Forgiveness

The Commercial Alliance's decision to bow its head and admit defeat so readily came as a complete surprise to Lorist. In his original plan, the upper echelons of the Norton Family had assumed that the Commercial Alliance would continue fighting and launch relentless retaliatory attacks against the newly independent Peterson Kingdom. Thus, the Norton Family Armed Forces had prepared for a prolonged defensive war and recalled the Rock Army, which had been returning to the Northlands, to hold the defensive line established in Kuvadro Province.

Lorist and Malek had planned to spend two full years gradually wearing down the Commercial Alliance's strength and morale. There was no need to defeat it in one fell swoop; they would force it into a desperate situation step by step until it could no longer resist. From a military perspective, this arrangement reduced the Norton Family Armed Forces' losses. Besides, in another six months, after reorganization and receiving military aid from the Norton Family, the Peterson Kingdom's armed forces would be able to take up positions on the front line. Once the Peterson Kingdom's forces and the Commercial Alliance's forces had completely fallen out and fought each other to the death, Lorist could simply watch the spectacle from the sidelines.

As for the Commercial Alliance's shortage of salt, Lorist had already decided to have Grand Duke Peterson organize people to smuggle salt into the Commercial Alliance. This would keep the Commercial Alliance alive while continuously bleeding it from another direction. By repeatedly extracting profits from the alliance through the high prices of smuggled rock salt, they could fund this prolonged defensive war. It was practically using the Commercial Alliance's own gold to equip and train soldiers to fight the Commercial Alliance. Why would he refuse?

But now the Commercial Alliance had sent envoys to