novelraw Chapter 197: Shadow Peace - Eve of the Storm (3)
Chapter 197: Shadow Peace - Eve of the Storm (3)
Episode 197. A Shadow's Peace - The Eve of the Storm (3)
Naturally, and perhaps obviously, the Eastern Empire's request for docking rights and to join the war caused an uproar.
The National Assembly, which convened the very next day, was filled with thunderous shouts.
“What nonsense! All they sent us in the war against Krafte was a single regiment of Artillery at most! And now they expect us to commit to a full-scale war, not just send reinforcements?”
To be honest, I didn't expect the Eastern Empire to think like that.
I thought, at best, the army under my command would be dispatched to assist in a defensive war, but who could have imagined they intended to launch a full-scale invasion of the Abyss Corporation's mainland.
“The sea between the Abyss Corporation and the Francia mainland takes less than half a day for a ship of the line to cross! Offering docking rights here is tantamount to saying they'll make Francia the main battlefield, is it not?”
This was the biggest problem.
Using Francia makes conquering the Abyss Corporation's mainland very convenient, but conversely, it also makes a counterattack from the Abyss Corporation convenient.
“Let's say we grant them docking rights. Can their… Blue Dragon Fleet truly achieve victory against the Abyss Corporation's fleet?”Furthermore, the opponent was none other than the ruler of the seas, the fleet of the Wrath Corporation.
Although Francia had poured considerable effort into strengthening its fleet for two years since the war ended, Christine still estimated that our fleet's strength barely reached a quarter of a quarter of the Wrath Corporation's.
The Eastern Empire claimed that a combined fleet of their Blue Dragon Fleet and Francia's could easily crush them, but it would be troublesome to believe that a warring nation, as they always are, would objectively assess its own strength.
Besides, given the attitude the Eastern Empire had shown so far, any trust I had was on the verge of disappearing…….
“What is the size of their fleet? And weren't their fleets located in the southern and eastern parts of the Eastern Empire? If their territory is that vast, how in the world do they plan to get here?”
“They say they will use the Cape of Good Hope route that circles the southern continent, once used by the merchants of old Porto…….”
“Oh, so they’ll cross that barren land. By the time they reach Francia, they'll be a fleet of shipwrecks, not a fleet of warships.”
Scoffs erupted from here and there.
Honestly, even I found it hard to believe. Is it even possible for a fleet to maintain its strength during a journey that would take months?
To come up with such a crazy plan, is this boldness or recklessness?
“It was once a heavily used spice trade route, and it is a route that merchant fleets have indeed traversed. They will need time to reorganize after completing the journey, but it is theoretically possible.”
When Christine, the head of the navy and an expert in commerce, spoke, the atmosphere calmed down somewhat, but the opinion of the National Assembly remained extremely skeptical.
“Well, alright, let's say it's possible. It has only been two years since the war ended. Just two years of peace after over ten years of war, starting from the Civil War. Is there any need for us to get involved, shouldering the frontline in a war we don't even know if we can win?”
No one answered this rashly.
No, they couldn't answer.
In Francia, which was just now recovering from that long and difficult war, who could carelessly advocate for another war right away?
Neither I, nor Christine, could make such an argument carelessly.
Eventually, President Nicolas Brisseau sighed and said.
“Still, they are an ally in name, so it would be best to reserve our answer for now.”
President Maurice Talleyrand also nodded and replied.
“Let's have the embassy investigate just how much power their so-called Blue Dragon Fleet possesses. It seems the discussion cannot proceed without first judging whether we have a chance of winning.”
“Then, let’s proceed that way.”
And so, the first meeting ended.
*
Inside the carriage on the way back to my residence after attending the National Assembly.
“What do you think, Pierre?”
At Christine's question, I was lost in thought for a moment.
The Abyss Corporation.
An undeniable threat, especially to Francia.
I, who knew about the instigation of the Industrial Revolution, the revolutionary process, and the hidden details entangled in the Iberian Peninsula, considered them a threat without a shadow of a doubt.
Above all, I myself had narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Abyss Corporation several times.
They had incited King Louis to attack Lafayette, instigated radical assemblymen to nearly kill Christine, and schemed behind the scenes with nations at war with Francia, putting me in peril.
“A war with the Abyss Corporation is necessary.”
It was clear they were Francia's enemy, and seeing the Drones they used, it would be no exaggeration to call them an enemy of the entire continent.
In the first place, it's careless to simply leave alone a hostile entity with overwhelming technological power.
Even when downsizing the military after all wars had ended, Francia had designated the Abyss Corporation as a potential enemy and continued to strengthen its navy.
It goes without saying that my influence as the Army's Commander-in-Chief and Christine's as the Admiral of the Navy played a role in all those movements.
“But it’s too soon.”
Francia still needs a lot of time to recover from the long wounds that began with the Civil War. A war that lasted over ten years requires at least that much time to heal.
“Anyone who rashly advocates for war in Francia now will be buried under a barrage of criticism.”
Francia was not ready for another war.
It was a peace hard-won after a long war, and few would agree to wage war again…….
Beyond sentiment, we physically had not fully recovered from the massive war expenditures and countless sacrifices.
“……Perhaps that’s why it’s now.”
“What do you mean, Christine?”
“The scale of the restructuring, or rather, the great purge within the Abyss Corporation is immense. It looks that way even to us, who can only observe it from the outside with limitations, so the reality inside is likely even more severe. A radical reorganization of this magnitude is bound to leave aftereffects.”
“Aftereffects……”
Christine seemed lost in thought for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
“Despite that, they made the bold move of going to war with the Eastern Empire before they could even fully recover from those aftereffects. Unlike the Abyss Corporation's previous leisurely attitude of following their grand strategy, their movements now show a clear sense of impatience.”
“Impatience. Those demons, feeling impatient.”
As the Army's Commander-in-Chief, I judge such things by movements on the battlefield.
But Christine must be seeing something more, something political.
“It's hard to imagine. A power as mighty as them, beings who don't have to worry about their lifespan……”
The elves, the ruling class of the Eastern Empire, live for hundreds of years, but the demons live even longer.
It is known that they exist almost eternally unless physically killed, and the national power of the Abyss Corporation, based on that, is, objectively speaking, several steps ahead of the other nations on the continent.
“A reason for such beings to become impatient. What could it be.”
“Well, we can't know that much. There's only one thing we can know.”
“Hm?”
“They do not want a war with Francia, no, with the Central Continent right now. That’s why they’re trying to wage war against their most powerful enemy, the Eastern Empire, even while bearing the aftereffects of their radical reorganization.”
“That’s a bit paradoxical. They don't want war with the Central Continent, so they fight the stronger Eastern Empire?”
“The Eastern Empire is powerful but arrogant and isolationist. They must have expected that the nations of the Central Continent would not intervene even if they attacked the Eastern Empire. Besides, there’s a practical distance issue for them to strike the Abyss Corporation’s mainland.”
Certainly.
If they act this way even toward us, who are technically their ally, what country would try to help the Eastern Empire?
If the Eastern Empire were to be crushed by the demons, most would think of it as someone else's problem, and some might even feel a sense of vindication.
“On the other hand, the Central Continent, while suffering from the aftereffects of war due to the involvement of various nations in Francia's revolutionary war, cannot rule out the possibility of uniting against the great enemy that is the threat of demons. The Central Continent, especially Francia, is right under the Abyss Corporation's nose, which is the worst-case scenario from their perspective.”
“...You're right, Christine. All the nations of the Central Continent are currently undergoing military reforms.”
My Revolutionary Army is not the only one undergoing massive reorganization and restructuring of its military as soon as the war ended.
The Germania Empire, humiliated in the war, is not only adopting the military lessons from Francia and Krafte but also recruiting a large number of foreign veterans and undertaking a major military reform.
I heard that the Northern Allied Kingdom, which suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Prince Heinrich, now Heinrich I, is also clenching its teeth and strengthening its army, and there's no need to even mention the Krafte Kingdom, a military state in itself.
The revolutionary wars surrounding Francia caused significant damage to the Central Continent, but at the same time, no country suffered the devastation of its homeland being overrun by an enemy nation.
And such wars tend to leave many military lessons, which become military traditions to be passed down to future generations.
The nations of the Central Continent shed a great deal of blood, but paradoxically, they became that much stronger.
The surprising scale and national power of the Eastern Empire did startle us, but in terms of military strength, well…
They are extremely arrogant and isolationist, and their ruling class is even a race that lives for hundreds of years.
Being such people, they are likely to cling to old traditions and be slow to accept new doctrines and military lessons, just as Francia's prideful knights were.
Moreover, the Eastern Empire hasn't fought a proper war in a very long time.
I believe that while Francia alone might not be enough, the entire Central Continent could more than overwhelm them.
Given the excellent intelligence the demons have shown so far, it wouldn't be strange if they have a proper grasp of this situation.
“……If you think of it that way, it seems they struck at the most opportune moment, catching us completely off guard.”
“Yes, that’s right. They must have judged this to be a critical opportunity not to be missed and are rushing into war despite their internal problems.”
Christine was silent for a moment before speaking.
“And if that's the case, I don't think we should let things flow according to their intentions.”
“I'm not keen on that either, but we have no choice, do we? Not just the National Assembly, but the people do not want war. What’s more, the Eastern Empire is also failing to grasp the situation and acting arrogantly……”
Christine shrugged.
“Pride is a thing that gets quickly thrown into the gutter when your own feet are on fire.”
“Haha, I suppose that’s true.”
It may be true that the Eastern Empire has superior technology in artillery and shipbuilding compared to Francia, but in the end, war is fought by people, not weapons.
There would be no scenario in which the Eastern Empire would gain an advantage when its army actually clashes with the Abyss Corporation's.
“And we are the military commanders. It's not difficult to prepare for war within our given budget and discretionary authority.”
“Hmm, and?”
It feels like the Army's Commander-in-Chief has the Admiral of the Navy as his staff officer, but at times like this, there’s no one more reassuring than Christine.
“First, we prepare like that, and when the Eastern Empire starts crying for help, we might be able to get something out of them. That should at least be enough to sway the opinion of the National Assembly.”
“The National Assembly is one thing, but public opinion is……”
I trailed off and closed my mouth.
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
There is someone who can move them.
“……If it’s Her Majesty the Queen, it should somehow be possible.”
Christine smiled lightly.
“Persuading Her Majesty the Queen is your job, Pierre.”
“Ah, you ask for something difficult.”
To think I have to bring up war again to Eris, who hates bloodshed as it is. Good grief...
Christine chuckled and replied.
“I’m going to be moving with President Talleyrand, you know?”
“With President Talleyrand? What are you planning to do?”
Christine slyly swept her hair back and let out a dark smile.
“You know, the spot where I was shot back then still aches.”
“……Ah.”
Come to think of it, Christine was also the type who never forgot a grudge.
“……The demons started this war thinking the Central Continent wouldn't be able to move. In that case, shouldn't we repay them with the worst-case scenario they would least desire?”