Episode 31: Telek Port City is in a Dead End
The trade fleet ＜Paraiso 1＞ was welcomed into Telek Port City with cheers.
“Wow, amazing. They even built a new pier. What a welcome!”
“Yes, Ma’am. The surrounding situation has deteriorated significantly, and Telek Port City’s lifeline is already dependent on ＜Paraiso＞.”
“Eh, really?”
She was surprised that the situation had changed so much, even though it was only the third trade run. Certainly, more than half a year had passed since her first visit.
“The surrounding situation is deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace. Without ＜Paraiso＞’s trade goods, and without this town’s political power, it might have become a ruin.”
“Heeh…”
She was completely taken aback. Telek Port City itself was relatively safe and peaceful, so much so that it was hard to believe it was wartime, but the surroundings seemed to be in terrible shape.
“A refugee camp has sprung up north of Telek Port City, and bandit gangs are repeatedly attacking it. To put it simply, it’s hell on earth. Telek Port City doesn’t have much to spare, so the refugee camp is tacitly left alone. They seem to be selling food, but since they are refugees, there’s no compensation.”
“Yeah… it’s hell, really.”
It seemed that lavish transport convoys were traveling back and forth in search of the cellulose thread and cloth, which was fortunate. It seemed that exchanges with the Royal Capital were continuing.
“We’re carrying salt and water, right? Should we pack food next time?”
“Let’s check. However, we cannot provide grains, so it would be processed fish or dried seaweed. It is unclear whether there is demand.”
There are no granaries around Telek Port City. Basically, they rely on imports from the Royal Capital in exchange for trade goods. Fishing is done, but staple foods, grains, are essential. ＜Ringo＞’s analysis suggests that it may be possible to cultivate tubers because the area is relatively warm.
“As predicted, they will likely hold out for a while. But after that, it will be difficult.”
“…. I guess we need to decide whether to seriously intervene soon.”
For the time being, the policy was to wait and see. Provide information and prolong their lives. Continue trading Iron, and cut them off when the returns are no longer worth it. It was a method to minimize ＜The Tree＞’s intervention (bet) and maximize Iron Resources (returns). However, this plan was too inhumane, and it would also lose a thin channel into the continent, so another plan was considered.
So, what to bring to the intervention (bet)? The only option currently available is to send in military force. In other words, a solution by force. For example, it would not be difficult to simply protect Telek Port City. From the port, a radius of 20km is within the range of the 150mm Smoothbore Cannon. By adjusting the amount of explosives and performing precision shooting, it can be hit on the first shot within that range. Simply in terms of the range of the cannon, it should probably fly 40km. The rate of fire is 45 rounds per minute. If we prepare two Alpha-Class Destroyers, each equipped with three cannons, we can rain 270 rounds of Iron per minute.
But, conversely, that’s all.
Since we cannot prepare land forces, we can defend but not invade. We will have to leave it to the local forces. However, Telek Port City is a small town. It is difficult to prepare a large force.
“For example, there is also a way to put Telek Port City completely under ＜The Tree＞’s control and turn it into a Fortress.”
“…. Considering the current state of resource exploration, that’s a possibility. We can’t find any ore deposits around here…”
The exploration range for Iron mines is gradually expanding. However, no promising reactions have been found. Is it buried underground, or is there really no Iron?
“The quickest way is to seize the town with the Iron mine. If we are not afraid of exposing us, ＜The Tree＞, it is the fastest and most reliable option to obtain a large amount of Iron Resources.”
“That’s right. But it will also trigger the attraction of hostile forces. So far, we have not confirmed any groups with forces that would be fatal to us, but that is not proof that we are invincible.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Frankly, we are not prepared at all.”
“Ugh! We really don’t have enough Iron!”
We have a prospect of manufacturing some combat ships to some extent. But now, we have to consider other problems as well.
“If only we had Iron, most of our problems would be solved…!”
We still have enough stockpiled petroleum-based fuel. However, since there is no prospect of resupply, we naturally need to consider mining and development. Fortunately, the diesel engines installed in the Alpha-Class Destroyers and transport ships can be converted from jet fuel for aircraft. We don’t plan to use aircraft for the time being, so even if we use it normally, there will be no problem for several years.
“We haven’t found any oil fields either. However, oil field exploration is not so easy, so it can’t be helped…”
This also requires exploration by aircraft. Alternatively, a different approach would be possible if we could conduct wide-area exploration using artificial satellites. However, both are difficult to deal with due to lack of resources.
“Squeeze Telek Port City dry, and then aim for that peninsular nation… It would be nice if we could have a dialogue, but at worst, there is a possibility of a state of war.”
“We estimate that it is a fairly belligerent nation.”
“Secure Telek Port City and the Iron mine. I don’t know the reserves of the Iron mine, but we can get a large amount of Iron at once. But development will take some time, and there is a possibility of a large-scale attack in the meantime.”
“The opponent is a country, even if it is in a state of Civil War. It is possible that they will unite again if there is a foreign enemy. In that case, we may have to face hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers if we are not careful.”
If we are attacked with sheer numbers, we will not be able to defend it. Use all of ＜The Tree＞’s power to seize the Iron mine. Fortify Telek Port City, refine Iron, and increase military power. It’s not impossible.
“It’s not impossible… but the risk is high. Our defense here will be neglected. If we fail, we could lose everything. After that, the chances of recovery…”
“Since it is based on using ＜The Tree＞’s existing resources, if we fail, nothing will be left. If we leave resources behind, the probability of failure will increase accordingly.”
“Hmm, this is troubling.”
The resources that ＜The Tree＞ can produce independently are cellulose, metals extracted from seawater, and algae that produce oil, which has been successful at the laboratory level. We are so short of resources that we don’t know how many years it will take to build even one Destroyer.
In the display she was staring at, Kullavia Telek, the president of the merchant association, was already rushing to the flagship of the docked ＜Paraiso＞, the Alpha-Class Destroyer Alpha. Zwei, the Doll Machine (Communicator) acting as the fleet commander, was looking down from the bow, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“She seems very excited.”
However, that can’t be helped. In this era when sailing ships are at their peak, they came in a powered ship without sails. Moreover, it is clearly a combat ship. Furthermore, this fleet is very friendly to Telek Port City. There is no reason not to give them a big welcome. They treated them with the utmost respect, praising even the simple staircase gangway, and guided Zwei and her party to the guest house.
It seems that unloading will be postponed until the next day, and a welcome party will be held today. For the time being, they decided to have 10 Doll Machines (Communicators) participate, and the rest will stay on the ship.
“When they rely on us this much, it’s hard to abandon them.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I agree.”
Even though it’s through the screen, they are people whose faces we have been seeing almost every day for the past six months or so (mainly through candid shots). It’s human nature to want to help them as much as possible.
“At worst, we might give up the Iron mine but defend the town to the end… If the Civil War in this country calms down, trade might resume.”
In reality, it is impossible to predict what will happen to the situation. We have created various scenarios, but even the friendliness of the president of the merchant association, Kullavia Telek, was an action that deviated from any scenario. In other words, there are not enough absolute experiences (samples) in the first place, and accurate predictions cannot be made.
Also, as an aside, it was later revealed that the concept of such staircase-like lifting equipment did not yet exist for the gangway, and they were simply surprised by it as a new technology. It was a story that made her realize once again that the technology level was so low that she could not predict what was normal and what had not yet been invented.