Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World - Chapter 463

Chapter 463: The Royal Dilemma 3

The king, observing the silence of his subjects, understood their concerns.

“You are all people I can trust, and your families have always been loyal to the kingdom. Therefore, I have nothing to hide from you.”

“In my view, power…”

Rodney paused for a moment, then emphasized his voice.

“Power itself is neither just nor evil. Is it evil to kill with magic, but noble to kill with sword and blade?”

“The difference lies in the motive behind the use of power, and perhaps… also in the consequences of using that power.”

“Specifically, magic is not evil; using magic for evil is. Just as swords are not evil; using swords for evil is.”

“If magic can be used to protect the people of Ordo, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

Rupert stroked his beard and glanced at his colleagues. No one spoke.

Well, as the king’s most relied upon minister, he had to say something.

“His Majesty makes a valid point!”

The Chancellor loudly agreed, “We should not be bound by traditional perceptions.”

The Foreign Minister, full of concerns, asked, “What about the church then?”

Rupert replied, “Keep it low-key. If discovered, never admit it, or find some scapegoats. As long as we don’t openly promote heresy, the church can’t do much. Besides, given the current situation, they don’t have the resources.”

After some discussion, the ministers reached an agreement on this matter and swore to the king to keep it a secret.

The king, resigned, mused, “Since it may take us a while to uncover our adversary’s true capabilities, we need to adjust our strategy against Jars. For now, we shouldn’t aim to quickly eliminate him but focus on preventing his further growth. If plain military force can’t combat magic, accumulating more would be futile. Therefore, we can slow down the preparations for the southern campaign, but we must maintain necessary deterrence…”

Catherine, still reluctant, interrupted her father, “Your Majesty, please give me another chance…!”

The king looked at his daughter.

“Catherine, I understand your frustration. As an aging king, I feel it even more. But the kingdom truly needs time. This unknown power might be a treasure or a poison to us. Whether treasure or poison, we need to unearth it, like adventurers seeking treasure. This requires time and effort, not something achieved overnight.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Catherine tried to calm her emotions, determined to thoroughly investigate the secrets behind Jars and find a way to counter them.

“If we aim to suppress Jars’ power, Your Majesty, I have a suggestion.”

Count Nayke Skaret, the Finance Minister, spoke up.

The king nodded to him, “Go ahead.”

Count Skaret said, “We should first cut off Jars’ financial sources, focusing on disrupting the trade of several key economic crops from the south.”

The king asked, “Which are they?”

Count Skaret answered, “First and foremost, tea. The kingdom’s south is mountainous, unsuitable for growing food, but abundant in tea plantations. Each year, a vast amount of tea is sold throughout the kingdom and abroad. We should ban or heavily tax tea produced in Jars’ territory. Even without a ban, high taxes would discourage traders due to unprofitability, impeding the sale of southern tea.”

“Secondly, we should target the valuable timber unique to the south. The wood there is very popular, with nobles preferring it for building palaces and crafting furniture.”

The king nodded in agreement. “Good idea, I think it will be effective. To avoid provoking Jars into desperation, let’s use taxation as our method.”

He instructed the scribe to record the Finance Minister’s words.

Chancellor Rupert added, “Nayke mentioned the limited food production in the south. I think we should prohibit merchants from selling food there. And similar to the measures for tea and timber, we should command all lords loyal to the royal family to enforce this.”

“I agree.”

“I concur.”

Following Rupert’s proposal, all the ministers expressed their support.

The royal capital, Crystal Shine, was situated on a land known as the Fertile Plains, which, true to its name, had a dense network of rivers and abundant water sources, making it highly suitable for crop cultivation. It was the largest grain-producing area in the entire Kingdom of Ordo. Some exaggerated rumors claimed that as long as the Fertile Plains had a good harvest, the entire population of Ordo would not go hungry. Firm control over the Fertile Plains was one of the key reasons why the Rodney family had maintained their throne for so long.

Catherine frowned, “Prohibiting the flow of food will affect the livelihood of the people. The south is still officially part of the kingdom, and its people are our people.”

Rupert looked at the compassionate princess with a face full of regret, advising, “Your Highness, no victory comes without a cost. This is the price of defeating Jars. Moreover, if the people there go hungry, they will most likely blame Jars first, which could work in our favor to reclaim the south.”

Listening to the ministers’ discussion, the king pondered for a while and then said, “Let’s not go with a direct prohibition. It would harm the royal family’s prestige. Like with tea, let’s restrict it through increased taxes.”

The Foreign Minister asked, “Should we take the same measures against the Viburen family, who once aided Jars?”

The Duke of Viburen had been capricious during the rebellion, eventually siding with Jars. After the war, he shamelessly sent envoys to Crystal Shine to declare loyalty.

The king dealt with him superficially and for the time being, had no way to deal with the Viburen family, whose territory was located in Paradise Basin at the eastern border of the kingdom, accessible only through extremely treacherous mountain roads. By defending a few passes, a small defending force could hold off an enemy several times its size.

But there would be no more royal marriages with the Viburen family.

Hearing the Foreign Minister’s question, the king shook his head.

He shared his thoughts: “We need to focus our efforts on one enemy, Jars. This could drive a wedge between him and Viburen. If we target both, it might lead to a renewed alliance between these two traitors.”

“Moreover, the southeastern borders of the kingdom, in the Cloud Mist Mountains south of Paradise Basin, still have lords loyal to the crown. If Viburen and Jars unite again, it would completely cut off our connection with the Cloud Mist Mountains. Let’s spare Viburen for now.”

Rupert said, “There’s one issue. On land, we can blockade Jars, but at sea, we are currently powerless. The royal navy stationed at Port West was destroyed during the rebellion.”

Count Merlin, the head of intelligence, said, “It’s not a big problem. Trade between the kingdom’s territories and Jars’ lands mainly happens over land, which invariably passes through royal territory. As for Horn Bay, those merchants are busy converting their merchant ships into warships to deal with the tense situation, and a rebellion war is about to break out. The only concern is…”

Catherine looked at him, “The Northwest Bay?”

Count Merlin nodded in confirmation, “Yes, the Northwest Bay. In recent years, maritime trade there has grown rapidly, no longer the desolate place it once was. During the rebellion, the Northwest merchants stopped docking in Jars’ territory out of regard for the royal family, but with the end of the war, their ships have started going there again.”