Chapter 299 – Eastern Front (5) *McMorin Illustration*
Eastern Front (5)
“No, suddenly moving to Snelleda and training on a ship… Isn’t this too much? I’ve been busy training Johannes’ kids so far, so it’s difficult to do this without even giving me a vacation?”
Baron Glon, commander of the 1st Guards Corps, smiled bitterly despite the bad attitude of McMorin, the highest-ranking commander in chief.
“I know how you feel. Normally, I would have stopped by Adria on my way to Snelleda and given a month-long vacation, but it looks like the situation is progressing more urgently than I thought. Since His Majesty has ordered that, shouldn’t I follow it? “
“Well… If it was that guy’s order, the corps commander couldn’t help it… Ugh… Anyway, I’ll be arriving at Snelleda tomorrow, so give me at least three days of vacation. I shouldn’t have to show the kids the insides of the famous Snelled women. Do you?”
“That will have to do. However, we cannot give the entire corps a vacation at once. If all 10,000 men were released into the city, even the great port city of Snelleda would not be able to handle it. So, let the 1,000 men take turns enjoying their vacation one by one! “
“Well… I guess so. If that’s the case, then I understand. Since I have to undergo shipboard adaptation training for about three months anyway, I guess I can take some vacation as a reward for the training.”
McMorin’s attitude as a subordinate was a bit bad, but his way of thinking about his subordinates and his ability as an infantry commander made him a trustworthy subordinate. At some point, Baron Glone stopped paying attention to McMorin’s attitude at all, and McMorin was also older than him. Although Baron Glon was lowly and had little experience, they treated him faithfully as their superior due to his trust in them.
“Okay. You should coordinate with the other Heavenly Seals. Still, you know that there shouldn’t be a Heavenly Seal who can’t get any vacations at all, right?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. We will take appropriate action. However…”
Baron Glon chuckled at the sight of Mac Morin rubbing his fingers and handed him a heavy pouch.
“Now! It’s 20,000 gold that His Majesty the Emperor sent as consolation money instead of vacation. Distribute it appropriately to the soldiers!”
“Huyu~ After all, that guy knows something? That’s why I left my beloved hometown, Teshidanikanana, and came all the way here.”
McMorin took the pouch from his superior and quickly rushed out.
And for the shipboard training that started the next day, vacation and gold coins were given as rewards, and the soldiers began to adapt to the shipboard by going through the training with all their might.
In addition, the story of Cheon In-dae, who went downtown Snelleda on his first vacation, and spent three days lounging around in Changgwan strengthened the determination of other soldiers to receive the reward at all costs. The soldiers were so excited about the reward that they trained more than ever. I became absorbed in.
After three months, all the soldiers of the 1st Corps were able to adapt to being on board ships and engage in the same battles as on land, and this also applied to the 2nd and 3rd Corps.
Of course, Navy Commander-in-Chief James Leverkin and Vice-Commander Alvida also trained their sailors more strongly, so the Balkan Empire’s navy soon grew to a whopping size of 37,000, with 7,000 Snelled Navy added to the 30,000 Guards Corps. Was being reborn as an elite.
Meanwhile, the Leon Kingdom naval headquarters on Polygal Island.
Naturally, the fact that the Balkan Empire’s navy was becoming stronger was constantly being reported to the Kingdom of Leon, so Princess Fiona was sitting at the head of the conference room and was indignant as she received the reports.
“Damn it!! If it weren’t for that damn father!! We could have attacked first before those guys got stronger!!”
“I understand the princess’s feelings, but… Isn’t it inevitable? If we set sail to attack Balkan, the king’s army will definitely land here immediately. As you know, no matter how strong the navy is, it can lose its base. The Navy is like a fly that may die at any time.”
“I know, too. It’s just that I’m frustrated. Haha… Still, I’m glad the count is safe. All of my supporters in the army were killed by those unknown assassins and were kicked out to Polygal Island… Even in the navy. Because I was able to be safe.”
“I’m old and useless now, but I’m glad I can be of help to the princess.”
Count Gisco, Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Leon’s Navy, comforted Fiona, the Emperor’s daughter to whom he was loyal, and presented a map.
“The Balkans’ intentions are obvious. They are probably trying to completely occupy Polygal Island and then target Lioness. As you know, the princess, we have two options. We can either surrender to the Balkans and fight the king’s army with them. .”
“After annihilating the Balkan Navy, we can use that momentum to attack Lioness from our side! Sir, what do you think I will choose?”
In response to Fiona’s question, Count Gisco smiled deeply.
“Of course it’s the latter. I’ll show those land dogs how scary the sea of Leon is. After stabilizing the rear by annihilating the Balkan Navy, attack Lioness and take it all at once!!”
“As expected, the Lord knows me well. That’s right. After showing a bitter taste to those Vulcans, we are advancing towards the capital!! Even if we cannot capture Lioness, if they know that I am alive and well, my supporters who are still in the King’s army will also rise up. If we can make it that far…”
In Fiona’s mind, an image of herself ascending the throne after toppling her father, her political rival, from the throne appeared.
‘I don’t know the identity of the suspicious people that my father is controlling… No, they are manipulating my father behind the scenes… But I can’t let them run wild any longer!! Okay! Rise to the throne and revive Leon! This is what I have to do!! Something only I can do!!!’
Seeing Fiona clenching her fists and pledging victory, Count Gisco also agreed with her opinion.
“For the princess! For the future and glory of Leon!! God Gisco! I will annihilate the Balkan navy!”
“Are you okay with that? Although they are Vulcan bastards who don’t know anything about naval warfare, they seem to have strengthened their fleet quite a bit by selling such ridiculous things as noses and condoms.”
Even though the Kingdom of Leon had an open sexual culture, it did not apply to her princess Fiona, so she blushed.
“Tsk… I tried it too and found the condoms to be quite good. I thought I knew why the nobles of Lioness paid a premium to buy them. But it wasn’t just Balkan who made money from the smuggling trade. The money they made from the smuggling trade. Although we are strengthening our fleet by converting battleships into 5-deck ships, our fleet has also become stronger!”
Since it was essential for the smuggling route to enter the Kingdom of Leon to pass through Polygal Island, Fiona’s forces occupying Polygal Island were also able to make a lot of money, which meant that Leon’s fleet was also strengthened, so Count Gisco He exuded tremendous confidence.
“Great… Good. Then… How do you plan on fighting the battle?”
“First, you have to apply for a fleet battle. Considering morale, you probably won’t be able to refuse. And once the battle begins, I plan to push back a little on the first battle.”
“Yes? But if that happens, it will give them momentum…”
“They are beginners in naval warfare and probably don’t know the currents around Polygal. So, they pretend to be pushed back and lure the enemy into the waters off Miliones, where the currents are tangled and create whirlpools.”
Count Gisco pointed to a corner of the map where ocean currents were recorded in detail.
“After that…?”
“We will dispatch small ships that have been ambushed to confuse the enemy, and then surround and annihilate the enemies whose movements are blocked by ocean currents at once!! The Vulcans will be able to do nothing and their battleships will be destroyed one by our navy. Haha,”
“I understand. I will leave this naval battle to you. And I, too! I will stand at the forefront and lend a hand.”
“Princess!! Please reconsider that! Of course, I know that you are a master with no rivals in the kingdom, but fighting on a ship is very dangerous as it is very different from fighting on land.”〈 Br〉
“But! The soldiers are risking their lives fighting for me and the kingdom, but if I don’t participate!!”
“Your Highness, please climb into the command ship and watch this battle. That alone will boost the morale of the soldiers.”
“… I understand. But if the enemy master invades, I will step in. You won’t stop that, right?”
This time, Count Gisco had to take a step back due to Fiona’s eyes burning with fighting spirit.
“Hmm… I understand. If I could step forward, I would, but I have to focus on commanding, so in that case, I will ask the princess.”
‘If my plan goes as planned, even if the enemy sends the Master out, the ship will get entangled in the complicated ocean currents and end up in the water. So, nothing dangerous will happen to the princess…’
Although they were betrayed by the king, the princess and her loyalists, who had not yet given up on their country, stayed up every night reviewing strategies, vowing to defeat the empire that was threatening the country and set the country straight.
And finally, as time passed, the navies of both sides sailed from the base and began a search war. As soon as they finished the search, letters were exchanged announcing the start of the battle, and the largest naval battle in the history of the continent was beginning.
*McMorin Navy Armor Illustration*
