So this is a paddle boat. That's a big one.

　I looked up at the five-stage oar ship I'd purchased from the Persis Empire.
　Most of the ships owned by Rezad and other Cilicia cities under our rule are three-stage ships, but they are much larger than that.

　Since it's a used one, there are some scratches that stand out in places.......

　'I think this should be good enough for you. I mean, a scratch like this doesn't count as a scratch.

　Alexios reported that to me after he finished checking the ship.
　I had Ains, who was also a merchant, make sure that he was properly checked, so that he wouldn't grab a defective product, but....

　Is it really that good?

　For me, it's a question of why they would sell it at such a low price.
　I hear they're making something that isn't a paddle boat.

　Ships are totally out of my league, but...
　Since it's twice the size of a fifth step, can we simply assume it's twice as big?

　At the very least, it's obviously bigger than a five-step paddle boat.

　The bigger the ship, the more rowers it will have, the faster it will go.
　The larger the ship, the more rowers it will have, and the faster it will be, the better it will be able to make an impact.

　In addition, the larger and heavier the ship, the more defense it would have.

　The larger and heavier the ship is, the more defense it will have.

　It's not as if anything is better than being big, though. If you make it a ten-dan boat, you won't be able to turn it around as much. Well, Persis understands that. As expected, I want to believe that he won't do something as violent as changing everything to 10-dan.
　They're going to keep some of the triple-oared and five-oared boats. They're going to protect the flanks.

　Similar to the light infantry protecting the flanks of the heavy infantry.
　That's what I think.
　Perhaps naval and land battles are no different.

　I'm against things that aren't ten-oared ships. Unless you want to float a few ships as your flagship. With the time and materials to make a ten-dan, I think it would be more useful to make more three or five danes.
　Well, we can't have a ten-oared boat in our country to begin with.

　The larger the ship, the more difficult it will be to handle.
　We don't have that many sailors in our country.

　There are plenty of oarsmen to go around.

　By the way, how is the standardization and mass production of ships coming along?
　As far as that goes, it seems to be working just as well as ever.

　Standardization of the ship means....
　Well, in essence, we're trying to unify the size and design of the ship as it is.

　In this world, ships are basically all custom-made.
　Shipbuilders would build ships according to the requirements of the people who ordered them.

　This method seems to be advantageous because it allows the right ship to be built at the right time.
　But you'd be wrong.
　If a custom-made ship is damaged, only the builder can completely fix it.
　In addition, the price of a ship will rise.

　Inevitably, the number of ships built will also drop.

　This is a big trend in the cities of Cilicia.
　If they were from the same country, they would differ in some of the details, but they would still be roughly similar in their construction.

　However, since the cities of the Cilician people are all independent city-states
　The city-states are building completely different ships from each other.

　Of course, if the nations are competing with each other, there's nothing wrong with each trying to win out with their own uniqueness.
　But right now, they are all unified by Romalia.

　As a nation, we want to have a certain standard for our military ships and state-owned transport ships because we're building them.

　That's where the idea of standardizing the ships comes in.

　The person in charge is Alexios........
　However, this is actually being done by Rezad and other powerful Cilician people.

　For some reason, the Cilician people also seemed to think that it was more advantageous to unify their ships.
　However, that was not possible when countries were competing with each other.

　The heart of the country, the heart of the country, is impossible to rub together in terms of shipbuilding technology.
　But at the present stage, when all the Cilicia cities have teamed up with the Kingdom of Romalia and the Commonwealth of Romalia, it is possible.

　It was ordered by King Almus, so there was no way around it.
　With the excuse that they had no choice but to proceed with the unification of standards.

　In fact, the biggest obstacle in the unification of standards was the unification of weights and measures.
　Since all the city-states had adopted different weights and measures, unifying them took a lot of time.

　However, once the unification of the weights and measures was done, the rest was not so difficult.
　In the end, it's the same ship.
　The details are different, but the basic structure is the same.


　Currently, the company is aiming to establish a mass production system.　
　This is because in recent years, the demand for ships has continued to grow.

　This is because the commercial sphere of the Eastern Sea of Teutis, which was stolen by Pophenia, has gradually begun to return to the hands of the Cilician people.

　By bringing shipbuilders to the mainland of the Persians, the Persians reduced the power of the Cilician nations and prevented the Cilician cities from revolting.
　On the other hand, it encourages Cilician merchants in regard to their business.

　This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not contradictory.
　In short, buy ships from the Persis Empire and don't build them yourself. So that's what it means.

　However, the Persis Empire is not so rich in lumber resources, and warships are the priority.
　If that's the case, where will we really buy the ships from.......
　It becomes.

　Pophenia?
　No, I don't like Pofenia because I don't like her.

　Which means.....
　A Cilician Romalian!

　That's why ships made in our country are now floating in the East Sea of the Teutis.

　And the export of rock salt, cannabis, wine, and olive oil from our country to Persis and Pofenia has recently become a thriving business.

　In the past, Cilician merchants used to use Clarice or Alto (both cities on the mainland of the Cilician peninsula) as their base of operations, but nowadays they are moving to Lesado.

　Well, that's how well our maritime trade is developing.
　Fortunately, there is plenty of wood for building ships to rot.

　So, in order to keep up with the increasing demand, we're going to increase the supply...which leads to the idea of being able to mass produce.

　As I mentioned earlier, ships are basically made to order.
　This means that the carpenter will adjust the length of the timber and hammer in the nails for that particular ship.

　This would certainly make a good product, but it would take time.

　So, we are going to divide up the labor to build the ship.
　The lumber for the ship is processed to a certain size and transported to Rezad... and then assembled in Rezad according to the specifications.
　The shipbuilder's only job is to assemble them.

　Until now, that wasn't possible because of the varying standards of the ships....
　It's possible now because we've standardized our ships and narrowed them down from thousands of different types to just a few dozen.

　I'm sure that in five years we will have built more ships than Pofenia has ever built in her lifetime.
　Isn't that too much to ask?

　Pofenia is the largest maritime power in the Teutonic Sea.
　I don't think our country, as a land-based nation, can compete with it, but....

　No, the shipbuilding industry in Pofenia isn't doing so well, actually, because even though we have the technology, the wood is drying up. We have the technology, but we are running out of wood.
　Well if we ever get past Pofenia, we'll be a veritable shipping powerhouse.

　I'm sure we'll beat Pofenia then....
　Maybe.




　Meanwhile, at that time.
　The Senate of Pofenia, the economic powerhouse of the south, was in turmoil.

　''Lord Azul Hanno, you are responsible for this matter but how do you intend to take responsibility for it?
　I don't know what you mean. What are you talking about?

　There was a man in pursuit of Azul Hanno, the leader of the Plain Party, a representative of the landlord and aristocratic class interests.
　He was large and blond, his skin was tanned and sallow.

　If the nobles of Romalia saw him, they would recognize him at a glance.
　It was his father........

　Ceal Barca, the head of the Coastal Party and representative of the interests of the commoners and merchant class.
　He is the head of the Barca family and the real father of Alexios.

　He is a hero of Pofenia, having defeated the barbarians on the battlefield many times, expanding the colonies of Pofenia and contributing to the development of Pofenia.

　After the last war, when Kepka Barca failed to advance into Adelunia, the Barca family's power had begun to wane for a time.
　But with the support of the thick commoners, its power was beginning to pick up again.

　And now, the Coastal Party, led by House Barca, was once again overwhelming the commoners.

　'The last war I'm talking about the Adelian War. Because of your assurance of non-intervention with King Almus, our country was unable to intervene in the Adelnian War and allowed the Kingdom of Romalia to expand. The result was the creation of a huge military state on the Adelian peninsula.

　Pofenia is an economic powerhouse.
　However, the fact that it is an economic powerhouse does not necessarily mean that its army is powerful.

　As a country that relies on mercenaries for its army, the army is not as powerful as it might appear.

　''Not only the supremacy of Trisichelia Island, but the control of the sea in the Mersina Strait, or even the commercial sphere of the Teutis Sea, is at stake!　This is your responsibility!　Lord Azul Hanno!

　Yes!　That's right!

　More than half the senators, in agreement with Ceal Barca, shouted loudly.

　''As for the Mersina Strait, it has been decided that it will be under the control of both sides. And it has been decided that the commercial zone in the West Tethys Sea will also be under our control. Our national interests will not be lost. In the first place, could you have intervened in the Adelian War and won it?　The defeat to General Alexios (........) of the Kingdom of Romalia in the last war is fresh in our minds.

　Yes!　That's right!

　Agreeing with Azul Hanno, the other half of the senators shouted loudly.

　But..........

　'Oh?　Is there no loss of national interest?　Do you not know that our country is currently being pushed in the Eastern Teutonic Sea?　By the Cilician Romalians!

　It's...

　It's a sore spot and Azul Hanno shuts down.
　Because that is an undeniable fact.

　However, it's not so much that the Adelian War is directly related to it.
　In the first place, but we must also take into account the fact that the Cilicia countries are beginning to recover from the earlier Persis War.

　'It is said that Romalia purchased warships from Persis. And even though they are merchant ships they are beginning to mass produce ships. 　That greedy King Almus' lust is growing by the day!　That man's lust won't stay!　If this continues, our country will be consumed by the desires of King Almus!

　Ceal Barca gives a long speech about the threat to the Kingdom of Romalia.
　On top of that, the members of the Coastal Party shout that yes, they are.

　The members of the Plain Party are so consumed by the momentum that they can't even get a field day.
　

　That's why some Plain Party legislators shout, as do the Coastal Party legislators.

　'We must not allow the Kingdom of Romalia to extend any further!

　Thus, the Plain Party, led by Azul Hanno, lost its leadership in Pofenia....
　The Coastal Party, led by Ceal Barca, has taken control of Pofenia.

　Romalia, an emerging northern power, an agricultural, army and monarchy, planning to expand into the sea.
　Pofenia, an old southern power, a commercial, naval and republican state, trying to protect its vested interests.

　The clash between the two is an inevitable part of history.

　The time for a battle of the s*xes is near.