The Orol region had now replaced the former Tacoma City as a key hub connecting the southeastern part of the Basharan Empire to the Adak region.
However, following the incident in Tacoma City some time ago, this hub had been abandoned for a long period. After hearing reports of heavy casualties in the city, merchant caravans dared not approach, and the Black Feather Knights were constantly investigating the local situation. For an extended time, trade routes between the two areas were at a standstill. Now, news had suddenly arrived.
"What exactly is going on? What's the problem at the border?"
In the count's office, Sean had summoned Joseph, Asrant, and Harry together.
Joseph glanced back at Sean and handed over a letter. It had already been opened.
As the highest-ranking military officer in the area, these matters were Joseph's responsibility. If there were no issues, he wouldn't have rushed to see Sean.
Sean took out the letter and read it. It was a report from the border garrison, stating that some Adak people had been lingering near the border, gathering in increasing numbers, and they appeared to be soldiers. Although they hadn't fully crossed the border, they had been protecting merchant caravans coming from Adak. Having military protection at the border was understandable, but continuously sending troops was problematic.
Moreover, Orol City was currently under construction. In such a sensitive period, reinforcing the border with troops...
"This was sent two days ago. According to the letter, there might be even more by now," Joseph said from the side.
Sean handed the letter to the other two to read.
"Has your unit taken any measures?"
"I've already sent reinforcements to the border, but..."
"But what?" Sean asked, noticing his hesitation.
"It's not a big deal, just something from earlier. As you know, Count, Orol City originally belonged to Tacoma. When the Tacoma incident happened, many Orol soldiers went to that area. Now, a lot of people still have trauma about that place. Tacoma City is probably evacuated by now, and that area is a ghost town. Without a proper supply line, our soldiers can't hold the position."
In short, there was no camp.
Actually, the best camp in that area was the one Sean had used when he pretended to be a mercenary with Freya. It had underground tunnels and complete military facilities. Abandoning it would be a huge loss.
Though Sean didn't know what it looked like now, without that kind of camp, it was hard to station many troops at the border. Temporary expansion would consume too many supplies and funds. Orol City was already at its construction limit for this period. Pushing the people further would breed resentment.
"Or we could control their merchants. If I remember correctly, the corresponding area in Adak is called Bahahama, a large city on the Gobi. It has fierce troops and fertile land. Such a city might not want to fight the Basharan Empire; maybe it's just trying to grab some benefits."
"What benefits could Orol City give them? Trading with them all these years has been the biggest benefit!" Joseph, lacking Harry's foresight, argued straightforwardly. Orol City wasn't a pushover, and it had the Basharan Empire behind it.
"For example, isn't Tacoma City now in ruins? They might want it."
"Impossible! Even if the city is abandoned, it's our land. It might be rebuilt later. Why would we give it to them?" The two began to clash.
Regarding Tacoma City, it had indeed exceeded Sean's expectations.
He had thought the city would slowly recover from the pain after the incident, but recently it seemed no one was left there. Even if a few remained, most houses were empty. Despite the farmland and land, no one wanted to stay in that place.
"They might not necessarily want it..."
"What do you mean?"
Everyone in the room suddenly looked at Harry.
A speculative expression appeared on his face.
"Maybe they're testing. Testing whether our count has the same resolve." Harry finally looked at Sean.
Silence fell. Everyone waited for Sean's answer.
A ruler's determination to defend sometimes determines the land's归属. Just as a leader who charges into battle inspires soldiers, even though old Tacoma City was Basharan territory, if Adak merchants lived there or no one managed it, it would become symbolic land, with actual control in others' hands.
For the sake of face.
The old Tacoma City couldn't be lost, but was it worth sending troops to a place no one wanted to live in?
At this moment, Sean wished he had the hundreds of thousands or millions of troops from those stories. Then he could easily keep the peace. But with his current resources, he could barely scrape together twenty or thirty thousand men.
"There's one thing I find strange," Sean suddenly said.
"What's that, my lord?"
"Why would they be interested in a place my citizens don't want to live in?" That was indeed a question.
"Uh, I'm just guessing. Otherwise, their troop buildup makes no sense. Besides, the Adak region can't compare to the Basharan Empire. They're mostly oasis and desert tribes, hard to unite," Harry said.
Since it was all speculation, they should prepare for every possibility.
"Alright, Joseph. Keep monitoring their movements. Send a capable deputy there. If needed, report directly to me," Sean ordered.
His territory was just getting started, and problems were already arising.
Construction wasn't even finished, and he was being forced to expand the army?
After instructing Asrant to start recruiting soldiers, Sean returned alone to the sand table, staring at the tiny figures moving around Orol City. A servant came to inform him that Luke and Danti had arrived.
Finally, something to cheer Sean up. He hurriedly called for Luke, Danti, and Kalibo to come in.
With his two most loyal subordinates here, he could delegate some of his burdens.
As he invited the three in, Sean was surprised to see Claude and his sister had also come.
"Lord Sean, your place is so big now! On the way here, we heard all about your stories, and we heard you..."
Smack!
Before he could finish, Esmeralda punched him.
"Show some respect! Call him Count Weigel."
"Haha, it's fine. Call me whatever you're used to. I'm glad you're here." Sean had been worried about lacking trusted aides for the city's development. With Claude here, that position seemed suddenly filled.
"You've been traveling for over half a month. How are the others?" Sean knew not many had come, but they had done their best. Not everyone was willing to leave their homeland, especially since Taylor's Mill had always been a stable and comfortable place.
"Not good. This time, we... sigh." Luke sighed.
"You did your best."
"But speaking of which, my lord, when we entered the Orol region, we saw many Adak merchants. Has the trade route reopened?"
"Are there already caravans heading to Koga City?" Sean asked back.
"Yeah, we ran into some. Had a few chats with them. Interestingly, they said besides trading, their king told them to look for some book. Haha, since when did the Adak people become so studious, wanting to read?"