Inner Sea Thunderstorm
A few days later, Alex discovered that this little trick had not caused any changes in the Duchy Army. Just as his father had said, it had no effect on the Duchy Army.
When Alex was discussing tactics with Viscount Hawke, he also brought up this topic and sighed, "Indeed, the real test is on the battlefield."
"Viscount Alex, I think it doesn't matter if this plan fails. Once Viscount Victor arrives with reinforcements, we will definitely win. It will just take a little longer."
Alex nodded helplessly. He knew it would take a long time for Victor to arrive with his troops, since Victor had just led his army south to support his future father-in-law, Count Lloyd.
During this period, he did not continue to attack the duchy's supply convoys, and the Duchy Army's supply lines were adjusted again. Originally, it relied on two routes to transport supplies: the Blackwater River tributary and the land convoy.
However, as Alex intensified his attacks on the logistical supply lines, the Duchy Army simply abandoned land transport and relied entirely on water transport. The disadvantage was that a supply convoy would only arrive once every two weeks, but the advantage was also obvious: the convoy could transport a large amount of supplies at once, enough to supply the tens of thousands of Duchy troops on this battlefield.
Because of this adjustment in the Duchy Army, Alex lost their means of continuing to bleed the Duchy dry. Just as Alex and Hawk were continuing to devise a plan to attack the Duchy Army...
Far to the west, a unique thunderstorm is occurring in the Tears of God Inland Sea.
Under a dark cloud, the sea was turbulent, with lightning flashing intermittently and thunder rumbling throughout the area.
In such harsh weather, a group of ships appeared on the waves. These ships were of a very special design, with only two masts, but huge oars protruding from both sides of the hull, somewhat resembling galleys. They were probably designed and built to adapt to the special weather conditions of the Tears of God Inland Sea.
In this weather, the sails of these boats were all lowered, and only the oars on both sides were still struggling to propel them forward, trying to stabilize the hull while continuing to move forward.
The largest ship had a black flag with a red dragon pattern on a gold background flying from its mast; it was the flag of the Raine Kingdom. A group of people were gathering on the deck of this ship.
"Bertley, notify the 3rd and 4th Squadrons to move closer to me and not to deviate from the course. Their flagships do not have course maps. If they are affected by the thunderstorm and separated from the main fleet, they will be completely lost in the thunderstorm and have no chance of survival."
"Yes, Captain Edmund."
Upon receiving the order, First Mate Bertley immediately went to inform the lantern officer. On this special sea, thunderstorms were frequent and the light was insufficient, making it impossible for ships in other places to use flags and signals to communicate. The Raine Kingdom Navy used a special signal light to create a set of light signals to achieve information exchange between ships.
These signal lights are made from a special luminescent plant. The orange-red light is very eye-catching and has strong penetrating power, so it can be seen by ships in the distance even in thunderstorms with a lot of lightning.
Edmund's face was somewhat bitter. On his first expedition with a fleet, he encountered such rare thunderstorm weather, especially on a route that had already been confirmed as safe.
He recalled the words of advice that Count Laou Allen, the vice-commander of the navy and commander of the First Fleet, had given him before he left. "Our navy is involved in the plan to overthrow the Grand Duchy of Vera, but due to the obstruction of the conservatives within the kingdom, our actions have been greatly restricted. In addition, due to the operations on the southern front, most of the navy's forces are not currently involved in this operation."
Even the main force of the 3rd Fleet cannot set off immediately, so Edmund can only rely on himself this time. You can only lead your own squadron and two other squadrons from my First Fleet to carry out this mission.
Don't be fooled by the fact that you only have three squadrons, totaling no more than 60 ships and 8,000 men. It doesn't mean your mission is easy. Your task is crucial. You must raise our flag and let people know the role of our Kingdom Navy in this war. At the same time, you must assist Lord Colt on the Iron Birch border in the Vela Northlands, so that he can defeat the Vela Ducal House and stabilize the situation there.
Both your father and I believe you can accomplish this mission. Even His Majesty the King is watching. If you succeed, or even exceed expectations, your future will be very bright.