Oh man this is going to take a while.
Bear with me please.
A leader who is not sure whether he will win or not is a bad leader. He conducted a war with the goal to lose it? Buring down the regions you just invaded is just stupid if you want to occupy these regions. This whole war tactics seem more like a raid to me. Plundering the northern kingdoms and making sure that they can't fight back in the near future....this is not a war, it's barbarism.
It definitely is barbarism. It is raiding. And it is done, for the reason you just came up with. To make sure the enemy can't fight in the future. He had faith in his generals that he would win the war, by faith I mean, he told them to win it, or the war would be the least of their concerns. But he did not know for sure. Nobody can predict the outcome of a war, with 100% certainty. Let's phrase that differently, he was confident that he would win, but he was not sure.
Well, that's just not realistic. With which money should Brugge, Sodden and Vergen be able to buy Nilfgaardian goods? Foreign trade is based on the well being of two nations while you benefit from the wealth of your trading partner. A partner who has nothing is a worthless partner.
That is very true. Though it is not described in the books, I would give you an example from our world. When Greece "needed" money, but did not have any, "we" asked some wealthier nations to lend us some. If Esterad could lend money to Redania, I don't see why he wouldn't lend on Brugge and Sodden. Money which, eventually end up in Nilfgaard. Even Nilfgaard could lend money, and still not lose from it, since it all comes back and gets retaxed.
That's a very short-sided strategy in which you punish almost everyone just to make some cash for the treasury.
It is indeed, but Emhyr cared about when he would be ready to wage the next war. So fast cash for the treasury is all that he needed. Traitors and Usurpers he would deal with later. He was quite infamous for it.
Ahem, no. Actually there was no magic involved in the battle at Brenna. He lost the war because his generals make crucial tactical mistakes and because the northern kingdoms were better united than they all thought in the south.
There have already been two wars with Nilfgaard described in the books. The first war, ended with the Battle of Sodden Hill, in which battle, mages who did not usually take part in such battles, had a crucial part in favor of the North. Led by Vilgefortz of Roggeveen the mages of the North managed to burn a huge chunk of Nilfgaards army, thus winning the war for the North. It is were Triss got her scar, and it is where Yennefer lost her eyes.
How do you know? IIRC there is no source whether he won or lost the second war (which takes place during Witcher 3).
The second war with Nilfgaard ended with the Battle of Brenna, in which the Condotieri that were released from Kovir's prisons, and then got paid with Kovir money, lent to Redania, by King Esterad, had a very crucial part. What also played a crucial role in the fight was the Kaedweni cavalry brigade, the Dun Banner, along with some Redanians who arrived in battle unexpected, because a Nilfgaardian scout was scared to do his job.
Nice try, nice word game. But the result is the same. He failed in what he wanted to achieve here. That's just a fact.
I did not intend to make a word play, I truly think that Emhyr abandoned his goal, so that Ciri would be happy. She was his daughter after all. One might have never loved his wife, but kids are another matter entirely. But that is Emhyr's decision nonetheless.
Well, Pavetta is already dead. He failed in saving her. And tbh we have no idea if Emhyr would have been able to kill Vilgefortz. I personally highly doubt it.
Pavetta died due to an accident, cause by her magic nature, in a attack of hysteria she fell off the ship that was being teleported by Vilgefortz in castle Stygga. And thus she died. Emhyr did not love her, but he regretted her death. He had failed getting Ciri with him on that boat though, that I will say. Queen Calanthe, ruined his plans at the last minute. But Queen Calanthe was freaking awesome. Smarter than any King, or Emperor.
Now if Emhyr could actually capture Vilgefortz, that I do not know. But I would expect he would not go to castle Stygga completely unprepared.
Well, then let's agree to disagree. If you ask me the biggest success he has is that he still sits on the throne...
I'll wait to pass judgement on that, until you read this post.
We might still disagree though, you never know.
He wasn't more intelligent than Foltest who was in fact a very clever and ruthless bastard. And Esterad? Well, he was in the nice position to be just too far away from Nilfgaard. It's easy to maintain neutrality if you have a nice saved spot to live. But yeah, at least Esterad knows something about how to make money and how to trade...
Foltest was a smart man, but he was also an idiot in many ways. For example with Baroness La Valette. If he hadn't listened to what the little friend in his pants told him to do, he would have truly created a very solid Kingdom, with many vassals, one that which even Nilfgaard, would have trouble to overthrow.[/QUOTE]
And Esterad, has proven in the books how intelligent of a King he is. Maybe he is even more insightful than Emhyr. He pretty much won the war for the North, without Kovir being officially implicated. The passage from the books, where he is having that discussion with Dijkstra, is quite interesting, and worthy of a second reading.
Emhyr is a character who deserves perhaps both hate and respect but no pity.
That might be so, but it is a matter that each of us will have to decide on his own. It is a matter of opinion I mean.
If any of you managed to read this far, then HI. It is a beautiful day!
