Arc-6 Ch-26
96
Chapter
Farmer's Strategy
2025
“Consider it a necessary expense. The border regions are hotbeds for war; they cannot be entrusted to the incompetent. There is no convenient pawn who is both capable and free of ambition. To keep them loyal enough not to rebel against the center while using them as bargaining chips with foreign powers, such expenses are unavoidable.”
“I can understand Father’s words. However, the annexation of the Fanoss Principality has drastically changed the border situation. The burden of national defense has decreased, yet certain nobles still retain their pre-war privileges. When most frontier nobles are in dire straits, it is unacceptable for a few to keep special treatment from before the war.”
“If we strip away privileges they already hold, there will be backlash. Mishandle it, and it could become the seed of civil war.”
“How amusing. Those words hardly seem to come from the person in this kingdom who most desires upheaval.”
“Watch your tongue. Even I wish to avoid needless sacrifices.”
From a little while ago, Angie and Duke Redgrave’s conversation had been running completely parallel. Angie wants to reform the system and rebuild the country without changing the basic personnel structure of the kingdom. The Duke wants to become king legitimately while maintaining noble superiority and gaining support to rebuild the country.Their direct father-daughter discussion has been stuck in the same place for some time. I don’t really understand politics.No, as a lord, I’m desperately trying because it would be bad if I didn’t.
But compared to the three people here, I can confidently say I’m clearly the worst at politics. To begin with, I’m the kind of guy who can barely manage to do what his boss tells him within the limits of his ability. I just want to marry a wife with big breasts, do a moderate amount of work, soothe my body in hot springs, hand over the house to the kids when they grow up, and retire early. Plowing fields, soaking in hot springs, giving pocket money to visiting grandchildren; that kind of life is enough for me. Please spare me from matters concerning the fate of the kingdom. Please stop having excessive expectations of me. I hate both God and the king.
While I idly think stupid thoughts, the distinguished members of the ducal house continue their debate. I want to join in and support Angie, but there was no opening. Frankly, my political ability is the lowest among the four of us, so I might end up dragging Angie down if I’m not careful. There’s nothing more infuriating in the world than an incompetent ally joining in and making the situation worse. On the battlefield, incompetent superiors and obstructive allies directly lead to death.
“I never thought the daughter I doted on would bite the hand that fed her.”
“You and Brother are the ones doing things that invite bites.”
“Mind your words, Angie. Neither Father nor I are acting solely out of personal desire.”
Oh no, this is a bad turn. After exhaustively saying everything they wanted, the discussion is starting to turn into personal attacks. Looking at them like this, they really are father, daughter, and siblings. If this were a family quarrel instead of a political issue, I could find an opening. Above all, I’m on Angie’s side, and my personality isn’t rotten enough to enjoy watching my wife’s family fight. Though I haven’t known the Duke and Gilbert long in person, I know well that they genuinely worry about Angie. Angie once told me that even close families in noble power struggles can come to hate each other enough to harbor murderous intent.
That’s different from the Bartfort family, who had to band together just to survive in the poor frontier. No, my sisters and Finley barely helped with housework. My sisters always ran away from chores, leaving me and my brother to work extra. It’s only natural to prioritize Angie, who married me without complaint and adapted to the unfamiliar frontier, over my blood-related sisters. Angie is beautiful, has big breasts, is kind, has big breasts, is smart, and has big breasts.
“C-Calm down, everyone. How about we take a short break first?”
The gazes of all three focus on me. Being glared at by the Duke and Gilbert is unavoidable, but Angie, please stop giving me that cold look; it makes me want to cry. Angie is smart, very smart, but she has the flaw of believing that if she explains things logically and coherently, the other party will be convinced. Indeed, when you think it through properly and explain logically, it feels like everything in the world should work out. But theory is just theory; in reality, unexpected things happen all the time.
Even if you preach the correct argument, there will always be people who resist, and there will always be those who deliberately choose inefficient methods. There are issues with chain of command, costs, personnel ability, and so on. If you ignore those and just scold with pure logic, people hate you. They really, really hate you. The troublesome part is that Angie is quite emotional, and she herself doesn’t notice it much. Born into the ducal house and raised as a future queen candidate, she was so outstanding that few could oppose her. When she gets emotional, she doesn’t realize she’s forcibly attaching reasons to push her own claims; it’s the same during marital arguments.
At times like this, I put a little distance between us for a while. Once time passes, Angie’s anger subsides, and she reflects on why it didn’t work. When she calms down, Angie becomes very depressed and adorably wilted. She rubs against me like a cat wanting attention from its owner and sweetly clings to me. Very cute. Comforting such an Angie is one of my important duties. Arranging things so my wife can work at full capacity is also a condition of being a capable husband. As a man, as a husband, as a lord, is that really okay?
Ah~! Ah~! I can’t hear anything!
That’s why I think brewing fresh tea with the still-warm water from the heater for my beloved wife and her family is an important job.
“This is good. Angie likes it too, right?”
“…Honestly.”
Angue presses her brow as if to say it can’t be helped and takes a bite of the sweets. Sweets are great; they calm my emotional wife’s mood.
I’m deliberately acting the fool while waiting on my wife and trying to improve her mood; I wish at least Ange would notice. I’m her husband, you know? I’m a lord, you know?
They probably think I’m a hen-pecked husband who can’t stand up to his wife in these matters. Well, it’s true, so I have no choice but to accept it. For now, all three are silently sipping tea and nibbling on sweets. They really are alike, these people. They might not realize it themselves. Even if Angie continues persuading like this, it will be hard to make the two agree. We are inferior in numbers, quality, and experience, so the only ways I can think of to force agreement are to attack from a different angle or threaten with force. I’ve already secretly arranged the force option without telling Angie.
I really don’t want to do it because it would make both Angie and the ducal house my enemies at the same time. So let’s try a different direction. Angie cooperated with this one, so I can expect her support.
“Um, in this setting should I call you Duke? Father-in-law? Your Excellency? Which is better?”
“Call me whatever you like. This is a family gathering, but it is also a political occasion.”
“Then, Your Excellency, I also have an opinion. It may sully your ears, but I would be honored if you would listen as mere tea-time talk.”
“I do not mind. I was just thinking I wanted to hear my son-in-law’s frank opinion.”
His attitude clearly shows he thinks I probably can’t come up with anything worthwhile. It’s irritating, but it’s true, so nothing I can do. Let’s switch gears.
“Then please excuse me.”
Avoiding the teapot and cake stand on the table, I spread out a map. The two look surprised at what I’m doing, while Angie seems somewhat amused. I’d be happy if she helped a little more. It’s quite a large map, so it ends up covering more than half the table. I fix the four corners with the heater and teapot. Then I take three small boxes from the bag and dump their contents. Inside are military counters used in strategy meetings: blue and red pieces. I line them up one by one. The map shows the entire Holfort Kingdom. First, I place a large blue piece in the capital and a large red piece in Redgrave territory.
Then I continue placing the pieces in order.
For example, small red pieces represent baron- and viscount-level lower nobles of the ducal faction, medium blue pieces represent earls and marquises of the royal faction, and so on. Rank doesn’t directly equal military strength, and I ignored territorial damage from the war with Fanoss, so it’s very rough and full of holes, but it can’t be helped. Finally, I place white pieces in various places; these are neutral nobles who belong to neither the royal nor ducal faction. Spreading a map that looks completely out of place in a drawing room larger than the Bartfort family hall feels incredibly strange; I really understand how bizarre what I’m doing is.
Can I really explain this properly?
Angie said it would be fine, but I don’t have a clever head or a silver tongue. No choice. I’ll just do what I can. Compared to battlefields full of airship bombardments and armor assaults, this is truly peaceful since no one dies.
“Now then, this is roughly the current power map of the Holfort Kingdom. There are many detailed differences on this map, I’m sure, but broadly speaking it should not be wrong.”
The red and blue pieces are clustered around their respective large pieces, and the farther toward the edges, the more chaotically they mix. In any war, the supreme commander fortifies the position farthest from the battlefield and issues orders. Though it’s not rare for the fight to continue even after taking the commander’s piece. In particular, the royal faction’s blue pieces are tightly packed around the capital. No matter how corrupt the nobles of the Holfort Kingdom were said to be, they weren’t senile enough to entrust the defense near the capital to unreliable nobles. Meanwhile, the ducal faction’s red pieces are spread wide and shallow.
The faction only properly formed in the last few years, and personnel affairs for nobles are controlled by the royal family. The Holfort royal family used things like title deprivation and matriarchal policies precisely to prevent lord nobles from banding together and plotting rebellion like this. All those efforts to weaken the lord nobles and strengthen royal power have completely backfired.
“As you can see, the ducal faction already surrounds the royal faction, and the border marquises are far away and coordination is difficult. Cutting off coordination and stopping the flow of goods and food to slowly dry them out would be the most ideal shape. Victory without fighting; truly the battle of a king.”
I deliberately praise the Duke. The two besides Angie look displeased, but let’s continue.
“Roughly speaking, the blue forces are surrounded by red forces. If this were simply a battle to take a single floating island or floating continent, the outcome would already be decided.”
“Oh? You understand?”
“The territories governed by the royal faction certainly include key trade points or borders with other countries. Places one would want to hold to rule the nation. It proves the Holfort royal family is not entirely incompetent.”
Angie taught me that the flow of money, people, and goods is like blood. If it circulates well, the flow strengthens further and the country develops more and more.
“Now, what happens if we think about logistics? This becomes the royal faction’s weakness in case of civil war. The territories that handle the kingdom’s food situation are those with vast farmland capable of exporting surplus harvests to other territories. I’ve heard many feudal nobles who shoulder the kingdom’s food supply are looked down upon by the center as country bumpkins despite their importance. What happens if those scorned lord nobles stop food supplies to the royal faction? The floating continent and islands centered on the capital would dry up in no time.”
“The anger of the starving populace will turn toward the royal family. It would be a fine lesson for those in the capital who indulge in warm clothes and full bellies.”
What a terrifying old man. While living in a grand mansion in the capital and enjoying fine sweets and tea, he has no qualms about letting the people on this floating continent starve. A simple villain who just wants the throne for himself would be better. This man chooses ruthless means out of conviction; that’s what makes him frightening. I also hate the people who live luxuriously in the wealthy capital and treat food as a given. Food is connected to everything; that’s one of my fundamental principles.
Coming to the capital always tires me because there are so many nobles and rich people who have no understanding of how much effort goes into a single grain of wheat or slice of meat and simply drown in luxury. The fact that Zola and the others were typical examples of such nobles probably influences it too. Those guys really left nothing but misfortune in my life.
“Of course, the royal faction territories must have at least enough food stockpiled to feed their own people. But the biggest problem is the densely populated capital. The floating continent where the nation’s center, the capital, exists has far too little farmland for its vast area. Food supply is almost entirely imported from territories governed by feudal nobles, and with a large population, consumption skyrockets. If the logistics network is completely controlled, the ducal faction could win within about a year while keeping their own sacrifices minimal.”
Clap clap clap clap
The Duke claps his hands, shoulders shaking with enjoyment as he stares straight at my face. This might be the first time this man has truly looked at me. The gaze from the same crimson eyes as Angie slowly scans me from head to toe. The pressure is considerable, but not enough to make me feel mortal danger. Probably thanks to having run through far more terrifying monsters and dangerous battlefields.
“Angie, was this your doing?”
“No, it wasn’t. Leon thought of it himself. Is it really the same as Father’s strategy?”
“Of course the details differ. But broadly speaking, I have no choice but to judge it correct. It is only one candidate plan, but to have it read so perfectly feels good.”
There are still more, you know. Sticking to a single strategy is something only idiots do, but being overvalued just for guessing one strategy correctly is also troublesome. It was just the answer I came up with when I idly thought, “What’s the most efficient and easiest way to bring down the capital?”
A siege by starvation breeds deep resentment, so if mishandled, the surrounded side turns into a death squad and charges out; that is the worst to deal with. A cornered human will charge forward without thinking of consequences; that is terrifying. After all, I am exactly that kind of person. When I charged the enemy army in despair, I somehow ended up killing their commander and becoming a noble. That is why I learned my lesson and started devising strategies that minimized allied losses while maximizing enemy losses, which earned me the nickname “villainous knight.”
I am not happy at all to have this kind of talent.
“I see. Lord Bartfort, you are a truly interesting man. When did you notice this strategy?”
“First, when I was looking for sales routes for the wheat harvested in Bartfort territory; next, when I investigated the names and territories of ducal faction nobles; and finally, when I thought about what would be the most efficient way if I had to fight the royal faction.”
I point to Bartfort territory with the teaspoon I was using to stir my tea. Angie glares at me as if to scold me, but I ignore it and continue.
“Recently, Bartfort territory has finally become able to feed its own people. It is still not enough to export, but Angie told me that if I ever want to create sales routes, I must first grasp the flow of goods.”
“I see. So that is when you grasped the positions of the royal faction lord nobles.”
“Every route I investigated inevitably passed through royal faction territory at some point. I vaguely realized that the Holfort Kingdom’s logistics are controlled by the royal family.”
“And when you investigated the names and territories of ducal faction nobles?”
“Even if I secured a route, competitors selling the same goods would appear. I looked into food and specialty products and investigated the kingdom’s granaries. When I cross-checked with the names of nobles I had become acquainted with as part of the ducal faction, they matched perfectly.”
“Hm. And the last one?”
“If the royal faction and ducal faction were to seriously fight, what do you think would be the most troublesome opponent?”
“The royal family’s flagship, nothing else. That is the symbol of Holfort royal domination. The Lost Item that has long crushed the rebellious hearts of lord nobles. It was because of the flagship’s existence that the Holfort royal family could reign at the top of the country. But it no longer exists. Even if repair were possible, no one knows how long it would take. If we are to attack, there is no time but now.”
“Then what would be the next most troublesome?”
“Saintess Olivia.”
“I think it is the five heroes, starting with His Highness.”
“You and I differ in opinion?”
“Yes. The Saintess is a kind person who would feel pain seeing people of the same country fight each other. Rather than taking sides, she is more likely to mediate for peace.”
“…”
The moment I praised Lady Olivia, Angie became visibly displeased. My wife is terribly jealous; please spare me when we are having a serious conversation.
“If we consider direct combat power, the five, led by His Highness, are more troublesome than the Saintess. They defeated the princess of fanoss in the previous war and captured her again this time. The flagship that went down in mutual destruction with the super-sized monster gets all the attention, but in terms of military exploits, no one in the kingdom can match those five.”
“Even if you fought them?”
“Impossible. I cannot win.”
“I heard you fought His Highness Julius to a draw in a territorial battle.”
He casually revealed that I dueled His Highness. Well, I never thought it could be hidden forever, but staying silent about it until now shows the Duke is quite malicious. He has probably already verified to some extent the story of Angie being attacked by sky pirates. What a difficult old man to deal with. But if he knows the truth, that can also be material to advance the conversation favorably.
“That was only because it was a one-time duel under equal conditions, so I managed to force a draw. If the five worked together, no one in this country could stop them.”
“That much?”
“They are the ones who, still in their teens, with the Saintess accompanying them, defeated the Black Knight Vandel and the princess even when outnumbered. A simultaneous barrage from ship cannons might had kill them. But if even one survives and closes in, we lose.”
“So starvation tactics.”
“With all due respect, Your Excellency, didn’t you arrive at the same conclusion and devise this strategy?”
“…How vexing. There is nothing more troublesome than a man who is an utter fool in ordinary matters yet possesses unparalleled power in war. If mishandled, those five could tear a hole in the encirclement.”
“My sympathies.”
I seriously wonder if those guys are even the same species as me. I genuinely suspect they were created with old-human or new-human technology, as Luxion once said. If I face them seriously, our losses would be catastrophic; I don’t want to fight them. Yet I cannot ignore them either; they are extremely troublesome. That is why sealing them strategically is best. Depriving them of food and weakening them without direct confrontation causes the least damage.
Even if called cowardly, fighting them head-on would cost more lives than I have. However, if this tactic is used, the Duke will definitely be hated. No noble would want a king who is willing to let everyone, let the entire capital starve just to overthrow the royal family. Those who obey out of fear will betray the moment they realize they could face something even more terrifying. Those who obeyed because they borrowed money will repay quickly and cut ties. In fact, it would only grant legitimacy to the surviving royal faction. Even having the Saintess in the family would not be enough to cover it up.
“Won’t you stop the rebellion?”
I blurted out my true feelings. All three stare with mouths open in shock. Because winning this is extremely difficult. Even if you win, all that remains is a further devastated country, lost lives, and an infamous legacy for posterity. I think it would be far more constructive to aim for the kingdom’s reconstruction and reform as the foremost lord noble.
“The kingdom perishing would be far too troublesome. It would deal a fatal wound to this already weakened country. Just push all responsibility onto His Majesty and let Your Excellency handle the government. It is better to have fewer burdens, is it not?”
“Lord Bartfort, I hold you in high esteem. As of this moment, I apologize for having underestimated you. I thought you lacked far too much to marry Angie. But in terms of talent, you seem more than adequate.”
“Thank you.”
“The conversation is not over. You lack something as a noble.”
“…What would that be?”
“The resolve to dirty your own hands and leave behind infamy.”
“With respect, my reputation is hardly good to begin with.”
“I am asking whether you have the resolve to see your own will through even if your family is judged as rebels.”
I have no such thing. My family is precious to me. I am doing this unwanted lordship for my family. If forced to choose between family and title, I would choose family without hesitation. To have survived this far is already fortunate; marrying Angie is practically a miracle. If you say I lack resolve for this life, you would be right. After all, I was born the carefree third son of a noble, raised practically like a commoner.
“I have watched this kingdom since I was old enough to understand. I clung to the nonexistent hope that it could still be saved and lived until today. Now, approaching old age, I have finally accepted that the chance to save it has long passed. In the little life I have left, all I can do is reduce the Holfort Kingdom that has clung to life for my children and grandchildren to nothing.”
“Isn’t that too hasty? There are many people working hard, starting with the Saintess.”
“Do you not understand that if a thing does not perish when its time has come, it only exposes its unsightliness? The kingdom’s lifespan is over.”
It seems the Duke’s resolve is firm. If he were simply ambitious, I could punch him into stopping; if he were a mere villain, I could kill him without remorse. But the Duke acts out of a sense of justice, and has done so long before I was born. What I am trying to do may be wrong, and the Duke may be right. But still, I don’t like it. I absolutely hate seeing people my age die in war again or children collapse from hunger on the roadside. That may indeed be the sacrifice necessary for this country to be reborn.
Even so, I cannot accept it.
If the Duke starts a war to create a righteous country, I prefer a slightly dirtier world where people do not die. So I am sorry. I will have to stop Your Excellency’s plan. I let out a deep sigh and fiddle with the counters on the table. Just thinking that I may have to forcibly crush the Duke and be hated by Angie from now on makes me feel depressed.
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Authors Note
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Chapter from Leon’s point of view; it unexpectedly became long, so the strategic part has been carried over to the next chapter.
In the original work, Duke Vince had some vulgar aspects, but in this story, Leon is not a reincarnator and cannot rely on Luxion, so the Duke’s disappointment with the kingdom is dominant.
To think I would corner him even further from here… I have no humanity. (sweat)
Addendum: At the requester’s wish, illustrations by Sasa-sama and Mataaoune-sama. Thank you very much.
Sasa-sama: Pixiv
Mataaoune-sama: Pixiv (adult content warning)
I would be encouraged by your thoughts and impressions.
~~~End~~~