The Lord Of Blood Hill

Feeling the intense pressure radiating from Henwell, the three immediately lower their heads and kneel, swearing loyalty and secrecy.

After helping them to their feet, Henwell leads them back to the study.

By now, several more people have gathered there.

Henwell introduces them to the three: “Rawkins, Chief of Staff for Peace Haven, in charge of military affairs. Victor, Peace Haven’s Chief Executive Officer, responsible for the political system. Chick, Head of Intelligence, you know him; he assigned your tasks during the defense. Marnes, Director of the Supervisory Bureau, overseeing Peace Haven’s construction and control of extraordinary building materials.”

“Joey, Director of River Affairs, manages transport and trade on the Ouse River within Peace Haven, as well as the patrol fleet. Mortis heads the secret merchant fleet, managing covert trade routes. Simon is my Chief Guard and will command Peace Haven’s First Cavalry Legion.”

“Now that you’re part of Peace Haven, these are the people you’ll be dealing with regularly. It’s good to meet them now to facilitate future cooperation.”

After the three greet everyone, Henwell continues: “Next, I’ll assign your respective posts. Your pirate group operates too openly. I’ve received intelligence that next year, Ogiro, Lumir, and Billie will form a joint fleet specifically aimed at eradicating pirates like you. And you’re already on their list.”

Hearing this, the three are horrified.

They know pirates are hard to eliminate not just because they’re hard to track at sea, but because they constantly move. If they cause trouble in Ogiro and draw naval pursuit, they escape to Lumir’s coast.

Now, with the three nations united in pursuit, they lose safe harbors and resupply points. Without those, they can’t survive long at sea.

Henwell isn’t trying to scare them. He learned this critical intelligence while talking with Sundike, the Sixth Prince of Ogiro.

From Sundike’s perspective, Henwell’s distance from the sea made these matters seem irrelevant.

At Henwell’s signal, Simon distributes a classified document to everyone.

“You three will split into separate squads, each taking command of a fleet. No more operating under the pirate banner. I’ve reached an agreement with Lumir, and news will arrive soon. I’m leasing two ports there. Orlando, you’ll lead your fleet to East Bay’s Tatan City port.”

Henwell only agreed not to station troops at the port, he never promised not to deploy forces at sea.

Orlando’s mission is straightforward. A career naval officer, he’s naturally skilled. After being brought under Newwood’s command and spending over two years fighting as a pirate, he’s grown rapidly.

Henwell wants him to manage naval training at Tatan City’s port, recruit sailors, and bring in pirates ready to turn over a new leaf.

In Henwell’s plan, Tatan City’s port is crucial. He intends to build a maritime industrial system there.

He’ll establish a shipyard, starting with small fishing boats to train shipwrights and craftsmen. Then, they’ll build merchant ships and form a fleet of their own.

Those models will become reality, but only after about ten years of preparation.

After assigning Orlando’s task, Henwell turns to Barbosa. “You continue as a pirate. I need a fleet to confuse and distract. Of your thirty-three warships, Orlando takes seven, Tigger five, and you command the rest.”

In Henwell’s plan, Barbosa plays the role of a white glove.

Having been a pirate for over a decade, letting him develop freely would only stifle his nature and wouldn’t be the best use of his talents.

Now, Henwell supports rebels inside Ogiro and needs an armed fleet to escort merchant convoys, delivering supplies to them.

Next year, Ogiro, Lumir, and Billie will begin a joint crackdown on pirates. Barbosa, a notorious pirate, is unhappy and ready to send a message to Ogiro.

Being hired by an unknown party to supply the rebels sounds quite plausible.

Henwell only wants to warn Ogiro, he intends to firmly step on their toes, not slap them publicly.

He wants to maintain appearances, keeping the political struggle tense but not broken into open war.

That makes Barbosa the perfect candidate.

Barbosa’s fleet can also rely on Tatan City port for resupply and rest.

As for the supposed joint pirate crackdown by the three nations?

What, do you really think this is the first time these three have teamed up to hunt pirates?

Every decade or so, they launch a joint operation.

Yet, pirates backed by powerful forces still thrive, that’s the perk of having strong patrons.

The ones who die are just small fry and reckless upstarts who don’t follow the rules.

Barbosa’s actions perfectly align with Lumir’s upper echelons, they would never make his resupply difficult.

In fact, when necessary, Lumir’s navy might even turn a blind eye to let Barbosa slip through their blockade.

This is a perfect opportunity for Barbosa to gather scattered pirates and expand his influence as much as possible.

Henwell has another plan: to turn Tatan City into a hub for fencing stolen goods.

At sea, many merchant ships get raided.

Pirates mostly want treasures; bulk cargo is usually a burden.

They fence only valuable small items, but handling large shipments is tough.

If there’s a port where pirates can safely fence goods, Tatan City will quickly flourish.

Before long, it won’t need financial support from Peace Haven, it will generate huge profits on its own.

Those profits will greatly ease Henwell’s expenses on his maritime ambitions.

Many southern coastal ports dabble in fencing, but none specialize in it. They avoid handling sensitive goods altogether.

After all, maritime trade is dominated by the powerful and influential, and offending them is risky.

So few dare to operate boldly.

Henwell is different, he’s not afraid to offend the powerful.

Who are Henwell’s real enemies?

The influential counts of various nations are just entry tickets; it’s the dukes who really matter.

The only ones Henwell truly fears are a handful of kings.

These wealthy maritime traders? What are they? They dare to challenge Henwell?

Do they think the lord of Blood Hill won’t strike back?

As for whether anyone in Lumir covets Tatan City’s wealth?

Of course!

But the more profit Tatan City makes, the safer Henwell becomes.

One shareholder is Obilian, Lumir’s Second Prince.

The massive wealth from Tatan City will be a crucial pillar for his claim to the throne.

Anyone who dares to touch it will face a fight to the death!