Chapter 482

Though lamps weren’t exactly a luxury, for most citizens of the capital, if it wasn’t for working under the light, burning oil and lighting lamps without reason was undoubtedly a rather shameful waste.

The only ones who would keep their lamps lit all night regardless of cost for just a bit of brightness were the rich folks living in the Upper District, places like Red Pine Avenue or Lao瑟 Arcade.

Among the few “lit areas” in the capital, the place with the most lamps was naturally the Royal Palace, which served as the core of the capital.

However, after the palace quietly changed hands, most of those lamps that used to stay on endlessly were ordered off by the new owner. In the rear part of the palace, where the royal bedchambers were, only one window remained lit.

Phew… finally almost done.

After finishing her work at her desk, the princess, known as the first night owl of the capital, stretched like a cat, loosening her sore muscles. But unlike usual, she didn’t turn off the lamp and go to sleep. Instead, she took out a crumpled notebook from behind her and quietly flipped through it at the table.

The handwriting in the notebook looked somewhat crooked. It wasn’t so much ugly writing as it resembled something scribbled with feet sliding on ice, lines unstable enough to make the letters appear fat and round, full of the innocence unique to children.

However, despite the seemingly innocent font, the content of the notebook was far from it, instead carrying a rather sharp edge.

“The first step of the plan is to overthrow the royal family and completely unify the kingdom!”

Looking at the old homework book of William, where the royal crest had been forcefully marked with a red X, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but slightly curl her lips.

Unlike the dog-like scrawls around it, the royal crest labeled as the “target” on the homework was drawn quite neatly, clearly traced over the pattern on the paper underneath.

Below the crossed-out royal crest, there was a rough map of the kingdom’s approximate geography, also traced from a map.

“Next, at any cost, befriend the nobles here and try to take this place!”

On the rough map, roughly the position of the Ruer Area of Black Forest Kingdom, was heavily circled with a pen, and beside it was a black smudged small drawing that was hard to identify.

Hmm… blindly guessing, it should be a lump of coal.

Recalling the intelligence about the Ruer Area, the princess pulled out an abandoned document from the table and wrote ‘Ruer Area – Coal’ on its back.

Remembering that the Ruer Area was the largest coal-producing area of Black Forest Kingdom, this must be a mineral mark. The word “coal,” however, was probably taught in third grade at public school; the kid likely didn’t know how to write it, so he drew a black smudged lump to represent it.

“After acquiring ‘the black, warm-burning thing that feels gritty when you bite it,’ choose the coldest winter and dig up all the roads leading north to Black Forest Kingdom and Leon County!”

On this traced rough map, all seven main roads leading north had six crossed out, leaving only one road from Leon County intact. Next to this remaining main road, two crossed….

Subconsciously drawing a question mark on the scrap paper, the princess strained to recognize the slanted annotations in the homework book.

“The northern kingdom gets very cold in winter, needing fuel to keep warm. The ports by the sea make ice cream for a few months, so as long as all the roads are cut, they’ll have no choice but to burn what they’ve stored.”

Making ice cream for a few months… probably means frozen for a few months; looks like he hasn’t learned how to spell that word either.

After translating William’s homework and copying it onto the back of the scrap paper, the princess, referring to her knowledge of Eishto Kingdom, added a few more effective methods against the Northland Kingdom, then stared at the old homework lost in thought.

This child’s writings, though appearing childish and game-like, revealed surprisingly broad thinking behind them.

As the world’s northernmost Frostland Country, the Northland Kingdom Eishto almost invades its neighbors every few years, except for Black Forest Principality because it controls their lifeline.

For herself and the kingdom, rather than spending a lot of effort building defenses and stationing troops along the border year-round, passively waiting for Eishto Kingdom’s invasion, it might be better to seize the initiative and choose a favorable time to force Eishto Kingdom to advance south prematurely.

Although war is the worst choice, resisting war alone will inevitably lead to greater tragedies.

Rather than continuing to invest heavily in the military department, letting defense works and military expenses bankrupt the kingdom’s finances, it might be better to initiate a war proactively when the time is right, making the Northland Kingdom understand that its weak neighbor also has the ability to fight to the death.

After jotting down the military power comparison between the two countries on the back of the scrap paper, Princess Veronica’s face showed a determined expression.

We can fight! Even though there’s still a considerable gap in military strength between the two countries now, unlike past defensive battles, our side, having control over the war’s initiative, is fighting an open ambush battle with almost no chance of losing, and the intensity of the war is easy to control.

With key routes cut beforehand, just two to three legions can block Eishto Kingdom’s southern route. Add to that their hurried mobilization and the difficulty of winter logistics.

At that time, there won’t even need to be large battles; just about a month of standoff and a few small-scale controlled skirmishes will be enough to make Eishto Kingdom retreat and opt for negotiations.

At that point, we can promise to reopen coal transport but demand the return of the pass seized six years ago from Eishto Kingdom. Once that pass is exchanged back, it will only take one-sixth or even less of the original standing army to completely block these bandits’ southern path!

Once the border defense pressure is gone, we can drastically reduce those ineffective old armies, prioritize shifting the fiscal budget to education and public expenditure, and use eight to fifteen years to quickly cultivate a large number of educated people.

When this generation grows up and becomes the spark to ignite more people, I’ll have the ability to wield the sword and thoroughly cleanse the corruption within the kingdom, allowing this already aging country to rejuvenate!

(End of Chapter)