Chapter 475: Finally Made It

Thanks to my ever inspiring reader’s (bonus Chapter)

At Bassein dock, Prince Gerad watched the Brambleford warships slowly sail away with a deep complicated expression.

"Uncle Gerad, Prince Simon is becoming more and more unpredictable as time goes on," Gordon appeared behind Prince Gerad, looking somewhat flustered.

He had come to Bassein with Prince Gerad but did not meet Prince Simon. Instead, he had secretly been observing Simon’s fleet.

"What do you think Prince Simon is doing leading such a large fleet?" Prince Gerad asked, confused.

Gordon thought for a moment and said, "I already sent people to observe. Prince Simon’s fleet carries more than ten thousand soldiers, each armed with the firearms Prince Simon mentioned. Such a large army going to sea must be for conquest. He obviously wouldn’t dare move against the Empire, so his only destination could only be Split Rock, right now."

"Split Rock? You mean Prince Simon is going to war with the Dutch?" Prince Gerad was shocked by this revelation.

"That’s possible. Besides the fleet is comparable to the Dutch, plus ten thousand firearm soldiers; only the Dutch can match him," Gordon said confidently.

Prince Gerad was delighted. "Haha, this is great. If Prince Simon fights with the Dutch, we can benefit from their conflict and maybe the sea trade will restart."

"Uncle Gerad, you are celebrating too soon. If Prince Simon defeats the Dutch, he will control the sea trade from then on. Do you think he will let us easily trade by sea which he controls?"

Prince Gerad thought for a moment. "Better than the Dutch controlling it. Simon is at least a royal relative and can speak at court. Now that he has set up a supply point here in Bassein, it’s thanks to me. Overall, he’s much stronger than the Dutch the way I see it."

Gordon nodded, feeling reassured. Prince Gerad seemed to bury his rebellious thoughts deep inside, because as long as Prince Simon lived, he had some concerns.

While they spoke, the warships of Prince Simon disappeared over the horizon.

On the deck of the warship, Richard and Prince Simon reclined in a lounge chair, enjoying the sun and sea breeze comfortably.

At Bassein dock, they replenished a large supply of fresh water, vegetables, grains, daily necessities, and other materials. For him, this meeting with Prince Gerad was basically a success.

As for the next supply point, Kingsfall, he was full of confidence since he was now doing business with Prince Valeric, and Valeric dared not refuse his hand.

Just as he expected, two days later they arrived at Kingsfall. There, they resupplied smoothly. Prince Valeric ordered local officials to cooperate with Prince Simon’s fleet for supplies and promised continued support.

After being done at Kingsfall, the fleet sailed south. After seven full days, they finally reached Fort Zeelandia.

"Your Highness, ahead is Fort Zeelandia," Alonso announced with an excited voice.

Prince Simon nodded with a smile. In the golden sunlight, Fort Zeelandia shone like a pearl on the sea. Through his telescope, he saw typical European-style buildings with red tiles and white walls, like a fairyland.

While Alonso was excited, Dutch warships appeared in Prince Simon’s telescope view. Simon said, "Don’t celebrate yet. Tell your fleet we are not enemies."

Alonso immediately reacted; he raised flags to send signals to the Dutch fleet. Soon, the Dutch warships responded with flag signals. He said, "Your Highness, your fleet can now safely dock at the harbour."

Prince Simon observed the harbour and called for Desmond. "Enter the harbour, but stay alert."

Desmond understood and ordered the signalers to send flags. He then led the Brambleford Warship slowly into the dock.

At the same time, Lancelot and Liam came over. They had the soldiers sound the assembly horn. Brambleford soldiers immediately came out of the ship cabins and lined up neatly on the deck.

With careful navigation, the fleet safely stopped at the harbour. After that, more than ten thousand Brambleford soldiers disembarked, and Simon breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It seemed the Dutch were truly facing a crisis.

"Greetings, to His Royal Highness," Grey appeared first on the dock. His first words were in broken Eldorian language, then he switched to Dutch with Alonso translating.

"Thank you for coming, Your Royal Highness. Your arrival proves you are a qualified ally. Perhaps from today, we can build a firm friendship," Grey said excitedly.

These soldiers from Brambleford were well-equipped and equal in number to the Latin pirates, giving him confidence for the war ahead.

"No need for thanks. We already had an agreement, we are allies at sea, and there will be more cooperation in the future," Prince Simon said in a light tone as he smiled.

Grey was even happier. Pointing to Fort Zeelandia, he said, "Your Highness, this is Fort Zeelandia. Let me show you around. Tonight, you will spend a beautiful night here."

Lancelot and Liam looked at the small island surrounded by sea with surprise but quickly got distracted by Dutch soldiers.

"Liam, did you see that soldier’s uniform? Especially his leather boots. Wow! When can we wear leather boots, like that? I feel wearing this uniform with cloth shoes looks off," Lancelot whispered into his ear.

Liam’s attention had long been caught by the cannons on Fort Zeelandia’s walls. When he saw two field cannons at the gate, his eyes widened. "Leather boots or cloth shoes don’t matter. The Dutch equipment is good, almost on par with our army. I wonder how effective their weapons are?" He said, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"That’s simple. We are helping them this time. Using their weapons should be fine. Just tell Your Highness later. It won’t be a problem," Lancelot said, rubbing his shoulder.

While they talked, Prince Simon and Earl Grey had already entered the city and they quickly followed.

At the same time, Brambleford soldiers spread throughout Fort Zeelandia. The small fort suddenly became crowded.

At the official residence, Grey brought Simon to the window. Opposite was Ironfall Fort. From the highest point in Fort Zeelandia, one could clearly see Blackthorn fortress.

"Your Highness, the Latin pirates have been reinforcing the fort recently. There are now over ten thousand pirates in the city. I believe these pirates are ordered by Lord Henry to occupy the Split Rock main island. After all, it’s close to their base. Once they seize it, they will be able to control the sea route at ease," Grey said in a serious tone.

Simon raised his telescope to look. The Latin pirates’ expansion plan was no longer a secret. Simon was very interested in any action that the troubled Latin would make. He asked, "Do you have any attack plans ready?"

A/N: We are at the end of the month, which happens to be today. So I would love to say a big thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way. You all are blessed love you all. Simon and everyone in Brambleford love and cherish you all. See in the next Chapter as Simon prepares for the troublesome variable in his life. Simon thanks you all for the gifts, it has been a great help for Brambleford development moving forward.?????? Thanks to my ever inspiring reader’s.