Or did they? For while their powerbases slowly geared to war, local leaders throughout the rest of the country had their own plans. Within days of open warfare, several factions throughout the far reaches of the country, too far away from Dolshkograd to ever develop loyalty to the crown decided to seceede from Dolshkovia as well. Small and weak, they planned to take as much of Dolshkovia as they could for themselves, and establish their goverment as the authority.
The Dolshkovich royal house had an immense army, armed with firearms, cavalry, cannons, and the most advanced technoligy of the time. Their cities were centres of East European culture, and their population large.
The Istovich noble family was not as big, but it too had a large army, largely dependent on it's pikemen and musketmen, along with their unique Dolshkovian Hussar.
These rival factions were small. The population of the region they controlled wasn't too sure they wanted them there in the first place. They were armed with primitive muskets, farm tools, local horses, and anything they could find that could lend a hand to the war effort. Their material wealth was more often than not, nonexistant.
Yet somehow, during the next 100 years, while fighting amongst themselves and the Dolshkovian crown, one of these factions would emmerge and unite Dolshkovia under their banner and their goverment, sending Dolshkovia upward into an ascent it would keep up to this day.