Chapter 885 – Week 9, Monday (11)
The Empire, which achieved its intended goal of draining the power of the bloated army and forcing other-thinking officers to the front lines to kill some of them, signed an end-of-war agreement with the Beastmen and other races on behalf of the Sigma Empire, leading to what was called the next race war. The war ended.
The beast people living in the great forest received an official apology from the Emperor of the Sigma Empire and the southern part of the huge bay called the Hoko Sea, and for decades they have been paying hundreds of thousands of tons of grain as compensation every year.
Local battles with dwarves continued, and the invasions of monsters and greenskins that pushed beyond the barrier were also a great burden for the Marsion Empire, so it was an inevitable result.
That was the empire’s position, but the Sigma Empire could not understand that. Even a three-year-old child can tell that he grits his teeth and dreams of revenge.
Therefore, from the empire’s perspective, the Sigma Empire was a potential enemy. The same goes for forests and dwarves.
The Sigma Empire, which had no external enemies, was carrying out major reforms after the humiliating end-of-war agreement and was filling its national treasury by drastically increasing trade with the Eastern Continent.
Unlike the people who were still struggling because they could not digest what they had eaten, they were actively accepting the immigration of people from the East Continent and imitating and applying the imperial administrative system.
When comparing the size, population, and total production, there was a gap that was difficult to compare with the Masion Empire, but since a huge amount of people and materials were coming from the eastern continent, there was talk of reorganizing the western army to keep them in check.
Of course, there is no money to build a strong army and a lot of defense facilities, and since the southern and northern regions are holding on tightly to the officers they have trained well in the west, discussions are only ongoing and there are no results.
The Masion Empire has infinite potential, but it is difficult to even move its body until it spits out the results, and the Sigma Empire is ready to start moving in earnest, having already reached its full potential and greedily seeking support from other continents. 〈 Br〉
“… I think it is right to prepare for war.”
Marey briefly talked about the current status and history of the Sigma Empire and then concluded.
“Isn’t this too extreme, Chairman?”
Even the faculty members who had been paying close attention now began to participate in the presentation with a serious look on their faces.
“I’m not asking for war. This means preparing for war and suppressing the war itself. Unlike in the past, the military now needs people who can at least read and write. Even now, in each region, even if you are literate, you work for a high wage.”
War should not break out, but if it did happen, the damage and waste that occurred throughout the entire process, starting with conscription, was laughable.
We had to take people who knew nothing and teach them how to write. No, now schools were being established to teach writing and arithmetic throughout the country. The same was true for the village where Marey lived, which was said to be a little far from the wall, but compared to Walter’s, it was so underdeveloped that it could be called barbaric.
Because there were no teachers, officers came down every weekend and taught writing to children and adults as volunteers. Of course, most of them had no motivation, so most of them just gathered together to kill time by offering food or something.
The imperial family was overdoing things. I was doing everything I could. As if it would break the moment it was even slightly out of alignment.
The moment reforms and projects throughout the empire stop even a little, the imperial family goes bankrupt. Even if the imperial family went bankrupt, it was unlikely that creditors Lorraine or other nobles would be able to receive money, so the problem started after that.
Cultists were also running amok, and regions that wanted to be independent were lying low, waiting for an opportunity. They were just giving up because the empire was alive and well and seemed so strong. The moment they thought they were being forced to make concessions instead of being tolerant, they would pounce like wolves.
Of course, it seemed like those like Loren and Schwappen who wanted to maintain this stable situation would lend more or do something, but at least that was how Marey saw it.
I couldn’t talk about it here, but since there are so many advanced technologies that the imperial family is hiding, it seems like they could take over the reins if they decide to do so. I had a lot of thoughts.
Marey focused on what was in front of him.
“Labor costs are rising. The overall standard of living is rising, which is not a bad phenomenon, but the supply of manpower is not keeping up with demand to the extent that labor costs are rising rapidly. “Conscription will not do anything right, and conscription and management costs will be calculated at ridiculous amounts compared to before.”
Even during the war of continental unification, the empire had no choice but to spend a lot of money on conscripts compared to other countries. It is embarrassing to call them intellectuals, but because the proportion of valuable literate people was high, it was not possible to just give them a spear and send them out like other countries.
“A large-scale expansion and reorganization of the Western Army would be a better direction considering the future. Elven ha… No, we are in an alliance with Daesup and are called the local defense force, but in reality, we have to reorganize the eastern forces to the west.”
It was a waste of manpower. The Empire and Elvenheim were inseparable. However, both the elves and the empire had troops scattered around the border and surrounding areas.
I knew that it was loaded with personnel and equipment that could be described as excessive for defense level. I knew it well because I had read LaBella’s report carefully.
Considering how many people were residing and consuming goods at the border between Valter and the bamboo forest, it was not something that could be simply laughed off when other places were said to be similar.
“Chairman, aren’t the elves on guard?”
“Even during the fake war, the only place where there were no casualties was the border with the elves. Unnecessary tension continues with the Aribal royal family. In my personal opinion, I think the best way is to reorganize the Western Army with their Ranger units and a mix of Northern and Southern forces.”
It was important to have direct force that could be used at any time. However, compared to the past, its importance has greatly decreased.
If you think about it to the extreme, there is an unconstitutional being called ‘Lauren’, but there was no way something like a war could have occurred between the elves and Valter. I believe that force is necessary for minor disputes or against criminals, but it was not necessary to the level of mass armies.
It would be understandable if playing soldiers was Lauren’s personal hobby.
“When he thought about things like administration and management of important facilities done by the elves, who are directly or indirectly supported by the Arival royal family, the moment he declared that everyone was returning to their home country. The blood flowing through the empire’s veins will stop, and unbearable chaos will begin to break out. “Isn’t it strange that we are on guard when we rely on this level of dependence?”
It was a problem that would be resolved over time, as graduates from basic schools continued to appear, and people who studied at higher education institutions in various places were coming out as if they were being produced in a factory.
But what was important was this moment. In this change-or-die situation, it was important to eliminate the what-if variables. No matter how you think about it, the Sigma Empire was more dangerous than Elvenheim, known as the Great Forest.
“I heard that the situation is okay in Valterna and the capital, but in the central region, which is not far away, the majority of people in charge are elves. The Aribal royal family probably decided that it would be more beneficial to encourage them to sit in higher positions and prevent the empire from abandoning the bamboo forest.”
I knew that reason and rationality would not return, but from Marey’s perspective, distrust of each other was the problem.
In Elvenheim, there was fear that the empire would suddenly change and attack. The Empire was afraid that Elvenheim might join hands with the Sigma Empire or other races and do something.
Although conversation was possible and each other’s feelings could be shared, it was a trend that had been maintained since the end of the Continental Unification War.
“Of course, if you think rationally. It won’t be easy to remove the troops deployed around the border.”
The elves were blocking everything except the accessible areas. It would be accurate to say that they are not only allowing entry into permitted areas, but are using magic and ranger divisions to check border entry and exit.
From what I heard from Labella, she said that people tend to be free when it comes to things like traveling, so it wasn’t such a rigid situation. She seems to be even more like that, since she says she’s not building a huge wall like the North to block everything except the passage, but to drive them out.
“Is the Duke of Pawen thinking the same thing?”
Colonel Gagarin asked.
“This is my personal opinion. The head of the family must have a different opinion. I am only talking about a rational and rational solution, and I admit that it is a bit far from reality.”
Colonel Gagarin nodded his head as if satisfied. He seemed to have a lot to say, but when he said it was his personal opinion, contrary to Lauren’s opinion, everyone lost interest and just nodded.
She looked at Julia from time to time to see if she was doing something wrong, but seeing her simply nod her head as if she was okay, Marei was able to talk about her thoughts on the Sigma Empire and how to approach it strategically.
