Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

"I am very curious how your fleet obtained such a large amount of spoils without any war. Can we learn from your advanced experience?"

The governor stared at the old cat in astonishment, his expression practically screaming, "Holy crap, you guys need to do this kind of thing too?"

“It’s not easy to maintain a large army. Food, drink, clothing, supplies, gunpowder, and bullets all cost money. Kazdel is poor, and there’s also the Sarkaz tradition…”

Kal'tsit gave the other a knowing look, and the latter suppressed all surprise, revealing an expression of "deep understanding" as if they were both fellow sufferers.

"Lord Kal'tsit is right. The army is powerful, but it is not easy to maintain..." the governor sighed. "The little salary given by the higher-ups is not even enough to feed a few men. If we don't develop some other industries, the Great Yantian Army will decline sooner or later."

“So, you guys are…” Kal’tsit made a bandit gesture, but the other person didn’t nod and looked at her with a ghostly expression. “You guys… are you all this wild? Cough cough, I misspoke.”

"You're not?" Kal'tsit gave a strange look. Where did all this stuff come from if you're not thieves?

"Alright, we have an operation coming up soon, Sir, you might as well join us if you're interested."

The agreement has been signed, we're all in this together, and these Sarkaz seem to have even more unruly ways, having offended those poor, incompetent officials in the court, so they seem... trustworthy?

The Longbei Desert, north of Longmen, is the only trade route between the Great Yan and the outside world. A constant stream of ships connects the Great Yan country with the Longmen trading port. Kal'tsit has been here with the Great Yan Moonport Fleet for at least three days, and nothing has happened.

They acted as if they were genuinely on official business, not robbing caravans or attacking villages, but simply patrolling and apprehending bandits.

"Report: A large, illegally constructed vessel with a circumference of four wei has been discovered!" The so-called "four wei" refers to the circumference of the vessel. One wei is 200 meters, so four wei would be 800 meters in circumference. The Great Yan prohibits vessels with a circumference of more than four wei from leaving the country through the Longmen Port and enforces a strict border blockade policy.

As long as the emperor adheres to this national policy, the fleet will be loyal, absolutely loyal. As long as the emperor adheres to this national policy, the trade revenue of the Great Yan will not go to the national treasury, but will only go into private pockets.

As for the reason...

"Is the flag up?"

"Report: No dragon flag is being displayed!"

"Raise anchor, get to work!" The admiral immediately became excited, and more than a dozen fast ships surrounded the transport convoy at an astonishing speed, quickly blocking it. "Same as always, half the cargo or report it as banditry and murder, choose one." The admiral shouted to the convoy's manager, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"You soldiers, do you even know who the master is?"

"Who cares who your master is? Once you're in this desert, you have to listen to us. Looks like you're not going to pay with your lives? Smash them! I don't want the goods!"

"Stop! This guy has..."

"I don't care who has a stake in it. Anyone who dares to leave the country without buying our dragon flag will be charged half price. Now, I'm giving you one last chance. I'll take all the goods, and you get out of here, or I'll kill you all."

"Isn't this... standard piracy? But why not rob those transport ships?"

"If you want to go to the court to impeach me, go ahead. Don't say I didn't give you poor wretches this chance." The admiral curled his lip. "Give them thirty numbers, deliver the goods and get out, or they'll all die here."

"The Great Yan prohibits large ships from leaving the country. If they go through the Longmen Port, they have to pay taxes to the customs officer in charge. Even if they go to the emperor to file a complaint, they can't do anything to us."

Because they were simply enforcing the anti-smuggling laws of the Great Yan Dynasty, and were just confiscating smuggled goods without any scruples.

Therefore, those gentry truly hated the fleet to the core, and this was the reason why they set fire to the shipyard, damaged ships, and colluded with pirates.

Because these soldiers are using their superior armor and weapons to collect protection money from them, and they are unwilling to pay even the imperial grain and national taxes, how could they possibly be willing to pay protection money?

However, you can't refuse to pay. If you don't, these thugs will really block the waterway, prevent you from doing business, smash all your ships, and rob all your goods. If you want to do smuggling business safely and engage in private foreign trade, you have to pay protection money.

The wealthy gentry who paid protection money would receive a dragon flag. Ships flying the flag would be ignored by the fleet, while those without the flag would be considered bandits, and their cargo and ships would be stolen. Of course, these large, illegal ships were usually backed by powerful forces, so the fleet would generally only take half of their cargo.

As for the issue of impeachment, we are even less afraid, since the fleet is loyal, isn't it?

As long as the Great Yan's isolationist policy continues, the entire fleet can live a life of plenty thanks to this thing, and they will remain the emperor's loyal subjects.

If the Great Yan were to abandon its policy of isolation and build up customs and tax collection, then they would be disloyal. Between paying taxes and paying protection money, those merchants and the gentry behind them would definitely choose the former.

Would the emperor do that? No, for a simple reason: the current governor was very compliant and dutifully paid the emperor the commercial taxes according to the Great Yan's regulations. The prefect of Yuegang was also living a very happy life.

There's no need to curry favor with the gentry; all they need to do is get money from the fleet to pay their annual taxes. Since they don't take money from the gentry, they have plenty of confidence. They don't have to kneel to beg for money, so they speak with authority and can hold their official positions standing up.

If it weren't done this way, it's hard to say whether the tax revenue would have been as high as it is now, given that it had been passed down through the various levels of government. The key point is that this money went into the emperor's private treasury, not the imperial granary; it was the young emperor's private money.

If bureaucrats impeach you, they will have to face the following questions: Where did your contraband ships come from? Where did the cargo that the fleet seized come from? What were they used for? Were taxes paid?

This would be tantamount to cutting off the smuggling group's livelihood. Not only would the protection fee double due to the risks posed by the imperial court, but smuggling would also become more difficult, and more taxes would be levied—anyone who dares to impeach them would be a public enemy!

The only way to break this deadlock is to destroy the Great Yan fleet. As long as they don't have the strength to block the transport ships in the wild, they don't have combat power, warships, soldiers, or the will to fight, then they won't have to pay protection money.

However, everyone in the fleet clearly understood that by siding with those bureaucrats, they could gain benefits for a few days.

However, once this smuggling route was opened, their fate was the same as that of the guards in the garrison.

The governor took them to see the miserable state of his army colleagues every day, practically throwing bones into the barracks to humiliate them—

Therefore, the officers and men of the fleet were very determined to maintain this force, even though the purpose was still to enrich themselves.

Ultimately, the negotiations broke down. The other side, relying on its powerful background, didn't care at all. On the other hand, after receiving the order, the fleet cheered and pounced on the enemy like wolves, demonstrating the excellent boarding skills of the Great Yan Fleet and its precise gunnery—breaking off the legs, dismantling the upper deck, washing the deck, and boarding in one go.

The battle only took half an hour to conclude.

"Send the bodies and a fraction of the cargo to those bandits and make them take the blame. We were too late to provide assistance, which led to the attack on the cargo ship. During the rescue operation, several officers and soldiers unfortunately died in the line of duty. We also discovered a quantity of smuggled goods, which were all confiscated. Registrar, tally it up and send it to the family."

"If they don't pay compensation, we won't take their money. From now on, we'll destroy every boat of theirs, regardless of size or type!"

"It's been so many years, can't you just pay your money and do business properly? How dare you go against us? Do you think we're just some useless piece of trash from the garrison?"

"Take this message to the fleets in Fuzhou and Quanzhou as well. If they don't receive an apology within three days, not a single plank of theirs will be allowed to leave the country!"

"These are your spoils of war?"

"Aren't smuggled goods seized by customs considered spoils of war?" the admiral asked, puzzled.

"Uh..." Kal'tsit sighed. Has the Great Yan Dynasty really come to this? However, compared to the border guards of Ursus, they are much better off.

"But I heard from the shipyard that you haven't acquired any new warships in a long time."

"That was back when Commander Liang was in charge. Now, well—" the admiral chuckled coldly. "Ever since Commander Shi took office as the part-time governor of Yuegang, it's been a different story. However, some things are quite difficult to handle, such as this warship."

Although the shipyard has enough materials and we intend to order ships, we lack a good reason, and we fear those impoverished officials in the court will surely obstruct our plans.

Expanding the fleet without the permission of the Ministry of War and privately stockpiling weapons and armor would be a serious offense, even for the emperor. He trusted the fleet's loyalty, but he couldn't set a precedent, or his rule would be in jeopardy.

"You actually did my master a great favor..." The people in the court wouldn't say anything about the ships that Kazdel purchased, as long as it didn't get out and be known to those poor scholars at the Imperial Academy.

Moreover, there are quite a few people at all levels involved in this deal, all lining up to make money. They may verbally curse and shout that they want to punish Kazdel, but who the hell takes it seriously? If they really intend to do this, who would say it out loud and alert the enemy? Isn't it all just to make more money? The louder they shout, the more it means they haven't paid enough—how despicable!

"Also, your caravan should pay the fees it owes. We're brothers, so let's keep clear accounts. I'm not afraid of you causing trouble. If we cooperate, we can all eat from the same pot, and it'll be easier to meet each other then, right?"

"That depends on how long your Commander Shi can stay in this position." Kal'tsit remained noncommittal. Perhaps he was indeed a capable person, using a method almost like warlord plunder to collect money and use it for military expenditures, successfully supporting the army when the national economy was in trouble.

However, because of this, he was bound to be disposed of when the emperor no longer needed him. Since he used his private money to support the army, it was hard to say who the Great Yan fleet would ultimately belong to.

Of course, the emperor will not take action in the short term, partly because he is also waiting for this "blood tax" to solve his immediate problems.

On the one hand, such arrogant behavior, which would give others grounds for criticism, would inevitably anger the gentry. Without the support of the gentry, it would be difficult to truly gain the ability and power to govern the local area and interfere with the imperial power.

However, there is an old saying in the Great Yan Dynasty, and Kazdel's actions are proving this saying—

"He who has the strongest army is the emperor." Before having a powerful and effective army to keep the emperor in check, the emperor and the court would never dare to do anything to the commander-in-chief, let alone investigate, order the reorganization, or disband the army.

Just kidding. If this order were sent to Yuegang, this Commander Shi would probably be arrested by his subordinates the very next day, and then, under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials," he would storm into the capital of Da Yan, and then, 20 miles outside the city, don the yellow robe and go straight in to ascend the throne. This is not without precedent.

"What do you call it again? 'Great loyalty appears as treachery'?" The admiral remained noncommittal. This level of sarcasm was considered mild. The powerful figures who had their goods cut off and ships intercepted used much harsher language. Moreover, this was the thing that the fleet's officers and soldiers were most curious about—what was this leader after?

He claimed to want to establish a separatist regime, but he honestly paid taxes and diligently patrolled the border, which greatly reduced the number of border bandits. He was also devoted to military construction, which preserved the last army in the Great Yan that could fight tough battles. He was the epitome of a loyal and capable general.

You might call him a loyal general, but he outwardly obeyed the military's orders while inwardly defying them. Once he left Yuegang, he would plunder freely, looting any merchant ship that hadn't paid protection money, and burning, killing, and robbing any warehouse that he didn't know about or that hadn't paid protection money or taxes. He was also extremely arrogant and domineering in the local areas.

The fleet would wipe out the entire family and estate, then report it as a bandit crime. The family property would be divided equally among a group of officers and colonels, and even the lower-ranking soldiers would get a few coins. Such banditry was all too common.

As for his private workshops, bribing superiors, and feeding the supervising eunuchs, then colluding with them to cause widespread suffering in the local area—that was commonplace for him—he was truly a complex character. [There is a historical prototype for him.]

"Two Jingping-class armored patrol ships and four Pingsha-class large gunboats, but only two gunboats will be handed over. The remaining two are ours, and of course, you will pay for them. No objections, right?"

After observing how these people acquired their "spoils," the two sides officially began the transaction of money and goods.

"No, but you must guarantee that the Great Yan government has no ability or intention to obstruct us..."

This was practically extortion, but Kal'tsit didn't care. As long as she could get the warship, being ripped off at a high price was perfectly reasonable.

The only difference is that in some places it's called bribery, and in others it's called sponsorship. In fact, the former might even be more credible than the latter, since you'll at least get something in return.

Instead of stopping you halfway through your journey on the grounds of "endangering national security," they simply detain you there.

"Then it's settled. Two days from now, you can find someone to take the ship away yourself. We'll give you a fast track. But once you get it, don't make a fuss. To the outside world, just say you've purchased four ordinary transport ships."

As for the equipment and such, just say you modified it yourselves. If you can't find a target to frame, I have an account book here; you can pin the blame on everyone one by one.

It must be said that after receiving enough money, the Moon Harbor Fleet acted very quickly. They swiftly towed away two of the four ships that had been built with padding materials from the shipyard, painted them with their own markings, and then paid the final payment. Meanwhile, the Prefect happily went to enjoy the nearby scenery and took a break, completely unaware of what was happening.

He paid his taxes in full, there were no bandit attacks, and the surrounding areas were peaceful. His performance evaluation would inevitably include the word "capable," so why tear off the mask of civility? Isn't it better to get promoted, make money, and receive bribes? Isn't it better to be an official who doesn't have to be subservient to powerful figures?

The Jingning-class is the most numerous warship in the Great Yan. It is called the "Battle Seat Ship" because its superstructure is concentrated at the stern and looks like a seat. It is a special close-range combat ship. The fortress-like Battle Seat allows it to take advantage of its height when boarding and sweep the deck with concentrated firepower, and it can also sweep the deck of the opposite side.

Launching boarding cables from the top allows for faster coordination with bottom docking cables, enabling pincer attacks on targets from above and below. Because many of these were built during the era when boarding was commonplace, Shi Laoda felt that these cumbersome devices were gradually becoming obsolete and wanted to replace them with faster, more effective long-range firepower projection devices, which is why he started selling them in large quantities. However, his shipbuilding plan was blocked by the bureaucrats.

The reason is self-evident: is this guy going to attack those sand transport ships by adding a bunch of high-speed, light boats?

Of course, the best course of action is to intercept these bureaucrats and gentry's smuggling fleets at high speed. Strengthening long-range firepower is also to avoid the inevitable decline in the fighting spirit of the Great Yan army, and to reduce casualties—otherwise, in peacetime, it would be unpleasant for anyone to report a bunch of casualties every month.

Therefore, this expansion plan was naturally thwarted, and they had to resort to taking kickbacks from Kazdel and saying they would order four ships to fool the local and higher-ups, who would then divide the ships among themselves.

Of course, this trick can only be used once, but once is enough to play the next one. Chief Shi very enthusiastically invited Kazdel to make some money together.

If these poor guys continue to obstruct his plans, he'll let Kazdel's "Wild Bandits" in and teach them a lesson with high-speed warships.

As for the profits, they split them 40/60, with him generously offering Kazdel's henchmen 40% of the profits.

As long as those powerful clans did not approve the plan, he would continue to send these "bandits" to rob, and then cry poverty in the court, saying that the fleet had no high-speed ships, "the armor and weapons are rotten, the warships are old and can hardly be of great use, and he requested that the emperor allocate funds for repairs, and also allow the fleet to build new ships to strengthen the border defenses."

But if we agree to his plan, we'll go from being Kazdel bandits to being Great Flame bandits. It's all the same. In short, they'll take the skins of animals and pluck the feathers of geese as they pass by. If you want to transport goods out or in without spending money or paying taxes, don't even think about it!

As for the issue of military pay, the well-fed Moonport Fleet doesn't care about the meager pay that is only paid out every three to five years after layers of exploitation.

As for the new Pingsha-class gunboats, they are the newest and most advanced warships of the Great Yan Dynasty, and the Doctor attaches great importance to this type.

Even though the opponent didn't install any high-powered weapons, its structure suggests that it could accommodate 14-16 Originium railguns, as well as a large number of rapid-fire weapons.

Furthermore, the defensive performance of the Great Yan's Dragon Steel Armor is also excellent, probably not much worse than Victoria's Armor Steel. After bringing it back and modifying its power and weaponry, it can change its defensive posture and launch a counterattack against Theresis's fleet.

In addition, the shipyard has also taken on an order for dragon boats here, which is expected to be completed in two years.

However, the Great Yan also gave a message that they could not equip the dragon ship with any military weapons, except for the Great Yan's old-fashioned naval cannons, since the fleet dared not go too far on the surface.

Perfect timing. What we need here is a professional fleet flagship, not a battleship, and we don't need the Great Yan's weapon systems. We can just bring it back and improve the rest ourselves.

Aside from lacking weapons, everything else represents the pinnacle of the Great Yan's shipbuilding technology; its defense, speed, handling, and propulsion are challenges that remain difficult to overcome to this day.

Well, one reason is that the shipyard doesn't have the money to develop new technologies, so it can only hone these old technologies to perfection.

This acquisition nearly emptied all of the Xia Group's idle funds. If it weren't for the huge income from the upcoming summer harvest, the group's financial situation might have immediately become problematic.