Chapter 386: Chapter 248: The Joy of Victory, the Weight of Reality

This was likely because Mansa’s first impression of Fang Zhen was formed when he dueled Tarrenno, making him appear as just a valiant warrior, not a capable Commander-in-Chief or a proper Lord.

Fang Zhen looked at Mansa and said, "Speak your mind. Be direct."

"I’m open-minded enough to hear you out."

Mansa nodded slightly and said, "My lord, I know what you’re thinking. After all, everyone hopes for, and needs, their army and subordinates to be absolutely obedient." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"But you will face two problems."

"First, while you effectively control the former Balenzuo Army and your current Augustus Army, your status as a Duke has not yet been recognized by the King according to the Kingdom’s laws and traditions."

"Therefore, you can only be called a self-proclaimed Duke for now."

"Under these circumstances, it will be nearly impossible to make all the nobles within the Balenzuo and Tarrenno Duchies—which you wish to unify—submit to you willingly."

"You lack a righteous claim. Right now, the nobles are only submitting to your military might, not out of adherence to tradition. That is the first point."

Fang Zhen listened without getting angry.

He knew Mansa was speaking the truth.

An old proverb from Huaxia puts it best: if your title is not legitimate, your words carry no weight. If your words carry no weight, your work cannot be done. If your work cannot be done, order cannot be established. That was exactly what this meant.

Even though the power struggles of the nobles here were, in essence, a game of strength, one still had to at least pay lip service to a righteous cause and fly the banner of tradition and legitimacy. Otherwise, it meant tearing away all pretense and breaking the rules.

Others might not say anything due to your power, but in their hearts, they wouldn’t truly agree to submit to your rule. They might even secretly scheme against you, plot your downfall, and try to have you assassinated.

After raising this point, Mansa continued, "Also, it’s unrealistic to expect the nobles in the territory to obey you completely."

"Because even back in the days of the Balenzuo and Tarrenno Duchies, the nobles were never completely united with Duke Tarrenno or Duke Balenzuo. They aligned themselves with the Duke only when bound by shared interests or other ties, like marriage alliances or beneficial exchanges."

"Even a Duke with a legitimate title can’t completely suppress the nobles beneath him with just force or status. They have their own interests, which sometimes—or to be more honest, most of the time—are inconsistent with the overall interests of the Duke or the Duchy."

"This situation doesn’t just exist here. It’s the same throughout the entire Kingdom."

"Based on these two points, it’s impossible for you to integrate the nobles of two Duchies in a short time. Integrating the nobles of even one Duchy is already a monumental task, let alone two."

Mansa’s words made everyone in the room fall silent while also nodding slightly in agreement.

For a moment, a delicate silence fell over the room.

The saying goes that lies don’t always hurt, but the truth is always a sharp knife.

The points Mansa raised were real, tangible problems—true problems, not pseudo-problems.

If they weren’t solved, Fang Zhen’s goal would be unattainable.

At that moment, Ottis suddenly cleared his throat twice.

Seeing everyone’s gazes fall upon him, Ottis looked at Fang Zhen, met his eyes, and said, "My lord, I know I shouldn’t be throwing cold water on everyone at a time like this, but as the Quartermaster—or at least, the acting Quartermaster—I need to inform you all of a very practical issue."

"Although you previously acquired a lot of military supplies and food, my lord, our forces have now been bolstered by four to five thousand surrendered Balenzuo soldiers."

"During the previous battle, a portion of their baggage train and provisions was destroyed. They now have less than three days’ worth of food."

Fang Zhen nodded. He knew what had happened.

The Balenzuo army had clearly planned to plunder the Tarrenno Duchy after entering, sustaining themselves through war. Their own supplies hadn’t been plentiful to begin with.

"So, we will soon be facing a supply shortage again," Ottis said.

"All our supplies combined might last another seven or eight days. If we don’t get more provisions after that, a mutiny in the army is foreseeable. This is also an extremely difficult and severe problem."

Ottis asked Fang Zhen with some uncertainty, "My lord, you acquired a great deal of supplies before, but if those supplies run out, can you get more?"

"If you can’t secure a stable source of supplies for the army, then your future plans—like unifying the two Duchies—will become nothing more than a pipe dream."

After this question was raised, the room once again fell into an awkward silence.

The joy brought by their recent victory seemed to dim and dissipate amidst the increasingly heavy silence.

After all, compared to the emotion of a joyful victory, the immediate issue of the army’s survival was far more weighty and real, forcing everyone to think more practically.

It was, to put it colloquially, a real buzzkill.

But there was no helping it. People had to eat.

If they didn’t come down from the high, they couldn’t think clearly. If they couldn’t think clearly, they couldn’t solve the problem. And then the issue wouldn’t just be about happiness, but about survival.

Fang Zhen looked at the people around him, especially the newest member of his team, Maso.

This newly joined Mage, Maso, was a clever man. He cautiously refrained from offering an opinion, choosing not to speak rashly. At the same time, he was observing Fang Zhen, trying to see if his new boss had the ability to handle these problems.

Fang Zhen’s expression was calm, seemingly unaffected in the slightest by the cold water Mansa and Ottis had thrown on the situation.

"No problem," Fang Zhen said.

"My lord, did you hear us clearly? The two issues I mentioned, and the supply problem Ottis just brought up, are all very real!" Mansa couldn’t help but say loudly.

Fang Zhen smiled calmly. "No problem."

He held up one hand, spreading his five fingers.

Amidst the confused gazes of the crowd, Fang Zhen said, "In five days, none of the things you mentioned will be a problem anymore."

Hearing Fang Zhen’s words, everyone present looked puzzled, thoughtful, and somewhat doubtful.

Fang Zhen chuckled.

’Mansa and Ottis weren’t just being pessimistic. The problems they raised were very real.’

’If I were a native of this land, these problems would indeed be unsolvable. They might even lead to the collapse of the army and the disintegration of my entire plan to establish a sphere of influence.’

’But I’m not a native. I have a highly efficient solution.’

’As long as I return to the modern world to take care of a few things, these tasks, which seem as difficult as climbing to heaven in the eyes of Mansa and the others, are merely routine for me.’

Fang Zhen looked at their still-dubious gazes and said, "I will handle these matters. You don’t need to worry about them."

"Right now, there is something you all must do."

"What is it?" Mansa and the others immediately focused their gazes on Fang Zhen.

"Go write letters and send word. Gather the nobles from the former lands of Duke Balenzuo and from the Tarrenno Duchy. I want to meet with them in person to discuss the future path and direction of the two Duchies."

"The letters can be polite, but the meaning must be clear. If anyone dares not to come, they will face the consequences," Fang Zhen said.