Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 536: Ironclad Fleet Transactions

On January 18, 2006, Claude secretly boarded the Ironclad Cruiser Rage Shark, the new flagship of the Ironclad fleet, and returned to the Overseas Autonomous Territories. It would have been another month before the parliamentarians of Wangdu's Overseas Autonomous Territories returned to the Overseas Autonomous Territories after the ceremony of His Majesty the King had been completed. Claude really didn't want to stay in Wang, so he took his lieutenant and guard squadron under the pretext that he was busy.

The Angry Shark Ironclad Cruiser, the Swordfish Ironclad Destroyer and the Flying Fish Ironclad Destroyer, as well as the Bullwhale Ironclad Armed Transporter, formed a small unit to fight at sea. More than a dozen black-flagged sailboats appeared on the far side of the ocean, but the Ironclad Squad sounded as if they hadn't seen it, whistled twice, sprayed black smoke, swept past the front of this sailboat, and soon threw this black-flagged sailboat far behind...

“Is that the Black Sail Pirate?” Claude asked.

“Yeah, they're supposed to be heading to the Nubari Islands.” Muried replied that he still had a big cigar in his hand.

Claude had previously heard Colonel Bockard say that the head of the Black Sail Pirate was one of their teenage friends, Erickson, who had set up the Black Sail Pirate in search of his father to rebel from the Storm Fleet, and had found an uninhabited archipelago deep in the Silent Ocean, treating the archipelago, which had three large islands and more than a dozen islands, as the nest of Black Sail Pirates.

Both Ericsson's parents and the families of members of the Black Sail Pirate are said to live on this archipelago, which is home to more than 200,000 people. Eriksson also wanted to build his country independently of this archipelago by pillaging the coastal areas of the kingdom itself and searching for technical talent such as craftsmen during the civil unrest in the kingdom. Normally Black Sail pirates rob the waters of the Pirate Paradise Nubari Islands, returning to their nests every three months...

The relationship between Black Sail pirates and the Overseas Autonomous Territories was neutral, remained friendly and did not violate the coastal zone of the Overseas Autonomous Territories, thanks to Colonel Boquer's leadership. Sometimes they drop black flags and pretend to smuggle merchant ships to buy goods and sell loot they rob.

“Are Blacksail pirates still buying supplies from us?” Claude asked.

Muried shook his head: "I had no idea that their business was supposed to be with Colonel Boquer of the Military Intelligence Department. Basically, they come to buy and sell goods in contact with the Buffalo Shop, even ashore in Port Cobichous, and will not run to our Patres military port.

But three years ago, the bison merchants asked us to buy Ironclad warships, and I vetoed them, and then I heard they asked the bison merchants to buy a lot of steam and fire engines from our autonomous territories, probably to develop their own Ironclad warships... "

Claude nodded, believing that with Erikssona's keen eyes, he would naturally discover the role of Ironclad warships early, and understood that it was impossible to obtain permission to purchase Ironclad warships from autonomous military regions, so he decided to develop them himself after trying them out and being rejected.

But by virtue of his power as a Black Sail Pirate, it was simply an impossible task, at most, to wear a sheet of iron on his Windsurf. As for the acquisition of so many steam and fire engines, it would be a huge and difficult technological improvement project to move to his pirate ship in a marine type. Claude doesn't want Eriksson to succeed unless he's got three or four five-ring runners.

“Do you often meet Blacksail pirates at sea?” Claude asked again.

“Not often, just occasionally.” Muried laughed: "When I went to the cruise ship, I met them on missions and training at sea, sometimes in parallel with battleships, and their pirate members laughed out loud at us. But they don't mean anything, they're just bored, and they even ask us for a few packets of cigarettes.

We were all sailboats, and they would show us what kind of side sail chase, the tail chase, the enclosure tactics, we were just a bunch of sea rookies, and we were all very uncomfortable. But with all due respect, if there is a real conflict with them, we are not really their opponents in terms of sailboat maneuvering and combat capability.

But then our Ironclad warships started serving in the fleet, and when we met them at sea, we could see the envy and jealousy in the eyes of their pirate members. As our autonomous Ironclad fleet was formed, they saw us at sea and flew far away. Because they know very well that even if their wingsail maneuver tactics are stronger, they are not rivals of our Ironclad fleet. ”

This is probably the so-called technical crushing. As soon as the Ironclad comes out, the Windsurf is out of service. Claude immediately thought of the deal with the kingdom's Ironclad fleet, frowned again, how to get this deal past...

Muriel didn't notice Claude was sad, and he continued to say vibrantly, "Right, boss, just in time for your return, I have a report to apply to you. ”

“What is it?”

“Well, didn't Lady Sonia develop yet another batch of armour-piercing bombs for our fleet? I would like to retire a few Ironclad Destroyers and use them as target ships to see if this armour-piercing shell will work on Ironclad warships. Armour-piercing shells are a big hole in a sailboat, but now that the countries of the Farea continent are developing armoured warships, we have to be prepared in advance, if armour-piercing shells are effective against armoured warships, but we don't have to worry about the enemy having armoured warships in the future..." Merried shakes the ashes on the cigar.

Claude was stunned: "Sonia developed armor piercing bombs too? ”

“Yeah," Muried replied, "the last time I fought the Neptune fleet, I found that our high explosive shells were extremely lethal only to those exposed on enemy warships, but they were hard to break through on those thick boards. So when I got back, I reflected on Mrs. Sonia, hoping that the shells would break through those thick planks and blow up a big hole.

Mrs. Sonia promised to develop such artillery shells and sent us more than two hundred piercing rounds a month ago. We tested it, and the sailboats were blown down by us, and a big hole sank quickly. Now we want to see if this armour-piercing bomb has any effect on the Ironclad, but Master Byrd says retired Ironclad warships need military clearance and I can't be left to mess around. ”

“Master Byrd is right that the construction of an Ironclad warship by our Autonomous Territories costs around 100,000 gold kroner, and that an Ironclad warship can serve for more than a dozen years. Now that the earliest Ironclad destroyer has only served five or six years, so quickly you want to decommissioned it as a target ship, it's like not using Golden Krone as money. Looks like I'm gonna have to find out where all your Ironclad money went.” Claude very much agrees with Master Byrd.

“No, boss. You don't know, after the St. Rusk Sea War, our Ironclad fleet was quite devastated, and it took more than three months to barely get back to Patrice Harbor and another six months to repair it. But we also benefited greatly from this war with the Sea King fleet of the Kingdom of Hicks, and then the latest Ironclad Destroyer corrected many of the weaknesses we exposed in the Great War, arguably once again improving the Ironclad Destroyer and Cruiser.

Now that the Ironclad Destroyer and Cruiser from the four major shipyards in Patrice's Military Harbor are the third generation, don't you think they're faster and more stable than the last Whitehead Sea sculpture? The rear Swordfish Ironclad Destroyer and Flying Fish Ironclad Destroyer, as well as the Bullhead Whale Ironclad Armed Transporter, are the latest Ironclad warships built in the same batch, so the speed is consistent.

More than 30 battleships of the Ironclad fleet that are still on the mainland of the Kingdom patrolling the coastal zone have been constructed with first- and second-generation stereotypes. The second-generation Ironclad warships have barely kept pace with our third-generation newest Ironclad warships, but the first-generation Ironclad warships have been repaired and are now struggling to keep pace with our third-generation warships.

Every time we cruise in formation with Ironclad, it's like bringing a team tow bottle, whether it's a two-wing enclosure or raid tactical training, we're always one step behind. Besides, the steam turbines they assemble have a lot of noise, a lot of flue gas, and are easily exposed to targets, which is why I want to retire them or transfer them to the cruise sail fleet to become a frigate... "

“Then why not replace the newest steam turbine for the first generation of Ironclad destroyers?” Claude asked.

He doesn't know how much steam and fire engines Master Byrd invented and improved. Anyway, it is said that the Autonomous Territory's current power workshop has become a huge mechanical manufacturing industry with a wide variety of power mechanics. As Muried put it, steam turbines are special power mechanical systems for warships invented and manufactured by Master Byrd and are not sold to the outside world.

Muried laughed bitterly: "No, because to replace this steam turbine, you need to remove the entire bridge, then rip the warship open, to remove the old steam turbine, then reset the engine cabin and steam delivery pipeline below, which would be more expensive than rebuilding a new Ironclad Destroyer...”

“How many Ironclad ships were there in the first generation?” Claude began to touch the beard that had just appeared on his chin.

“Twenty-two of them, fourteen of them in the Great Sea War on St. Rusk Island, have just undergone major repairs.” Muried, as governor of the Ironclad fleet, was clear about his men's warships.

“Perhaps you can decommissioned the first generation of Ironclad warships and rebuild the third generation of Ironclad warships at the expense of the military region.” Claude shrugged.

Muriel Ed said, “Really? The Autonomous Leader promised to give us money for the Navy? The last five million gold kroner had been said to be the last naval shipbuilding allocation. Of these, one million was spent on technical experiments for Master Byrd, one million was allocated to four shipyards to upgrade their technology, and one million was spent on the maintenance of the Ironclad fleet for the next three years. Of the remaining two million KK, more than 400,000 was spent on the repair of warships after the last war, and only 1.5 million KK was spent on the construction of eight Ironclad warships..."

“The Navy Ironclad fleet was originally planned to have forty-eight Ironclad warships, which could be arranged into sub-fleets of four and twelve Ironclad warships respectively. It is planned that each sub-fleet will have two Ironclad Cruisers, eight Ironclad Destroyers and two Ironclad Armed Ocean Transport Supply Vessels. Now that your Ironclad fleet has 52 Ironclad ships, are you still not satisfied?” Claude remembers the reports submitted by the Navy.

Muried shouted bitterly: “Boss, you don't know. The first generation of Ironclad warships has so many problems, they often have to go back to port for repairs. A sub-fleet of twelve Ironclad battleships is difficult to complete when several battleships are paralysed in military ports at a time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken 20 Ironclad warships to ambush the Neptune fleet. Even the two sub-fleets should have 24 Ironclad warships. But I can't help what happened to those four warships.

The second generation of Ironclad warships has been improved and shaped, which has led to higher duty rates, but major repairs are required every six months, with one warship taking one month to complete each major repair. Eight docks in our naval repair workshop have been vacant for over a year, and there are four or five battleships docked in the military port waiting to enter the dock for repair.

It is said that there are four Ironclad sub-fleets, but the Overseas Autonomous Territories require an Ironclad sub-fleet to patrol the coastal waters in case the coastal zone of the Autonomous Territories is attacked by pirates. There is also a sub-fleet to escort the Ocean Windsurf Cruiser. The other sub-fleet is split in half, with six Ironclad warships stationed in the northern bay and six patrolling the coastal waters of the Kingdom's mainland. The rest of the sub-fleet is waiting to be repaired at the repair workshop and rotated with other warships...

So, boss, there's no way for me, the governor of the Ironclad fleet, to increase the rotation rate by adding a few more ships. Otherwise, in the event of a sudden attack by the enemy, I doubt that two sub-fleets can be drawn to form a motorized Ironclad fleet. We had a plan to attack the military harbour of the Kingdom of Hicks again, and it didn't truce with us anyway, but now there's no such thing as a manoeuvre or a battleship... "

Claude believes Muriel is telling the truth and there is no need to exaggerate in these respects. Ironclad warships have been in the naval service of overseas autonomous territories for five or six years, but after all, the problem exists. This is the first time that the world possesses maritime instruments such as Ironclad warships, many of which are inevitable. Otherwise, Master Byrd would not have repeatedly reshaped Ironclad destroyers and Ironclad cruisers over the years and made technological improvements.

“You need to bring the first generation of Ironclad Destroyers and Ironclad Cruisers back to Patrice Harbor, and I will have Master Byrd organize the renovation and decoration of the first generation of Ironclad Warships. In accordance with the agreement reached between our Autonomous Territories and the King's Court, we need to provide the Kingdom with a fleet of sixteen Ironclad vessels within two years. These include two Ironclad Cruisers, ten Ironclad Destroyers and four Ironclad Armed Ocean Transport Supplies..."

Before Claude's words were finished, he saw Muriel's face change dramatically, leaving his cigar on the floor: "Boss, who signed this agreement with the kingdom? He's betraying our Autonomous Navy! Ironclad warships are the unique maritime instruments of our overseas autonomous territories, and if the kingdom possesses Ironclad warships, it equals that the coastal countries of the Farea continent will soon be able to emulate the same Ironclad warships..."

Alas, Claude can only sigh and repeat the arms agreement reached between Marshal Bolognick and the Kingdom on behalf of the Overseas Autonomous Territories. White paper and black, it has come to an end, and the Autonomous Territories can no longer regret this matter. Since the arms deal, which was used to offset the martial and land selection fees, has now been acquired in the hereditary territories, the arms deal can only be accepted.

Muried blabbering...

“Because the agreement states that these sixteen Ironclad warships must be consistent with our active warships, I would like to turn over the first generation of Ironclad warships to the Kingdom for repair, so that the Kingdom can reconstitute the naval dauntless fleet.” Claude explains: "There are some key technologies that we don't want the kingdom to know, such as the watertight cabin at the bottom of the boat, and I'm going to convert it into a warehouse at the bottom of the boat, and I'm sure the Royal Navy will be happy, because the habit of Dauntless fleet predecessors is to use warships as carriers to make deals and make money fast...”

Seventy-eight Ironclad warships were bombarded by heavy sea guns from the Neptune fleet during the Battle of the Sea on St. Rusk Island, with several cracks in the walls. Due to the presence of underwater compartments, these Ironclad warships are still able to barely return to the port of Patres for major refurbishment. Without it, the seven or eight Ironclad ships would have sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

“We will hand over this first generation of Ironclad warships to the Kingdom and reallocate funds to build a third generation of Ironclad warships, which will also reduce your navy's maintenance efforts and costs and increase your actual combat capabilities. The sooner we hand over the first generation of Ironclad warships to the Kingdom, the less controversial it will be. Otherwise, in two years, this first generation of Ironclad warships will not be handed over.” Claude made the decision.

“As governor of the Ironclad fleet, you can work with Master Byrd to see what other key technologies need to be dismantled without affecting the battle capability on the surface of the ship. We try to provide the kingdom with an unscrupulous Ironclad fleet that will be eliminated for five or six years of service.

The remaining first generation Ironclad warships can be used as target ships to test our armor-piercing impact, so that no matter what happens, we have the ability to destroy this Ironclad fleet of kingdoms... "

Muriel had calmed down, knowing that Claude had come to terms with it. He thought about it and asked, "Can the new appropriations approved by the military region meet the quantity of 22 third-generation Ironclad warships? Because it is a new sharp battleship of the third generation, the cost of manufacturing has increased dramatically, and the cost of making two destroyers previously can now only be one..."

Claude replied: "Rest assured, the funds allocated this time are sufficient because the Overseas Autonomous Territories made an agreement on this arms deal at a high price of KK 380,000 for an Ironclad battleship..."