Chapter 228: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Executive Council Meeting 2

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Ending the elves’ civil war. Faced with this difficult problem, I had been unable to find a solution. After all, it was a conflict that had continued for nearly a hundred years. It would not end so easily.

“…In the end, I think the only option is to physically separate them.”

Gilberto accepted the herbal tea brought by an attendant, took a sip, and then said so.

“If only the upper leadership wished to continue the war while the common folk were tired of fighting, this would be simple. But that does not seem to be the case this time. As long as they remain neighbors, I feel the fighting will never stop.”

“I suppose so… So, you mean accepting the ‘Legitimate’ faction into our territory?”

In other words, it meant swallowing Lady Orphan’s proposal whole. It was certainly the quickest way to end the war, but it also came with many problems. The thought that all of the ‘New’ faction’s forces, previously split between north and south, would now turn their attention entirely toward us was frankly unsettling…

“Yes. Fortunately, Liseben has plenty of unused land. We could provide them with food for the time being, and have them clear the forest themselves.”

“But in that case, we would end up facing the entirety of the ‘New’ faction’s army. By siding with the ‘Legitimate,’ the ‘New’ might harden their stance, and if it came to a full-scale clash… Wouldn’t that put us at a disadvantage?”

Before I could object, Sonia pointed that out. Of course, Gilberto was an excellent military officer herself. She surely understood that much without needing to be told. Sipping her herbal tea, she pondered the matter for a short while.

“…They are a group that is half-soldier, half-farmer. Once the civil war ends, wouldn’t they be too busy with land clearing and farming to even think about fighting?”

“That might have a point.”

Due to their long lifespans, elves had fully resolved the issue of low proficiency typical of farmer-soldiers, but since they still only had one body apiece, there were naturally limits. Unless there was an immediate threat, they would have no choice but to prioritize farming over fighting.

“Even after the fighting ends, their work will not be finished. Rather, they will finally be able to focus on their true occupation. Given the desperate food shortage they are currently facing, they should devote themselves fully to increasing food production once fighting becomes unnecessary.”

After saying that, Gilberto turned her eyes to the map of the Liseben Peninsula laid out on the desk. It was a copy of the map Lady Orphan had possessed. Being made by the natives, it was far more accurate and detailed than the maps we had used previously.

“Also, the fact that the enemy would no longer be able to force a two-front war could be considered an advantage, depending on how you look at it. As the threat from external enemies decreases, the elves will be able to defend themselves with fewer troops.”

“Oh? And then?”

“With that, the number of people allocated to agriculture would increase… And before long, the food situation should improve. We would then be able to gradually reduce food aid not only to the ‘Legitimate,’ but also to the ‘New.’”

I see. That certainly made sense. Because everyone was fighting as warriors, there was no leeway left for agriculture. This was the biggest problem facing elven society at present. If external pressure decreased, that problem would be resolved.

“From a rational standpoint, that is how it should go. …From a rational standpoint, at least.”

Raising her well-shaped eyebrows, Sonia said this with a sigh. She moistened her mouth with herbal tea and continued.

“They are barbarians to the core. It may be difficult to expect them to make rational decisions.”

Ughhh… Sonia had a point there, too. The ‘New’ faction’s rank-and-file soldiers during the recent attack had been seriously unhinged. They fought like they were looking for a place to die. If you asked whether people like that could simply stop fighting, even I would have to tilt my head in doubt.

That said, we were already experimenting with that very question using the captive, Lady Rike. It was still too early to draw conclusions. In fact, now that she was well-fed, she was behaving relatively calmly.

“Even so, if we assume that elves are nothing more than irrational, violence-loving beasts, then fighting becomes the only option left. It might be better to brace ourselves for one or two battles and move in a way that encourages rational elves and the crows to side with us.”

The ‘New’ faction could act so boldly only because of their numbers. If we could divide them internally, there might be ways to deal with them. Besides, when it came to forest warfare, the elves overwhelmingly possessed more expertise. Absorbing part of the elven forces into our side would not be a bad idea.

Of course, the Liseben army was conducting special training with hunters as instructors to improve our forest combat capabilities… But honestly, we were nowhere near a level where we could contend with elves. Frankly, directly employing elves as forest rangers would not be a bad idea.

Fortunately, the ‘Legitimate’ were relatively friendly toward us. They would likely agree easily to a contract that granted land in exchange for military service. After all, their leader, Lady Orphan himself, had proposed exactly that.

“For now, let’s consider moving forward in the direction of absorbing the ‘Legitimate.’”

Since we wanted to avoid a direct war with the elves, reconciliation was the only policy available to us. We would only steer toward hardline measures if negotiations completely broke down. Of course, even then, we would prepare for war just in case. If you desire peace, prepare for war.

“However, in that case, there is the issue of what to do with the land around Mount Rana, which would likely be abandoned. Ideally, I would like Lady Orphan and his people to retain ownership of that area.”

If it weren’t for the oil, I wouldn’t mind at all if they abandoned it. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—that area was rich in oil. We couldn’t simply leave it unattended, but if we took advantage of the elves’ hardship and seized it ourselves, it could create lasting resentment. It was a very tricky piece of land to handle.

“…Um, how should I put this? That oil—pe, petroleum, was it?… Isn’t it not very useful at the moment, Al-sama?”

After thinking for a moment, Sonia asked.

“Ah, it’s not completely useless. That said, petroleum requires considerable processing. It would likely take years before it could be used properly.”

Given our current technological level, where we couldn’t even build steam engines, having gasoline or diesel would be pointless. The chemicals that could be produced from oil would be useful, but even those weren’t so critical that we had to secure them immediately.

“…Then how about this plan? We grant land to the ‘Legitimate’ and receive military service in return. At the same time, the land around Mount Rana would remain theirs on paper, but they would lease it to us.”

“Oh? A lease?”

Gilberto nodded. A lease was, in essence, the renting of land between states.

“Yes, exactly. If Mount Rana becomes ours, even temporarily, the ‘New’ faction will not interfere. …Provided that they make rational decisions.”

Ouch, that stung a bit. Sonia clearly didn’t trust the elves much. That couldn’t be helped. The fact that she still voiced her opinion properly even when she disliked the policy truly made her an excellent adjutant.

“But even if we lease an enclave like that, there’s no way we could defend it.”

The Liseben army was already stretched thin just defending our core territory. Even after training the new recruits, we wouldn’t have enough capacity to manage an enclave.

“There’s no need to actually defend it. All we need is the pretext. Because of the volcanic ash, that land is completely unsuitable for farming, and that petroleum is just oil as far as the elves are concerned. It’s not land worth going to war with us over.”

“I see…”

As expected of Sonia. I couldn’t help but admire her.

“And once the ‘Legitimate’ become stable to some extent, we return Mount Rana to them. This way, we avoid being branded as plunderers.”

“Excellent idea, Sonia.”

Especially the leasing concept, it was brilliant. We could send food as lease payments. Lady Orphan disliked one-sided relationships where she was simply given goods. But if it was a legitimate and fair transaction, she would likely accept gladly.

Moreover, temporarily controlling Mount Rana would also bring us tangible benefits. While oil wasn’t useful in the short term, another resource lay dormant there: sulfur, a substance commonly associated with volcanoes. Since our primary weapons were guns and cannons, sulfur—an essential ingredient for gunpowder—was something we could never have enough of.

“Let’s sound Lady Orphan out on that approach first.”

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