A Development I've Heard Somewhere, Not
The former territory of the Saint Miriam Kingdom. Now called Nordben, the new territory of the Nord Empire, large-scale civil engineering works were being carried out here and there on the land.
The people doing the work were demons. They have a power that far surpasses that of humans, and they use magic. With these two things, they were completing one after another construction projects that would take years to complete. It is the same as what they were doing in Nord.
However, the details are a little different from Nord's. In Nordben, where the land was dry, canal construction was actively carried out with the aim of increasing the cultivated land as much as possible. Waterways were extended from large rivers to far-flung areas to allow for the production of crops. The land itself was also being cultivated.
But Nordben is a land of abundance. There are abundant sources of water, such as the rivers that extend from the southern mountain range, the Forest of Confusion, and the mountains in the northern part of the country. Those rivers flow through the plains, and cultivated lands are spread around them. The need for construction work in common with Nord is flood control and flood prevention.
However, in Nordben, too, major construction work is being done on a scale that exceeds that of the Nord. The purpose is not for wealth but for defense.
"...You made something amazing."
A huge bridge over a broad river and a huge gate behind it. Ren is amazed at the sight in front of him.
He came to inspect the construction site today as well as a meeting.
"That’s what Ren… No. It’s because His Majesty wanted it, right?"
Kou answered. Ren was a little dissatisfied with it.
"At the end, it's not an honorific. Well, it doesn't matter."
"Is it okay?"
"For now. In an official setting, you have to be a little more polite. Some people are uncomfortable with the familiarity."
The number of people serving the Nord Empire has also increased considerably. For someone who was new to the country, and was originally serving a country, his overly friendly attitude toward Emperor Ren was unacceptable as a matter of courtesy.
That is not all. He must also avoid a situation where his attitude is perceived as special treatment and causes friction between old and new vassals.
"Even I can do it normally. But I try to be more polite than I need to be, and I fail."
"Get used to it. Get used to it."
"…Isn’t it because Ren has that kind of attitude?"
Because Ren shows a crass attitude, he's also lured by it. It's just an excuse.
"I've seen other people do it well. Just imitate them."
"That's true, but..."
The reason that Kou is unfamiliar with it is that he, who is originally just an armor craftsman, rarely has the opportunity to speak in public. He is different from other civil and military officials.
"Right now, the progress of the construction is more important than the language. Is this thing almost finished?"
"The bridge is complete. The interior of the gate will still take half a month. However, the only work that remains is the habitable part, so it is already fully functional in terms of defense."
The gigantic gate at the back of the bridge is a fort that prevents enemies from crossing the river. Weapons such as siege crossbows are installed inside the gate.
"So, is it almost complete?"
"It's still a long way off. We will build walls on both sides of the river. It's like the Great Wall of China in another world."
"No, it's not going to be that extraordinary, is it? I've never actually seen it."
"But, building a wall on the border to prevent enemy invasion, isn't that what you mean?"
Ren ordered to strengthening of the border defenses. Nordben has a wider border than the Nord Empire. In order to prevent them from crossing the border easily, tributaries were extended from the large river along the border line, and such forts were built at several places along the tributaries.
"We only build in the south. And that's only halfway."
As expected, they are not thinking about surrounding Nordben. He doesn't need anything more than that. This was only to prevent an invasion from the Lemberg Empire.
"Still, it's a lot of work."
"I know that. But to defend the country with a small army, we have to rely on things."
The basis of the Nord Imperial Army is a small elite force. After the annexation of the Saint Miriam Kingdom, the former Saint Miriam Kingdom's army has been considerably reduced in size. It would take some time for the remaining forces to reach a level of strength satisfactory to Ren.
"But is it okay?"
"What?"
"Not strengthening the defense in the west. This makes it sound like they are only trying to protect the territories under our direct control."
The strengthening of defenses was done with an invasion from the former Lemberg Empire in mind. However, Nordben's borders are not only to the south. Further west is the Baslek Kingdom, which is under the empire.
"Heh. Kou has started to think about politics, too?"
"I'm not thinking about it because I want to. It's because Ren makes me think about it."
"I didn't do that, though. The answer to Kou's question is that the West is not the place to protect."
A poorly worded answer. Thinking about the meaning of this makes Kou think about political and military entanglements, after all.
"…Are we going to fight the Luine Kingdom?"
If not a place to defend, then a place to attack. And if you head west, there is the Luine Kingdom. But this is not the right answer.
"It's too early to tell. The Luine Kingdom is far to the west. How many countries are there before we reach it?"
"But the Luine Kingdom would do the same thing."
Kou doesn't think that the Luine Kingdom will leave the north alone. In fact, the Luine Kingdom sent an army to the north alone before forming a united front. It ended in failure because of Ren.
"Probably not."
"Why?"
"Many of the countries that joined the Northern Alliance were connected to the Luine Kingdom behind the scenes, but do those connections still exist now?'"
The fact that he asks this question means that they do not.
"Do you believe there are none left?"
"What did the countries that betrayed us gain as a result? Nothing. Some of them have been attacked by members of the united front, who did not know what was going on."
The armies of the member nation other than the three major powers went to overrun the Northern Alliance. They had no information about which countries had been communicating with them.
"We were not destroyed either. On the contrary, another cooperating country came out of the north. This time not as an alliance, but as a vassal."
The betrayal had brought no advantage. Besides, the Nord Empire, which they had betrayed, was gaining momentum again. Many countries must be regretting their betrayal as a failure.
"But the Luine Kingdom is a great power."
"Yes. There will be countries that choose to be vassals to the Luine Kingdom. But they can only express their intention if they have the assurance that the Luine Kingdom will help them if something happens to them. Otherwise, they will be attacked and destroyed by us or their allies."
"…And the Luine Kingdom will not move?"
Ren's explanation assumes this. Kou doesn't know why he thinks so.
"Because he is that king, there may be times when he can outwit us. But can he make a decision on an invasion that could potentially drag them down, under the current circumstances? I don't think he can."
"It's not a possibility, it's what Ren would do, right?"
"Of course. As a result, if the invasion does not progress and an opening is created in the Luine Kingdom, Katsuragi-san will surely invade. That will make it impossible to continue the battle in the north."
"...Or the other way around."
If the Izrim Magic Kingdom attacks the Nord Empire, the Luine Kingdom will take advantage of the opportunity. The southern part of the country's defenses should be strengthened to give the Luine Kingdom time to move. At last, Kou understood Ren's intention.
"If both countries can't move, that's fine. In the meantime, we will build up our strength."
"...I understand. The Three Kingdoms, right?"
Kou thought Ren's plan was an imitation of the Three Kingdoms.
"I know the Three Kingdoms too, but it's a little different. The Three Kingdoms was conceived to counter the powerful Wei, right?"
(TN: Of the Three Kingdoms, the Wei Kingdom had the strongest military. Located north of the Yangtze River. The two kingdoms in the south, the Shu and Wu, formed an alliance out of military strategy to keep the Wei contained to the north. The Wei Kingdom was overthrown as the Jin Dynasty emerged in 265 AD. And after conquering the north, they turned their sights south and gradually took over the Shu and Wu kingdoms, declaring victory in 280 AD.)
"Yes"
"But what was the result? What the Annals of the Three Kingdoms teaches is that a three-way battle is only possible when there are opposing forces. Even if two weak countries team up, they are no match for one stronger country."
"No, you're wrong. Or rather, I'm scared of Ren who denies the plan of the genius strategist."
"I'm not denying it. I'm just saying that our goals are different. My goal is to destroy the other two countries. In other words, to become Wei. But the current Nord Empire is far from being Wei, so I need a plan to get closer to it."
"I can understand if that means getting the north...... but I'm worried that we won't be able to get there in time."
Ruling the northern country under their control and incorporating its power into the Nord Empire. He can understand the strategy. However, he knows that it is not easy to spread governance throughout an occupied country and to increase the power of the country, as he knows from that of Nordben and the Baslek Kingdom.
"We can go all the way to a certain point. From there, we need to buy time. And to reduce the power of the other side."
"The measures are already underway."
Ren has already gotten a response up to a certain point. Kou knew it too.
"That's why I'm talking to you. I'm not confident that I can talk about something I can't do."
"No, I’m begging you, be confident. Otherwise, it's hard for everyone around you."
"Why?"
The lower your self-esteem, the higher you expect of others. It's natural to be able to do this much. There is nothing more painful for a retainer than for Ren to think this way. Ren himself doesn't understand that.
――Half a month after this day, the United Kingdom of Mercenary was restored. As a country under the Nord Empire.
◇◇◇
The Izrim Magic Kingdom changed the name of the country. The Izrim Empire. The name was decided to be an empire after having several countries under its control, and magic was removed from the name of the country, as the empire would no longer be a country specializing in magic. Elected King Mei also took the name of the emperor.
Emperor Mei was present at the meeting. There was a different kind of tension in the air.
"How did it come to this? Can you explain in detail?"
After receiving reports from her subordinates, Mei demands more information.
"Yes. It was the former king who revived the former United Kingdom of Mercenary. It seems that he led many of his former subjects to attack it."
Answering Mei's question is Franklin Simmons, Prime Minister of the Izrim Empire. The man was selected from among many vassals because he was deemed trustworthy in terms of both ability and character.
"A former king and an old vassal. Does that mean they intended to do that from the beginning?"
"I don't know that much, but I am surprised that the Nord Emperor kept the former king and his former vassals alive. Since they still have a certain amount of influence, and among the people, it seems that their revival is welcomed."
This is the best choice of people in taking back the former United Kingdom of Mercenary. They are the original owners.
"...Which country had the stolen territory? Aren't they rebelling?"
Even if the people support it, the government should not. Mei thought that the country that had been robbed should show resistance.
"There are many countries in the north, some of which have taken even more from those in the north, who will not be able to resist the Nord Empire."
Even if they complain, the Nord Empire will not return it. The only way is to take it back by force, but no country has the strength to do so.
Furthermore, the countries in the north are wondering whether their own countries should also be under the Nord Empire. There is no way they can resist in that situation.
"How loyal is the former king to Ren-kun? I wonder if he would consider taking this opportunity to become independent?"
Mei thought that if the robbed country was no good, the robbed side could be used.
"I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. If he intended to do so, he would not have declared his vassalage to the Nord Empire."
"Even if it's impossible right away, what about the future?"
If they are dissatisfied with the Nord Empire, they should take advantage of it, Mei thought so.
"Of course, it is possible. But how would you work it?"
She doesn't think they would accept an invitation to leave the Nord Empire and follow the Izrim Empire. If they want independence, they will have to ask for it.
"...Independence. On top of that, an alliance with us. How about this?"
"Understood. We will work with that."
They will not be placed under their umbrella forcibly. It's enough to make them fight the Nord Empire. As a result, even if it is re-ruled, the Nord Empire will lose its national power due to the battle.
Only if the work goes well. There is no way that Ren would allow the restoration of the country with a relationship that could easily turn out that way. If he did, it would have to be with a plan.
"We had to succeed somehow. We can't let the Nord Empire have any more power."
The United Kingdom of Mercenary was once second only to the three great powers. It is not as powerful now as it was then, but it cannot be left unchecked.
"What about sending an army?"
"...I don't want to go to war with the Nord Empire yet. Before we do that, we need to increase the number of countries we rule."
"Things are going well on that front. The Hero Knights are on the move, and they are gaining momentum."
The Hero Knights is the generic name for a group of knights led by the heroes. The number of heroes in their own country is increasing as they increase the number of countries they control. It is correct to say that they are increasing the number of countries they rule for this purpose.
They put a reorganized knight order under the hero they made an ally. Now it is two. Minami Tatsuya and Ogawa Masaru was on there side.
If she can get even more heroes on her side, she plans to increase the number of knights to a third and then a fourth.
"The Lemberg Empire, no, the Lemberg Kingdom. How long will it take you to completely conquer the area between the two?"
The immediate goal of the Izrim Empire was to control all the countries between the former Izrim Magic Kingdom and the former Lemberg Empire. That would give them nearly a quarter of the continent. The largest territory. And considering the number of heroes, they should also have the largest war potential.
"We are invading a number of countries at the same time, so...... we have roughly six more months.”
It is not only the Hero Knights that are moving. Noble families are also moving as usual. They, too, want to be king, even if it is in a small country. These are the nobles of the former Izrim Magic Kingdom, who have such ambitions.
The work of the noble families is not only to accelerate the annexation of other countries. In exchange for making the nobles kings, they would give back their fiefdoms in the mainland of the Izrim Empire. In this way, Mei's plan was to increase the number of territories under the king's direct control and strengthen her royal authority.
"The rest is to calm down the country. We have no choice but to have the kings of each country do it."
"Yes. We can't cover all the countries."
The more territory you have, the more troublesome it will be to govern, and the more civil officials involved in it will have to increase. However, it cannot keep up with the current situation of rapidly increasing territory.
It is also difficult to see all of the large territory from the center. That is why they placed a king in each country as an administrator and called themselves an empire to rule over them.
"The reorganization of the army must not be delayed. How many more are expected to join our side?"
"Four people."
"Six knights. Seven knights including Jin."
One knight order per hero. She plans to organize it that way.
"One of them is a mage, I remember."
"...That's right. The Six Knights. And then... yes, Hayashi-kun first. Did you send a messenger for negotiations?"
Hayashi Shuhei is a Class A hero. Someone they want on their side at all costs. Hayashi is located in the Kingdom of Moldova, further east of the Lemberg Kingdom.
"I sent someone, but it hasn’t arrived yet."
Further east of Lemberg Kingdom. It takes a few days to arrive.
"It's fine if you sent someone. All we have to do now is wait for the results of the negotiations."
"Yes. It's a little early, but what do you plan to do after seizing the southern part of the kingdom?"
If they can increase their territory and increase the number of heroes, the power of the Izrim Empire will be the largest on the continent. It should surpass the Luine Kingdom. They can move in any way they want. Prime Minister Simmons is thinking.
"…I'd like to have a discussion with Ren-kun."
"With the Nord Emperor?"
It is not possible. Prime Minister Simmons' question is tinged with such thoughts.
"We used to be classmates. Of course, I don't expect it to be easy. But I still want to have a chance to talk to him."
"...Diplomatic contact."
Prime Minister Simmons tries to avoid negotiations. There is no way that Ren will accept his request for negotiations while trying to plot against the former United Kingdom of Mercenary behind the scenes. He does not want his men to die in a negotiation that he knows will fail.
"Shizuru. I'll write a letter to her. Please deliver it somehow."
Even if she wants to talk to Ren, there is a high chance that she will be ignored. Mei decided to use Shizuku, not Shizuru. She thought that with Shizuku's personality, she could not ignore her request.
"...I'll send a messenger."
Before delivering it to Shizuku, it would be difficult for them to even enter the Nord Empire territory. The chances of the messenger returning safely are extremely low.
If there is no way around it, the only way is to select people with that intention in mind. Prime Minister Simmons decided on this in his mind.
"There's also a way to have Manami go... Okay. If that doesn't work, I'll think about it."
If it was Manami, she might be able to meet Ren in person. She has that thought, but she is not absolutely sure that it will work. Ren has no hesitation in killing his classmates. Akira, who was also in Class C, was killed with his own hands. This fact makes Mei hesitate.
"Putting aside the success or failure of negotiations with the Nord Empire, is it correct to assume that Your Majesty’s next goal is the Luine Kingdom?"
The fact that she is asking the Nord Empire for negotiations that have no chance of success means that there is someone else with whom they are thinking of fighting. It can only be the Luine Kingdom.
"......Not exactly. There is one thing we must do first."
But that was not what Mei had in mind. She was willing to fight the Luine Kingdom, but there was something she had to do first.
"Is that something you are willing to tell us at this point?"
"To free Yuya. That's all I can tell you right now."
"……I understand."
It is the same as if she had not told him anything. Even so, Prime Minister Simmons couldn't say anything. The position of the Prime Minister is not guaranteed. It is a position that can be changed as much as she likes, depending on Mei's mood, the Emperor.
That's what Prime Minister Simmons thinks, Mei's power is increasing. She has the power to be worthy of the position of emperor.
That is proof that Mei has dirtied her hands. In exchange for Mei's power, many people lost their power and their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment