No matter how you look at it, territorial wars were real wars. Each lord would bring their forces to battle. Winning or losing, it would inevitably weaken the kingdom’s overall strength and could lead to political chaos in certain circumstances.
But approving all territorial wars during such turbulent times?
‘I can see what their plan is.’
The royal family’s control over the state was under scrutiny after the Gate incident. The palace had been directly attacked and burned, and the Royal Knight and Royal Knight units suffered substantial losses.
With the loss of Caldenas, the royal family’s last line of defense, their power had significantly diminished. How could the royal family regain control in such a weakened state?
The simplest way was to weaken the nobility. Territorial wars served as an excellent mechanism for that. The royal family had no reason to oppose the nobles tearing each other apart.
But Raul clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Third Prince, you’ve made a foolish decision.’
While it might seem like a smart move on the surface, reality was different. Approving all territorial war requests indiscriminately—could the royal family truly control such chaos?
Previously, territorial wars were moderately monitored, and the victor was decided under the royal observer’s arbitration. The loser would pay compensation or cede rights.
But what if the losing side refused the arbitration?
What if the victorious side outright annexed the defeated territories?
Such things rarely happened when the royal family wielded substantial power. But now, did the royal family have the capacity to manage the local lords?
‘Whoever orchestrated this has done a remarkable job.’
Certainly, a noble family close to the third prince must have created this situation. Most likely, a powerful or prestigious family orchestrated it. They must have submitted territorial war requests, hoping to expand their territories subtly.
Additionally, it might have been a move to check Raul and the Count Ashton’s house.
Accepting all territorial wars meant the fact that six baronies attacked Raul’s territories simultaneously was buried under the approval.
‘Is this the retribution and misfortune the system warned me about?’
Raul’s four scattered territories encircled by six baronies. And with the approval of simultaneous territorial war requests, he might have to fight all six at once.
In what seemed like a dire situation, Raul laughed heartily.
“Kekeke, pfft, hahaha!”
Couldn’t believe the situation unfolded this way. He stifled his laughter and asked Kane, “What do you think?”
“Well, they tried, but they’re idiots. Whoever’s backing them did us a great favor.”
“Indeed. If they had been more cautious, the result might have been disappointing.”
Facing six baronies simultaneously, Raul and Kane remained unperturbed.
“Call a strategy meeting and initiate Plan A. Notify all guild branches and switch to wartime operations.”
“Yes, Master.”
As Kane left, Raul stepped out onto the terrace and looked over the territory, a smile playing on his lips.
‘Letting Viscount Jaden go was the right decision.’
Had they crushed Viscount Jaden’s forces when he returned, this territorial war wouldn’t have materialized. Even if his adversaries had support other than Jaden, they wouldn’t dare challenge Raul, backed by the Count Ashton’s house.
Their audacity stemmed from the current standoff between Viscount Jaden and the Ashton forces. They underestimated Raul, assuming he was vulnerable without support from the main house.
‘Ignorance is bliss.’
They had no idea who they were dealing with.
***
『Declaration of War』
The Brock Barony’s House, as a loyal vassal family of the Ruben Kingdom and a good neighbor to Baron Francois’s House, cannot stand idle in the face of Young master Raul’s tyranny. In the name of the wise King Thadeus de Ruben, we seek a fair and honorable contest…
Raul tossed the grandly written scroll onto the conference table. Jake picked it up and read through it, shaking his head. There were five more scrolls on the table, all with different handwriting but nearly identical content.
“These people are shameless. They couldn’t come up with a better excuse?”
The basis for the territorial war was absurd claims made by the previous lords. During the Gate incident, lords unable to protect their territories fled to the capital with their families and a few retainers.
Naturally, their lands were devastated, and their castles either fell or were on the verge of falling. Raul purchased these lands from such lords, led his forces to subdue the monsters, and restored order.
The new territories acquired were Francois, Louisin, and Tern, along with the Calix territory bestowed by the Count, totaling four regions.
Now, after restoring order, reuniting scattered residents, and accepting new settlers, the previous lords were challenging the legitimacy of the transactions. They claimed they were deceived into selling their lands for a pittance and demanded their territories back with promises of repayment. Such claims were baseless.
The transactions had been conducted legally and had received royal approval. Yet they now argued the deals were void. And neighboring baronies supported these claims, thus sparking the territorial wars.
“This is outrageous. Among the lords who lost their lands during the Gate incident, only those who dealt with us received proper payment. Some got nothing at all and were driven out, yet now they act so ungratefully!” Bernard fumed, uncharacteristically agitated given his usual reserved manner.
“The royal family’s stance is also problematic. They certified the transactions themselves, and now they claim to be impartial and allow territorial wars to resolve disputes? It’s a disgrace to the royal family’s name.”
Philip criticized, baffled by the royal family’s lack of decisiveness. Even in times of chaos, such indecisiveness by the royal family raised questions about their reliability.
“While this situation doesn’t pose a significant immediate threat to us, the problem lies in what comes next. No matter how legitimate our claims and procedures, if the royal administration continues with such recklessness, it’s meaningless. This might be an attempt by the royal family to undermine us.”
Pierce, who usually said little, voiced his concerns, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. The conference room buzzed with outbursts of discontent toward the territorial wars and distrust towards the royal family.
“Enough.”
Raul calmed the room, indicating it was time to move forward.
“What’s done is done. There’s no need to argue about the process any further. We’ll discuss future issues after dealing with the current situation. Kane, brief us on the war status.”
“Yes, Master.”
Kane stepped up to the podium, displaying relevant data on a magical screen as he reported.
“We have received declarations of war from a total of nine families. Alongside the original lords of Francois, tern, and Louisin, the baronies of Brock, Josef, Allen, Zayer, Dawson, and Brennan have also joined. And…”
A map appeared on the screen.
The approximate number of families and troops stationed in the baronies surrounding Raul’s four territories was displayed.
Combining the nine families, the total force amounted to about 25,000 troops and approximately 250 knights.
In contrast, Raul’s forces were:
Calix: 2,000
Baytes: 1,500
Francois: 1,500
Louisin: 1,500
This gave a total of 6,500 territorial troops, along with 5,000 mercenaries, making a total of approximately 11,500 soldiers.
If including Raul’s elite guild cavalry of 3,000 and the forces deployed across various branches, the total could exceed 15,000, but the known external forces accounted for just around 11,500.
Conclusively, the opposing forces had an overwhelming numerical superiority with twice the troops and twice the number of knights. Furthermore, the battles were divided across four fronts, making the baronial alliance appear advantageous to any observer.
However, the officers in the conference room did not seem to think so at all.
“They must really be underestimating us, attacking with such a small force.”
Jake scoffed, and Philip responded.
“Well, it’s not easy for baronies to thoroughly assess our territory’s situation.”
While numbers were important, the battle’s outcome would ultimately depend on skill.
“Kane, how many of the 25,000 do you think are regular troops?”
“Fewer than 5,000 regulars, and not even 2,000 mercenaries.”
Hence, about 18,000 were conscripts, which was typical for military composition in this era.
Maintaining a standing army (regular troops) was costly with little productivity in peacetime. Thus, lords naturally kept the minimum number of regular troops for maintaining order and authority.
Even though the Gate incident increased the number of regular troops, the number a barony could sustain was limited. The result was an army with a small number of regular troops supplemented by conscripts.
In contrast, Raul’s troops had gained continuous combat experience against monsters since the Gate incident, forming an elite force.
With over six months of intensive training and battlefield experience, equipped with expensive weaponry and armor, they far outclassed typical baronial troops.
Additionally, the 5,000 mercenaries were handpicked elite mercenaries, D-rank and above, further justifying the officers’ confidence in victory.
“They have designated separate battlefields for each of the six territorial wars and proposed to fight on May 20th. How should we respond?”
Their opponent’s strategy was to divide Raul’s forces, ensuring victory through numerical superiority. Even partial victories would suffice to weaken Raul’s forces significantly.
If some battles led to loss of territories, the goal was to diminish Raul’s power and deliver a blow to the Count Ashton’s prestige.
‘Even partial victories on their end suffice since their goal is to weaken us and thumb their noses at the Count’s house,’ Raul mused.
The baronies faced minimal risk, with loss resulting only in paying compensation, whereas Raul risked losing entire territories.
‘Of course, that’s just their calculation.’
Despite the baronies’ casual approach to the territorial wars, Raul had no intention of letting the matter slide easily.
“Is there any reason we should follow their proposal?”
Raul grinned, prompting the officers to smirk as well.
“Why even bother showing courtesy to such bandits? Let’s crush them right now!”
“We don’t need to follow their lead just because they started it!”
Jake shouted energetically, and voices of agreement echoed throughout the room.
Bang.
Raul struck the map with his pointer and spoke.
“Now that we’ve received their declarations of war, the war has begun. Forget the child’s play of traditional territorial wars! Royal observers? Mediation? We don’t need any of that rubbish! Prepare for immediate deployment. Once preparations are complete!”
Raul struck the map at the six baronies.
“We will attack all six of these locations simultaneously!”
“Yes, Master!”
The knights and commanders answered spiritedly, bowing their heads.
“Remember, we will have some very special guests observing this territorial war. We must achieve an overwhelming victory with overwhelming force! Everyone, to your positions!”
Those attending the meeting saluted with their fists to their chests and hurried out of the operations room. Raul saw them off with a slightly firm expression, then looked down at the map.
‘You crossed the line. Don’t think this will end easily.’
The wooden pointer in Raul’s hand crumbled to dust with a soft crack, scattering throughout the room.
(To be continued)