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Berkeley Family's Main Base.
There, Kashimiro was facing a single soldier.
"---I've seen your plan. It's truly remarkable. However, to defeat the boy from the Banfield family, a large-scale reform is necessary."
The soldier was Dolf, who had been promoted to major.
Although he had been assigned to a desk job in the military, he had continued to rise through the ranks, focusing solely on defeating Liam.
Such a Dolf happened to meet Kashimiro.
It was a chance encounter.
Therefore, Dolf was determined to throw himself into this plan with all his might.
"Your words are appreciated, but even this level is not enough. Considering the reality of time and budget, I had to limit it to this extent."
"---Replace all the ships and make significant changes to the formation? I've never heard of buying a large number of ships specialized for medium and short-range combat."
Dolf projected an image in front of Kashimiro.
There, the Banfield family's fleet was displayed.
The sight of them overwhelming pirates was terrifying.
"The strength of the Banfield family lies in their high level of training and the quality of their equipment."
"Can't you just overwhelm them with numbers? They can barely gather thirty thousand, right?"
"Even if we have a hundred thousand, if they break through a single point, both sides will suffer significant damage. In the worst case, we might lose our commander, which would be equivalent to losing the battle."
Dolf's plan was as follows.
"Let them charge, and we will intercept them in close combat. The reason for preparing ships specialized for medium and short-range combat is for this purpose."
He proposed to prepare a large fleet of over a hundred thousand ships, which would be inflexible, solely to defeat the Banfield family's fleet.
However, Kashimiro evaluated such a Dolf.
(All the others thought they could win just by gathering numbers and underestimating that boy. But this guy is different. No one is as serious about being cautious of that boy as he is.)
Kashimiro asked a question to test him.
"What would you do if the enemy fought normally with this formation?"
"Indeed, it is dangerous. However, for the Banfield family, it is a winning strategy. Changing a battle method that has worked for decades is extremely difficult."
Kashimiro understood this as well.
They had been charging into pirates for decades.
In a sense, they had reached the level of art in charging.
Perfect formations and fearless, brave soldiers.
In the most crucial moments, they would rely on their winning charge.
(This guy. There's no one else but him.)
Dolf spoke passionately.
"Indeed, it will take time and money. But it is a necessary expense to defeat the Banfield family! We will need to replace all the ships and train the personnel to carry out this plan. But it is worth it! The Banfield family must not be underestimated!"
For the sake of Liam alone, the Berkeley family's fleet would become an inflexible one.
Focusing on countermeasures against charges, it would become weaker in regular combat.
Until now, the military officers Kashimiro had met only said that they could win by gathering numbers and fighting normally. But Kashimiro thought that was not enough.
"---Will it be in time? I hear the Banfield family is also strengthening their military."
"It will be in time. No, it will be in time! We will move immediately and gather as many ships as possible!"
Dolf's enthusiasm made Kashimiro make up his mind.
"Alright. I'll do it."
"Thank you! And I would like you to gather the pirates."
"What?"
Dolf decided to put pressure on those who would support Liam in this battle.
To prevent him from receiving reinforcements.
"There are rumors that Liam is forming a regular fleet. I confirmed it, and it's true. He intends to use that fleet as his trump card."
A regular fleet of tens of thousands of ships.
Upon hearing this, Kashimiro thought that the pirates would not be enough.
"---There are people in the military who dislike the Banfield boy. Gathering them wouldn't be bad."
"Oh, I would really appreciate that!"
Patrol fleets and former noble military officers.
If gathered, they could reach tens of thousands of ships.
Moreover, those who would support Kashimiro were not just military officers.
Merchants and the first and second weapon factories also offered to lend a hand.
"Dolf, can you form a fleet with the gathered military officers?"
"It is possible. But I don't think they will be useful. They might serve as decoys, at best."
Dolf did not think the gathered people would be useful.
Kashimiro felt the same.
"Contact the weapon factories and have them equip them."
"Is that alright? The budget will skyrocket. Also, these types of military officers will complain and defect if their treatment is even slightly poor."
Kashimiro told him not to worry about the budget.
"Doesn't matter! If you're going to do it, do it thoroughly! Even if it costs a lot, it's fine as long as we can wear down that boy."
Kashimiro prepared another move to perfect his strategy.
"Also, the pirates will serve as bait for the Banfield family."
"Bait?"
"Yes. To make them more focused on charging, we will make them fight more than ever. We need to maintain a situation where they do not doubt that charging is their winning strategy."
Dolf, who had decided to go for victory by sacrificing the pirates, was sweating cold but smiling.
"---A great idea. This will bring us one step closer to victory."
Not just the pirates. Merchants, weapon factoriesâKashimiro decided to involve all of them in the battle against the Banfield family.
The guide, who had been watching from the beginning, applauded.
"---Excellent. Both of you, work hard to defeat Liam. I will support you from the shadows."
â
"What is thisâ?"
When I requested to be assigned to a patrol fleet, multiple regular fleets had already been formed.
From the bridge of the super-dreadnought, which exceeds three thousand meters, I could see a massive fleet lined up.
The view was filled with battleships.
A holographic image was projected in space, and a ceremony welcoming my assignment was taking place.
Beside me were Yurisha, who officially became my adjutant, and Marie, who returned from a special unit.
Wallace was also present as a backup officer on the bridge.
And thenâ
"Special Staff, thank you for appointing me as the captain! Thank you so much!"
A tall man with short, spiky hair was genuinely thanking me.
This is the recently promoted Rear Admiral Sedric Noa Alvarite.
He is the captain of the flagship I am on.
And I, promoted to colonel, received a special position as Special Staff.
Incidentally, Sedric is Wallace's half-brother.
But he is also a prince treated like any other.
Wallace was unimpressed.
"Are you that happy?"
"Of course! Do you know how painful it was to patrol space for no reason! Besides, how did you manage to find such an excellent patron!"
Envious, Sedric was choking Wallace.
"Give, give!"
Amid the noisy bridge, Tia brought the commander.
"Lord Liam, I have brought the commander."
The man looked to be in his forties.
He must be quite old.
With the current anti-aging technology, looking middle-aged is a sign of longevity.
"Commander, I'll be in your care."
He was smiling.
"I never thought I would be taking care of the famous lord. Well, I'll do my job."
He wasn't just a flatterer, but if he could be entrusted with a fleet of this scale, he must be a capable person.
---I won't fight with this guy.
I have recently learned to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
---The Berkeley family.
They are really persistent.
Tia informed me of the future plans.
"Lord Liam, from tomorrow, you will lead the fleet to tour the frontier bases."
"Tour the bases?"
"Yes. It's like a meet-and-greet. Also, we will ensure the safety of the routes simultaneously."
Leading a large fleet to ensure the safety of the route.
Normally, this would be done with a smaller fleet, but doing it on this scale seems quite wasteful.
"Why not move separately and aim for the destination? How about a competition? I'll give bonuses to the fleet that arrives first and deals with pirates or other issues."
Since I wasn't planning to take it seriously, I suggested a gameâTia showed disapproval.
"Lord Liam, this is also a place to showcase your prestige. Such fleet managementâ"
But someone offered to help.
Marie.
"Oh, you can't meet Lord Liam's wishes? Fine. With this scale, moving together would be a waste."
"It's also a learning experience to move in such a large formation. Don't you understand?"
"As long as we gather before the goal, we don't need to be together all the time. You're a rigid chief knight."
While the two were bickering, Sedric was talking to Wallace.
"Is your patron's knight always so tense?"
"It's always like this. You'll get used to it soon."
Wallace was smiling, but I couldn't laugh at the conflict between my chief knight and second knight.
Yurisha made a suggestion to me.
"Colonel, shall we have a competition until just before the destination?"
She was trying to make decisions without involving the commander.
When I looked at the commander, he shrugged.
"Either way is fine. I don't have any urgent matters."
Since it was a fleet I prepared, I could handle it as I pleased.
"Then it's a competition. How about giving points for defeating pirates? Ten points for large-scale battles. I'll prepare rewards based on the points."
With my spontaneous idea, the game beganâlater, I heard that the rules were discussed enthusiastically at a meeting of admirals and above a few days later.
Me? Watching everyone compete is what a corrupt lord does.
â
Leading three thousand ships, we arrived at the goalâa certain planet.
It was a direct territory of the empire, designated as a developing planet.
When will the people competing for rewards arrive at the goal?
Sitting in a luxurious seat on the bridge, I was shaking a drink in a glass.
"Bored. Wallace, do something entertaining."
"Haha, you want me to do a one-liner? Unfortunately, I'm out of ideas."
After dozens of requests, Wallace was finally out of ideas.
Spending a few days just waiting in a place with nothing to doâbored.
"Too bored."
I planned to spend my time leisurely on a luxury cruise ship.
The ship's facilities were well-equipped, and there was even a small shopping mall.
There were many non-combatants, and some chain stores had even opened.
The crew was bustling during breaks and on their days off, making the ship a small colony.
Butâwhat's the point of me playing around in such