Free Web NovelChapter 426: Chapter 423: Negotiation
The first thing Humboldt did upon arrival was tour the farmlands, inspecting the "large farm implements" Rorschach’s men had developed.
During the tour, Master Humboldt wanted to do as he did elsewhere and take a pinch of soil to taste its quality. Eating soil was one of the Tower of Forest’s methods for assessing soil conditions, but here, Rorschach and Andre frantically dissuaded him. After all, the fields were treated with fertilizers and pesticides for the seedling stage. If normal soil was like vodka, then Kempson’s current soil was a "specialty cocktail"—a potent mix of organic and inorganic salts. Even a Great Mage would get dizzy from a taste.
The fertilizer was produced in Lansite, but there was no need to show Master Humboldt the specific manufacturing process. He was no Alchemy Master; it was enough to present the finished product and its results, and ask for his evaluation from the perspective of his own expertise.
The Great Mage stood on an earthen ridge, extending his senses into nature. Information about the condition of the land and the life within it flowed continuously into Humboldt’s consciousness.
’The soil’s vitality is strong, downright fertile. There are toxins... The activity level of insects and microorganisms is below normal...’
The results from Basif’s methods were excellent, as reflected in Master Humboldt’s assessment. From the perspective of the Natural System, however, the fields’ current ecosystem was extraordinarily abnormal. This was the result of the manpower and resources Rorschach and the farmers had expended: only grain crops were allowed to thrive here, while other weeds were uprooted and all small creatures were either poisoned or driven away.
Back when the Druids were still active, the more extreme "Guardians of Nature" among them would have likely condemned such actions. In the eyes of those people (especially the Elves), this was akin to draining a pond to catch all the fish—a desperate exploitation of nature’s gifts. Rorschach’s methods were severely disrupting the natural balance.
Humboldt ended his communion with nature, his perspective shifting back to the people toiling in the fields and those in the distance, all struggling to survive. The displaced people who had chosen to stay had thrown themselves heart and soul into their new home. Be it the sprouting wheat or the wages from the factories, everything gave them an immense sense of security.
Humboldt smiled and clapped Rorschach on the shoulder. "This is good work."
As they continued to walk and talk, the Great Mage was surprised to learn that Rorschach had also foreseen potential problems. These included soil acidification and alkalinization from fertilization, soil compaction, eutrophication from fertilizer runoff, and the loss of humus at a rate faster than its replenishment after abandoning crop rotation.
Some of Rorschach’s ideas were things Humboldt was hearing for the first time. In any case, the fact that Rorschach could consider the consequences of his new techniques, rather than just focusing on the benefits, already set him above many other Mages.
"I hope the Tower of Forest can collaborate more closely with you in the future. We could study the impact of agricultural activities and large-scale alchemy industries on nature, and explore methods to protect, manage, and restore it."
"Absolutely." The two men shook hands in the spring fields.
’Following biology and agriculture, the Tower of Forest might just add an environmental studies department thanks to my influence. When that happens,’ Rorschach thought, ’I’ll be sure to suggest they rename it the "Tower of Pits."’
「Meanwhile」
In the Royal Palace, Prime Minister Otto had his audience with the King, as he had wished.
In the past, it had always been King Albert of Bayern who took the initiative to visit the Imperial Capital for the social season to meet with the Empire’s key officials. After the Emperor himself, the first person he would meet was this very Lord Chancellor, the man who ran the entire country.
Today, however, the tables seemed to have turned. The Crown Prince and his supporters, who were not on good terms with the Prime Minister, were gaining influence at the center of power. The Prime Minister’s greatest backer and primary source of authority—the Emperor—was gravely ill. And with the war going poorly, he had no choice but to take on the roles of both Foreign Minister and Inner Minister, personally stepping in to stabilize the international and domestic situations.
Was the Bayern Kingdom to be considered a domestic or a foreign matter? That had now become a delicate question.
"Your Majesty, why did you have His Highness the Prince lead the army back to the Kingdom? And without informing the Empire in advance?"
The Bayern Kingdom’s two legions had slipped away, seizing the critical moment when the Empire Army was in retreat and the leadership of the Empire Military Department was changing hands. Other frontline units were also in rotation at the time, leaving the Military Department with no immediate way to restrain the Kingdom, so it had preemptively approved the Bayern Legion’s withdrawal. Word was the final approval was signed off by the New Marshal with a mere wave of his hand. Furthermore, he had even wanted to let the other Southern Legions return to their native lands to rest, all to relieve logistical and financial pressure.
The Prime Minister was furious when he found out and managed to halt the Marshal’s subsequent plans, but the Kingdom’s legions had already returned home.
"The Kingdom’s legions are simply taking a standard rest after a major battle. We share a border with Valois, so returning to our homeland is reasonable and was approved by the Marshal. Does a routine military deployment require your permission?"
"Of course, that is not within my authority. But in wartime, it shouldn’t be within yours, either. The order should have come from the Military Department and the General Staff Headquarter, not a legion acting on its own initiative and reporting it after the fact." Judging from the speed of the withdrawal, the retreat and the report had been simultaneous. In other words, regardless of whether the Military Department approved, the Bayern soldiers were going home.
Furthermore, the New Marshal had failed to realize that he had set a terrible precedent: allowing the will of Bayern’s Monarch to take priority over the General Staff Headquarter in a time of war. This was the Prime Minister’s real concern. The King of Bayern was the nominal commander of the Bayern Legion, but all generals in the Empire Army were required to obey the commands of the Military Department’s General Staff Headquarter.
So, could the General Staff Headquarter command the king of a State? This was a murky question; either a yes or a no would be unacceptable to one party or the other. But at the very least, the Bayern Legion’s withdrawal could not be allowed to become a precedent for other States to emulate. If that happened, the efforts to integrate the Southern Empire Army would fail.
Thus, the Prime Minister refused to yield on this point. "No legion is permitted to mobilize independently before receiving an order from the Military Department."
Albert was just as firm. "You, I, and His Majesty the Emperor are all well aware: other States are other States, and Bayern is Bayern."
He stood up and walked to the map hanging in the Meeting Room. "Even though we joined the Empire Council, we will not be completely dominated by the Marlin Kingdom. In my eyes, and in the eyes of all Bayern people, the Military Department and the General Staff Headquarter are merely institutions of the Marlin Kingdom. The former members of the Tams River Alliance only listened to your commands because of the threat from the Holy Kingdom. That was an emergency situation."
"They did so voluntarily, just as they voluntarily signed the imperial agreement, voluntarily accepted the protection of the Empire as an entity, and voluntarily accepted the stationing of Town Mages and the Empire Army... The decision to go to war was also passed by the Empire Council, which represents the will of all constituent regions."
"You are correct, I won’t deny it. But the situation has changed. The Empire’s war against Valois has now exceeded the scope of self-defense. Valois doesn’t even have a king anymore. Any further intervention is for the purpose of invasion and plunder. And if we’re going to be dividing spoils, then we should first agree on how to distribute the gains."
"The Empire’s gains belong to the Empire, but Bayern must also strive for its own expansion. If victory in this war only results in the expansion of the Empire’s territory, then I see no reason to hand over our armies for the Empire to command."
Neither negotiator denied the Empire’s military strength. They both believed the first defeat was due to underestimating the enemy, while the second was caused by flawed command and the Valois Army’s soaring morale after their initial victory. In short, the loss in the second major battle was an accumulation of multiple factors, all of which could be overcome once they regrouped. This period marked a low point for the Imperial military—a brief moment of weakness for the Empire as a whole.
Meanwhile, after Rorschach had swept away the ills of its trade guilds and unearthed its industrial potential, the Royal Family of the Bayern Kingdom looked at the statistical data and had a realization: ’Huh... turns out we’re this strong?’ In terms of steel production, they were still a far cry from the Empire and couldn’t match Istani, but they could go toe-to-toe with Valois. And what a coincidence that was, because right now on the battlefield, the Empire and Valois were also just going toe-to-toe.
Out of respect for the Empire Army’s true power, and with the Holy Kingdom’s pathetic early-war performance seared into his memory, His Majesty Albert rejected the instigations of the Great Mage from the Tower of Secret Techniques. He chose this juncture to demand more rights and autonomy from the Empire, rather than challenging it directly. The newly outfitted Third and Fourth Bayern Legions had suddenly become a heavy weight on the negotiating table—a force that could change the Empire’s attitude toward Bayern, or, if deployed to the battlefield, tip the scales of victory.
"Are you seeking to be treated as an equal to the Empire?"
"Rather than a mere member State in the Empire Council, Bayern is now better suited to be an ally of the Empire. Unless, of course, the Marlin Kingdom is willing to relinquish its leadership of the imperial system and restore the old tradition of electing the Emperor." On his own turf, Albert made this exorbitant demand without so much as batting an eye. For now, at least, his fangs were sharp.
