Ch.236Conflict (3)

“…No, why are these bastards so shameless.”

Honestly, I’m not one to talk, considering I blatantly manipulate others’ words.

Still, this is… beyond shamelessness, isn’t it? It’s like they have no conscience.

“Why won’t those island rats agree to peace negotiations?”

It’s been over half a year since the war began. The Imperial forces were completely crushed and retreated to where they came from, and with their house divided, they no longer have the strength to fight the Kingdom of Lotaring.

Yet they stubbornly maintain a state of war with the Kingdom of Albion without signing a peace treaty, even though they’re suffering tremendous losses.

‘Could it be that they think Lotaring would suffer if they stopped selling wool and minerals?’

It’s an absurd, irrational assumption, but since the war itself began with irrational assumptions, I need to consider all possibilities.

The Kingdom of Lotaring-Caroling has fertile land to begin with, and can trade normally with various countries to the south, so the damage from not trading with Albion would be minimal. If Albion really thinks that way… sigh, what fools.

“…Your Majesty, might the conditions imposed on the Kingdom of Albion be too harsh?”

“Hmm?”

Now what’s this about?

The elderly Leclerc, who’s nearly at retirement age, says this with a cracking voice.

Hmm… seeing this, I should tell Leclerc to retire and rest after this matter is settled. No matter how capable he is, making such an elderly man work weighs too heavily on my conscience.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now—

“Harsh? What’s harsh about it? If neither side can subdue the other, it’s a draw. And if that’s the case, shouldn’t the aggressor compensate for the lives lost, goods plundered, and damages caused by the war?”

It’s not like I’m asking for extra money.

I’m just asking them to return what they’ve plundered and compensate for the damages caused by the war. If we can’t get back what was plundered and receive no compensation for war damages, how is that a draw? That would be Albion’s victory.

I’d rather die than accept such an outcome. Even if we were to lose to those floating pirates who can’t even set foot on land properly and only know how to plunder, wouldn’t it be betraying our people whose livelihoods and lives have been threatened by their plundering?

“…However, Albion’s customs are extremely barbaric by Your Majesty’s standards. They consider paying compensation to others as defeat.”

“Then they should accept defeat. Did they declare war without being prepared to face defeat?”

This is even more absurd.

Why should the defending nation consider the aggressor’s circumstances? Saying “this is our culture, so you should understand” is nonsense.

We’re not even asking for more money than the damage we suffered—just compensation equal to the damage. If they consider this defeat, how barbaric is that?

“Sigh… If things continue like this, the war will never end. We must quickly subdue Albion. Even if the damage is minimal, it still exists.”

“All ports have been destroyed, and we have no warships. How will you proceed?”

“No matter how large Albion’s navy is, they can’t possibly monitor the entire vast ocean, can they?”

Even in the future with radar, there are instances where detection fails due to severe weather, equipment malfunction, or surface reflections. How much more difficult must it be now, when they rely solely on visual surveillance without radar?

If we assume this world’s circumference is similar to Earth’s and both Albion’s ships and ours are about 15m tall, the maximum distance at which two ships can spot each other would be roughly 28km. With such limited visibility, it’s impossible to monitor the entire sea. And this calculation assumes perfect weather conditions and observers who can spot even the tiniest speck with the naked eye.

Moreover, while we don’t have warships, we do have transport ships, so we at least have the ability to cross the sea.

“…If we’re caught by Albion’s patrols, terrible things could happen. Though we call ships carrying soldiers warships and those carrying goods transport ships, warships are designed for combat and are much more advantageous in withstanding impacts from battles, including ramming.”

Leclerc is right. As someone who immediately thinks of naval guns when hearing “warship,” I don’t fully appreciate this, but warships designed with hand-to-hand combat and ramming in mind can withstand external impacts much better than transport ships. They say a transport ship would be torn apart like paper if it collided with a warship.

“Your words are true. But according to my plan, we won’t be caught by the Kingdom of Albion, and even if we are, we can safely overcome it.”

“…What do you have in mind?”

“Currently, Albion’s naval forces are all concentrated in the strait between Albion and Lotaring-Caroling, aren’t they? Then why not go around from the north?”

“Even if we go around from the north, we can’t avoid being caught on the way—”

“No, our starting point will be the Empire.”

“…Pardon?”

The Empire is facing the threat of civil war, but it’s still maintaining peace for now. It’s a precarious peace, like walking a tightrope, but the important thing is that it’s being maintained.

“The Emperor must have them too. If we send all our elite troops to the adjacent Lorel Duchy disguised as pro-Emperor forces, then move them to the coastal areas in the northern Empire controlled by pro-Emperor nobles, and from there board ships disguised as merchant vessels heading to Albion… isn’t there a good chance of success?”

“…Can we secure ships?”

“There’s nothing in this world that can’t be bought with money. If it can’t be bought, it just means there’s not enough money.”

With the Empire facing the threat of civil war, large-scale military movements have become quite common.

Even if Albion hears that some large force is moving to the northern part of the Empire, they won’t know it’s the Lotaring army.

“How will you secure the cooperation of the local pro-Emperor nobles?”

“As I said before, there’s nothing that can’t be resolved with money. In exchange for a short military stay and borrowing their port, we’ll give them money along with an imperial decree bearing the Emperor’s orders.”

Leclerc’s eyes grow clouded. He seems to have sensed that nothing he says will shake my resolve.

Come on… it’s not like I’m sending children to their deaths.

“Don’t worry too much. If we’re discovered by the Albion navy and face a crisis, I’ll immediately order the commanders to surrender.”

“If that happens, won’t this war end in defeat? We won’t get another chance to land on Albion.”

“Either way, ending without receiving any compensation from Albion would be a defeat for me. Whether it’s a small defeat or a big one, isn’t it all the same defeat?”

“…I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”

“I’m counting on you again, Leclerc.”

If we’re caught… well, it should be fine. Even if my prestige takes a hit from losing the war, the reputation I’ve built up until now should be able to withstand it.

……….

‘What’s that fleet?’

An employee working at the docks in Southend, a port city in the Kingdom of Albion, spots an unfamiliar fleet approaching from the northeast.

“The Empire… is it?”

Though his eyesight has deteriorated somewhat from constantly looking at sunlight reflected on the water’s surface, it hasn’t worsened to the point where he can’t identify ships at this distance.

The ship design is popular in the Empire, and the flag with a black eagle on a yellow background suggests they’re Imperial ships… hmm, why are they here?

Oh right, I heard the Empire is on the brink of another civil war. Perhaps they’ve come to buy war supplies from Albion in preparation?

But it’s the first time I’ve seen ships coming from that direction…? Isn’t it faster and more stable to come from the southeast, closer to land with more reliable currents?

‘Anyway, that’s not what’s important.’

The employee reported the approaching Imperial fleet to his superiors, and the port manager began preparing to receive them. He sent a small boat to inquire about their purpose, selected docking positions, and summoned servants to help unload goods, never imagining that Lotaring troops were aboard those ships.

This is because Lotaring has never once ventured out to sea since the war began. They even burned their own ports out of fear they would be captured, and even evacuated all coastal villages except for major cities.

With Albion’s navy continuing their plundering attempts, all Albion citizens have come to believe there’s absolutely no possibility of Albion being attacked.

“Looking at that size, this is going to be a serious trade deal! Hurry up!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The port employees are simply salivating at the opportunity to make up for the trade with Lotaring-Caroling that was cut off due to Albion’s war.