Chapter 47
The South's largest trade partners were the West, the East, and the Center.
The West, which handled 20% of the South's exports, was linked by land and also used our waters, so it wasn't a problem.
But to export the remaining volume, the shipping lanes near the Belfort Archipelago were absolutely essential.
"If this route is blocked, exports to the Center are expected to become difficult."
Lucila continued her report with her usual indifferent expression, a dossier tucked under one arm.
"Even if we increase overseas exports, honestly, it would be impossible to find a place that could completely replace the volume the Empire takes in such a short time..."
"That figures. Then our already precarious economy will collapse."
The Empire also seemed eager to keep us in check.
Just look at how they don't even stop the East from doing things like a naval blockade.
If you impose economic sanctions on everything, both the side doing it and the side receiving it lose out.
It was the same with China on Earth from my previous life.
Without the semiconductors it imported from Taiwan, industry couldn't run, so it once threatened Taiwan with economic sanctions and instead only restricted odd things like Taiwanese snacks, agricultural products, and fruit.
Even that brazen China couldn't casually sanction things that were important to it, so to say it would sanction all of our southern companies' goods?
There was no way to explain that as anything other than an intention to keep us in check no matter what losses it suffered.
"Is there still no response from the Center?"
"Yes. Formally, they're telling us to try smoothing things over through dialogue, but they haven't taken any direct action."
"So they've made up their minds to cut us out entirely."
If that happened, our losses would only grow.
Sanctions would hurt the imperial center too right away, but not by as much as one might think.
A broken economy had been the Empire's tradition for the last fifty years.
The commoners? Had those corrupt nobles ever cared about the commoners' lives?
In the end, only we, who had the most to lose, would take the damage.
Besides, there was also the North, which was doing something like an industrial revolution. And there were foreign countries modernizing as well, if not as quickly as we were.
In the end, it would be better to resolve this quickly.
Since it was going to happen anyway, start a conflict with the East quickly before the Empire had time to prepare.
And then bring that conflict to a quick victory before the Empire even noticed what was happening.
"Lucila."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Go to the judiciary and tell them to speed up the merger. We can fill in the loopholes later, so for now, getting the merger through is the priority."
People were more influenced than you'd expect by justifications that had no real substance.
I knew very well that pushing through a merger this sloppily could lead to bad results for future generations.
But right now, what mattered was starting the conflict as quickly as possible.
"We'll be able to formally absorb the West soon enough anyway."
Once we crush the East too and gain naval supremacy, even the crown prince will have no choice but to acknowledge my influence.
***
March 27.
When spring warmth reached Albion, the southern capital, the relations between the South and the other regions had grown colder than ever.
Despite the East's strong warning, the merger of the South and West judiciaries had been completed.
"Starting today, the South and West judiciaries will become one body and work together to solve the problems of the new era."
The judiciary merger was the opening shot signaling the merger of the administrative systems.
Beginning with the judiciary merger, each government agency rolled out South-West joint departments under the name of "joint response agencies."
On the surface, they were fair to both the South and the West.
After all, they were cooperative agencies built on a horizontal structure, bringing together equal numbers of civil servants of similar rank from both regions.
But people who knew the reality said something different.
"This is just the South swallowing up the West's administrative agencies."
On the surface, the West still existed. Externally, this was supposedly just cooperation for the efficient application of new technology.
So they couldn't openly resist.
Most objections didn't work against a justification like "for the sake of the citizens."
The Eastern Grand Duke, Edward, wasn't particularly worried.
"Hmm... So they're planning to keep things vague?"
Southern Grand Duke Kyle Leopold didn't foolishly swallow up the West immediately. He was different from the foolish image he had shown at the party ten years ago.
Edward was willing to admit what needed to be admitted.
Kyle now was not the same idiot he had been back then.
"But you're not the only one who can keep things vague, are you?"
Charles Raymonds had lost because he had looked down on his opponent.
But Edward had no intention of losing that stupidly.
"Then let's answer with some gray-zone tactics of our own."
So Edward did not immediately begin a naval blockade.
Instead, he sent a notice of naval exercises to the South.
[ A large-scale naval exercise by battleships will be held in the high seas near the Belfort Archipelago from April 1 to April 25. During this period, passage through the nearby waters is prohibited. ]
Though it was only 25 days, and not enough to deal a decisive blow, it was a meaningful deadline for the South, which was already running on a war economy.
Edward muttered with a smile.
"Let's watch the South choke, shall we?"
The sea south of the Belfort Archipelago was the high seas. It was neither South territory nor even imperial territory.
Blocking off such an area under the pretext of training was, in principle, ridiculous.
But there wasn't a single person who could make such an objection in the face of the East's enormous naval power.
...At least, Edward thought so.
***
"So, those bastards in the East blocked our export route under the pretext of training?"
"Yes. Over the past two days, all of our merchant ships trying to pass through the high seas near the Belfort Archipelago were stopped. One of our company's sailing ships that tried to force its way through even received a warning shot from a naval gun."
"Hmm, they're a little less aggressive than I expected."
To be honest, I thought they'd slap on a naval blockade right away.
The pressure the East was feeling right now was probably considerable.
But Edward had shown a certain degree of restraint.
"They're trying to keep the justification on their side and slowly choke us to death, I see."
That's probably the most rational move. War is usually best started with a good pretext.
But Edward had made one mistake.
He thought there wouldn't be any merchant ships dumb enough to force their way into the training zone.
"Lucila. Right now, how many steamships over 20,000 tons can we freely operate in the South?"
"Right now..."
After flipping through the dossier for a moment, Lucila quickly answered.
"About three. If you want, I'll contact the heads of the companies and recruit more."
"Increase that to nine. Tell them the Southern Grand Ducal House will cover the losses from not being able to use the merchant ships. We'll keep sending them in nonstop."
"Send them in? To where... if I may ask?"
"Into the high seas they've illegally occupied."
What should you do if the other side is blocking the high seas that merchant ships need to pass through under the pretext of training?
The answer to that kind of problem had already been shown by the United States in the 21st century.
"Let's carry out 'Freedom of Navigation' operations."
The East's main surface fleet was made up of wooden sailing ships.
And wooden sailing ships alone couldn't block the passage of giant merchant ships.
Even a cutting-edge Aegis destroyer from the 21st century would be wrecked if it collided head-on with a large merchant ship, so there was no way a wooden vessel could hold out.
"Tell the captains to group up in threes and ram straight into the middle of the high seas where the exercise is underway."
April 5.
Three giant merchant ships entered the East's declared 'training zone.'
At first, the Eastern Navy tried to stop them as usual.
But this time, what showed up was a giant 20,000-ton steamship the Eastern Navy had almost never seen before.
Of course it wasn't as sturdy as a battleship, but it still had the weight of its class.
The Eastern Navy, seeing such an enormous ship almost for the first time, was flustered.
"W-Whoa, why is that thing so huge?"
A wooden ship of only 3,000 tons couldn't stand in its way. A few course-change orders and warning shots from the deck guns didn't amount to much.
"W-W-What! It's colliding! Move!"
In the end, the Eastern Navy could only stare blankly as the merchant ship passed by.
April 7.
Entrepreneurs who judged that the Eastern Navy couldn't stop merchant ships began attaching their own merchant ships to the rear of the giant steamship convoy to move along with it.
The Eastern Navy's intimidation no longer worked on fools who forced their way into the high seas under the banner of "freedom of navigation."
April 10.
The Eastern Grand Duke, Edward, added more ships to the waters and ordered them to stop the merchant ships entering the training zone, even if they had to fire on them with naval guns.
April 12.
One of the East's battleships ended up inflicting serious damage on a small South merchant ship.
April 15.
On a stormy dawn at sea, the South's giant passenger-and-mail liner RMS Stella Marine collided with a fourth-rate ship of the line that had been blown off course by the sudden storm.
The result was devastating.
The great steamship's bow split the fragile hull of the fourth-rate ship of the line in half, like slicing tofu.
The moment it realized what had happened, the passenger ship immediately began rescue operations, but under the harsh conditions of the storm and night sea, most of the East's soldiers drowned.
That was the moment when the relationship between the two regions, already as cold as could be, froze completely.