Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 278: Planning and strategizing to alienate Ceylon!
A secret sea area in the Weeping Trench, Cohen used it as a base to build the ghost ship.

Flint is directing the crew to modify the ship.

The first batch that need to be upgraded are the three main battleships. The figurehead has been replaced with a statue of a weeping banshee, and the eyeballs have also been replaced with the eyeballs of a golden-level banshee.

The preparations are almost complete.

Cohen took out a top-grade magic crystal with shadow attribute, and then took out the psionic core. After it came into contact with the magic crystal, the psionic core instantly burst into a dark light.

The whole space became depressing and heavy.

Cohen gently tossed the psionic core, which quickly floated above the three main battleships.

An invisible force surrounded the three battleships.

With the surge of psionic power.

The sea water suddenly became like a raging python, hitting the hull again and again, making a creaking sound as it could not bear the heavy weight.

Even the sky turned inky black, and strange flashes of lightning occasionally cut through the darkness and struck the ships.

The statue of the weeping banshee at the prow, its lifeless eyes suddenly began to shed strange tears of blood, and then slowly lit up, emitting a breathtaking light.

Then, the wooden planks and metal of the ship began to decay and peel off. The originally sturdy sails were torn into pieces by some invisible force, turning into smoke and swirling around the ship.

The sea water began to pour in continuously, and the hull gradually sank, but it did not sink. The psionic core suspended in the air suddenly released a thick white mist, wrapping the entire ship.

In the fog, you can vaguely see countless transparent figures wandering around.

After the fog dissipated, the material of the entire ship began to ossify, and dark shadow circles began to appear.

The words of the ancient Pirate King appeared in Cohen's mind——

In the first eight hours, the hull material, whether wooden or metal, will be transformed into skeletal coral, and its compressive strength will be greatly improved. At the same time, psionic rings will begin to be generated, which will enhance the caster's perception and combat effectiveness and strengthen the ship's defensive attributes.

The generation of a psionic ring means that the transformation is half successful.

The first one was successful, which is a good start.

Cohen breathed a sigh of relief and temporarily handed the psionic core to Flint for safekeeping. He then took his men back to the main base of Scarlet Island. He still had many important things to deal with!
……

In the Scarlet Island operations room, in addition to Cohen, there were several naval officers from Effiin. They were analyzing the battle reports from the front line.

The strategic plan to wipe out the remnants of the Dark Tide Ghost Pirates went very smoothly. With the assistance of two legendary banshees, Beckman and three other deputy captains successfully took over most of the forces of the original Dark Tide Ghost Pirates at a low cost.

One of the young officers said, "At this rate, in about ten days, two-thirds of the northwest sea area will be under the control of our Scarlet Plunderers."

The remaining one-third is naturally the power of the Black Sail Group.

Since the last battle between eight legendary figures in the northwest waters, the Black Sail Group has begun to shrink its sphere of influence across the board.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Scarlet Plunderer's ambition was to annex all pirate forces in the entire northwest waters and dominate the waters near the Kingdom of Ceylon.

The Black Sails know that their strength is no match for the current Scarlet Reavers. If they don't take action, they will sooner or later end up like the Dark Tide Ghost Pirates.

Their commander has rushed to the Kingdom of Ceylon, hoping to obtain protection from the Ceylon Navy.

According to the intelligence feedback from the Military Control Station Quesarion Station, the commander of the Black Sail Regiment had secret meetings with the Navy Commander Admiral Norn many times.

If it weren't for Effiin's big move on the border, which involved the energy of the entire Kingdom of Ceylon, the Ceylon Navy might have been ready to accept the surrender of the Black Sails and join forces with them to attack Scarlet Island.

Cohen put down the information and said to the young naval officer who had just spoken:

"Stevens, I heard from Herman that your family is a fishery tycoon. You must have dealt with pirates a lot."

Stevens was the youngest of the officers coming from Effiin. He was also recommended by Hermann himself, so Cohen valued him very much.

After just a few days, he was kept by my side as an advisor.

Stevens suppressed the excitement in his eyes and said respectfully:

"Yes...Master Captain, our family has a pretty good relationship with several of the smaller leaders in the Black Sail Group.

Our fishing teams that go out to sea often have to pay them a few favors as protection money."

Cohen nodded thoughtfully and asked:
"Given your family background, it doesn't seem necessary for you to join the army. Is this your father's request?"

Stevens' father was a viscount named Byron Jennings, a famous aquaculture tycoon in Effiin.

He was also the viscount who once looked down on Hermann and forced Hermann to break up with his lover.

Since the Northwest Florence Exchange Conference, Hermann's status and position have risen sharply. Viscount Jennings knelt down and cried as he married his daughter to Hermann.

Apart from some of Jennings' bad habits of being an old aristocrat who despises the poor and loves the rich, the rest of his character is quite commendable.

When he married his daughter to Hermann, he gave away most of his wealth as a dowry.

Rather than a dowry, it was more like Viscount Jennings expressing his sincerity and apology to Hermann.

Jennings was afraid that his son-in-law would bear a grudge against him because he was the one who had interfered. Not only did he force his daughter to break up with Herman, he even secretly manipulated and transferred Herman to the North.

This matter can be a big deal or a small one, after all, Hermann almost died in the North.

However, Hermann did not argue too much with his father-in-law for the sake of his wife.

Viscount Jennings can be said to have climbed to a high position.

Hermann is now a hereditary viscount, Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Assistant to the Lord Chancellor, and the designated candidate for the next Lord Chancellor.

What's more, he has another most important identity, the director of the secretariat of the Military Intelligence Bureau, which is equivalent to the political secretary of His Majesty the King.

Everyone in Effiin knew the importance of this young viscount.

Viscount Jennings also jumped from being an ordinary noble with a little money to a prominent figure in the Florence aristocratic circle.

Herman also hinted to his father-in-law through his wife, asking him not to be too high-profile, and Jennings was very obedient.

He also understood that his son-in-law was close to the king, so he naturally had to pay attention to his image and influence.

Therefore, even though his son-in-law was so powerful, Jennings rarely asked him anything.

Or rather, there was no need to speak at all. Ever since the news spread that Hermann and Viscount Jennings' daughter had a grand wedding in Florence and that His Majesty the King personally attended the wedding to deliver a speech, Jennings's seafood business had become extremely hot.

Even many neighboring countries have asked to designate the Jennings family as their partners.

There is no way, because King Eifin is now too famous, and as a close associate of King Eifin, Herman's status naturally rises.

The only time Viscount Jennings formally spoke to Hermann was for the sake of his only son, Stevens Jennings.

Viscount Jennings works in the seafood industry, and his main connections are in the navy, ports and customs departments.

Originally, Viscount Jennings had arranged for his son to work in the port customs, but the young and energetic Stevens secretly applied for the military academy without telling his family.

Viscount Jennings had no choice but to arrange for him to serve as a company captain in a fleet of Eiffin after graduation, responsible for commanding a small patrol boat.

The ambitious Stevens was naturally unwilling to command a patrol boat all day long, so he begged his father to speak well of him to his brother-in-law.

Viscount Jennings was so worried about his only son that he had to swallow his pride and go see Hermann on his daughter's birthday.

Herman did not refuse explicitly. At that time, Cohen had not told him about the plan for the northwest waters, and he had not figured out how to arrange it.

Until recently, when Cohen became very successful in the Northwest Sea, Herman remembered his brother-in-law and called Viscount Jennings over.

In order to keep it confidential, Herman did not say what he would do specifically, but only said that he would give Stevens a chance to soar to the sky. As for whether he could seize it, it depended on his own luck.

Viscount Jennings was naturally grateful, and Hermann did not waste any time. After knowing that Cohen needed naval officers, he added Stevens to the list.

Stevens was a little confused at first, wondering how he ended up in a pirate base. Could it be that his brother-in-law was still holding a grudge against his father for what he had done to him before?

Do you want to send yourself to the pirate group to be a pirate?

But when he saw the true face of the pirate leader, the doubts in his heart were dispelled by great surprise.

Your Majesty!

I was actually sent to serve His Majesty the King!

My brother-in-law was right, this is truly a chance to soar to fame!

In response to Cohen's questions, Stevens explained everything:

"My Lord, I wanted to join the army on my own initiative!

I applied for the military academy without telling my family."

Cohen nodded slightly:

“Yes, it’s good that young people have the desire to serve their country.

Do you understand what Hermann meant by sending you to me?"

Stevens stood up straight and said:

"I will obey your Majesty's instructions and will resolutely carry out all your orders."

Cohen waved his hand:
"Don't be so reserved. Learn from these seniors and don't limit your horizons to just a small Effiin. You still have a lot of room for growth in the future!"

"Yes!"

Cohen turned around and looked at several officers not far away, and said to one of them:
"General Fan Ze, you should have dealt with the Ceylon Navy before. What is their strength?"

The General Fan Ze mentioned by Cohen is the highest-ranking and most experienced naval officer in this group, and the one Cohen relies on the most.

When King Cohen's father was alive, Fan Ze was already the deputy commander of the Eifin Navy. He climbed up step by step from a sailor and served as captain of various ships. He has rich experience in naval battles.

After King Cohen's father passed away, Effie adopted a comprehensive strategic plan of contraction and did not pay much attention to the navy. General Fan Ze was disheartened and applied to be the principal of the Naval Academy.

Prepare to train the next generation of naval personnel.

It was not until Cohen appeared that Fan Ze rekindled his hope.

After receiving Cohen's message, Adair began to look for a suitable officer in the navy, and General Fan Ze was the first candidate confirmed.

General Fan Ze replied:

“More than 30 years ago, I fought against their North Sea Fleet. At that time, our Eifin was on the rise.

The two sides are merely testing each other, but I estimate that the strength of one of their fleets is comparable to the entire Effiin navy."

The Kingdom of Ceylon has four fleets in the east, south, west and north, which means that thirty years ago, the strength of the Kingdom of Ceylon’s navy was four times that of Effiin. The other side certainly did not stagnate in the past thirty years.

The Kingdom of Ceylon's naval power is only going to get more terrifying. General Fan Ze seemed to be worried that his words might frighten Cohen, so he added:

“But Captain, there’s no need to worry too much. The four fleets of the Kingdom of Ceylon each have their own missions.

After all, pirates are not the navy's main defense target. In fact, the fact that the Kingdom of Ceylon is willing to send out the navy to deal with us Scarlet Plunderers this time is beyond my expectation.

Therefore, I estimate that even if the other party really dispatches the navy, they can only mobilize the strength of a fleet at most.

And you can’t be out for too long.”

Cohen nodded slowly and said:
"General Fan Ze's analysis is correct. I have received accurate intelligence. Admiral Norn, the naval commander of the Kingdom of Ceylon, has already mobilized the North Sea Fleet to combat readiness.

If it weren't for the Queen and her men's actions at the Eiffin border, the North Sea Fleet's vanguard would have reached the waters near the Weeping Trench."

General Fan Ze felt a surge of deep astonishment in his heart that His Majesty even knew such confidential information.

He almost immediately thought of Aifeiyin's mysterious and terrifying organization, the Military Intelligence Bureau, which was known to be omnipresent!

Cohen thought for a moment, then asked:

"In your estimation, if the Kingdom of Ceylon dispatches the North Sea Fleet to attack our Scarlet Island, how likely is it to do so?"

General Fan Ze thought for a moment and said slowly:
"With the Weeping Banshees' sonic defense wall and so many Legendary Transcendents, it would be wishful thinking to break through Scarlet Island's defenses.

However, if we want to completely crush their attack and teach them a profound lesson, the current Scarlet Reavers are still somewhat lacking in strength."

Cohen asked:

"Can't we add the ghost ship?"

General Fan Ze said:

"If the Crimson Reavers could upgrade one-third of their main fleet into ghost ships, they could easily annihilate the invading enemy."

One third. Currently, the Scarlet Reavers have more than a hundred main battleships, and one third is thirty.

There is definitely not enough time.

The deterrence at the Effiin border could buy Cohen more than ten days at most. Now several days have passed, and considering the time and preparations for the navy's deployment, there is not much time left for Cohen.

It is simply unrealistic to strengthen thirty ghost ships and let the crew members master the control of the ghost ships.

Cohen said in a deep voice:

"Thirty is unrealistic. Ideally, when we face the Kingdom of Ceylon's navy, we'll have about ten ghost ships ready to fight."

General Fan Ze was silent for a moment and then said:
"If we can split the North Sea Fleet's forces, with ten ghost ships, the Scarlet Reavers' own ships, and the support of the Sharkmen's underwater column, there's a chance of success."

Cohen raised his eyebrows and murmured softly:
"Divide and destroy them? That's a good idea, but how can we get the North Sea Fleet to divide itself?"

Stevens' eyes lit up, and he suddenly thought of something and said:
"I have an immature idea, but I don't know if it's feasible."

Cohen said:

"Tell me."

Stevens took a breath and said in a serious tone:
“Our Jennings family has had a lot of dealings with the Black Sail Regiment. In fact, the leader of the Black Sail Regiment has a very close relationship with the deputy commander of the Ceylon Kingdom Navy.

If we send our main fleet to encircle the Black Sails' headquarters, the Ceylon Kingdom Navy will definitely send troops to rescue them.

The prerequisite is that we must encircle and suppress the Black Sails when the Ceylon Kingdom Navy attacks our Scarlet Island.

This will force them to split up their forces."

Cohen said:

“I understand what you mean. You want to use the Scarlet Island main base as bait to lure them in and then lay siege.

Attack the Black Sails again and force them to split up, right?"

Stevens nodded heavily and said:
“However, there are two key points. The first is that we must grasp the enemy’s exact action time and send the main fleet to secretly surround the Black Sail Group’s headquarters before they start to besiege us.

In addition, the Scarlet Island main base must be able to withstand the attack of the North Sea Fleet."

Cohen said:

"Both of these points are fine. With the Weeping Banshee's sonic defense wall, we should have no problem withstanding the North Sea Fleet's attack."

General Fan Ze was silent for a moment and then said:

“Normally this plan is good, but if it’s Norn, our plan may not be able to be implemented smoothly.

This person is extremely cautious and will not easily split up his forces unless he is sure of victory."

Cohen said:

"You mean he will give up supporting the Black Sails?"

General Fan Ze nodded and said:

"If Norn was the commander-in-chief of this operation, given his personality, not only would he not send troops to rescue the Black Sails, he would even guess that this was a conspiracy."

A stern look flashed in Cohen's eyes, and he said:

"Then let's change the commander-in-chief!
Stevens, what's the name of the deputy commander of the navy who has a good relationship with the captain of the Black Sails? "

Stevens was stunned for a moment, then recalled for a moment and said:
"Gaston Davenport."

……

The capital of the Kingdom of Ceylon, Quetzaung.

A secret safe house at the Aifei Military Control Quesaon Station.

Station Chief Julian passed Cohen's latest instructions to Intelligence Director Marlin Paxson.

Julian said softly:
"Please take a look at the director's latest instructions."

Cohen instructed them to do everything possible to make Deputy Commander of the Navy Gaston Davenport the chief military commander of the Kingdom of Ceylon's anti-piracy campaign.

Baron Marin fell into deep thought after reading it.

After a brief silence, Julian lit a cigar and said:

“You are Charles’ secretary, and Charles is the Prince in charge of the Navy.

He should have the most say in the selection of the military commander-in-chief. What are your thoughts?"

Baron Marin said in a deep voice:

“His Highness Guang Er can’t do it alone.

After all, Charles has only been in charge of the navy for a short time, so Gaston has to take the initiative to fight for it, otherwise it will be difficult to compete with those military veterans."

Julian asked:
"Does Gaston himself wish this?"

Baron Marin shook his head:

"It's hard to say. I don't interact with him very often."

Julian narrowed his eyes and said:

“The Director reminded us in his instructions to pay attention to the relationship between Deputy Commander Gaston and the Captain of the Black Sails.

We may be able to start from this aspect and force him to take the initiative to fight for the position of commander-in-chief.

The leader of the Black Sails has been in Quesarion recently!"

Baron Marin pondered for a while, his eyes lit up, and he said:

“I have an idea!

However, we must ensure that Deputy Commander Gaston and the commander of the Black Sails will never appear in the Kingdom of Ceylon again.

It doesn't matter whether they live or die, at least they can't speak again, otherwise my identity will be exposed."

Stationmaster Julian said:
"Don't worry about that. According to the Director, I think both the Kingdom of Ceylon's North Sea Fleet and the Black Sail Regiment will be destroyed this time!"

……

The leader of the Black Sail Group, Helan, is a gentle middle-aged man who wears a pair of rimless glasses and always has a gentle smile on his face.

People who don't know him would find it hard to associate such a person with the leader of the Black Sails, one of the three major pirate groups that roamed the northwest waters.

At this moment, Helan is in the upper-level box of the Veterans Club, waiting for guests.

Julian is the business white glove of His Royal Highness the Second Prince Charles. His Invalides Club is naturally the favorite place for many of Charles' subordinates to discuss business and relax.

Not long after, a well-dressed man pushed open the door and walked in.

When Helan saw the visitor, he quickly stood up with a flattering smile on his face:

"My Lord Baron, how is His Highness?"

Baron Marin smiled back and said:

“Everything is fine. His Highness said that he had a very pleasant conversation with Captain Helan a few times ago.

And it won’t be long... well, once Your Majesty figures out the true intentions of those annoying guys in Effiin, we’ll be able to free up our hands to deal with the arrogant Scarlet Reaver Pirates!”

Helan was overjoyed. He hadn't been able to sleep well at night in the past few days. He was worried all day, fearing that Scarlet Island would suddenly be teleported above his head one night.

Then a group of legendary pirates besieged him, and he ended up like David Moss, the leader of the Dark Tide Ghost Pirates.

Now that he had the guarantee from the Kingdom of Ceylon, he felt much more relieved.

The two chatted for a while, and then Baron Marin got down to business:

"Actually, I came here this time because I have another personal matter that I want to discuss with Captain Helan."

Helan still had a gentle smile on his face, but he was constantly pondering the meaning of Baron Marin's words.

Private matter?
Whose private matter is it?
Is it Baron Marin's own, or the second prince Charles Cromwell's?

Baron Marin seemed to see what was going on in Helan's mind, and chuckled and said:
“Captain Helan, some things, no matter who you do them for, once you leave this door, you can only say that you did it for me.

I don’t know if you understand what I mean!”

(End of this chapter)