World Era 1915

December 15th.

A week had passed since the major announcement. Reports began to come in that people had formed exploration parties far faster than expected. They were all aiming for the ten million grang reward and quickly began recruiting investors willing to fund them.

For nobles as well, ten million grang was an astronomical sum. Naturally, they were also taking a very active stance in investing in these expeditions. Because of this, there were already over a hundred teams formally registered in report form.

For only a single week, that was a very large number of teams. And considering that each team had at least five to ten members, it meant that several hundred people had already thrown themselves into this endeavor.

If he thought about all the exploration parties that would soon emerge not only domestically but also in foreign nations, Ian could not help but feel that the world was about to become a very busy place. Even amid such developments, however, the war at the front continued to head toward an ever more intense situation.

The battles at sea in particular had grown unimaginably large in scale. Rumor had it that if one counted all the warships mobilized on both sides, the total number reached into the thousands, and if one included all the smaller destroyers as well, it meant that countless ships were clashing and fighting across the seas.

Up to that point, the Doicheun Empire had held the advantage in naval battles. Every time the larger-caliber guns of their far more heavily displaced battleships roared, the battleships of the Noma Empire and the warships of the Moria Empire had found themselves in many a tight spot.

Of course, that did not mean the fleets of those two empires were being one-sidedly crushed. The warships of the Doicheun Empire were also hit by enemy naval gunfire, and they too continued to lose battleships to sinking. Even so, the fact remained that the Doicheun Empire enjoyed a favorable position in naval combat.

However, that situation had reversed once the Magnia Empire joined the war. The Doicheun Empire’s strong performance at sea had only ever amounted to being “slightly ahead,” not overwhelming. Once the Magnia Empire entered the fray as well, it was inevitable that the Doicheun navy would be forced back.

As the battleships of the Magnia Empire, armed with triple-mounted, large-caliber naval guns, opened fire, the Doicheun Empire’s fleet took increasingly heavy losses. Realizing the disadvantage they were in, the Doicheun Admiralty changed tactics, switching to an almost purely defensive posture.

They no longer sailed out into the wide open sea, instead using the coastline as a boundary and coordinating with coastal guns in their operations. This strategy was quite similar to the defensive doctrine that the Polia Kingdom had once employed. At the same time, they intensified their use of submarines in the open seas.

The Doicheun Empire now operated more than 300 submarines—a very large submarine force. Their mission was, quite literally, to choke off the enemy’s sea lines of communication.

They targeted cargo ships bound for enemy ports and sank them with torpedoes. The number of vessels they had sent to the bottom so far was said to be substantial. Of course, in response to these tactics, enemy destroyers had counterattacked with depth charges, and many Doicheun submarines had been sunk in turn.

In any case, as the naval war developed, the center of gravity of the fighting shifted from the high seas to the coastal zones. As if they had prepared well in advance, the Doicheun Empire had deployed powerful coastal guns with large calibers and long ranges at major port cities, making it impossible for enemy fleets to approach recklessly.

Thus, while the battles at sea continued, December 24th saw the appearance of tanks on battlefields across the front. Tanks of various shapes and sizes finally showed themselves to the world.

As if to flaunt their presence, the empires printed photographs of tanks deployed on the front lines in their newspapers, announcing them to the world. For tanks to appear less than a year after they had first been introduced carried a great deal of meaning.

It meant that the Doicheun Empire was no longer guaranteed an advantage on land. Up to this point, the allies had operated tanks imported from the Polia Kingdom, but unfortunately they had always suffered from a lack of numbers.

Now, however, they were capable of producing them domestically, and had put systems in place to mass-produce tanks and supply them to the front. That said, the appearance of these tanks did not mean they were immediately thrown into battle.

At the very front lines, the soldiers were less afraid of combat itself than of the epidemic Vera. Unlike the bullets and shells that rained down visibly, an invisible disease could infect them at any time, in any way, and that fear weighed on them far more heavily.

Every day, more and more people suffered from coughing, high fever, and chills. In severe cases they were sent to the rear, and thus the trenches at the front were constantly filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

The soldiers could only lament, asking how long they would have to tremble in fear of this epidemic. On top of that, after years of continuous war, their hearts and minds were exhausted.

Amid the spread of the epidemic and the ongoing war, time passed, and the year turned over.

World Era 1915 had arrived. It was now the fourth year since the great war had begun.

“You’re saying that the number of tank orders has gone down?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This month’s orders have fallen to half of what they were last month.”

“Hmm. I suppose that can’t be helped. They can now produce their own tanks, so there’s no reason for them to keep buying large numbers from us.”

“On the other hand, orders from the Doicheun Empire have increased considerably.”

“Well, to wage tank warfare against three empires at once, their own production alone won’t be enough to meet demand.”

Ian felt that, in a way, this was fortunate. At the same time, he could not help but think that the future situation would not be entirely favorable for them. In his view, the Doicheun Empire would eventually lose the war, and once that happened, the three empires would likely bring pressure to bear on Polia as well.

“We should sell as much as we can while we still have the chance.”

“Pardon?”

“If the Allied Empires keep winning, they’ll start applying pressure on us. So we should sell all the munitions we can before that happens, don’t you think?”

“That makes sense. In the end, the victors will be the Allied Empires.”

As the chancellor said, everyone was now viewing the outcome of the war as a foregone conclusion: the defeat of the Doicheun Empire. With even the Magnia Empire having entered the war, that result was inevitable.

“More importantly, I heard that some of the foreigners who entered the country turned out to be infected?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Among those who arrived, there were individuals showing symptoms of infection, so we quickly placed them under quarantine.”

“Was there any resistance?”

“There was, but they already knew beforehand that anyone entering our kingdom would be subject to quarantine, so they had no choice but to comply.”

“Make sure there are no loose ends. The moment we let our guard down, this epidemic will spiral out of control again.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. We cannot afford to destroy a situation that has only just returned to normal.”

“The chancellor has worked hard.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. You are the one who always bears the greatest burden. I am merely helping in a small way.”

As Marquis Norwen, the chancellor, shook his head and spoke, Ian felt once more that it had been the right decision to appoint him.

In truth, Norwen had never been someone he paid much attention to. When Ian first ascended the throne at about twenty and formed his new government, Norwen had simply been among the officials selected. Yet having entrusted him with the chancellorship and watched him work, Ian had come to see that the man was remarkably capable.

“I heard your grandson was born recently, didn’t I?”

“Hoho, how did Your Majesty know?”

“I heard it in passing. In any case, congratulations. I’ll be sure to send a gift.”

“Hoho, thank you, Your Majesty.”

The chancellor did not refuse. Seeing that, Ian chuckled, then spoke as something else came to mind.

“I also heard that, starting this year, our kingdom’s population has finally reached one hundred million.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We have received an official report that our population has surpassed one hundred million.”

“We really have grown a lot in a short time.”

He had taken the throne at around twenty. At that time, the population had been ninety million. To think that in only five years it had increased by ten million.

Many people had died in various incidents along the way, but the number of children born overwhelmingly exceeded that. It all came down to improved economic conditions. Life had become much more comfortable than before, and the burden of having children had lessened.

As a result, more and more families chose to have children, and the number of babies born each year reached into the millions.

“Do you know what it means for us to have a population of one hundred million?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. It means that we can now support ourselves economically.”

One might say there was little difference between ninety million and a hundred million, but the attitude of others would inevitably shift.

In any case, a nation with such a large territory and such a large population would naturally provoke certain thoughts in others.

“Exactly. It also means our consumer market has grown to a scale that can no longer be ignored.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty’s accession, the quality of life of our people has completely changed. On that foundation, our annual national budget has been rising sharply.”

“That’s only because the chancellor and everyone else have followed along so well.”

“Hoho, without Your Majesty’s keen insight and bold decisions, none of this could have been achieved.”

Although the epidemic had briefly slowed things down, once activities resumed, the Polia Kingdom’s economy had surged forward again.

As king and chancellor traded compliments, practically gilding each other’s faces, Norwen spoke up in a cautious tone.

“And… Your Majesty.”

“You look very serious. I’m almost afraid to hear what you’re about to say.”

“I do not wish to trouble Your Majesty’s heart. But lately, I have heard the same words not only among the ministers but also among the bureaucrats, so I feel I must bring them to Your Majesty’s attention.”

“Now I’m curious. Go on.”

At Ian’s prompt, the chancellor fell silent for a moment, then spoke carefully.

“Many are asking how long we intend to remain merely a kingdom.”

“You mean, they are saying we should turn the kingdom into an empire?”

This was a question Ian himself had been pondering.

Even though Polia had granted independence to its colonies, the homeland’s territory was still far from small. And now its population had reached one hundred million. Even by Earth’s standards, a nation of that scale would almost certainly be called an empire.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. We now possess ten standing fleets. In addition, we maintain numerous small regional fleets. Our forces may be inferior to the great continental empires, but compared to any other kingdom, we can confidently say our strength is overwhelming.”

Ian agreed. Compared to other kingdoms, Polia surpassed them by such a margin in population, military strength, and economic power that it was almost absurd. There was a reason it was called a “Great Kingdom.”

“Everyone believes there is no reason we should not be an empire. If it is Your Majesty’s will, you could ascend to the imperial throne at any time.”

“‘Emperor,’ hm. I’d like to say the title itself doesn’t matter… but now that I hear it, I must admit it doesn’t sound bad.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. The imperial throne is an exceedingly attractive seat.”

“It is very attractive… and at the same time, very dangerous. Do you truly think the empires would accept us taking our place among them as an empire?”

“What need have we of their recognition, Your Majesty? Many say that now is our chance. The aftereffects of the great war will not be light. Once it ends, the empires will all move to reduce their armed forces while focusing on reconstruction and economic recovery.”

The chancellor’s words were not wrong. Having experienced such a large-scale war, none of the empires would want to embark immediately on further external ventures. During that period, even if the Polia Kingdom renamed itself the Polia Empire, no one would be in any position to oppose or interfere.

‘But isn’t the situation reversed?’

He, as king, was being cautious about becoming an empire, yet the chancellor, ministers, and bureaucrats were the ones most eager for it. In all the histories he had read, it was always the king who wanted to become emperor, not the retainers begging their ruler to do so.

‘Emperor, is it… How much would it really help us if I turned the kingdom into an empire and became emperor myself?’

He weighed the benefits of remaining a kingdom against those of becoming an empire, and also considered the drawbacks.

The greatest drawback would surely be the heightened vigilance of the existing empires. They would treat Polia very differently as an empire than as a kingdom.

‘They’d think that, as emperor, I intended to challenge them for hegemony. What a headache.’

No matter how he looked at it, he saw little advantage to formally becoming an empire. This might be the right time, and perhaps it was needed, but considering their neutral stance and their relationships with the existing empires, remaining a kingdom still seemed the wiser choice.

‘Honestly, if we’re strong enough, does it even matter whether we call ourselves an empire?’

If the country became powerful enough, then no matter what others said, they could call themselves an empire whenever they pleased. In the end, if Polia kept strengthening and developing itself, then one day it could declare itself an empire without worrying about anyone’s reaction, and Ian himself could take the imperial throne.

He shared his conclusion with the chancellor.

“I understand how everyone feels, but let us postpone the imperial title for later.”

“Your Majesty, this is our chance. No one would be able to stop it.”

“I know what you’re saying. But the more I think about it, the less I see that we have to gain from becoming an empire right now. So let us drop this matter for the time being.”

Everything had its proper time. If they started proclaiming themselves an empire prematurely and throwing their weight around, it could only worsen their relations with others.

With Ian speaking so firmly, Marquis Norwen could only back down.

“Understood, Your Majesty. If that is your will, I will not bring it up again.”

“One day, our kingdom will be spoken of as an empire. So do not be too disheartened—just wait for the right moment.”

“Hoho, then Your Majesty must already have a plan in mind. I will make sure the ministers and officials hold their tongues.”

At the chancellor’s words, Ian nodded, as if to say, Please do.