Chapter 767: Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, - 5: Fire in the Backyard
With a somewhat awkward lick of his lips, Puber couldn’t help but steal another glance at Fran beside him. It wasn’t the time to shirk responsibility, but Puber still subconsciously wanted to involve Fran in discussing the matter. It was clear that his old friend was indeed a bit angry, and Puber was also pondering whether this time he had been too reckless.
"Lord, it was Fran who brought this about, and Mr. Puber doesn’t have much to do with it. However, Fran still believes that this matter is more beneficial than harmful for Caucasus, if my guess is not too far off the mark."
Komer and Puber hadn’t expected Fran to be the first to speak up and take on this responsibility, and he did so with confidence.
"Guess? What is your guess?" Komer was more interested in what Fran had said last; he didn’t know what sort of conjecture this typically calm and steady warrior could have.
"Sir, if you wish to establish a powerful armed force, um, I mean one strong enough to overpower the forces of the North, you cannot overlook the power of the Barbarians!"
The feverish light flickering in Fran’s eyes even surprised Komer. When had his military chief become so aggressive and war-hungry? In Komer’s memory, Fran always advocated for a strategy of elite forces and never supported blindly expanding the army with an emphasis on quantity over quality. His own initial two expansions of the army had faced opposition from him, and if not for Komer’s forceful implementation, the army numbers might still be less than three thousand people.
Seeing Komer’s inquiring gaze sweeping over him, but without voicing opposition to his views, Fran took a deep breath to calm his mind a bit.
"I don’t know what your next plan is, Lord, but since you’ve already deployed Ilot and Dragumo to Livonia, even a fool would know that you’ll be involved in the kingdom’s civil war. Since we will interfere, there’s no need to disguise it any longer, in fact, it’s impossible to hide. So instead of waiting passively for things to happen, it’s better to actively engage. ’Seizing the initiative’ is a military principle that emphasizes proactivity. If we can move first, then we will have the advantage and maintain the initiative. Just one step ahead, and it could decide the outcome of the war."