Chapter 779 — A Talk Between Friends
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"Cecil, by contrast, is a fierce new beast born from the flesh and blood of that old one, and it has developed and matured at a speed far beyond our imagining. It has a ruler who is exceptionally intelligent, broad in vision, and rich in experience, and an extremely efficient bureaucratic system to help him realize his rule. From a military standpoint alone—since that is what I know best—the army of the Cecil Empire has already carried out reforms deeper than our own.
"No, that is not accurate. It is not reform, because the entire war system of the Cecil people has been rebuilt from the ground up. I have seen their speed of mobilization and their capacity for execution—an efficiency that no old-style army could achieve no matter how it reformed. On this point, perhaps only a few of our transcendent legions can match them."
Matilda could not help but slow her steps, and the look she gave An Luo held a measure of surprise. "It sounds... as though you are not optimistic about the situation at all?"
"I am merely stating facts."
"...With a temperament like yours, you truly are unsuited to remain in the capital," Matilda shook her head helplessly. "The facts you have candidly stated are already enough to earn you countless questions and criticisms in the Council."
"Playing with words in the Council will not increase our armies," An Luo said bluntly. "Ansu was very weak back then—that is a fact. Cecil is very strong now—that too is a fact."
"...In your view, has Cecil already grown stronger than us?" Matilda suddenly asked.
This time An Luo did not answer at once. She pondered for a moment before saying earnestly, "I do not think so."
"Oh? That hardly squares with that string of 'facts' you just stated."
"I have been gathering intelligence on them all along. Though the spies we placed over there have suffered heavy blows, they are still active to this day, and with their help my advisors and I have analyzed Cecil's situation," An Luo suddenly stopped. She looked into Matilda's eyes, and there was something burning in her gaze. "That empire has places where it is stronger than us—its strength lies in a more efficient bureaucratic system and more advanced magitech. But these two things require time to be transformed into 'national power,' and right now they have not fully completed that transformation.
"The order after the war needs to be rebuilt, and a great many officials are run ragged doing so; a vast population needs to be pacified, the ravaged lands need to be reconstructed, new laws need to be propagated; the rapid expansion of territory and the relatively limited military force mean they must devote a large number of soldiers to maintaining domestic stability, while the newly trained troops have not yet had time to develop fighting strength—even if that magitech equipment is easy to operate, soldiers still need a process of learning and familiarization.
"They have relatively advanced magitech, but those blueprints can only queue up in the factories, because ore cannot be mined in a moment, and steel cannot be turned into machines in an instant. Their emperor has established new-style schools, but how many students can be trained at one time, and how many of those students can successfully become workers, officials, and soldiers?
"At Paramel Heights, a single war fortress blocked our knight order. We once thought it was a trap the Cecil people had prepared long in advance, but later intelligence indicated that the war fortress may have arrived at Paramel Heights less than an hour before we did! And before that, Fort Longwind simply did not have enough soldiers, nor enough 'Skyfire Devices'!"
An Luo said a great deal in one breath, while Matilda merely listened quietly and attentively, never interrupting her friend, until An Luo stopped. Only then did she speak. "So, what is your conclusion?"