Chapter 412: Staged Performance
Brambleford.
After a fierce round of negotiations, Duncan finally signed the trade agreement for one thousand naval cannons.
According to the agreement, each cannon was valued at twenty thousand caps of silver, bringing the total to twenty million caps of silver.
However, Prince Valeric would not pay in silver.
Instead, Brambleford would receive three hundred large merchant ships, two hundred medium merchant ships, and twenty thousand skilled shipyard craftsmen.
Brambleford would send officials to inspect and select the ships and craftsmen before they were transferred.
The agreement had actually been prepared by Prince Simon after his previous meeting with Duncan.
As soon as Duncan received it, he sent an urgent messenger toward Prince Valeric, covering eight hundred kilometers to deliver the news as quickly as possible. Prince Valeric responded quickly. His instructions were simple. Negotiate firmly. But in the end, accept Brambleford’s conditions.
Naturally, Duncan informed Simon of this bottom line.
Therefore, the argument between the two sides had been nothing more than a carefully prepared performance. Everything had been arranged for them to deceive Prince Valeric.
And after receiving the agreement, perhaps because he still didn’t completely trust Brambleford, Prince Valeric had to even dispatch the steward of his manor to personally supervise the transfer.
The entire performance had gone exactly according to plan.
"Envoy Duncan, we have suffered greatly from this agreement," Baldwin said as he maintained a bitter expression.
"If not for the fact that we are all subjects of the Empire, we would never have agreed to such terms. One thousand cannons will have a considerable impact on our own artillery production."
Duncan’s expression immediately darkened.
"Large merchant ships are worth thirty thousand caps of silver each, while medium merchant ships are worth ten thousand. Yet Brambleford still insists on bargaining over every last detail."
He snorted.
"At these prices, we are practically selling them at a loss."
He slammed his sleeve and turned around.
"Humph! We’re leaving."
With that, Duncan stormed out of the governor’s residence.
He made sure to walk loudly enough that everyone inside could hear his footsteps. Only after he disappeared did Baldwin’s bitter expression disappear. A smile appeared on his face.
He turned toward the inner chamber.
"My Lord, how was my performance?" He asked.
Simon walked out from behind the partition, laughing.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." He gave Baldwin an approving look.
"You played the part of an official protecting Brambleford’s interests very well. Prince Valeric shouldn’t be able to find anything suspicious."
Baldwin smiled.
"Now that the agreement has been signed, Percival can bring the merchant ships back. With five hundred more ships entering the guild, those merchants should finally have nothing to complain about."
"That is true."
Simon nodded.
"But we cannot become complacent."
His expression gradually became serious.
"Five hundred ships may sound impressive, but compared with Prince Valeric’s fleet, it is still nothing. Even after adding these ships, our maritime strength is less than a tenth of theirs."
Baldwin’s smile faded.
Simon continued.
"And remember, we’re replacing merchant ships because we need the shipyards. To build warships.
Simon looked toward the distant harbor.
"Merchant ships can bring us wealth, but warships determine whether we can protect that wealth. Without a powerful navy, no matter how many merchant ships we own, we won’t be able to sail very far."
The more Simon thought about it, the heavier the pressure became.
His current maritime strength was simply too weak. During the height of the great European maritime powers, enormous fleets of merchant ships crossed the world’s oceans. Some ports could have thousands of vessels gathered at once. Compared with such maritime empires, Brambleford’s current fleet was barely worth mentioning.
A few hundred ships?
It was nothing.
That was precisely why Simon had begun gathering shipbuilding craftsmen from throughout the Empire. His goal was no longer simply to build ships. He wanted to transform Ashenford into the empire’s greatest shipbuilding center.
And eventually—
A shipbuilding center capable of producing fleets.
Baldwin nodded.
The Dutch appearing in the eastern seas had already begun affecting Brambleford. The merchant guild had originally planned to transport large quantities of goods southward by sea. Now those routes had become dangerous. The Dutch had effectively inserted a knife into Brambleford’s maritime trade.
"Duncan mentioned that the Dutch have more than twelve warships," Baldwin said. "All of them are three-deckers."
He hesitated.
"Counting the ships currently under construction, we have fifteen warships."
His eyes brightened slightly.
"Then numerically, shouldn’t we have the advantage?"
Simon did not answer immediately.
After a moment, he shook his head.
"I wouldn’t be so confident."
His brows tightened.
"The Dutch have extensive naval combat experience. Their commanders have fought on the sea for years. Numbers alone don’t determine victory."
He had no intention of underestimating them. A fleet could have more ships and still lose. Especially when the opponent possessed experienced sailors, disciplined formations, and commanders accustomed to fighting under difficult conditions.
Fortunately, Simon also possessed his own advantage. He understood the development of naval warfare in this era. He knew many of the mistakes that had doomed previous fleets. Prince Valeric had already paid the price for foolishly going up against the Dutch.
Simon would not repeat that mistake.
Besides—
The naval battle was only one part of his plan.
"The most important battlefield isn’t the sea."
Baldwin looked at him.
Simon’s eyes became cold.
If Brambleford could deploy troops on Split Rock and drive the Dutch out, the situation would change completely. The area could become a forward base for Brambleford. More importantly, it would cut the Dutch fleet off from its source of supplies. The Dutch had traveled thousands of miles from their homeland. Their fleet could not survive indefinitely without food, water, ammunition, repairs, and replacement materials.
Their overseas bases were their lifeline.
Cut that lifeline—
And even the strongest fleet would eventually become trapped.
"Once Split Rock falls into our hands, their fleet will have nowhere to replenish its supplies," Simon said.
Baldwin’s expression became solemn.
"Then the battle will no longer be about who has more ships."
"Exactly."
Simon nodded.
"It will become a battle of endurance."
The preparations were already underway.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the galleons being constructed at Ashenford to be completed. Once the fleet was ready—The war could begin.
After discussing several other matters with Baldwin, Simon left. Instead of returning to the Castle, he headed toward the industrial district outside the city.
The navy was important. But there was something even more fundamental.
Industry.
Without a strong industrial foundation, Brambleford could not sustain a prolonged war. And at present, Simon’s industrial system was still far too crude.
The workshops were growing rapidly, but many of them were still operating like enormous general-purpose workshops.
That had to change. The best example was the flintlock musket. If one craftsman produced an entire musket from beginning to end, the process could take nearly two months.
But if production was divided into specialized stages, one workshop produced the barrel, another produced the stock, another produced the firing mechanism, and another produced the small mechanical components. Then the final assembly could be completed in roughly an hour.
That was the power of industrial specialization. One person making everything was craftsmanship.
Hundreds of people performing specialized tasks—
That was industry.
And as Brambleford Industries expanded, Simon needed to divide them even further.
By the time he arrived at the workshop district, Bjorn had already gathered the various supervisors.
"My Lord."
Bjorn stepped forward.
Simon nodded.
"Since everyone is here, let’s discuss the next stage of industrial development."
The supervisors immediately became attentive.
"The steel workshop will only produce steel from now on."
Several people exchanged glances.
Simon continued.
"Springs, iron stoves, iron pots, and similar products must be transferred to specialized workshops, Craftsmen skilled in those areas should be reassigned accordingly."
He looked directly at Bjorn.
"Don’t turn the steel workshop into a place that produces everything. Today it makes steel. Tomorrow it makes springs. The day after that it makes pots and machinery. That might seem convenient in the short term, but in the long term it will destroy efficiency and product quality." He said.
Bjorn immediately nodded. He began recording the instructions.
"The machinery department will be responsible for supplying the necessary equipment."
"For example, the spring workshop receives the appropriate spring steel from the steel workshop. It then processes that material into different types of springs, The same principle applies to gears, connecting rods, screws, and other components. If a workshop requires a particular type of steel, it will communicate directly with the steel workshop."
Simon paused.
"And the steel workshop itself must also be divided."
The supervisors looked up. Shocked.
"Different types of steel require different production processes. Assign specialized craftsmen to each process."
"Don’t allow one craftsman to handle five or six completely different tasks. Specialization is the foundation of efficiency."
Everyone hurriedly recorded his words. This was not merely a rearrangement of workshops, It was a complete change in the way Brambleford’s industry operated.
The old workshop district had been like one enormous organism.
Everything was mixed.
Now Simon intended to divide that organism into specialized branches.
Steel.
Machinery.
Chemicals.
Glass.
Light manufacturing.
And countless smaller industries beneath them.
Each would have its own purpose. Each would have its own craftsmen. Each would have its own management.
Simon then turned his attention to the glass workshop.
"The glass workshop must also be divided also, Producing glass and processing glass are two different things."
"Mirrors, for example, require additional processing after the glass itself is produced. Establish an independent workshop for that stage."
The supervisors quickly recorded the instruction.
Then at this word, Simon’s expression became particularly serious.
"The chemical workshops must be divided as soon as possible."
"Especially the workshops handling strong acids and alkalis."
Everyone immediately understood.
Those substances were dangerous enough individually. Allowing too many chemical processes to take place in the same location would only increase the risks.
Simon did not want Brambleford’s industrial development to become a disaster waiting to happen.
"From now on, the workshop district will be divided into different zones."
Chemical production will have its own area. Steel production will have its own area. The light industry will have its own area. And Workshops that produce machinery and precision components will also be organized separately. Do not allow unrelated workshops to be randomly mixed."
He looked around at the supervisors.
"Every workshop must have a signpost outside clearly stating what it produces and must be registered with the government. Production records, personnel records, material consumption, and output must all be recorded."
The supervisors looked increasingly serious, their brains running high.
Simon was turning what had once been a collection of craftsmen into an organized industrial system.
But he wasn’t finished.
Simon’s gaze shifted toward the direction of Oxford Academy.
"Every workshop must regularly send craftsmen and supervisors there to study."
He paused.
"Then bring that knowledge back here."
He was building an industrial system capable of teaching itself, improving itself, and expanding itself.
Once such a system began operating, Brambleford would no longer depend entirely on the craftsmen of one generation.
Knowledge would be passed down. Processes would be refined. Machines would become better. Products would become cheaper. And production would become faster.
Simon looked over the workshop district.
Smoke rose from distant chimneys.
Hammers struck metal.
Furnaces burned.
And while Brambleford was preparing for war on the sea.