Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

The economic crisis has had a devastating impact on tourism- and agriculture-based countries like Kazimir.

In particular, the dumping of agricultural products and deflation caused by Lao Xia were almost devastating blows.

Under deflation and the Great Depression, agricultural products, which are inherently highly time-delayed commodities, suffered a devastating blow that industry could not match. The massive dumping of agricultural products, which are already low-profit commodities, brought Kazimierz's agricultural production to near negative levels.

While the sale of Originium and Red Gold may not have a significant impact on the estates and farmers of Kazimierz, the resulting appreciation and depreciation of the currency will cause considerable trouble.

In the fall, when agricultural products are sold, currency appreciation means that grains and agricultural products that were originally worth thousands of dollars are now only worth a few hundred dollars.

However, during the winter and this spring, the currency depreciated significantly. Even if, due to the characteristics of a standard currency, it does not become worthless but recovers to its original value, it will still not be comparable to the value during deflation.

In other words, the inflow and outflow of seeds, fertilizers, and farm tools drained the farmers dry, and their already meager wealth evaporated at an alarming rate. Moreover, even the knights' estates suffered the same blow.

Nobles, knights, merchants, and farmers suffered almost identical losses in this crisis. Farmers' wealth was squeezed dry and evaporated, knights lost all their investments, merchants received payments that weren't even enough to cover shipping and labor costs, and the hard currency in the nobles' cellars became worthless in retrospect—of course, some did make money, but only a very small minority did.

The only saving grace is that Kazimierz doesn't have the double act of the Ursus Emperor and Kazdel.

Therefore, the nobles still had some savings, and some of the great nobles, although they suffered heavy losses, were able to recover their losses by having the big fish eat the small fish.

It's hard to call this a stroke of luck, since no one else was involved in the charade and suffered greater damage and loss, allowing the military and power to melt away like spring snow.

However, because no one is playing a double act, no one is pooling these profits to establish a new economic order.

Zero-sum games are also a form of economic order. They are better than everyone's wealth evaporating to some extent, with no one spared. At least one winner consolidates their victory, achieving a win-win situation by winning twice.

Farmers refused to pay taxes and defaulted on rents, knights lost all their wealth and were forced to increase their exploitation, and the conflicts between nobles and merchants became somewhat insignificant in the face of this larger conflict.

Citizens need jobs, farmers need to survive, knights need military pay, and nobles and merchants need gold coins, but Cassidy doesn't worry about bread and butter.

However, to get bread and butter, one has to find a way to get money for seeds and fertilizer, or resort to extortion and loans.

The already intense conflict between the upper and lower levels has intensified. To make matters worse, due to the global financial crisis and market downturn, the once profitable institution, the Knights Arena, has become a purely loss-making asset.

The conflict between the infected, who had shown some improvement, and ordinary people intensified as a result, especially among the competitive knights who could not find work. These knights were skilled fighters, but now, without money or bread, they had become a destabilizing factor in society.

The unrest in Ursus has forced Qazimir to spend a lot of money on military expenditures to maintain the northern defense line and cover expenses, which has further amplified Qazimir's economic problems.

At this point, there is only one way, or rather two ways, to save it, but no one would choose the second one. So there is only one way to solve the current problem—war.

Gather bankrupt farmers, unemployed gladiators, and fallen knights to form an army to invade neighboring countries and use the plundered wealth to pay for enormous expenses, maintain market prosperity, and, most importantly, repay loans.

If all else fails, eliminating the creditor is a good option, but since the creditor is Victoria, eliminating her would be a bit too difficult.

"Ursus or Columbia?" This was the choice between the Casimir Union and the Knights, or more accurately, not to directly attack Ursus or Columbia.

Choosing Ursus means choosing to reclaim the territory seized by Ursus. In the past war, Kazimir lost a considerable portion of its northern territory, thus exposing itself to the blades of Ursus.

Recapture of this location would allow for effective reconstruction of defenses and reduce military expenditures.

In addition, this location directly faces the heart of Ursus, cutting off trade routes between Ursus, Colombia, Letania, and Da Yan. This would generate huge commercial revenue, and the Business Federation favors this option.

Option two is to invade Dosoles, or more accurately, to respond to Dosoles's demand for national liberation, support Dosoles in breaking free from Colombian control, and thus establish contact with Sargon.

Not only can one obtain a fertile land, but the precious metals produced by Sargon and the Dosoles Plain can also become a source of considerable profits and a dumping ground for their products.

In particular, Sargon lacked sufficient food, while Qasimir had ample food and goods.

Sargon does not have its own currency and trades mainly in hard currencies, such as pure gold and various ancient artifacts and parts. These are relatively stable products in the current market and can greatly mitigate the impact of commercial fluctuations.

Most importantly, compared to the Ursus Legion with whom they had a long-standing feud, the knights felt that beating up the pathetic Dosoles mercenaries on the plains was no problem at all, and invading Sargon was also no problem; these wars could expand their territory.

Therefore, the Knights supported attacking Dosoles instead of heading north to Ursus, since they had firsthand experience of how terrible Ursus was, while the self-defense forces of Colombia and Dosoles had no idea.

Both options are feasible to some extent. Ursus is mired in the Sami quagmire, and the Emperor's military reforms and financial crisis have rendered Ursus, this giant, practically paralyzed. As long as they cannot mobilize more reinforcements, the probability of Kazimir regaining what it has lost is not low.

Furthermore, Ursus's army was on the defensive against Kosichean and Da Yan, and was unable to immediately return to Sami to provide reinforcements. Most of the remaining troops were also refusing to accept the money because it was no different from worthless paper. This was an extremely ominous sign, and those old foxes were all adept at changing their stance according to the wind. As soon as they saw this sign, they immediately stood still and watched.

Neither the royal family nor the nobility can mobilize more troops now. In the end, it will most likely be a situation where one place is in trouble, and people from all sides are watching.

However, if Ursus is chosen, then the issue of the Helag Legion must be considered, as they seem to still be maintaining their fighting strength.

Moreover, as Kazimierz's "old friend," he's not so easy to deal with, and none of the knights wanted to take on this tough nut.

Besides, those lands belong to the great nobles. If they were taken back, they would be theirs. At most, the knights would only get some scraps as a reward. And the profits from the trade routes belong to the merchants, not the knights.

On the contrary, attacking Dosoles would be the best option for the knightly order, as it would be new territory, and as was customary, these lands would be divided among the knights, giving them the opportunity to acquire more land.

Furthermore, as a "protected state" of Colombia, Dosoles lacks a professional army, let alone professional equipment, making it easy to fight.

The nobles disliked it because they didn't have to fight on the front lines, while the knights did.

Thus, the groups representing these two strategic approaches entered into a state of superficial unity before the war even began.

At this point, all that's missing is a few Showa-era staff officers or a failed art student to launch a classic two-front war and drag themselves down.

Interestingly, Kazimir's situation was strikingly similar to the national conditions faced by these two individuals at the time, regardless of the external environment.

In Kazimierz itself, there is no king or the king is almost indifferent. Politically, the country is ruled by a union of military feudal lords represented by Grand Knights and merchants represented by conglomerates. The people are naturally warlike, with a large number of serfs and infected, as well as a large number of gladiator knights and various lower-ranking knights, and they also admire chivalry.

If you switch these out, you can call the former a Junker noble or a daimyo lord, and the latter a Junker officer or a samurai ronin.

Although they may not necessarily wear kimonos or walk around the streets with knives, their spirit and organizational essence are actually quite similar.

Sandwiched between several great empires, it once had a glorious history, and its modern rise and thirst for land are similar to those of Germany. Perhaps compared to Japan, it is more like Germany.

While Eagle Point might have offered them Poland's geographical environment, it also gave them German history and national status. Considering that New Zealand's stronghold is not far from Poland, this might actually be their intention.

Given a similar or even worse financial crisis and more favorable conditions for starting a war, it would be more feasible and more likely that Casimir would make the same decision as Germany or even Japan.

Casimir is caught in a dual predicament: he must use his sword to plow his own land, yet he also cannot afford to rob, as his entire lance squad cannot even scrape together enough money for usury. He stands at a crossroads in war, both paths leading to conflict, the only difference being their objectives. Of course, they could also choose the middle path—fighting on both ends, or even all three simultaneously.

"Therefore, we must get back before the war breaks out!" Marner's face was grave. The news from home was becoming increasingly serious, and he had to cut short his trip back to work, sending a messenger to fetch Lin Guang.

"Uncle? Then we can't stop the war even if we go back!" Lin Guang has matured a lot now. He knows that war is not a place to gain glory and achievement. It is a stinking mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. He also knows that if a war is to be started, the preparation work will be very long.

In other words, once the eruption is imminent, no one can stop this fleet of land-based ships rushing down the hill; anything that stands in its way will be crushed to dust by the fanatical soldiers and civilians.

In particular, Kasimir's condition gradually shrouded the entire country in an atmosphere of madness from top to bottom.

When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent. Those who support launching a war in the hope of gaining military merit and rewards to repay the high-interest loans for seeds and farming tools are not all nobles, but almost all the farmers and commoners of Kazimir!

Nearl, who had spent some time in Kazdel, knew very well that a person is only human until they cross a certain line; once they cross it, they become a beast, and a beast that is unlikely to return!

Many measures and so-called ideological education can only ensure that the remaining people do not turn into beasts, but cannot bring back those who have completely turned into beasts.

Otherwise, there would be no need for laws and gallows; all that would be needed are a few officers with megaphones to organize rallies and shout slogans.

Now, the people of Kazimir are standing right on the edge of this line, and there's a hand behind them pushing them forward. At this point, no one can stop them, or rather, anyone who tries to stop them is an enemy of the people.

"We're not going back to stop the war, we're going to stop your stupid sister!" Marna was getting anxious. Normally she was fine, since the Lightbringer family had gradually faded out of the picture.

But now, for those radical knightly groups, the Nearl family and that silly girl with her mind full of glory and the family's glorious history are the best human banners.

Furthermore, Marner assessed Maria's intelligence and genuinely felt that it was absolutely impossible for her to discern the wickedness of the people involved.

Even if they win, the Lin Guang family is a traitor, and the newly established interest group will definitely get rid of her. She is just a pawn used to recruit soldiers and play games with the great nobles.

Unless she's intelligent enough to rise to the top in this new interest group—in any case, Marner thinks it's more reliable to hope that the girl suddenly has an epiphany and becomes an immortal.

If they lose, it's even simpler. If they lose, then all of these people are war criminals. If the blame isn't shifted onto the Lightbringer family and Maria, then all those years of work by Marna have been for nothing.

"This..." Lin Guang's expression also turned horrified. After this reminder, she realized that the family's past glory was like a precious incense stick, just as this powder keg was about to explode!

Meanwhile, in the reception room of the Nearl family in Casimir, the guest from Dosoles had been seated for quite some time, his knights curiously observing the luxurious yet dilapidated old mansion.

Despite the owner's careful maintenance, the mottled walls and severely faded tapestries exuded an air of squalor from every corner.

In the past, the Linguang family was able to barely make ends meet by relying on their meager annuities and estate income.

But now, as the family's honor is being stripped away layer by layer, and the estate's economy is struggling to continue due to the storm, the economic hardship is already clearly visible.

This gave the knight acting as the persuader a great deal of confidence that he could convince the host to join his plans.

Moreover, they were very confident in their next statement, because it was not a blatant exchange of interests, nor was it an act of aggression that sounded evil; rather, it was something that would be extremely damaging to a naive young girl.

The poison wrapped in freedom, democracy, and justice—what kind of villains are the most terrifying in this world? It's not those who have abandoned their humanity, but those who radiate a holy light—convicts—who do evil not with wicked intentions, but with noble aspirations, acting as heroes in their own eyes.

To paraphrase an aria: "Liberty, how many evils are in your name!"

The guerrilla messenger from Dosoles is real; the people of Dosoles are under economic colonial oppression by Colombia; the war has led Colombia to intensify its exploitation of the people of Dosoles—it's all true.

They would really help these Dosoles, and the other party would really be grateful and hand over the artificial lake near Casimir and the fertile land on its shores to the knights, so why not?

In the eyes of the Dosoles people, those expensive artificial lakes, luxurious tourist cities and hotels, every brick and stone is stained with their blood.

They wished they could tear all of these things down, let alone simply hand them over to the Kazimierz people to manage, and the knights naturally made many promises in return.

For example, some profit sharing, or demolishing those cities and luxurious facilities and turning the land into farmland, so that the people of Dosoles can eat cheap bread—why not? Casimir's extruded products have to find a place!

"Ah, I'm sorry, something came up..." Maria walked into the reception room. Although she had changed into a proper dress, the mud on her shoes still proved that she had been working in the fields. On her fair fingers, you could even see the black marks left by the mud.

“It’s not too late, Miss Maria. Let me introduce you. This is a messenger sent by the ‘Old Captain’ of Dosoles. The Merchant Guild and the Council rejected his request, so we had no choice but to come to you.” The young knight smiled warmly and was about to say something when the door was suddenly pushed open.

At this moment, Marna with a gloomy face, Margaret with a worried expression and a lance in her hand, Maria with a hint of surprise mixed with astonishment, the smiles and panic on the knights' faces, and the messenger with a gloomy expression and a heavy heart, all combine to form a scene with a strong sense of dramatic conflict. If a painter could capture this scene, it would definitely be selected as one of Terra's masterpieces.

Chapter Fourteen: The Death Map of the Wandering Knights

Chapter Fourteen

The atmosphere in the living room of the Lin Guang family was no longer peaceful, but rather silent and tense. Each of the three parties looked at the other two with strange eyes. "Ranger Knight Manna Lin Guang, a lackey of the Business Federation!"

The young knight blushed. The relationship between the high-ranking nobles and the guild could still be maintained, but the situation was different for the younger generation below.

The number of knights, or rather the number of knights, is fixed. After all, the noble annuities allocated from the fiefs and taxes of Kazimierz are limited, and titled knights and lord knights are even rarer. Under these circumstances, the Merchant Guild pushes its hired henchmen to the forefront, which naturally takes away a portion of the quota.

For the nobles, there was no real threat, but for the young knights in the lower ranks, it was a real loss of interests. In a sense, the problems that Kazimierz faced were even more serious than those in Germany on Earth.

Because they also have young, ambitious individuals, similar to those in Japan, who are struggling to rise to prominence and desperately need war to prove themselves.

Kazimierz is now actually divided into four factions: the merchant guild representing the asset magnates; the great nobles and knights representing the traditional nobles and some industrial nobles; and the young knights and knight squires, and the prospective knights representing the young and strong military nobles.

Finally, there's the civilian officer faction, which rose to prominence primarily due to the military reforms initiated by Kazdel in collaboration with the Knights' Arena and Kazimierz.

Of these four factions, apart from the merchants of the Federation who are relatively less enthusiastic about war, since it is merely a way to transfer losses and a potentially unprofitable investment, the other three factions all have varying degrees of desire for war. This is why Marna believes that war is impossible to stop, and he can only prevent the Linguang family from becoming the incense stick that ignites the powder keg.

The commoners needed war and military merit to rival the aristocracy, because in the heat of war, the combat effectiveness of the new army was vastly different from that of the old one. Only on the battlefield could they stand on the same playing field as the sons of the nobility.

Terra has no communist movement, let alone an international one. The suffering other countries might endure in war is of no concern to the populists of Kazimir.

Besides, they themselves are not much better off than the other side, and may even be worse off, so why should they sympathize with people from other countries?

The younger nobles needed to find a way to squeeze out the commoners, and at the same time, they hoped to get more land. Only with more land could they have more territories to allocate, and only with more territories could they transform from ordinary squire knights—who evolved from knight squires—into true lord knights.

The so-called squire knight was the same as the knight's squire in the old knightly system. The eldest son of a knight's family had to become a squire under another knight to learn combat and military knowledge and accumulate experience. It usually took about three years before he could become a quasi-knight.

At this point, the prospective knights need to acquire armor, weapons, and warhorses, and also need to build their own fortress or manor castle—a wooden castle would do.