After hearing the report from Ains on the 'successful conclusion of the alliance' and confirming its authenticity........
　I have officially decided to wage a full-scale intervention in this war.

　Our original objective of securing the Mercia Strait has been abandoned.
　We enacted a new objective of stabilizing the southern border and securing sea control over the Teutonic Sea.

　When I officially took the Persis Alliance theory, the Pofenian cooperative theory disappeared.
　Raimondo and the others must have realized that war was no longer inevitable.

　Despite their discontent........　
　They joined the main warring factions.

　Nationalism in the Kingdom of Romalia was once again unified.
　Good, good........


　No, it's still not good.

　"Your Majesty, the treasury is already empty. What shall we do?
　Well we'll see what we can do but we still need more money.

　Originally our country had considerable reserves.
　In case of some great war, famine, or disaster, we left a reserve in the treasury.

　But.........
　All of them have been released to build a large fleet.

　How many ships are there now?
　Together with the old ships, that makes a total of one hundred and fifty. ........General Alexios told you that the minimum was three hundred ships, right?
　I know...

　Originally, the Kingdom of Romalia, or rather, the Romarian Commonwealth, also has some ships.　
　

　But that's not enough at all.
　Therefore, our country had started building a large fleet.

　The season of natural truce has already passed.
　Summer was in full swing.

　Ship building continued.
　It seems that Pofenia is also building ships again, in line with our country's great fleet building activities.

　From winter to summer, we've already built over a hundred ships.
　That's because I sifted out a lot of silver from the treasury.

　So we'll divide up the teams into component parts and...
　The best performing team will be rewarded.

　to mass-produce each part in a way that would allow them to make a ship to a standard.

　Thanks to this approach, they managed to build ships several times faster than Pofenia.
　But.....

　I guess we'll just have to raise taxes....
　That's not a path I'd like to take, Your Majesty.

　Tax increases.
　In other words, take the tax money and fund it.

　As long as the treasury is empty, there's nothing more we can do....
　No, wait?

　You still have a way.

　What's going on?　Your Majesty.
　I'm borrowing money from the people.








　If we can get this many together, we can build another 50 ships, for the time being.

　We borrow money from the people.
　That's how I got us out of this mess.

　What do you mean?
　I mean.....

　I'll pay you back when the war is over, so now you have to pay ____ per person.
　And they were forced to borrow money from the people.
　Well, it's almost the same as a per capita tax.

　But unlike a mere heavy tax, it's a debt and will be paid back eventually.
　And I want the war to be won.

　So we got a large amount of money without much animosity.

　''But, Your Majesty what about the hundred more ships?''
　I will have to borrow it from the merchant.

　I don't want to use the means of debt too much.
　Especially for war.

　Debt is used to secure funds to expand farmland.
　If this is the case, we can eventually benefit from it.

　But war....
　If it's not done well, it could end up exhausting the country's power.

　In other words, it's doubtful we'll ever get our money back.
　But.....

　I made the decision to intervene.
　It's going to have to happen now.








　"I'm not charging interest, Your Majesty.

　When I invite a Cilician merchant to the palace.
　They said the most amazing thing.

　
　Merchants?
　You owe him money?

　You don't charge interest?

　What will they ask for instead....
　When I get defensive

　"Your Majesty, we hate Pofenia. If you're willing to break that loathsome Pofenia you're welcome to lend us money for a time, nothing more. I won't charge you any interest. No, interest is a win-win. We claim victory in the form of interest. Please win.

　The merchants said and bowed their heads.
　These guys.........

　'We are Cilician. "We are Cilician, but we are also Romany. We will not lose our country any more.

　The merchants said.
　

　Well......
　Then it's understandable.

　'Well thank you, the truth is I have to force myself to pay you guys back, including interest, but unfortunately, our country's finances are not that much of a reprieve. Thankfully, I will accept the offer.

　Okay......
　We've got the funds now!






　Row!　Just keep rowing!

　In the waters near Rezad, there were daily drills for rowing boats.　
　

　It was mainly about a hundred rowers and a hundred or so combatants who would be on board the five-step oar boat.
　As for the combatants, we were going to have the heavy infantry of the Kingdom of Romalia and the Commonwealth of Romalia on board.

　And the rowers in question....
　We have decided to recruit from the peasants, who are not able to defend themselves with weapons, or from the peasants who cannot defend themselves.

　In our country, as a rule, soldiers' weapons are self-supporting.
　Therefore, a heavy infantryman can only be a person with a certain amount of property.

　However, the rowers could only paddle.
　That is to say, even an obstreperous citizen, a person with no assets and no weapons, can do it.

　More importantly, since they are 'birthless', the economy will not be affected by sending them out for training for a long time.
　In fact, it's enough to make them safer.

　The rower is the heart of the boat.
　If there are no people to row, the ship will not move.

　And we have also organized a new regiment of heavily armed infantry...
　I'm training to fight on a ship.

　I've been receiving reports that the number of people who get seasick is decreasing, which may or may not be a good thing.

　Most of us are seeing the sea for the first time in our lives, so maybe it's a good thing that the number of people who get seasick is decreasing....

　"Your Majesty, about the shortage of navigators on your ship...

　The Cilician, who had been working on building the fleet in Rezad, said with difficulty.

　A shortage of pilots and navigators.
　This is a huge problem caused by the construction of a large scale fleet.

　Anybody can train to be a rower.
　And fighting on board a ship ... well, it's not impossible.

　But.....
　A pilot and a navigator.

　These are two special skills and cannot be developed from scratch right away.

　'I'm sorry, worst case scenario, the number of people per ship...'
　'No, Your Majesty. Actually, it's settled.

　Huh?
　Is it solved?

　'Would it be accurate to say ... it's going to be solved?　The merchants have come forward and I think we're going to make it in time.
　The merchants?

　Merchants, and by merchants, I mean those who are out on the open sea and engaged in remote trade.
　Well they are..........

　They loaned me money, they offered to be my pilot....
　It's perfect.

　The Cilician people who once rebelled and revolted so much against me.
　Now they are happy to help me in the war, despite the fact that I didn't say anything.

　No doubt about it.
　This country is.....

　It's becoming the kingdom of the 'Romalians', not the kingdom of the Adelnians.

　Somehow.....
　I was happy.






　On the other hand in Pofenia it's not the same thing.

　'I'm asking you to give me the budget as soon as possible!　You know about the construction of the Grand Fleet of the Kingdom of Romalia!
　'You already have a fleet. If we continue to build new ships, it will be three hundred. We don't have the national strength to build three hundred ships in Romalia!
　'Never underestimate the enemy!　Four hundred ships in all!
　'What are you talking about?　You think there's unlimited money in the treasury?　It's impossible to contribute any more!

　A fierce battle was raging in the Senate of Pofenia between Azul Hanno and Ceal Barca, who had returned on furlough from the island of Trisichellia.

　Pofenia was no longer on the verge of unity of national opinion, but of division.

　National politics were stagnant...
　The stagnation had a huge impact on the number of ships in the fleet.

　In the fall, while the Kingdom of Romalia put a fleet of three hundred ships in the sea as planned...
　The Pofenia were only able to gather two hundred and eighty ships below schedule.