Hmm. Our Princess. Even so, she’s grown quite a lot compared to the first time I met her.
Now, considering she’s from the anti-Empire faction, I figured she’d go for crushing pressure rather than just accepting surrender.
Still, she’s thinking like a proper princess—trying to figure out how this benefits the Empire.
It’s a good change. If I had anything to do with it, then all the better.
Though there is one tiny downside: she’s still… lacking a bit.
Take the surrender terms for Burkhai, for instance.
…Meh. In her position, it’s natural she’s not too familiar with these kinds of things.
It might take a Crown Princess to suggest more practical solutions like this.
And what about me? Well, I was just super lucky to remember my past life, you know.
Heck, when I get back, I might as well start offering sacrifices to my lucky goddess.
“Excuse me, Lord Kael. In the terms you propose to Burkhai, is it true that we must add ceding territory to Porland?”
“That’s correct.”
“Will Burkhai accept that? We already have a mountain of demands for ourselves, and now you’re asking them to hand over territory to Porland…”
Hmm. Your Highness. I never said the Empire was going to take something substantial.
Otherwise, we’d be the ones taking all the flak. We don’t want the Empire to be in that spot, right?
“The Empire shouldn’t demand territory from Burkhai.”
“But you just said stripping away Burkhai’s power by taking their land and people was important!”
“Exactly. But it would also plant seeds of future conflict.”
Remember, Burkhai has existed as Burkhai for a long time.
It’s not some random territory. Even though it’s not as grand as the Empire, it still has its own identity.
Even if the people living there aren’t ethnically different or follow a different religion, they’ll instinctively want to go back to the way things were once before. No matter how long it takes.
And the Empire? Well, we’d only end up starting another war over that.
“Avoid wars you don’t need to fight. Don’t give them unnecessary excuses. Right now, taking territory from Burkhai is more trouble than it’s worth, unless it’s more than half of their land, which is… impossible.”
Yeah, demanding half their territory is basically like saying, “Let’s fight until everyone dies.” No one in Burkhai will accept that.
Even if they did, it’d end up causing chaos within their borders, ruining the whole surrender deal anyway.
“Anyway, the Empire won’t gain much material benefit from Burkhai. Originally, the three eastern kingdoms banded together just so they could barely match the Empire—though, technically, that still only applies to the Empire’s eastern territories.”
“Still… not taking anything from Burkhai feels…”
“It’s not about taking nothing. That’d make the Empire look weak. But we can take something else instead.”
So, I explained to the Princess the things I’ve learned—things I picked up from my past life.
“Hmm…”
After hearing all that, the Princess let out a small gasp.
“Lord Kael.”
“Yes, Your Highness Princess.”
“When did you start thinking about all this?”
It’s not that I thought about it… I just picked it up naturally…
I couldn’t say that, so I glossed over it. I’ve only been thinking about it recently. There’s still a lot of room for improvement.
“…”
“You don’t need to think too highly of me. Discussions similar to mine are probably already underway within the Empire’s upper echelons.”
Yeah, it’s obvious. The top brass of the Empire aren’t fools.
Anything I know, they know. Anything I bring to the table, they can offer as well.
After all, the name “Empire” isn’t something you use casually.
Scene Change
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
At the news of the Crown Princess’s congratulations, the Emperor smiled softly.
The war ended earlier than expected.
Burkhai bowed their heads in submission to their defeat. Caden, who had initially been their ally, sat on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Porland became a cooperating partner with the Empire.
It’s a good thing indeed for the Emperor, meaning fewer losses for the nation’s soldiers. But, as an Emperor, it’s also somewhat disappointing—it would have been nice to squeeze them harder if it had dragged on.
“What are the opinions on this?”
“At our most recent meeting, different ideas were floated. Some wanted to drag things out, make things uncomfortable for them. Others wanted to demand territorial concessions to test their sincerity.”
“Hmm…”
Seems there’s hardly anyone favoring more moderate approaches.
The Emperor drummed his fingers on the armrest, looking somewhat disappointed.
I get it though. The pro-Empire faction is probably still laying low. After all, they did have some involvement in this war, so they must exercise caution.
On the flip side, the anti-Empire faction probably don’t want to give them any footholds to gain momentum.
That’s why all the opinions ultimately lean toward further pressuring Burkhai.
“Crown Princess, what are your thoughts?”
“Here, it’s best to pull back the legions. The reality is, we’ve already gotten all we can.”
“There’s no way others haven’t realized this fact, but it seems like they’re holding their tongues for now.”
“*Tap. Tap.”
In the Emperor’s silence, the Crown Princess paused momentarily before continuing.
“Actually, we received another report via the princess.”
“What is it?”
“Lord Kael Klauwitz, who joined the campaign, suggested that instead of the Empire seeking material gains, we should give something to Porland instead.”
At this, the Emperor let out a soft “Hoo.”
Recognizing the unspoken invitation to elaborate, the Crown Princess continued.
“He foresaw that taking any part of Burkhai’s territory would only sow seeds of conflict. Managing those conflicts would eventually cost the Empire too much effort in the end.”
“Clever young man.”
“Also, since Porland has technically betrayed the other two kingdoms, this is a great opportunity to fully align them with the Empire.”
“So we’re essentially putting a leash around Porland’s neck with this very territory.”
Rich farmland notwithstanding, Porland’s one big weakness is their limited territory and small population. This has kept them unable to fully leverage their top spot in regional food production among the three kingdoms.
But what if the Empire suddenly carved out a chunk of Burkhai and handed it over as a gift?
And if we threw in the original inhabitants as a bonus? What would happen then?
“This young strategist has a clear goal.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. His aim is to spread the Empire’s order throughout the East while redirecting any enmity away from the Empire and toward the other kingdoms.”
The fact of their defeat will, of course, still weigh heavily on Burkhai.
But losing territory and people will sting even more. Especially now that Porland has switched sides, the anger will be unimaginable.
While the long-suffering Porland will undoubtedly target Burkhai for revenge—and to justify their abandonment of the alliance.
The once bystander, Caden, will find it harder to play an active role in this situation as well. They’d lose their moral high ground if they got involved. Once a bystander, always a bystander.
But they’ll happily accept any benefits of staying out of it.
Burkhai, once a strong nation, weakened. Porland, once a smaller power, now strengthened.
And in between lies Caden, poised to take advantage of any situation.
As long as this delicate balance holds, the three can never align.
“If we gain peace in the East, that itself is a huge win for us.”
We can redirect at least one—or at most, two or three—of the five legions we’ve always positioned in the East elsewhere. Any unrest there will be easier to spot and handle now.
“…And the eldest son of the Duke of the Bertier Empire suggested this plan?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed, he’s a young man full of deep strategy.”
The Emperor and Crown Princess were not just impressed by the plan itself.
Kael, after all, belongs to the war faction—he’s the eldest son of the Bertier Empire Duke. He’s also the next head of the Klawitz family, historically prominent within the military.
Yet here he is, presenting a peace initiative. Right when the pro-peace faction had to keep quiet and the war faction hesitated to make concessions.
He, a young strategist who distinguished himself on the battlefield, provided the solution.
“Crown Princess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Pass this down to the Eastern Empire forces. Accept Burkhai’s surrender in the Emperor’s name, under the following conditions—Burkhai must cede some of its territory to Porland. They must also compensate Caden for its military efforts in this conflict. Lastly, they must pay war reparations to the Empire.”
“If we want to truly fracture the East, let’s do it properly. Let’s give Porland and Caden both a piece of Burkhai’s flesh to ensure they have a vested interest in keeping them weak.”
Let’s tie their ankles together so that if they ever dream of becoming Burkhai again, they’ll drag each other down. That way, they’ll never form a cohesive bloc.
“The amount for reparations should follow standard calculations. However, both a prince and a princess of Burkhai must be sent to the Empire. Once that’s done, we’ll withdraw two legions immediately. Once all points are confirmed, we’ll withdraw the entirety of the forces.”
The Emperor and Crown Princess were already thinking far beyond Kael by this point.
“And one more thing.”
Actually, this is the most important.
“Prepare appropriate rewards for those who brought glory to the Empire this time around. The commendable legion commanders, their soldiers who fought fiercely, and those who supported from the rear.”
“And for the young strategist who displayed the Empire’s power through his cunning.”
