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Vol 06 Chapter 186: The First Zoldias War II

「Which strategy is better: a high-risk, short-term battle or a safer, long-term campaign?」

Bartolo made this statement during a joint military council with King Evile’s Country.

For now, it’s hard to decide without hearing both options.

「Explain the two strategies.」

「The Zoldias army on the plateau will likely flee if we show any sign of attack. We could chase them deep into their territory for a decisive battle…」

Bartolo pointed to a map spread out on the table. He drew a circle just below King Zoldias’ Country.

「Or we could invade the territories of the small countries that are allies or have friendly relations with King Zoldias’ Country to provoke them and drag their army out into the plains. Which do you prefer?」

We know from King Evile’s Country’s failures how King Zoldias fights. They want to lure us into the mountains, where the terrain makes it difficult to leverage our numbers, and use the land to their advantage with ambushes and encirclements.

The choice is whether to boldly face King Zoldias’ challenge or spend time trying to drag them into the plains for a decisive battle.

「We have time. I prefer the safer option. King Evile, what do you think?」

「It would be wise not to repeat the same mistakes.」

Good, it’s decided then.

As a result of the military council, it was decided to split our forces. First, Bartolo would lead the Rosais-Evile alliance army.

This force, about ten thousand strong, would position itself in the plains near the border between King Evile’s Country and King Zoldias’ Country, to keep the Zoldias army from moving.

The other force, also about ten thousand strong, would be led by Ron, Roswald, and Gram. Their main task was to attack the neighboring countries of King Zoldias’ Country to draw them out of the mountains.

It’s not ideal to split the army, but even divided, our forces still outnumber the total strength of Zoldias. This shouldn’t be a significant problem.

「The success of this strategy depends on you. …But there’s no need to feel overly pressured. Stay calm and execute your tasks.」

I encouraged the three commanders.

These three would now be leading over ten thousand troops.

Personally, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. It would be great if they could achieve some merits.

「Don’t worry. We have a manual.」

Ron said, showing me a stack of papers.

The bundle was the military manual Bartolo had prepared, also known as, ‘Read This and Become a Master General – Beginner’s Edition’

It covered everything from how to choose and set up a camp, marching speeds, selecting battlefields, and more…

Every detail was meticulously specified.

This wasn’t a book on military strategy; it was an operational manual.

All three have already read and memorized even the advanced edition, but it seems they are going to review it before going into battle.

「Besides, we might not even have to engage in armed conflict. I will try to persuade them to surrender through diplomatic negotiations.」

Iarl said, trying to reassure me.

‘War is merely an extension of diplomacy’, it’s a famous phrase, although I don’t remember who said it.

Our objective is to draw the Zoldias army into the plains. If we can achieve this without direct combat, and the surrounding countries surrender due to military pressure, that would be ideal.

Iarl will handle the diplomatic negotiations, while Ron and the other two will handle the military provocations.

When the Zoldias army, having lost patience, comes out, Bartolo will crush them in the plains.

…Incidentally, I will be returning to King Rosais’ Country.

The reason for my return is that the domestic situation isn’t entirely stable, and I’m in the midst of efforts to dismantle the Aris faction.

I can’t afford to be engaged in a war abroad, and I need to help Raymond. At this rate, Raymond might work himself to death.

Moreover, Julia and Tetra are pregnant right now. I want to be by their side, as they’re both a bit emotionally unstable at the moment.

「Alright, I’ll leave it to you.」

I said as I left King Evile’s Country.

Thus, behind the scenes of the Zoldias War, the first Western Campaign began.

◇

「You’ve finally returned Your Majesty. Without your presence, we can’t make any progress in dismantling the Aris faction.」

Raymond greeted me.

「Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble.」

I thanked Raymond. He was from the Rosais Family, so negotiating with the Aris Family required my influence. My position as the Aris Family patriarch is indispensable for this.

「The Aris Family is quite stubborn, aren’t they?」

「They are one of the most powerful patrician families in the country after all…」

My goal is to gather the patrician families in the central government and turn them into nobles. By offering them a say in the country’s government, I aim to make them relinquish their territories.

The objective is to consolidate the financial and military power of these families under the king.

However, this plan has one major challenge: it only works if they have an interest in the country’s politics.

For instance, the Rosais Family has historically supported centralization and has been working towards it for ages. From their perspective, becoming involved in the country’s government as nobles is desirable.

On the other hand, the Dibel Family has no choice but to comply. Since their patriarch, Rigal Dibel, was destroyed by me, they must seek my favor to ensure their safety and the security of their property. They understand that opposing me would lead to losing everything, so they comply surprisingly easily.

However, the Aris Family is different. They pride themselves on being the victors of the recent civil war and take comfort in the fact that Tetra, the sole survivor of the Aris Family’s main family, is married to me, the king.

They also have no interest in the country’s governance and do not want to part with their ancestral lands. Despite this, the Aris Family is the second most powerful Family in our country. Without their understanding and cooperation, we can’t proceed.

「Some are even demanding Prince Ankus’ ascension as a condition…」

「That’s unacceptable…」

Gaining the support of the second faction by antagonizing the first won’t work. It would only create problems for the future.

Even the greatest ruler becomes an incompetent one if they fail in succession planning.

「Would assuming their debts be too weak of an offer?」

「It’s tough. It needs something more.」

This is difficult… Dealing with a foreign enemy is more straightforward.

When asked if the Aris Family is a friend or foe, they are undoubtedly friends. They show respect and loyalty to me and have supported me in past wars. I can even feel their loyalty through my connection to them thanks to the [Blessing of the Emperor].

However, convincing them to give up their vested interests is another matter.

Given the existing goodwill, I want to resolve this amicably and ensure their satisfaction.

「Perhaps we can offer them larger estates as manors and appoint key members of their Family to important positions.」

「But if we increase their manors, they could become a future burden for our country. Additionally, the number of positions is limited.」

Hmm, that’s a tough issue.

「In terms of manors, I think we can reduce them later by inciting the plebeians. But for the positions… what should we do?」

Let’s change our approach…

「What if instead of focusing on the major families, we target the smaller, lesser patrician families? We could offer them administrative positions in the newly occupied territories. This would stabilize their livelihoods.」

The income of small patrician families is unstable, and many are buried in debt. They have little chance of advancement as well. Offering them stable positions would make them eager to accept.

We can also appoint them as tax collectors.

Currently, our country uses a tax collector system. This role can be very profitable.

As long as they pay a fixed amount of tax to the state, they can keep any surplus.

Of course, the plebeians have the right to sue tax collectors in court, and if the tax collector loses, their property is confiscated, so they can’t be too outrageous.

By the way, regional administrators and tax collectors have different jobs.

A regional administrator handles local administration and law enforcement for a term of one to two years. A tax collector, on the other hand, is a temporary contractor.

We separate these roles to prevent tax collectors from abusing their position.

The local government’s finances are funded by redistributing taxes collected from across the country. However, local governance has limited responsibilities.

The military handles road and bridge maintenance, and local militia maintain public order. If bandits appear, the central army quickly moves in to eliminate them.

Their main duties include reporting the state of the regions to the central government, preventing tax collectors from exploiting their positions, handling judicial matters, and conducting censuses when orders are given.

Our country operates with a very small government. You might think this approach is too lax, but leaving the finer details to local leaders like village chiefs helps to keep costs and efforts down.

But I digress.

「That might be a good idea. If the majority of the families comply, the others will have no choice but to follow.」

「Also, attaching fixed terms to some key positions might be good. This way, everyone gets a turn, and it avoids conflicts.」

Rather than having bloody battles over positions, rotating duties can lead to a more stable administration. We could also introduce laws to extend terms during emergencies.

In peaceful times, it’s more important to avoid disruptions and stagnation in governance due to infighting over positions than to have the most capable individuals in key roles.

「Bartolo and Iarl will handle external matters. For now, let’s focus on internal issues. We need to complete centralization as soon as possible, preferably by the end of this year.」

Let’s aim to finish this soon and do the ‘funding’ ceremony this new year.

◇

「Is there any way we can make Prince Ankus the next king…?」

In the mansion of a certain patrician of King Rosais’ Country, a group of patricians had gathered to discuss. Their current concern was King Almus’ centralization policy.

While King Almus saw their lands as just parts of the country, to these patricians, they were ancestral lands that had been in their families for generations. The lands their ancestors had painstakingly cultivated could not be given up easily.

However, they had no intention of defying King Almus. They recognized his abilities and understood that his policies were essential for the future of the country.

Yet, they were still patricians.

They wanted to secure favorable terms. One of these terms was having a king emerge from their Family.

「If Julia-sama’s next child is a boy, Prince Ankus’ chances of succession will be dashed…」

「Sigh… If only Tetra-sama were more proactive, we might have a way…」

If Tetra were to strongly advocate for Ankus’ succession, even to the extent of denouncing Julia, the Aris Family could unite and petition the king to make Ankus the heir. In such a scenario, even the king would have to make some concessions, at least enough to consider Ankus’ succession as a possibility.

But Tetra and Julia got along well, and Tetra had willingly stepped back. This prevented the Aris Family from uniting behind Ankus.

Currently, the Aris Family was split between a moderate majority who wanted to support Ankus as the Family leader and serve the next king, and a radical minority who wanted to make Ankus king.

Naturally, those gathered here were part of the radical minority.

「What should we do…」

As the patricians pondered, a knock echoed through the room. The master of the house, irritated, inquired about the interruption.

「What is it!」

「A Kirisian merchant has come to see you, master.」

「…Understood.」

It was a debt collector.

「Sigh…」

The patrician let out a deep sigh.