300 – Luxurious Vacation (4)
That night, a cabin near Jägerburg Castle.
A young pig skewered and roasted on a stove, lamb ribs, bubbling cheese, beer and horse milk brought in from the empire.
The atmosphere here was very bright, with a sumptuous feast prepared that no northerners could eat.
I was filled with the thought of bringing a woman here and having a bit of dirty fun, but the chieftains did not let go of their reason.
Because, since many tribal chiefs from the northern region had gathered together, it was difficult to know when political talk would arise.
However, the fact that the crown prince of the empire personally came all the way to the cold north and received a reward for loyalty was like saying that a lot of trouble would fall on them in the future.
Even though we weren’t very close in normal times, on this day when the tribe’s bright future was guaranteed, the face of the other chief felt like a good friend whom we had known for over ten years.
“I never thought that His Majesty the Crown Prince would personally come all the way to this cold and remote northern region. No, honestly, I couldn’t even dream.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean that Kakan treated us poorly even before that. However, I never thought he would come this far from Reichburg.”
“Actually, I’m a bit close with the commander of the 13th Regiment of the Northern Army these days. According to Colonel Milinod, the war in the center of the empire will now stop for a while, and more aid and immigrants will come to the north. I didn’t believe it at the time, but wouldn’t a huge amount of support be pouring in upon seeing His Majesty come?”
Northern tribal leaders, or rather, northern nobles who had now been granted knighthood and tribal territory as territory by the Reich Empire, pricked up their ears at the word subsidy.
No, I trembled with uncontrollable excitement and anticipation, like a man going on his first night with his first love.
The quality of life of you, your family, and your tribe members has improved dramatically with the support you have received now, but what if enormous support from the empire pours in and a larger population is concentrated?
As the territory developed and its power was recognized, it seemed like it was not a dream to be promoted to a ‘baron’, with the qualifications and power to enter the imperial council, rather than a ‘knight’, a powerful noble in the empire as it is now.
‘If I become a baron, the knights here will see me and take care of themselves…?’
‘I feel good just thinking about it. The sight of Minokov bowing his head in front of my title and bowing politely…’
While the atmosphere was heating up, a lone man wearing a completely different outfit from the other tribal leaders appeared.
To be exact, I was just listening to the story in the corner and tried to join in on the conversation.
He looked very heterogeneous, wearing the suit worn by imperial nobles and without the mustache and beard typical of northerners.
The man, or rather Andersen, sighed and spoke with a serious expression.
“The fact that His Highness the Crown Prince came all the way to the cold north is proof that the empire cares for us that much. So, I have no doubt that a huge amount of support will come in for the development of our territory. However, the problem is, do all the nobles in the empire have someone like Captain Jaeger? Surely, if we receive support from His Majesty and the Imperial Council, there will be many people who will feel sick to their stomachs and will do whatever it takes to stop us.”
Everyone’s attention was focused on those words.
Because, until they were eradicated from the north by Ludvik, those who were here had the experience of feeling sick to their stomachs when one tribe did well.
No matter how much they thought about it, they realized that there were only a very few people like Captain Jaeger, the emperor of the Reich Empire, whom both their Kakan and everyone in this room respected as Khan in their hearts.
Moreover, the man named Andersen who said those words became an aristocrat of the empire, so even though he may not have the same way of thinking as them, he believed that he should perfectly understand the empire.
Although he was young, in his mid-30s, he was treated as a Reich Empire expert and a special type of person who hired a tutor to learn the culture, etiquette, and knowledge that imperial nobles learned from elementary school.
When such a person forced them to face reality, the other chiefs couldn’t help but nod their heads in agreement.
“Well, even the country would feel bad if it said that the taxes collected from my territory, such as the defense tax, were being spent on the southern territory of the empire…”
“We are also subjects of Kakan, but aren’t other nobles of the empire also subjects? So, even if we can’t make Kakan retract what he said about providing subsidies, we can drastically reduce the size of the budget.”
“…… If we were to belong to the empire, wouldn’t we also live in a luxurious mansion or castle, and be called ‘baron’ by everyone? Are our northern tribes lacking in territory size? What is lacking? “At best, if there is little development and we add more people, it will end up as a small baronage.”
When Andersen saw that the opinions of his tribal leaders were leaning towards him, he smiled evilly.
‘There is Captain Jaeger in the North, so even if I don’t dare to overtake Captain Jaeger and become the number one person in the North, if I can move them as the Empire wants… I am the only one here who has an official title from the Reich Empire. ‘You could become a nobleman.’
It wasn’t a particularly bad thing as it was a strategy that would help the empire and have a trickle-down effect on everyone.
His intention to become a nobleman and rich by scraping together the rewards of the northern tribes’ hard work was something that should not have been discovered just yet.
‘You shouldn’t do something crazy like that traitor who betrayed you last time and end up decapitating Viscount Kergit. So what I can aim for is the second-in-command in the North.’
Andersen cleared his throat a few times to get everyone’s attention and spoke.
“Still, there is a good way to prevent opposition from the Imperial Diet.”
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The chieftains listened carefully, even holding their breath.
“Honestly, didn’t Captain Jaeger also say in the past that he was an orphan that we wouldn’t even bother to look at? But he says that his personal achievements are so great that he has come this far. So, we will have to cooperate so that the empire has no choice but to recognize us. Aren’t our tribesmen soon going to be conscripted and trained like the people of the empire, and pay taxes normally?”
Everyone nodded at those words.
“Our tribal leaders persuaded the tribe members to respond to conscription and voluntarily pay taxes, even if it felt a little burdensome at first. Then, whether going to war or receiving training, you tell the young members of the tribe that the revival of the tribe depends on your efforts and make them work hard. Then, would the nobles in the Imperial Council even dare to object to Kakan’s grant of support?”
The tribal chiefs thought Andersen’s words were very plausible.
No, even though they are barbarians, when they are in charge of hundreds or thousands of people and give something to their subordinates who have often played an active role.
Even if others under their command thought it was a bit negative, they were the ones who saw firsthand that no one could refute an award given in the name of merit.
“Is a rebuttal a freezing rebuttal? We are not unemployed idiots who only suck up subsidies from the empire and do nothing else. “If you are receiving fair support in return for working properly, then anyone who opposes it is a traitor.”
“The wealth and peace we enjoy today were all given to us by Kakan. He wants to give us something more, and he must cooperate.”
“I agree with Chief Andersen.”
Andersen decided to add another spoonful to those words.
“And honestly, besides Kakan, the only person who can protect us in the central political world of the empire is Captain Jaeger, right? And since the North is still under the jurisdiction of the Northern Army Headquarters, if something too absurd happens to us, he can personally submit a petition. So, let’s send him a gift to express our gratitude and to ask him to take good care of us. However, if you ask for a promotion for your child or for support from the tribe, the tribal leaders will be offended, so just send a thank you note.”
And a few days later, Peter Yeager received a considerable number of top-quality cavalry swords, leather, and high-quality furniture made from northern pine wood as gifts from the northern tribes.
“……Imperial law is so funny. It’s so funny that if a gift is given unilaterally without a request, it is not considered a bribe under the law. However, if I refuse, the problem may become bigger, so I should send all these to His Majesty and at least tell him. ‘The Northerners will never leave Your Majesty.'”
Just like that, Peter Jaeger returned from a tour of the North with the Crown Prince.