Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master-Chapter 149

149. Over the Empire, Flies Renslet (3)

Trade between the northern Renslet Duchy and the empire was slowing by the day.

The first signs came as the empire drastically reduced its exports of foodstuffs and cotton to the north.

Yet, the empire simultaneously began stockpiling Mary’s Blessing, Arad Salt, and northern magic stones.

"Do they think we’re fools?!"

"If they want Mary’s Blessing, they’ll have to trade their wheat, fruits, and meat for it! We won’t take cash!"

"Ban all exports of magic stones to the empire!"

"No Arad Salt or magic tools for them either!"

Renslet was well aware of the empire’s intentions.

Northern merchants, following directives issued from High Tower, acted swiftly.

They were unafraid of the losses this might incur.

"Any losses incurred by following High Tower’s directives will be fully compensated! I, Arina Rune Renslet, swear this upon our founding ancestors!"

"And I, Arad Jin Renslet, the national lord of Renslet, personally guarantee it."

Behind every Renslet merchant stood Arina and Arad.

Of course, their trust wasn’t just blind faith in the pair.

If they wished to continue operating as merchants in Renslet, defying the High Tower or the Arad Group was simply not an option.

But above all…

Before they were merchants, they were Renslet citizens.

Thus began Arcadia’s first trade war.

"Those insane heretical fanatics!"

"It’s hopeless! Not a single Renslet merchant is willing to sell us magic stones or fertilizer!"

"What about Bishop? Aren’t they particularly close to the High Tower?"

"Even Bishop seems to be struggling for the time being."

"What kind of disaster is this?!"

The empire’s industrialization suddenly slowed due to a lack of raw materials.

During the Great Wall War, the empire had poured all its resources into munitions factories, achieving massive production outputs.

But when the war ended, the issue of raw material shortages came to the forefront.

"This is impossible! Magic stones and minerals are already hard to source!"

"Cutting off trade with the north in this situation? Has the imperial family lost its mind?"

With trade to the north essentially severed, the empire’s industrial progress came to a standstill.

"We’re running out of magic stones and coal!"

"Was the empire’s production of magic stones and coal always this low?"

"It’s not so much that it’s low—it’s that the demand for magic stones and coal has skyrocketed to unimaginable levels."

"Then buy from the United Kingdom! Offer three times—no, five times the price! Even if they’re our enemies, they’ll sell at that price!"

"The United Kingdom has recently begun industrializing as well; they’re not selling."

The prices of magic stones and minerals soared, and even then, they were nearly impossible to obtain.

Factories that once operated 24/7 could barely run for eight hours a day.

In some ways, the overproduction issue had resolved itself entirely.

But as the saying goes, "Too much or too little of anything is harmful."

Just as overproduction and oversupply could cause problems, a sharp drop in production was no less detrimental.

Moderation was key in all things.

"My factories—my life savings are tied up in those factories, and now they’re sitting idle!"

"The workers are protesting their layoffs!"

"I’d rather protest against the imperial palace!"

Merchants and nobles of the empire were at their wits’ end over the situation.

"Your Majesty! Please allow trade with the north to resume!"

"If this continues, our families will go bankrupt! We beg you!"

Even nobles from the Royalist faction flooded the palace alongside those from the Noble Assembly, pleading with the emperor.

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"Two years. Just endure for two years," came Canbraman’s cold response.

"T-Two years, Your Majesty? We can’t even last six months!"

"Any losses will be compensated—with interest—once I’ve annexed the north. So endure. If you’re a loyal subject of the empire, endure!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Enough! Do you think I don’t know that you’ve secretly deposited funds in northern banks?!"

"!!"

"From now on, anyone who protests further will be treated as a spy for Renslet! You’ll all be tried for treason!"

Despite factories grinding to a halt and dismissed workers wandering the streets as paupers, the emperor and the imperial family remained indifferent.

Even with food prices set to skyrocket next month due to the lack of Mary’s Blessing, they didn’t bat an eye.

In fact, they were at the forefront of hoarding supplies.

"If we’re struggling this much, the north must be suffering two, three times as much. Just hold out a little longer!"

Canbraman was certain. Even one year would be enough to see the first cracks appear in the north.

***

Flutter!

A large flag flapped in the wind—its light blue background adorned with a white winter hawk at its center.

This was the emblem of the House of Renslet, also serving as the flag of the duchy. The vivid blue of the flag blended beautifully with the azure sea and sky.

Below it, half its size, flew another flag—a black banner featuring a golden carriage, the insignia of the Arad Group.

Hooooooooonk!

Seven massive vessels appeared on the waters near Bardenheim.

"How could this happen?! How did such a large fleet reach these waters without anyone noticing?!"

"The lookouts and lighthouse keepers must have been utterly negligent!"

"Once this is over, they’ll all face severe punishment!"

The Bardenheim Navy, upon spotting the mysterious fleet that appeared out of nowhere, vented their frustration on the lookouts and lighthouse keepers.

They had no idea the fleet had used Arad Radar to skillfully evade detection.

Ding ding ding ding!

"Emergency! Emergency!"

"Deploy a small fleet immediately!"

Even if it was late, they had to respond somehow.

One of the small fleets tasked with coastal defense was hastily dispatched.

"My god…!"

As the Bardenheim Navy approached closer, they couldn’t muster the courage to initiate an attack.

"What is that flag? I’ve never seen that emblem before."

For starters, the ships’ designs were unlike anything they’d ever seen, and the flag bore an unfamiliar symbol.

"Wait, that golden carriage below it—I’ve seen that somewhere before."

The United Kingdom and the northern Renslet Duchy had never engaged in direct relations before.

As such, they didn’t recognize the flag of Renslet.

However, the Arad Group logo below it was somewhat familiar.

"Well, it’s definitely not the empire."

"It’s not the empire, nor is it any faction from our United Kingdom. What should we do?"

Of course, the United Kingdom Navy wasn’t hesitating simply because the ships were unfamiliar.

Navies of this era often operated more like licensed pirates. If the ships looked vulnerable, they wouldn’t hesitate to plunder them.

"I’ve never seen ships that large before."

But this time, they didn’t dare.

They had never encountered vessels of such size before.

"Look at the glowing symbols on the sails and decks. Are those… magic circles?"

"Good heavens! Have they enchanted the entire ship?"

The glowing enchantments on the fleet’s ships gave a clear indication of their immense power.

"Let’s hope they’re not hostile…"

Admiral Ginobel, commanding both the United Kingdom Navy and specifically the Kingdom of Gargantia fleet, cautiously led his squadron toward the mysterious armada.

***

It had been a year since the empire officially severed ties with northern Renslet.

Despite their initial resolve, both Emperor Canbraman and the nobles of the Noble Assembly were stunned by the consequences.

Even though they had braced for it, the damage caused by the severance far exceeded expectations.

The trade war, combined with hasty urbanization and industrialization, created chaos that was utterly unfamiliar to the citizens of the empire.

This chaos became even more evident when the first harvest without Mary’s Blessing came in.

"Someone… someone give us food…"

"Please, let me do anything! I don’t even need wages! Just give me food and shelter!"

With fertilizer, magic stones, and minerals from the north cut off, factories ground to a halt, and food prices skyrocketed.

Hordes of starving, jobless people roamed the cities in desperation.

Even in middle-class neighborhoods, murders and robberies became daily occurrences.

"I worked all month and could only buy a single sack of flour?! How is this fair?!"

"At least you have a job! I…"

"How did a famine happen overnight?! How is this possible?"

"It’s not a famine. We’ve just returned to pre-Blessing harvest levels."

"That doesn’t explain it! How could food prices soar this much just because of the north? How are there this many jobless people?!"

The citizens couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

They had merely reverted to the days before Mary’s Blessing.

They had merely returned to the days before the steam engine demanded exponentially more magic stones.

And yet, food prices had skyrocketed to famine levels.

The empire’s own production of magic stones and minerals wasn’t enough to keep factories running all day.

The reckless push for urbanization and industrialization had backfired catastrophically.

But few citizens understood this.

They only knew that their current situation was unbearable, and they needed someone to blame.

"The nobles and the royal family are still eating well, I hear…"

"Of course, they hoarded food before cutting ties with the north."

"I heard they stockpiled Mary’s Blessing as well."

"Apparently, only royal territories and Royalist lands are farming with Mary’s Blessing."

"Even the Noble Assembly nobles who are close to Bishop Company are doing fine."

"So, in the end, it’s us powerless city folk who bear the brunt of this."

The hoarding by nobles and merchants worsened the already dire situation.

In truth, if Mary’s Blessing had been distributed fairly, the empire might have scraped by for two years, barely managing to sustain agriculture.

But upon hearing news of the severance with the north, merchants and nobles stockpiled Mary’s Blessing, wheat, potatoes, and other essentials—and refused to release them. When they did sell, it was in minuscule amounts at exorbitant prices, reaping massive profits.

To make matters worse, the imperial family and the Royalist faction joined the hoarding frenzy rather than curbing it.

"At a time like this, we need unity! Order the release of Mary’s Blessing and food immediately!"

"Your Majesty, the nobles and merchants aren’t listening. We might need to deploy the knights and the standing army."

The emperor attempted to address the situation, but his efforts were futile.

The problem was too widespread for ordinary measures to work.

"No, the knights and the army cannot be deployed."

"But, Your Majesty!"

"Fools! This is exactly what they’re waiting for! They’ll strike the moment my forces are weakened in the capital!"

"?!"

"And do you realize how much it would cost to deploy the standing army across the empire?"

To contain the hoarding, the emperor would have had to deploy his forces nationwide.

"Absolutely not. That cannot happen."

This triggered the emperor’s paranoia, rendering him unwilling to act decisively.

As a result, the goodwill the emperor had gained from the Great Wall campaign began to crumble.

"Citizens of the empire! Come receive free meals! This food comes from the private funds of priests and nobles who share my cause…"

Seeing the suffering escalate, Julian, the crown prince, stepped in to alleviate the crisis.

But…

"The crown prince is wasting resources. If he has money to give away, he should allocate it to the military budget!"

Fearing that public sentiment would shift in favor of his son, the emperor quickly put a stop to Julian’s relief efforts.

"Did you hear? The emperor stopped the crown prince’s food distribution!"

"Damn it… the emperor and the crown prince are both insane!"

"Why blame the crown prince?"

"Wasn’t the whole plan to sever ties with the north and break them into submission first suggested by the crown prince?"

"…!"

Mysteriously, a rumor began spreading across the empire, linking Julian to the trade severance and food crisis. This seemed like a calculated move, and as the rumors grew, public sentiment toward the imperial family plummeted.

"Your Majesty, the people’s discontent is growing!"

"I know."

"Entir Bishop and nobles from the Noble Assembly are stepping in to provide relief on behalf of the crown prince!"

"…!"

"Every newspaper supported by the assembly is openly criticizing the royal family and the court!"

"Issue an imperial decree to shut down those newspapers and deliver a stern warning to the Noble Assembly."

"At this rate, the assembly will steal all public support. If you disapprove of the crown prince’s relief efforts, allow us to restart them in your name instead!"

"I would if I could, but we don’t even have enough food to sustain the army. To punish the north, we must maintain the military’s combat readiness."

"Your Majesty…!"

"Just hold on a little longer! Just a little longer!"

Emperor Canbraman ignored the growing chaos entirely.

By this point, it was too late to reverse course.

"If I waver now, everything will fall apart."

In times like this, he thought, one had to push forward with conviction.

"Once the north succumbs to isolation and collapses, I will personally lead my army to swiftly annex it."

The emperor was still a gambler—one with an addiction to doubling down.

"I will make all of the north imperial territory, devour all the gold, silver, magic resources, and treasures it holds."

He was betting everything on this one plan.

"Win, and I’ll repay it all!"

If successful, the losses and resentment would not only be erased but overshadowed by triumph.

History books would sing endless praises of his achievements for generations to come.