Reidi gazed at the snow-covered mountaintop, sighed suddenly, then raised a finely crafted silver flask and drained half of it in one go before letting out a long, weary sigh.
"What's with all the sighing?" Dolos, the commander of the Flying Tiger Corps' War Chariot Steel Crossbow Regiment, set down the map he'd been sketching and asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just suddenly missing my son." Reidi smiled bitterly. "Sunilulu sent me a letter. She says the boy's nearly three years old and has barely seen his father a handful of times. Apparently he's a real handful — the spitting image of me. I just suddenly felt this urge to go back and see the little rascal, hold him..."
Sunilulu was the personal handmaiden of Lady Aristorli, the eldest daughter of the House of Dina and one of
Aristorli was furious and complained to Lorist about it. Lorist asked Reidi what he was thinking, and Reidi declared with great conviction that he needed to focus on his cultivation — romantic entanglements would only erode his willpower. Unless he could advance to Sword Saint like Lorist, he wouldn't consider settling down...
Lorist couldn't do anything about it, so he let it slide. However, Reidi had Sunilulu and the child moved to the estate Lorist had granted him, putting Sunilulu in charge of managing his fief. In practice, apart from lacking a formal wedding ceremony, Reidi and Sunilulu lived together as husband and wife — the servants even addressed Sunilulu as the Baroness.
Dolos laughed. "Can't blame you. We've been out here two or three years now. Forget you — even I'm homesick and want to get back to Northland soon.
Reidi nodded. "I know. Just a few more months. The Rock Legion will come relieve us on this line come April next year. The Commercial Alliance is already on its last legs — the moment the Peterson Guild declares independence and establishes a kingdom, they won't be able to stir up any more trouble. All we have to do is hold this line, weather their death throes, and then hand things over to the Rock Legion to grind them down slowly. As for us, we go back to Northland to see our wives and kids."
"Oh, Reidi, I've been meaning to ask — you two get along perfectly well as a couple, so why won't you marry Sunilulu? All you're really missing is the formal wedding ceremony..." Dolos finally got the question out. The two had known each other for years and were on good terms. Dolos's wife Donna was especially close to Sunilulu — the kind of best friends who shared everything.
Reidi shrugged helplessly and took another swig of wine. "You know Sunilulu's background — she's Aristorli's personal handmaiden. And you know the relationship between Lady Aristorli and His Grace. You should understand that Lady Aristorli isn't one to be underestimated. She's always trying to compete with the First Lady, Princess Sylvia, and pushing for the Second Lady, Fenagali, to be elevated to the position of second wife.
If I were to marry Sunilulu as my principal wife, how do you think Princess Sylvia would look at me? His Grace might even lump me in with Lady Aristorli's camp. It's actually better this way — Lady Aristorli can't do anything about me, His Grace and Princess Sylvia still trust me, and Sunilulu doesn't mind..."
Dolos was dumbfounded. "You can't be serious. You've thought this much about a simple marriage? That's ridiculous. Did someone put you up to this..."
Reidi looked at Dolos with disdain. "Does anyone need to teach me that? Just read more books. Back when I served at His Grace's side, I read through his entire collection while he was working — including all those court novels and chivalric romances. They're full of tales about the tangled power struggles in great noble houses. Read enough of them and you pick things up naturally. Think about it — our
Dolos looked at him with genuine admiration. "Reidi, I never imagined you'd become this shrewd. When I first met you, you were a reckless, impulsive kid. Now you're thinking this far ahead. His Grace truly has a keen eye for talent, taking you as his disciple — he knew you'd go far."
"Heh, Dolos, save the flattery," Reidi said with a laugh. "I'm not like you. You and your wife met and fell in love on the road north — and that was actually a gift from His Grace, who let you pick a handmaiden. You took one look at Donna and chose her, and you two supported each other all the way to Northland, where you married her. Simple and beautiful. Not like me — as His Grace's senior disciple, I always have to watch my back and make sure nothing I do reflects badly on him. Anyway, enough of that. Have you finished sketching that defensive line?"
"Oh, almost done. Look — here, here, and there. These seventeen points I've marked on the map are all key high grounds in the surrounding area. Secure all seventeen and we can set up a complete defensive line." Dolos handed the map to Reidi for inspection.
The corps deployed on short notice, descending like divine soldiers amid the winter snowfall. Under the guidance of their inside man Count Mileidas, they swiftly seized control of Jerodana Province and Charbuko Province — the territory of the Peterson Guild.
The Free Alliance's armed corps were stationed in Jerodana Province to dismantle defensive installations and fill in trenches. The Imperial Guard Corps took control of the entire Peterson Guild territory, ostensibly to assist the Peterson Guild's forces in defending Charbuko Province. As for the Flying Tiger Corps, they advanced into Kuwadero Province under Reidi's command to establish a defensive line against the Commercial Alliance's inevitable frenzied counterattack once Grand Duke Peterson declared secession and independence.
Charbuko Province, Singik City — the capital of the Peterson Guild's territory and the future royal seat of the Peterson Kingdom.
The crowd gathered at the south gate was seeing off Count Mileidas. Accompanying him back to his baronial territory in Aligome Province were
The wheels of the luxurious carriage had been swapped out for long, smooth skis. Fatty Shi sat in the carriage alongside Count Mileidas. Seeing the count's expression of smug satisfaction, Fatty Shi smiled faintly, pulled a document from a black beast-hide satchel he carried with him, and handed it to Count Mileidas.
"What's this?" Count Mileidas asked, puzzled, but accepted the document.
"This is the proof of ownership for the Dauslege Grand Hotel in Morant City and the Adventurer's Inns in six cities across the Mana Hill Plains," Fatty Shi explained with a smile. "After the Free Alliance was established, all property formerly belonging to the Commercial Alliance's guilds — houses, merchant halls, shops, and the like — was confiscated as public assets. When His Grace heard of the efforts Your Excellency made for peace and the unjust treatment you suffered, he was deeply moved and greatly admired what you had done. So he personally spent nearly two hundred thousand gold Forda to redeem these properties of your family from the Free Alliance, returning them to their rightful owners, in recognition of Your Excellency's contribution to peace.
After redeeming these properties, His Grace has already dispatched people to complete the formalities and provide a guarantee for your family. Your Excellency may send personnel to Morant City and the Mana Hill Plains at any time to take possession of these inns and resume operations. His Grace also said that if Your Excellency ever needs any assistance from the Norton Family, please don't hesitate to ask.
Oh, and beneath this is an agreement. His Grace says that although your family's territory in Aligome Province is rugged terrain unsuitable for large armies, you still need to guard against the Commercial Alliance splitting off cavalry and other small units for retaliatory raids. So His Grace has decided to provide your family with the military equipment for a full regiment at a fifty-percent discount with zero interest, to help your family establish a capable armed force. The repayment term is ten years. If Your Excellency agrees, simply sign and we'll transport this batch of military supplies to your family's territory to help you organize your family's armed forces."
Count Mileidas stared at the folder in his hands, frozen. His whole body began to tremble, and moments later his eyes brimmed with tears. "I'll sign! Of course I'll sign! Please convey my gratitude to Grand Duke Norton for his great kindness. The Mileidas family will never forget His Grace's magnanimity..."
Of course he'd sign. Grand Duke Peterson had haggled with Fatty Shi for nearly ten days just to get military equipment for two legions, and all he got was a twenty-five percent discount on a ten-year loan that still carried five percent interest. But Lorist, in reward for Count Mileidas's contribution in persuading Grand Duke Peterson to secede from the Commercial Alliance and establish an independent kingdom, had not only returned the seven inns in Morant City and the Mana Hill Plains that originally belonged to the Mileidas family, but was also offering such generous terms to help build up the Mileidas family's armed forces. For Count Mileidas, this was like charcoal in the dead of winter — he was overwhelmed with gratitude.
"No need for such formality, Your Excellency. The Norton Family never mistreats its friends, and friends should help each other. Besides, we're all working toward the cause of justice and the restoration of peace. To end this war, we'll need your family's continued efforts. Now, Your Excellency, please do me the honor of pointing out which nobles in Aligome Province would support our cause, and which ones are die-hard loyalists and lackeys of the Commercial Alliance that need to be eliminated..."
Count Mileidas wiped his eyes and broke into a grateful smile. "Of course, Baron Shrade. Let me introduce the situation. The Commercial Alliance's parliament has enfeoffed a total of forty-two territorial nobles in Aligome Province, of whom..."
On the tenth of April, 1783 by the Galentea Continent Common Calendar, Grand Duke Peterson brazenly declared the secession of Charbuko, Jerodana, and Aligome Provinces from the Commercial Alliance, establishing the Peterson Kingdom. He simultaneously dispatched envoys to the Free Alliance and the various nations of the central and southern regions, hoping to join the twenty-one-nation accord of central-southern Galentea and become the twenty-second member state.
Upon hearing this news, Grand Duke Comberlate, the Supreme Chancellor of the Commercial Alliance, vomited blood and collapsed on the spot. The nobles of the Forde Guild, the Livord Guild, and numerous second- and third-rate guilds were enraged. They mustered their guild forces into a combined army and marched furiously toward Charbuko Province, intent on punishing Grand Duke Peterson for his despicable betrayal.
They were eventually forced to retreat back to their original defensive lines.
"We've lost this war. Send someone to the Norton Family to sue for peace..." After waking from his collapse and learning of the devastating defeat at the front, Grand Duke Comberlate locked himself in his study for a day and a night without food or drink. Then he summoned all the nobles of the Commercial Alliance and uttered those words.
"No! Your Grace, we must fight to the end! Otherwise we'll lose too much..."
"We still have a million subjects! Plenty of grain and provisions! We can raise hundreds of thousands more soldiers and overwhelm the Norton Family's forces with human wave tactics! Destroy the Peterson Kingdom!"
"Traitors must be punished! We cannot negotiate with these rebels!"
"..."
Grand Duke Comberlate's words were like a cup of water thrown into a boiling oil pan, provoking fierce opposition from the Commercial Alliance's nobles. The great hall erupted in turmoil — those unwilling to accept defeat clamored to continue the war, while the wiser ones kept silent.
"We must surrender and sue for peace!" Grand Duke Comberlate raised his voice, drowning out the clamor. "Do you even understand what will happen if we persist in this war? It will mean the utter annihilation of our Commercial Alliance! The Norton Family is advancing step by step, slowly tightening the noose around our necks and driving us into a dead end! Compared to us, they have far more time and patience, watching us stumble toward our own destruction!
The Commercial Alliance has existed for nearly two hundred years, yet we have never faced such a perilous dead end! We still have a million subjects and plenty of provisions, but we lack sufficient quality weapons and equipment. Are we supposed to send our soldiers into battle armed with wooden sticks? Look at the Norton Family's forces — they have steel crossbows, catapults, and cannons! While all we have are our soldiers' flesh and blood, their very lives, to stand against the enemy's assault!
In terms of weapons and equipment, we've fallen far too behind. Compared to the Norton Family's forces, we're like farmers armed with sticks facing fully armored knights. We need time to catch up — to research and manufacture weapons and equipment equal to the enemy's — so that we can restore the Commercial Alliance's former glory.
But we no longer have time. And the most critical factor is that our territories are running short of salt..."
"Salt?" Most of the Commercial Alliance's nobles were stunned.
"Yes, salt." Grand Duke Comberlate nodded with a bitter smile. "Salt that was readily available in Morant City has now become the critical commodity determining whether we sue for peace or face annihilation. Our territories have enough salt to last three months at most. Everyone knows what happens to people without salt — the whole body goes limp, drained of all strength. So if we don't sue for peace soon, the enemy won't even need to attack. A six-month blockade and we'll destroy ourselves!
I locked myself in my study for a day and a night, asking myself how our Commercial Alliance fell from the height of its power to this wretched state. The truth is, we took the wrong path! We forgot that we were merchants to begin with. The moment we chose to expand through war, we became just like the very nobles we once despised — using war to plunder wealth. It was so much faster than doing business, you could even call it a costless venture...
We turned our former allies into enemies. Because we were invincible, we forgot about compromise and knew only how to destroy and plunder. The more territory we seized, the more arrogant we grew. We always placed ourselves in the position of the victor, looking down on everyone. Until we ran into the Norton Family's forces. A string of defeats didn't wake us up. Instead, like gamblers, we pinned our hopes on the next victory being our comeback. And that's how the Norton Family's forces backed us into this corner.
It's time we woke up. We are merchants, and we should compete with our enemies using the wisdom of merchants, not the warlike methods of nobles. If we surrender now, we still have capital and resilience. We may be humiliated, but there will always be an opportunity to rise again. As long as we change course and compete with the enemy in commerce, I believe no one can match the Commercial Alliance in business — not even the Norton Family.
The days ahead will be painful and desperate. The enemy won't let us off easily — we may have to pay a steep price for the peace we seek. But we are merchants, and we can endure humiliation to trade with the enemy. Let us bury our desire for vengeance deep in our hearts, using the cunning and methods of merchants to extract profits through trade, until the day our Commercial Alliance regains its strength and vitality — on that day, we will shine once more!
Now, let us discuss who to send as our envoys..."