A celebratory banquet, sort of

Common courtesy meant that after concluding a beneficial agreement as momentous as an alliance, a celebratory banquet was to be hosted for the sake of the visiting delegation, and a banquet was held that night in the capital of Griesdrungen, in the Lichtenstein Palast.

Hasounga's fare would consist of both traditional and luxurious Danubian and Ganadonian fare, cooked by some of the finest chefs the land had to offer. It was a way of representing the unity and economic wealth of the new Hasounga Empire, to show that their finest farms could offer such wondrous produce for the Imperial kitchen.

Musicians and dancers painted a very cordial and celebratory atmosphere, to represent the mending of wounds and the cementing of new bonds of friendship.

The climate in the banquet hall, however, was anything but.

Frindian and Hasoungan officials glared daggers at each other, munching food and drinking wine like they were feasting on gristle and stale water, and it was an atmosphere that was hardly missed by anyone in the banquet hall, the dancers and musicians included. Still, with professionalism befitting soldiers, they soldiered on with their duty of easing this tense atmosphere.

You and Olga, as Kaiser and Kaiserin of Hasounga, along with your bodyguards Matilda and Chloe, were seated across Prime Minister Bogdan Piaskowski and his aide named Lyuba Svehla, also a high-ranking general of the Frindian Army. If the atmosphere in the banquet hall were akin to being balanced on a thin needle, the atmosphere between you and Bogdan was like feeling an invisible hand crushing one's heart.

"I can still scarcely believe you'd daringly approach me like this, Bogdan," You said, sipping your wine glass, "Especially considering how my dear wife and Chloe eye you."

Olga and Chloe made no attempt to hide their animosity, barely controlled by decades of restraint and control.

"I am well aware of the historical baggage between our two great nations, I assure you," Said Bogdan, "However, when circumstances dictate it, we must put aside our personal grievances for the greater good."

"Your campaign in Mazaria, I take it?" You asked.

"Indeed, Kaiser Xarric," Said Bogdan, "The campaign there has progressed to a point we cannot back out, having invested significant resources, time and manpower into it. They murdered our King Stanislaw's parents in cold blood during a raid, along with his eldest brother, Prince Sokol."

"I scarcely recall my own mother Alundia being murdered by Prince Sokol during a military skirmish on our soil, orchestrated by a cleverly-planned naval invasion," Said Olga coldly.

"And there is the matter of my own Uncle, Arnold Schult," You said, "Frindia invaded us over a minor border dispute, and Uncle Arnold was dispatched at the head of an army to defend. We won, but lost a great general and nobleman."

"..."

Bogdan knows he is under heavy scrutiny, and yet infuriatingly, to his credit, remained as calm and composed as from the moment he stepped into your court. Though you also had to admit, now that he proposed the alliance, it would give you invaluable time to build up Hasounga's strength for the inevitable confrontation with Frindia to come.

The fact you managed to squeeze out a profitable clause was the icing on the cake - a sweet icing you relished on the tip of your tongue.

"Make sure to remember this, Bogdan..." You said, voice dangerously low, "The moment this alliance ends, the ones to devour you and Frindia shall be us, Hasounga. Together united, until the bitter end."

Lyuba is fuming at this point, teeth gnashed in fury as she glared icy daggers at you.

Olga, on the other hand, leans onto your side, smiling with joy beyond words."

"Oh husband, how glad I am to have married you," She said.

You smile, saying, "Few can ever meet your exacting standards, my love."

And then, you raise your glass to Bogdan, saying, "How about we toast to this alliance, Bogdan? For as long as it lasts?"

Bogdan slowly raises his as courtesy, as does a very recalcitrant Lyuba.

"As you wish," Said Bogdan.

And so, the six of you clink glasses together - the first and last time you ever would.

With the alliance concluded, another three months had to be spent making preparations to smoothly accept the city of Koszale under Hasoungan rule, both to handle the migration of citizens who couldn't accept the new administration and the alliance, and to smoothly introduce a new edition of Hasoungan laws to the city.

Now, in your war room, you convened with your generals while overlooking a map of the Desert Sultanates.

Claudia Kupferblum (Female Human), Adrian Weidmann (Male Human), Gabriella Haushofer (Female Human), Briolforn Yitav (Male Dark Elf), Hoteac Betzale (Male Dwarf) and Oghash Gab (Female Orc). All six of them are great generals of undisputed renown, strength and tactical acumen, having defended their homes for decades.

"If we are to start expanding our great Empire, we cannot turn to Euronia for this," Said Adrian, the fifty-year veteran stroking his trimmed beard thoughtfully, "Right now, due to our alliance with Frindia and the fact our position in Koszale is under threat, we must instead turn towards the Desert Sultanates for expansion."

"Frindia is no small enemy, especially with Bogdan at the helm," Said Claudia, "Alas, I despise the fact he still lives, but our past history with coalition armies means we can't invade Frindia carelessly either."

"So our first enemy, ladies and gentlemen?" You asked.

"Of course, the Sultanate of Yanikara," Said Gabriella, the young woman's eyes sharply reflecting her enthusiasm, "It is our only enemy between us and the rest of the Continental Highway, and easily our greatest threat."

"Yes, not once in our long history did Ganadonia ever come close to conquering the Sultanate at all," Said Olga, "We did make gains in the past century, but they were partially lost due to the emergence of ferocious generals - those we know as the Three Lions of Yanikara."

"Akarsu Selte, Husam Akalin, and Alpayer Yagmur," Said Briolforn, "The inferior Yanikaran Armies can never hope to withstand our mighty armies in full-****, so they often resort to 'soft' tactics to wear us down or **** our generals. Yet, in the past three decades, they fought with the ferocity of Lions in head-on combat, and much as I am ashamed to admit, I lost so badly that I was temporarily demoted and **** to retire."

"They're that formidable, the Three Lions?" You asked.

"I must affirm General Briolforn's statement, Mein Kaiser," Said Hoteac, "I specialize in defense, and I can confidently say few in the world can ever hope to breach it head-on, but that's exactly what Serdar (Yanikaran for General) Akarsu did."

Hoteac pointed to a nasty scar across his milky white left eye.

"This is proof of him personally wounding me," Said Hoteac.

You nodded at him.

"How should we approach this, then?" You said.

"The way I see it, we must establish a favorable beachhead and frontline," Said Gabriella, "Which means we must be ready to poise a blade at the capital before they have a chance to properly react to the invasion at hand."

"Why not simply a direct invasion through the western frontier, then?" You asked.

"Yes, it seems like the most direct way," Said Matilda.

"Because we already tried that approach innumerable times," Said Chloe, "First direct attacks, then diversions and even bait. Many of them failed because the western frontier of Yanikara is filled with steep mountains and thick forests that are extremely difficult to traverse, and which renders standard formations useless. They use that to their advantage, hitting us hard and hurting us the most when we least expect."

"So no matter how we travel there, we will likely suffer heavy casualties in the process," Said Olga, "My own mother Alundia tried, and was severely wounded when leading an invasion."

"I see..." You said.

"Which calls to question the nature of the unorthodox method we should use," Said Oghash, "And where we should strike first."

"Yes, which is why I suggest we concentrate on three points," Said Oghash, "The first is the city of Emti, the only city on flat ground between the Belcik Mountains that serves as the gateway to inner Yaniraka."

Oghash pointed to a single city nestled between two mountain rangers, and already you could see the dilemma you would face; if you attacked here, not only would the Yanirakans be amply alerted to your presence, they could easily use that city as a chokepoint to mitigate whatever numbers you send and forcibly put you back at square one. Furthermore, the slew of other cities near the Yanirakan capital of Sorik are undoubtedly heavily fortified and heavily staffed and defended with the best troops and armaments they have.

And there was another feeling you had, a suspicion that there was more to the western defense formation that you simply couldn't shake, but did not know the origin of.

"The next point?" You asked.

"The city of Sekiler to the north of Sorik, said to be located right at the throat of the capital," Said Adrian, "It is also easily accessible by sea, and will most likely be heavily guarded by a fleet. We'd have to contend with them if we're to take the city, and its formidable naval defenses as well."

"Magical bombs, powerful sorcerers and state-of-the-art ballistae," Said Claudia, "Alas, this is only hearsay, and we don't know the truth of the rumours from which we learned of this, so further scouting will be needed."

"But if we conquer the city, we will have gained an extremely advantageous position from which to conquer the eastern half of Yanikara," Olga said, "Yes, this could work."

"And the third point?" Asked Matilda.

"Right here," Said Hoteac.

Where he pointed though, was completely out of your reach, and both yours and Olga's eyes widened.

"Are you sure about this, Hoteac?" You asked.

"Frankly, Hoteac, this isn't the time and place for a prank," Said Briolforn, "That city is completely out of our reach and straight on the very periphery of Yanikara's eastern frontiers!"

Indeed, the city Hoteac pointed at - the city of Atabey - was located on the eastern reaches of Yanikara, smack dab at the middle of the border with the Empire of Kalgol to the east of it. Nevermind conquering it, you couldn't even reach it without miraculously transporting an entire army over sea and land without anyone noticing into Kalgoli lands.

And the Kalgoli sorcerers would most certainly have contingency measures against unlawful teleportation, not to mention that to mass teleport an army, the mage would need a clearly-defined focal point established on the other side.

"Hoteac, are you actually suggesting...?" Asked Olga.

"Exactly, Mein Kaiserin," Said Hoteac, "We seek an alliance with the Empire of Kalgol, and have them attack Yanikara in conjunction with our own invasion."

"Bwahaha!" Said Briolforn, "Now there's my mad fellow general! Always ready to conjure the most insane plans!"

You smile, saying, "Yes, if we can attack at all three points, we can most certainly make a conquest of Yanikara possible!"

"But considering that we are facing the Three Lions, whether the plan succeeds depends not only on our strength pitted against them, but the timing as well," Said Claudia, "Miss even a single second, and the whole plan could easily fall apart."

"But we have a plan nonetheless, and whatever traps the Three Lions have planned for us, we can never know how severe they may be until we see for ourselves," You said, "I take it we are in accord, Olga?"

"Indeed, my husband," Said Olga, "Generals, we hereby give you our utmost approval for the invasion of Yanikara!"

"Aye!" They chorused.

"Matilda, get me a messenger," Said Olga, "It's time we put our most esteemed diplomat to use."