After a series of negotiations, the Near East Defense Line plan was finally approved. Without any surprise, Hudson's territory became the core of the defense line.
Geography was secondary. The key was Hudson's reputation. Unless this nail was pulled out, the Beastfolk army would not dare rashly advance deep behind enemy lines.
The Expeditionary Corps' campaign deep into the Orc Great Plains had fundamentally changed the nature of warfare, making everyone realize: so war could be fought like this!
Even without logistical support, the Expeditionary Corps had achieved brilliant results in its long-range raids. With the Near East as a bridgehead, its power would only grow greater.
Under these circumstances, the first city the Kingdom began building was obvious—a port!
If conditions existed, they had to do it. If they did not, they had to create the conditions and do it anyway. The greatest feature of this extraordinary world was that manpower could reshape nature.
In theory, deserts could become oases, wilderness could become fertile land, and mountains could become plains. It was merely a question of how much one was willing to invest.
Without question, that was only in theory. Reversing nature's laws was far from as simple as it appeared.
For a desert to become an oasis, the local climate had to be changed completely. Otherwise, it would soon deteriorate back into a desert.
Turning wilderness into fertile soil required more than suitable climate; one also had to know how to nourish the land. Otherwise, once the soil's fertility was exhausted, it would become barren again.
By comparison, an artificial harbor caused the least backlash. So long as no major upheaval occurred, it would not face serious problems for a century or so.
Still, the harbor's exact location could only be determined after an on-site survey.
Everything was