111 Jailbreak Sure (2)
Emile Rose, general manager of Easterfield’s North America division, recently received reports of looting near Utah.
“It is said that a mysterious armed group accompanied by cannons is swarming near the demilitarized zone and plundering whenever a wagon passes by.”
“Didn’t we all get rid of some bandits?”
“Yes, it is. There is no trace of the pirates anymore.”
As the subjugation corps formed in the Easterfield Baron slaughtered gangs of bandits and pirates, officially no further reports of robbery or pirate looting were ever reported.
But apparently, things like this have been going on since the first meeting in Utah.
“Mr. Rose, maybe these events. Maybe it was the Portuguese expeditionary force?”
“… … In Portugal?”
“No matter how you think about it, it’s weird. The fact that the bandits even possessed a cannon is like a fishing boat carrying a whaling harpoon.”
“Well, it’s like using an ax to catch a rabbit.”
“Besides, Portugal is the only place outside of our Easterfield Baron to use a reliable cannon. Rumor has it that the rogue’s cannons outperform the French cannons. I usually carry this as a threat and have fired it a few times, and the accuracy is said to be quite high.”
“How high was the accuracy?”
“They said they hit a target 700 meters away.”
“… … Is the Portuguese army really looting?”
If Portugal was looting around Utah, the problem would be quite large.
Once the four North American countries signed a non-aggression pact, Portugal was excluded from the pact, so the pact may not be effective.
“How much damage have we done so far?”
“Our damage is not that great. At best, a few carts of bread were stolen.”
“Aren’t we deliberately not robbing our wagon?”
“If they were the Portuguese army, it would be convincing. If an all-out war breaks out with us, doesn’t Portugal suffer the loss?”
As of now, Eaststellar was not in a position to deal with Portugal’s tyranny.
There was no obvious casualties, and there was no confirmation that the culprit of the theft was the Portuguese Expeditionary Force.
However, if an all-out war broke out while the Portuguese took over the top of Eaststellar, their fleet bases and settlements along the southern coast would be doomed in one blow.
In other words, Portuguese silver did not reach Europe, but stayed there.
“okay. They wouldn’t touch us first unless they were fools.”
“No, then, can we say that the looting they are doing now is a provocation against neighboring countries?”
“If it was a provocation, they would have plundered proudly with their flags up.”
“Hmm, is that so? But they never denied that they were Portuguese troops, did they?”
In an instant, the executives of the company, including Emile Rose, widened their eyes.
Everyone thought that Portugal was secretly looting, but never brought this up with them directly.
Emile Rose had a blank expression on her face, as if she had been stabbed.
“Portugal may be able to carry out arbitrary actions on its own.”
“But is Portugal going to be so stupid? They are also thoughtful people.”
“You don’t know what people do.”
“Then, aren’t we in a position where we can sit still and sit still?”
If this looting activity continued under the peace agreement, it was clear that the demand for trade near Utah would gradually decrease in the future, and the demand for entertainment generated by the merits of the safe zone would gradually disappear.
In order to prevent such a problem in advance, the Utah area must be thoroughly defended.
Emil Rose decided to send an additional 1,200 troops to the Utah Free Trade Zone and strengthen patrols near the base in the future.
“I can’t help it. Then we have no choice but to defend ourselves. An army of 1,200 would suffice.”
“What if I run out of numbers?”
An army of 1,200 is by no means a small number.
If the enemy army was moving on a scale that could not be matched with an army of 1,200 men, it would be no different from causing an all-out war.
“Then we have to move the main unit.”
“Uh… … . I wish that never happened.”
The Eaststellar mercenary corps formed a detachment of 1,200 men and moved them to Utah.
***
Early in the morning, officials from the European Ministry of Finance visited Portugal’s new court treasurer, Mario Felix.
Taken from noblemtl.com
Mario Felix was succeeding the former Court Treasurer, who had recently died of overwork, and was in charge of the royal family, but I thought that if I made a mistake, Mario Felix might also die of overwork in the footsteps of the former Court Treasurer.
After almost three months of sleeping less than three hours a night, he had turned into a very nervous person.
“… … What about us in Portugal?”
“Why is the promised supply of silver coins so slow? So where are you going to properly repay your debts?”
Taken from noblemtl.com
Mario Felix looked for a cigarette in the drawer with a frown on his face, as if frustrated.
Nervously thrusting a tobacco leaf into the pipe, he lit it with trembling hands.
As a sip of cigarette smoke penetrated deep into his lungs, peace seemed to have come to Mario Felix’s abyss.
“… … These days, the war in North America goes back and forth every day. Sometimes the supply of silver coins is not smooth. You all know that war cannot always be won, right?”
“I heard that Portugal is winning 100 games, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, 100 wins is right. However, due to the war these days, the supply of grain is not easy. Besides, last year I heard bad crops. No matter how much you win a battle and expand your territory, it’s no different than pouring water into a poison that has fallen out.”
“Um, I know the profits were pretty high last quarter. How could the profits be so low all of a sudden?”
“Did I tell you? Things are not going well.”
“Then there seems to be no reason for us to supply you with shells anymore.”
“… … I beg your pardon?”
“Aren’t we supposed to invest only when there is a clear outcome? If you are struggling like this, how are you going to put that much volume into North America?”
After the Portuguese purchased artillery from Britain and left for North America, they continued to bring in a steady stream of combat supplies from Britain.
British cast-iron cannons are made by drilling a hole in the iron to form a barrel and removing the gas outlet separately.
Since it was a cannon made of barrels, it was rare for the barrel to break under the pressure of gunpowder, but it had the disadvantage of being expensive.
In addition, compared to Eaststellar’s steel technology, Britain’s technology was at a very primitive level, so no matter how thick the barrel was, eventually the barrel would break after using the cannon for a while.
The UK has been working hard to improve this problem, but the technology development is still at a low level.
For this reason, the Portuguese had to either replace their barrels every time, or purchase new cannons and bring them to North America.
In the process, Portugal’s debt continued to grow, and the amount of silver given to Britain was also increasing.
The British call it an ‘investment’, but the Portuguese military recently called it a ‘curse’.
It was said that the positions of both sides were so sharply divided.
The British advised Portugal to pay back the silver coins that were not paid within three months.
“I’ll give you three months. Get some silver coins in there and bring them with you.”
“… … No, where else are you going to get silver coins after 3 months?”
“You are doing well in North America these days, so I think you will be able to stick to your method somehow.”
Taken from noblemtl.com
Mario Felix slammed the desk with his fist with all his might.
Then, cigarette ash was scattered from the ashtray in all directions, and for a moment I felt as if there was a thick fog around me.
“Cool clump… … !”
“… … Our Portuguese expeditionary force is not hesitant to steal to pay off your debts. If the soldiers have little to eat, will they plunder the bread carts of others to fill their hungry stomachs?”
I wondered how much ashes could accumulate so much if I smoked.
However, by looking at Mario’s expression, it was not difficult to see how difficult the situation was for him.
Even when he saw him, officials from the British Treasury said it was insignificant.
“Everyone has circumstances. We’re not in a very good situation. Thanks to all of you, this isn’t the first time I’ve almost experienced a payment deferral if I’m wrong.”
“Payment deferred… … ?”
“Because the silver coins you promised to pay did not arrive, and the debt payment was delayed. If our UK collapses, so will you. If we can’t repay our debts so we can’t supply raw materials, cannons can’t even dream. Do you want to lose even the silver coins you were earning well?”
“That, that… … .”
“If we fall, you too will have no place to stand.”
“Okay… … .”
“Think well. Do not forget that we and you are now inseparable.”
Soon, the Ministry of Finance officials stood up from their seats.
The amount of silver they demanded was roughly equivalent to £16.5 million, and they would have had to steal a lot to pay for it.
“Give me a little more time… … .”
“If three months is short, pay it back in half a year. In the meantime, we will try to roll the Bank of England somehow.”
“… … thank you.”
The IOU, stamped with the seal of the British Treasury, was placed in front of Mario.
He wanted to tear up the IOU right away, but he struggled.
Soon he began to write correspondence.
As if he had lost a piece of paper and an enemy, he wrote the letter so wildly and swiftly that he entrusted it to his servant.
“Take this and go to the palace.”
“A royal palace?”
“If you say that the palace treasurer has sent you, the guards will take care of bringing you into the palace.”
“Can I pass it on to the guards?”
“No, you must not pass it on to the guards. It’s a fight over fire, so you must report it directly to the High Majesty.”
“… … Would a lowly person like me dare to listen to His Majesty?”
“If Your Majesty does not read this letter, our Portugal will perish.”
He took out a ring representing the court treasurer and handed it to the servant.
The ring bestowed by the king himself was something that even the guards knew well, so even with this ring, he would be able to enter the palace.
It was after that that King Hana immediately read the letter.
“You must do it. If you return this letter directly to His Majesty, I will send you to America.”
“America?”
“I will allow you to live in the land of opportunity with a mansion and servants.”
“… … Huh, really?!”
“Instead, you must succeed. Be mindful.”