Realm of Power

In Kailuo Port, the dark sea surface at night was dyed red by the raging fire coming from the direction of the port. The sound of chaos in the port was heard. The ships docked in the port set anchor one after another to avoid the fire. A large number of people parked on the pier The goods were destroyed by fire because they could not be transported.

"Is this?" Governor Basinla, who had just shown some disdain for the embarrassing failure of the attack on the Ali Chamber of Commerce, was now looking into the distance with a face full of astonishment, his pupils constricted.

"Sir, there's a fire at the port." A servant ran in with a panic look.

"I can see it!" Governor Basinla asked with a livid face, "What's going on? Didn't it mean that the ambush of the Ali Chamber of Commerce failed? Why is the port burning now!"

"I don't know very well," the servant said with an ugly face. "The fire started suddenly. It was not yet late at night. There were still many pedestrians on the streets of the port. But under such circumstances, an unknown number of masked people... People rushed into the port on horseback, holding torches in their hands and burning easily flammable oil. The bag was thrown to the dock, and the houses on both sides of the street, pubs, and even a few low-level brothels in the port were not spared. A fire broke out that swept through the entire port. I suspected that this should be the Ali Chamber of Commerce. It should be understandable that the sneak attack failed and then changed to a strong attack."

"A strong attack after the sneak attack failed? If Baibao Lansu of the Ali Chamber of Commerce had such ability, he would not have been almost squeezed out of the port!"

Basinla's face was gloomy and the corner of his mouth curled up. He still knew quite well what kind of person Baibao Lansu was. He thought that Baibao Lansu, who had just become the head of the Kailuo Port branch, had average performance and abilities. At one point, Kubel, one of the three major chambers of commerce, was squeezed out of the port. It was Bai Baobao Lansu who came to the Governor's Mansion crying and shouting, saying that he would pay an extra 10% of the annual tribute, and he seemed to be a diligent guy. And for the sake of being more obedient, Governor Basinla stepped forward to stop the Kubel Chamber of Commerce from being aggressive. He also told the Ali Chamber of Commerce several times that as long as Baibao Lansu was the head of the branch, the Governor's Office would try its best to help, and Baibao Lansu was able to gain a foothold in Kailuo Port.

"What do you mean, sir, is that the Ali Chamber of Commerce has been used by others to become a stepping stone for other chambers of commerce?" The confidant servant was also smart and reacted quickly.

"It should be so, otherwise. This fire is too coincidental!" Who is Basinla? He has been in charge of the largest foreign trade port in the empire for fifteen years. He has seen too many intrigues by businessmen. This time the emperor released A huge order, and it is clearly stated that this order will only fall to one company in the end, rather than all three companies. In this case, it can not only hit the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce, but also severely step on the Ali Chamber of Commerce. Even if it were me, I would do it without hesitation

"Behind this fire, stood the figures of the three major chambers of commerce in Eero, while the Ali Chamber of Commerce ambushed the leader of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce. Taking such ruthless action against the port where the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce's headquarters is located can not only achieve eye-catching results , and it also severely contrasted the incompetence of the Ali Chamber of Commerce, killing two birds with one stone."

Basinla's voice paused. Angry eyes focused on a house that collapsed due to burning in the far port, and said in a solemn voice, "If I guessed correctly, it should be the work of the young merchant owner of the Solomon Chamber of Commerce. It was a bit strange to see it in such a tense atmosphere. , why did this young business owner go into danger?

"Now it seems that this young merchant had the intention to stand out in one fell swoop. The Solomon Chamber of Commerce has been the head of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce for hundreds of years. It is really not easy for someone to become a young merchant. He just used this shady method to succeed. Aren't you afraid of the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce's revenge? "Basinla looked at the firelight that reflected half of the sky at the port, and it suddenly illuminated his face. An Huming, as governor for fifteen years, has never seen anything like this. The struggle between chambers of commerce, especially the competition between large chambers of commerce, is no less than a real war between two countries. Businessmen pursue profits, even if one side wins, It does not mean that the other party does not have the ability to pull them together to die, so even the winning side will be cautious not to touch the other party's bottom line.

And this fire has undoubtedly burned the bottom line of the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce. The loss of goods is inevitable, and more importantly, it has also caused casualties, ambushes, and fire prevention. Is this going to kill them all? The question is, there are tens of thousands of Falcon Empire merchants and sailors in the entire Kailuo Port. Can you kill them all? , this water is too muddy, and may even turn into a storm. If even the Governor's Mansion is involved, then this struggle between private chambers of commerce will take on an official color. At that time, the Falcon Empire's naval battleships will really have an excuse. Bombardment of Port Kelo

"Order the city guards to withdraw from the port and the three major chambers of commerce starting tomorrow!"

Governor Basinla ordered his servants. It was obvious that he hated the people who set fire to the port tonight. Basinla had put countless efforts into the largest foreign trade port in the empire, and the port Complete facilities and hundreds of docks , as well as the huge economic circle formed with the port as the center, this time it was filled in the sea of ​​​​fire, which was also a loss of millions of gold coins. These guys set it on fire and asked Basinla to be responsible for wiping their butts. Why? Maybe, aren't you awesome? Okay, then let’s face the revenge of the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce. The Governor’s Mansion is not the scapegoat for this kind of thing! It can be seen that Governor Basinla hates him to the core of his heart.

The sky dyed with firelight was as gorgeous as the sunset. The banquet had stopped automatically at this time. No matter how melodious the tunes in the hall were, with such a big fire at this moment and the noise coming from the direction of the street, everyone walked curiously. Looking at the direction of the fire from the balcony, the harbor in early winter was already a place with strong winds and surges, and the flames could not be suppressed by the wind. They were like huge fire snakes swallowing from the east and west ends to the middle, rolling with sparks and destroying buildings of all sizes. swallowed by things,

"It's such a big fire, I'm afraid the whole port is on fire." Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm afraid some people are going to cry this time." Some people's voices were obviously gloating, and some people's faces were a little pale. The fire started in the direction of the port. Who doesn't know that most of the goods of the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce are Where are they? With such a big fire, I am afraid that even the entire port will not be spared. Some nobles with property in the port can't help but worry. With the influx of the Falcon Empire's merchant fleet, the current port is full of space. The prosperity of gold is burned like this. At least tens of thousands of gold coins were lost. Soon someone said goodbye to the Governor's Mansion and rushed over anxiously to see the situation.

On the outskirts of the harbor a number of horse-drawn carriages were parked

The leaders of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, who had just foiled the ambush of the Ali Chamber of Commerce, were looking at the port engulfed by fire, their eyes were bloodshot, and their fingers were tightly clenched into fists. If the ambush failed, the port would be set on fire! The other party's behavior is no longer a competition between chambers of commerce, but a life-and-death provocation!

"This matter will never end like this!"

Akfusu, head of the Kelo Port Business Alliance, vowed. He reported to the Maritime Trade Department of the Commercial Alliance in southern Congo as quickly as possible. In the report, he attached the testimonies of many witnesses at the time. Although there was no clear evidence, the arrow pointed to the three members of the Eero Empire. big chamber of commerce,

Because on the second day after the fire went out, with the Falcon Empire Chamber of Commerce suffering heavy losses in goods, the three major chambers of commerce in the Ero Empire began to dump goods, occupy market share, and purchase them at high prices from the nobles who owned the port industry. Burnt shop. The purchase price was the same as when it was intact. The losses of the local nobles in the fire were almost negligible. The original strong call for the Governor's Palace to intervene in the investigation was gone. The Governor's Palace was rare silent on this matter. The Kailuo Port, which had just experienced a fire, was shrouded in a strange atmosphere. Now the entire Kailuo Port was watching what the merchants of the Falcon Empire would do!

The report of the fire in Kailuo Port was sent to the Maritime Trade Department of the Commercial Alliance on the fifth day. With the development of the Empire's maritime trade, the size of the Maritime Trade Department of the Commercial Alliance has ranked first among all departments of the Commercial Alliance. The spacious and bright Maritime Trade Department building has four floors. Made of marble, clerks hurriedly holding documents and businessmen holding bills of lading for various goods are the most common sights in this building.

Holding the report on the fire at Kelo Port, a senior adjutant of the Ministry of Maritime Trade walked into an office at the top of the Ministry of Maritime Trade. Bright sunlight shone in from the stained glass. The space of this office was large, but the facilities were not adequate. Not much, just a big desk and long cabinets stacked with various materials, as well as some antique white statues with personal hobbies.

He Ruile, the head of the Maritime Trade Department, is placing a signed document on the right side of the table. This is his habit. The unsigned ones are placed on the left and the signed ones are placed on the right. Even if he is not in the country, his deputy will not put it on the right. Taking away unsigned documents, especially those involving trade secrets, would be an earthquake if they were released. For example, the one he had just signed was sent by the Imperial Navy.

The content is that the Imperial Navy will have a large number of new officers arriving in southern Congo in the near future. According to the usual practice, the Navy Ministry will let some officers come to the Commercial Alliance to study, because the Imperial waters are too vast, and even naval officers cannot If you visit every area, you need to understand the various aspects of these unfamiliar sea areas. The Merchant Alliance has the most comprehensive collection of environment and weather. Even many maps of the Imperial Navy Department are borrowed from the Merchant Alliance Maritime Trade Department. Therefore, the practice of letting officers study in the Merchant Alliance is also used in the navy. It is not uncommon and is recognized as the best way to understand the imperial waters in the shortest time.

Only this time, the number of people was really too large, 527 people! Is this sending one-half of the Imperial Navy’s personnel?

"Varrick, what's wrong?"

He Ruile, who was feeling a little distressed, saw the adjutant walking in. The solemn look on the adjutant's face suddenly made him feel an ominous premonition. "It can't be a report from the south," He Ruile said to himself. , the south he refers to is the area south of the inland sea. The most recent section At that time, the area south of the Inland Sea began to become tense. Feize, the Eero Empire and other regions had obvious moves to exclude and slander imperial merchants. This gave He Ruile, who was in charge of the Ministry of Maritime Trade, a headache. Although the Business Alliance It is so powerful that it controls not only 100,000 but also 50,000 to 60,000 merchants.

However, the safety of the Business Alliance itself is dependent on the shockingly powerful force of the Falcon Empire, just like the southern region of the Inland Sea, which is the edge area of ​​the empire's force deterrence. In the face of various provocations, the Business Alliance has no choice. , at most we can implement a trade embargo or something like that, if it doesn’t hurt our muscles or bones, who cares about you!

"Sir, I just received this!" Adjutant Varrick handed over the report in his hand.

"Is this... true?" He Ruile jumped up from his seat after taking a look. Kailo, the largest foreign trade port of the Ero Empire, was set on fire, countless goods were burned, and 187 imperial sailors were killed or injured. He Ruile could not sit still. You know, his He Rui family's ocean-going merchant fleet is now in Kailo Port.

"Sir. If possible, can you contact the Imperial Navy? The adjutant Varrick, who has always been gentle to others, also had a cold face at this time.

"Imperial Navy... I'm afraid it's difficult." He Ruile smiled bitterly. The port was burned, people died, and there were more merchants and sailors waiting for the reply of the Commercial Alliance. If you still tolerate it like this, it will really chill everyone's heart. However, the Imperial Navy is not something that the Commercial Alliance can command.

"Sir, at this time, why don't you ask that person?" Adjutant Varrick hesitated and said boldly.

"Ah... The computer is broken, and I changed it again (to be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!

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