The West has thirty Wyvern Knight Orders, with a total of 900 knights.
But realistically, it cannot mobilize all of them.
More than half of the Wyvern legions had to be necessarily stationed at the western border. This was because the western border was noisy every day due to Western Grand Duke Charles Raymonds's continued oppression of the natives.
Therefore, the number of Wyvern Knights the West could freely operate in peacetime was a total of twelve Wyvern Knight Orders, 360 personnel.
However, sixty had already been completely wiped out at Sarsen Harbor.
That left ten Wyvern Knight Orders, or 300 knights, available for immediate deployment.
"I will set out with all 300."
Charles Raymonds decided to take every knight available to him.
Already, he had nothing left to lose.
There were many central nobles who wanted the information recorded in the Crystal Orb. But that was merely interest in the South's new weapons.
The Imperial Family was also not on his side now.
"Remain still until His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince makes a decision."
The Imperial Family did not intervene immediately.
It was clear they were weighing him against the Grand Duke of the South.
Charles Raymonds could not stand it.
"I have to be weighed against that damned bastard?"
Anger clouds judgment. Charles Raymonds had been pushed to his limit, and his judgment was clouded by rage. He could no longer bring himself to listen to the advice of those around him.
"No! We already suffered enormous losses from the last defeat! If we are to set out again, we will have to take on debt to spend on war costs..."
"Then just take on debt! Why can't you do something so simple?"
"We still do not know the details of the enemies' new weapon, the Dreadnought, that destroyed Sarsen Fortress. At the very least, you must prepare countermeasures before going..."
"Is there really no way?"
"Yes. If we lose, the West's economy will collapse! The pressure from the Imperial Center will also grow worse!"
"Then get out. The West has no need for a weak adjutant like you."
Those who offered counsel were driven out, and sycophants filled their places.
The sycophants who told Charles Raymonds only what he wanted to hear kept saying there were ample chances of victory in war.
Charles also indulged in self-justification.
"The Imperial Center will soon tighten its control over us. The Imperial Center government's control will come soon. No one will expect a surprise attack before then. A surprise attack at an unexpected moment is the most effective."
Thus, the West began preparing for war in earnest.
The plan was simple.
Lead the Knight Orders in a night raid on the South's industrial zone. Then, while the industrial zone is destroyed, begin pressuring the South again.
'If we set our minds to it, destroying you is nothing.'
Just showing them that one fact would obviously make those Southern bastards submit.
Fortunately, the West's capital, Forbin, and the South's capital were close.
"We will cover that distance within a day."
They would receive supplies from the West's major strongholds and conduct the night raid as quickly as possible.
Charles Raymonds, harboring an ambitious plan, set out exactly one week later.
By the time the envoy sent personally by the Crown Prince arrived, it was already too late.
"The Western Grand Duke is not here."
When the envoy set foot in the Western Grand Duke's residence, Charles Raymonds had already set out.
***
The capitals of the West and South are surprisingly close.
Considering the territory of the vast Empire that occupies a quarter of the continent, it might at first seem strange.
Why are the capitals of the West and South so close when the Empire has such vast territory?
The answer to that question lay in the Arbel Mountains that cut across the middle of the continent.
Half of the West's land is alpine terrain where people cannot live.
This was because the Arbel Mountains, the setting of the mythical age, and the natural environment around them were never kind to humans.
Naturally, the West's cities had no choice but to gather along the coast and borders. Its capital also became one of the coastal cities.
The South had its own circumstances.
Around the time the four great powers established themselves in the present Imperial region, the South still remained an unexplored land.
So one power that had been pushed out in the struggle for influence turned its eyes to the South.
It went to conquer the South through what is now the Sarsen-Lutetia region.
Naturally, the place chosen as the first foothold for conquering the South could not help but be close to the West.
Albion, a city with a river connected to a port.
As supplies needed for the conquest came in through the port, the foothold city of Albion flourished.
By the time the conquest of the South ended, Albion had become the South's largest city and naturally also served as its capital.
The reason the capital had until now been left in Albion, near the western border, despite the vast southern territory, was simple.
Because it was convenient for exports.
For exporting the enormous volume produced by the factories of the capital and its satellite cities, Albion's location close to the West was advantageous.
But... that was no longer the case.
"As everyone knows, our capital and the West's capital are too close."
To explain it in a way modern people can easily understand, it is roughly the distance between London and Paris? About 400 km.
Compared to the Empire's overwhelming territory, the distance between the capitals is far too short.
Such a short strategic depth is a double-edged sword.
"At the speed of the Wyvern Knights, they would arrive from Forbin to Albion in roughly 8 to 9 hours."
It meant a surprise attack could come whenever they wished.
"Our fleet can also reach Forbin in 10 hours. Of course, according to the operational plan, we must match speed with the Infantry, so it will take a little longer... but if we look at the fleet alone, that is the case."
It also meant our fleet could launch a surprise attack whenever it wished.
The Dreadnought's top speed is 21 knots. That is about 39 km/h.
It is a little slower than the Wyvern Knight Order, but in exchange, this steel monster does not need rest.
"Taking that into account, in practical terms we could strike the West first."
"That won't do."
But they could not strike the West first.
For one, Sarsen Territory is unmistakably the West's land.
We merely borrowed it through ninety-nine-year Concession Rights and govern it.
So the West has not yet directly invaded the South's land.
A preemptive attack in such a situation?
That is too great a risk.
"A war without justification will eventually grab us by the ankle."
If necessary, I intend to swallow up even the West.
To do that, it was absolutely crucial to win the hearts of the Western people.
And if the perception takes hold that we are the kind of people who invade another's West without any reason... even if we devour the West, we will inevitably end up with indigestion.
"So war only when they attack first."
He said it flatly and looked around at the staff officers.
"Honestly, everyone can feel that the Empire's days are numbered, right?"
"..."
For someone who was a Grand Duke, those were truly dangerous words.
But not one of the staff officers turned serious.
The reason was simple.
While the South's corporations devoured one another and grew desperately, the Empire grew dull and corrupt in its long peace.
A place too conservative and rigid to accept new technology and new culture. That was the current state of the Imperial Center.
"A corrupt empire is bound to collapse someday. No, it is already collapsing from within."
Tap.
When he placed his hand on the map, the staff officers' gazes naturally rose to the table.
"For our South to survive in the chaotic era ahead, we must prepare thoroughly."
The South's territory is about the size of the British mainland.
Even if the Industrial Revolution causes the population to explode, the South is ultimately a single province with a smaller population than the Empire as a whole.
No matter how excellent its technology is, if its weight class is small, it is all for nothing.
In the end, for the South not to be tied to the corrupt Empire and sink with it, it had to increase its own weight class.
And to do that, it had to annex the West.
"To the north, up to the Arbel Mountains."
Tap.
He pointed at the Arbel Mountains with his index finger. The vast western territory on the map came into his hand.
"And to the side, up to the Belport Archipelago."
The sea off the East. The countless islands of the Belport Archipelago, scattered like dust, were hidden beneath his finger.
"By securing the natural barriers formed by the mountains and the sea, we can create a buffer that shields us from the fallout of the Empire's collapse."
After hesitating for a moment, he concluded in a low voice.
"This is what I consider our South's right to survive."
Annexation. A nation's right to survive. A strong army.
I know these are all remarks that bring to mind a certain country's dictator.
But I will not walk the same path as that dictator who set Europe ablaze to satisfy his delusions.
Unlike the ghosts of the imperialist age, I saw the end of imperialism with my own eyes.
After all, I learned through two world wars that the end of imperialism is ruin.
I did not seek world conquest. I merely wanted to ensure our survival in a world where the Empire's collapse seemed inevitable.
Should I call it fortunate?
The justification for invading the West soon presented itself.
"Urgent report!"
With a rough voice, Lucilla threw open the door of the meeting hall and rushed in.
Unusually disheveled, she reported without even thinking of straightening her clothes.
"The Radar Unit monitoring the western region has detected a suspicious track. It is presumed to be a large-scale Wyvern Unit from the West...!"