After the High King's envoy left, the remaining individuals in King Ryan's tent began to express their opinions.
It was clear that whether it was the enlightened knights led by François, the traditional knights led by Karad, the church faction represented by Alfred, or the newly appointed military aristocracy led by Bertrand, the Old Guard commander, and even Veronica, who had barely come out to discuss after resting for a while, none of them were particularly interested in stationing troops in the Badlands. However, given that both the High King and Belegar were willing to cover the costs of the army and supplies, the consensus leaned toward trying it out. After all, the dwarves had plenty of money but lacked manpower. Since the dwarves were willing to pay for the upkeep of Bretonnian troops, everything could be negotiated.
After some discussion, most of the attendees dispersed, leaving only Ryan, François, Karad, and Veronica. Veronica immediately signaled her apprentice, Catherine, to prepare tea. The Garland Witch sat down on a soft, plush chair, looking towards her apprentice. "Catherine, do we still have coffee beans?"
"Yes, teacher, I have plenty left," Catherine responded. Despite having recently been promoted to a legendary witch, Catherine still relied heavily on her mentor. She lacked the stability, strength, and financial resources to be independent. Fortunately, Veronica treated her apprentice quite well, and their relationship was strong with little conflict of interest.
"Make me a hazelnut vanilla almond Garland oversized caramel mocha Frappuccino with extra whipped cream," Veronica ordered lazily, her face still glowing with a rosy hue as she reclined on her chair.
"Understood." Catherine exchanged a glance with Karad. The Count of Galamont caught Ryan's amused expression and blushed slightly, but before he could speak, Catherine gave him a knowing look, then bowed respectfully and left to prepare Veronica's extravagant coffee order.
François and Karad were no strangers to Veronica's personality. In fact, after the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition, even the knights under Karad's leadership had come to respect Veronica highly, almost placing her on par with Queen Sulia.
Ryan understood why this had happened. It was a side effect of the great expedition. Veronica had played a major role throughout the campaign, and her constant presence had earned her considerable recognition, especially among the northern knights. Even the noble knights who had previously been skeptical of her now regarded her with respect.
Ryan realized that the dynamics in his inner circle were about to change again, but this was something he couldn't directly interfere with. How things would develop depended on how the situation unfolded, as Veronica and Olica had both earned their own prestige and established their reputations among the knights.
Once they returned home, Ryan could use this opportunity to entrust Veronica with greater responsibilities.
"Ryan, how many troops are you planning to leave behind?" François asked, his primary concern being the withdrawal of their forces and the distribution of the massive dwarven wealth, rather than garrisoning troops in the Badlands.
"I'll leave Durant and his Bretonnian Independent Regiment here," Ryan replied, rubbing his temples as he still felt somewhat conflicted about the dwarves' generous offer. "It seems we have no choice but to station some forces here. Fortunately, the Principality of Blitzka, left behind by Blackheart Repp, has over 3,000 swords. We'll have Durant move all those people to the Eight Peaks. This place is still much better than the bandit-ridden, Greenskin-infested Border Princes territory."
"Hmm," François nodded slowly.
Was the Border Princes region a good place?
Not at all. It was a land filled with bandits, thieves, murderers, and all sorts of outcasts exiled from the Empire, Bretonnia, and the Southern Realms. Chaos cults ran rampant, and the area was constantly harassed by Greenskins and Beastmen. Internal wars among the Border Princes were never-ending.
Recently, the region had been plagued by Tamurkhan's invasion. Even years after his defeat, Chaos warbands continued to hide in the forests and mountains, occasionally emerging to terrorize the local populace.
Despite this, the level of warfare in the Border Princes was still lower than in the Empire. The sparsely populated land and frequent raids by various factions meant that it could never form a powerful kingdom. Relocating the Independent Regiment to the Eight Peaks would not be difficult, especially since the mountain was relatively easy to defend. All they had to do was hold Titan's Gate and the tunnels, and the towering peaks would protect them from most enemies.
"Leaving Durant and the Independent Regiment behind is a given," François agreed, but he quickly frowned again. "However, according to the dwarves' request, they're not just asking us to garrison the Eight Peaks. They want to leverage human power to build a new defense system."
"Exactly," Ryan nodded. "That's what I hope to do as well. Now that the Eight Peaks have been reclaimed, we can establish a comprehensive defense system here, using the mountain and Iron Gate to delay Greenskin invasions and allow the Empire and dwarves to prepare for defense."
"But... do we really need to do that?" François was still full of doubt. Stroking his mustache, he continued, "Ryan, do we really want to station troops in the Badlands? The environment here is incredibly harsh, and our troops will be worn down by the climate and constant military pressure. Besides, what benefits would we gain from garrisoning forces here for Bretonnia?"
"..." Ryan remained silent, contemplating something deeply.
"Your Majesty, this expedition has already drained a great deal of our national strength. While the rewards are substantial, new knights need time to earn their spurs, new peasant infantry require training, and your Old Guard needs time to replenish," Karad pointed out. "If we station too many troops in the Badlands, not only will we exhaust our forces, but the nobles back home will surely raise objections."
"What if we recruit new troops? We could organize a volunteer system, leaving a small number of veterans to lead a larger force of fresh recruits, rotating them every three to five years," Ryan suggested after a moment's thought. "Stationing troops on the northern edge of the Badlands would significantly contribute to delaying Greenskin invasions. We could even involve the Empire, particularly Grand Duke Marius of Averland. I believe he'd be eager to send troops to assist us. This way, we could expand our influence into the Border Princes, selling our goods there and gaining access to raw materials and cheap labor."
"The Border Princes, huh." François nodded thoughtfully, then smiled suddenly. "Ryan, are you trying to tell me that you plan to annex the Border Princes and expand your territory here? I must remind you, a nation isn't necessarily better just because it's bigger!"
"Hahaha, I know, I know," Ryan laughed at François' half-joking warning.
Indeed, a larger country wasn't always better, as there were limits to a nation's capacity to conquer and control.
Before becoming king, Ryan had often wondered why the Empire adopted an electoral system instead of centralized governance. Why was the Empire divided into so many provinces, each ruled by electors who essentially had autonomy? Why didn't the Emperor simply centralize power and have imperial military governors oversee the entire realm?
It wasn't that it couldn't be done, but rather that it couldn't be sustained.
Once a country's territory becomes vast, the central government faces three key challenges.
First, the borderlines become lengthy, and enemies are on all sides. Many of these enemies, such as Chaos, Dark Elves, Greenskins, and Beastmen, cannot be reasoned with, resulting in immense military pressure on the frontiers. The Empire has to station heavy troops along its borders to guard against potential invasions, often leading to the establishment of military governorships (such as the Count of the Border).
Second, the vastness of the land, coupled with the slow transmission of information in this world, makes it impossible for the Empire to effectively manage distant territories. Nordland is over 1,500 kilometers from Altdorf, and Kislev is more than 2,000 kilometers away. Ryan had personally seen messengers from Winterfell, the capital of Nordland, take seven days to reach Altdorf, even with urgent military dispatches. By the time the Emperor's orders to attack arrived, Nordland could have already fallen. Long-distance magical communication was prohibitively expensive in terms of mana consumption.
In this situation, the Emperor had to allow local authorities to maintain their own armies and grant the Elector Counts military autonomy to respond to emergencies and protect their territories. Over time, the Elector Counts became increasingly independent, disregarding the Emperor's authority.
Third, financial issues. Let's put it simply: when Emperor Qin Shi Huang of Ryan's previous world launched his campaign against the Xiongnu, transporting 160 stone of grain from the central region to the front lines resulted in only one stone being delivered, with the rest lost in transit. The transportation losses amounted to over 99%. Similarly, if the Imperial Court didn't allow the Elector Counts financial autonomy and the ability to raise their own armies, then defending the northern front against Chaos invasions would bankrupt the Empire within a year due to food losses alone.
Let's be honest—if the Empire's taxes had to be collected by the central government and then redistributed to the provinces, the logistical losses would be staggering. It's not as simple as pressing a button on a bank transfer. The King of Nordland couldn't just hit a key and have 5,000 gold marks instantly appear in Emperor Karl Franz's account with a "ding."
This was why the Empire, despite having the capacity to conquer Kislev, allowed it to remain independent, and why the Duke of Nordland dared to call himself a king. The Empire had no choice
but to tolerate it.
Once a certain threshold is crossed, a country can become weaker the larger it grows. The more territory it holds, the more vulnerable it becomes, as enemies surround it on all sides, and its forces are stretched too thin to effectively defend all borders.
This is why Ryan found it laughable when people from his previous life boasted about dreams of conquering the world. While the initial stages of expansion may be exhilarating, maintaining control over a vast empire is an entirely different challenge. The Mongol Empire, which famously reached the Danube, fractured into four khanates and the Yuan Dynasty within just a few years.
Could a centralized government with direct military and financial control work?
It could—Ryan's previous world had a dynasty that achieved this, concentrating all elite forces in the capital and leaving only the old, sick, and weak to defend local areas. All taxes were collected centrally, with the Emperor micromanaging every detail. The military commanders were mere executors of the Emperor's commands.
That dynasty was the Song Dynasty.
Even so, the Empire couldn't replicate this model. As a famous historical figure once said, "To repel external threats, one must first stabilize internal affairs."
The Empire was riddled with internal dangers—Chaos cultists, Beastmen, Greenskin tribes, undead, and even Chaos daemons. If the Imperial Court took away the local elite forces, leaving only militia and law enforcement, how would these regions defend themselves against enemies capable of wiping out entire civilizations?
This was where Ryan and Karl Franz differed. Ryan had succeeded because, after years of campaigns (and constant patrols by the Angron brothers and the four Imperial Guard), Bretonnia had largely secured internal stability. With his ability to maintain peace, the dukes naturally followed his lead and willingly answered his summons.
Karl Franz, on the other hand, couldn't guarantee internal security even in his own Reikland. He couldn't even ensure the safety of Bloodpine Forest, just a few kilometers from Altdorf. Given such circumstances, the Emperor had done all he could. The fact that the Elector Counts still showed up for meetings in Altdorf was already a great courtesy.
Thinking this over, Ryan realized he could still draw lessons from his previous life. If the Song Dynasty was a poor example, perhaps he could learn from the Tang Dynasty.
"My plan is this: We can station troops at Castle Drachenfels and the Eight Peaks, implementing a military farming system where soldiers grow their own food while receiving supplementary supplies. The troops will rotate every three to five years. As for the fortifications, we can ask the dwarves for help. I'm sure the High King or Belegar would be willing to assist," Ryan finally laid out his plan. "The garrison would consist of a small number of veterans leading a larger group of new recruits—about two to three thousand soldiers per garrison. We can also involve the Empire, recruiting both from Bretonnia and the Border Princes, especially since the dwarves are covering the costs."
"Additionally, between Castle Drachenfels and the Eight Peaks, we should establish a new fortress with access to water and mountains, with the dwarves' help. This way, we can build a new defensive line and alert system in the northern Badlands. Their mission wouldn't be to defeat or stop a massive Greenskin invasion but to delay it as much as possible while notifying the Empire and dwarves to prepare."
"These three garrisons will be collectively known as the 'Badlands Watch!'"
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