Chapter 1717: Chapter 111: Struggle over the Bottom Line
The public opinion storm has subsided, yet the smell of gunpowder lingers.
Amidst the public opinion storm, many reformist nobles and bureaucrats, who lost in political struggles, chose to stand with the Radical War Faction.
Together, they accused: The Conservative government is weak and incompetent.
The Cult organization did it; it was also the Orcs who acted. Waging war as a reckoning is reasonable and justified.
The Kingdom is not ready for war; this reason, in their view, is equally invalid.
In past wars, the Kingdom never once made full preparations for war but still defeated the enemy.
In the eyes of the Radicals, as long as everyone fights bravely, they can overthrow the Orc Empire.
If there is a shortage of provisions, then use the Orcs as provisions.
Since the Orcs can treat the Human Race this way, naturally, they can retaliate in kind.
Although in the eyes of the nobles, the Orcs are synonymous with filth, they themselves don’t need to eat.
Fortunately, this is an Extraordinary World, and the older nobles not only hold mainstream discourse power but also have stronger fists.
Perhaps it is because the Kingdom has no tradition of overthrowing from below, or perhaps it is because everyone has received traditional education, making their thoughts relatively conservative.
The younger generation only clamors for war against the Orc Empire without radically shouting "Heaven Punish the Traitor".
However, in the minds of the young noble children, the Conservative government is nothing but a bunch of old stubborns with outdated ideas.
No one wants to be scolded, and the senior level of the Conservative government is no exception.
The internal pressure gradually passed on to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Strategic materials have always been in the process of being gathered, and in a few years, they will be accumulated. The biggest obstacle to waging war has directly shifted to diplomacy.
...
Lutesya, Alpha Kingdom Embassy.
Since receiving the order from the Capital, Count Predrag’s face hasn’t looked good.
If it were other matters, allowing him to use his network for public relations, there might be a chance of success.
But this is a war!
The ambitious Frank people, seeking external expansion, is not a secret.
However, their patience surpasses Alpha Kingdom’s by far.
The annihilation of nearby Different Races, Frank people’s closest Different Race, the Dwarf Kingdom, is separated by several countries.
They do not border directly; therefore, there can’t be any border conflicts.
Conflicts may exist, but those are merely discrepancies in weapon purchase prices and have nothing to do with hatred.
Those nobles advocating for the invasion of the Dwarf Kingdom are primarily eyeing the Dwarfs’ military manufacturing industry.
Regarding launching a war, the Frank people have no urgency whatsoever.
The ambitious Charles III, of a similar age to Caesar IV, still has a long lifespan ahead.
He can totally wait until digesting the newly acquired lands, then steadily launch war against the Dwarf Kingdom.
After pacing in the room for a long time, Count Predrag instructed the vice envoy: "Reply to the Capital, informing the Kingdom government that the Frank people currently lack the motivation to invade the Dwarf Kingdom.
I suggest the Kingdom act in the countries neighboring the Dwarfs to escalate tensions through local conflicts.
Once the situation grows larger, we can fan the flames and gradually drag the Frank people into it!"
With no good solutions, even clumsy ones must be used.
Taking a large detour, though seemingly leading to the same destination, will yield completely different results.
If the Frank people directly invade the Dwarf Kingdom, the Human Kingdoms along the way will hardly suffer losses.
With the support of the Human Alliance, it’s unlikely their foundations will be endangered after the war.
But if caught in the storm and becoming the protagonists, it will be hard to say.
The Dwarf Kingdom is also a second-tier powerhouse; they couldn’t beat major countries like the Frank Empire or the Iberia Kingdom, but dealing with other nations isn’t hard.
Even if the Human Race is the winner after the war, these countries with greatly reduced strength will inevitably have their autonomy affected.
In the unfortunate event of a royal lineage break, they might be divided by the Frank people and Iberians.
Competition also exists among the three major countries, and the continuous strengthening of competitors’ powers will be disastrous for the long-term development of the Alpha Kingdom.
Knowing they are "drinking poison to quench thirst," Count Predrag believes the Kingdom will still choose so, for everyone is too eager to destroy the Orc Empire.
The aftereffects belong to future concerns.
Moreover, with the Central Continent as a buffer, even if competitors grow larger, it will be difficult to pose a fatal threat to the Kingdom.
The Alpha People’s infatuation with power leads to a much lower political sensitivity than the nobles of other countries.
Discussing international politics, major nobles can understand a bit, while most medium and small nobles have no concept whatsoever.
...
Jade Palace.
When the tricky issue was brought back, the learned Caesar IV did not hesitate for a moment and directly handed it over to the Kingdom government.
Having seized power, one must bear the responsibilities and obligations that come with it.
From the high level of the Kingdom government’s standpoint, any decision made now is bound to be scolded.
The difference is that one gets scolded now, while the other gets scolded later.
The struggles on the Continent of Aslante may be bloody, yet the Human Race’s internal struggles still maintain enough bottom lines.
Stirring conflicts between Human Kingdoms and Different Races for personal gain is undoubtedly breaking the rules.
Setting other issues aside and purely from an emotional standpoint, the Alpha Kingdom shouldn’t act this way.
In the past three hundred years, these countries have exerted effort to pull them through critical moments.
Though their intentions were their own, help extended remains help given.
In this society that values goodwill, having accepted others’ help means one must acknowledge that goodwill.