Thing is, I'd rather spend dice on things which either solidify our influence or help in the situation in Irit more directly; I'd probably be in favor of Vekiee's plan if I didn't consider this to worth personal attention.
And to general voters, do you really want just stop here? Vekiee's plan does have us give logistical support to the Governor, but it's a passive measure against an entrenched enemy, and so dividends may not come until much, much later, and it will do nothing to re-pacify the region before the civil war, our greatest concern; Letting it fester until that moment is unacceptable. Besides, this is a good time to prepare, even if it is bad for actually marching; Done quickly enough, the campaign may be ready for Summer, a time of tolerable weather for marching, unless I underestimate the severity of Irit's seasonal rains.
I very much want the region to be pacified before the Civil War, because otherwise we simply will not have the time for it to be properly dealt with and may even become quite the vulnerability in the loyalist provinces, something we cannot afford to have. This is also an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the functioning of Csiritian army on campaigning in a relatively low-risk situation and to maybe even mitigate it's abandonment by Kuojah, without stepping on the toes of the preexisting generals and previous authorithy structure.
TL;DR: Irit is a manageable problem now that may grow into a crucial one later, therefore, I want it decisively dealt with; while also being an opportunity for Kiralo become more familiar with the army.
The thing is, my plan does take into account solidifying our influence. I've included
Family Matters and
Money in the City which explicitly has us looking for and building a network of allies in Csrae. These two through our familial connections and our contact in Yonu.
We don't know much about our half-sisters but we can safely assume their husbands wield a high and favorable position in society to be able to wed the daughters of Kuojah. Money in the City specifically targets the bureaucrats and bankers, two professions which would have prospered under Kuojah and would see our father in a kind light, as evidenced by Yonu. We could capitalize on the goodwill our father brought up both in our half-step-brothers and the bureaucracy, no matter how distasteful it is to us.
Similarly, we're trying to gain an ally in
To the West. We won't know if Juae of the West would be disposed towards us, but at least there's a chance he
won't be hostile to us (secretly or out in the open) right off the bat. Besides, Kuojah thinks its worth a try and I would trust his ability to navigate Csiritan politics.
This isn't to mention
Rumors of War, which is based on people's perception of us. Entirely soft as far as power goes but it helps complete the picture we're trying to make here.
I do agree with you in regards to our actions for Irit. We do need a decisive advantage in dealing with the bandits and nothing is more decisive than an army of the Empire descending on the bandits. I view the options we have in terms of this and the resources we're willing to spend. Put Down, if prepared for and successfully implemented,
will end the threat of bandits instead of letting the Governor and his provincial forces handle it on their own. Yes, we will construct a series of forts in Fort Up but an army needs bases to operate from and I have no doubt there'd be a few forts going up just to house the soldiers or to act as a Forward Operating Base.
Ultimately both choices are military matters, but one does provide more flexibility in our State Dice because of its easier roll requirement. However, right now it seems something as huge as a war is going on there; refugees and starvation is common enough there that it wouldn't be exaggeration to say so.
