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Vol 06 Chapter 189: Zoldias War V

「I believe the basic strategy of attacking the surrounding countries of King Zoldias’ Country is correct. However, the objective should be different. Instead of drawing them out, we should aim to confine them. Instead of attacking a small portion, we need to engulf the entire surrounding area and incorporate it as King Rosais’ Country’s territory.」

In other words, a grand encirclement of the country… However, to accomplish that…

「We’ll need to negotiate with King Gilbed’s Country…」

King Gilbed’s Country borders King Zoldias’ Country. Since the two countries are enemies, I don’t think King Gilbed would support King Zoldias…

But diplomatic relations between countries can change as easily as the weather.

If our country is seen as a threat, the situation could change.

Additionally…

「That method could take years.」

「Your Majesty has always ended wars too quickly. It’s not uncommon for sieges to take years. The quick victories and territorial expansions Your Majesty has achieved so far have been thanks to General Bartolo’s abilities and the technological advantage of the blast javelins. You need to be more patient…」

As Alexios said this, he began to outline concrete measures.

「First, we isolate and surround Zoldias diplomatically and geographically. Next, we station about ten thousand troops at key points around the country, especially at places without mountain ranges acting as natural barriers. We repeatedly attack and retreat, to create an opportunity. When a gap appears, we strike from an unexpected direction… the Romalia Forest should be good. I heard Your Majesty can pass through the Romalia Forest unimpeded so it should be effective.」

Indeed, from what I hear, it sounds realistic and highly feasible. However…

「How long will it take?」

「Two to three years, perhaps? A fortress held by a renowned commander won’t fall even with ten times the forces. If the enemy has ample food and water supplies within the castle, it’ll be even more difficult. If we were to capture King Zoldias’ Country head-on, we’d need more than a hundred thousand troops.」

Yeah, that’s impossible. But… taking that much time…

「Well, that seems more realistic…」

It can’t be helped. This is what war is about. I should give up here.

Besides, King Zoldias’ Country isn’t particularly valuable except for its copper mines. It’s not like I desperately want it.

「So, should we make a truce with Zoldias and focus on the Western Subjugation and internal affairs for a while?」

「I think that would be wise. Rushing is not advisable.」

When our country proposed peace to King Zoldias’ Country, they readily accepted it. A mutual non-aggression treaty was concluded, stating that for one year, King Rosais’ Country and King Evile’s Country would not invade King Zoldias’ Country, and vice versa.

As the rescue of King Evile’s Country, which we had put forward as our just cause, was successful, we can call this our victory. However…

This was the first time I had fought a war where we gained neither reparations nor territory.

◇

To implement Alexios’s proposed strategy, also known as ‘castle siege’, coordination with King Gilbed’s Country, which borders King Zoldias’ Country, is essential.

There was a time when King Gilbed’s Country made a truce with King Domorgal’s Country and attempted to expand its territory southward. However, King Domorgal’s Country was blocked by our country, and King Gilbed’s Country was hindered by King Zoldias’ Country, causing their plan to fall through.

After that, the war against the Rozel Kingdom happened, and King Gilbed’s Country never extended its reach south.

I believe they had plenty of opportunities… But the circumstances between our country and King Gilbed’s Country are different.

Before my ascension to the throne, our country had been gradually moving towards centralization under the Rosais Family. This trend became decisive when I, the patriarch of the Aris Family, ascended the throne. With the recent return of the patrician’s lands to the country, all military authority has been consolidated under my control.

When I decide to initiate a war, my decrees are swiftly dispatched across the land via couriers and hawks. The plebeians in each region arm themselves according to predetermined methods and gather near the capital. There, centurions are elected and the troops are organized. Those living in distant regions or near the battlefield gather in the largest city of their region and are organized in the same way before heading to the battlefield.

It takes about a week to mobilize ten thousand troops; for twenty thousand, about ten days. If we need to wait for allied countries, it takes around two weeks.

On the other hand, Gilbed has always retained its nature as a confederation of patrician families. The vast land and the number of patrician families being several times that of King Rosais’ Country, along with the Gilbed Family’s lack of endeavors towards centralization, are the reasons for this.

If King Gilbed wants to start a war… First, his couriers and hawks would have to dispatch messages across the country to the patricians. The patricians would then gather their soldiers and head to the designated locations or the capital.

However, this process never goes smoothly. The reason is because some patricians are unwilling to go to war.

They might delay their marching speed or lie about the time needed to organize, buying time. Some even use poor health as an excuse to abstain.

Even after the soldiers are finally gathered, disputes always arise. For example, Patrician A brings two thousand soldiers, while Patrician B brings only two hundred.

If Patrician A is placed on the right wing and Patrician B on the left, it results in an extremely imbalanced formation. The King of Gilbed would want to divide the soldiers evenly, say eleven hundred each, to balance both wings… but the patricians would never agree to such a distribution.

They would argue the soldiers are theirs; and the centurions, who are subordinates of the patricians, wouldn’t follow the orders of other patricians.

Then they would try a compromise by pairing Patrician C, who brought eighteen hundred soldiers, with Patrician B to try to balance the formation. However, Patrician B and Patrician C might be rivals from different factions.

In such situations, effective coordination is impossible. Even if they try to pair those from the same faction, there might be disputes over territorial issues, personal grudges like a stolen wife, or even conflicts over who should command since they brought almost the same number of soldiers and have similar family standings. This results in wasted time.

It’s not uncommon for a month or two to be spent in such disagreements. This renders any fast movement of troops and its related benefits unfeasible.

Moreover, there’s the fundamental issue that the patricians of King Gilbed Country, who are supposed to attack a neighboring country (let’s say King Zoldias’ Country), might actually be allied through marriage with a patrician of King Zoldias’ Country. This creates a situation where it’s unclear who the enemies and allies are, complicating matters even before the war begins.

Incidentally, in our country, due to the laws established during the previous king’s reign, there are regulations regarding marriages among the patricians. Therefore, we wouldn’t face such extreme complications. Thanks to the previous king—my father-in-law—I can conduct wars smoothly now.

I digress. Anyway, since their last failure, King Gilbed’s Country hasn’t extended its reach southward.

However, their ambition should still be intact. Such desires don’t easily fade.

Thus, proposing to the King of Gilbed, ‘Let’s attack Zoldias together and divide the small countries in between’ isn’t a bad idea.

But…

「The problem is that they likely have a very poor opinion of our country.」

「Well, we did a lot of questionable things…」

Here’s a list of our country’s misdeeds:

• Deceiving the alliance countries and profiting alone from the reparations.
• Suspected (and true) secret connections with the Rozel Kingdom.
• Arson in Lezado.
• Invasion of the Kirisian city-states.
• Creating a political system based on centralization that disrupts the traditional political order of the Adernian Peninsula’s monarchies.

Such a country, quietly expanding its territory in the background, is terrifying.

Furthermore, until recently, we were a much smaller country compared to theirs. I’m sure King Gilbed finds it annoying that our country’s king, who is about the same age as his sons, is now lording over him.

「That’s why, Iarl, I’m counting on you to handle this too!」

「That’s quite a tall order…」

Iarl sighed.

What can we do? You are the only one who can do this.

「Well, it’s not like there aren’t any methods.」

「What? Tell me.」

「Groveling diplomacy. King Gilbed’s Country prides itself on being the largest country on the Adernian Peninsula. Its current rivals are Faldam and our country. If our country bows to King Gilbed and offers tribute, King Gilbed would be delighted to cooperate.」

「Alright, let’s go with that!」

「…Are you sure?」

No problem. Anyway, I plan to eventually take over Gilbed as well.

The historical fact of me lowering my head to him would be nullified. I would be remembered as a diplomatic king who could lower his head when necessary. Actually, I’ll have Seimei write about it.

No problem at all.

「As for the tribute…」

「Wheat won’t work. Distilled spirits, paper, garnets. And overseas products like silk, spices, perfumes, gold crafts, jewelry, glassware, ceramics, and lastly Alice’s thread. That should be enough.」

For the rural King Gilbed’s Country, these are all luxury items that are hard to come by. While it might not be a significant amount for our country, it is exceedingly valuable to them.

「How much are you willing to concede? There’s no way they’ll agree to us taking all the western countries.」

「We’ll split it at the Adernian Mountains, east and west.」

That provides a clear division. After conquering King Zoldias’ Country, leaving a small buffer zone can serve as a cushion.

「That would make the majority of the western side part of King Gilbed’s Country…」 「King Gilbed’s Country doesn’t have the capability to conquer such a large territory. They might be able to conquer the countries around King Zoldias’ Country with our support, but that’s their limit. Long-term military operations are impossible for them.」

Once King Zoldias’ Country is conquered, next will be King Gilbed’s Country and King Karnu’s Country. I won’t hold back.

As long as we win, that’s all that matters.

「Personally, I can’t quite grasp the idea of unifying the Adernian Peninsula. Not that I think it’s physically impossible. In fact, it would be odd to say it’s outright unfeasible. King Gilbed’s Country isn’t really a threat anymore, but…」

「You can’t quite envision it, can you?」

The Adernian Peninsula has only been unified under a single entity once in history, during the era of the Great King Etzel and his horse-riding nomads. And that was only for a short time.

The Adernian Peninsula has never been under the same rule for a long period. Therefore, few people realize my true objective.

「I think the real challenge comes after unification.」

「Afterwards?」

「Unification itself isn’t that difficult.」

Many countries have expanded their territories or almost unified the region, but those regimes seldom last long.

I need to educate my successor—my child with Julia—thoroughly. I must achieve unification while I’m still alive, establish a solid organization, and clean up all loose ends.

Well, if it were that easy, it wouldn’t be so challenging. At the very least, I don’t want to leave any negative legacy behind.