A lesson learned the hard way,
"The third option is to maintain a standoff without attacking." After some consideration, Lorist presented his third plan.
"A standoff without attacking?" the Second Prince asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes. Your Highness, consider this — according to our intelligence, Grand Duke Furlando and Grand Duke Fakel have each brought two legions to the Handla Duchy, while Grand Duke Sabaji has rallied one corps as well. That adds up to over two hundred thousand troops. On top of that, spy reports from Hans City indicate that Grand Duke Handla has expanded his Red and White Dragon Legions, and with an additional city-defense legion garrisoning Hans City, his forces also total around a hundred thousand.
The Handla Duchy has only three provinces and a population of roughly one million. With over three hundred thousand troops now concentrated there, you can imagine the crushing burden of sustaining such a military. At present, in order to counter our offensive, the four Grand Dukes can work together in concert for a short time. But once we adopt a strategy of standoff without attacking, as time drags on, they will be unable to bear the military burden and will begin to crack — and that is when all manner of conflicts will arise.
The three Grand Dukes sheltering in the Handla Duchy each have their own forces, and none of them would willingly relinquish the legions under their command. So when the Handla Duchy can no longer sustain their logistics, provisions, and supplies, major disputes will erupt. I believe not a single Grand Duke would be willing to give up his legions — they are the very foundation upon which he hopes to restore his nation. They will do whatever it takes to keep their armies supplied.
But everyone can imagine the consequences of that. If the three Grand Dukes refuse to relinquish their military forces, Grand Duke Handla cannot simply disband the duchy's own armed forces to meet his allies' supply demands. On the contrary, he will conscript as many soldiers as he can to build up the duchy's military — except the targets of his defensive preparations would shift to his three allies rather than us.
As far as Grand Duke Handla is concerned, our standoff poses relatively little threat to him. But those three Grand Dukes have troops stationed right beside his doorstep — one misstep and his nation could be destroyed, his family ruined.
Therefore, the longer our standoff drags on, the more readily conflicts will arise among the four Grand Dukes of the central region. Perhaps in the first year, they can barely sustain an army of over three hundred thousand by drawing on the Handla Duchy's reserves. But after a year, the duchy certainly will not be able to maintain such an enormous consumption of military supplies. Once the supplies begin to dwindle, conflicts will emerge. And once conflicts arise, they may be easy to suppress at first, but the longer they fester, the more grievances will accumulate, and the eventual eruption will be all the more violent. When that time comes, it is highly likely the four Grand Dukes will draw swords against each other.
Generally, when facing insufficient military supply, the three Grand Dukes' legions would most likely turn their attention to the residents of the Handla Duchy, plundering civilians to meet their own material needs. As the lord of the duchy, Grand Duke Handla would have to provide protection for his subjects. The more such clashes occurred, the easier it would be to spark open war. And once ties were severed, the three Grand Dukes' legions would step up their pillaging of Handla civilians with even greater impunity, while Grand Duke Handla, to put an end to their atrocities, would order fierce counterattacks. The moment casualties began to mount, the alliance between the four Grand Dukes of the central region would crumble on its own. Without us lifting a finger, the Handla Duchy would find itself on the verge of collapse, ravaged by war on all fronts.
"Your Majesty need only be patient and watch them tear each other apart. After the four Grand Dukes of the central region have sorted out a victor and a vanquished, the losers will most likely come to seek Your Majesty's allegiance. They will willingly guide our forces into the Handla Duchy, and by that point, even the victors will have expended so much of their strength that they will be unable to withstand the edge of our blades. Without breaking a sweat, the Handla Duchy will fall into Your Majesty's hands like an overripe fruit."
The great tent fell deathly silent as everyone pondered the standoff strategy Norris had proposed. After a long while, Grand Duke Fissabrun stepped forward and raised a question: "Your Highness Grand Duke
Norris smiled with unshaken confidence: "Your Highness Grand Duke Fissabrun, your question is a critical one, but it rests on the assumption that the Vesiya Trading Company would spare no effort in supporting the four Grand Dukes of the central region. Merchants are driven by profit. As long as the four central duchies still exist, the Vesiya Trading Company's support for the Grand Dukes may not be wildly profitable, but at least it would not result in a loss. However, three of the Grand Dukes have already become vagrants without a home. Though each still commands two legions, they have lost their duchies.
"As for the four Grand Dukes of the central region trading with the Commercial Alliance to sustain their united front, the prerequisite is that they have sufficient capital to conduct such trade. Grand Duke Sabaji fled in a panic and would have carried the least wealth with him. Grand Duke Forlundo and Grand Duke Fakel both brought the treasuries of their duchies and families to the Handla Duchy, so they may appear to have packed quite a fortune — but both are now living under another's roof, with no further income forthcoming.
"Meanwhile, the military expenses for the two legions under their command only flow outward, never in. After we seized the two duchies, we were able to estimate from the captured ledgers that each of the two Grand Dukes brought roughly one to two million gold Forde with them. As for Grand Duke Handla, I believe the wealth at his disposal is not vastly different from theirs. Even though the Handla Duchy still stands, its fiscal revenue will drop significantly under the impact of war.
"So, Your Highness Grand Duke Fissabrun, how long do you think two million gold Forde can sustain two legions? The Forlundo Duchy and the Fakel Duchy have both fallen under our occupation, and the ninety-odd thousand men in the two legions still under these Grand Dukes' command represent their sole capital and hope for reclaiming their thrones. No matter how frugally they try to manage, money will still flow out of their hands like water.
"Under such circumstances, they will not invest their remaining wealth into trade with the Commercial Alliance. Instead, they will pin their hopes on the Handla Duchy supplying them with free military provisions. Now, would Grand Duke Handla use the entire fiscal revenue of a single duchy to trade and sustain over two hundred thousand soldiers who belong neither to his duchy nor to his command? I think not..."
Norris's analysis was blunt and unmistakable: the Vesiya Trading Company would not throw its full weight behind the four Grand Dukes. The longer things dragged on, even if the four central Grand Dukes conducted military trade with the Commercial Alliance, they would not be able to hold out for long. Conflict was inevitable. The crux of the standoff-without-attack strategy lay in the fact that the Handla Duchy's three provinces and roughly one million people simply could not sustain the existence and resource consumption of an army of over three hundred thousand.
Exactly. The Second Prince clapped his hands together, finally understanding. The harder he pressed now, the more unified the four Grand Dukes of the central region would become. But if he adopted a strategy of standoff without attack, removing the threat on his side, then given enough time, the enemies' own contradictions would naturally erupt. Norris was right — a single Handla Duchy with three provinces and nearly a million people, trying to feed an army of over three hundred thousand, might manage in the short term, but over time the reserves would be eaten away and spent. No one had deep enough pockets to sustain that kind of drain.
"But how long do you think the enemy can endure a standoff before they crack?" the Second Prince asked.
Norris flashed a wide grin and held up two fingers. "Two years. Two years at most."
"But Lorist, don't you forget — if we sit in a standoff without fighting, the Handla Duchy can't sustain the consumption of over three hundred thousand soldiers. Can we hold out either? We have over three hundred thousand troops of our own. We may be a kingdom, but all our logistics, supplies, and military materiel still need to be transported over long distances. The manpower and material cost of that is enormous. Two years is a long time — we can't sustain the supply of three hundred thousand soldiers either, especially with so many cavalry units. Our consumption of grain and provisions is nearly double that of the enemy..." The Second Prince's brow furrowed deeply, seemingly viewing Norris's standoff-without-attack strategy as a double-edged sword that cut both ways.
"Heh, Your Highness, it seems you've forgotten that the Fulundo Duchy and the Facker Duchy have already been brought under your jurisdiction. In fact, a standoff without fighting gives you ample time to exercise effective governance over those two duchies and the eight provinces of the Sabaji Duchy. Those eight provinces alone can provide enough grain and provisions for our army of over three hundred thousand. As for other military equipment, our noble forces naturally equip themselves. All we hope is that after the destruction of the four central duchies, Your Highness will remember our contributions and merit, and grant us fitting rewards," Norris reminded him with a smile.
The Second Prince paced back and forth across the command tent, head bowed, every pair of eyes fixed on him as he weighed his final decision. The Second Prince was in a difficult position. Of the three strategies Norris had proposed, the first was the simplest — continue the advance, but with a daring surprise assault requiring him to lead from the front. It had already been rejected.
The second strategy was to split forces and flank. As Norris had pointed out, the Flying Tiger Corps was the ideal candidate for this task. But because the Second Prince suspected that Norris's eager volunteering concealed ulterior motives, he had mentally marked it with a cross.
The third strategy was standoff without attack. Norris's analysis had already made everyone in the command tent understand that this was likely the best approach — watching the enemy's internal contradictions erupt and bring about their collapse, subduing them without battle. It simply required more time, and the consumption of military supplies would be somewhat greater. But a higher rate of consumption wasn't really a major concern — these corps required supplies regardless. The forces gathered under the Second Prince, apart from the kingdom's White Lion Corps, were all regular legions belonging to various families. Norris had already reminded them: all they needed was grain, while military equipment was borne by each family themselves.
What troubled the Second Prince now was this: if he adopted the standoff-without-attack strategy, what would he use to reward his subordinate nobles after the Handla Duchy was destroyed? In ordinary wars, each house kept its own spoils, which served as compensation for joining the campaign. But after a two-year standoff, even if the Handla Duchy fell, the enemy would surely be reduced to utter destitution with virtually no spoils left. In that case, the Second Prince would need to dig into his own coffers to reward these noble subordinates.
Judging from everyone's expressions, it was clear that most favored the standoff-without-attack strategy. Indeed, fighting a desperate battle against an enemy that held the advantage of terrain would only deplete each family's own strength through casualties and attrition. Better to sit back and watch the enemy crumble. It might take longer, but winning without losses to one's own forces while also receiving rewards — that was an excellent prospect.
"Let's leave it here for now. Let me think it over carefully, and we'll discuss it again in a couple of days." In the end, the Second Prince still had not made his decision, and the meeting was adjourned.
Lorist was somewhat bewildered. What did the Second Prince mean by this?
The next morning, Lorist saw that Grand Duke Fisablen had been summoned by the Second Prince for half a day of deliberation. Immediately after, it was Duke Kenmes's turn, and in the afternoon, Count
"Do you know what His Highness wanted with me?" Duke Kenmes said.
"How would I know?" Lorist replied.
"His Highness asked me what reward I would require for having my two heavy infantry corps garrison here for two years."
Lorist understood. "What did you ask for?"
Duke Kenmes held up two fingers. "Two years. The Snow Salt Trading Guild is to have tax-free passage throughout the kingdom for a period of two years."
Soon after, Count Filim also came.
"What did you ask for?" Duke Kenmes inquired.
"I wanted fifty thousand able-bodied laborers to develop the Southern Province, but His Highness only agreed to give me thirty thousand," Count Filim answered.
"Henndel?"
"He's probably been summoned by His Majesty."
That evening, the Second Prince sent a guard to invite Lorist to dine with him.
"You should know what I mean by inviting you to dinner, so don't make outrageous demands. Tell me, what reward do you want." The Second Prince got straight to the point.
"Your Highness, are you certain about adopting the strategy of standoff without attacking?"
The Second Prince nodded. "The thing I like most about your proposed strategy of standoff without attacking is that it will create conflict among those four rebels in the Central Region. Just as you said, once they start fighting each other, they'll develop grudges of life and death. The biggest headache about the four Central duchies is that they operate as one and support each other. Whatever their ultimate fate may be, I'm quite satisfied with driving a wedge between them now so they'll slaughter each other for a while. So I have plenty of patience to wait and watch them fall apart. It's just that, as you know, I'm worried that after two years when these four rebels are destroyed, there won't be much in the way of spoils. So I'd like to agree on your rewards in advance."
Lorist smiled. "Your Highness, may I ask what Duke Fisaburon requested?"
"Nothing much — the captured equipment of one legion's worth of arms and armor, plus relocation quotas for fifty thousand people," the Second Prince replied.
"Oh," Lorist said. "Then I'd also like..."
"Stop! Lorist, don't even think about relocating any more populations — I won't agree to it. My biggest regret right now is letting you handle the resettlement of refugees from the three provinces of the Fakel Duchy. You know perfectly well what you did." The Second Prince cut Lorist off.
"Fine." Lorist shrugged and spread his hands. "But Your Highness, besides people, what else do you have to give me? You tell me."
"Lorist..." The Second Prince rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "As long as you don't go overboard, I can agree to it."
"Fine, then grant my family estate and my administered territories another five years of tax exemption." Lorist made this request with an air of helplessness.
"No way..." The Second Prince reflexively refused, then stared at Lorist for a long while in a battle of wills. "Fine, three more years of tax exemption at most. Five years is out of the question."
"Deal." Lorist extended his hand.
...