Commercial Alliance

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Commercial Alliance (商业联盟)
Alias(es)	Forde Commercial Alliance
Founder(s)	Grand Duke Molent, together with six major merchant guilds 550
Capital	Molent City 1
Government	Merchant-guild alliance governed by commercial councils; historically dominated by the Seven Giants 250 306
Core Territories	Originally the Malichu Plains and Christo Hills; Molent City was its political and commercial center 250
Status	Active, but reduced to four provinces after territorial losses and internal secessions; pursuing administrative and economic reforms 597 627
First Appearance	Prologue 1

Background / History

Grand Duke Molent established the alliance on the Malichu Plains after abolishing the traditional feudal and serf systems. He founded the Fude Merchant Guild and united it with six other major merchant guilds, creating a political force through which merchants could conduct continent-wide trade and pursue their political interests. 1 550

The alliance spent more than a century resisting the Krissen Empire. In its final major battle against the empire, it brought down the empire's only Sword Saint on the battlefield, buying nearly twenty years of peace. The resulting prosperity made the Commercial Alliance the leading power in northern Galintea, with commercial influence extending throughout the continent. 1

Its early government reflected its mercantile origins. To reduce administration costs, curb corruption, and divide criminal power, Molent City legalized underground organizations and contracted district security, taxation, sanitation, and other management duties to them. 1

Peerage and Expansion

The alliance later adopted a peerage system, allowing merchant-guild leaders to become territorial nobles. Molent City and the Malichu Plains were retained as the alliance's foundation, while Christo Hills was intended to be divided into more than fifty smaller fiefs. 250

Its need for fiefs drove expansion beyond its original territory. The Duchy of Rulm was incorporated after Grand Duke Rulm accepted the alliance's terms, while the alliance encouraged noble enfeoffment and guild expansion toward the Kingdoms of Redlis and Antinak. 250

After the Glass War, the alliance annexed the Kingdom of Trinber and other surrounding states, becoming the largest nation on Galintea by territory. However, its former allies responded by restricting trade, sealing borders, and treating the alliance as an expansionist threat comparable to the former Krissen Empire. 280 468 550

Decline and Fragmentation

The expansionist wars damaged the alliance's commercial base. Merchant guilds moved workshops and warehouses from Molent City into their private territories, while foreign trade declined and the alliance increasingly relied on war-related revenue and plunder. 550 551

During the war with the Kingdom of Antinak, Norton Family forces captured Molent City and other major cities. The alliance abandoned Molent City, leaving its population and economic crisis to the occupying forces. 544 550

Molent City's autonomous committee subsequently founded the Free Alliance, declaring independence from the Commercial Alliance and claiming the Malichu Plains and Christo Hills. The Commercial Alliance denounced the new state as a rebellion and mobilized more than 300,000 troops against it. 567

Further defeats accelerated the alliance's breakup. The Chikede Merchant Guild seceded as the Kingdom of Chikedo, while the Mayflower Merchant Guild formed the Kingdom of Mayflower; the Peterson Merchant Guild later prepared to establish its own kingdom as well. 584 588

After suppressing an internal rebellion, Grand Duke Comberlet began consolidating the remaining alliance. His reforms included developing the surviving territories, purging opposition, and gradually replacing territorial noble grants with honorary titles and annuities. 597

Governance

The Seven Giants

The alliance was originally controlled by seven major merchant guilds, collectively known as the Seven Giants. Their leaders were positioned to receive Grand Duke-level peerages under the new enfeoffment system. 250 264

Merchant Guild	Recorded role / significance
Forde/Fude Merchant Guild	Founding guild associated with Grand Duke Molent; focused on agriculture and opposed dividing the Malichu Plains into overly small fiefs. 250 550
Two-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild	Led by Grand Duke Comberlet; became a leading military and political force within the alliance. 264 574
Vicia Merchant Guild	Historically controlled alliance weapons production and later rebuilt its manufacturing base. 264 566
Mayflower Merchant Guild	A major guild that later seceded and founded the Kingdom of Mayflower. 584
Livord Merchant Guild	One of the Seven Giants; sought to bring the Duchy of Mobia under alliance control. 250
Peterson Merchant Guild	Often acted independently of the main factions; later moved toward secession and the formation of the Peterson Kingdom. 574 588
Chikede Merchant Guild	Targeted Shirovas Island for expansion, then later seceded and founded the Kingdom of Chikedo. 250 584

Commercial Councils

The highest commercial council directed major alliance policy and originally consisted of the Seven Giants. Grand Duke Rulm was promised eventual voting rights after joining the alliance and repaying a five-million-Gold-Fude loan, demonstrating that council membership could be expanded through political and financial concessions. 250

The secondary Alliance Council included second-rate merchant guilds, citizen representatives, and industry leaders. It initially served supervisory and consultative functions, but gained influence after the Seven Giants focused on administering their own territories. 306

Marquis Bejishanluo, chairman of the Alliance Council and head of the Luoshanji Chamber of Commerce, attempted to use grain shortages, popular xenophobia, and a proposed Alliance Legion to challenge the Seven Giants' dominance. His fall later enabled the Seven Giants to dissolve the Luoshanji Chamber of Commerce and remove him from the council. 316 319

Territory

Period	Territorial Position
Founding era	Based on the Malichu Plains, with Molent City as its capital; Christo Hills lay within its sphere of influence but remained difficult to govern directly. 26 250
Peerage reforms	Retained Molent City and the Malichu Plains as the alliance's foundation while preparing to distribute Christo Hills as fiefs. 250
Post-Glass War	Expanded through the annexation of Trinber and other central-southern states, becoming Galintea's largest nation by territory. 280 468
After Molent City's loss	Lost the Malichu Plains and Christo Hills to the newly declared Free Alliance. 567
Later remnant	Retained four provinces—Kuvadro, Rioliya, Toscao, and Fimxilan—after further secessions and territorial restoration efforts by its enemies. 597

Military

The alliance's early defensive doctrine was shaped by more than a century of war against the Krissen Empire. It relied on separately stationed fortified strongpoints that could be costly to assault without elite forces or overwhelming losses. 262

Following the peerage reforms, the Seven Giants and newly enfeoffed nobles increasingly formed private standing forces. The Two-Headed Dragon Merchant Guild absorbed the City Defense Army to create a regular legion, while the Vicia Merchant Guild struggled to meet the growing demand for standardized equipment. 264

During its later conflict with the Free Alliance and the Norton Family, the Commercial Alliance fielded more than 300,000 troops. Its forces used deep trenches, strong fortifications, trebuchets, and large repeating crossbows, though they suffered heavily from Norton artillery and cavalry operations. 518 562 567

The alliance also retained substantial high-end combat power, including nearly a hundred Great Swordsmen and the Storm Sword Saint. After its defeat at Bruvia City, it granted the Storm Sword Saint the former Duchy of Gonlinia to preserve his allegiance and stabilize its southern territories. 477 574

Economy and Production

• Molent City — Formerly Galintea's foremost commercial city, sustained by a population shaped by the alliance's emphasis on wealth, trade, and personal independence rather than feudal loyalty. 550 559
• Glass — The alliance's greatest surviving geographical advantage. Its remaining territories include former Trinber lands capable of producing Green Glass and Oil Glass at costs that outside competitors cannot match. 597
• Military equipment — The Vicia Merchant Guild historically controlled weapons production; the alliance later rebuilt manufacturing facilities using hydraulic machinery and new mineral supplies. 264 566
• Specialty goods — Gold and silver ware, fruit wine, stone carvings, and artworks remain areas in which alliance guilds expect to compete with Norton Family goods. 627
• Trade strategy — Grand Duke Comberlet sought access to Krissen Empire trade routes and mineral resources in order to rebuild production and regain market share. 627

Relationships

• Krissen Empire — Long-standing enemy during the alliance's century-long defensive wars; the empire's decline enabled the alliance's rise to continental prominence. 1
• Kingdom of Trinber — Former ally that supported the alliance against the Krissen Empire; their relationship collapsed over Trinber's glass monopoly and led to the Glass War. 259 280
• Kingdom of Chigda — Allied with the alliance during the central-southern wars; the alliance later recognized Chigda's annexed territories and extended a major interest-free loan. 473
• Norton Family — Principal military and economic rival during the struggle for the Malichu Plains and Molent City. Norton campaigns fractured alliance territory and supported the Free Alliance. 544 567 579
• Free Alliance — Breakaway state established in Molent City. Initially branded traitors by the Commercial Alliance, it later reached a mutual-recognition agreement after receiving one million Gold Fude in compensation. 567 590
• Kingdom of Antinak — Major opponent in the later wars; the alliance attempted to force its surrender through hostage-taking during nominal peace negotiations. 500