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After I destroyed Viscount Kark, I continued my march.
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Since several lords had originally gathered at Viscount Kark's place to defend themselves against him, there was almost no resistance for a while.
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What I did was not so much to wage war as to write letters of relief to the towns and villages I had occupied. I also took hostages and brought them into my army when they surrendered because they were too weak to resist.
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This land is not a place to pass through, but a place to bring into my domain. I will treat it with the respect it deserves.
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It's true that there are few powerful lords on the map. First of all, there are rarely any great men in the rank of counts. Most of them are viscounts who may or may not own a county. Even those who call themselves counts have lords with a high degree of independence within their ranks, and there are quite a few half-breeds who cannot wield much power.
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I made an example out of them by thoroughly crushing those who resisted.
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Fortunately, my army was still strong enough to make an example of them. Generals Noen Laud, Kosivik, and Maissel Uge had become excellent commanders through years of fighting. Small lords who had not seen much battle were nothing to them.
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From the middle of the campaign, I moved my troops along the southern coast. There are many prosperous port towns along the coast. I would capture these cities and bring them under my control.
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"Arsrod, you're making progress so easily, it's not worth the effort."
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Raviara told me this one day at the lord's residence where I was staying.
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From the window, I could see many boats with sails sailing ahead on the sea. The former royalists should have been able to attack us by sea, but there was no such movement.
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"Well, don't say that. If we are struggling here, we will be in trouble from here on!"
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Our offensive is coming along nicely. At this rate, we will be able to hold at least as far as Birgundu, east of Yalgut, which faces the Sanad Strait.
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"But the sea here is very calm. The waves are calm. It's like a lake.
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It must be an unfamiliar landscape to Raviara. That means the same for me.
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"There are a lot of islands around here. The islands create a kind of inland sea, a breakwater to prevent strong waves from coming in. That's why we get a lot of trading ships. Even ships from different continents come here.
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"Wow. ...... It's an incredible world for Raviara. I thought I might spend the rest of my life barely leaving Navarre County."
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"Yes, that was true just two or three generations ago, wasn't it?"
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Hearing Laviala put it into words once again, I was astonished at how far we had come.
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It was common knowledge until a few years ago that country lords would just hang around and die in the vicinity of their estates. At most, a lord who was somewhat close to the capital would go to pay his respects to the king or something like that.
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No one had moved an army this far away for a long time. Nor would their parents have imagined that the house of Nevre would acquire a domain facing the sea.
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Soon the whole country will be ours. Each of us will have to appoint our own lords, but formally, once I am king, it will all be mine."
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"Traveling around the world like this with Mr. Arsrod, I realize how outrageous it is."
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Laviala sighed deliberately.
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"You really have become the wife of an extraordinary person. An elf looking out to sea. Smelling the sea. I don't think there is a member of Laviala's family who has ever seen the sea.
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"So, shall we change the name of the port town around here to the family name?"
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I don't want to. I am proud to be a member of the forest family of Awayu, and I will continue to call myself the Awayu family and Raviara will continue to call herself Raviara."
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Laviala puffed her cheeks out like a child.
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"It took us a while to come up with a plan, but once we got going, it was quick."
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The campaign to clean up the former royalists is going extremely well. The final question is how to fight in the enemy's stronghold.
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"Thank God the king is not a good fighter. If they had marched all the way to the Sanado Strait, Arsrod's share would have been greatly reduced.
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I know exactly what you mean, Laviala. Well, but it is also true that it is meaningless to talk about what ifs.
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"Many of them were scared to follow me because I marched on them. If Hasse had moved, it would have been a different story. I can't rule out the possibility that he would have been killed in battle somewhere."
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Killing Hasse would be a promise of a successful career as long as he was a member of the former royalist faction. Moreover, if the morale of the conquering army is not high and they are tired from the long journey, the enemy will become more belligerent.
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One of the reasons I was able to move so smoothly was that I was thorough in my adherence to the principle of "trust, reward, and punishment. As I have been doing for a long time, I crush those who rebel without mercy, and those who obey me are granted the right to control the land.
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In this way, the soldiers can go on and on without any particular obstacle if they do not feel the urge to defy me.
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And my core standing army is not an army recruited from the common people. They are professional soldiers, so their morale will not be lowered. Of course, there are a certain number of soldiers from the common people, but they are mainly used for logistical support and other things not directly related to the battle.
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If I can incorporate the provinces up to the Sanado Strait into my territory, my sphere of influence will be more than doubled.
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No other force has that much land. If I can defeat the former royalists, there will be no power left that can stand against me.
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The kingdom is very close.
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But do not be hasty. It is clear to all that my power is growing. If I go too far, I may cause trouble in King's Landing. I should act as the regent of the Kingdom of Thirlwil.
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"Well, it's about time our guests arrived. Well, since we're here, let's take it easy. We could at least enjoy the atmosphere of a port town for a day."
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