Chapter 78: The Ignored Problem
–Third Person/Treia POV–
Treia Kingdom, Capital Trisnea
The conference being held in the palace was in disarray. The conflict that happened this time was limited to just the citizens in the eastern area; it was reported to be a meaningless clash and besides the self-proclaimed experts endlessly blabbering about their extensive knowledge on the subject on the street corners, there was nothing else worth talking about. However, the conclusion of the conflict dealt a large blow to the military officials and those in the palace.
「The royal army got defeated by a single remote region feudal lord. Twice.」
This fact greatly caused the dignity of the army to fall. For the rebels to gather strength, the surrounding nations may misunderstand it. In addition, more than anything, it will invite the civil official nobles to intervene with the military organizations.
It can't just be told to them, but the actual casualties that occurred can't be hidden either. The form Treia's standing army currently takes, as well as the personnel will be grasped by the palace. It's impossible to hide or get the number of deaths and the equipment lost past them.
That's why the army decided to deceive them with the numbers of the enemy's army. With the testimony of the ones involved, it was known that Valeora fell due to what looked like 2000 cavalry, but the report was made to look like the invasion was performed by an army of 6000, composed of 2000 cavalry and 4000 infantry. If they didn't make the army which defeated them to be of at least the same size, they couldn't make any excuses. This led to the oversight of the fact that the enemy was allowed to invade all the way to the central area and the fact that they had a phenomenal marching speed was lost.
「Goldonia is our enemy! We must invade them back!!」
「No, we should deal with the unfaithful farmers first!」
「For that reason, shouldn't we prioritize avoiding the confrontation and let the army recover first?」
The nobles raised their voices to assert their opinions.
With nobles, who only possess high standings, barking at each other about the government army that they knew nothing about, the conference is thrown into chaos. However, there are also reasonable and logical nobles, who held their heads in their hands, matching the king's actions.
「Quiet down! This is a place to discuss the policies of the future for this country, not some bar on the squalid outskirts!」
The one who shouted is the prime minister of the kingdom of Treia, Marquess Dunois. He isn't a military scholar with extensive knowledge, but his reliable ruling ability has brought stability to the country. He was also the one who opposed the kingdom's participation in the earlier Arkland war. Everything was currently going well, so there was no need to purposely jump into a vortex of chaos. The end result was that his opinion was dismissed due to the king acting with the focus on military officials and the pressure of their influence, but the disorder that occurred this time proved the source of his premonition in a sense.
「Marquess Dunois! Then what ideas do you have?!!」
「That's right, I would like to hear your excellent thoughts.」
The King...Trisnea III looks on with a worried face as he nods, acknowledging the prime minister has permission to step forward. In the first place, he is the highest ranked person excluding the king; once he stepped forward, he calmed down the tumult.
「First of all, it is obvious that Goldonia has ambitions to claim our territory, and although there was the incident involving the clash with the one feudal lord, they are probing our forces and there is also the line of thinking that the Goldonian king plans to throw us into chaos; I don't doubt he has some backing.」
「That is right!」
「We should defeat Goldonia!」
The prime minister ignores the hooting.
「But to attack Goldonia is a fool's errand, and exactly what they are hoping for. Since we're inferior in military force, we will instantly be pushed back and the surrounding nations that saw us taking preemptive action will not come to our aid.」
The nobles who were hooting look down, and eventually quiet down.
「And now that we are in agreement in observing this ceasefire, it is important that we clean up the rebellion army first. ...Count Verdot, please tell us once more of the ceasefire conditions which you have won through intense negotiations with Goldonia.」
The prime minister jerks his chin with scornful eyes. Verdot, who has been hiding in the corner of the room up until this point, responded with a flinch of his shoulder, as he timidly stepped forward. When he walks past the nobles, they started to speak ill of him softly.
「...First, Goldonia will immediately withdraw their forces from our territory. This has already been completed.」
Verdot speaks about the only condition which could be called an achievement in a hushed voice. However, none of the nobles give him any praise, much less open their mouths to say anything.
「That has been confirmed. Tell us about the other conditions.」
「In order to prevent accidental conflicts in the future, a buffer zone will be created on the eastern border line, where neither armies can enter...」
「A buffer zone even after they attacked us?!」
「Isn't it essentially the same as having a part of our territory shaved off?!」
「That isn't so! There are no villages or cities in the buffer zone, so it doesn't particularly impede us!!」
Verdot tries to give an excuse but one of the military officials quietly puts a stop to it.
「In other words, when the rebellion army escapes into the buffer zone, there is nothing we can do?」
Silence encompasses the entire room. But the prime minister is merciless.
「That's not all there is, right?」
「Yes...in order to not create a breeding ground for problems in the future, the casualties during the war will be mutually ignored.」
As soon as Verdot said that in a fearful voice, bellows fly at him.
「This traitor!!」
「This incompetent fool, you've said enough!」
「You should be ashamed of yourself!」
The conditions of the ceasefire are already common knowledge and there is no meaning to dispute them now. The prime minister just made Verdot into a sacrificial lamb and only brought it up to hang him. With that done, the anger will be directed to him and the emotional opposition to his own policies will be weakened.
「That should be enough. Count Verdot should also be happy.」
The prime minister steps down as if to drive Verdot away, and once again opens his mouth.
「In this way, we are at a considerable disadvantage in the ceasefire, but there is nothing we can do even if we lament about the past. Firstly, we should use our current forces to thoroughly sweep up the rebellion and then eliminate their resistance. After that, in order to deal with Goldonia, we will enforce conscription in our home country.」
Voices of confusion and doubt can be heard. Excluding the private armies of each feudal lord, Treia basically has just the standing army to recruit from. There were many times in the past during the Arkland war where the state of battle deteriorated after conscripting the citizens.
「With the addition of hiring mercenaries, the troop count will instantly be collected.」
One noble raised his hand.
「I don't have any objections to the gathering of soldiers, but I heard that Goldonia's central army or whatever already has over 40,000 troops, and is close to reaching 50,000 after reinforcement. No matter how many citizens we gather, we can probably only get 30,000. We can't really stand up against them independently, can we?」
Those around him are secretly whispering 'how weak' and 'coward', but that noble is absolutely not worked up. Treia can only gather a maximum of 30,000 and, financially speaking, they couldn't hire mercenaries for a long time. On the contrary, Goldonia can easily gather 10,000 considering their population. It wouldn't even be a contest.
「I am not familiar with military affairs, but even if we fight decently, even I can tell that we only have a slight chance of winning due to the difference in military strength. But I also know that there is a way to close that gap.」
「A castle?...」
The prime minister nods greatly.
「Indeed, let us build a group of fortresses between the northern part of our country and the occupied territory. Fortunately, there is already an existing fortress that has been our line of defense against Arkland for such long years. We will extend that even further and reinforce it.」
「I see...that fortress has been a shield which safeguarded our country and kept Arkland away from us for many years, so if we strengthen it even more, then Goldonia will be unable to breakthrough.」
「The occupied territory is pretty much nothing but baggage anyway, and even if it has been taken from us, it doesn't have much influence on our national power.」
「In addition, we must also take measures against the eastern feudal lord, Hardlett, who has dealt us a serious blow. The strength of his army looks to be a powerful cavalry squad. We should also construct a defensive encampment in the east...but it would be enough just to dig a moat and prop up some fences. If we can at least stop the cavalry, they won't be that big of a threat to us.」
「I see...as expected of the prime minister.」
「Umu, if it's a fortress battle, then we have the advantage.」
「If we can hold down Goldonia, restrain their military power and claim that they are doing something unjust, then Magrado and Yurest will also be on our side. That way, Goldonia will have no choice but to pull back their troops.」
Goldonia's abundant territory is considered mouthwatering to every nation. There exists a common just cause and due to their gathering of forces to the south, the surrounding countries will definitely jump at this opportunity.
「I see, the prime minister's suggestion is indeed brilliant. But if we want to strengthen the fortress army and also construct a defensive encampment on the eastern side, we need a tremendous amount of labor. I don't think it is compatible with conscription.」
What is needed the most for both public construction works and conscription are young men. The Treian kingdom doesn't have enough youngsters to distribute between the two options.
「Don't worry. We have labor force we can use, not only that, but they can be used till they break... On the occasion that the suppression of the rebellion is finished and we acknowledge their surrender, we will order for their execution to be cancelled. Then, we'll use those guys as labor.」
Those who have conspired or supported the rebellion can't be included in the army in the first place. This way, there are no doubts on how to use them.
「But won't the punishment be too light on the rebels if we abandon the execution?」
The prime minister points out that he doesn't understand the reason and chuckles.
「You're wrong. Whichever the case, everyone will die after they work. I think it's more effective than hanging them.」
The Treian King didn't object to his opinion; the strengthening of the fortress north of Roleil, the construction of the defensive encampment on the eastern area, and the conscription of the regular citizens have been decided. The kingdom of Treia starts to act with the assumption of a full-scale war with the kingdom of Goldonia.
–Aegir POV–
Rafen
「Quite a few has been gathered.」
There are soldiers lined up, many wearing mismatched pieces of armor, in front of us.....although it's ironic how most of them are from the Treian kingdom. Since I intervened partway into the cause of the conflict – the farmers' rebellion – many of them survived and I accepted them into my territory. Amongst those survivors, many of them were single and chose to become soldiers rather than farmers.
「This number is enough to overwhelm our population. Are there any concerns with security?」
Celia frowns as she speaks worriedly. I didn't look at all of the names Adolph added to his citizens' record, but just from this incident, there should be close to 4000 who have been added. The original residents of the territory were 2000, but considering the acceptance of the immigrants to be more than the same amount of people migrated in, it caused the number to instantly balloon. It might be better to accept them this way, rather than assimilating them.
A large amount of personnel flowed into a closed environment in the remote regions. Even though they are technically from the same country, there is friction between them, albeit only a little. I'll leave resolving that to Adolph.
「The mountain nation, the original residents and now the migrated farmers – things have finally gotten chaotic.」
「But they are a force which is able to act regardless of their inclination towards the ruling family. We should think about using them together with the bow cavalry as our main force.」
It seems like Leopolt is looking to form an original army as the main army. By the way, the new members who entered the private army are split up into branches within the army with their personal aptitudes in mind and are separated as much as possible from people of the same village when being placed in their squads. Until they are able to become familiar with the land, separating them from familiar faces will help to prevent rebellions. The threshold to cause a rebellion is lower for those who have caused rebellions once already after all.
「If possible, we want them to create families and if we put families into the towns and villages, we won't have to worry so much.」
「There are many unmarried people among the immigrants. Men and women will eventually get together. Apart from that, how is the skill level?」
「There are no problems. Rather, they are more skilled than the private army we had up until now.」
I guess it's because there are many who have come from the former Arkland, but although their equipments are all different, their movements are harmonious. If I'm careless, they will have more order than the eastern independent army, which is the legitimate army.
「This is the result after a blank of one year. If Arkland was in perfect condition when they fought in the earlier war, it would be hard to determine the victor.」
「Things look like they're progressing steadily. If the army gets bigger, Irijina may also have more responsibility on her shoulders. Watch over her proactively.」
Irijina isn't an idiot when it comes to military affairs, but she has no experience commanding a squad close to 1000 in size, so her abilities won't reach the level of a commander on the front lines. Without Leopolt, she probably can't hold it together.
「Have the citizens who aren't soldiers gotten familiar with each other?」
Adolph calls out on the opposite side.
「It will be impossible to blend in with so many. Let another village be created and have them be a separate entity and the ones who have jobs will reside in Rafen.」
He seems to be consolidating the ones who are of the same village on our side as much as possible. It would be too harsh to have people who just met with each other do something like farm work, which requires a close relationship. Naturally, they will not possess weapons of any kind.
「Wouldn't leaving the tool craftsmen and simple blacksmiths in Rafen hinder their lifestyle?」
「Yes. They will really not be able to have anything, like hoes or water jugs, except simple things, and unless they come to Rafen, they will not be supplied with anything. There will be no exchange of goods in the village, but rather they will either sell their crops or work for money in Rafen; this cycle will encourage and stimulate business and eventually create a larger commercial area~」
I didn't really pay much attention to the back half, but the main point is that if the merchants of each village are self-sufficient, then it won't become a business. With Rafen in the center, and people coming to buy and sell goods, it will invite merchants over. If many merchants come, then things can be sold at a higher price and things can be bought at a lower price.
「I don't know much about merchants and stuff. I'll leave it to you, but it'll be hard to secure houses for this many people.」
「Yes, the construction of houses and the city walls is part of the labor and is progressing but we still don't have enough help.」
You wouldn't think that anybody would attack a place so far in the remote region, not to mention, the army is stationed in the nearby garrison, but city walls act as a defensive structure as well as the symbol of security and furthermore, is also the proof of the feudal lord's dignity. Without it, the residents will become anxious and the merchants will be hesitant to set up shop.
「There is a squad in the army you can use, who has experience constructing encampments, so I'll have you use them.」
Leopolt also nods. We have people to spare so we revived the engineering corps, the small group which was created in the formation of the central army in the past. The digging of moats and construction of fences will be good practice for the engineering corps.
「The problem is that it will be costly...」
Celia's eyes were dragged upward, but when I rub her ass, she calms down.
「If we get through this year, next year we'll be able to take tax, right? If it looks like we'll run out of money, then stop. Until then, you can do as you wish.」
Thinking about financing reminds me of something.
「That plundering we did...how will we handle the selling of the spoils?」
There's no point in having jewellery. Although it seems Nonna was able to secure a necklace that she was gazing reluctantly at.
「I called several merchant families from Stura. I was thinking of calling them on different days to compare their buying prices and doing business with the one who has the highest price.」
「I see, then it's good to leave with you.」
For the transaction to go smoothly, we'll have the merchants come by at least once. If there's one that's pretty, we should decide on her.
「Chief! Pipi has something to say too!!」
Pipi hops onto me and gives me a hug. She's wearing a one-piece type of clothing, but the sensation of her crotch hitting my thigh feels soft. She probably isn't wearing any underwear.
「Wah-! Pipi, your ass is-!! Don't do something so vulgar please!!」
I can see the ass that Celia's sticking out too. Pipi continues speaking while Celia looks on with a doubtful face.
「The chief's horse is amazing! The mares that he impregnated before summer have all gotten pregnant.」
「Oh...that.」
The mountain nation are proactively mating the horses and continuing production, but the kind and size make it so their speed on the plains are inferior to that of a Goldonian warhorse. They make up for it with their ability to turn sharp corners and their superior mobility on rough land and the wilderness, but the leaders of the mountain nation still say they want large horses no matter what.
So I gave them warhorses that were older or injured and had Schwartz try to impregnate them in the short time we had before the conflict. After that, the lust-filled horse impregnated over ten horses on the first day. Normally, it wouldn't be possible to do it more than once in a day though... It seems that right after he finished, he started attacking the other mares. At the end of the day, he seemed to be slightly slimmer and looks to have lost weight, but even so, he continued to mate.
「Schwartz is amazing! Pipi has watched horses mate many times, but it's the first time I've seen something like that. The semen spilled out so much that the tub overflowed! Even if he got kicked away by the mare, he didn't care. Although...」
Pipi hesitates.
「Although, Schwartz's penis was way too big and couldn't fit into some of the smaller mares. Not only that, his mating is intense, so when he's finished, the mares get exhausted and it was terrible.」
「His large cock is unequaled? What a perverted horse.」
「...」
Celia looks at me with narrow eyes.
「What is it?」
「It's nothing. I'm sure you'll get along well with him on the battlefield from now on.」
「And also, all the mares that were inseminated got pregnant! I've never seen such an excellent stallion before! I'm certain that incredible foals will be born too.」
It'll be several years in the future before the newborn horses will become useful, but Pipi is really excited. There will eventually be a time in the future where the production of horses may be useful too.
「Schwartz is almost like the chief! An incredible male!!」
What nonsense are you saying? As I thought, Pipi is still just a child.
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