Restart:Untalented Man-Chapter 520: Break Point
"This…" he thought, "This might work."
If he's not mistaken, Ryntum had been supplying weapons to the Duchy of Camble, which is currently fighting the Sidgean Empire.
Thanks to Ryntum's support, the Duchy of Camble mounted a fierce resistance, preventing Sidgean from achieving swift victory.
As a result, the war had dragged on far longer than the empire initially expected.
They're locked in a state where they cannot retreat or advance.
It is an embarrassing situation since they struggle to crush a tiny duchy.
While Ryntum and Sidgean had no direct contact, their involvement with the Camble made them indirect enemies.
Mark can use this issue to convince Sidgean to join their side.
The Sidgean Empire is not a country with which Ryntum can easily mess.
Aside from their long-standing hegemon in the western part of the continent, they also control the mouth of the Leviathan Sea.
This natural chokepoint was the gateway between the Leviathan Sea and the vast open ocean.
Any nation wishing to send their ships beyond had to pass through the Sidgean-controlled strait.
This gave them immense leverage over trade and naval movements.
Tolls and tariffs imposed by Sidgean determined who could prosper and who would struggle.
"If Sidgean imposes restrictions on Ryntum's ships… it would hurt them."
Although Ryntum only deals with countries within the Leviathan Sea, a blockage to the open ocean will harm its future development.
.... 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Mark wasted no time.
Within a few days, letters bearing the royal seal of Barlia had already been dispatched to multiple countries across the continent.
When the letters arrived at their intended destinations, the receivers more or less shared the same opinion as Barlia.
For rulers who witness Ryntum's rise, this is probably the push they needed.
After all, Ryntum was growing too powerful, too fast.
One by one, rulers across the continent began sending their replies, expressing their stance.
Despite these rulers knowing that supporting this endeavor meant following Barlia's rhythm, they were willing to overlook it this time.
The opportunity to anger Ryntum is too great to refuse.
....
Bideford.
In his office, Riz looked at the stack of letters that were neatly arranged on his desk.
Although they all came from different senders and bore different seals and signatures, they were eerily similar in tone and wording.
Had the technology of this era been more advanced, Riz might have suspected that these rulers were copying and pasting from a shared message thread.
All of them condemned Ryntum's expansion and demanded a clear explanation for his actions.
'Well, this is bound to happen.' he thought.
Riz was not so naive to think these people actually cared for Barlia.
He glanced up at Michael Manfura, his Foreign Minister, who sat calmly across him.
"What's your opinion?" he asked. "How do we break through this situation?"
After thinking thoroughly, Michael said, "This situation isn't as bad as it looks, Your Majesty."
"Oh?"
"We're not dealing with a single unified enemy. These nations don't trust each other. They see us as a common threat. If we apply the right pressure, we can break them apart before they can even solidify an alliance."
Divide and conquer.
Riz knows this strategy well.
It's very straightforward and had a long-lasting effect.
Michael continued, "Barlia is leading this coalition, but they don't have the authority to command others. We should reach out to individual countries and offer them deals that benefit them personally."
"So... like bribing them?" Riz asked.
"Bribery, diplomacy... it's all the same in the end."
He despises this method the most. If he did it, what would distinguish him from the politicians he hated?
Watching his king's face gradually turn cold, Michael didn't dare to continue speaking.
Michael felt a bead of sweat form at the back of his neck.
He knew he had crossed the line.
"I- If Your Majesty doesn't want to, we don't have to…?" Michael said cautiously.
Ignoring Michael's small voice, Riz further asked, "Which country do you think we should approach first?"
"Sidgean." Without hesitation, the answer came out from his mouth. "They're the largest among them. Their pride won't allow them to be led by Barlia."
"Then, we will start with them."
"What's our offer?"
"We will stop supporting Camble. In return, they pull out of this alliance."
Michael's eyes widened slightly. That was a bold move!
However, he couldn't help but express his concern. "Your Majesty, if we do this, our previous efforts will be wasted. Everything we invested in Camble —resources, weapons, influence— will be for nothing."
Riz let out a long sigh.
"What can we do? We have to take a step back here. If we let Barlia gather too many allies, it'll be unfavourable to us. We'll have more breathing room if we pull them away from Barlia's influence."
One thing Riz needed to keep in mind was that there had never been a mega-alliance in history.
But if Barlia was allowed to continue what it was doing; rallying nations under a common banner against Ryntum, then that could change.
The structure of an alliance was already beginning to take shape.
The seeds were being planted.
If left unchecked, these nations would grow accustomed to cooperating with one another.
And once they had experienced the benefits of working as a collective force, breaking them apart in the future would become far more difficult.
A true alliance that could persist beyond this immediate crisis would be a dangerous precedent.
If they succeeded in pushing back Ryntum now, what would stop them from banding together again in the future?
Therefore, stopping this before it fully formed was the best response.
Whether Riz was being an alarmist or not didn't matter.
A ruler who failed to prepare for the worst-case scenario was bound to suffer the consequences.
His concerns were written all over his face.
Michael noticed it. He too can see the potential problem, though he's not as exaggerated as Riz.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Leave it to me. I'll contact them immediately."
