regular protagonist summoned to "the kingdom of herbs" who is under attack by a mysterious enemy who typically sends a few wizards controlling beasts to attack them. they beg for help from the summoned hero and receive it through magic and bureaucracy.
The kingdom operates on an export economy of medicinal herbs through mountains to neighboring countries. Their convoys are being attacked so they have to resort to increasingly dangerous routes. The hero helps establish social welfare programs, security forces, fair taxes, etc
After a significant amount of statecraft, lives are greatly improved, the people and kingdom are more prosperous than ever, and the hero is hailed as a great reformer and given a manor, etc
On an expedition, he captures some of the attackers and realizes they're human, and is told they're here to stop the poison. The herbs are highly addictive drugs.
The hero has established a high functioning and self-reproducing narco-state and a massive army is being formed to crush them as they're growing increasingly powerful by siphoning all the gold and silver from all neighboring countries.
However, nearly all the recruits in said army is either dependent, recreationally uses, or is recovered from said drugs and their loyalty is questionable. That is why the counterattack is taking so long and they're using proxies like this.
