Enlightened Empire - Chapter 342: The Final Piece

Chapter 342: The Final Piece

While Pacha was forging new deals with his dysfunctional family, young master Loreius Divitius Ichilia was busy putting together the final pieces of his own family’s plan. With all other pieces in place, he approached the final parts of the puzzle. Before him sat both Lord Vareo, owner of Port Ulta, as well as one Margrave Hakon of Padrava, representative of the foreign kingdom of Cahlia, just like the scary Duke Herak represented Borna.

All Loreius had to do was convince these two and win them over to House Ichilia’s cause. Then, their plan would be put into motion, and once rolling, would be almost impossible to stop. While this final step seemed like the most difficult, the young master was still confident. Once he got others in the same room and talking, things were usually easy for him.

“This tea is quite excellent,” Loreius opened.

Many of the more martial lords didn’t like this circuitous talk, but pleasantries were important. Those great warriors should have known that best. After all, pleasantries were the skirmishes of conversations, used to keep opponents off guard and occupied, while one slowly scoped out their weaknesses in preparation for a big attack. Luckily, the weaknesses of these two were obvious to make out.

“It is Chutwa tea, but a new blend from far away,” Lord Vareo said with pride in his voice over the compliment. “They say that this specific blend is a favorite of the lords in the immortal capital this season. If young master desires, this lord can provide a few bricks for him.”

While Vareo spoke, Loreius washed down the average tea with some food on the table before him.

“Of course,” he said with a smile that showed none of his real opinion. “The more the better.”

“Haha, young master tends to jest. This blend is quite expensive, far more than the average tea from Chutwa. And surely young master knows how pricey even the cheapest Chutwa tea is. This lord himself has only managed to procure a few scant bricks of it, and only dares to drink it on special occasions. So please excuse this lord that he can offer little more a tasting sample for Governor Ichilia at home.”

This was far too easy, Loreius thought. Already, the opponent had been moved into position, so it was time for the first mild jab. From Lord Vareo’s expression, it seemed like he only wanted to show off with his expensive tea, but somehow had managed to skirt along the subject of young master Ichilia’s visit already.

“This young master wonders… with all the extra taxes levied onto the tea, just how expensive would an entire brick of it be? Surely, Lord Vareo must have paid a pretty price for it.”

“Haha, since young master is curious to know, a single brick was sold for almost one hundred Sila. However, this lord does not mind the small expenditure.”

Loreius ignored the bragging and came to the point.

“What a shame then that supplies are limited. After all, those merchants only have so much money to buy goods with. With all the restrictions the southern kingdom has put on trade, they surely cannot carry much back to Port Ulta. If only that pesky southern king would lower his extortionate taxes somewhat, would it not be possible for lord to drink this favorite tea every day? What luxury that would be.”

While Loreius was still calmly imagining a vague future filled with excess for the lord, while hinting at Port Ulta’s supposed wealth, the young master observed his opposite’s movements. However, as he was still in search of subtle indications of Lord Vareo’s true thoughts, the lord simply abandoned all elegance and threw himself into a full charge.

“There is no need to skirt the subject, young master Ichilia. All here are well aware of House Ichilia’s plans for division in the southern kingdom.”

“Lord Vareo, this young master does not know what lord means,” Loreius replied in an attempt to retain the previous, calm atmosphere. However, it seemed like the local lord wasn’t willing to play along any more.

“Your allies from Borna have transported many troops here over the past few days. Your own house has sent supplies for war and stored them in warehouses on the edge of the port. You tried very hard to hide your tracks, but this city is still controlled by House Vareo. Something like this cannot be hidden from this lord’s eyes. The merchant has also informed us of your plans, and of the talks he has had with Lord Ogulno. There is no need to pretend anymore, this lord knows everything.”

Although Loreius had expected the first part of the reply, he was caught off guard by the second. He had in fact worked closely with the merchant called Kolbrandt Devaerter, a representative of both Arcavian kingdoms, united in their attempts to subdue southern Medala. Since the merchant would be more interested in unfettered and tariff free travel through Medala, his goals had aligned with House Ichilia, so he had been considered a safe cooperator by Loreius.

Apparently, he had thought too highly of the base and low merchant, who had turned around and betrayed him as soon as he had found a chance. Surely, his silence had been worth less than a few shiny coins, like a true merchant’s. However, Loreius wouldn’t let his frustration show on his face. There were much bigger things to consider now. With this open attack, the skirmish was over, despite his wishes, so he had to switch tactics and confront his opponent head-on if he didn’t want to be run over.

“In that case, Lord Vareo should also understand the benefits he stands to gain from this operation, should Lord choose to support our great undertaking,” Loreius said. Now that the topic was breached, the up-to-now silent Margrave Hakon spoke up to take over the negotiations.

“If this great undertaking creates chaos in the southern kingdom, then there is no need for it. The kingdom of Cahlia already has a sufficient trade agreement with the southern kingdom in place. Our merchants can freely and safely travel all the way to the Anticasa Pass, where they can buy all the chutwa wares they can afford. Because of the short route and stable environment, there is no need to invest any knights to protect our supply lines, and no need to go to war with anyone. So long as the southern king keeps to his promises, we can expect nothing but steady benefits. Why would we risk it all? Just to help your house win new territory?”

Unlike the unsociable Herak in the north, this duke had spent far less time killing the local population, and had invested far more effort into learning the Yaku language and customs. Compared to the mad dog in the north, this one was far more difficult to deal with, as far as Loreius was concerned.

“Of course we will not approach Lord Hakon with a one-sided deal,” the young master replied. “For one, there is no reason why your trade with the southern kingdom should suffer, even if the war were to break out. After all, our planned attacks will be limited. We will not send many troops, and aim to avoid large battles. After all, we will be sending our troops purely through the central hills of the Sachay peninsula, to attack the estates in the hinterland of the southern kingdom directly. You do your trade in the Anticasa pass in the north, while we will attack the center and south. There will be no disruption to your supply lines, and traveling from Saniya to the pass will be no more difficult for merchants than it has been up to now.”

“The supply lines are not the issue,” Hakon replied. “They will still stop their trade with us if they consider us their enemy.”

“Of course they will. But there is no need for them to know.” Before Loreius continued, he let his idea sit for a bit while he ate some more of the cut meats that sat on the table. Unlike the tea, he was enjoying these quite a but.

“All foreign soldiers can simply march under bornish flags,” he finally continued. “Duke Herak has already agreed to this. In that case, the kingdom of Borna would take all the blame for the attack, and it would be simple for you to deny any involvement. King Corco has been to your oriental lands himself, so he should be able to distinguish the two flags and cannot claim ignorance in that regard. If he were to make claims he cannot prove, it would only harm his reputation. Not to mention, there is no reason for him to lose all the income from Anticasa Pass at the start of the war, not over some vague suspicions. If everything goes as planned, the war will not last long. And it will end with a loss of power for the southern king, the same man who has put such impossibly high tariffs on your goods.”

“You want to exempt us from tariffs?” Hakon guessed.

“Once we have some political pull in the south, of course we will be eager to support our allies who helped us achieve our goals,” Loreius said vaguely. Talking to smart people was always a problem. The Margrave had preempted three steps in the young master’s explanation and jumped straight to his benefits based on the young master’s hints. While Loreius didn’t like being seen through, he could only agree in this form.

“And if we do not cooperate?” the duke asked, and tensed his muscles.

Just another empty gesture from a military brute, even if he is a bit smarter than the brute in the north.

“Then House Ichilia will be more than glad to cooperate next time,” Loreius said, as if he hadn’t noticed the provocation. “However, all benefits of this operation would be eaten by those who supported us this time. After all, that is only fair.”

As he leaned back in his chair, he could see the wheels turn in the foreigner’s head, no doubt weighing his options. His calculation wasn’t hard to guess for the young master. On the one hand, there were great benefits to be had should House Ichilia’s coup be successful. On the other hand, they could deny any involvement and suffer minimal damage should they fail.

In the end, support would get Hakon much closer to his goal of a stable trade route all the way to Chutwa, and that with very little initial investment of troops or money. At the same time, there was almost no risk involved. His decision was obvious.

“Very well. The kingdom of Cahlia will offer its support for your undertaking. However, all of this needs to remain strictly confidential.”

“Of course,” the giddy young master smiled. “House Ichilia does not benefit from betraying its allies, and has thus never made a habit out of it. Our house always thinks in generations and centuries. We do not consider short-term profits over long-term friendships, so trust is always our highest priority.”

Whether he believed it or not, Hakon had nothing more to say after Loreius’ reassurance. However, the local lord had sat there quietly all this time, but now he felt like chiming in again.

“Young master Ichilia, this lord is glad that young master and Margrave Hakon have found common ground today. However, what is House Vareo meant to think of all this?”

“What do you mean, Lord Vareo?” the young master asked, although he could guess the reason for the lord’s complaint. A frown on his face, Vareo replied in a grumpy tone.

“No matter what color uniform the soldiers will be wearing, they will always be launching their attacks from Port Ulta. While Cahlia will not make enemies with the southern kingdom like this, House Vareo certainly will. What happens if the southern kingdom counterattacks and reaches Port Ulta? Will House Ichilia stand with us, or will we stand on our own?”

“Was Port Ulta not already the enemy of the southern kingdom?” Loreius asked in an indifferent tone. Either this lord was silly, or he put up an act to gain greater benefits. “Since Port Ulta decided to surrender to the Arcavian armies three years back, it has been enemy to the southerners. In that regard, nothing will change with this new war. You are just as protected from their revenge as you have always been. You are still far away from their center of power, making any attack on their part difficult. You still have the full support of the Arcavians, and of the central kingdom, which includes House Ichilia. Your port still has the powerful oriental battle ships in its back, to protect it from any overeager land attack. Why would Lord be afraid all of a sudden? Rather, is this war not preferable to the previous state of things? If our operation succeeds, Port Ulta’s greatest enemy would be weakened, possibly even disappear. Not to mention…”

A smile crept onto the face of Loreius. At the same time, he leaned forward, as if he was about to reveal a great secret to his fellow conspirators. Making people feel like they were part of his group was always a good way to win people over. As predicted, the other two leaned towards the young master as well. Only then did Loreius continue.

“Once the southern kingdom falls apart, there has to be someone who picks up the pieces and delivers law and order to these lands,” he said. “This role requires someone experienced, and trustworthy. Someone like that would have to take control of Cashan and Qarasi Castle, for example. Lord Vareo, do you believe that Port Ulta is ready to shoulder this burden for the central kingdom?”

The lord’s eyes widened as his hunched posture righted itself again. Lured by the offer, he could no longer uphold his facade of hesitance, and showed his honest greed displayed on his face and in his words.

“Of course. House Vareo will do its duty, to prevent any upheaval after the war and guarantee lasting peace in Medala.”

With a smile, young master Loreius saw the last piece fall into place. Now the trap was laid, and the board was set. From now on, things would go their natural way, according to the plan he had worked out with his father.

Soon, there would be unrest in the southern kingdom between the king and his lords. Maybe they would try to set aside their differences in the face of outward aggression, but some rumors would quash those attempts quickly. After all, could the king still work with his lords, if their various deals with outsiders were to be revealed? With a little bit of pressure in the right place at the right time, the situation would grow out of control soon.

And then, at the right moment during their civil war, House Ichilia would step in from across the Narrow Sea, to control the situation and ‘restore peace’. Their soldiers would soon leave again, but they would keep their hold over the southern kingdom through their agents like Lord Vareo and Lord Ogulno.

At that point, House Ichilia would control not only the entire southern kingdom, including the extremely profitable trade route to Chutwa, but also the rich city of Saniya. Even now, his people were working on their versions of Chutwaglaze and purple dye, based on the efforts of his spies. So far, there had been no success, much to Loreius’ annoyance.

Soon however, they would no longer have to tinker with vague recipes and temperatures, and could simply take all the valuable technologies out of the hands of the southern king. On top of the southern kingdom, they already controlled half the central kingdom. Together with their connections to Arcavia and to most of the colored kings in the Verdant Isles, House Ichilia would become the strongest force in Medala over night.

At that point, even the stubborn brute Pachacutec would have to give in and finally bow his head to the power of Huyalas. And by then, the confrontation with the north would only be a formality. All this time, they had dreamed of an Ichilia atop the silver throne of Arguna. Now, finally, they had almost reached the goal they had set generations prior.

And the best part was that, so far, they had invested none of their money, and none of their soldiers. They were happy to let others do the work for them, and then reap the rewards. Now, all they needed was the right opportunity. As soon as the merchant king left his mountain of gold for his wife in the western ocean, it was time for them to make the final moves, and taste the fruits of victory.