Chapter 118
–Third Person POV–
Capital: Goldonia, Royal Palace
「I don’t intend to keep our relationship with Magrado as it is forever . 」
The King of Goldonia declares quietly yet solemnly before his chief vassals . He meant that once the ceasefire is over, he could invade again at any time, but nobody in the room was surprised at all . It was quite clear to everyone that the King never wanted to accept a one-year ceasefire with Magrado and they all understood that once he gathers his forces, he would even invade before the end of the one year period .
「Finance minister, how is the state of the national treasury?」
「Yes……unfortunately, even with the spring head tax, our country is in a financial crisis unlike those of recent years . 」
The worsening of the King’s mood is in plain sight and the atmosphere of the conference feels heavy .
「Going into two wars –the Arkland war and the following large war – in such a short period of time, our war expenditures and our expansion of the military resulted in an enormous amount of expenses . Furthermore ……the compensation for the losses from the failure of the landing operation on the west coast dealt us the final blow……」
「It’s fine, it was my mistake as well . I won’t blame you even if you speak out . 」
「Yes…… . the territory we obtained from the war…… . Especially the large city of Treia, has become your territory, but the revenue in one or two years will not be enough to compensate for the war expenditures . 」
「So the spoils of war we got from Treia is not enough to make up for it? 」
「Unfortunately, most of the main treasures were taken away when the royalty fled from Magrado . 」
The fortunes of the other nobles besides the royalty were confiscated, but that was not enough to compensate for the gigantic amount of war expenditures .
The King acknowledges the report in a bad mood and looks at Kenneth, the foreign affairs minister .
「After annexing Treia, the path to the various southern countries have cleared up . Can we trade with them?」
「We are currently trying to get into contact with them and a diplomat has already been sent . However, they are extremely cautious towards us because we used military power to crush a long time neighbour in Treia, so it doesn’t look like they will start trading on a large scale with us immediately . 」
People will hear of the rumors that a long time neighbor was suddenly beaten down by a certain country . They probably won’t believe that country if they extend their hand and want to become friendly from now on . A certain amount of time and certain actions are needed to foster trust .
「In addition, there is a shadow looming around the trade with the Olga Federation, our biggest trading partner . Most of the major trade with the Federation is done by boat . There is opposition on both banks of our nation……」
The highway on the land routes are maintained, but it is inefficient to trade using journeying wagons, and conditions will worsen during winter periods . That’s why the rivers are used by pretty much everyone except those areas restricted to the north and east regions as well as peddlers without gold .
But if a boat packed full of goods is sunk or stolen, it would be a loss great enough to affect even famous companies . Although it is still a ceasefire, there will be many merchants who will withdraw from doing trade across two opposing countries and limit their scope to their own area .
「As I thought, it really hurts that we weren’t able to crush Magrado quickly . Lord Radhalde……how is the rebuilding of the army going?」
「The Central Army currently has five corps, and military strength has recovered up to 75 000 strong, but the newly recruited soldiers are not skilled and will require some time to be trained . 」
「There’s no helping it . I did not think they would be ready to act so soon either, so train them up sufficiently . I will also prioritize providing you with the necessary funds . If we can remove Magrado, our funds will recover as well . If we have a hard time, then there would be no meaning in saving that small amount anyways . 」
「Thank you very much . Then how far is Your Majesty thinking of expanding the army?」
The King stops being grumpy for a brief moment and smiles faintly .
「Eight corps, 120 000 . That should be suitable to represent Goldonia’s strength . 」
Voices leak from the conference room . Sounds of anticipation come from the soldiers while the domestic affairs officials sound uneasy and surprised .
「Right……then I will organize it in that manner . 」
After absorbing the kingdom of Treia and the Yurest Alliance, Goldonia has become a nation with over 2 . 5 million population . In terms of population alone, there is enough reserve, but since both countries were annexed by force, it is not very likely the citizens would want to be added to the army, making the figure of 120 000 seem unachievable .
「If we have this much, even Magrado will be overwhelmed . Do you have any problems with that?」
The King speaks happily about the plan . To please the King, Erich should say ‘there is no problem at all’ but unfortunately, that is not what he said .
「Unfortunately, I have two of them . 」
「……Tell me . 」
「The first is the wide national borders . Regardless of the borders between the southern countries after the annex of Treia, we have to leave soldiers to watch the entire riverside area to guard against Magrado . ……Unfortunately, they are the ones who control the river right now . They can land anywhere any time they feel like it . 」
「Fumu……spreading out our soldiers in a wide area will hinder our training and organization . 」
「Yes, a garrison is being constructed in a large city as a precaution for now . But the area is still too wide to cover . 」
The Central army is an army made to fight a powerful enemy in the first place and not an army for keeping the peace or providing daily security . There are separate guards for that, but because of their equipment, they would not be able to stand up to a full-scale invasion either . Both sides need to divide up the roles and share responsibility, but unfortunately, the line of command for both sides are completely different .
There is also discord with Marquess Gudroit Hoover, the supreme commander of the royal army . He was appointed as the supreme commander of the army but the person above him in position – the King – gives orders directly to Erich, who is the commander of the Central army, so Hoover’s status is reduced to a mere formality .
「I guess so……it’s also a good opportunity that we can’t move . Should we daringly change the shape of the army?」
After saying that, the King brings a document to his close aide . He says it like he just thought of it, but it was obvious that he was prepared and was just waiting for this moment .
「Today, we will dismantle the entire royal army and national army . We will then set up a new army for the kingdom of Goldonia, integrating everything: The Central army, the security forces, the imperial army, and the territory’s peacekeepers as well . 」
As expected, the military officials and the civil servants all look surprised . The only ones not surprised are Kenneth and Erich, who were told about this beforehand . Lastly, there is one person who is dumbfounded – the supreme commander of the royal army, Marquess Gudroit Hoover .
「P-Please wait! I, the supreme commander, has heard nothing about this!」
He hounds the King in a panic, but receives a cold response .
「Probably not . I just made the decision now . 」
「But if I could say one thing……」
「I will decide whether I require advice from you about my decisions . 」
The King replies coldly and looks at everyone’s faces . The military officials, excluding Erich, have similar uneasy faces . A major reformation will seem like just a whim of the King if you do not know the background story .
「No need to worry . I won’t change the personnel or formation of the units . It is not my intention to cause unnecessary confusion within the army . 」
Most of the military officials let out a sigh of relief at the King’s words, but some of their expressions remain frozen – those of Marquess Hoover, whose status of supreme commander was confirmed would be taken away from him in one word, and his aides .
「The newly organized army of the Kingdom of Goldonia will encompass the current Central army, the security forces, and also integrate the Imperial army . The supreme commander will be……」
Everyone felt tense . Based on the words of the King, the newly formed army of the kingdom is a powerful organization, unifying all the forces the King possesses . To become the supreme commander of that organization means receiving authority incomparable to that of a minister .
Considering the position, the only person suitable for that in terms of rank is none other than Marquess Hoover, the former supreme commander of the royal army, but everyone knows he is hated by the King . Everyone focuses their gaze on one person, with the thought that he would naturally be chosen .
「Lord Radhalde . In terms of merit and ability, you will eventually think about him . Will you accept?」
「I may be incompetent, but I will wager my life and accept the position . 」
They couldn’t just jeer at the King, but murmurs of dissatisfaction and astonishment fill the assembly hall . Goldonia’s military power is concentrated under the King and Erich .
「Now, you can move the entire army as you want . The security forces and……I guess I don’t need to refer to it as the Central army anymore, so I’ll have to think of a suitable name . ……You can position them as you please and you can reinforce it as well . Will this solve your problem?」
「Of course, Your Majesty . 」
「Alright, fill in the details later . The conversation went elsewhere, but you had one more issue, didn’t you?」
It was ultimately something that resulted from the conversation, but Marquess Hoover unconsciously stands up . Normally, it is a major restructuring which would take several months to debate over and years for it to be executed .
「Please wait! Don’t just decide on a serious issue of the nation’s army so easily!」
「Easy? Are you saying that my decision as Goldonia’s ruler, my orders are easy?」
「Uu……That’s not what I mean, but……」
「Then what?」
The King’s words remain cold to the end . Even though it wasn’t the worst treatment, an air of sympathy towards him can be felt in the room .
「I-I have pride of serving as the royal army’s supreme commander up until now . There has been no mistake, yet my position has been taken away so abruptly . This will spread unrest among the other loyal members . 」
The King pretends to think about it for a brief moment .
「Fumu, this is ultimately a reorganization and I don’t intend to blame you…… . But it would be rather ruthless to leave you without a job . Then, will you act as the commander for the security forces? It probably doesn’t differ much from what you are doing now . 」
「That is-!!」
That would be fundamentally different than everything up until now . In his previous post, he was still Erich’s superior although in reality he couldn’t interfere with the Central army, but now as the commander of the security forces, which is under the umbrella of the Kingdom’s army, he would officially be Erich’s subordinate .
A Marquess, which has existed for many generations, will serve under an up-and-coming Count . By no means could he accept that .
「T-that is quite unreasonable……」
「Oh really, what a selfish person . Then I’ll make you the commander of the reserve army . During wartime, Count Radhalde will decide whether to entrust you with a corps ‘if necessary’ . Will you be happy with that?」
That will not change the fact he will be under Erich’s command . But he will not be regularly receiving orders and traditionally, it is not uncommon for excellent veteran generals who have higher ranking than the supreme commander to be stationed as reserve in case of emergencies, so his dignity will remain intact . But then it is really doubtful if he would be called up at all .
Marquess Hoover sits down in his seat weakly, while his nearby followers cause a commotion . It wasn’t a big deal just for him, but to those he brought with him as well .
「The conversation was interrupted, wasn’t it . Let’s hear the other issue . 」
「Yes, regarding the strengthening of military forces, the strengthening of the privates are somehow progressing as planned, but we have an overwhelming shortage of mid-ranked commanders . We have plenty of willing candidates but the reality is that not many of them have the required ability . 」
「Commanders? So we cannot nurture them?」
「Even if we disregard their actual battle experience, we can’t just train the ones who haven’t received any basic education from scratch . 」
「……So we are limited to existing knights and noble families . 」
「Yes . 」
The legitimate children of the knights and nobles have received the required minimum amount of education . However, there are many traditional nobles who are unwilling to be a part of the Central army when Erich, and the other new nobles have occupied many of the key positions . It would be a different story if they were poor, but since they have territory and their families are well-off, they have no reason to specially join the King’s army . It is expected that trend will continue even more strongly with Erich virtually being at the apex of the army .
「I will also call for participation in the army again . But I can’t force them…… . Education, huh……fumu, I will do something about that . In the meantime, do the best with what you have . 」
An interested smile appears on the King’s face . Erich does not say anymore . He was given a duty to do his best as the supreme commander, anything else above that will be the King’s responsibility .
「The army will be more efficient, but domestic affairs must also be made more efficient accordingly . It is inefficient to gather the opinions of foreign affairs, finances, commerce, agriculture separately, and it will create unnecessary contradictions and misunderstandings . 」
Thinking domestic affairs is the next topic, the civil servants tense up .
「Foreign Affairs Minister Baldwin, you will manage the ministers and hold your position as foreign minister concurrently . 」
「Of course, I am truly honored indeed . 」
The place gets noisy once again, but said person and Erich are unmoved . Everything was already pre-determined, only waiting for the opportunity to reveal itself . Yet there is a tint of displeasure on Erich’s expression .
「The title will be……let’s make it Commissioner of Government Affairs . Let’s name Lord Radhalde as the Commissioner of Military Affairs as well . With these two new positions, my nation will develop even further . 」
Among the civil servants who were making questionable faces, Kenneth’s proteges are beaming with joy and Erich’s proteges – the new nobles – are also smiling .
On the other hand, the former commander of the royal army and his faction have faces dyed in anger . Even now, they are surrounded with enough bloodlust to attack someone, and as soon as the conference ends, they all leave their seats together without saying a single word .
Conversely, the ministers, who are essentially placed under Kenneth’s control, have unhappy expressions but are expressing insincere praise as if laying the groundwork in advance .
In this way, the role originally carried out by the prime minister is divided into civil and military, with the responsibility shared between two people . The two of them wish each other well, but never smiled until the very end .
–Aegir POV–
At the same time, Rafen
「Yoguri is being picked on by Nonna?」
「Yeah, it’s making me feel unpleasant that I hear her nagging at every opportunity . 」
「Yoguri-san . Is the meal you didn’t work for tasty?」
「Ara, going out? What kind of man are you meeting with this time?」
「Yoguri-san, take care of your body too, you’re about to get pregnant from that man’s seed, right?」
I laughed unconsciously at the imitations Carla made with her voice . The person who imitates Nonna the best is undoubtedly Carla .
「Well, I understand that it’s Yoguri’s fault, but it’s not good to keep chasing after her either . 」
Yoguri was originally a strong-willed person and won’t just shy away when she is being told something . The reason I can’t really say anything back is because I feel indebted to her, plus she has already been punished and she was given work, so I’d feel sorry for picking on her even more than that .
「Nonna’s cutting remarks are really offensive after all . 」
I remember hearing this before when I was dozing off after embracing Miti . Unlike Celia and Carla, who stop after fighting, Nonna uses them all the time .
「Nonna has a persistent personality . ……by the way, you can’t mention it to her directly, okay? If she thinks that Yoguri tattled on her, then it would get even worse . 」
「Carla has also become more aware of her surroundings . 」
In the past, this girl would be more like a ball of presumptuousness .
「I guess I’ve also matured . Yoguri isn’t a friend like Miti is, so Aegir will have to be careful about that . 」
「Yeah, I won’t be happy if there is fighting amongst the family either . I’ll try to pacify Nonna somehow . 」
According to Carla, Nonna is the one who criticizes Yoguri the most and Mel is the most dangerous .
「And also, is it alright if I go outside for a little bit? Kuuh……it’s rubbing . 」
Carla says while her face distorts slightly and she raises her hips . After ejaculating, my meat rod has gotten a little softer but it got stuck on something and I can’t pull it out .
「I don’t mind, but will it be far away?」
「Yeah, I guess . It might take about a week . 」
「That’s quite long . 」
Carla does make excursions quite freely and she also runs around the city on her horse, but not for one week . I guess that’s why she’s seeking permission .
「Yeah, I have something to do . It’ll be good for Aegir as well . 」
She purposely made it vague, so she probably doesn’t want to talk about it .
「I don’t mind you going out, but isn’t it dangerous? I won’t send my wife out on a dangerous journey . 」
「Mm, well it’s not absolutely safe, but if that’s the case, I won’t be able to go anywhere . 」
「Then, I’ll have some escorts- . 」「No way, I don’t want to be with such unfamiliar people . 」
「Then I will-」「If Aegir leaves now, Nonna will continue to bully Yoguri . 」
I’m a little worried, but I guess it can’t be helped .
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