Chapter 2717 - 1171: Poisonous Plot—Welcoming the King Back to the Capital (Part 2)

Chapter 2717: Chapter 1171: Poisonous Plot—Welcoming the King Back to the Capital (Part 2)

A fleet that has been floating at sea for an unknown amount of time, despite losing more than half of its ships, easily captured a local city, which speaks volumes about the combat capabilities of the local natives.

As long as their fleet finds its way there and opens up a new sea route, wealth will flow to them like a river.

Except for Duke Francis of Saladas City, who did not dispatch his own pioneering fleet, Duke Sigfried of Willen City, Duke Walter of Zaze Sibo City, and Duke Zeber of Myratma City all spent big money to expand their fleets, forming a joint fleet for a grand expedition to the New Continent.

Although the joint fleet successfully reached the New Continent Maztecs, it was not a smooth journey. They had to face not only the capricious Sea of No Marks but also the ambush from the Amm Kingdom fleet and the resistance of the New Continent’s indigenous people.

Wanting to use Heim Port established by the Amm Kingdom is pure fantasy; they are forced to seize and construct their own port, and they have just begun to establish a foundation there.

Don’t even mention reaping rewards; they are now facing the issue of a second round of additional investment, needing to organize a second joint fleet to support and prevent the Amm Kingdom from uprooting their newly established port for the sake of monopolizing profits, otherwise their initial investment would go to waste.

While Saladas City may not be participating in this maritime revelry, they have indeed been forced to expand eastward after losing hope of western development.

But it’s not an unclaimed land; rather, it belongs to the Mingtan Island City State, comprised of dozens of cities along the western and northern shores of Steam Lake.

On land, the Saladas Family’s Heavy Cavalry is unrivaled, and the Mingtan Island City State simply cannot withstand it and can only retreat.

The problem, however, is that this city-state is unique because it is connected not by land routes but by the waterways of Steam Lake.

Attacking any of their cities means facing continuous support from other cities.

This directly cuts off the siege route, and if they attacked one by one, it’s predicted that before capturing even three cities, the Saladas Family would already be severely weakened.

But if they don’t take down the Mingtan Island City State, they’ll have no way to cross Thorn River for further eastward expansion—Thorn River is deep and wide enough.

Fleet of the Mingtan Island City State can sail upstream and directly blockade the entire river.

In fact, the fleet of Mingtan Island City State has been wanting to blockade the Minta River, encircling the Saladas Heavy Cavalry that have ventured into the Two River Valley.

Now, Minta River has become the focus of contention between the two parties, tying up half of the forces from their two Heavy Cavalry Legions.

Even though Darama City is thriving now, even ordinary powers would not dare to easily engage in a two-front battle.

Duke Francis listened intently, then unemotionally reported the latest news: "The Conqueror has now reached Ruitawen and formally met with Lord Raymond. If we do not take action, joining Darama will become a foregone conclusion."

The focus of the Amm Kingdom’s development is also on the New Continent; although they’ve seen some returns, compared to their massive initial investment, it is still just a drop in the bucket.

Ruitawen, on the other hand, is a solitary city deep in the interior, with a consistently wavering attitude.

When the Tesser Kingdom was strong, aside from not paying taxes to them, their closeness even surpassed that with the Amm Kingdom.

Regarding the means of the Conqueror and Lord Zalanda, Duke Francis has far more insights compared to the other three dukes.

They have bound interests to the extreme, especially at the transit station of Ruitawen, located between Darama City and the Giant Plains.

The food, textiles, and immigrants heading north from Darama, and the steel products and livestock heading south from the Giant Plains must pass through here.

In the year that the Conqueror Path was opened, the cargo throughput already exceeded the Vihong-Mulan Trade Route, doubling annually.

Just from commercial taxes, Ruitawen earned a fortune, not to mention the encouragement of trade and economic growth during this process.

No encouragement is needed; as long as there is profit to be made, smart people will naturally develop along the way.

Meanwhile, the Conqueror is laying out plans as he progresses.

Along the way, countless small clusters centered around roadside inns have already popped up. With immigrants continuously joining, these small clusters keep growing into small villages, and it is believed that it won’t be long before they grow into small towns.

Their industries are closely related to Darama; besides relying on trade, they are dependent on cash crops. In addition to self-sufficient food, the most grown crop is cotton.

The climate there is very suitable for cotton farming; soon it might become Darama’s exclusive cotton production area.

This kind of interest binding is far more terrifying than conquering by force.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is where the people’s hearts lie.

Opposing it would be against the people’s will, leading to alienation and betrayal.

Raymond is always known for his wisdom; he will certainly follow the people’s will.

"I have a plan, I wonder if you would like to hear it," Duke Walter said slowly.

As the current Controller in the Tesser Kingdom’s capital Zaze Sibo, he is the leader of the four dukes, not only controlling the most prosperous region of the Tesser Kingdom but also the largest shipyard and all surrounding islands.