A room in the royal castle.
　Nine men were gathered there.

　One of them was the king, me.
　Raimondo, who is the head of the nobility; Ial, a diplomat; Bartolo, a soldier; Alexios, another soldier with strong ties to the Cilician people and knowledge of the navy; Ron, who is my protégé's vassal; Rosward, Gram, and Ains, who had returned from Persis on a temporary basis.

　The purpose of our discussion was simple and clear.
　It is a national policy for the future.

　Will we continue to focus on internal politics or will we expand our territory even more aggressively?
　If we are going to expand our territory, will it be to the north or to the south?

　Until now, Romalia's national policy has been one.
　It is to expand its territory by waging war against the Adelian countries.

　But that ended with the last war.
　Now the Kingdom of Romalia is losing sight of its national policy.

　This is not good.

　That's why I gathered eight people, nine including myself.

　At the beginning, I will be the first to speak.

　The rebellion in the conquered territories has been put down. However, it's true that they can't expect tax revenues right now, and they're trying to start a rebellion whenever they can. Well, I guess we'll be stuck here for a while. The question is what happens after that. I want to hear what you guys have to say.

　I looked around at the eight men.
　First, it was Bartolo who opened his mouth.

　''If we were to expand our territory, it would be in the north. Because we don't have a navy. Also, if we're going to fight the Kingdom of Roselle, now would be a good time to do so.
　And why is that?
　General Clue is away, sir.

　Bartolo's words, who had actually fought against the Cru, were convincing.
　I see, if Kryu returned to the south, territorial expansion would be doomed.

　Hearing this opinion, Iaru raised his hand.

　''I think we should continue with our policy of territorial expansion,'' he said. ........No, I'd rather be forced to adopt a policy of territorial expansion.
　What do you mean?

　To my question, Ial answers.

　'It is to increase the unity of the Romalian Federation. ....If we win the war and get our share, then the citizens of the countries that have come under our control or joined the Commonwealth in this war won't want to go against us either. ........of course, we must win.

　It's kind of like a bicycle that rolls when it stops...
　Our country.
　I guess rapid territorial expansion was a bad idea. It's too late now.

　But when it comes to a full-scale war with the Kingdom of Roselle, things won't be the same.
　It's a difficult thing to say.

　''I think it's good to pause for a moment around here. .........The Roselle Kingdom won't be the same as it has always been.

　Raimondo seemed to have the same apprehensions as I did, and seemed to be against territorial expansion.

　At this point, Alexios raises his hand.

　''Territorial expansion is fine, gentlemen. Are we forgetting something more important?
　Does it matter?
　National security. 'Your Majesty. Indeed, they say that an offensive is the best defense. Yes, we'll continue to do what we're doing in the north. But what about the South?　I'm not sure how long that Hanno will be able to control the Senate in Pofenia but in recent years, the Barca family has risen to power again. And I've heard that.

　Currently, the mainstream Pofenia is led by Azul Hanno, the landlord-aristocratic-centered Plain Party.
　Their policies are agricultural-oriented, anti-expansion, good-neighbor diplomacy, status quo, and pro-Romalia.

　That's why they stayed neutral in the last war.
　But in recent years, however, I've heard that the commerce-oriented, plebeian-centered Coastal Party, led again by the Barca family, is gaining back its power.
　Their policy is to emphasize commerce, territorial expansion, and anti-Romalia.

　The irony is that we are the ones to blame for their resurgence of power.
　This is because we won a lot of money against our initial expectations (of the Poffenians), and we expanded our territory in one fell swoop.

　Azul Hanno is.
　'Romalia will suffer a huge blow even if they win. It will never expand its power. The Adelnians will kill each other and diminish their power on their own, not to mention the war we are willing to pay for at our own expense.
　The claim that it was a good idea to do so was successfully betrayed.

　As a result, a large regional power was created on the Adelian peninsula.

　The Barca family, who condemned it, expanded their power, and once again Pofenia was about to turn to territorial expansion.
　........If they are going to take the Strait of Mersina, we can't just add our finger to the mix and watch.

　'I'm not suggesting that we should extend it to the south, but we should be vigilant. But we should be vigilant. I thought that some degree of naval maintenance was necessary. There's a big difference between having it and not having it.

　You're right. But we have no experience in organizing a navy in this country.　Collecting ships from Rezad and other city-states wouldn't add up to much, and...
　'Why don't we build a new ship? The technology is in the southern cities of Cilicia. Isn't it possible, if you have the money and materials?

　Sure, that's true.
　But the Navy is so expensive to maintain....

　Let's do some research and do a little bit of work on that first. You okay with that?
　Yes, sir. ...If you could, would you build a five-step paddle boat?　The ships of the Cilician cities are mostly three-stage paddlers, but they can't compete with Pofenia, whose mainstay is the five-stage paddleboat.
　All right. We'll discuss that separately.

　I said that to Alexios and then turned my gaze to Ains this time.

　'What did Emperor Xerxes say?'
　''The will of the Persis Empire hasn't changed, because the role they are expecting us to play is against Pofenia. It is unlikely that they will complain about our war with the Roselle Kingdom. But if they are willing to compromise with Pofenia for the sake of war with the Kingdom of Roselle, then Emperor Xerxes will be furious. ........I agree with Alexios-dono's opinion. We should prepare for the south before we expand our territory.

　Ains is a Cilician.
　We are told that the Cilician Confederacy was defeated by the Persians because Pophenia broke the neutrality and teamed up with Persis.
　Pophenia must have extraordinary feelings for him.

　''In fact, Emperor Xerxes wants to get rid of his inventory of ships and has approached me to buy a used one.
　Used?　Does it work?
　They say "used," but they don't actually discard them because they are obsolete, but for disarmament purposes. Also, if they are constantly producing a certain number of ships for technical maintenance, they can't afford to keep the old ones. I've checked out a few ships myself, and they're all in good working order with some repairs. ...There were three-level paddle boats, of course, and there were also five-level paddle boats.

　So, in short, it's a good body inventory process....
　Well, that's not so bad.

　It's real cheap, right?　How many ships?
　He says there are about 30 ships.
　Tell them I'll buy about ten ships.

　Thirty ships is indeed a lot.
　I don't think it's a good idea to stimulate Pofenia badly.

　Now, we've gotten off track.
　Finally, Ron, Rosward and Gram.

　Ron opens his mouth first.

　'What do you guys think?'
　"...I think we should move north. We need new lands and wealth to tame the people of the lands we have conquered. Doesn't it make a difference?

　It's the same.
　Ron is right.
　Our country will have to continue to expand its military.

　If we are ever on the defensive, we will perish.
　We don't have the luxury of being on the defensive.

　I agree with you. Couldn't you please strengthen your cavalry for that purpose?　The current Kingsguard has a thousand cavalry, but this is not enough. It's not good to keep relying on the Alva Kingdom forever.

　It was Roseward who said that.
　The Kingdom of Roselle is a Gaulish nation, and the Gauls are better at riding horses than the Adelnians.

　So they have a lot of cavalry.
　It won't be the same as before.

　''........Would you rather have ten thousand more cavalry?''

　The territorial expansion could yield considerable tax revenue, and the treasures we gained from defeating Granada are still a lot of treasure.
　With this, it's not impossible to increase the number of cavalry to 10,000 at once.

　The problem is human resources, but I have a guess.
　These are the children of the nobility.

　By and large, the children of the nobility can ride horses.
　It seems that many noblemen's children who lost their fiefdoms in the process of centralization are struggling to make ends meet quite well, and it's also a measure against unemployment.

　Well, 10,000 at once might be impossible........
　If you want to expand to the size of 3,000, you're well on your way.

　Does Gram have an opinion?
　''I don't have any objections to the opinions so far. Also, this is my personal opinion, but........even if we were to invade the Roselle Kingdom, we should solidify the country for at least two years. And this is just a suggestion........what about building a new colony city in the occupied territory?　They are settling subjects who have no land of their own. They are also soldiers at the same time they will be held down inside and outside.
　'That's a good idea. 　
　Yes, sir.

　Gram showed him an inappropriate smile.
　'All right, then, no problem.

　'I'll leave it up to you on that one. Work it out.

　Well.....

　I stood up.

　''As I thought, our country has no choice but to expand its territory. We will spend the next two years consolidating our country, expanding our military, strengthening our army, and building up our domestic strength before we engage in battle with the Kingdom of Roselle. And then we will drive them out of the Adelunian Peninsula.

　I've made up my mind.　
　When you decide to ...

　'Ial. There must be many Adelnians in Roselle who are unhappy with Gaul's rule. Get them in touch with the Adelunian leadership. We will cut them down from the inside.
　'Yes ... I'll take care of it. That's my specialty.

　Ial grins.
　'This will be fine if Ial can handle it.

　''Bartolo, please continue to reinforce the army as before.
　Yes, ma'am, as you requested.

　Bartolo lowered his head.

　'Alexios will ask for the formation and training of the navy, and Rosward will ask for further cavalry expansion. Gram, I'll ask you to lead the construction of the colony city. Ron, you'll help me with the administrative process. And Ains.

　The last thing I said to Ains was, "My country's international standing is at stake.

　"The international standing of our country rests on you. Please.
　"Yes Your Majesty.

　Okay!
　Now, there's only the northern half left.

　Let's take it all in one fell swoop!