In a World Filled with Deserts, an Old Man with Electronic Money

"Listen up, everyone! The rest decided to attack Shipland! The land has been rebellious against the dominant kingdom of Bart for many years, and they are the only ones who monopolize the profits of trade and drive many people into poverty! This is jihad!

Suddenly he thought he had been called to the royal castle, and His Majesty declared a Shipland attack.

The reaction of the gathered aristocracy is praised by those who are close to His Majesty and those who were drawn to His Majesty by saying His Majesty's decision was wise.

The great aristocrats who have rebelled against His Majesty and who are still doing so have an unspeakable expression on their faces.

You may wish to speak out against it, because you know that your sympathizers will beat you up if you do so.

"Your Majesty, is there a ship?

Among them, Count Nelson, who was not close to His Majesty, nor to the great nobles, called out to His Majesty.

He is the head of the Ship Management Authority, which deals with the work of securing, building and operating sandstorms while not forming factions, nor flattering His Majesty, in this country where any incompetence gains a high status solely because he is noble.

In this world, the distribution network using sandboats is like a human vessel.

Aristocratic territory, direct jurisdiction, independent city.

Life would not be possible without the ship.

If there is water and agricultural and livestock production, we can live a minimum life even in a clandestine state, but if there is no supplies carried by sandstorms, we will be forced to live a fairly primitive life.

In cities with many inhabitants like Shipland, there are many places where the total population cannot be fed by the amount of food produced by Oasis alone.

His Majesty said he would attack Shipland here, even though there are territories and cities where there would be starvation without regular sandboats.

Count Nelson took it for granted to object.

Besides, Shipland is subordinate to the Kingdom of Bart before it is built.

The Shippland family that ruled the land had the title of Vicomte.

If we attack there, we also need a good name...

"Are you disagreeing? Count Nelson."

"Yes"

Count Nelson affirms his opposition to the Shipland offensive without hesitation.

The aristocracy gathered together in the middle of the festivities became noisy.

"Count Nelson! Your Majesty, the King's minister, defies His Majesty's orders?

"This is a rebellion against His Majesty... no, against the Kingdom of Burt!

"If you disagree, just resign the Director of Ship Management, who manages the sandstorm! This is because it will never be tolerated as a nobleman in the Kingdom of Bart, such as interfering with the jihad of the Shipland offensive."

Your Majesty's men began to blame Count Nelson at once.

They were created by His Majesty as a political force against the great nobles with vested interests.

Therefore, I cannot say that I disagree with His Majesty's policy.

If you say so, you'll be beaten up by your allies and lose your position within your faction.

They were merciless to nobles who did not belong to their faction.

The Grand Nobles can be attacked, but they have allies from the same faction.

In this case, Count Nelson is at a disadvantage because of his abilities alone.

Because many people think that they are the next ship's director after driving him away.

I see. Even if we attack, there is an important problem of securing the hull capacity. "

"Previously on Water City... Even those small troop deployments were heavily burdened with supplies."

"If the traffic between each Oasis decreases in order to attack the Shipland, it could cause the worst starvation."

Your opponents, the great aristocracy, have also taken refuge with Count Nelson, who should not have been one of them this time.

That will be the case.

If someone other than him becomes the next Managing Director of the Ship and consequently interferes with the operation of the Sandstorm, the Grand Nobles will also take heavy damage.

It is impossible to remove the Director of the Ship Management Bureau.

Count Nelson will take the Director of Shipping seriously if he doesn't.

Because there was such an implicit rule.

His Majesty and his sympathizers are trying to break it now...

"Your Majesty, I have a question for you."

"Let's hear it."

Your Majesty is short sighted and loathes those who disobey his policy.

Still, there seemed to be a verse where I thought I had to pretend to be a talented king, and I asked Count Nelson why he was opposed to sending Shipland troops.

"As you have said, the occupation of Water City is a burden. There's a lot of deficit going down there."

Ugh!

There was also a battle between the nobles.

Your Majesty's takeover of Water City in the middle of the sudden demise of the Central Sea.

There is no economic point in occupying a relay port city where the sea is dead.

Rather, given the cost of governance, it is a large deficit.

In fact, the water city occupied by the kingdom of Bart on His Majesty's orders was in substantial deficit given its maintenance costs.

In order to capture and rule cities in the middle of dead seas, we need to replenish a lot of food and supplies from the outside.

Before the Central Sea withered, we should have taken advantage of the relay port and imported it from various countries.

Without biasing imports into a single country, countries can control each other and ensure the safety of water cities.

But now that the ocean has withered, Water City has only been decorated and maintained by about 500 guards.

The buildings and infrastructure are luxurious because all the inhabitants are fleeing and it is a relay port city that has thrived so far, but it is also a substitute that can be maintained with the arrival of many ships.

There was no deal, the inhabitants fled, and finally there was almost no loot to be gained by occupying a metropolis as large as Water City.

It should be physically impossible for the escaped inhabitants to take all of them out, and after hearing the report, His Majesty suspected the offensive commander's cat, but the investigation revealed that there was not even a bag of grain left.

It is strange, but it is also true that there are no loot.

Rewards for the soldiers who took part in the invasion were also a burden on the Kingdom, and it was impossible to let go of the once occupied water city because it was in deficit… because of the expansion of its own territory and the fact that the citizens of the Kingdom of Bart supported His Majesty.

Before that, there was a tax hike... because the territory has expanded, so maybe there will be a tax cut in time? I think so.

Neither the large port nor those who migrate to the water city, where only luxurious structures remain, cannot be abandoned further, and if the guard is stationed, there is a huge burden on the supply.

They do things like Tunda soldiers, they have water, but people don't just live with bread and water.

Garrisoned soldiers cannot return to their families and must work in agriculture while maintaining infrastructure and houses on isolated islands.

You will have to supply more liquor and other favorites.

And those items can't be carried by boat because the sea has withered.

There is no sand where the sea has dried up, so I can't even use a sandboat. What a camel to carry it.

From Liss, the harbour town of the Kingdom of Bart, which was facing the Central Sea, to Water City, it transports almost 300 kilometres by camel.

I get dizzy when I think about transportation costs, but I can't just give up Water City.

Because it is a city that has been captured through tax increases, the fact remains that if we abandon it, we will create a large deficit.

It also meant giving them jobs because the squirrels themselves were in the middle of a recession in which the fishing and shipping industries were devastated.

As Count Nelson, who has been particularly burdensome lately, I would like to tell you not to joke about the Shipland occupation operation.

"I've lost shipping in the Central Sea, and I'm busy turning all my deals with countries into sandboats. In addition, maintaining a shipyard with just a huge national budget and building unprofitable camel transport flights. Does Your Majesty intend to bankrupt this country?

Count Nelson... this is already completely selling fights to His Majesty.

Ignored by both factions as well, I have no more courage than Count Nelson.

As long as I envy you.

"Count Nelson! Do you disobey His Majesty's policy?

"Rude!

"You're going to be slaughtered right away!

The nobles loyal to His Majesty began to make noise at once.

They have themselves been promoted and reused by His Majesty to confront the factions of the great nobles who have had vested interests and have restricted their royal authority.

Therefore, they cannot stop His Majesty from doing the wrong thing.

If we share our opinions with Count Nelson, we will be crushed by fellow factions.

Since the capture of Water City, where statehood grew and popular support grew, the number of desperate nobles who adored His Majesty was increasing.

I can't stand to have my neck inserted with them, so I can't challenge your policy.

"If we take Shipland, we can monopolize the profits of the relay trade."

"Even if I could monopolize it, the profits would be greatly reduced. Don't you know the particularities of Shipland?

Shipland flourishes as a relay trade zone because its ruling Vicomte de Shipland is known as the kingdom's aristocracy, and the reality is that it is an independent lord.

Many of the lords of Oasis, who do not yet belong to the kingdom in the southwest, use Shipland because they do not have to be told by the kingdom to "enter the suburbs" via Shipland.

If the Shiplands are completely under the influence of the kingdom, their Independent lords will no longer use the Shiplands, which would force them to become subordinates.

A new staging area... Old Town?

No, but it is clear to everyone that the next strategic objective of the Kingdom of Bart is Old Town.

The relay trade just moved southwest.

Shipland is a relay trade area because it has no location conditions, but most importantly thanks to the Shipland Viscount who controls Shipland and his relatives, the largest luxury merchant in Shipland, the Garcia Chamber of Commerce.

"It is an angry reality, but there is no advantage in the kingdom directly controlling Shipland. Rather, it becomes negative."

"You didn't even know that? 'said Count Nelson.

"It's profitable! Now is the time for the Kingdom of Bart to take full control of all the territories it claims to be, and step ahead of the rest!

Not only the Kingdom of Bart, but also other countries do not actually control half of their territory.

It is impossible to make all the nobles who govern the small oasis dotted there, mostly in the desert, ministers.

Like Old Town and Water City, there are also forms of governance where merchants exercise autonomy, and it is difficult to incorporate them into a royal state... the point is left alone.

Regardless of the profits, the kingdom of Bart has already taken over Water City and expanded its dominance, to say the least.

The assertion that the land was originally at the bottom of the ocean and had control over all the salty rock fields should be ignored for the time being.

In addition to this, the Shipland will be under complete control... and the unknown civilians will be happy.

Merchants will have heads, with the exception of some businesses.

"If you attack Shipland, will you abandon Water City?

"There's no way! This is the land we got!

"However, while maintaining water city, we need to send a force that can defeat the Shipland, while maintaining domestic distribution and traffic. It's impossible."

Whatever you think, you don't have enough stomach space.

Maintain the island water city on land without lowering the living standards of the people while maintaining supplies by sending the army on expeditions.

First of all, I can't...

"You don't think you can?

"No matter how you calculate it."

"Collect the ships and magic boxes from the merchants and form a supply convoy. Luxury is your enemy until you have taken complete possession of Shipland! If the Shipland falls, we can put it back. It's war time! Now!"

"That's also a pretty ruthless solution for civilians."

"When the Shipland falls, nature and the economy will improve and the grievances of the people will disappear."

"So what's next for Old Town? I don't have any kills. Are you putting civilians in trouble again?

"(Hey, Count Nelson....)"

One of the great aristocrats, who should normally have ignored him, gently stabbed him in the nail.

No matter how wrong His Majesty's manoeuvres may be, any further rumours will cost him his life.

This is where the great aristocrats are in vain.

All you have to do is oppose it together, but in the end, Your Majesty will push you.

And from His Majesty's achievements, he plots to seize power and posts.

Even though civilians hate such things...

Can't I say anything about others?

"Well, can't Count Nelson stand the ship's director?"

It seems that His Majesty was hesitant to slay the righteous minister.

I have secretly urged the Director of the Ship Management Bureau to resign.

"I don't have the ability to execute His Majesty's plan. I don't know if it's the new Director of Shipping."

Very well. Thank you very much. Vicomte Parwood!

Ha!

"Order the next Director of the Ship Management Bureau. You know what I mean?

"Yes! Let's make sure you do your part. Leave it to me."

Count Nelson resigned from the post of Director of Shipping and was succeeded by Count Parwood, whom His Majesty liked.

I hope he can do the right thing… Not if Count Nelson says he can't, but it's great to be young.

Still, if Shipland falls...

It may fail, but His Majesty and his supporters will not think about it.

This country is going crazy.

Perhaps Major Thunder, who escaped earlier, was right.