If every man fought only for his own beliefs, there would be no war.

- Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (one of the most outstanding writers in the history of world literature)

After leading his victorious First Squadron back to the open sea where the main fleet was located, Brent personally escorted Honma Yuki to the Imperial in a small boat, during which Honma Yuki, who was shocked by the size of the main fleet, did not even resist in the slightest.

Yuki Honma, who watched his fleet easily annihilated by the enemy, had a very intuitive and clear understanding of the combat power of the enemy's double and triple battleships, and the 100 transport ships belonging to the First Fleet became another powerful warship in his eyes!

The twin and triple battleships, which were completely different in structure from Sekibune, were completely unfamiliar to Honma, and he did not know where these ships came from, but he understood how powerful they were, so much so that transports, which were larger than the twin and trirees, became strange warships with amazing combat effectiveness in Honma's eyes.

Especially the Empire, the flagship of Nams, the Seven Columns Battleship, is a powerful existence that can shock Bai Feng, who is accustomed to seeing five columns of warships, when the Empire appeared in the field of vision of Honma Yuki, his brain almost lost the ability to think, and for the first time, he felt the huge gap in strength between the enemy and us, which is no longer a quality gap that can be made up by quantity!

The small trebuchet on the deck of the Imperial and the eight-door ballista guns on the left and right sides of the hull completely shattered Honma's mental defenses, and he no longer had a trace of luck, and he was pushed forward like a walking corpse, by several longbowmen under Brent's command.

"Brent, your kid's luck is good!" Seeing Brent's victory, Griffin, the commander of the Third Fleet, who came back one step earlier, smiled and quipped him: "This war has just begun, and you have taken the first credit, we are envious!"

"Yes, our fleet went out in a circle and achieved nothing, and you kid went out to annihilate a fleet of the enemy and capture their commander. Aimar, the commander of the Fourth Fleet on the side, also echoed: "Just because of your bad luck, you have to invite us to have a good drink after you go back, otherwise, we can't spare you!"

"Brother Griffin, Brother Aimar, don't worry, when the war is over, I will definitely invite you to the best restaurant to drink the best red wine!" Brent, who was smiling, said proudly: "When the time comes, we will not get drunk and not return!"

"Yes, it's a deal!" Griffin, who was a good drinker, smiled at Brent's promise, but Aimar, who was more steady, reminded Brent: "Brent, the commander is waiting for you, you should go first." ”

"Okay, those two old brothers are busy, I'll go to the commander first. Brent, who did not dare to delay, let his longbowmen stay where he was with Yuki Honma, while he himself left the deck under the guidance of the two commanders' guards.

"Commander. Arriving on the top deck of the Empire, Brent respectfully reported to Nams, "Our First Fleet has just annihilated a fleet of Honma pirates and captured Yuki Honma, the son of Kengo Honma, the leader of the Hamo Navy. ”

"Hamo Naval Army?" Nams frowned slightly and said: "The Sado country on Sado Island is divided into three counties: Hashige, Kamo, and Shita, is this Hamao Naval Army the naval force of Hamo County, or the naval force of the Honma family, have you interrogated it clearly?"

"Commander Keiyu, according to the descriptions of the pirate captives, Hamo Prefecture on Sado Island has been ruled by the Honma family for generations, and the Hamo Naval Army controlled by the Honma family is the most powerful naval force on Sado Island, followed by the Kamo Imperial Army and the Wakita Imperial Army. ”

"Then what is the size and strength of the fleet of the Yumao Navy that you annihilated, and what is the overall strength of the Yumao Navy?" Nams, who nodded, continued to ask: "The Kamo Navy and the Zhitai Navy, which are slightly weaker than the Yumao Navy, are controlled by which families?"

"Commander Qiqi, the fleet of the Hamo Navy that was annihilated by part of our fleet includes seven ships and 16 ships, and the main force of the Hamo Navy that stayed in the port of Hazumo, as well as three Ataku, 11 large ships, 16 ships, and 78 ships. ”

"As for the Kamo Naval Forces of Kamo Prefecture and the Childa Imperial Naval Forces of Childa Prefecture, the personalities of these two naval armies are different from those of Hashimo Prefecture, and it is not a family power like the Honma family that controls these two naval forces, but a group of pirate leaders who have united for survival. ”

"So, the pirate forces on Sado Island are not monolithic, but divided into three separate forces, right?"

"Commander, it seems that there are only three pirate forces on Sado Island, but in fact there are far more than three. Brent, who had prepared in advance, explained to Nams: "The Honma family, which controls the Hamo Naval Army, is also divided into several factions within the family, and the power struggle between each faction is fierce. ”

"The factional struggle within the Honma family is very fierce?" Nams hit the nail on the head, "Then the Honma Yuki you captured, what use does he have in making it worth you to bring him here to see me, just because his father is Kengo Honma, the leader of the Hamo Navy?"

"The commander, Kengo Honma, who is the leader of the Hamo Navy and the governor of the Honma family, has four wives and nine sons, and just one Honma Yuki is naturally nothing, but Honma Yuki's uncle is the most famous naval commander in Hamo Prefecture, Ito Yuhiro. ”

"The most famous wise general in Hamo Prefecture does not mean that he can split the Hamo Naval Army from Kengo Honma. Naams questioned.

"Commander, the Honma family is the ruling family of Hamo Prefecture, but it is not the only family in Hamo Prefecture, and similarly, the Hamo Navy is the most powerful naval force in Hamo Prefecture, but it is not the only naval force in Hamo Prefecture, and the Ito Naval Army of the Ito family is a typical example. ”

"To be able to occupy a place in Hamo-gun under the rule of the Honma family, the strength of the Ito family's naval army should not be weak, and I believe that the foundation of the Ito family's survival is not their kinship with the Honma family, but their own good strength. ”

"Commander is wise!" Brent, who immediately gave a sycophant, followed Nams's words and said: "Although the strength of the Ito family's naval army is far from that of the Honma family, it should not be underestimated, including one house, seven ships, and thirty ships. ”

"One house, seven ships, and thirty ships, it seems that there is not much difference between this strength and the fleet of the Yumao Navy that was annihilated by you. Nams looked into the distance and said, "Is it worth wasting our time on such an Ito family?"

"Commander, if we can subdue Ito Yuhiro and his Ito Navy through Honma Yuki, then the Hamo Navy will no longer need us to deal with it ourselves, and if the operation goes well, we will also have a cannon fodder fleet that can charge for us. ”

Nams, whose eyes were burning, stared at Brent and asked, "Brent, how sure are you that you can succeed?"

"Your Excellency, as long as you support me, I am at least sixty percent sure!" Brent said in a firm tone.