Side story: Empire's strategy
I, Futtero Nonette, was in trouble.
It's not about becoming the lord of the Feronia region.
The management of the territory is going well, thanks to my younger brother Milimos who made various adjustments during the early stages of occupation, and the bravery of General Zvorenk, who was dispatched from the Rocha region.
General Zvorenk seems to have played an active role in the last war, especially in the former Purnya country, and is now under the scrutiny of the nobles who rule the territories on that side. That's why even among the nobles who lived in the territory of the former Ferocony country, he had a reputation as a terrifying person, second only to Milimos.
I often had conversations with nobles from other countries in terms of diplomacy, but General Zvorenk seems to have come from a noble or powerful family in Roccia, and he was treated better by the aristocrats than me, who grew up in Nonette Country, where there were no nobles. Good at it.
Today again, he came to my office with a report on the aristocrats in hand.
“The lord of the territory adjacent to the former Bayboon country was in secret communication with the empire. Now that we have the evidence, is it okay to destroy him?”
I looked over General Zvorenk's report and decided that I couldn't ignore it.
“Ever since I heard that Milimos had a fight, I thought there was a plot to break away from the Empire, but it happened right away.”
When I gave permission for the subjugation with a sigh, General Zvorenk raised the corner of his mouth happily.
"There are too many nobles in this territory. That gives the empire a chance to take advantage of them. Wouldn't it be better to leave only those who are advantageous to us and wipe out the rest?"
"I'm not good at making decisions in a way that suits me. I believe that if I approach him with eloquence, I can find a way to get him on my side."
Diplomatic exchanges are all about eloquence. Although he may show signs of military force, he is only using it as a hand. It would be a bad idea to simply send in the military just because negotiations have broken down. Especially in poor countries like Nonette country before Milimos started to play an active role.
``Also, I think there was a deep meaning behind Milimos's early governance policy of leaving the aristocrats behind.In fact, even though the country collapsed and became fiefs, there was very little chaos. ”
yes. This is completely different from the situations I heard about in foreign affairs where countries were destroyed.
When an empire swallows up a small country, the people who lived in that small country are reduced to the status of second-class citizens, and their ability to accumulate wealth is severely restricted. Possession of slaves was not allowed, and all of them were confiscated, leading to failures in managing manors and farmlands and some people selling their land.
A war between small countries would be even more tragic. It is said that it is common for the people of the defeated country to be sold as slaves to other countries to make up for the lost war costs and use the funds for the development of the country.
Therefore, when the people of the losing country learn that their country has been destroyed, they resist, saying they have to protect themselves. The leaders of this resistance were the powerful families and aristocrats who ruled the land by proxy.
However, Milimos went against such custom and relied on the safety and property of the powerful families and aristocrats of the land they occupied.
That's probably why. Once the nobles and people of the occupied territories realized that they were not threatened, they stopped idly resisting. I realized that it would be better to treat the dragon Milimos in a friendly manner than to provoke it by clumsily picking on the bushes.
The opportunity to destroy the existing nobility in the Feronia region and release their vested interests was when Milimos stepped down from his position as a temporary lord.
There was a way to make the remaining people and aristocrats focus on the new lord by having the departing lord wield a machete and carry out reforms, and the new lord to come enact a gentle and good administration.
However, Milimos did not do such a thing.
I'm sure the decision was made because they thought it would be more valuable to leave the nobles of the Feronia region alone than to carry out major reforms.
When I told him of this idea, General Zvorenk had a difficult look on his face.
"Is that prince really into thinking things like that? Oh, no, that's not a bad thing, I'm sure."
“Did the general not get along well with Milimos?”
"That's right. In the mountains of Nonette, he was splashed with water in the cold sky, and in the last war he was ordered to lead a unit and attack the country. Then, when I thought he was appointing me as a general without permission, he was sent to the Feronya region. I've been getting swayed by that prince.''
All I can do is smile bitterly at General Zvorenk's complaints. I guess I'm part of the reason why the general came to this place.
For now, let's separate the discussion from Milimos and change it to the Empire.
"What do you think the Empire's plan to secede is?"
"Well, I'm a former soldier. I don't care about politics."
"I'll be the one to think about politics, so let me know what you think from your position as a general."
"That's right. Well, what I can think of is that they are trying to sow chaos in this region, or else they are preparing for an invasion of the Ravanra country."
I was a little surprised to hear that he had a perspective that I didn't have.
“General Zvorenk thinks that the Empire will take over the Ravanla country within this year, right?”
"If we don't do that, the encirclement network of Nonette Country will not be completed. If we were to take Ravanra Country first, the Empire would have to rebuild the encirclement network."
“Unfortunately, the security in the Feronia region is not stable and we don't have enough military strength to attack that country.”
"I'm sure the Empire is well aware of that. They're probably trying to reduce as much uncertainty as possible."
“If we try to plot a defection from the nobles, and if we ignore it, it will cause discord, and if we respond, it will lead to the exhaustion of our military forces.There is no waste in the empire's strategy.”
"A country of magic also means a country of science and intelligence. I guess that means you're good at conspiracy techniques."
“So, this harassment will continue until the Empire occupies the country of Ravanra.”
"What do you think? Isn't that where your diplomatic skills will be tested, Lord?"
Does that mean we should negotiate with the Empire?
I'm proud that I'm the best at diplomacy among my brothers and sisters, but I don't know if that's good enough for the Empire.
But it's probably better to try than not to try.
I have to be careful not to do anything wrong with this and give the Empire an excuse to invade.
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I, Salcasimo Nonette, came to the territory of the empire.
What is the role of the marshal of Nonette country?
There's no need to worry about that. I have received permission from Alectem's grandfather.
After all, this journey is for me to marry the daughter of an imperial aristocrat.
I get off the carriage. This carriage was waiting for us when we entered imperial territory, and was a sign of concern from the imperial side. Needless to say, it was more comfortable to ride than any other carriage in Nonette country.
And then, along with me, two people - Gut and Kanei come down.
"Prince Sarcasimo. Is this the empire? Hiya, it's a city."
"But you haven't been in the carriage for ten days. So, it's not like you're in the center of the empire, is it?"
"Then, this is a local city. That's amazing, isn't it?"
"That's right. I wonder what the capital of the empire would look like if it was in a rural area."
These two were brought here thinking that the prince of a country traveling without a page would be criticized by the other side, but it may have been a failure due to their poor behavior.
Okay. These guys are my accessories.
As long as I'm doing it right, it should be fine.
"Hey, let's go."
"Yes, Prince Sarcasimo."
I take Gut and Kanei behind me and head towards the mansion in front of where the carriage stopped.
As expected, it was the mansion of an imperial aristocrat. A large garden spreads out, and the buildings are majestic and well-built.
The guards and servants must have heard of our visit, but they made no attempt to stop us.
As we continued to walk smoothly, the large door of the mansion opened just before we arrived.
"Welcome, Sarcasimo-dono. To our mansion. We welcome you."
The person on the other side of the door was a man in his forties with a fine mustache. He wears clothes with gold thread patterns on the sleeves and hem, and has a friendly smile on his face.
Behind that, there was a woman.
I can't tell exactly how old she is because she's wearing makeup, but she looks younger than me. Probably mid to late teens. Perhaps he is a shy person, but his head is tilted down so that you can see the top of his blond hair.
Perhaps because I was observing the woman closely, a man in his forties introduced himself to me.
"This girl is Spisk, who will be the wife of Lord Sarcasimo. Here, say hello."
"H-Nice to meet you, Mr. Sarcasimo. I'm Spisk Nomeratspeik. Nice to meet you!"
I snorted in my heart as I saw her hurriedly bowing in a slightly awkward manner.
I was nervous when I heard she was an imperial aristocrat, but she seemed easy to deal with.
Also, when I greeted her, I could clearly see her face, and she had a very cute face. Her figure is also hard to believe for a teenage girl - you can see it through her formal clothes, her breasts and buttocks are ample, and her waist is slender and firm.
This must have been a better hit than Milimos's wife, Princess Pulvera.
"My name is Salcasimo Nonette. Please take care of me, Spisk."
When I said this in a stronger tone as if to convey that I was in a higher position, Spisk shrunk back in fear.
The reason why the empire asked King Chorex to marry the daughter of an imperial aristocrat was probably in order to use the prince of Nonette country as a puppet. However, even if I married a girl like this, would she be able to manipulate me?
No, if I take advantage of this trip, I may not only be able to gain supremacy in Nonette Country, but also be able to establish a position in the Empire.
The wind direction has changed.
"Well, I'm sure you'll be welcomed at this mansion. Show me around."
"That's enough. Sasa, please come over here. Spisk, let me have a conversation with you."
"Y-yes. Leave it to me."
When we entered the mansion, the beautiful-looking servants lined up and bowed to us all at once.
I felt like a king and stepped into the mansion feeling good.
Perhaps because I was so carried away, I didn't hear the murmurings that Gut and Kanei were exchanging behind me.
"Don't you feel uncomfortable in here?"
"Yeah. It reminds me of when I was taken to a place full of traps during soldier training."
“I guess Prince Sarcasimo’s wife isn’t what she seems, either.”
“It feels like a decoy that lures the enemy into a trap by pretending to be injured.”
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