at the Franco Empire's naval port that your scouts have been keeping a close eye on."

Early this morning, the HMS Angel of Ten Thousand Wings, one of the three legendary battleships of the Franco-Gregorian fleet, and its accompanying fleet suddenly departed port and headed south, their whereabouts unknown!

(End of this chapter)