Chapter 431

Undermining the Third Prince Faction
As for the Third Prince faction, it doesn’t seem like it will be as easy to deal with as the King's brother faction.
In the old kingdom, there are five ducal families. One is the McFarlane Ducal House, which founded the McFarlane Dukedom. The second is the Roberaud Ducal House, which governs Vinraud. The third is the Plafard Ducal House, currently aligned with the King's brother faction. The remaining two are aligned with the Third Prince faction.
As for these two houses, to be more precise, it seems one supports the Third Prince and the other supports the Fourth Prince.
However, because they currently share a common enemy in the King's brother faction, they are cooperating and expanding their military forces.
They’re not a unified front, but when it comes to sowing discord, it seems the heads of each faction stand in the way.
This is really such a pain.

“Duke Roberaud, we haven’t had direct conflict with the Third Prince faction either, so we don’t know much detailed information. Are there any families opposing the war?”

“There are a few among the lower nobles. But all the high-ranking nobles, marquises and above, are pro-war. Stopping the war with just a bit of pressure would be difficult.”

“I see. So, if we stop the King's brother faction in this situation, that in itself would be dangerous.”

“It’s troublesome, but if the King's brother faction starts falling apart from within right now, the Third Prince faction will probably launch an all-out attack. On the other hand, just waiting around is also a problem. Once the autumn harvest is over, they’ll likely begin a major offensive before the onset of winter. To avoid unnecessary casualties, the war must be concluded before that happens.”

The King's brother faction doesn’t have much food, so it’s unlikely they’ll act immediately.
But the Third Prince faction controls the grain-producing regions, so once the harvest is done, they’ll have a food surplus, making it easier for them to launch an invasion.
What a hassle!

“We’ve sent in agents as spies, and it looks like war preparations are progressing at a rapid pace. The rest depends on how well the conscription goes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently, a resistance organization has formed. It seems to be quite large, and if it functions well, it might even be able to overthrow the government.”

“A resistance, huh…”

A resistance—so, a revolutionary army.
In the end, they’re still a rebel force, so to nobles like Marquis Vardmoi and Duke Roberaud, they aren’t exactly welcome.
Even so, the fact remains that they’re currently the most promising group.
This whole situation with the Third Prince faction is really turning into a mess.

“What will you do, Duke Roberaud?”

“We’re already in contact with the resistance. The condition is that once the Third Prince faction is defeated, we’ll recognize their regime in exchange for ending the war and refraining from pillaging.”

“Will the resistance honor that?”

“They’re hoping to overthrow the current regime for legitimate reasons and gain recognition as a nation. As long as our interests align, we’ll have to trust them.”

The old kingdom is in a real mess.
At the very least, unless the war between the King's brother faction and the Third Prince faction is stopped, there’s no way the region can be stabilized.
It can’t be helped, but seriously—what a mess!
It’s important enough to say it twice!

What do you think about this chapter?