Chapter 235: The Earl
Able to defeat Ian McCallane in the Battle of the Bull River in the Manassas region, and operate it into a battle to defeat the enemy, killing hundreds of orcs, so that the second son was promoted to captain in the military rank with this exploit, and was attached to the logistics department in charge of the procurement of oil and water. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info
It can be seen from this that the current head of the McCallane family is so sleek, how superb the level of telling nonsense with his eyes open, and how unfathomable his influence and connections in the military circles of the Principality of Maryland are.
"Welcome, welcome from the West, distinguished guest from afar, His Excellency Aldrich Triss. ”
His true identity was suddenly revealed, and even the Virtue Knight couldn't help but show a stunned expression, he couldn't understand how the other party could see through it at a glance.
Although his stunned expression was fleeting, it was caught in time by the sharp eyes of Earl Oaks McCallane, the corners of his mouth curled up triumphantly, and even his well-groomed beard trembled slightly.
Ian McCallain saw that the atmosphere was a little strange, and hurriedly stepped forward to introduce the two sides, and while it was time to return the salute, the Earl of McCallane softly explained Aldrich Triss's doubts.
"Despite its vast size, the continent of West is at the top, and there are very few people in power. Despite its remote location, your reputation has recently become known. Defeat the main naval forces of the three North Sea countries on the frontal battlefield, implement the abolition of serfdom, and moderate abolitionists. ”
Aldrich Triss regained his composure: "It is so unfair, Your Excellency Earl, that I know your situation very well, and that I know you completely blankly. ”
At this, he glared fiercely at Ian McCallane, but the other man pretended to shrug his shoulders and wave his hand in a relaxed manner, and shirked the responsibility cleanly, and reluctantly turned his head to face the Earl with an embarrassed wry smile.
Oakes McCallane saw the friendship between the two young men so well that it was like a friend from childhood to adulthood, secretly putting Aldrich Tries in his own place.
Holding out his hand to invite him into the main castle building, and pushing each other in, Aldrich Triss saw that the Count did not look like a hypocritical courtesy, and went in first.
When Oakes McCallane turned to follow, he finally couldn't help but look up at the Kirov airship hovering low altitude, due to the near-perfect mirror light reflection camouflage, if you don't look closely, you will really be deceived by the armored float ship that merges with the sky.
There were some wrinkles on the earl's forehead, and some unexpected joy on the corners of his mouth, but when he turned around, even the guards at the door did not notice, they only saw the expressionless face of Oakes McCallane, just the familiar face.
In the reception hall of the main building, with its impressive upside-down tree-like chandelier hanging from the top, Aldrich Triss has seen so many big scenes that he loses interest after just one look.
The peace of mind surprised Earl McCallane, after all, including his close friend and the deputy chief of staff, the first time they saw this alchemical pinnacle creation worth a castle, they had briefly lost their minds and showed embarrassment, who would have thought that Aldrich Triss's performance would be accustomed to it, could it be true?
Thinking of the temple of the Friends of the Merchant, the riches that rivaled the powers of the West continent, had only built an armored floating ship, and the chief knight from the Western Soil actually had the same alchemy creation, Earl McCallane sighed in his heart.
He felt compelled to re-examine the Zollverein, a recently emerging city-state confederation that was said to have escaped the turmoil of the time a hundred years ago, and working together to defeat the barbarian tribes and open up nearly 200,000 square kilometers of territory, if not for the lack of population enough to break free from the vassals of the mother country and establish a new principality on its own.
According to recent information, they are already in practice, and the high lords of the cities jointly elected the Earl of Eastwood to be promoted to the rank of Grand Duke, which has been approved by the royal family of Wilsec.
"Presumably, there must be a dirty deal in it! Or in order to retain the increasingly powerful alliance of the cities of the Western Soil, it has to use a coercive and gentle restraint strategy. ”
Before it was time for dinner, the Earl of McCallane wanted to understand the reason why Aldrich Triss came to the front line alone, and specially invited him to his study for a secret talk.
Leaving the drawing-room, and passing through the passage decorated with various game specimens, Aldrich Triss entered the Count's study, a medium-sized room with a compact layout, perhaps related to the books piled on the floor covered with woolen blankets.
It wasn't the first time Ian McCallane had come to his father's study, but he struggled through the labyrinth of books, while Aldrich Triss walked as fast as he could, strangely always stepping on the gap between the books at the last moment.
The Earl of McCallane was so familiar that he wondered how Aldrich Triss, who had first entered the room, was more accommodating and familiar with it than his master.
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been honing my knightly skills in the Whispering Forest, and for nearly a decade, my body has developed an instinct to avoid the branches and leaves that walk through the forest. ”
Aldrich Tries's explanation reminded Earl McCallane of a certain past incident, and he nodded slightly, "What a great achievement! It is no wonder that he can become a great knight before the age of thirty to be able to practice in the wilderness, in a forest full of wild beasts and birds of prey! Ian, my unsuccessful son, is lucky to have such a wonderful friend as you." ”
After taking his seat, Oakes McCallane warmed up with a meaningless routine greeting, and then the conversation changed to the point, asking Aldrich Triese what he meant.
Glancing at Ian McCallane, who looked a little nervous, the Virtue Knight did not want to use carefully prepared true lies to try to deceive His Excellency the Earl, who had a deep sense of life experience.
"My friend, Ian McCallane, is responsible for procuring winter coats for the Frontier Corps of the Principality of Maryland, and has traveled to the Western Turkish Customs Union to source supplies. When I learned of this, I used the unfinished armored float ship under my name, and invited him and his carriage to the old mansion in Gushan halfway, and provided 50,000 woolen coats at a suitable price, and delivered them to the Principality of Maryland in the fastest possible time. ”
Ian McCallain adds: "Father, Triss helped me a lot, and it only took me three days to save two-thirds of the purchase costs. ”
The earl's left eyelid twitched slightly, and he seemed to twitch uncontrollably when he heard the shocking news, and his heart roared: "The Principality of Maryland is nearly four thousand kilometers away from the Western Earth Customs Union in a straight line, and it took only three days...... No, it takes at least a day to prepare 50,000 woolen coats...... That's two days and one night!"
"Armored Floating Ship!" Suddenly realizing the crux of the matter, Earl McCallane couldn't help but blurt out to himself.
He was a powerful lord in the political maelstrom of the country, and although he never left the Duchy of Maryland, he possessed amazing knowledge by reading a large number of books, and his foresight led the McCallane family through many hardships and dangers.
"50,000 pieces of woolen coats, the price of raw materials is low, the garment process is simple, the labor cost can be ignored, taking into account the interests of the middlemen, but 5,000 gold coins fluctuate up and down, saving two-thirds...... Two thousand gold coins is indeed to push the profit to the limit. What's even more rare is that the purchase was completed in three days, which is amazing. ”
"As far as I know, Ian's colleague only contacted the seller the fastest, and the price and shipping channels are still being further negotiated. However, I suggest that it is best to slow down, don't go to the logistics department so quickly, and the total amount can be quoted as the original price. This will be good for Ian's future development, what do you think?"
"Father, I fully understand your painstaking efforts, please rest assured, I know what is best for you. Ian McCallane immediately turned to look at Aldrich Triss.
"I have no opinion! The Earl is more thoughtful than I am. At this stage, it is more appropriate for armored floating ships to be hidden in the shadows, and exposing them will only cause unnecessary trouble. ”
Oakes McCallane nodded slightly, he was very satisfied with the sharp mind of the chief knight of the Western Soils, and he could understand the key with a little touch, Ian this kid was good enough, but it was still a little dull to compare with each other.
"It's a shame why such a great knight is not from the McCarren family. ”
Unknowingly, the Earl moved the idea of accepting Aldrich Triss as his "adopted son", but he knew very well that as the chief knight of the Western and Turkish Customs Union and the real power of the Tris family, their noble order was two orders apart, but it was absolutely impossible to "adopt" him!
It's not okay to make a rash suggestion, if he hasn't risen yet, maybe it will work, and for now it's better to put away this arrogant idea.
Earl McCallane changed the subject: "The purchase and sale of 50,000 woolen coats and 5,000 gold coins is not worth a trip in person, especially the nobles who are far away from the territory, the opponent is likely to take advantage of the opportunity, the risk is too great, the benefit is too small, could it be that there are other hidden secrets in it...... Ian!"
His eyes were fixed on his second son, and the pressure exerted forced him to turn his head to Aldrich Triss for help.
"Your Excellency, I have a special way to temporarily hide from the eyes of the people concerned, and the carefully prepared double is not only carved out of the same mold as mine, but even the ability is exactly the same. ”
The words of the Virtuous Knight puzzled Earl McCallane a little, and it was beyond the common sense of ordinary people, but seeing the expression of his second son Ian nodding in agreement did not seem to be a lie, he seemed to understand the key and was disturbed by his own speculation.
"My friend Ian, who had formed his own legion to attack the empty Duchy of Virginy in the rear, armed with new weapons produced by my arsenal, arcane muskets and mortars for breaking trenches and fortifications, was sniped by the positions of the famous southern general Marsden Ville in the Manassas region. ”
"In the location chosen by the opponent, the exhausted legions engaged the recharged enemy, carried out the tactics of sneak attacks, and detoured long distances, and with the use of new weapons, they once suppressed the opponent without temper, and repeatedly broke through the opponent's defensive lines. ”
"It's a pity that Marsden Ville, who was prepared in advance, occupied the convenience of the terrain, so that our side had to take a back attack and endure all kinds of hardships. ”
"Even so, when the opponent used his hole cards and the rolling stone trap in the high ground to tear apart our front line and fortifications, and the battle loss ratio reached an astonishing thirty percent, our side still retained the strategic turn of vitality, and in the process of pursuing the enemy's small forces, the defeat turned into victory and successfully killed. ”
"This battle is enough to prove that Ian McCallane's immediate command, in the face of the famous generals in the south, behaved extremely skillfully and sophisticatedly, not at all like a novice, and the establishment of feats is also quite outstanding, as evidenced by the head of the orcs. ”
The Earl of McCallane laughed in amazement, not expecting Aldrich Triss's rhetoric to be on par with his own, and more importantly, his status as a virtuous knight was more credible and convincing than his own.
"Genius! Rare genius! He should have been introduced to the military boss in charge of the hearings of the Battle of the Benniu River, and with Tris's status, he didn't have to wear out his own skin at all. There is no need to jump up and down, and secretly give money to operate, so that Ian can seek the position of quartermaster in charge of procurement in the logistics department, and with this military exploit, he can completely rise to another rank!"
Earl McCallane restrained his smile: "It's all off-topic, it's a matter of the past, let's talk about your true intentions!"
Aldrich Triss sat up straight, his hands interlaced, his fingers interlocked, leaning forward slightly, and his face turned solemn.
"In an unequal battle, Ian suffered the loss of the famous southern general, and as his confidant, I can't sit back and watch my friend achieve the reputation of my enemy. ”
The Count nodded slightly, obviously satisfied with the Virtue Knight's answer, "What else?"
"The new weapons produced by my arsenal were very successful, and the Battle of the Benniu River was limited by the limited ammunition, and I wanted to prove it again, so I brought a batch of equipment to arm the army of a thousand men to the teeth, and provided it exclusively to my friend, Ian McCallane. ”