Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 537 Future Prospects (Part 3)
“What ‘corridor’? The Venetta Corridor?” Winters heard this unfamiliar term for the first time, and after a moment’s thought, he realized, “You mean the Northern Foothills Province?”

“Yes,” Mason nodded, then shook his head slightly, “but not entirely.”

"Lieutenant Colonel Matthias had no intention of swallowing up the Northern Province in one go. His first step was limited to controlling the towns between Bianjiang County and Veneta."

"Although he called it 'encircling the Kings' Castle,' I think it would be more appropriate to call it 'opening up the Venetta Corridor.'"
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The Beilu Province is located on the northern foothills of the Jinding Mountains, in a transitional zone between hills and plains, hence its name.

However, this simple and straightforward name is actually quite counterintuitive.

Although the North Foothills Province is named after the "North," it is the southernmost sub-administrative region of the Union, sandwiched between the New Reclamation Province and the Cumbria Region of the Venetta Republic.

Furthermore, the northern foothills province is shaped like an inverted triangle, and the distance between the east and west sides becomes narrower as you move south.

Therefore, if the shortest line segment were to be drawn between the New Reclamation Province and Venetta, then that line would definitely be drawn within the Northern Foothills Province.

Of course, such a straight line does not exist on the land of Plato.

However, starting from Bianshanbao, the capital of Bianjiang County, and heading east across the Beilu Province, is indeed the shortest route from the newly reclaimed land to Vineta.

Winters was also familiar with this route, because this "Bianjiang County - Northern Slope Province - Cumbria Region" route was the same route Anna and Major Moritz took to Iron Peak County, and also the route Catherine, Don Juan and Mr. Leo took back to Veneta.

However, despite this being the shortest land route in theory, the presence of the excellent waterway, the Jinliu River, meant that major commodity trade between the newly reclaimed lands and Veneta rarely passed through the Northern Foothills Province.
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“However, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias’s attitude is ambiguous. He seems quite certain that you will support him,” Mason’s gaze was somewhat evasive. “Do you and him have some prior agreement?”

"Of course not!" Winters protested. "When have I ever hidden anything from you, senior?"

“That’s strange,” Mason said, puzzled. “Why is Lieutenant Colonel Matthias keeping giving us the eye? And implying that you’ll definitely support him?”

Winters didn't understand either. He unconsciously fiddled with the knife, searching his memory for possible clues.

Suddenly, a tall and imposing figure entered his thoughts.

Following closely behind the tall figure, a chubby, smiling face appeared in his mind—Fernando Leo of the Navarre Trading Company.

“I think… Lieutenant Colonel Matthias did have an appointment with someone beforehand,” Winters chuckled, “but that person wasn’t me—and he thought it was. Senior, do you remember Mr. Leo?”

Winters then helped Mason recall Fernando Leo's arrival in Iron Peak County earlier that year.

Winters laughed: "Back then, Mr. Leo hinted to me that as long as we could bring the Heds' wool into the newly cultivated land, he would have a way to get the wool back to Veneta. And he used the same word as you, 'get through,' you two are quite in sync."

Mason got furious at the mention of wool, and he unusually complained to Winters, "Break through? Break through what? Go look for yourself! We can't even fit all the wool in our warehouses! The warehouses are overflowing! The speed at which we're building warehouses can't keep up with the speed at which the wool is being brought in, and they're still breaking through!"

"Times have changed, the situation is different now." Winters wasn't the type to be so anxious that he was losing clumps of hair, so his attitude was much more tolerant. "Who could have imagined that so many things would happen in just six months?"

Mason had no rebuttal.

After all, even in his wildest dreams, the senior had never entertained the fantasy of conquering the entire newly reclaimed land in just six months, or even gaining the right to contend for the throne of the Galloping Horse Kingdom. And now, they had truly reached that position.

“Mr. Leo wouldn’t say for sure at the time, only that we would know when the time was right. Now it seems that the person who was ‘connected’ by the Navarre Trading Company should be Lieutenant Colonel Matthias.” Winters’ smile grew wider as he spoke.

He joked, "However, the agreement between Mr. Leo and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias was nothing more than Navarre merchants smuggling some wool and warhorses, with Lieutenant Colonel Matthias receiving some benefits. The lieutenant colonel could not have imagined that, six months later, the situation in Palatour would develop into what it is today."

“That explains it,” Mason said with sudden realization. “I thought you and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias had some kind of secret…”

“To be honest, senior,” Winters said with a slight smile, “I also felt that Lieutenant Colonel Matthias was being a little too friendly to us.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Matthias probably thinks that, given this background, you would also be inclined to open up the road connecting to Veneta as soon as possible,” Mason thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, that’s not enough. That alone is not enough. Lieutenant Colonel Matthias wouldn’t be so certain just because of that.”

Mason said cautiously, "I'm afraid he thinks you are..."

“So he’s treating me as Veneta’s agent!” Winters blurted out the answer first, shrugging nonchalantly. “It doesn’t matter. My status is special, so it’s not surprising that he sees me as Veneta’s agent—in fact, it should be said the other way around, who wouldn’t think I’m Veneta’s agent?”

“Me,” Mason answered without hesitation.

Winters smiled slowly, and deliberately bowed exaggeratedly, giving a salute.

“That’s enough,” he said.

"Enough of what?" Andrei asked, his mouth full of fish and bread.

Winters patted his fellow countryman on the shoulder, "That's enough."

Andrei frowned: "Nothing what?"

“That’s enough,” Winters sighed. “I said it’s enough.”

Andrei finally understood. He patted his stomach and waved his hand confidently, "Then you're wrong. How could a few fish be enough to eat?"

“That’s right.” Winters laughed, giving his senior a meaningful look. “How could we possibly eat just a few fish?”

Mason immediately understood Winters's implied meaning and followed up by asking, "So whose house are you planning to eat at? Or... should we have another table?"

"What do you think, senior?" Winters wanted to hear the other person's opinion first.

Mason organized his thoughts and spoke slowly and deliberately: "King's Fortress will definitely be difficult to take down. To be honest, we have already missed the best opportunity to attack King's Fortress. If we want to take King's Fortress, we should have marched eastward immediately after the Battle of Howling Valley and planted our flag under the walls of King's Fortress before the United Provinces' reinforcements arrived. King's Fortress might then surrender without a fight."

“It is indeed a rare opportunity,” Winters commented, “and the rarer the opportunity, the more fleeting it is.”

Mr. Leo's implication to Winters that "everything is taken care of," and Antonio's statement about "taking care of some things along the way," are found in Book IV, Chapter 5, "Exile," and Chapter 8, "Buying a Boat to Go East."