Chapter 39： Naval Proposal II

Facing Captain Austin's surprised expression, the Earl continued, "Not only will you be promoted, but you will be transferred to another branch of the military—the navy."

I just became the company commander of the newly formed 6th company, and the soldiers under him are not yet familiar, and they will be transferred to other units. Wait, Navy? Did Arda have a navy? A puzzled expression appeared on Austin's face.

Paul saw the doubts in Austin's heart and explained: "Yes, in view of the threat of piracy still exists, and for the consideration of future ocean-going trade, we will establish a new branch of the navy."

Austin understood. It is estimated that the earl saw that he was familiar with life at sea since he was a child. Someone should have recommended him. Ocean trade? Good idea, it seems that I have a lot to do.

Sure enough, Paul continued: "Bryce recommended you to me. He said that you came from a family of ship merchants and lived with your elders at sea since you were a child. You are a very suitable navy seed."

"Master Bryce praised you." Although he was secretly happy in his heart, he still had to be humble on his lips.

Paul changed the subject: "However, for the time being, you need to add the prefix of agent to your position. Whether it can become official depends on your own ability."

Austin puffed out his chest: "Please rest assured, Lord Earl, I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Paul waved his hand: "Everyone will say that to me, but what I care about is the final result!"

"Yes, my lord! Where are the sailors now, we will go to sea for training now." Now you must show your energy.

Paul pointed to Austin: "Now you are the only one in the entire navy."

Austin: "..."

It turns out that I am a polished commander, this is the rhythm of rowing alone to find the pirates.

"Don't worry, everyone is not very familiar with the sea, so I didn't act rashly. I plan to organize the navy into fleets, brigades, squadrons, and squadrons, and you are my acting commander of the Northwest Gulf Fleet, and concurrently serve as the Northwest Gulf Fleet Commander. Acting detachment captain of the first detachment of the first squadron of the first fleet, this is the same unique position as Bryce and the others."

"Given your familiarity with maritime affairs, you can draw up your own conscription standards. After I review them, I will hand them over to the conscription office to recruit qualified soldiers and sailors for you, and you will conduct the assessment yourself. At the same time, for the current two infantry battalions who are proficient in water and sailing Veteran, I allow you to freely choose and add to your command, and set up the navy as soon as possible."

Only then did Austin feel relieved, and it would be much easier to handle this way, "Yes, Lord Earl, we must form a fighting force as soon as possible."

"As for the ships, you can only use the captured pirate ships or requisition a batch of civilian ships for your training. But I will order the shipyard to build a batch of warships in a sudden. You can give your opinions on the details of the ship's style and structure."

"I have known Director Rubin of the shipyard since I was a child, and I will go to him to discuss it."

Paul nodded in satisfaction, everything went smoothly.

"Go back and estimate the required expenses first, come to my room at night, and we will discuss it in detail."

"Okay! Lord Earl!"

Captain Austin stood up and saluted. Just as he turned around, he suddenly thought of something.

"My lord, I suddenly thought of an idea. If you agree, it will be a great addition to our combat effectiveness."

Paul suddenly became interested: "What's the idea? Don't talk nonsense, tell me quickly."

Austin thought about it carefully, and said: "I have been in charge of the interrogation of the pirate captives. A considerable part of them were coerced into joining the gang. They have basically done nothing bad or their crimes are relatively minor. Can these captives be handed over to me so that they can be brought together? They've done a lot of good in the Navy."

"Well, if this request..."

Paul hesitated a little, resting his right hand on the table, tapping the table with his index and middle fingers alternately, thinking about the feasibility of this suggestion.

"It's not impossible. You send me their information first, and we organize people to screen them carefully. But even if you let them join the navy, don't let them show up in public."

"Your Excellency is wise!" Just the right amount of flattery is necessary.

But Austin still stuck there without moving.

"Anything else?"

Austin squeaked and said: "Uh... that pirate chief named Quick may also consider it. He should have a lot of experience in commanding naval battles, and this is exactly what we lack the most."

Seeing that the Earl seemed to recall something bad, he stared at the captain eeriely.

"The pirate chief? That's the 'Great Quick' who wrote to humiliate me? Hey, you don't want to hit a snake with a stick."

"Uh... just pretend I didn't say anything." Captain Austin turned to leave.

Paul beckoned: "Forget it, bring over his materials together, let's read it first."

…

The next morning, Austin brought a large stack of thick notes, which recorded in detail the interrogation records of a group of pirate prisoners who had committed minor crimes. The paper used for recording is a new type of paper invented by Paul, which has been circulated in the Northwest Territories and is becoming more and more popular.

Paul summoned Schroeder, Joyce, Bryce, Claude, Cecil and five other company commanders to review these records with Austin and screen those who can enter the navy. This must be strictly checked. The admiral is Paul's darling, and those black sheep can't be allowed to get involved.

"This Quaker gang is really interesting!"

Flipping through the materials of the Quake gang pirates who had been captured before, Paul turned to Austin and said, "No wonder you want such a pirate leader. UU Reading "

"Yes, I think Quick and most of his men can be recruited."

Indeed, this Quaker gang is really an alternative among pirates. According to the data, they seem to have no record of robbing ordinary civilians. They robbed only the rich and some minor nobles. The strange thing is that they also helped some poor people—of course this They claimed to be, and they didn't rely on plundering for a living for many years, but they also practiced business, and occasionally hid their identities to do some small business such as short-distance shipping.

Austin added: "Most of the members of the Quaker Gang came from bankrupt farmers and escaped slaves. There are very few people with black spots before joining the pirates. They and other pirates have never dealt with them very well, and they have done a few times with many gangs."

Paul nodded secretly: "It's kind of like robbing the rich and giving to the poor. No wonder the 'Loach' saw that the situation was not going well during the battle of Huxin Town, so he slipped away without saying a word, and he didn't say anything about his friendship."

In fact, this is what he was thinking too much. Pirates live a life of licking blood every day, so there is no camaraderie, and it is not uncommon for them to fight with each other.

After careful review by everyone, a total of 300 prisoners were screened out.

Paul thought for a while and decided: "It's impossible to recruit all of them. Even if you haven't committed any serious crimes, at least your age and physical fitness must meet our conscription standards, and there is the stimulus of disobedience to management during your sentence." Not to mention the boss. Cecil, collect information on the activities of the Quaker Gang to see if they really did not rob civilians as they said. "

Then he turned to Austin and said, "These people have to be recruited into the navy in batches, dispersed and assigned to various teams, and they must be closely monitored. They must not be allowed to form a group."

Austin took the order: "Yes, Lord Earl."