Munitions Empire

Chapter 213: Relying on son 209

A beautiful carriage, escorted by a group of cavalry, rushed into the city district of Southwater Port and then stopped in front of the city hall.

The political officials and tax officials who had been waiting there, upon seeing the man who emerged from the carriage, immediately greeted him with respect, "Lord Earl! You have finally returned!"

"How are things?" Earl Augustine Reibert, looking wan with fatigue, entered through the main entrance first, asked without looking back.

His voice echoed in the spacious corridor, accompanied by the sound of a line of people's leather boots striking the marble floor.

The mayor answered with a face full of ease, starting with the suddenly good news, "Yesterday... Two enemy warships in the open sea suddenly left."

"Lord Earl truly commands awe on all sides. No sooner had you returned than the enemy fled on their own!" The tax official quickly offered flattery, with a sycophantic expression, congratulating him.

"Left?" The Earl paused in his step, his expression growing grave. Nevertheless, he did not continue speaking and resumed walking forward.

Personally opening the door to his own office for the Earl, the mayor bowed slightly, "Yes, they left. After bombarding our harbor and crippling our docks, they left."

The Earl hung his cloak on the coat rack and asked with great displeasure, "They broke through to the harbor?"

He had not expected his base, Southwater Port, to suffer such severe damage. Nor had he anticipated that on his way back, enemy warships would suddenly intrude into Southwater Port.

Under normal circumstances, navy warships do not rashly cause havoc inside a harbor, for they would face harassment from the shore batteries, and risk unnecessary losses.

Only if they had a very clear advantage, or if they were indeed preparing to destroy a port for a subsequent landing, would they choose to attack a port, heedless of losses.

Who could have imagined that the enemy would be bold enough to break into the harbor and inflict massive damage on his Southwater Port?

The mayor had an embarrassed look on his face; he too had not expected the enemy to smash his docks before leaving, so he said gloomily, "Yes, our batteries were completely ineffective at stopping their assault. The enemy brazenly rushed in, fired around 20 rounds, and then rampaged out again."

Reibert was not in a blaming mood, as he knew that the troubles of the day were all enticed by his own greed.

So, after returning to his desk, he simply asked, "Is the damage to the docks severe?"

"Not particularly, only the sunken ships are troublesome; they need to be cleared." The mayor immediately responded, "I've already sent people to deal with it."

"How many days will it take to repair?" Reibert asked anxiously, because on his trip back, he had already understood the loss to Southwater Port—in gold and silver for every day.

What was more terrifying was that once his factories stopped, the national machinery would slow down, and His Majesty the King's earnestly sought-after expansion abroad would be indefinitely postponed, which was even more unbearable for him!

Many merchant fleets traveling south from Southwater Port had lost everything, countless metals, and gold coins had sunk to the bottom of the sea, becoming his loss.

The timid officer handed over a sheet of paper recording several issues, saying, "There's another report here that says..."

"Just say it! What is it?" Marquis Reibert didn't even reach out to take the paper, instead asking impatiently.

"On the northern coast of the port, fishermen have seen black smoke on the sea surface..." the officer ventured carefully, seeming to hope that the Marquis would grasp the significance.

Augustine Reibert was not a fool; upon hearing this report, he immediately latched onto the significance of "northern."

"Yes, the north," the officer visibly relaxed, nodding and repeating.

"Osa... damn it!" Indeed, Augustine Reibert realized that something was terribly wrong. He jumped to his feet as if electrified.

The next second, he pointed toward the door, barking orders loudly, "Quick! Quick! Send someone to Osa! On the fastest horse! Send the message with utmost speed! Warn the Navy in Osa Port!

Tell them to leave immediately!"

He definitely did not want the fleet arranged at Osa to be trapped by two enemy ships and then be completely annihilated in the harbor!

After all, this was one of the few maritime forces of the Poplar Kingdom that could be mobilized directly along its extensive coastline!

If this fleet was sunk by the enemy, the long coastline, including Southwater Port, would practically be undefended, left bare.

Therefore, he had to make sure the fleet left Osa Port immediately, hiding away and waiting for a more critical moment to engage in naval battles to turn the tide of the war.

The mayor, still not fully comprehending the urgency, asked with a puzzled look, "Leave Osa? But where should they go after leaving Osa?"

Marquis Reibert couldn't contain his roar any longer. He slapped the table and shouted, "Take a wide berth! Head out to the open sea, then south down here!"

"My lord... please, calm down!" the mayor urged cautiously, "Wouldn't His Majesty suspect... that the fleet is being used to threaten... "

In his opinion, without the King's permission, it would be intolerable and a grievous mistake to recall the warships directly to defend Southwater and completely abandon Osa.

But Marquis Reibert could no longer afford to consider the King's feelings as he had had enough of the lack of timely information and the inability to mobilize troops to respond to threats.

So he continued to yell, "Threaten my ass! If they go any further north, our communication with them will take even longer! If we can't send messages fast enough and react in time, the danger will only increase! Quick! Do as I say!"

If the Osa fleet were to be destroyed, he might as well not bother explaining to the King. Looking at those factories that had ceased production, awaiting raw materials, he had already made it impossible for the Kingdom to expand further.

Without restoring such capability, his position as Marquis would be unstable. Faced with instablity either way, he would rather incur the King's suspicion than have the Emperor think him incompetent!

The mayor finally caught on and hurriedly agreed, "Yes! Yes! I understand, my lord. I'll dispatch someone with the orders right away!"

Slumping back into his seat, Marquis Reibert closed his eyes, exhausted, leaning back in his chair, muttering softly, "My son, my son... it's time for you to step up... don't let me down!"