Pirate Kingship-Chapter 770 - 491: His Family Is His Weakness!

The mainland of the Kingdom of Hightins, Royal Capital of Kingston.

The martial law in this city has noticeably relaxed compared to two months ago, yet the deep autumn winds have caused fewer pedestrians on the streets.

But whether it's restaurants, taverns, clubs, or chess rooms, or any other public places, the social atmosphere among the residents of the Royal Capital carries a hint of relaxation that could not be seen some time ago.

"The rebellion war has finally reached a conclusion, Little Jerry, who serves in the Royalist Party's artillery unit, should be back soon, right?"

"He should be back soon; the Strait Islands will soon start daylight saving time. If he doesn't return soon, it will start snowing in the north."

Of course, other complaints can't be avoided.

"Sigh, why do we have to go to war every year?

We finished fighting the Hundred Years War with the Iris, then fought the Thirty Years Red and White Roses War, and didn't even get through a year before the Royalist Party and Earl's Party began fighting again.

This year, because of winter, it stopped temporarily; next spring, it will continue, and who knows how long it'll last this time..."

"Shush! You're courting death."

The person complaining knew they misspoke, looked around, and immediately lowered their voice by eight degrees.

Overseas, storms are brewing, and the situation within the Kingdom of Hightins is somewhat unexpected.

The rebellion war revolving around the Hightins' royal iron has reached a stalemate, and the seemingly advantaged Royalist and Neutral Party allied army has failed to achieve swift victory over the past two months.

The disadvantaged Earl's Party promptly switched tactics.

They retreated to numerous edge fortresses built during the Thirty Years Red and White Roses War and engaged in a war of attrition using ammunition and armaments provided by Rhine Metal.

As everyone knows, although building edge fortresses is quite labor-intensive and costly, besieging them is equally time-consuming and energy-draining.

Especially when a "Fortress Expert" is in command.

Records in "Continental War History" indicate that a siege targeting an edge fortress often needs to last several months or even years.

In each year's limited war-suitable seasons, if an army commander can conquer 1 to 2 edge fortress strongholds, they are already considered outstanding.

It is said that even with a 7:1 overwhelming force advantage, capturing a fortress garrisoned by a "Fortress Expert" requires about 20 to 30 days; every fortress is a tough bone that can make the enemy lose a tooth.

Moreover, the troop disparity between the Royalist Party and the Earl's Party is far from reaching such levels.

This delay allowed the Earl's Party, which chose the right strategic tactics, to drag on until winter and welcome the opportunity to regroup.

Because the Strait Islands' "daylight saving time" is implemented on the last Sunday of October each year, this year's specific date is October 29th, lasting until the last Sunday of March the next year.

The Treasure Fleet set off in early October, after a series of battling adverse winds, surprise attacks by ocean sunfish, catches and escapes, it is now mid-October, and there are only a few days left until daylight saving time.

The latitude of the Kingdom of Hightins is rather high, and with a north-south distance of 1000 kilometers, the further north you go, the earlier winter arrives.

From this moment, it means the time suitable for warfare ends; dare to battle in the open field, and the harsh weather will give them a severe blow first.

Even if the attacking side disregards the soldiers' lives, it is destined not to fight.

At Ganquan Palace, Edward IV had already withdrawn from the front lines early and returned to the Royal Capital, dealing with government affairs in his study.

Especially with everything concerning the rebellion war, he must personally inquire into the smallest detail.

A thick stack of documents and directives had accumulated on the desk, and his face hasn't looked too good the entire time.

"Without warfare, you simply don't know how expensive gunpowder and arms are now.

I originally planned to save costs by seizing arms and ammunition, but damn Warwick somehow got weapons and ammunition that don't match ours at all!

Going to war is about reserves and logistics, equipping the army with two different weapon models increases logistical pressure nearly double to maintain original combat effectiveness, which is simply not worth it.

These seized items, except for the gunpowder, are almost unusable and mostly will sit in the warehouse collecting dust and need a dedicated guard to watch over them.

Thankfully, Richard found another 'Salted Fish Second-hand Trading Company' on Online Financial Street, which can recover them at about 10% to 30% of the original price, barely allowing the treasury to recuperate a bit.

Last month, we did save a portion of the military expenses."

At this point in the document's directives, Edward IV's tense face slightly relaxed.

Though he donned the "Emperor's New Clothes," his basic intelligence remained; obviously, he wouldn't let himself be solely dependent on Rhine Metal as an arms dealer. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Richard, responsible for this matter, also lived up to his title as "Devil Duke."

While selecting a military contractor to recover those arms, he didn't notify only Rhine Metal; instead, he innovatively introduced a bidding mechanism.

Allowed interested arms companies from Online Financial Street to come forward and bid; whoever offered the favorable terms was chosen.

Companies participating in the bidding included weaker forces' second-hand circulation platforms: Salted Fish Second-hand Trading Company and Nuts Second-hand Gun.

As well as many formal arms manufacturers: Northern Heavy Industries, Thor Technology, Sonic Power...

Some companies seemed familiar, but more were new ones.

Evidently, many forces noticed the vast business opportunities on the Southern Continent; firearms and ammunition are in demand, making various arms companies spring up like bamboo shoots after rain from Financial Street.