Of course, there’s no need to consider them evil and targeting the Hesse Territory. Even if they didn’t make these preparations, once Hesse Territory restored itself, it would still attack and conquer them. The clash of the two forces must end with one force falling and submitting.
This realization made Su Li’s previously sowhat casual deanor tighten once more.
This dark and despairing world is always fraught with danger. The world won’t wait for you to be fully prepared before war arrives slowly.
Just as Hesse Territory has begun to develop, external threats and shackles imdiately press in. Before Hesse Territory completes its resource preparation and mobilizes its troops, chooses its direction of expansion, the enemy has already acted first!
Su Li also took a deep breath and said, "Baron Grant and his Blue Mirror Territory are very likely the greatest external enemy we will face next. If he suddenly increases tariffs and raises the tax rate for heading east upstream of the Brionne River above 100%, it could directly cut off an important trade route of ours. War will be inevitable, are we prepared for it?"
If he actually cuts off the trade route, the weak financial balance of the territory will imdiately collapse!
At that ti, whether Su Li wants to or not, he will have to lead troops in a decisive battle against the Blue Mirror Territory.
Fortunately, this journey of Su Li’s will bring considerable wealth from Marle Castle, allowing Hesse Territory’s treasury to fill up again, with at least tens of thousands of Golden Crowns in reserves, capable of sustaining a few months of financial deficit.
Otherwise, after the blockade of trade routes and financial bankruptcy, he wouldn’t even have the wealth to pay wages to the knights and troops, leaving him at the rcy of the Blue Mirror Territory.
Such crises are also commonplace in the Border Prince’s Territory. A Pioneer Knight must face not only the scarcity of resources and attacks from beasts but also nurous challenges from the covetousness and ambition of other Pioneer Territories!
Hilude replied calmly, "I think the war will take at least a month or two to erupt. Even if the Blue Mirror Territory wants to add checkpoints and increase tariffs, it’s not an easy matter. Raising the rate above 100% would also cause them heavy losses; many caravans would bypass their territory, reducing their trade inco. Baron Grant must prepare thoroughly, strictly control large regions, and do his utmost to cut off any possibility of caravans bypassing them to reach our territory, only then initiating the blockade and war."
"Once war breaks out, we must first connect the forces between the two Baron’s Territories. In between, there are still several small Pioneer Territories and Kingdom Knight’s Territories. This might take us several months, so we must also prepare finances and food reserves."
Su Li nodded slightly, having also personally surveyed the battlefield geography during this journey. In fact, although Blue Mirror Territory seems far from Hesse Territory, it really is quite far.
Between the core areas of governance on both sides lies a vast power vacuum region. This is also a major characteristic of the Border Prince’s Territory, where spaces between the power centers of Pioneer Lords are always filled with various threats—goblins, raiders, bandit groups, and evil orders lurking within, threatening the safety of travelers and caravans.
The distance from Heisen Castle to Blue Mirror Lake is nearly a thousand miles! This expanse is extrely vast, and infantry marching would take over ten days.
But the sides are also very close; if you cross the Hesse Territory’s border, starting from the Balan Autonomous Region, there’s only a few hundred miles of distance remaining between the two. By warship, it would take about one to two days to reach the core of Blue Mirror Territory’s heartland. A cavalry raid could reach within a day and night. It’s sowhat akin to a war between two major counties within the Eastern Empire.
Of course, this is an extraordinary world, with even broader territories, especially the sparsely populated Border Prince’s Territory, with faster action and tighter connections, much like a war between two large counties in the southern barbarous frontier of the Empire.
Su Li then asked, "Know oneself and know the enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. How much intelligence do we have on Blue Mirror Lake?"
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