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A sturdy defensive line is required to maximally consume the living forces on both sides. Before this stronghold has solidified, the Sorcerer Alliance did not wish it to be so quickly overrun.
Anthony, of course, understood the other party's "well-intentioned" motives, which is why the real stronghold was in the mountains within the forest, and these outside were merely for show.
However, even a feint had to look the part; it could not be empty, as anyone could then see the problem. Therefore, Anthony's method was to reclaim farmlands, on a large scale. The larger the scale of the farmlands, the greater the cost of abandonment, and the less likely the ruse was to be suspected.
But what they did not know was that reclaiming farmlands had a minimal cost to Ange. Even if all the land nearby was cultivated, it would not cost much.
