The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 969 - 497: Three Different Wars_2

Chapter 969: Chapter 497: Three Different Wars_2

"Moreover, to the east, Emperor Oyo has mobilized a large force, amassing troops at our country’s eastern border. Although no declaration of war has been issued, I estimate... Based on reports from spies I have planted within the Empire, it seems the Emperor intends to declare war on our nation."

The nobles in the Hall of Discussion were even more panicked upon hearing this.

Waging war against the two mightiest nations of the current age was challenging their common sense.

Minister Ronan Anderson’s expression was grim. "Your Majesty, what should we do now? The enemy is attacking us from both directions, leaving us no escape."

Ivita nodded, but appeared nonchalant as she said, "It doesn’t matter. It was only a matter of time before Oyo III and I came to blows. Yet, just after a bout with the Frankish people where we each had our victories, the Emperor hastily makes his move."

"Hmph. It seems that the Duchy of Huss had been covertly supported by a certain country all this time. Once the support was withdrawn, the Emperor suppressed Huss. Oyo III is no friend to the Emperor of Frank, but an enemy. At most, we are engaged in a three-way power struggle, but two sides believe my side to be too weak and want to eliminate me before the war even begins."

"Minister Ronan."

"I had already formed an alliance with a friend from the north. Just one hour before I came to the Hall of Discussion, she contacted me through a Magic Pigeon. Her troops are already outside the realm of the living; you should send someone to meet with her forces. The Northern Undead’s troops."

The nobles inside the Hall of Discussion were all momentarily shocked.

Unexpectedly, Ivita had directly sought the help of the Northern Undead.

Over the years, the Northern Undead had progressed beyond being creatures that perish at first light, but due to differences in thinking between the undead and the living, there had been little large-scale collaboration with the nations of the Magic Black Forest. It was quite surprising that Ivita had managed to bring the undead scourge to their side this time.

Ivita addressed them, "I will personally direct the troops of my three other nations to battle Emperor Oyo’s forces, while Alsace’s forces, along with the undead scourge, can confront the Kingdom of Frank."

"The Emperor of Frank and the Emperor of the Empire think we are the weaker side. I want to show them that Alsace is a region that can bring about the Empire’s downfall."

The nobles within the Hall of Discussion felt a renewed sense of hope and began discussing fervently among themselves.

Minister Ronan Anderson hesitated, "But, Your Highness Ivita, if you lead the troops to meet Emperor Oyo III, who will lead the army against the Emperor of Frank? Currently in Alsace... there are few capable people."

Minister Ronan Anderson was, in fact, quite the cunning old fox. That’s why he was able to be heavily relied upon during the reigns of both Henry VII and Jalen. He knew what face to present in front of what kind of monarch.

With a dim-witted monarch, he could be congenial; with an able one, he could provide strategies and counsel.

Minister Ronan Anderson reminded Ivita, "Your Majesty, do not underestimate the Frank Empire. If the Frank Empire indeed fully commits to an invasion, they may pose a threat to us even beyond that of the Holy Empire."

"If possible, perhaps you should personally take to the western battlefield."

Ivita shook her head and clapped her hands, prompting Saint Vestia to enter the Alsace Hall of Discussion. "I have a better candidate. Saint Vestia was originally Frankish, but now she’s one of us Alsasians."

"She knows more about Frank than I do, and she can help the King of the Ancient Tomb and the Minister of Defense to double their effectiveness."

With a thought from Ivita, Dragon Palace Magic summoned the Nine-eye Aries. "This magic creature of mine, this pet, can assist you in dealing with the Frankish army."

Saint Vestia swept her gaze across the nobles in the Hall of Discussion, who looked eagerly at her, the Alsace ministers and nobles. She sighed inwardly, ultimately standing against Frank. "Your Majesty, leave this matter to me with peace of mind."

"I assure you that I can make the Frankish army retreat."

"But Your Majesty, there is something I must remind you of. Before I pledged allegiance to you, I received news that the Emperor of Frank had written to the heretical emperors. After all, both their nations are allies now."

"If the Emperor of Frank’s letter reaches the hands of the Heretical Emperor, the heretics may declare war on our nation. Then you would have to face the three most powerful nations in the world."

Even Ivita’s expression changed when she heard this.

The Laws behind these three nations were no trivial matter.

Combining the Laws of these three nations could result in not just one universal Law.

It was unexpected that merely reclaiming the Alsace Kingdom could trigger so many chain reactions. But that was nothing out of the ordinary, for Alsace was a kingdom-level nation after all."

The implications are too extensive.

Ivita nodded. "Virgin, you’ve done well with this matter, and I will deal with this letter. I wonder if you have any leads on this letter."

Saint Vestia conveyed a piece of information to Ivita using mind magic. "These are some of the main communication channels between the Kingdom of Frank and the heretics, and this is all I can do."

"However, perhaps the heretics are too far away, and even if the letter arrives, it might not be of any use," she added.

Ivita said, "I understand. To address the current war situation, I have decided to add a new level of political division in some counties, called the ’Legal District.’"

"Place the eleven western counties within a western Legal District."

Seeing everyone in the Hall of Discussion looking at her with confusion,

Ivita explained, "Currently, Alsace lacks manpower and material resources. To cope with the sustained pressure from Frank, we need to strengthen our western defensive line. The existing administrative divisions are not adequate for this purpose, so we must concentrate resources and develop a large fortress and military district in the west."

"And also, increase the participation rate of civilian experts from the eleven counties in the war effort."

"With the new establishment of the Legal District, there will be a large number of vacant official positions, which can be exchanged for military merits."

"And the surrounding immigrants will also gradually move there because of the Legal District."

Ivita said, "Upgrading the administrative status of a region will increase its population and prosperity. The various interests that are freed up can be exchanged for the efforts of civilian experts. Do you understand now?"

Saint Vestia was the first to grasp it and suddenly realized that Ivita’s side seemed to be not too bad, after all.

At least as the Alsace Monarch, Ivita, who had not expected to come up with such a way to improve the utilization of her relatively scarce resources in such a short time.

The nobles in the Hall of Discussion also came to their senses one after another.

They hadn’t realized that just a name, an administrative division, could make a region different.

This approach was unprecedented among previous Alsace kings.

Previous Alsace kings had all been knights, who only knew how to plunder visible wealth on the battlefield, but never realized that some wealth is intangible.

Minister Ronan Anderson said to Ivita, "Your Majesty is wise, with little effort, you’ll be able to raise an army and a city to oppose the Frankish people."

Ivita said, "Send the Divine Locust Knight Regiment to participate in the war in the west to deal with the circumvention that the Law Knight Regiment cannot do."

"We must also have a Law Knight Regiment on our side to counter them; otherwise, our army can only be defeated repeatedly."

The Hearthstone Witch asked puzzledly, "Then why don’t we also set up Legal Districts in the eastern counties to counter the Imperial Emperor?"

Ivita shook her head.

The number of refugees is limited, resources must first be focused and accumulated in one place.

Moreover...

Ivita said, "The situation with the Empire is different from Frank. Over there, it’s simply a conflict of interest between me and Emperor Oyo III. Emperor Oyo III’s subordinates come from dozens of different countries and regions. They have never seen me, and in this lifetime, they hardly ever see Alsasians. Compared to the Frankish people, they essentially have no intention of invasion, just warfare targeted at me."

"We do not need to defend against these people in the long term. As long as I defeat Emperor Oyo III, everything else will resolve itself. This is the difference between a nation-state and a feudal country."

"Our war with the Kingdom of Frank is essentially a war between two nations, to the bitter end. My war with the Empire, however, is only a conflict between my interest group and Emperor Oyo III’s interest group."

Ivita said, "The situation with the heretics is yet another sort of circumstance."