Free Web NovelChapter 237: Port Calden
For the most part, Lucas didn’t have to worry about coordinating the evacuation of Herald City. There were many competent and experienced people here, including his Master, so as long as he provided a basic outline of what needed to be done, the others would be able to fill in the rest of the details on their own.
The situations in Port Calden and Iron Rock, however, were an entirely different story.
As such, early the next morning, after handing over a 40-page guide outlining the major points of his plan to his Aunt Sasha, Lucas hopped onto a Tartan and set out for the next closest city.
Accompanying the young boy by air were 2 Spirit Initiates, Allina Crest and Jensen Reese, as well as a team of 17 Sea Establishment and Core Formation Realm Captains. This contingent’s job was to make contact with the local Lord of Port Calden, Viscount Moore, and secure her cooperation for the evacuation.
Once Port Calden was onboard, Lucas and his group would head further north to Iron Rock to meet with Count Carlson to repeat the process.
Simultaneously, 2 warships from the Raging River Legion, each carrying 200 or so support staff were setting off from the Herald City docks, one bound for each city. These merchants, administrators, and soldiers would follow-up on Lucas’ efforts in the two cities, helping to smoothly implement his 5-day plan.
With any luck, before the sunset today, operations would be up and running in all 3 cities.
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Port Calden didn’t start off as a city; in fact, it was never even meant to become a major metropolis.
Originally, it was just supposed to be a slightly larger town, a rest stop between the rich mines of Iron Rock and the fertile fields of Herald City, but now, it was a vital trade hub with a thriving ship-building industry and a resident population approaching 25,000.
All of this was thanks to the driven and dedicated efforts of the Moore Family.
119 years ago, a high-ranking Captain in the Royal Legion’s Eleventh Regiment named Orson was granted the title of Baron and enfeoffed a small piece of land. This was a reward for his distinguished service in battle, as well as compensation for serious injuries he had received.
Orson’s territory was located in the South-West Province and consisted of a small port town on the western banks of the Belton with a population of about 1,500, as well as 7 nearby farming and logging villages.
Like much of the South-West Province of the Rockwell Kingdom, Orson’s land was fertile, and with the vast river providing fresh water and fish, there was no need to worry about starving to death even if the territory wasn’t managed particularly well.
This was a modest domain by any definition for a Baron, but considering this former solider had no noble family backing him and no governing experience to his name, the Royal Council figured this was the most he would be able to handle.
When he was first granted his title and land, no one had any great expectations of Orson. As long as the territory remained stable and the port continued to serve as a relay point between Herald City and Iron Rock, Orson could essentially retire in Port Calden and enjoy what was left of his life, free from worries or responsibilities.
Orson, however, after spending some time learning about his new domain, had other ideas.
Before Orson Moore’s arrival, Port Calden was technically governed directly by the Royal Family, but in practice, a low-level administrator from the capital responsible for day-to-day operations was simply rotated in and out every 5 to 10 years.
With such lax government supervision and control, it didn’t take long before criminal elements sprung up, mostly focused around the docks of Port Calden.
Moving cargo, repairing ships, and servicing sailors with food, ale, and prostitutes, were all extremely lucrative businesses opportunities, and after a few years of bloody fights, 3 gangs eventually established themselves at the top of the hierarchy, gaining almost completely control of the port.
Nominally, the royally assigned mayor was in charge of Port Calden, but in reality, it was these 3 gangs that called the shots.
Violence, coercion, bribery, racketeering, and a slew of other crimes were committed frequently in and around the docks of Port Calden. The gangs also fought numerous turf wars, each one trying to muscle the other 2 out and gain total dominance of the town.
Despite all this, however, these 3 gangs were smart enough not to take things too far so as to avoid drawing the ire of the kingdom. They knew that if the port stopped functioning entirely, or if too many people ’disappeared’ all at once, any of the big nearby Lords could squash them without the Royal Council ever needing to lift a finger.
As such, while they fought amongst themselves and viciously exploited the people of the town, these 3 gangs made sure to keep the port running somewhat smoothly and to ensure the assigned mayors were well bribed so they looked the other way regarding their shadier dealings.
When the leaders of these 3 gangs learned that a newly promoted Baron was going to formally take Port Calden as his territory, they actually celebrated, thinking that they would no longer have to worry about constantly providing ’welcoming gifts’ every few years to a new mayor.
With a single partner, the gangs thought they could establish a longer-term relationship that would be both cheaper, and stabler.
As such, the leadership of the 3 gangs actually decided to welcome the newly arriving Baron Moore on the docks as he arrived, hoping to establish a good rapport right from the start.
Standing on the main dock, in the middle of the day, the boldness of the gang leaders was on fully display, along with their certitude that the situation was completely under their control.
It thus came as an incredible shock when the new Baron’s ship docked and the first thing that happened was several Squads of fully armed and armoured soldiers leapt off its deck and charged out to suppress them.
A few of the more hot-tempered gang members tried to fight back, but while these men and women were used to street brawls, they were absolutely no match for the veteran soldiers who, less than 6 months ago, had been fighting in a brutal, years-long war.
Having heard from a few previous officials who had been stationed in Port Calden, Baron Orson Moore was well aware of the situation in his newly acquired territory, and he was determined not to let it stand.
Orson had fought against the Darr Kingdom for years to protect his homeland and its citizens, and he was damned if he was going to let a bunch of thugs and bandits sit back and profit off of the sacrifices he and his fellow soldiers had made.
After executing a few of the more unruly gangsters to set an example, it didn’t take long for Orson Moore and the veterans who he had recruited from his old unit to identify all the ringleaders of the criminal organizations.
It also helped that these fools had literally come to present themselves to him.
Marching the gang leaders through the streets, Baron Orson Moore arrived at the town’s central square and loudly called for all the citizens to come out for a public trial.
At first, many of the locals refused to show their faces, too afraid of going against the powerful gangs which had ruled their lives for so long; however, there were still a few who stepped forward to expose the heinous crimes of these local tyrants.
Whether these ordinary folks were brave, or just desperate, no one knew, but once someone took the lead, it didn’t take long for others to follow.
Soon, the various gang leaders were being spat on and stoned by hundreds of ordinary civilians, all while they were forced to kneel by Orson and his comrades.
A few hours later, after letting the townsfolk vent their pent-up anger, Orson Moore ordered all the gang leaders to be beheaded, a command his fellow soldiers carried out without the slightest hesitation.
Having established his prestige, the next thing Orson Moore did was round up the ordinary members of the various gangs with the assistance of the local populace, most of whom were more than happy to help the new Baron clean up their town.
Depending on the severity of the crimes these gang members committed, they were either sentenced to hard labour for a certain number of years, or simply executed.
Orson Moore also confiscated all the assets of the gangs he could find, distributing part of them back to the townsfolk to secure his position in their hearts while the rest he kept for his future plans. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
The chaos in Port Calden lasted half-a-month before gradually settling down, at which point Baron Orson Moore began implementing an aggressive expansion campaign, recruiting retiring soldiers and war refugees to his town with the offer of land and jobs.
Of course, while Orson was a bold tactician and an excellent warrior, he was less impressive when it came to administrative and logistics tasks. These, he entrusted to his wife Teyla, the former quartermaster of the Royal Legion’s Eleventh Regiment. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Under the dual blessings of Orson’s bold leadership and Teyla’s meticulousness, Port Calden grew from a small town to a small city in just 40 years, a remarkable achievement which vastly exceeded everyone’s expectations and earned the Moore Family the rank of Viscount.
The only tragedy in all of this was that neither Orson, nor Teyla, lived long enough to see the Moore Family’s rise, both of them passing away just months before the official promotion ceremony in the Royal Capital, their lives cut short as a result of all the old injuries they had suffered in the war.
