Chapter 182 Newborn

At the Degen Harbor Shipyard, new ships are launched again.

The dry dock for building merchant ships can be used to build warships with a little modification.

And the new dry dock is still under construction, and the scale is still expanding.

The Little Duke-class gunboat has been sailing for two months, and the news sent back is that everything is fine.

But before that, three batches of gunboats have been built one after another.

Every time, the craftsmen are making various small adjustments to strive for perfection.

The first batch of three gunboats happened to be launched today.

The second batch will also be launched in fifteen days.

The third batch will also be launched in a month.

More construction plans are being launched one after another, and the number of shipbuilding craftsmen is increasing.

There are also mysterious gunsmiths busy installing artillery.

The Little Duke-class gunboat is enough to meet current needs.

However, larger and more advanced gunboats are still under design.

With the size of the Little Duke-class, it can accommodate more artillery.

But at the moment, Derek pays more attention to the new ship that is about to be launched.

The dock is filled with water, seawater is backflowing, and the sailors begin to operate the ship.

Three little Duke-class gunboats sailed out of the dock one after another.

Then, under the control of the navy, they came to the sea area that had been blocked for a long time.

The rumbling of the cannons was fired, which was the navy testing the guns.

When all three gunboats returned to the berths in the port, it meant that the launch was successful this time, and the three new ships joined the navy sequence.

Derek was very happy. Seeing that marine trade was becoming more and more important, the importance of the navy was also increasing.

Prepare for a rainy day, build your own navy now, so that you don’t have it when you need it.

He immediately ordered: "With three little Duke-class gunboats as the main body, equipped with some supply ships, temporarily form a small fleet to perform tasks.

The navy I need will first do a good job of escorting the route, and then gradually increase the garrison fleet to each supply port.

Finally, radiate to the New World, so that Leopold’s flag can pass unimpeded on the sea."

Derek expressed his ambition, but he had enough strength to support his ambition.

A large number of qualified sailors, overtaking shipbuilding technology, and directly turning the table to enter the next era of artillery technology are his confidence.

Outsiders only saw the glory of the Duke of the North, the might of the knights, and the madness of the monastery knights.

These are the Duke Leopold in the eyes of the world, and perhaps he should be rich and generous.

That's why the Southern Chamber of Commerce felt that it could control Derek and speak loudly on the sea.

But what others can't see are mature craftsmen, advanced technological innovations, and officers of civilian origin.

The human body has its limits. The data panel can make people become peak knights, able to fight ten people alone.

But no matter how powerful the knight is, he has to accept his fate under the chaotic blade.

But the power of technology can break the limit.

Although in an era with a low overall basic level, innovation is very difficult.

But basic drilling machines, gunpowder, and smelting technology can still be improved little by little.

If it doesn't work, skilled craftsmen can rub steel pipes by hand.

And compared with other people of the same era, this is already Zenith-level technology.

It is precisely with this basic system support that one gunboat after another is launched today.

The flagship of this batch of gunboats was named Swan by Derek himself.

Their mission was to carry supplies and cooperate with old warships along the route established by Lawrence to replenish the losses along the way.

And when returning, leave a gunboat to the nearest supply port.

After returning, they can continue this journey after replenishing the gunboats.

In a similar way, the armed forces of the entire route can be improved soon.

Watching the new fleet leave, Derek knew that this line was on the right track.

He can relax a little and return to Swan Castle to spend the New Year.

Since the little guy was born, he has been away for a longer time than he has been with him, which is really a dereliction of duty.

When the Duke left Degen Port, this military port area was blocked again, and even Andrew could not enter.

Winter in the north has completely arrived, and there is a light snow from time to time.

Fortunately, this year's harvest is good, and the developed commercial trade makes the price of goods on the market not high.

Civilians can also have a good year, and hide in a warm hut to make people.

Only when you are full can you bring more people.

The low tax rate implemented by Derek, coupled with the bumper harvest, finally paid off.

It’s hard to say for the first year, but the number of newborns has increased significantly this year.

They can support more people, and civilian families don’t need to drown newborns.

Derek even abolished all taxes on newborns, reducing the burden on civilians.

He stayed in Augusta City for a few days and deliberately passed by a familiar village.

He asked the caravan to stop far away, and Derek led a few knights and walked into the village with horses.

The militia on duty saw the emblem of the Leopold family and let people in very happily.

This place is the core of Augusta County, and no one dares to pretend to be a member of the Leopold family.

However, they are also smart and sent people to follow Derek and his party in the name of leading the way.

Derek did not refuse. These militias looked inconspicuous, but they were local snakes and could take him around.

"Knights, are you going to the village chief's house?" The militia asked carefully, full of cunning.

If they can be taken to the village chief's house, there will be no trouble. The village chief will naturally be able to identify the identities of these knights.

"No, just take me for a walk in the village." Derek rejected him.

The militiamen did not dare to refuse, so they simply took Derek and his party in circles.

Derek noticed that the life of the villagers should be pretty good, and there were no particularly shabby houses.

Only if you are wealthy can you have the time to tidy up the appearance of your house, otherwise it just needs to be practical.

And in almost every household, there are voices of children.

Although crying is unavoidable, he is very full of life.

"Are there many newborns in the village this year?" Derek asked.

The militiamen wondered why the knight asked this question. Could it be that the children were too noisy?

"Yes! Thanks to Your Majesty the Duke, every household has a surplus of food this year and can feed a few more mouths. Moreover, the birth tax is exempted and no one has to bear the burden." He paused for a while, feeling that this should not have any negative impact. Then he continued: "I estimate that at least thirty babies will be born this year."

This small village only has a few hundred people in total, and dozens of newborns are already an exaggeration.

"Won't this affect next year's farming?" Derek continued.

"How could it be? Country children are not that particular. They just bring it to the fields." The militiaman quickly explained. He was afraid that the noble master would feel that it would affect farming and impose some kind of tax.

Next, he spoke much more cautiously, not daring to say another word.

But Derek could tell that the civilians below still had good hopes for the future.

Of course, everyone is very supportive of Duke Leopold, who brought all this.

Coupled with the increased birth rate, Derek left in a happy mood.

On the way, he said to the attendant: "For the record, families with young children will be exempted from half the tax next year."