With autumn came not only the harvest, which needed to be brought in, but also the need for stocks of wood, peat, and other goods to be laid in against the winter. Carlo's people were luckier than most, being on the coast of the Black Gulf, as their winters were mild comparatively. Those in the shadows of the mountains to the north of them, however, were in great need of fuel. As Carlo's men helped the farmers bring in the harvest, chop wood, and dig up peat, he reserved at least a portion of the peat stocks for use by his merchants to sell further north in colder climes. As it stood, they had more than enough to heat every home in Ijssel, even with the additions of Bouellia and Quaterain. Even with the trade deals Ijssel already had, they would likely make a pretty penny extra in peat sales.
Speaking of timber, much of the glut of that provided from the large stretches of woodland Ijssel now controlled was redirected into the building of workshops and tchaikas. With two of the Tchaika hulls taking shape over the course of the first month of autumn. Likewise, work on the new metalworks began in earnest and the frame of the building would be complete by the first week of the second month of autumn. It would be completed and a group of blacksmiths, whitesmiths, redsmiths, and goldsmiths moved into the large building to begin turning out not just weapons and armor for Carlo's newly raised battalions, but also tableware, jewelry, and other sundry types of metalwork by the middle of the third month of autumn.
By the beginning of the fourth month of autumn, the extra Tchaika workshop, powderworks, and canon foundry joined the new metalworks to lend their production to the efforts being made. Two Tchaika a month turned into three a month as autumn turned into winter, and progressed to four a month by the time spring rolled around. The same was seen in terms of canons, as eight four-pounders a month turned into ten a month, then twelve a month, then fourteen, until finally becoming sixteen a month in the third month of winter. An equivalent amount of powder and shot was produced. By spring, the projected river flotilla had grown from twelve tchaikas armed with six four-pounders each to fifteen tchaikas armed with six four-pounders each. There were even still two four-pound canons extra for sale that Luccini gladly snapped up for a pretty penny along with what excess powder, shot, armor, and weapons the metalworks could make as both they and Remas took the winter to rearm.
Of roads, the road north had been extended to Quaterain by the second month of autumn, and up to L'haieville by the third month of autumn, largely on the back of hiring dwarven engineers to help things along. By the time winter set in, not only would Castle de Estang and the attendant settlements be linked in, but work crews had been branched off to shore up the defenses of Quaterain, the villages around L'haieville, and the outlying settlements surrounding Castle de Estang. However, moving the road north to Citadelle Bouellia would only be accomplished by the beginning of spring, as even a mild winter could still cause delays among the glorified goat paths that had served Bouellia as their main roads before now.
The new battalions, meanwhile, would be rigorously drilled, with Carlo himself taking a hand in their drilling. At the same time, now that they had eight Tilean Months to drill, he also rotated the various guards and militia forces through his boot camp. Even the former Bouellian Men-at-Arms, Levies, and Yeoman Archers. With eight months, he was able to turn even the rabble of the Bouellian Levies into the sort of units that even Imperial State Troops would think twice about going up against, thanks to his Myrmidia-given powers.
Even the Knights of Bouellia asked to take part, though only after they were trounced soundly in a war game by Men-at-Arms they considered themselves inherently superior to just months earlier. Thankfully, Carlo had been able to talk them down with the use of a new Myrmidia-given power. He used his radiant presence to force the hotheads demanding the 'uppity peasants be flogged for their insolence' to back down and rethink their course of action. Then he used his newfound silver tongue to convince them that the Men-at-Arms had won because they took his training course and that if the Knights took his course, they too could pull off previously impossible feats of prowess on the battlefield.
By the middle of the second month of winter, Eric de Roelef returned with the Drunken Razorbill and a veteran crew of pirate hunters that found the thought of decent wages in Ijssel preferable to impressment into one of the various warring Tilean fleets for barely more than a servant's wage. All the same, Admiral Karolski was putting them through their paces just as Carlo was doing with the army. From the reports Carlo had received of how that was going, some of the crews were better suited than others. Most of the new crewmen had come from fishing backgrounds, either on the black gulf or the Tana Dante, and they didn't have to be taught much. There had been a smattering to come from some of the inland logging or farming hamlets that had to be taught from scratch. It made some of the new crews mixed in terms of capabilities, though Admiral Karolski assured Carlo that they'd stand and fight at least.
Trade was also flowing. As expected, peat was a big seller in those principalities in the shadows of the mountains. It wasn't solely the expected trade with Domatburg either, but merchants from the League of Zvorak and even across the Appucini mountains into Tilea, where the city of Ravola and town of Campogrotta had already sold much of their timber to the Army of Remas that needed the wood for winter quarters and were coming up short. Ravola especially paid a premium, having ninety-five thousand souls within her walls, a full thirty-eight percent of the entire population of the Principality of Miragliano. Their loss was Carlo's gain, however, and the treasury took in a further three thousand guilders a month for the four months of winter, half of which was from trade with Ravola alone. He also secured a trade contract to supply Ravola with peat, wooden goods, and pewter work going forward which should see the revenue stay the same even as the peat bubble burst.
Not only that but with Domatburg amber coming in, a certain amount of jewelry was being made. Amber and burnished copper was not exactly diamonds and gold, but they sold quite well to various non-exorbitantly wealthy yet still wealthy enough types. Smaller but still prosperous merchants and country gentry seemed to eat it up and trade with Tilea, Southern Brettonia, Estalia, and some parts of the Southern Empire saw sales of that combined with pewterware bring in a further four-thousand guilders a month.
Combined with the prior trade deals, and tax revenues, Ijssel was now bringing in some sixteen-thousand-five-hundred-fifty guilders a month, though her expenditures were still outpacing that even as projects wrapped up and wound down. By the end of winter, he was no longer spending the exorbitant seventy-nine thousand guilders a month but was still spending some twenty thousand guilders a month thanks to projects that were still ongoing, such as the road to Citadelle Bouellia. Once that was finished, expenses should equalize and then begin to be outpaced, especially as new trade agreements came into the picture as diplomacy continued apace.
Speaking of diplomacy, Karoline Blaumann had come through with his canons and dwarven engineers and equipment. That wasn't all that occurred on the diplomatic front, however. Carlo kept in contact with the Brothers von Stahl via courier over the course of fall and winter as they attempted to coordinate their preparations for war with Khypris and their alliance. Domatburg was also on good terms with Myrmidens, who seemed to very much want to open good relations with Carlo and Ijssel even beyond the preliminary talk of trade he had engaged in with Sir Giovanni.
Their Prince was willing to cut him a deal on Jet, Marble, and Pottery in exchange for him selling them gunpowder and wine at a discounted rate. There was also an invitation to visit Myrmidens and the Temple of Myrmidia there once the business with Khypris was finished. The implication hidden behind the letter was that Myrmidens was looking to slip the leash of her mother city in Luccini while Luccini and Remas were occupied with each other. They wished to speak to Carlo about the possibility of an alliance toward that aim. Even without any alliance, the trade deal was too good to pass on, as he could use the jet in yet more jewelry and sell excess marble on to Southern Brettonia for a large price hike. A further three-thousand-four-hundred-fifty guilders in sales a month all told, which was just enough to equalize expenditures.
Unfortunately, he was not the only one marshaling allies and getting funds and troops in order. Karoline Blaumann had informed Carlo that it seemed that Prince Faramond of Khypris had managed to rope in Don Hector Domingo de Santiago y Colon, Lord of Costa Negro into his coalition. Costa Negro was insulated from Greenskin attacks, relatively speaking, by the blazing plains that ran south of the Arabyan trail till they met the lands of the Orc tribes to the south and the Dragonback mountains to the west. Hard, sun-baked, treeless, shrubless, saltpans with nothing of value to despoil or foes fight for miles until you reached the southern border of Costa Negro. In short, the exact sort of journey that would turn off any would-be Warlords when there were much richer pickings and better fights to the east in Gorlitz. Unfortunately, that relative insulation meant that Don Hector was more inclined to meddle in affairs across the black gulf to his North.
Carlo knew that Don Hector would only send a token force, maybe a hundred-fifty men plus mercenaries. The real issue would be his naval power, specifically, the two, seventy-gun, Estalian Galleons he had in his fleet. Just those alone would be able to match his whole fleet, never mind the five, thirty-gun, Galleasses they also had. It was a bold move and it was going to require that Carlo ask Prince-Marchese Giacomo D'acciaio of Myrmidens for a favor. He wrote to the man, requesting he send his fleet to aid Ijssel in the upcoming war. If he did, he could count on a receptive ear during Carlo's visit to Myrmidens following the war.
It was the second day of the second week of spring before Carlo received a response from Myrmidens, signaling their willingness to send their fleet to aid him. By the third day of the fourth week, some two, sixty-gun Great Galleasses and four, eighteen-gun galleys flying the sunburst and falcon of Myrmidens docked alongside Carlo's own fleet in the harbor, preparing to go into battle alongside the ships of Ijssel. Their commander was a bald, hook-nosed, man with a perpetual scruffy, five-o'clock shadow. He wore a sleeveless, black leather buff coat over a bone-white chemise, and black breeches with bone-white stripes were tucked into black leather cavalier boots. His cutlass was complimented by a brace of pistols and a broad-brimmed hat with a peacock feather in it. In short, the man looked every inch the pirate captain, though Carlo knew better than to accuse a man who wore the scales of Verana around his neck of being a pirate.
"Capitano Bartolomeo Marino, at your service, Mio Conte. I have been sent to aid you in accordance with your request." Grinned the Commander with a flourish.
"I am grateful for the assistance. Tell me, you act and dress like a Pirate, but wear the symbol of Verena around your neck. There has to be a story there if you don't mind me prying?" Questioned Carlo.
"Not at all. It is quite the story. The short answer is that I was a pirate, bosun's mate on a Sartosan Crew, no less, before a disastrous battle with pirate hunters in my youth left our ship sinking and myself washed up on an island, really more of a spit of rock in the middle of the ocean. I had no food, and no fresh water, and thirsted and starved for days. As I weakened, I swore that should I make it off this rock alive, I would cease piracy and go straight. As it happened, not one day later, a ship bearing a Veranan missionary on a return journey from Araby to Myrmidens chanced by my rock and rescued me. In gratitude, I spent the next decade hunting pirates with the Fleet of Myrmidens. Five years ago, I was finally promoted to Capitano of the Sea Leopard and have now been breveted fleet captain to aid in your war. If not for Verana showing me clemency, I would have died on that rock in the middle of the sea. So I wear her symbol to remind me of that." Explained Capitano Marino.
"That is quite the story. Come, I shall introduce you to my Admiral who you will be working with." Nodded Carlo.
The rest of the week was spent bringing Capitano Marino up to speed and checking on Domatburg's progress via courier. Domatburg's army had been two days away from rendezvousing with the Army of Ijssel camped outside the walls of Ijssel proper when it happened. The combined land forces of Vloedan, Khypris, and Mont Blanc, along with three hundred men from Costa Negro had crossed the border along with what seemed to be half the Mercenaries not already on contract in the Border Princes and were advancing toward Mijndorp.
The war had begun. . .
XXXX
AN: So yeah, the alliances are as follows. Khypris, Vloedan, Mont Blanc, and Costa Negro vs Domatburg, Ijssel, and Myrmidens for the fate of much of the western Border Princes.
Whoever wins is going to control pretty much all of the western Border Princes, and even if Scarosio and Zvorak ally to try and stop their dominance, the victor is still going to massively outnumber and outgun them.
The edge in troop numbers has to go to the Ijssel-Domatburg-Myrmidens alliance with seven-thousand-five-hundred-forty troops, three-thousand of which are professionals and one-thousand-seven-hundred-forty are militia hopped up on tiger warrior training from Carlo that make them fight like professionals. The Anti-Ijssel Alliance only has three-thousand-nine-hundred troops but has made up the difference by hiring mercenaries. At sea, the Ijssel-Domatburg-Myrmidens Alliance has fifteen riverine ships and fifteen seagoing ships. The Anti-Ijssel Alliance only has twelve riverine ships and nine seagoing ships.
Of course, the numbers can be deceiving, Myrmidens doesn't have its full fleet or any of its army in the field yet for instance, and mercenary numbers will fluctuate and aren't even all that clear to Carlo yet beyond 'they hired a fuckton to fight us'.
And of course, Eric de Roelef's halfwit cousins are still in Ijssel proper to cause a distraction on the homefront should the Khypriot Army decide it needs a breather. Idiots do so make for biddable catspaws.
At any rate, next up will be the start of the war.
Stay tuned