Boyzilla: Yes, it's much more realistic like that. Stories (like in some shounen mangas) where the Hero triumphs without ever experiencing difficulties are childish. Moreover, by definition, how to feel sympathy for a character who does not experience defeat? And yes, in Greek συμπάθεια(sympathy) means "experiencing suffering simultaneously". Feeling sympathy is literally suffering because a person we cared for is suffering.
Expende Annibalem...
Weigh (the cinder of) Hannibal ... (1)
As far as the war is concerned, three prerequisites are necessary for victory: Laws, morals, the force of arms (...). The power of the armies resides in the civil government: indeed the customs are dependent on the laws; the princely authority rests on the national cohesion, which is manifested in its victories.
The Book of Prince Chang (Chapter XI, The Strength of the Armies)
Hakuno Kishinami was once again seated in the throne room of the New Palace. The young Inheritor had no happy memory of this room. To come here, it meant spending hours dressed, being made up like a doll... choosing jewelry... finally choosing... Hakuno had no taste for this kind of activity and had long ago given up trying to influence the end result. Then he had to sit on the throne without moving and look royal... Saber taught her how to sit, how to behave when to speak (as little as possible!), and how to speak. But Artoria was charismatic and beautiful. She was born to be king, she was chosen by the Sword of Designation. Hakuno continued to sigh, she was only a Seraph's NPC. The girl who was not pretty or ugly sitting in the last row of the classroom and who was part of the background. Why did she have to play the duchess? She didn't ask for anything! The ducal crown had been imposed on her and now the people on the streets no longer even hid that they hated her for having "usurped" the crown they had given her.
When she complained of their illogicality, Sir Kay had a mocking laugh before explaining at length that the crowds were inconstant. Together, men were often no more intelligent than the least intelligent of them. And they screamed together, often being in the opinion of the last person to speak... even if it meant changing their mind the next minute. Shaking his head, Kay concluded with these words: "Men worship what they put on the pyre. They put on the pyre those they worshipped."
Three days ago, the army of the Sigmarite Empire had "liberated" Marienburg... finally liberated... Marienburg had defeated the Druchii without the help of the Imperials. Nevertheless, this had not prevented the Kaiser from taking all the laurels.
It was the Empire couriers who had spread the news of the victory in the neighboring provinces and it was the Imperial troops who had entered the ravaged villages to seek the survivors. Of course, they had given their version of the story, taking on the best role, claiming that the presence of the imperial army alone had been enough to terrify the Dark Elves and force them to return to their ships.
Whatever the truth, what was written in the history books was always a biased interpretation of facts. Besides, isn't it said that it is better for a king to have a good biographer than to have a good general?
Kaiser Karl Franz was a dynamic, chivalrous, and humorous young ruler.
The greed and eagerness he showed to take advantage of Marienburg's weakness did not resemble him. Hakuno understood that the young emperor was facing significant pressures from his entourage, pressures as great as those that Hakuno was facing from her own entourage.
No matter what one prince thought of another prince, their relationships always ended up reflecting the positions of their own governments.
The Empire had long wanted to regain control of Marienburg and the current weakness of the Vasteland offered a golden opportunity for Sigmarites. And they were exploiting this opportunity with disgusting greed.
The ambassador of Her Majesty Emperor Karl Franz was the perfect example of this mindset.
Hakuno jolted. Immersed in her morose thoughts, she had no longer listened to the ambassador.
The man respected the protocol of the imperial court to the letter. A knee on the ground, his hat adorned with three feathers in the crook of his arm, he had a hand on his heart and admirably feigned humility. But nothing could hide the mocking smile of the graf (baron) Helmut von Gerfusen, or the gleam of triumph that shone in his eyes:
"... of course, Her Imperial Majesty is a righteous man. His heart bleeds to see the miserable conditions in which the peasants of Vasteland live. The invasion of the Bretonnians, then the Druchii, turned the countryside into a desert. The villages are in ruins, the fields have been burned. The Bretonnians killed many people, then Slaanesh ravaged Marienburg... and now the Druchii deported many survivors. Cities are threatened by famine and trade is strangled by the Druchii blockade."
Although Baron von Gerfusen - as an experienced diplomat- feigned sadness at the evocation of the poverty of the population, he felt a secret pleasure in portraying the situation. No doubt he rejoiced at the failure of the 'traitors'. The Marienburgers had left the Empire and declared they are independent? Well, they had reaped what they had sown.
"First, Her Imperial Majesty proposes the relief organization. In particular, we must rebuild the villages and feed the population. Her Majesty will be in charge of all these operations. Her Majesty has already sent letters to her fairies calling for gifts of food, and clothing for those in need. Rebuilding villages and farms will take longer... and only be costly. Of course, given the state of Marienburg's finances, Her Majesty suspects that the Vasteland government is unable to pay. Also, the Emperor proposes to exchange the reconstruction debt for the concession of navigation rights on the lower Reikr."
Baron von Gerfusen had just finished talking about the fact that there were vehement protests in the audience. In fact, Arkat Fooger and Lea Jan Cobbius (the leader of the Longshoremen and Carters Guild) were about to make a stroke. The monopoly of transport on traffic along the lower Reikr was at the origin of their wealth.
[We absolutely cannot afford to lose that monopoly, Little Mouse! The taxes levied on the passage of ships, the unloading and the rental of pontoons in the port are our last regular sources of revenue. The blockade of the Dark Elves deprives us of imports from Ulthuan and Kislev. Because of the devastation of agricultural land, we will also not be able to count on exportable crops. On the contrary, we will have to import to feed the population. Besides, look at Fooger and Cobbius, if we lose this monopoly, we lose their support. We will have shipyards, banks, insurers, warehouse owners, and dockers against us. Neither economically nor politically can we survive the loss of the transport monopoly on the lower Reikr. ]
Sir Kay had just intervened through the mental bond that united him to his Master. Although leading the Marienburg army, Kay provided financial and business advice. In his lifetime he had already become famous for his avarice and his talent for making the rich estate that King Arthur had offered him flourishes. Arthur's foster brother knew what he was talking about.
[Alternatives?] Hakuno asked.
There were long seconds of silence. Despite his genius for making money, Kay had nothing to propose:
[We don't have a dime. In fact, we are already heavily indebted. We can sell real estate, but that will not be enough. Raising commercial taxes... which will penalize the already shaky trade. And we can't raise individual taxation... which the people can no longer afford. Proposes a payment calibrated over several years, negotiates very low interest, above 8% per year, we will never manage to pay. ]
But when Hakuno explained Kay's counter-proposal, graf Helmut von Gerfusen bowed respectfully and replied with sycophant flatters, a hearth of gale and forked tongue:
"Alas, Lady Kishinami, Her Imperial Majesty cannot buy the materials needed to rebuild the devastated villages and farms, nor the herds and grains to revive the farms in exchange for a simple promise. No one doubts your honesty and Emperor Karl Franz holds you in high esteem. Nevertheless, Her Majesty is here only an intermediary between the Duchy of Vasteland and the other provinces of the Empire."
The Sovereign of the Moon did not have much diplomatic experience, but Hakuno understood that Baron von Gerfusen had just conveyed a personal message to her. As she already suspected, Karl Franz was not at the origin of this 'attack' of the Empire. He disavowed it personally but... Just as Hakuno Kishinami the Emperor was not free to choose.
And Hakuno could not let the peasants die of hunger and cold...
"Granted."
When the session ended, the councilors and representatives of the Rijkskamer (upper chamber) and the Burgerhof (lower chamber) - the two chambers of the Marienburg parliament- dispersed in ominous silence. When Fooger left the room, he turned for a moment to look at Hakuno with a blazing look of hatred.
The Sovereign of the Moon was still sitting on the ducal throne, superbly dressed in silk and fur, wearing gold jewels garnished with precious stones, yet... at that moment, she was the most isolated and hated person in all of Marienburg.
"If I were not in the losing camp, I would applaud. We have just been stabbed in the back with the most perfect politeness. And the protocol was that we keep smiling and thank them for their 'goodness'. I admire... I really admire... We've just allowed Emperor Karl Franz to send propaganda agents all over Vasteland to rebuild villages and farms, feed and clothe the peasants by singing 'praise the goodness of the Emperor who spontaneously comes to your aid because he loves you '. And the bill of imperial propaganda is going to be paid by us because it will be deducted from our commercial gains on the lower Reikr. In addition, the end of Marienburg's monopoly on river trade is going to unite against us from the most humble docker to the wealthiest ship-owners in the city. I'm not even talking about the Emperor's popularity gains in the rest of his states. He just 'defeated' the Druchii, he humiliated Marienburg, and the Reikland traders will no longer have to pay the Marienburg carriers to sell their products in the Vasteland. AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WE CAN DO!"
Sir Kay had shouted these last words, completely losing his composure.
"This is really that bad?"
Kay took a few moments to understand the meaning of Hakuno's question. Despite her talent in certain fields, the young teen did not really understand humans and what motivated their actions. Hakuno Kishinami was still learning the basics of human interaction. So the social dynamics of an entire state...
"Of course! Did you listen? In a single movement, the Imperials cut us from all our support in the peasant population, AND in the poor population of Marienburg, AND in the rich population of that same city. In fact, when the news spreads throughout the Vasteland, there will be kinds of race... catch Hakuno, the first to cast her from the throne will have a bonus."
With the exception of the two halberdiers at attention on either side of the front door, only Artoria, Gawain, Kay, Bedivere, and Hakuno remained in the throne room. The former allies of the Sovereign of the Moon had dissociated themselves from the great loser of this conflict.
Bedivere spoke:
"Undeniably, the author of this maneuver is a genius (2)."
That was a long sentence for the one-armed knight. None of the other Servants speaking - although Gawain and Artoria seem furious - Hakuno winked at the Attendant of King Arthur.
"Lancer, did I lose the war?"
"Yes, Master."
"Yet I have won all the battles."
"Yes, Master."
Hakuno makes a Head Tilt:
"Why?"
Bedivere coughed in his fist and looked away. His Master was adorable... too adorable.
Chasing away this extraneous thought, he focused on the answer he had to give. He had always been fascinated by strategy and tactics. During his lifetime he had read all the books of the ancient authors: the Gallic War and the Civil War by Julius Caesar; Xenophon's Anabasis, Polybius' books (military historian, but also general of cavalry who participated in the Third Punic War), Vegecius' Epitoma rei militaris, the historical texts of Strabo, Cornelius Nepos and Plutarch. After his arrival in the Moon Cell, he had met Heroes who had participated in the medieval wars and the Napoleonic wars. Lancer had also consulted books stored in the Moon Cell such as the Thirty-six Stratagems by Wáng Jìngzé, the Six Secrets Teaching by Jiang Ziya, the Five Wheels Treaty by Miyamoto Musashi, and the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
He was not only studying purely military texts. Carl von Clausewitz also said: "War is the continuation of politics by other means." Arthur's kingdom had collapsed because of a revolt that had taken place simultaneously with an invasion. Since then, he had learned that the combinations of internal and external causes were classic factors in the collapse of a nation, and this was often repeated throughout history. But internal causes could suffice. The Han Empire had been condemned because of the abusive enrichment of the leaders at the expense of the people, as explained in The Dispute on Salt and Iron (3). As a result, Bedivere had also studied Machiavelli's The Prince to understand purely diplomatic or political strategies.
No mortal knew as much about the art of war as Bedivere, and few Heroes knew more. For him, the reasons for their defeat were obvious.
"Master, often the winner of a war is decided before the first arrow is fired. War is of vital importance to a nation. It involves life and death. The courage of the soldier and the talent of the generals are far from being the only factors that decide the destiny of a country. Often these are not even decisive factors."
"Determining factor?" asked Hakuno.
"You want to know what factors determine victory or defeat?"
The Sovereign nodded her head.
"There are nine factors. The first is the prince's popularity among his people. The second is climate and seasons. The third is geography. The fourth is the command of the army. The fifth is the organization of the army. The sixth is the wealth of the nation. The seventh is the education of the people. The eighth is weapons and equipment production capacity. The ninth is army size. These nine factors sum up the strength of a nation"
After a short break, Bedivere went on to say:
"The outcome of war can be predicted once you have examined the situation. The conflict begins in a context defined by the factors I have just stated, study them and ask yourselves: First, who can best unite the people and the army; second, who has the best military leader; third, who is advantaged by the climate and the terrain; fourth, who has the best military organization; fifth, who has the large army; sixth, who has the best army, the best equipped, the best trained; seventh, who is the most motivated army? The outcome of the war can be foreseen by the answers to these questions."
Bedivere smiled with sadness:
"Of these seven factors, whether against the Druchii or the Empire, we had the advantage only over the question of command. The Servants and you - our Master- was Marienburg's only asset."
Hakuno Kishinami wasn't perfect. She had numerous flaws, but the young Inheritor of the Moon was quick to make the right choices. Where others would cling to a shaky throne until the blood-thirsty rebels entered the throne room, Hakuno had begun packing her luggage.
Saber was walking down a hallway on the second floor. Her iron-bottomed feet slammed on the slabs, the articulated plates of her strange metal skirt clicking with each step. Passing by a window, she stopped briefly.
The snow fell slowly on Marienburg. However, the spectacle she discovered on the other side of the glass tiles was nothing peaceful.
A large crowd was gathered in the Paleisbuurt. In fact, the angry population had invaded the neighboring streets and others were still arriving. Despite the thick glazing, she can hear the slogans, shouts, and threats.
The palace guards, dressed in yellow and blue doublets, with large berets adorned with feathers, had formed a hedge, brandishing their halberds. They still contained the populace. The event was certainly hostile but had not yet turned to riot. However, it only took a single spark for the situation to become uncontrollable. And Artoria questioned the loyalty of the palace guards.
Her green eyes, two magnificent emeralds, shrunk.
Their loyalty? Unconsciously, she shook her head. What a ridiculous question! They were Marienburgers, they have no loyalty for her Master. In fact, King Arthur understood the anger of the inhabitants. The task of a prince was to bring peace, prosperity to the inhabitants. Judged on these criteria, undeniably, Hakuno Kishinami had failed as the duchess of the Vasteland. Of course, no outsider ignorant of the internal dynamics of Marienburg and having no support in the political apparatus of the city-state could have done better facing so many internal and external threats, but that didn't change the fact.
A group of panicked servants of the palace passed by Artoria. Some wore bundles of paper, others precious objects. For a moment, Artoria wanted to keep them. Sir Kay had just ordered to load the ceremonial galley of the former Staadtholder with all that could be taken in the palace. But it was also possible for the servants to steal money for their own accounts. She shrugged her shoulders. Marienburg's business was no longer her concern. Moreover, the thieves who took from the rich for their own survival were still the most honest people in this city. No wonder Slaanesh coveted the city-state... the inhabitants - whether they were aware of it or not- already belonged to the Chaos god of pleasure and desire. Every day, they sold new fragments of their souls for the fleeting intoxication of power.
Arriving in front of another window, Artoria Pendragon passed her hand gloved with metal on the fogged glass. On the other side of the square stood a huge building, almost as big as the New Palace, the Stadsraad was the seat of the Marienburg parliament. Parliamentarians had been meeting since this morning for furious debates. Hakuno, the senior speaker of the upper house, was not even invited. The issue that was raised was her replacement. Oh, there was unanimity on that point. There was no one left to support her Master in parliament. But that did not mean that the various political parties could easily reach a consensus to choose their successor.
Artoria had a smile without joy. She had just spent five months in Marienburg and had taken no pleasure in it. This corrupt city was a cesspool. Selfishness, dishonesty, and betrayal reigned supreme. Mentally, she wished parliamentarians good luck. Given the methods used to regulate political life in Marienburg, there would probably be a resurgence of "unfortunate accidents" (suicides, falls on stairs, or food poisoning) before a new leader is elected. The winner of this "democratic" election would have red hands of blood.
Normally, Saber would have felt a deep bitterness at the failure of her Master but, in truth, she felt... relieved. Of course, Artoria was proud of her Master's accomplishment. And she felt that the duchess' rank was really the bare minimum for someone so gifted. But Hakuno Kishinami was also a teenager who she had the responsibility to raise properly. However, Marienburg was not the kind of place where her kind Master could grow up happy.
With a firm chin movement, Saber stepped up his pace, heading for the docks of the New Palace. King Arthur had no doubt that this temporary setback would not prevent the Inheritor of the Moon from reaching new heights.
Sir Kay hounded the servants of the palace. Dozens of them were busy entering and exiting through a large door, climbing the access ramp that led to a magnificent bireme whose sterncastle was literally covered with gilded moldings in gold leaf.
At his side, Hakuno Kishinami had abandoned the court clothes she wore that morning. Again, she was dressed in the brown uniform of Tsukumihara Academy. With her hands clenched to her chest in a gesture of unconscious prayer, she turned frequently, on one side or the other, to look at the servants who were emptying the New Palace.
"Berserker... you really think we have a right to take all this," she asked in a worried voice.
Sir Kay turned around:
"Well, that's the pleasure of the Duke of Marienburg. And you're a contender for that title... so it's yours."
"But, uh..."
Hakuno meant that she would no longer be the leader of Marienburg in a few hours... at the latest. Nevertheless, King Arthur's foster brother did not let her finish her sentence:
"Nothing at all! Heartbreaker razed the New Palace and Marienburg. Then the Moon Cell Automaton rebuilt everything for free... they've all forgotten it. Well, I remember. So we're certainly not going to leave empty-handed! We deserve payment for everything we've done for these morons."
"But..." Hakuno tried again, to find herself interrupted as brutally as the first time:
"Little Mouse, would you rather I turn into a giant and shave the New Palace?"
Hakuno swallowed... She always forgot that greed was the trigger that turned Sir Kay into a mad Berserker eager to break everything.
"Uh... no."
"Well, I'm glad we feel the same way."
Sometimes Hakuno wondered what was written in the 'Master' entry of Sir Kay's dictionary... she was certain that the definition had to be different from the one she knew.
Sir Gawain did materialize in a whirlpool of bluish particles.
Standing in the main cabin of the Staadtholder' galley, Sir Bedivere led the evacuation of Marienburg. Seated behind a city map, he was tracing figures of different colors as the Servants came to report to him.
"Sir Gawain?"
The Knight of the Sun bowed with one hand over his heart:
"Sir Bedivere, Rijker Island is still in our hands. The Bretonnian garrison has declared itself in favor of Master Kishinami."
Lancer nodded his head. If Hakuno had wanted to defend her throne, she could have held on to this fortified island for weeks. But sooner or later, the food supply would have been exhausted. A glorious and vain last stand... Fortunately, that was not her objective.
"Well, this is an excellent rallying point for the faithful of our Master. Sir Gawain, whom all evacuate to Rijker Island."
Without a word, the Knight of the Sun saluted and disappeared in a whirlwind of bluish prana particles.
It had just disappeared that another Servant materialized, with his black armor, his blue cape lined with white fur, his thin and pale face, it was not difficult to recognize Agravain.
"Report?"
"Selar said that as long as Master Kishinami paid her, the thieves would work for us."
On the map, Bedivere surrounded the headquarters of the guild of thieves with a green circle. Unlike other Hakuno supporters, the thieves had chosen to stay. Which meant the Inheritor of the Moon would keep eyes and ears in town.
In a flicker of blue particles, Taliesin materialized.
"Sir Bedivere, the university and temples are entirely in the hands of those who oppose Lady Kishinami."
Lancer ticked the Tempelwijk district with a black cross... they had all forgotten that Master Kishinami had rebuilt the temples destroyed by Heartbreaker and the libraries burned by the Directorate under the influence of Slaanesh!
Bedivere's lips tightened in anger. On the map of Marienburg, there was only one green circle (the guild of thieves) a few blue crosses (places where Hakuno's followers had gathered before evacuating)... and hundreds of black crosses.
Moored at Rijker Island, the ceremonial galley of the Staadtholder and two transport carracks formed the heart of a small flotilla that included dozens of river barges and fishing vessels.
Sir Kay leaned toward Bedivere, still before the Marienburg map, and watched him make his accounts.
"How much," he asked.
"Approximately three hundred soldiers, two non-combatants, three hundred women, and children."
They were Hakuno's last followers.
"Does anyone remember how many people live in Marienburg?"
"135,000 inhabitants," replied Taliesin.
There was something to despair about.
There was an embarrassed silence... finally broken by Gawain:
"When Master Kishinami entered Marienburg, I was her only escort and our Master conquered the city in just a few days. Despite everything she has just lost, I'm sure it's just a temporary setback."
Agravain Who Knew no Wounds agrees:
"We are not starting from scratch. We have a fortune with us... and I'm not talking about the art objects and other trinkets that Sir Kay took with him. We have the New Palace archives and the Rijker Island court records. It is a treasure trove of information on Vasteland's diplomacy and domestic policy. Secret agreements between states and the little secrets of the assembly are inscribed in it. This means that we have not lost any influence on Marienburg."
A balcony overlooked the Paleisbuurt square. It was on the second floor of the Stadsraat. Every year from this balcony the Staadtholder was sworn in before the people of Marienburg.
Today, however, a different ceremony was to take place.
In a concert of trumpets, a man went out on the balcony.
Arkat Fooger looked at the crowd. The dockers cheered him, while political agitators moved in the crowd to shout slogans in his favor. The crowds asked for a bit of skill to be handled properly. The old Dwarf patriarch smiled, he was an expert at this little game. This talent had enabled him to participate in all the governments of Marienburg for a century. The switcheroo was the favorite sport of the Marienburgers and Arkat Fooger was the undisputed champion.
At his sides, a herald rolled out a scroll and declared in a bombastic language the result of the debates of the assembly:
"Considering that Hakuno Kishinami had never been crowned Duchess of Marienburg, considering that Lady Kishinami conspired with Marienburg's enemies as the Bretonnian invaders, and the imperialist Sigmarites, Considering that Lady Kishinami has signed treaties violating the rights of the Marienburgers, at the unanimous vote of the members of the upper and lower chambers, Hakuno Kishinami is deprived of her position as leader of Marienburg. Pending democratic elections, a provisional government under the leadership of Staadtholder Arkat Fooger will be tasked with running the Vasteland. All treaties signed by the previous government are now declared null and void. Hakuno Kishinami is convicted of high treason and labeled as Marienburg's enemy."
In the sky, there was a great cracking. All the eyes rose in search of the origin of this noise.
For months, a cube cut into square sections had been floating in the sky above the New Palace. This strange object consisting of photonic crystals was a baby Moon Cell, a kind of relay for the supercomputer located inside the Earth's moon.
People had become so accustomed to its presence that they had almost forgotten it.
A crack had just appeared on the large crystal. The crack spread and other cracks were created, fragments fell into the void but were transformed into prana particles before reaching the ground.
There was an explosion and the baby Moon Cell disintegrated.
The crowd began to flee in all directions. There were some wounded because of the mob, but the photonic computer disappeared without leaving a fragment behind, just as if it had never really been there.
Standing on the sterncastle of the ceremonial galley, her hands on the railing, Hakuno watched Marienburg move away.
Suddenly, several translucent screens appeared in front of her. It was rare for Regalia to manifest spontaneously and some of these screens were red rather than bluish or even surrounded by black and yellow stripes indicating a critical problem.
[The Sovereign of the Moon Cell has lost the title 'Marienburg leader' and control of the Vasteland.]
[Access to the Vasteland leylines is cut off.]
[Moon Cell resources: 17% and decreasing.]
[Switch to economy mode.]
[Non-critical systems on standby.]
[Change of strategy required.]
[Request new instructions.]
Hakuno turned to Saber, standing behind her.
"Go tell the other Servants they must remain Astralized until further notice."
Saber was still alive, she could not access the astral plane. Unable to dematerialize herself to save her energy, it was clear that Saber should assume the role of Hakuno's bodyguard until the resource problems were resolved.
As Saber departed, Hakuno brought forth the status of her Servants. She frowned when she discovered that Lancelot du Lac was receiving mana from an "external source". That wasn't the case the last time she looked. Berserker had disappeared five months earlier, just before she became the leader of Marienburg. The Lady of the Lake - his adoptive mother- had come to seek him out to heal him. Unhappily, Hakuno could not know more. Lancelot was protected by a kind of 'black mist' that masked his true identity. And this even affected the Master. Many boxes of Servant stats were replaced by a fog of statics, as on the screen of a deregulated television but... The Sovereign of the Moon shook her head. The class of the Servant had changed. It was no longer "Berserker' but "Saber (Berserker)"... a double class? The Lady of the Lake must have modified her son's Saint Graph to relieve his madness. Truly, an impressive feat.
Hakuno shrugged her shoulders. The Lady of the Lake had promised to bring her son back when healed. Therefore, the treatment had to be ongoing. The young Inheritor turned to watch Marienburg continue to shrink as the ship drifted away
Her stay in the Vasteland ended catastrophically... It was indisputable that she had just lost a war and that her defeat was total, leaving her almost without resources, in a precarious situation.
Yet...
She smiles.
Hakuno Kishinami felt that the air was purer, the sun brighter. For the first time in months, she felt light, as if a weight had been removed from her shoulders.
Hakuno had only one wish, that Marienburg would disappear in the distance, and that she would never return in this snake pit again.
Author's note: you will see in the next chapters what happens to Marienburg and Hakuno. She lost control of the city, and the Imperial plan is well on its way to enable the control of the lost province... or not. Karl Franz's advisors made a slight miscalculation, completely forgetting one of the factions involved in this complicated game of thrones.
(1) Expende Annbibalem: Qot libras in duce simmo invenies? Weigh (the cinders of) Hannibal: How many pounds will you find in the consummate general? (Juvenal, Satires, Satire X) This is the first verse of a very beautiful poem. It tells the story of Hannibal's feats, a fate that ultimately leads him to a dog's death. The meaning of the first verse is that despite the glory that one accumulates in life, one always ends up being defeated and forgotten.
(2) Thank you for your compliments, Gawain, I appreciate it very much, you are a true pal. Putting Irony aside, I'm very proud of myself. This is the kind of ploy that gets me the appalling looks of people playing against me in strategy games. My uncle always says that if I had been born king in the Renaissance, I would have been the most terrible tyrant and conqueror of the time. I never run out of ideas like this, worse I hardly made a bad surprise to an opponent, I come out another nasty conspiracy from my bag of tricks... I love their facial expression when my opponents come to understand that they danced to my tune... yes, I am a bad boy (and y love it)!"
(3) The Dispute on Salt and iron is a book that I advise everyone to read. It is astounding that a text written in 81 ECB is so contemporary. It is said that those who forget the lessons of history condemn themselves to repeat them. Forceful egoism of the wealthiest people, government grabbing by merchants who only seek their immediate profit had caused the fall of the Han Empire... and could cause the fall of our own civilization.