I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 263: Newspapers, Deception, and War (7)

The Marquis of the Kingdom of Lyon and the Kingdom's Army General, Gaston de Orléans, declared the opening.

"We have gathered intelligence that the Holy Empire is preparing for war," he said.

The people gathered here showed no signs of surprise or shock, even upon hearing the news that war might break out. As soldiers who had served for decades, they could not afford to show fear at the prospect of war with the enemy. It was not just their accumulated courage and composure built over the years that kept them calm, but the fact that they had already predicted this scenario ever since their great victory over the Holy Empire.

"Madeline, Philippe, Tond, Kish, Saltz, and others. Merchants and citizens in areas bordering the Holy Empire have testified that they saw large shipments of goods being brought in by the Holy Empire," he continued.

If it were just small shipments, it might be understandable, but this involved supplies that could sustain an army of thousands, if not tens of thousands, for over a year—preserved foods, weapons, armor, and more.

Transporting such massive quantities of goods secretly would be impossible, even with all the technology available at the time.

It would take hundreds, if not close to a thousand men, and hundreds of horses to transport the supplies, which would be impossible to hide unless they were flying through the air.

"If even the general public is reporting such sightings, then it can only mean that war with the Holy Empire is imminent," Gaston said.

Even in a notorious game where time travel was a thing, it was common to move your troops near the enemy’s borders before declaring war. This applied to wars in the Albanian continent as well.

But unlike games, where battles could proceed without supply lines, in real-life wars, without maintaining the supply line and logistics, the army would be doomed before even engaging in combat. The key difference is that real wars require the accumulation of supplies, especially food, which moves more slowly than soldiers.

"As the general of the Kingdom's Army, I believe we must prepare for an all-out war with the Holy Empire. What are your thoughts?" Gaston asked.

The general's statement was obviously true.

It was so self-evident that it might feel tiresome and clichéd. It was akin to the unspoken truth that no one argues against the idea that killing a person is punishable. But still, it was undeniable.

"General, there is one issue. While preparing for war with the Holy Empire is important, surely the Empire of Toscana is also sharpening its teeth against us. We must also consider their offensive," one of his subordinates raised.

No matter how much the level of civilization on the Albanian continent might be considered medieval fantasy, as per Fabio’s evaluation, these people were much smarter than Nazi Germany or the Japanese army. The Kingdom of Lyon’s army wouldn’t believe the nonsense of charging into battle while eating grass in the jungle, nor would they expect their soldiers to overcome hunger with sheer willpower, like the Germans giving soldiers a mixture of potatoes and sawdust.

Of course, General Gaston was fully aware that the Empire of Toscana could attack at any time.

Thus, he calmly answered his subordinate's concern.

"LeBlanc, your point is valid. Indeed, we are now in a situation where we must face both the Holy Empire and the Empire of Toscana at once," Gaston replied.

The Kingdom now had two enemies: the Holy Empire and the Empire of Toscana.

Even if we set aside factors like national power, defense, offense, morale, logistics, and strategy, this was a desperate situation where one had to face two at the same time.

"But it seems they do not plan to coordinate their attacks. So, the Kingdom's army will not have to face both countries at once. That is a great relief for us."

It’s a simple truth. It’s much better to fight two enemies separately rather than facing both at the same time.

The principle is just like in boxing or mixed martial arts: if two pro boxers enter the ring, even Tyson will have a hard time winning. But if they fight one after another, Tyson will almost always win.

General Gaston and his staff, though unfamiliar with boxing, understood this principle well.

"Fighting against an army of 10,000 all at once is more dangerous than splitting them into two groups of 5,000," he said.

This understanding, though not articulated as "Lancaster’s Law" in the Albanian continent, was something everyone grasped through experience.

"Yes, that’s right," his subordinate replied.

"Think about it logically. The Holy Empire has been accumulating war funds for nearly a year. The nobles and merchants are pushing for war, eager to show their power. It wouldn’t be strange if they were able to muster enough supplies and funds within a year to launch an attack," Gaston continued.

In Northeast Asia, countries often engage in petty squabbles. But if a white or black person were to make an eye-squinting gesture toward them, they would unite and kill the person who dared make such a racist gesture.

The current sentiment in the Holy Empire was similar.

"If the Emperor asks for cooperation, the nobles would gladly contribute large sums of money. Everyone, from top to bottom, wants war. So, the Holy Empire can easily raise the funds and supplies needed to attack within a year," Gaston remarked.

"Just as you say, General," the subordinate replied.

"But what about the Empire of Toscana?" Gaston continued, pointing at a map.

"Everyone in the Holy Empire suffered severe losses in the last war. But in Toscana’s case, if you look at it coldly, the only one who truly suffered was Baron Rothschild. For the nobles and citizens of the Empire, it’s just a far-off problem," he added.

Everyone, including the staff officer, was impressed by the general’s wisdom. Humans are inherently selfish, and even if someone else dies from the plague, heresy, or execution, the individual would still care more about a small injury to themselves.

"Would they seriously get involved in something that only concerns Baron Rothschild?" Gaston asked rhetorically. "No, of course not."

"The war will happen. But raising war funds will take time. At least two to three years. And gathering the necessary supplies for war will take another year."

Even if it were to happen quickly, it would take a minimum of three years before the Empire of Toscana could go to war.

This meant that if the Holy Empire dared to invade the Kingdom of Lyon...

There would be time to teach them a harsh lesson, recover from the war damage, and then calmly face the enemy in battle.

"Baron Rothschild of the Empire of Toscana. He knows this too, which is why he’s quietly exporting weapons to the Holy Empire," Gaston said.

The name Rothschild was already quite famous on the Albanian continent, especially for a baron.

While he hadn’t yet earned the title of “Son of Satan,” as some did in the Empire, his reputation for being young, capable, and rational was well known.

"That man is dangerous. He’s a dangerous man," Gaston mused.

That was why they had ordered the destruction of Rothschild’s territory to strike at the "core area of seaweed farming" in order to contain him.

"We’ve captured a few of the engineers, but none of them have spoken. We tried all sorts of tortures and even offered wealth, but they didn’t crack."

Thinking about it sent a chill down Gaston’s spine.

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"What has he done to earn such absolute loyalty from his subjects?" Gaston wondered. "I can’t understand it."

"No matter how capable he is, he cannot defy logic," Gaston concluded.

If Duke Visconti or the Emperor of Toscana had heard that, they would have laughed themselves to the ground.

"And what if the Empire of Toscana attacks?" Gaston added, pointing to Guillaume City.

"Will it be easy to launch an assault and conduct a siege? There’s no need to worry too much. I’ll move 80% of the supplies and leave only 10% of the troops to guard the Toscana border, sending the rest to the Holy Empire’s borders. We need to finish this war quickly."

They didn’t realize it yet, but Guillaume City was effectively under the control of Baron Rothschild, Fabio.

Months passed, and as spring arrived, the Emperor of the Empire of Toscana declared war on the Kingdom of Lyon, announcing that the war would begin.