"Time?"
If the Second Prince reclaims the throne, his wariness and suspicion of our
This would mean our family would have to pay over a hundred thousand gold Forde in taxes to the Second Prince every year, and we'd even have to publicly declare the extent of our family's landholdings. Given the Second Prince's temperament and what he's learned about our family's territory during this time, he knows full well that our family's mainstay isn't agriculture but our mines, factories, and workshops. He'll definitely try to get his hands on those, and might even pile on all manner of additional levies.
For our three allied families, restoring the Second Prince too early isn't a good idea either. They'd also have to pay the tithe, and they'd need to keep the Second Prince from mobilizing their family legions for wars across the land. Right now the Second Prince is in the Northland—no soldiers, no authority. No matter how capable he is, he can't make any waves. That's why I firmly oppose this campaign against the usurper Queen Kairui. I believe she's better on the Andinak throne than the Second Prince, because at least she doesn't pose a threat to our family."
Lorist gave a bitter smile, poured himself another cup of fruit wine, and drained it in one gulp.
"You make a very good point. But we must choose the lesser of two evils." Lorist tapped his finger on the map. "This year, we destroyed the Madras Duchy. The remaining time is only enough for territory swaps, population relocations, and settling in. But next year, we'll be attacking the Iblia Kingdom—and Grand Duke Fisablen is the greatest mountain standing in our path! That old man isn't just an old fox; he's also a lion. The title of 'God of War of the Empire' is well deserved—we absolutely cannot afford to be careless."
Lorist let out a long sigh. "I've been poring over all the intelligence we've gathered on the Fisablen family this whole time, and the result is that I underestimated this old man. Do you know how many troops Grand Duke Fisablen currently commands? Nearly two hundred and forty thousand men—practically an entire nation under arms. Truly worthy of the title 'God of War of the Empire'..."
"What did you say? Two hundred and forty thousand troops... That's impossible. The Fisablen family can't possibly support that many men. Just from Muyeyuan Province and Donghuang Province alone, they couldn't possibly gather that much grain and fodder..." Fatty Shi was skeptical that Lorist was exaggerating.
"I'm not lying to you. It's the truth." Lorist returned to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a thick dossier, placing it in front of Fatty Shi. "They don't need to gather grain and fodder at all, because they can simply take it—by raiding the Grass Barbarian tribes on the Great Steppe to the northeast. And once those Grass Barbarian tribes submit, they can obtain a steady supply of cattle and sheep through trade with the steppe.
Remember the first arms deal we made with the Fisablen family? Princess Celia ordered a hundred thousand sets of Type 103 standard cavalry equipment in one go, plus the fifteen thousand Border Cavalry Corps soldiers we ransomed back—a total value of two million head of cattle and sheep, payable over five years. I was quite pleased at the time, thinking we could redirect the Fisablen family's attention toward the Great Steppe to the northeast, where they'd clash with those Grass Barbarian tribes. The raids for cattle and sheep would inevitably cause casualties on both sides, which would also reduce the threat to the Northland.
I was wrong. In fact, the Fisablen family's Border Cavalry Corps had long since terrified the Grass Barbarian tribes on the Great Steppe. This is a report submitted by Targil—he eventually managed to buy a few informants within the Fisablen family. According to those informants, before the arms deal with our family, twenty to thirty Grass Barbarian tribes on the Great Steppe had already become vassals of the Fisablen family. Not only did they have to pay annual tribute in cattle and sheep, they also had to send their able-bodied men to serve as soldiers for the Fisablen family.
Inside the dossier is a report compiled by Count Kemis's Snow Salt Trading Company, detailing their years of trade records and analysis of the Fisablen family. Only after reading this report did I understand—Count Kemis had been proud of the hundred thousand gold Forde or so in annual profits from trading with the Fisablen family, and even our family, with just a ten percent share, received dividends of ten to twenty thousand. Now I realize the Fisablen family was simply acting as middlemen, reselling everything to the Grass Barbarian tribes on the Great Steppe.
Look at the enormous quantities of snow salt and daily necessities on that trade list. Not one of us realized what was really going on. How many people did the Fisablen family have across their two provinces? At most five hundred thousand. Yet their annual consumption of snow salt and daily necessities already exceeded three times that of our family's territories—and at the time, our family's total population was nearly a million... While I thought the Fisablen family was raiding the Grass Barbarian tribes to gather cattle and sheep, they were actually just organizing trade caravans to do business. The only times they actually sent troops were to bring the Grass Barbarian tribes into submission, not to plunder and slaughter.
Calling it a grand move is no exaggeration. We were worried that Grand Duke Fisablen was cultivating ties with the four central duchies to open new trade routes, but in reality, the Fisablen family was simply adding another layer of insurance for themselves. All the goods currently being sold to the Great Steppe come from the Snow Salt Trading Company—which means they're produced right here in the Northland. But once we cut off that trade route, the Fisablen family would no longer be able to trade with the Grass Barbarian tribes on the Great Steppe. And what would those物资-deprived Grass Barbarian tribes do? They'd pick up their blades and spears and resume raiding, and the Fisablen family's territories would be the first to bear the brunt.
So when Grand Duke Fisablen allied with the four central duchies to destroy the Merlain Duchy, it served a dual purpose: first, to eliminate the threat lurking behind him, and second, to open new trade routes. That way, even if we refuse to trade with him, the Fisablen family can still obtain a steady supply of goods from the four central duchies. As long as the Great Steppe remains stable, the Fisablen family can turn their attention to where they truly want to focus—such as the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan region..."
Watching Fatty Shi listening intently to his lengthy exposition, Lorist poured himself yet another cup of fruit wine.
"Perhaps in your mind, you think Grand Duke Fisablen is merely a fading grand duke who wavers between sides, bets on both horses, and plays it safe. But after meeting and dealing with him, I've always had an instinct warning me that he will be our family's most dangerous enemy. It's not that I bear a grudge because he refused the match between Celia and me—it's that I've come to realize he is a true warlord, brimming with ambition. Anyone who underestimates him will pay a terrible price."
"Your Highness, it's not that I don't trust your judgment. But if Grand Duke Fisablen were really as you say, then back when we captured the Second Prince and left, the city of Wendbury was in complete chaos with no one in charge. That was the perfect opportunity, yet Grand Duke Fisablen only stayed a few months before returning to his family's territories. That shows he has no ambition at all and just wants to protect himself. If he were truly a warlord, he would have used his family's military power to purge the nobles of the royal city, consolidate the kingdom's strength, and seize the position of regent of the Iblia Kingdom." Fatty Shi countered.
"That's exactly where his cunning lies. Think about it—if Grand Duke Fisablen had done as you suggest, what would have happened? First, he would have had to move all his family's armed forces to Winston Province to suppress the rebellions and uprisings among the local lords. That would have been a long, drawn-out affair that consumed enormous resources and military strength—a quagmire. Even if he'd emerged victorious, he'd have been left with a devastated Winston Province. The gains wouldn't have justified the cost.
And then consider—the Merlain Duchy was still around back then, ready to stab him in the back at any moment. As an old rival, the Grand Duke of Merlain certainly wouldn't have passed up the chance to kick a man while he was down. And let's not forget—would our four great families of the Northland have given Grand Duke Fisablen the opportunity to reorganize the kingdom? At that time, Viscount Christoph had just suffered a defeat at our hands, and he and fifteen thousand soldiers were our captives. Facing the overwhelming military pressure from the Northland, retreating and biding his time was the wisest course.
After Grand Duke Fisablen returned to his family's territory, he immediately sent Princess Celia to our Norton family's lands—partly to ransom the captured soldiers, and partly to sign a five-year arms agreement with us. We all thought Grand Duke Fisablen was showing us goodwill, making it clear he harbored no hostility toward us. So we stopped paying much attention to the Fisablen family, just as you did—treating him as a harmless old nobleman who only wanted to preserve his family's legacy and play it safe.
Now I finally understand. Grand Duke Fisablen's withdrawal from Wendbury was a masterstroke! As long as he kept his forces in check, the Grand Duke of Merlain wouldn't dare invade the Iblia Kingdom, easily neutralizing the threat from behind. And with Wendbury handed over to his daughter, the Queen Regent, the nobles from the southern provinces and the lords of Winston Province fought each other to the death, plunging the kingdom into chaos. Even we thought the Iblia Kingdom would ripen like a fruit and fall into our laps on its own, so we simply watched as the kingdom tottered on the brink of collapse...
We were wrong—all of us were wrong. It was all the old fox's scheming. He knew that as long as he stayed hidden in the background, we wouldn't easily make a move on the Iblia Kingdom. And the Fisablen family would have all the time they needed to slowly complete their arrangements. When we launched our expedition against the Hanaiabata Islands, the Fisablen family got exactly what they wanted—the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan region. With the gold-rich Jinchuan region in hand, Grand Duke Fisablen finally had room to maneuver, and once again turned his sights on the Iblia Kingdom."
Lorist picked up a black dossier from his desk and shook it with a sigh. "This is the report Targil submitted on the Fisablen family. Unfortunately, the informants he recruited were too low-ranking within the Fisablen family to access any real secrets—like how much gold the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan region produces each month, or what Grand Duke Fisablen's next move will be... But the intelligence they did provide is enough to put us on high alert. The Fisablen family's strength is extraordinary!"
He handed the black dossier to Fatty Shi. "Take a look. You didn't believe me when I said the Fisablen family had two hundred and forty thousand men. Their informants revealed that Grand Duke Fisablen has organized four regular Border Cavalry Corps, each forty-two thousand strong. That's why Princess Celia came a second time and purchased another seventy thousand sets of Type 103 standard cavalry equipment. The fifty thousand sets of Embedded Warrior standard equipment she bought simultaneously are for establishing two Garrison Corps, each twenty-four thousand strong. One of these corps is deployed in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan region, and the other is stationed in Donghuang Province at their old stronghold, Tiger's Perch Castle.
The rest of the soldiers undergo training on the steppe—those who refuse to submit to the Grass Barbarian tribes are attacked, and only those who perform well in combat are promoted to the regular Border Cavalry Corps and issued the standard equipment our family manufactured for them. I should point out that more than half of the soldiers recruited into Grand Duke Fisablen's four Border Cavalry Corps come from the Grass Barbarian tribes."
"You're saying that Grand Duke Fisablen recruiting soldiers from the Grass Barbarian tribes actually reduced the population pressure on his own family's territories?" Fatty Shi asked.
Lorist nodded. "I used to think the total population of Donghuang Province and Muyeyuan Province under Grand Duke Fisablen was only five or six hundred thousand—that enabling the Fisablen family to maintain three Border Cavalry Corps was already pushing their limits. So I didn't take Grand Duke Fisablen seriously, thinking they had enough strength for defense but not for offense. When our family's forces attacked the Iblia Kingdom, I expected Grand Duke Fisablen to retreat and avoid a direct confrontation with us, watching the Iblia Kingdom fall without lifting a finger.
But I never anticipated this move of his—recruiting from the Grass Barbarian tribes doubled his family's military strength. I always assumed the Fisablen family's three Border Cavalry Corps were distributed one per province, leaving only one corps available for mobile operations and reinforcements. Now I realize that all four of Grand Duke Fisablen's Border Cavalry Corps, plus that reserve mounted corps, can be deployed offensively. Nearly two hundred thousand light cavalry—what an overwhelming force that would be!
In the past, the Fisablen family didn't have the money, so they could only watch as our Northland recruited large numbers of displaced people from the southern provinces and Winston Province. This also made us overlook the threat posed by Grand Duke Fisablen. Now that the Jinchuan region has fallen into his hands—plugging the biggest gap in the Fisablen family's resources—they relocated over a hundred thousand able-bodied men and women to Donghuang Province after destroying the Merlain Duchy.
Last year, when we learned that Grand Duke Fisablen was hosting a knight tournament in Wendbury, we assumed his purpose was to arrange Princess Celia's marriage. But after going there and meeting him, something felt off. It wasn't until I heard the news of the Merlain Duchy's destruction that it suddenly clicked—the old fox was also after the Iblia Kingdom.
After destroying the Merlain Duchy, Grand Duke Fisablen could reassert control over the Iblia Kingdom and form an alliance with the four central duchies. Our Northland's only routes to Winston Province and Muyeyuan Province are two iron chain bridges—making it easy to strangle us in the Northland. The other purpose of Grand Duke Fisablen's knight tournament in Wendbury was to probe the remaining strength of the city's nobles and lords, to see if they could still pose a problem when he moved to seize control.
Time is running tight for both of us. The reason I insisted on striking the Madras Duchy first was to open another corridor, expand the Northland's strategic depth, and also to threaten Winston Province from the border of the Xingsen minor mountain range. This year may be our last stretch of calm. Once we complete the final arms deal with the Fisablen family, there's a very high chance that next year the two sides will be fighting an all-out war in Winston Province...
I'd very much like to cancel our arms deal with them, but I can't. It's not a matter of good faith—it's because I fear that the moment we cancel, Grand Duke Fisablen will immediately seize Wendbury, sweep through Winston Province, and march on the Northland. And we, with our territory exchanges still underway, wouldn't be ready for an offensive. Once those two iron chain bridges are blocked, we'd have to take the long way around through the Xingsen minor mountain range to launch our attack—putting us at an enormous disadvantage.
The war against the Fisablen family must be a preemptive strike—we attack Winston Province first, capture Wendbury, then advance into the southern provinces. Only then can we seize the initiative. If we end up fighting the Fisablen family in Winston Province, Grand Duke Fisablen would very likely receive a steady stream of reinforcements from the four central duchies, and there's no telling how long the war would drag on. That would be a disaster for our family."
After a pause, Lorist murmured, "It's precisely because of these considerations that I decided to have Tigre Ross lead the Flying Tiger Corps to invade the Andinak Kingdom first. Once the Second Prince reclaims the throne, the ones who'll be most worried will be the four central duchies and the Commercial Alliance. They'll be watching the Second Prince's every move closely, reducing or even cutting off their support for the Fisablen family. That will make it much easier for us to occupy the southern provinces. As long as we sever the ties between the four central duchies and the Fisablen family, no matter how much Grand Duke Fisablen thrashes about, he won't be able to escape our grasp..."
Fatty Shi was silent for a moment before speaking. "Your Highness, what you say makes a lot of sense. But my head is spinning—I can't quite sort out what the best course of action is. I still think restoring the Second Prince is like what the apothecaries say about fighting poison with poison. He might end up causing us even more trouble than Grand Duke Fisablen."
Lorist smiled bitterly. "I just want to send him out of the Northland as soon as possible so he stops causing trouble here. Since he still has some utility, let him go back and play his part after being restored. Given his personality, being defeated by the four central duchies and the Commercial Alliance would be the ultimate humiliation. Until he's had his revenge on them, he shouldn't come bother us. As for the tithe issue you raised, I'll have Count Kemis meet with him. We'll make our immediate military assistance in restoring him conditional on a three-year tax exemption for the four great families of the Northland—framed as compensation for our intervention. I think he'll agree. As for what happens after three years, we'll deal with that when the time comes."
...(To be continued.)