Kepka Barca, General of the Republic of Pofenia, was the brother of the head of the prestigious Barca family in the army.

　Originally, Kepka Barca's objective was Trisichelia, an island located between the Adelian Peninsula and the southern continent.
　Trisichelia is located between the Adelian Peninsula and the southern continent, and is a strategic point separating the Western and Eastern Teutonic Seas.

　It has a mild climate, and Trisichelia is one of the largest granaries in the Teutonic Sea.

　Of course, it is not only the Pofenians who have their eye on this rich land.
　Cilician colonists had been settling this land for a long time, and there was a day and night struggle between the Pofenian and Cilician colonies.

　However, after the third Cilician-Persian War, the mainland of Cilicia was conquered by the Persians, and the situation started to move rapidly.

　The Cilician colonies were conquered by Pofenia, and now two-thirds of them fell into the hands of Pofenia.

　However, the resistance of the Cilician people is also strong.
　The power of the Cilicians is particularly troublesome in the Adelian peninsula, and their naval power is a force to be reckoned with.

　They rapidly increased their national power with the new commodities of paper, spirits and drugs.
　For the Cilician cities in the southern part of the Adelian peninsula, the fall of the entire island of Trisichellia into Pofenia's hands was synonymous with the building of a bridge between the continent and the Adelian peninsula.

　Therefore, the southern cities of the Adelian peninsula continued to support the Cilician cities in Trisichelia.

　Continued skirmishes would not get them anywhere.

　Therefore, Kepka Barca requested the Senate of Pofenia to launch a large expedition to Trisichelia.

　The Senate must have been buoyed by the outcome of the Third Cilician-Persian War.
　This great undertaking passed the Senate with ease.

　Kepka Barca was given vast sums of money, the right to use warships and merchant ships, and military command.

　The reason why it was not soldiers that were given, but funds... is because the country of Pofenia does not have a standing army and does not adopt conscription.
　The military system in the Republic of Pofenia is mercenary.


　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more than a few hundred private armies of "warlords" who will circle the battlefields with their private armies, or even hire the entire king's army from neighboring countries.

　There are advantages and disadvantages to the mercenary system.

　The advantages are that it is not costly, and even if it is defeated, it does not lead directly to the decline of Pofenia's national power.

　The only time you need money is when you're maintaining an army.
　Hence, they can temporarily build up a large army.

　And since the mercenaries are foreigners, even if they die, Pofenia's productive capacity will not diminish.

　Their disadvantages are their poor conduct and the fact that they require a high level of competence from their generals.

　For example, let's say there is a strategically less important but richer Land A, and a strategically more important but poorer Land B. Normally, Land B would be the priority.
　Normally, land B should be given priority.

　Land A can be acquired after the victory.

　But Pophenia tends to give priority to A.
　However, Pofenia tends to give priority to A, because the mercenaries want to loot A.

　If they are hired by tens of thousands of troops, their employers can't say they don't want to.
　As a result, many sudden changes in strategy occur, and not once or twice will they miss out on a victory.

　A high level of leadership is needed to control mercenaries.


　Off the beaten path.
　Kepka Barca put in a massive recruitment of mercenaries after arriving in Trisichellia.

　Local Trisichelia Poffenians and Cilicians (not all of whom are patriotic), Adelnians, and Trisichelia's natives.

　Famous mercenary groups from Gaul and Germanis.
　Mercenaries who were unemployed during the Third Cilician-Pophenian War.
　Renowned mercenaries from all over the coast of the Teutonic Sea, including archers from the island of Kroto, stone throwers from the Volfa Islands, and cavalrymen from the Novia region.

　They were hired in large numbers in exchange for money and post-victory plunder.
　For the mercenaries, the wealth gained from plunder is more important than the money paid by their employers.

　It's common for employers to overpay, and they don't get much money in the first place.
　But the wealth gained from looting it's a matter of luck, but sometimes you can get enough money to play with for the rest of your life.

　Especially in a war in a place as rich as Trisichellia.

　The recruitment of mercenaries quickly exceeded the capacity.
　In the end, the quota of 20,000 slots was flooded with over 40,000 mercenaries.

　Kepka vetted the mercenaries well and hired only 20,000 men.

　Twenty thousand was enough to conquer Trisichelia.
　Kepka made preparations steadily.

　But the situation had changed rapidly over the past year.
　The relationship between the monarchy of the Adelian peninsula and the Cilician city of Rezad had rapidly deteriorated.

　The two countries began to skirmish.

　Kepka abruptly changed his plans and recruited more mercenaries.
　He gathered an additional 20,000 troops.

　He changed his objective to the southern part of the Adelunian Peninsula.
　Even if they could not conquer or conquer the cities in the southern part of the Adelunian peninsula, if they could sack them, their hegemony in Trisiceria would be confirmed.

　They took a bold military action.

　Thus, the situation started to move in Kepka's favor.
　The monarchy of the Adelian peninsula and the Rezad began to engage in warfare.

　Kepka crossed into Adelunia on a warship.






　'Rezad's strength is zero. King Losais's kingdom has 40,000 and our army has 30,000. So we must do something about King Rosais' country.

　Kepka muttered as he sipped the wine.
　He took a little bit of the distilled wine, a product of King Rosais' country, to his mouth.

　It makes a good wine for a barbarian.

　Kepka unrolls the map in a good mood.

　'The sea has been sealed off. Clandestine reports indicate that most of Rezad's senators have fled the country. So Rezad isn't the enemy.

　Was thirty thousand troops too much?
　Kepka reconsiders.

　Right now, Kepka had forty thousand troops left in his hands.
　He left ten thousand of these to defend Trisichellia Island and led thirty thousand to land on the Adelian Peninsula.

　'If we win this it will help Brother Seal.

　The current head of the Barca family is Ceal Barca.
　Kepka and Ceal are very close brothers. They are rivals who recognize each other's abilities.

　'General Kepka, I have received a letter of intent from King Almus of King Rosais' country.
　Well, you answered quickly.

　Kepka has sent a letter to the barbarian king of Adelunia Almus.
　He proposes to divide Rezad equally.

　The Adelnians have no use for a port.
　So the proposal is to share the harbor and coastal area of Rezad with Pofenia and the inland area with Almus.

　Kepka opens the letter.
　It was written in surprisingly clean Cilician language to the effect that he was declaring war.

　''Totally........this is why the barbarians.......''

　The source of wealth in Rezad is trade.
　Hence, it is the coastal areas and ports that are rich, and not much tax revenue is expected to come from inland areas.

　Kepka's proposal is like saying that he will eat the apples and I will give you the skin and core.
　It's no surprise that he refuses.

　Well, in the first place, Kepka had no intention of giving up anything to Almus.
　And Almus was not willing to concede to Kepka either.

　This exchange of letters was nothing more than a ritualistic act.

　'Come, let us conquer Rezad before King Almus does. We will make you regret your refusal of our generous offer. Barbarians.







　"Your Majesty, a message from Lord Kepka Barka has arrived.
　Show me.

　I read a letter of intent from a Pofenian general named Kepka Barca.
　It says that he accepts our declaration of war.

　Well, he makes such an arrogant demand. "Well, they didn't want to share a bit of land with us in the first place, did they?

　Well, that's what I'm going to do.

　Bartolo, can you win?

　I questioned Bartolo.
　At the same time as we hurried our march to Rezad, I had Bartolo investigate the composition and numbers of the Pofenia army.

　The Pofenia are an unknown enemy to us.
　We don't know anything about their culture, religion, or fighting style.

　They seem to be mainly mercenaries, 30,000 in number. The trouble is that the number of cavalrymen must be very high, seven thousand. But I'm the general of this country.

　Bartolo grins.
　'So you mean you have a chance to win.

　'The problem is Rezad. The fight will depend on whether Rezad is willing to surrender to us or to Pofenia.

　If I could, I'd have Rezad on my side, but...

　'Your Majesty!　Rezad sent me a letter of intent!
　Is that true?

　Just in time.
　I suppress my deviation and open the letter from Rezad.

　.... hmmm.

　'In exchange for total surrender, you will prevent us from plundering Pofenia...'
　That's not good news. 'That's not good news,' he said. 'If we were to go to Rezad now, it would take us three days to get there in a hurry. Pofenia, on the other hand, is within reach of arriving today. The question is, will Rezad last the rest of the day?

　According to the letter, there are no troops left in Rezad.
　Even though the city has walls, can they really continue to fight against a large army of over 30,000?

　Well, it looks like Alexios Barca is in Rezad, so we should be able to hold out for a while. We'll have to be quick.





　Hmmm... we're in trouble.

　Abraham, the Pretender of Gehenna, was puzzled.
　Suddenly, Pofenia had changed the target of their attack and marched into the Adelunian Peninsula.

　Pofenia, a country with civilian control.......not quite the same as civilian control, but the Senate's influence over the military was great.
　It's probably because of its mercenary system that it puts its heart and soul into controlling its military personnel.

　Therefore, they are forbidden to deviate too far from the strategy set by the Senate.

　According to the information Abraham had received, Pofenia's strategic target was Trisichelia Island and not the Adelunian Peninsula.

　'Is it a tactical decision to capture the Adelunian peninsula, the rear base of Trisichellia... or are you going to excuse it?　Kepka Barca is. But this one is in the process of attacking Nemeth...

　Abraham is scratching his head.
　Between Nemeth and Pofenia, Pofenia is a far greater threat.

　A temporary truce is desirable for this place.
　No, if you don't do it, Pofenia will take everything away from you.

　''You've got to be kidding me. Shall we send a letter of apology to King Almus and sign a truce before returning to our home country?

　Pofenia's navy is a threat.
　If we don't move the Gehenna Navy soon, we'll be blocked off at sea.

　'The timing is absolutely ridiculous.

　Abraham looked annoyed and scratched his head.




　Thus, in a hurry, Nemeth and Gehenna signed an armistice.
　The two nations organized their navies to respond to the threat of Pofenia.

　They requested a meeting with King Almus.