121 [INTERLUDE]The Großadmiral's son
Any recommendations or opinion so far is appreciated
I gave a quick edit to this, point out the mistakes, I'll get to work on a new chapter.
------------------------
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
----------------------
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
-------------------------------
Karl von Rügen is Johann's second son, a legitimized bastard. During his early years, he lived as a peasant until his father learned of his birth. Johann immediately took responsibility for him. Karl demonstrated his gifts quickly with the right teachers. He always seeks his father's approval to make him proud. He inherited his father's taste for seafaring, although only for sharing hobbies. He accompanies his father in the final stages of the religious war in some minor naval battles. He is practically identical to his father, with a muscular build, blue eyes, black hair, 17 years old, and stands at 1.79 meters tall.
--------------------------------
POV of Karl von Rügen first moon 285 AC
"Guten Morgen, Johann. So, this is your son. He didn't inherit any physical traits from the mother, apparently," said Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich, giving my father a firm handshake.
"Indeed, this is my son, Karl—the right person for the mission we have been preparing to test our navy," said my father.
"Well, please take a seat while we wait for the charts and maps that are necessary to begin the explanation," said von Roon, pointing to the chairs in front of his desk.
"Thank you. By the way, how are things going in the capital? You know that here information arrives quite late. I hope your absence does not affect our king," said father after sitting in the chair.
"Things are going well. We managed to collect a good amount from the population. Now that most of them live in cities, the work of collecting taxes is much more efficient. If we compare it with the inefficient system of the Tyrells, we have increased tax revenues by almost forty percent with much possibility of increasing it even more," said von Roon with a smile.
"Great. And security? I hear there is more violence from the heathens. The police have been able to control them here in Wilhelmshaven. The police have full control of the situation with the help of my sailors," father said with his typical smirk.
"Yes, the Westerosi have begun to radicalize a bit. But the more our civilizing mission progresses, the less antisocial behavior is generated. We just need more time for the Westerosi to understand that they live like animals, and the Faith of the Seven only wants to use them as livestock. But generally speaking, the Reach is safe, and our projects continue on their usual course," said Roon as he pulled out some boxes he had brought with him.
"How is the king?" I asked with interest.
"The king is very well. He is still working to keep everything in order. About his personal life, I can't talk much to respect his privacy. But I managed to put that Tyrell on a diet and hard exercises so that she starts to behave like the future queen of the Prussians, and it has started to bear fruit. With a little luck, she will be in good shape for the day of her marriage," said Roon with a triumphant smile after watching me for some seconds.
"I thought you were bringing me your eldest son, Johann. Why are you bringing your youngest son?" asked von Roon with a serious tone.
My father looked at me so that I would be the one to answer the question.
"My brother Otto is a competent officer, but at the same time simple. He has no more ambition in this life. He is content with his position as a galley captain guarding the coasts of our king's territories. While I feel the ambition and the desire to risk my life for his glory, the glory of our king," I answered von Roon.
Roon only looked at my father to nod slightly and flash a small smile.
Finally, the assistant to Generalfeldmarschall brought in a stack of documents.
"Well, let's start with this...first, Karl von Rügen, I need you to swear before the king and God that everything you hear today in this meeting will die with you. Nothing can be known; it is confidential information," said von Roon, very serious.
"I swear that nothing that is spoken here will come from my lips," I said, raising a hand.
"Well, here are the invasion plans we have for the Stepstones. This invasion plan was designed by the king himself, but you will have all the authority to modify it as you see fit.
"Starting with the obvious, Tyrosh was in a worse situation than we thought, and our diplomats went into action offering better loan conditions and used the 'military support' of the exiles to negotiate the cession of the rights and claims that Free City has over the islands. Therefore, there won't be many problems with that Free City, although there may be complaints from the other Free Cities with claims, especially for the purpose of the mission.
"You must impose order in that area no matter the cost. You are authorized to massacre the entire population living on those islands if you consider that it generates a risk to the stability of control of the area. Since, according to the spies, the area is a hotbed of cultures, and that is fertile ground for constant rebellions. We do not have the exact numbers of pirates, but reports indicate that in the area, around a hundred galleys are recognized. They constantly move through the area and have been recognized as pirates.
"You will take ten galleons and sixty war galleys. The plan, if executed correctly, will not require any naval battles. Since by coordinating the days' voyage, you will arrive when there is no moonlight, and the pirates will be hiding in their dens, ready to be run over by the sharp Prussian swords. After you have finished with the short-lived pirate resistance, you will have to establish bases of operations for the Prussian navy in the area," said von Roon, showing me the maps we had of the area.
"And then what shall I do?" I asked von Roon.
"When you have secured the Stepstones, you will sail to King's Landing to deliver the news in person. The...incompetent King Robert loves such tales of strife and will want to hear them. Plus, it will serve to send the message that trade through these islands is now protected by the Prussian navy, and you will collect a fair toll to fill the coffers of the Prussian state and the king.
"And taking advantage of your situation in the city will offer the possibility of new beginnings to the overpopulated city. Using the Westerosi of the area to colonize the islands and avoid generating a self-sustaining system of supply and recruits in the future. Although you will have to talk to Lord Arryn, who will most likely be delighted with the idea of reducing the population of King's Landing. Although we will take away the undesirables, you will have to put them in their place.
"And if your mission meets expectations, you will be appointed governor of the islands for two years. Any questions, Karl?" von Roon finished.
"When shall I sail?" was my question.
"Today. The voyage should be about twenty days if the winds are favorable. If you arrive earlier, you will have to waste time at sea because if you dock in a Dornish port, the news may spread quickly," said my father, smiling.
"If there are no more questions, I must leave again for the capital. I have to work on a massive census so that next year we can finally begin recruiting to reform our army," von Roon said, smiling.
"Will that affect the navy's funding?" asked my father.
"A little. The navy fulfills its role as the protector of the trade routes, but for some reason, we live on land, and the army has priority—especially with the new fortifications that were projected for this year to defend us from incursions from the north. But ship-building expenses should go down while salaries and gold to train and recruit more men would not be affected," von Roon replied, handing me and my father a decoration.
"Johann, you are officially promoted by the new rank created by the king, Großadmiral. Since Karl will occupy the rank of admiral for this mission and cannot match you in rank, you now have a rank similar to Generalfeldmarschall, but you still answer to the minister of war. Well, I'm retiring," von Roon said after handing us the decoration, leaving the room.
My father's two hands were placed on my cheeks.
"You don't know how proud I am, Karl...the youngest admiral in all of Prussia. Your name will be in the history books of this great day, especially when you fulfill the mission you have been given," said my father, smiling.
"Thank you, father. I hope I can fulfill the mission that has been given to me and bring civilization to that den of pirates and slavers," I replied to my smiling father.
"Don't worry, my son. Everything will be fine, and if something goes wrong, you can always trust your father. Even if you fail, I will be there to support you. Besides, failure is the best of all mentors," said my father, hugging me.
"Failure is a luxury I can't afford. Failure means the king's investments in the navy will go to waste. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," I said as I started walking back towards the exit of the fortress.
My father just smiled and ran his hand through my hair.
Father accompanied me to the arsenal, which was in a very motivated atmosphere due to the large number of sailors who were preparing for the mission.
During the last months, making use of my father's position and a bit of nepotism, I managed to get a position in the naval academy where my duty would be to retrain the Westerosi sailors from the navies of the Westerosi houses that were conquered.
It was a pleasant surprise to learn that the sailors were well trained due to frequently fighting with the Ironborn, especially a recent raid on the Shield Islands that happened in the civil war where the stupid leader of the rapist pirates died fighting the lords of the area. So many already knew what was needed, but the real work was the new recruits who, attracted by the good wages, came in droves, and as we had no height requirements like the army, the ranks filled up quickly.
Following the book my father had transcribed from the Danish navy, I trained these men in rowing at the same time, knot tying, rope climbing, intensive use of the crossbow, arming, and target practice with the scorpions and some hand-to-hand fighting—all that was necessary for fighting at sea.
I said goodbye to my father and headed to my galleon that would take me to battle.
I took care of organizing what was left to put on the ships and finally set sail.
"Where are we heading...admiral?" said my deck assistant.
"We will be training on the high seas, so we will be traveling south of Dorne for now." I informed the ship captains of our direction.
While my subordinates did their duties and I made sure we were heading in the right direction with a compass in hand.
My eyes focused on the recent acquisitions that the Prussian navy has had, to be more specific, the warg that accompanied us on the mission.
At a recent council, it was determined that the warg had received equal blessings from the Almighty, though not as great as the nobles who were chosen to rule, they were chosen to be the perfect tools of the military officers.
In Prussian society, one could determine the power and influence of a noble by the number of Finns one had under their command after they retired. As the rich and powerful could try to convince the Finns to be their advisors or enforcers before returning to their lands and working their earned lands, the advice of the cool and sharp-minded auxiliaries was invaluable.
But now something new had emerged that caught their attention, and it was the men arriving from the north that the Finns had pseudo-assimilated into their ranks, the Skagos warg, their ability to control animals was extremely valuable as they could share the senses of the animals they controlled.
Eagles for scouting and sending messages were the most common. For a military officer, this gave us a vital advantage for battles, as no trained birds are needed to send messages. You just need to give the warg a command, and the message will get where it needs to go.
The rarest ones, are the wargs that can use owls that could see perfectly well at night.
I had one of the rarest ones right here. This warg had an eagle and an owl, and could do both actions.
The warg was the new fashion, but they were so rare that for the moment they were only given to the most important members of the government who needed them. Tumbleton has two wargs, the king has one, the southern line of fortifications has two others, and the Prussian navy has the most three, and they were used to find the ships of the Ironborn or pirates seeking to obtain the wealth of the Prussian territory.
I stopped thinking about this tool and devoted myself to my work.
------------------------
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
----------------------
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
----------------------
