Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: Training Like the Real Thing, Real Combat Like Training (1)
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“As you know, the Perosia City Alliance may call itself an alliance, but it's a chaotic mess where they constantly hire mercenaries from Switchelland to fight these petty skirmishes.”
There was no better way to describe the Perosia City Alliance than His Majesty's words—“a chaotic mess.”
Because that so-called alliance was a madhouse where, exaggerating just a bit, they fought wars three or four times a year among themselves as a matter of routine.
Normally, a place that kept waging war like that would see its national power crumble and collapse, but the Perosia City Alliance was a wealthy nation thriving in commerce and the arts.
They fought their wars by hiring mercenaries assembled from Switchelland or unemployed locals, leaving their standing army surprisingly weak compared to their economic might.
“I know all too well. It's that bizarre country where they bicker and fight to the death among themselves in peacetime, but when a foreign enemy attacks, they band together as one, mobilizing every mercenary from Switchelland and their own to fight fiercely.”
The Emperor let out a sigh at my words.
“Good to know you're well aware. The thing is, Duke Florence—one of the ten pillars of the Perosia City Alliance—has fathered a son by his new concubine, despite being over sixty.”
“......Your Majesty, the Duke of Florence is Her Imperial Majesty's father, and the lack of an heir has long been his greatest worry. To gain a successor in his twilight years is truly a joyous occasion.”
From the perspective of a rich old grandfather, sure—having a son to inherit his fortune late in life would be cause for dancing with joy.
But he wasn't just any wealthy grandpa. He ruled a city-state that was always eyeing opportunities to devour its neighbors. A late-born heir in such a place was nothing short of a disaster.
Because when a ruler passes fifty without a son to succeed him, he starts resigning himself to the fact that he'll never have one and prepares to hand the family and lands to some relative or talented upstart.
The designated heir would have been thrilled for ages at the prospect of claiming the family and territories, only for some bastard firstborn to pop out of nowhere and snatch it all away?
Those who'd been banking on inheriting or cozying up for a piece of the pie would lose their minds—every last one of them—and it would inevitably erupt into a fight over their rice bowls.
The Emperor sighed again at my words.
As if to say that what should have been a joyous event was instead a frozen disaster now that he'd fathered a son out of the blue past sixty.
I already knew all this, but I couldn't exactly say “Wow, this is gonna be a shitshow” when it involved the Empress's family.
His Majesty waved his hand dismissively, let out a earth-shattering sigh, and spoke plainly.
“Since it's just us, I'll drop the pretense. Florence is headed for war within a few years. According to our Imperial Intelligence Bureau, the pro-Veneta faction has approached Congressman Marco, who was the original heir to my father-in-law, Duke Florence. But the Duke has always despised Veneta's characteristic haughtiness more than anyone and kept the pro-Veneta faction at arm's length. What do you think happens next?”
What came next was obvious.
Until now, Congressman Marco must have groveled and flattered endlessly to win the Duke's favor, by any means necessary.
For the title of next Duke of Florence, he'd have been ready to lick the very soles of the current Duke's shoes until they wore through.
Having reveled in immense power through that process, what happens when some bastard heir suddenly appears to claim the Duke's title?
The parasites clinging to the “next Duke” position would peel away in an instant, leaving Marco standing there like a straw left out in the fields, discarded and cold.
Politicians, nobles, and power-hungry types would rather die than suffer such humiliation.
“The pro-Veneta faction—no, traitors wearing that mask—will claim that the Duke of Veneta's will is for Congressman Marco to become Duke of Florence and latch onto him. In the process, the Veneta faction will pour vast sums of money and support into Marco. Then, once the current Duke passes away, Marco—backed by Veneta—will rise up, declaring he cannot accept this succession.”
“The ducal territory ruled by Duke Florence will split right down the middle: the pro-Veneta faction propping up Congressman Marco as their leader, and the faction supporting the young heir. At first, it'll just be power struggles in the assembly, but eventually, it'll erupt into civil war over their respective champions.”
His Majesty flashed a wicked smile and spoke softly.
“Intelligence analysis suggests two possibilities: one where Duke Veneta stirs Florence's civil war and installs Marco as a puppet, ending there; or one where it engulfs the entire Perosia City Alliance in a grand war. What do you think?”
The Perosia City Alliance was much like the Europan continent.
Whoever seized hegemony or dominance meant massive gains for one side and catastrophic losses for the other—it was fated that way.
And the strongest power in the alliance right now was the city-state ruled by Duke Veneta. If he gained control over Florence too?
He couldn't monopolize the entire alliance alone, but his faction would claim hegemony.
Who in their right mind would sit idly by and watch that happen?
“Your Majesty, if civil war breaks out in Florence, it will undoubtedly drag every state in the alliance into a massive war. Because if Duke Veneta takes Florence, the fragile balance between the alliance's two major blocs will tilt sharply toward Veneta. Thus, after Duke Florence's passing—and this is my personal guess—a colossal civil war will erupt within the alliance in under two years.”
His Majesty feigned concern in his voice as he asked,
“We can't just let our young brother-in-law die in such a horrific civil war. The Reich Empire upholds honor and righteousness, after all. So, we must surely dispatch troops, no?”
“Indeed. As allies bound by marriage, Your Majesty must mobilize the army to protect the future Duke of Florence. Otherwise, the Empire's credibility will plummet.”
The key here was that sending reinforcements for Duke Florence was already a done deal, but the timing and scale were up for discussion.
Because the Empire wasn't some altruist nation like Mother Teresa or Schweitzer—it moved its forces to minimize losses while gobbling up Perosia's vast, fertile, commercially thriving prize lands.
Still, I thought His Majesty was plenty benevolent by my standards.
Because for this plan to succeed, Florence and its territories had to be protected under the Empire's auspices.
And Duke Florence, despite his bungling, would gain vast lands without lifting a finger thanks to his excellent marriage alliance with the Empire.
His Majesty dramatically pressed a hand to his forehead and said,
“Ah, but even if my father-in-law's realm is in crisis, prolonged debates in the 'Imperial Diet' will prevent us from sending troops immediately! By the time we move, Florence Castle will be nearly surrounded! Our young brother-in-law will have scarcely any soldiers or funds left.”
In this scheme, the Empire stood to reap massive gains with minimal bloodshed by intervening only after civil war had thoroughly devastated Perosia.
That's why His Majesty mentioned the siege of Florence.
But even that felt insufficient, no matter how I crunched the numbers.
To truly seize the Perosia City Alliance, we had to neutralize those damn Switchellanders and their mercenaries.
That way, we'd strike while Perosia's forces were maximally weakened.
But first, I needed to ask this.
“Your Majesty, do you intend to entrust me with command of the Perosia Front Army?”
“Indeed. Those bastards have stabbed us in the back with schemes whenever the Empire was in peril. It'd be fitting for you to settle the score. Intelligence reports that while you were suffering on the front lines, Perosia supplied Switchelland with logistics and provisions.”
“I shall obey your command. Then, after implementing the reserve system and conducting war games, could you deploy me to Switchelland?”
“So be it.”
“I will repay Your Majesty's trust to the best of my ability.”
His Majesty chuckled faintly at my words and said,
“You've never once betrayed my trust thus far. So I'll trust you this time as well. And heading to some remote Perosia Front will be hardship enough. With that in mind, the Jaeger Marquis family can reclaim all the goods you received from the Northerners. Sell them to fund your campaign.”