บท 117: Misdirection
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"In conclusion, it's now certain that Jaden is planning an attack against us. We believe he intends to use a feint to draw away our main forces while his true target is Frand Port."
In the meeting room of the naval base, as discussed by the gathered officers based on the latest intelligence obtained from Clement, a military officer specializing in intelligence analysis spoke.
Austin found it somewhat unbelievable; after all, Frand Port was the headquarters of the navy. "If that's the case, they're quite audacious."
The intelligence officer speculated, "Based on information from other pirate prisoners captured recently, Jaden has recently absorbed several pirate gangs, greatly increasing his strength to six or seven hundred men. This confidence may be why he's daring to challenge us."
Austin nodded, "It seems that while we focus on targeting Jaden, he's also planning to deal with us."
Captain Quik of the Hope asked, "Commander, what should we do? Should we lay a trap, keep our main force at Frand Port, and await Jaden's attack?"
Austin shook his head, "We need to consider this carefully. We don't have direct evidence yet that they intend to divert us and then attack Frand Port. We can't just sit idly by in the base and watch them plunder elsewhere. What if their actions elsewhere aren't just a feint?"
Damn it! If only the navy had a bit more manpower. After large pirate crews like the Shark and Quik with several hundred people were finished off, only small gangs of no more than a hundred remained, making it easy for the navy to divide and conquer. Now, with the Eel pirate gang growing stronger, dividing our forces further becomes precarious.
At this moment, someone spoke up, "As long as we have sufficient troops, we can assist other areas while ensuring the safety of Frand Port. Major Joyce's Third Infantry Battalion is currently training nearby."
All eyes turned to this officer, the captain of a sail-and-oar warship named Yarman.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Captain Yarman hesitated slightly and said, "Um... should we not leverage the strength of our army brothers? After receiving distress signals, we can have the Third Infantry Battalion help defend Frand Port, allowing us to concentrate our forces at the scene."
"How... how can we do that? Eliminating pirates is Lord Gleeman's task for the navy. Allowing the army to intervene would make us look incompetent, wouldn't it?"
Sure enough, someone immediately stepped forward to object—it was Captain Quik of the Hope.
This guy had been beaten up by the First and Second Battalions when he was a pirate in the town of Alden, so he had some resentment toward the army.
When Austin asked him to join the navy, he specifically asked about the composition of the navy personnel. Upon learning that except for Commander Austin himself, all of the navy's personnel were either new recruits or pirate prisoners, he finally made up his mind to join the navy.
Although the other officers did not speak, their expressions showed that they were inclined to Quik.
But Navy Commander Austin agreed with Captain Yarman's suggestion. He said, "Gentlemen, we should prioritize completing the mission. Any means are permissible, even leveraging the strength of others."
"The construction of the second batch of sailboats is progressing smoothly. Once completed, they will head south to open up the shipping routes. We can't delay the pirate issue any longer."
"Our initial goal was to take down the Eel Jaden. If he comes to us willingly, that would be even better. Besides, him absorbing other gangs saves us the trouble of dealing with them one by one."
He instructed the intelligence officers, "Make good use of Clement and try to understand Jaden's true intentions as much as possible."
Seeing the navy commander's stance, the other officers had to agree.
The meeting ultimately decided to join forces with the Third Infantry Battalion to eliminate the pirates. However, this required approval from the General Staff, and Austin immediately dispatched someone to Alden Town.
...
In the following days, Jaden's pirate gang suddenly quieted down. Not only did Alden not suffer any attacks from him, but there were also no reports from other territories. It was evident that they were accumulating strength, perhaps refurbishing military equipment or digesting newly absorbed pirate gangs, preparing for the impending major battle.
To counter the pirate attacks, the navy intensified training once again. Austin obtained authorization from the General Staff, temporarily commanding the Third Infantry Battalion stationed near Frand Port.
During this period, Intelligence Officer Durant arranged for Clement, the brothel owner, to contact the Eel pirate gang several times. Information gathered from these contacts confirmed that "Eel" Jaden indeed intended to misdirect, with Frand Port as his true target. However, the exact date of the pirate's operation was still unknown.
On October 10th, a distress signal was suddenly observed in the distance. The navy immediately dispatched warships to the scene, and defense within Frand Port was taken over by the Third Infantry Battalion. Meanwhile, at Durant's direction, Clement released a carrier pigeon carrying the message: "Navy main forces have departed."
By the time the rescue fleet arrived, the pirates had already retreated. According to local militia reports, the pirates had merely made a show of force outside the fortress and left with few casualties.
Austin concluded that this was a "test" operation by Jaden to assess whether the feint could draw out the navy's main forces.
...
A week later, at noon on October 17th, the Hope and several other ships returned to base port after completing an exercise. Recently, they had been practicing using new flag signals for communication at sea.
Sailors lowered canvas sails and inspected the hulls. Once everything was confirmed normal, except for those remaining on duty, others headed ashore towards the mess hall, discussing lunch options along the way.
Suddenly, the base bell rang, indicating an alert.
Quik muttered, "Hope this time it's for real! Damn Jaden." He immediately hurried with other officers to the operations conference room, while sailors regrouped, ready to depart at a moment's notice.
At the operations meeting, Austin decided to have the navy stay at Frand Port and dispatched the Third Infantry Battalion for rescue. According to observations by sentries, the location signaling distress was most conveniently reached by land.
Once again, the carrier pigeon carrying the message "Navy has left" soared into the distance.
Several hours later, in the waters near Frand Port, ten pirate ships flying skull flags appeared. Upon receiving the message, pirate leader Jaden immediately commanded his fleet to hasten towards Frand Port.
Standing on the deck, he loudly ordered, "After landing this time, plunder to your heart's content! We must make a grand spectacle and establish our pirate gang's reputation."
He emphasized, "But remember, you have only five hours. After that, regardless of whether everyone has returned, I will command the fleet to withdraw."
"Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" The pirates cheered in response to their leader, eagerly preparing for action.
Jaden drew his dagger and pointed eastward, "Slaves, increase speed! Attack Frand Port!"
"Boss, something's wrong!"
A shout from the lookout disrupted the atmosphere.
Annoyed by the interruption, Jaden suppressed his anger and asked loudly, "What's wrong?"
The lookout on the mast, fear evident on his face, pointed to the east, "The navy hasn't left. They... they're charging towards us!"
(End of the chapter)
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