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Vol 05 Chapter 174: Post-War Processing I

「How are you feeling, Kepka Barca-dono?」

「Terrible.」

Kepka Barca answered with a scowl.

Kepka is a general of Pofenia and a noble. Given that he has been captured alive, we can’t treat him carelessly.

Therefore, we have borrowed a room in the mansion of a fleeing council member in Lezado and confined him there. Clothes, food, alcohol, books… Whatever he wants, we have provided.

Of course, Kepka is not an optimistic person who would feel good just because of that.

「In two weeks, a diplomatic delegation from Pofenia will arrive. Depending on the ransom, you will likely be released.」

「…Don’t think you’ll get away scot-free after making an enemy of Pofenia.」

Kepka spat out bitterly. I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders.

◇

「Before the negotiations with Pofenia, there is one thing I want to settle first.」

「…An alliance with the Kirisian city-states?」

「You understand well.」

With the collapse of Lezado, a regional power, many city-states that had allied with Lezado have come under our country’s umbrella. However, there are still many influential city-states that refuse to be controlled by us. I was thinking of forming an alliance with them, but…

It seems Raymond has seen right through me.

「Is this alliance a military one, Your Majesty?」

Bartolo asked me. I nodded.

Our country does not have a navy. Of course, we have riverboats that can transport supplies and soldiers.

But riverboats cannot undertake long sea voyages, and even if we were to establish a navy now, it would be too late.

We do have about thirty triremes and quinqueremes that we confiscated from Lezado. However, with only thirty ships, we can’t hope to fight Pofenia’s formidable navy, and it’s questionable whether we can even operate them effectively.

Therefore, we need to form a military alliance with the Kirisian city-states along the coast of the Adernian Peninsula. In return for us taking on the responsibility of land defense, the Kirisian city-states will supplement our navy.

Combining the ships confiscated from Lezado with those from Nemes and Gehenna gives us a total of about a hundred ships. Including the ships from the other smaller cities, we can muster approximately one hundred and fifty ships.

Of course, we can’t match the five hundred ships of the Pofenia navy. But it’s better than having nothing at all.

「Is that all, Your Majesty? The true purpose of the alliance?」

Iarl asked, smirking mischievously.

Naturally, that is just the pretense.

「The real objective is to secure military leadership, economic zones, and political influence in the southern part of the Adernian Peninsula.」

On Earth, all sovereign states are theoretically considered equal. But in this world, it’s different.

Clear power dynamics exist between countries, and these dynamics are evident when forming alliances.

For example, the country with the greatest influence in the Tethys Sea is the Persis Empire, followed by the Pofenia Republic.

Narrowing the scope, the country with the greatest influence on the Adernian Peninsula is the Rozel Kingdom, followed by King Faldam’s Country, King Gilbed’s Country, and King Rosais’ Country.

Focusing even more narrowly on the eastern part of the Adernian Peninsula, after subjugating King Belvedire’s Country and King Evile’s Country, and crowning the leaders of King Domorgal’s Country and the Equus Tribe, my country—King Rosais’ Country—holds the most power.

The true aim of this alliance is to extend that power to the southern part of the Adernian Peninsula.

Of course, all countries understands this. However, they cannot refuse.

This is because the Kirisian city-states cannot fight against the Pofenia Republic on their own, and it has been proven through this war that King Rosais’ Country has the strength to do so.

Using the military alliance as a stepping stone, we will move towards economic unification and eventually political unification. Although, it will take a considerable amount of time to achieve that.

「But the participation of Gehenna is a prerequisite for this.」

「An alliance of Kirisia city-states without Gehenna is like alcohol without the alcohol.」

Bartolo shrugged.

Whether Abraham will agree to the alliance is the question.

「Therefore, we will have a meeting today. Since he is currently in Lezado.」

And so, I arranged a meeting with Abraham.

◇

「So that’s what it’s about! In fact, if Your Majesty hadn’t proposed it, I was planning to bring it up myself.」

Abraham was more agreeable than I anticipated. Of course, I imagined he would ultimately accept. A peace treaty involving King Rosais’ Country would be far more advantageous than negotiating peace alone.

「If our country were to negotiate alone, who knows what kind of unequal treaty we would be forced into… Please, allow us to join. I will speak to the other cities on your behalf. Since the Persis Empire’s conquest of the Kirisian Peninsula, the countries in the southern part of the Adernian Peninsula have been under military pressure from Pofenia. I believe everyone will be happy to form this alliance.」

I guess that without a suzerain to protect them, the colonial cities would undoubtedly be anxious. If King Rosais’ Country declares itself as the new protector, they should readily accept.

「However, there is one concern.」

「Concern?」

「King Rosais’ Country has no one with experience in commanding a navy, correct?」

As expected, he brought that up.

Our country has been a landlocked one until now, so naturally, we don’t have a navy, nor have we had any dealings with the sea. In fact, it’s doubtful whether any of my senior retainers can even swim.

By raising this issue, he wants to…

「Rest assured. My Gehenna is the most experienced seafaring country on the Adernian Peninsula. We have generals who can assist Your Majesty. We can also offer advice on various aspects of naval operations.」

「That is reassuring. We look forward to working with you.」

In the end, since our country lacks experience in naval operations, we have no choice but to rely on Gehenna. This is an unavoidable fact.

The tyrant of Gehenna, Abraham, what a cunning man.

「Although this is currently just a military alliance, in the future, we should also consider the abolition of tariffs between member states.」

…That was surprising. To think that Abraham would bring this up.

Of course, since Gehenna is a seafaring country that has prospered through intermediary trade, the elimination of tariffs would be advantageous to them. However, Gehenna also has a thriving industry in agriculture.

Specifically, Abraham’s support base should consist of the middle class, including plebeian landowners who mainly engage in agriculture.

Therefore, I thought that abolishing tariffs would require extensive discussion and debate. That Abraham would propose it so readily is unexpected.

「I look forward to a continued good relationship with you and King Rosais’ Country, Your Majesty.」

Abraham shook my hand, his face beaming with a full smile.

「Please take care of Tetra as well.」

…I’m feeling goosebumps.

◇

「Are you sure about this?」

「About what?」

「While a military alliance is one thing, if the talks progress to an economic alliance, our country will eventually be absorbed by King Rosais’ Country.」

One of Abraham’s close aides expressed his dissatisfaction. No matter how much they had fallen, Kirisians were still Kirisians.

They were a proud people.

The thought of submitting to an Adernian king was unbearable for them.

「Then let me ask you, how do you propose we avoid being invaded by King Rosais’ Country?」

Abraham sat down on the sofa and snorted.

「Th-that is…」

「It’s impossible. The ambition of that young king is undeniable, and his ambition will continue to grow. He’s not even thirty years old yet, and he has already become king and has expanded his territory significantly. It’s inevitable that he would gain confidence. Given the circumstances… he might even be considering the unification of the Adernian Peninsula.」

「Unifying the peninsula… that’s impossible.」

The Adernian Peninsula had never been unified under a single political power, except when it was ruled by the Flat-Faced Tribe. The Adernian Peninsula divided the Tethys Sea east and west and connected the northern and southern continents. It was a crossroads of civilization.

The Kirisians, the Pofenians, the Adernians, the Gallians… A variety of ethnic groups coexisted there.

Tracing back through history, even the current indigenous Adernians were once a collection of different tribes with diverse languages and cultures.

Moreover, the Adernian Peninsula was long and narrow, divided east and west by a central mountain range.

Even among the Adernians, there were cultural and linguistic differences between the north, south, east, and west.

Unifying this peninsula was not an easy task, and aside from the horse-riding nomads who were the ancestors of the Alvans, no one had ever succeeded in doing so.

As a result, no one had ever dreamed of such an impossible feat. Until today.

「It’s not a matter of whether it can be done, but whether one considers it. Young people always dream. If that young man dreams of unifying the Adernian Peninsula, then it’s only a matter of time before our country is invaded. And the gap in national power between our countries has widened to an irrecoverable extent.」

If Almus decided to invade Gehenna, Gehenna would be conquered without being able to resist. The difference in national power between Gehenna and King Rosais’ Country had become that vast.

「Therefore, we must think differently. Fortunately or unfortunately, that man does not start wars without a just cause. And when he does, he meticulously forms alliances, requests reinforcements from various countries, and ensures diplomatic superiority before waging war. As long as our country behaves favorably, we will not be invaded.」

In fact, King Belvedire’s Country and King Evile’s Country still existed. Gehenna could survive if it played its cards right.

「But eventually…」

「Eventually, we will be annexed. Therefore, we must ensure that we are annexed at a more advantageous time and position. This way, our influence within King Rosais’ Country will increase.」

It’s said that it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.

But maintaining the position of a big fish is no longer feasible.

Then, let’s at least become the second in command among the herd.

This was Abraham’s thinking.

「King Almus conquered many Kirisian city-states during his invasion. And they have quietly submitted. Humans, by nature, can easily strike down those who resist, but only someone with an exceptionally bad character would kick someone who is not resisting. The influence of the Kirisians will increase.」

And when that happens…

「A king of mixed Adernian and Kirisian heritage will be born on the Adernian Peninsula. The unification of both ethnicities. It’s a beautiful story, isn’t it?」

If that happened, Gehenna would be safe. Surely, he wouldn’t mistreat the birthplace of his own grandmother.

「I won’t live much longer. I’ve lived too long already. I probably have five years left, at most. Before I go, I want to lay the groundwork to ensure Gehenna survives in the most advantageous position possible.」

Abraham had no sons. There was no one capable of succeeding him.

Most likely, Abraham would be denounced after his death. His grave might not even remain, and his remains could be thrown into the sea.

He would be remembered poorly as a tyrant.

After that, Gehenna would likely fall into mob rule.

To stop the foolish populace from turning against King Rosais’ Country.

And if they did, to ensure they received the most merciful treatment possible…

For this reason, he had to ingratiate himself with King Rosais’ Country now. He had to ensure that King Almus and his successors hold a favorable impression of Gehenna.

「If I could live just ten more years, I wouldn’t have to rush like this.」

Abraham sighed.

◇

After the meeting between Abraham and Almus, negotiations with various countries began, and the Southern Alliance was successfully formed.

The purpose of this alliance was to jointly defend against attacks from Pofenia, other Adernian monarchies, and pirates.

Given that the peace conference with Pofenia was in two weeks, the alliance was hastily put together. Therefore, its functionality was questionable.

For now, it existed in name only.

The detailed content of the treaties would be addressed after the peace negotiations with Pofenia.