Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

1444 winter

Located in the northeast of Midlan, northwest of Yoda, there is a kingdom called Balden, which borders the northeastern forest of Midlan and has a short coastline.

The Kingdom of Balden is a pure feudal society with a population of about 10 to 20 people. There are no autonomous cities or citizen councils, only nobles and a bunch of serfs.

The origin of the Kingdom of Balden is unknown. Some say it was split from the country of the Overlord a thousand years ago, while others say it was established by a group of refugees and barbarians.

In short, no matter what, Barden had obtained the endorsement of the French Royal Court long before the Hundred Years' War and became one of the many countries that believed in the God of Light. After the Hundred Years' War began, Barden, as a neutral country, became an important hub for the two countries' commerce. In addition, the successive monarchs of Barden were able to play both sides, which enabled Barden to gain a lot of territory and population. In addition, due to the war front, the border between Midland and Yoda had become a battlefield. Merchants from the two countries could only gather in the Kingdom of Barden to trade. Although it was not as convenient as before, it was still much more convenient than trading by water or through other countries. Barden also made a lot of money from various commercial taxes, which even promoted the development of Barden's commerce.

This generation of King Balden has three sons. The eldest prince is the heir to the Kingdom of Balden, the second son went to Mitlan as a diplomat, and the third son went to Yoda as a diplomat to balance state relations.

However, this time the Balden Kingdom's centuries-old balance strategy has gone astray.

One night John received a secret letter from Wesker's intelligence agency and convened various generals to discuss the matter overnight.

Perhaps dissatisfied with the stance of the Kingdom of Balden, the Yoda Empire prepared to take the lead and support the third prince to become the new king of Balden. Moreover, this matter was not concealed at all. Basically, everyone near the capital of Yoda knew about it. The source of the information was the mercenaries hired by the third prince who boasted in the tavern.

Some people may say that Emperor Yoda’s gastroenteritis has spread to his head. It’s hard enough to defeat Midland alone, and he wants to attack Barden on two fronts. Isn’t he afraid that his own logistics will collapse?

"According to Wesker's intelligence, there are three main purposes here," John explained to everyone.

"First, although the Kingdom of Barden is a kingdom, it is very different from the Kingdom of Midland. It does not have the strategic depth of Midland, nor does it have a stable rear area. This means that this war will not last long without the intervention of foreign forces."

"Secondly, because Barden is the trade hub of the two countries, merchants from both countries made a lot of money, but the powerful people couldn't make a penny. So Emperor Yoda sent troops to Barden. On the one hand, he wanted to warn merchants not to take advantage of the war to make money. On the other hand, he wanted to directly requisition the merchants' goods for the war."

"The third aspect is the most important aspect," John said to everyone seriously.

"If the Kingdom of Balden forms an alliance with the Yoda Empire, it will increase the pressure on our north. By then, no matter whether Yoda attacks from the ocean or from land, they will have difficulty in supply. In the worst case, Balden will directly declare war on Midland." John pointed to the Kingdom of Balden on the map, and the generals all felt overwhelmed.

"The only thing we can do now is to keep a close eye on the situation in Windam, Yoda, and Balden, and see if Midland has any plans to support the second prince. Then we need to reinforce the buildings in the east of the forest and the north of the sea to prevent a two-sided attack from Yoda and Balden in the spring. We also need to let each castle continue to expand houses to accommodate refugees and use the refugees to build defense systems." After John assigned tasks to everyone, he opened the recruitment system.

"The real war is about to begin" John thought.