The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3226

Chapter 3226: Breaking the Status Quo

A sword hung over the expeditionary fleet. The Fordilla Zentra System which had never played host to anything important was about to become the site of a major battle.

In fact, if neither side chose to avoid the coming confrontation, the anticipated battle would likely become the largest conflict between dwarves and humans since the Vulcanites took over the entire Smiling Samuel Star Sector!

The magnitude of this destructive event couldn't be overstated. Pitting tens of thousands of human mechs against an even greater number of dwarven mechs would definitely lead to a huge amount of casualties.

The fact that the combat assets of both sides were based on fleets meant that the casualty figure could rapidly skyrocket to the hundreds of thousands!

After all, those mech pilots weren't able to service their mechs, take care of their own medical treatment, travel to the battlefield and perform many other essential functions.

The Golden Skull Alliance did not doubt the intelligence that the Ferril Provincial Army mobilized and dispatched three full-strength mech divisions at once. In fact, Ves and several other people feared that the Vulcanites may have mobilized even more forces without informing the belligerent dwarven patrol captain!

Fortunately, Calabast offered an encouraging guess.

"According to our judgement, the Ferril provincial authorities are likely acting on their own initiative." Her projection stated.

"What makes you say that?" Ves curiously asked.

"First, out of all of the provinces of the Vulcan Empire, Ferril has already garnered a reputation for being unruly. Its population is always angry at something and its leaders regularly play into that. Second, attacking us has serious consequences for not just the Ferril Province but also the empire as a whole. You might not be aware of it, but the other provinces aren't as impulsive. There are many dwarven politicians and statesmen who possess calmer heads. They would never attack a fleet covered by the MTA when they depend on the Association's guarantee themselves. This is a transaction that will lead to far more losses than gains."

"If that's the case, then what has possessed the Ferrils to pursue such a stupid transaction anyway?" General Verle frowned.

Calabast leaned back in her chair and offered the people in the emergency meeting a grim smile.

"It's quite simple. In the warped arithmetic of the Ferrils, this transaction is profitable for them. Although it is not easy for us to determine their full reasoning based on mostly public sources, we have gathered enough clues to construct a reasonable picture."

This must be good. Ves trusted Calabast's judgement. If she was ready to say something, then she must have a good degree of confidence in the intelligence she presented.

Calabast waved a hand. A territorial map of the Vulcan Empire appeared into view.

"The Vulcan Empire is similar in nature to the Garlen Empire, only with less open infighting but with the same degree of internal division. The Vulcanites may share much in common, but that does not stop them from competing against each other. Since it is unlikely for their empire to engage in hostilities against nearby human states anytime soon, they need a different target to channel their competitive urges. That has led to a climate where dwarves try to outdo other dwarves based on the territories they are based in. The Ferrils are a proud folk, but they don't have the power and prestige to match the likes of the Uriburns or other powerful Vulcanite sub-groups. This makes them far more eager to build up their prestige and standing within dwarven society."

"And they think that violating one of the MTA's rules and attacking a peaceful human fleet without a reasonable cause is the right way to go about it?" Ves skeptically asked.

"That's why there are more factors at play than just the desire of the Ferrils to prove themselves to be more aggressive and daring than other Vulcanites." His spymaster answered. "The religious fervor in the Ferril Province has recently shifted over from the traditional Vulcan Faith to the Dwarven God Cult. The latter has gained the upper hand in recent years, especially among the commoner dwarves. The upper ranks have been slow to convert to the trend, and that has them worried. By launching this extreme action, the current rulers will gain a huge amount of support from the population, thereby providing them a lot more assurances that they will stay in power."

So it was a political calculus. Figures. Ves had witnessed too many instances where politicians were willing to betray any principle and betray any friend as long as they got ahead somehow. They rarely cared about the damage and suffering they inflicted to many other people.

Of all of the possible reasons to go on an attack, a religious motivation was the worst case. It didn't matter if some of the decision makers were sincere in their faith or not. As long as a huge amount of fanatical believers wanted to kill humans at all costs, then it was impossible to have any second thoughts!

"When I asked for Minister Shederin Purnesse's judgement, he told me that this attack may not be as spontaneous and impulsive as it seems." Calabast continued. "He believes we have gotten caught in a high-level game between the Vulcan Faith and the Dwarven God Cult. The latter is known to be more xenophobic towards tall folk and advocates for a more aggressive stance. That does not sit well with the traditionalists as their main concern is to maintain the prosperity that the dwarven rebels have attained after shedding a lot of blood. One of the most effective ways to break the status quo is to shock it with such a great incident that the old ways can no longer be maintained."

Attacking the expeditionary fleet would definitely induce the shock the Dwarven God cultists needed. The price was high, but true believers had the annoying habit of overestimating their gains and disregarding the costs of their actions.

The leaders could not pin their hopes on a diplomatic solution, though. The preparations for combat still had to proceed. _{frёewebnoѵēl.com}

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