Kapitel 222: Conqueror of Durres

With Durres finally conquered, the king and his uncle rode in a carriage to survey the city.

"Congratulations your majesty, you have conquered the main port city," Duke vont Whitby said cheerfully as they rode into Durres.

"Yes, Jing did a good job? Much of the city looks like it was spared from the fighting only the port looks destroyed," the king said waving to the throngs of commoners and soldiers who came out for his entrance.

King Roland planned a large theatrical entrance to leave a lasting impression.

The king rode into the Durres with over 5,000 soldiers frivolously displaying his power. He was the conqueror. He wanted to let these people know they were dominated and crush them into submission.

"Tsk, people look starved. But food aid shall win them to you. In truth, commoners care little for kings, only for security. As long as you provide them with wages, shelter, and food they'll worship you," added the Duke.

"Food aid is expensive. I'll ask my cousin when he returns," Roland said.

"I heard his shipbuilder Claud vont Ahmed arrived with Rupert. He's been waiting in Will's Tirana estate until Durres was reopened. It seems my son-in-law is prepared even when he's away as an envoy," the old Duke laughed and waved to the crowd.

"Adviser Chen expected he'd return to Durres, after he finished the twelfth ship there was nothing left for him to do in Gadreel. Thanks to the elves, there are now twelve operable airships and a train. We all expect Will to manage a fleet of merchant ships," the king replied.

"Yes, but what size ship? You think he'll build galleons again or a smaller nimbler ship?" the Duke asked inquisitively.

The carriage slowly pulled to a halt as General vont Smith pulled his horse alongside the carriage.

"Welcome to Durres your majesty," General vont Smith said.

"Well done, Jing. You shall be remembered as the great General that conquered Albania and reunited Fermion," the king praised.

"Thank your majesty, I am undeserving of your praise," the General said.

"None sense, your family has served faithfully in the military for years. I never thought your accomplishment would outrank your grandfathers and fathers. You shall forever be remembered as the pride of the Smith family," the Duke praised.

"It's my family duty to support the king. I'm happy I was able to fulfill my duty and see his majesty's dream achieved," General vont Smith said humbly.

"Ha-ha what a loyal vassal. If only everyone in my fraction was as loyal as you!" the king laughed.

"You are fortunate to have such a large fraction. If my father saw your fraction, he'd be jealous. You did what your grandfather couldn't in such a short time. Even more frightening, you've been king for less than a decade, I'm terrified of what you'll achieve in 50 years. Surely, you're the protagonist of this age," the Duke commended.

"Yes, I agree. You are the conquering king," the General added.

"Let's not forget this all started with Viscount vont Ballard, inadvertently seized Korce and held out for two weeks. This war was won by our two families," the king reminded everyone.

"What a humbled nephew. It's not a king's nature to be humble," the Duke said impressed.

"Now Jing, what do you want as your reward? Let me tell you first, Yorkshire, Tirana, and Durres shall all be governed by the crown. Now, tell me your wish," the king said.

"I do not wish for anything, only to continue serving you. My family is your vassal in the north, I wish for my family to remain your vassal forever," Jing replied sincerely.

"Since the vont Smith's have so many male cousins, your ancestral home shall be safe. How about you become a Royal Stewart? You can manage Tirana or Durres for the crown," the Duke suggested.

"What a good suggestion, Jing I'll appoint you like the Royal Stewart of Durres. If we need to go to war, your City Administrator can govern in your instead," the king said.

"Thank you, your majesty," Jing said.

"Now gives us the tour, I want to see this dock," King Roland smiled.

When the king and the Duke saw the dock, they were amazed by its immensity. The dock was 15 kilometers long with rows of piers. Neither the king nor Duke had seen a human creation as impressive.

…

Will returned to Tirana after picking up Elliot and sending Bubba home to Gadreel. As ordered by the king, Will left a detached of soldiers to fortify Lezhe.

When Will returned to Tirana, he found Claud vont Ahmed resting and eating lavishly in his new Tirana manor.

"Claud, is it done?" Will asked when he saw him.

"Yes, my lord, after the king announced the congress for nobles, many fleet owners were nervous. I only had to announce your intention to purchase, and the fleet and waterfront warehouse owners sought me out. Last week, I received about a hundred guests.

I did exactly as instructed. I tentatively bought all the purchase orders on credit until you arrived to sign the documents. Here's the paperwork," Claud said handing Will a stack of invoices.

"Elliot meet Claud. Claud is my shipbuilder. Claud, Elliot shall manage my naval holdings," Will said as both men greeted each other. From now on until retirement, these men would work together.

"How many ships did you purchase?" Will asked.

"I bought 74 caravels and 17 carracks. All the ships should be seafaring but in different shapes of conditions. Durres fell just before you arrived. I'll head down tomorrow to examine the ships," Claud said.

"Take Elliot and Mei with you. Elliot, I'll write you a letter to give to the Fermion commander. Elliot get the ships staffed and, on the water, as soon as possible. We can wait on the warehouses for now. Also, ask Mei to help you hire some reputable clerks," Will said.

"Yes, your lordship," Elliot responded.

Will reviewed the invoices Claud gave him, most of the caravels seemed to be in working order. They were secretly docked across the kingdom hidden away during the war. Now with the likelihood, that the nobles would lose their holdings, many decided to sell and use the money to restart.

Unlike like brigade ships like the galleon, Will wanted smaller more nimble ships to trade. Galleons we're huge and spacious, they could easier be converted to sky hotels. However, on the water, the ship was slow and cumbersome.

Caravels were small, highly-maneuverable ships the Spanish and Portuguese used on Earth during the 15th-17th centuries. The ship was built for pioneering new trade routes during the early renaissance globalization.

Caravels were known for their good sailing capabilities and were widely used inside and outside the Mediterranean Sea for trading and exploring.

The caravel had a distinctive shape, with a gently sloping bow, a single stern castle, a mainmast, and a mizzen mast that was generally lateen-rigged. The ship was developed to be incredibly fast and easily maneuverable. Just want Will wanted, fast trading vessels that gave him an edge in the delivery of imports and exports.

Soon Will would dominate trade by air, land, and sea. Will's vision was to be recognized as the premier international trade management company.

He planned for his sea trade to be broader than just shipping. He planned to have Elliot manage not only his fleet but a variety of customers, business partners, and his affiliated companies.

Will dreamed of importing goods at his docks and shipping via train or airship across the kingdom.

He was already known for being reliable, cost-effective, and great customer service.

Will aimed to control the whole vertical supply chain. He wanted to control 50% or more of the transportation of goods in reunited Fermion.

However, that wasn't enough for Will, he always wanted to pioneer new markets. The caravel in the 15th-17th century on Earth launched a wave of exploration, which was known on Earth as the Age of Discovery.

Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan all sailed on caravels. Their voyages discovered new lands and opened up new trade routes.

When Sir. Francis Drake pirated Spanish ships he brought to England more gold than the kingdom's annual GDP. Will hoped he could discover a new nation with untapped resources and unmined gold.

While Will knew that was unlikely to happen, but he had to take his chances.

For the immediate future, Will knew he had to develop his global sea trade and build his prosperity. After all, explorations were costly expenditures, which were likely to result in futile results.

For now, Will planned to focus on high-growth markets with the same adventurous spirit of discovery that drove the early explorers.

Towards that endeavor, Will created five goals:

First, he wanted to operate the primary seafaring trading company in Fermion. He set a goal to manage, operated, or owned over 600 vessels, and control 50% of the national sea trade and 10% of international sea trade.

Second, he wanted to supervise the design and construction of his patented Tudor Caravel and Carrack King Henry VIII used in his English Navy. There was nothing special about the ship, other than Will could own the patent. It would allow him entry into the shipbuilding market and see to the actual delivery of the vessel to the customer, thus providing one-stop, end-to-end customer service.

Third, Will wanted to manage 25%-50% of the assets for ship stockholders and provide direct investments for interested parties. Owning stock in a ship could be very lucrative. Similar to the East India Company in 1600 on Earth. Will wanted to serve as a trading body for people looking to participate in owning ship stocks.

Fourth, Will wanted to own the largest nautical insurance firm in the world. Shipping was inherently dangerous, and no one was managing that risk. He would help to mitigate risk before accidents happen and learn from incidents industry-wide to improve levels of operation to the highest standard. A focus on risk management would assure companies and stockholders and help sustain returns through market volatility and acts of God.

Lastly, Will set a goal to own, manage, and operate the largest warehouse company across the coastline. He'd rent out space to business partners and affiliate businesses, as well as help with the logistical distribution of goods throughout Fermion. From the southern sea to the northern mountain he panned to monopolize the distribution of goods across reunited Fermion.

Will envisioned a global conglomerate that embraced separate streams of activity which would include – maritime, air, and land services; the trading and logistics of bulk raw materials; and investment management activity and strategic asset ownership. His economic empire was insight, but he'd conquer the Durres shipping market first, and then the world.

Moreover, Will planned to expand his casino, auction house, and banking business at every port city his ships docked.

The Silver Phoenix Shipping Company would soon be a global brand. Every ship would raise his Silver Phoenix emblem, with the sword and mage staff crossed behind the legendary bird who held arrows in one foot and grain in the other.

After Will's plans were laid, he looked around the dark empty mansion. He had not hired servants and so the mansion felt a bit empty.

'I need to hire some staff, Will thought looking at his empty mansion. Tomorrow I'll teleport Elizabeth and the children, it's been an almost a year since I've last seen them,' Will thought.