Zexen vs Tinto?

[Blitzkrieg]

After Suikoden 3...it says Chris, Roland, Leo, Salome, Percival and Borus fought Tinto in border disputes...does anyone know if it became more than little skirmishes? You think it might have to do with Lilly and Chris as well besides border clashes? They went at it once. *Slap Slap*

Do you think Suikoden 5 will revolve around this? (Every Suikoden has hints to where the next one will revolve around...IE Some people's endings in Suikoden 2 said they fought in the Grasslands War and ect. OF course Suikoden 4 is a prequel, so nothing was said about that.

[Ced The Lad]

Here's the link to suikox.com
Grassland History

Here's a passage taken from the site.

Zexen-Tinto War (4th Grassland War)
Duration: 478 (1 year)
Participating Nations: Zexen, Grassland Clans, Tinto
Happening five years after the Second Fire Bringer War, the Zexen-Tinto War started with a border skirmish between Tinto and Zexen forces. The skirmish led to a war which gradually included the Grassland Clans, namely the Lizard Clan.


Based on the above, one can come to a conclusion regarding why there are more wars the Grassland history since the year 407--Zexen. Although the Zexen Confederacy was formally declared in the year 420, the Zexen region was already a busy trade center. As trade grew in the area, trade routes through the Grasslands obviously increased in importance. For Tinto, the Grasslands was the only other route besides trading through Dunan. As an independent nation, Tinto obviously would want to have more than one route for trade, so it is natural for them to have the ambition to expand its territory into the Grassland. Harmonia obviously would be interested, because Caleria is not only a center for Zexen/Harmonian trade, but is also a center for Zexen/Harmonia/Dunan trade. Making sure the trade routes are free from clan threats is an obvious priority. In fact, traders usually hired Grassland clan members as escorts, but to merchants, this probably appeared more as tithing for safe passage.


Zexen would also be a cause of more conflicts by the virtue of its own expansion and difference in its culture. Zexen's culture is a stark contrast to that of the Grassland clans--much like the difference between 16th century Europe and 9th century Mongolia. Zexen, as a growing nation, needed more land for itself. It was natural and inevitable for them to march into clan territory, and the difference in culture made it difficult for them to share their land.


The above two points become obvious once one imagines the Grassland area without Zexen. Without Zexen, the region possesses no real value politically or economically. The Nameless Lands north of the Grassland seems to be of little importance in the scope of the Suikoden world. In fact, without Zexen, the Grassland clans alone would probably have lost against Harmonia in the First Fire Bringer War, which would most probably eliminated the possibility of the future conflicts we know about.


This illustrates the effect commerce has upon history, and this happens quite a lot in our world as well. One of the greatest things about the Suikoden series is that the cause of conflicts often reflects our world. We can obviously see such parallels in the other wars mentioned in Suikoden history.

I suggest you look at the site in order to get visuals regarding territorial expansion.

[Blitzkrieg]

Ah, good stuff. Thanks for the link.

[patapi]

Did Tinto ever manage to expand its territory to the far west of the continent and get itself a port of its own? Dunan was rather landlocked (at least that's the kind of impression gotten from Suikoden II in-game map).

[Ced The Lad]

It's tough to say since SARS is just guessing on the matter. But if they did expand rapidly, and fought for the sake of trade routes, then it wouldn't be too hard for them to make their way up the coastline and at least get a decent port.

[Fliktor]

Do you think Suikoden 5 will revolve around this? (Every Suikoden has hints to where the next one will revolve around...IE Some people's endings in Suikoden 2 said they fought in the Grasslands War and ect. OF course Suikoden 4 is a prequel, so nothing was said about that

Highly doubtful. All new Suikodens are based on a new nation or continent. So it is unlikely you will see Zexen/Tinto again in that manner unless they were visited in side-games, novelisations or "to visit a capital for some reason" like in Suikoden II.