Above Pirate King - Chapter 133
St. Martin Kingdom, Palace’s Study
At this moment, Arthur was earnestly dealing with the aftermath of the three conquered kingdoms.
To be honest, the direct monetary gains from capturing these three kingdoms were not substantial. The treasury of Oga Kingdom had already been depleted by war reparations.
As for the Kingdoms of Hall and Bell, they were famously impoverished nations, and this war had further drained their treasuries to purchase military supplies.
However, there were other gains. The Oga Kingdom was renowned for supplying raw materials for fabrics, and with its acquisition, the cost of fabrics in St. Martin had significantly decreased.
Similarly, the Kingdoms of Hall and Bell were famous for their grain production. With their territories now under St. Martin’s control, the kingdom no longer had to worry about food shortages during future expansions.
The most significant gains were the 330,000 population from the Oga Kingdom and the 570,000 population from the Kingdoms of Hall and Bell.
Having so many people brought numerous advantages: increased labor force, boosted domestic demand, and abundant recruits for the military.
However, the immediate concern was the development and resettlement of these three kingdoms on their respective islands.
This would require a considerable amount of time. The Oga Kingdom was relatively manageable since the war was not prolonged and its scope was limited. It quickly recovered and had a relatively smooth resettlement process.
On the other hand, the Kingdoms of Hall and Bell posed more challenges. Many young men had died, and the remaining population was mostly women. Moreover, being impoverished nations with minimal infrastructure, it would take a long time for them to develop.
Despite the difficulties, Arthur considered these to be happy troubles. Though time-consuming, once developed, St. Martin’s power would more than double!
Just then,
“Knock, knock!”
A knock on the door echoed through the room.
“Come in!” Arthur said without looking up.
“Your Majesty!” Brian walked in, bowing respectfully.
“Yes, what is it?” Arthur put down the documents in his hands and asked.
“Your Majesty, news has arrived from the World Government. They strongly condemn and warn us about the alliance with the Charlotte family. Additionally, because we’ve occupied the Oga Kingdom, they demand that we share the Heavenly Tribute with them!” Brian said with a serious tone.
“Oh!?” Arthur slightly furrowed his brows upon hearing this.
After some contemplation, Brian continued, “However, according to the information I received last year from my ‘friends’ within the World Government, they feel threatened by our kingdom’s aggressive nature, rapid development, and some of our less obedient behaviors.”
“Considering our active contribution to Heavenly Tribute, they plan to limit our kingdom’s development for now. If we behave ourselves in the future, they won’t intervene.”
Brian’s so-called “friends” were some low-ranking officials in the World Government whom he had bribed heavily while dealing with paperwork and paying Heavenly Tribute last year.
Though their status was low, they had access to valuable information and acted as messengers for the true intentions of the World Government.
In this instance, the World Government wanted to restrict and warn St. Martin, but they couldn’t do so openly. That’s where these low-ranking officials played a role, conveying the true message from the World Government.
After some thought, Arthur understood the World Government’s intention. It was basically a warning: “You’ve been noticed for your recent actions. We acknowledge your enthusiasm in paying Heavenly Tribute, but be more restrained. If you don’t comply, then brace yourself for the consequences.”
“Knock, knock!”
At that moment, the door was knocked again!
“Come in!”
The Minister of Commerce, Hughes, entered with a solemn expression.
“Your Majesty!” Hughes said respectfully.
“What’s the matter?” Arthur asked.
“Your Majesty, the several batches of essential supplies we ordered from elsewhere have all been intercepted by the Marine on their way here, under various pretexts. Additionally, the main route to Blood Port Town has been blockaded by the Marine in the name of capturing pirates. Now, the West Blue merchants have no way of reaching Blood Port Town,” Hughes said with a heavy tone.
“So soon?” Arthur frowned slightly.
The World Government had indeed struck a blow to a vulnerable spot. Why had St. Martin developed so rapidly? A significant part of that was attributed to the enormous profits from Blood Port Town.
With a steady supply from Blood Port Town, St. Martin had been able to exchange a large amount of money for rapid development. Once the access to Blood Port Town was cut off, it would not only slow down development but also lead to various subsequent problems.
Without the outlet of Blood Port Town, St. Martin’s produced goods would pile up and be unsellable. And without the revenue from sales, the workers wouldn’t receive wages, and they couldn’t survive.
If the workers couldn’t survive, the kingdom would descend into chaos. If the kingdom fell into turmoil, not only would development stagnate, but it could even regress. That would be a big problem!
“Hmm?” Hearing this, Hughes looked at Arthur with some confusion, not quite understanding.
Seeing Hughes’s perplexity, Brian leaned over and quietly explained the reason in his ear. Hughes then suddenly understood!
He pondered for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, should we ask the factory owners to halt production for now? Otherwise, if the goods pile up, it will be troublesome later!”
After a moment of contemplation, Arthur said, “Here’s what we’ll do: Brian, continue to inquire about the latest information from those officials. As for you, Hughes, don’t worry. Let the factory owners continue production. I will figure out how to handle the piled-up goods!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Hughes and Brian nodded.
“Alright, you may leave now,” Arthur waved them off.
“Yes!” After responding, the two slowly exited the room.
As soon as they left, Arthur fell into deep thought.
In fact, he had anticipated the World Government’s actions. If St. Martin were in the New World, the World Government wouldn’t care about their expansion. But being in their backyard, how could they turn a blind eye?
However, Arthur didn’t pay too much attention to it!
Right now, he had annexed the three kingdoms of Oga, Hall, and Bell, and it would take a considerable amount of time to digest them fully.
This included resettling the population, building factories, constructing roads, recruiting more workers, and various other tasks. To handle all of this thoroughly, it would take at least five years in the future!
Regardless of whether the World Government tried to suppress them or not, St. Martin would find it challenging to expand its territory during these five years!
Besides, the Marine responsible for blocking Blood Port Town naturally belonged to the nearest St. Martin Naval Division. As long as he wanted, a simple phone call could lift the blockade at any time!
However, he currently didn’t want to escalate the conflict with the World Government. So, he gave them some face, allowing them to blockade for a while, and when the time came, Brian would spend some money to deal with the World Government’s activities, and the blockade would be lifted.
Additionally, a long time ago, he had sent people from the Ministry of Works to dig through the Red Line. According to the Ministry’s report, it was almost through, with just a small part remaining. In some time, St. Martin would have a train directly connected to the South Blue.
By then, he could build a secret path, disguise it, and open a branch base in the South Blue. Those piled-up goods could also be sold in the South Blue!
After thinking for a long time, Arthur sighed deeply, setting these matters aside, and continued to deal with the documents.
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