355 – Direction of the Imperial Army (1)
When I returned to the palace after the vacation, both the knights and servants working inside were talking in a very cheerful atmosphere.
“Captain Cornell, who was assigned to Beneta, brought news, and said that Beneta has a lot of money. “I heard from him that he has several huge banks, and that he has four to five years’ worth of gold and silver piled up within them, an imperial budget.”
“Lieutenant Tigger, this is nonsense. “The population and area of the Principality of Veneta cannot be compared to the empire, so what?”
“Instead, wasn’t it a good location for trade with numerous countries to the east, including the Reich Empire, and they bought and sold all kinds of expensive goods even with pagans? Moreover, those damn finance family bastards lend money to empires and various kingdoms and collect interest.”
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“Huh, how on earth do you know all that?”
“My father is very interested in commerce.”
The reason why the atmosphere had to be bright was explained to me by a guy named Tigger.
Financial families with numerous banks rooted in the Principality of Veneta all came under the empire, and thanks to this, the total amount of taxes the empire could collect rose by a whopping 30%.
It is said that Ministry of Finance officials are cheering for the Beneta financial family, saying that a lot of interest on money previously borrowed by the empire has been written off, reducing financial expenditures.
In the future, the empire will use Venetian merchants to take control of trade on the European continent and even various spices and precious items sold by pagans from other regions.
The empire’s finances will improve incomparably compared to before.
‘If you add in the fertile land and various specialties owned by the Venetian Union, as well as the best technology on the Europa continent possessed by the Venetian Union artisans. The benefit I brought to the empire must be indescribably great.’
As I was walking with that thought in mind, Vincent appeared from nowhere and greeted me.
“It’s been almost a year since I last saw you. “Marshal.”
“Oh, brother-in-law. Are you still serving in the Knights Guard?”
“There was an order from His Majesty to serve in the Knights Guards until the end of the first company command next year.”
“It would be better if I had more majors before I got the rank of major so I could get promoted later. “When I was a lieutenant, we made a surprise attack on the Francois division headquarters…”
Vincent sighed and said as if he was dumbfounded.
“When I was attending the academy, the first thing the professors told new students was to not think about following the enemy. I also agree with this. Since my qualifications are at an ordinary level, I try to follow the path taken by ordinary people. And how can a mere captain, a brat, refuse His Majesty’s recommendation?”
To the guy who poured cold water on my words, I put my hand on his shoulder and patted him.
“Since I am the Marshal… I will ask your Majesty that a talented person like my brother-in-law cannot be confined to the Knights of the Guard. Don’t worry. Anya says that Baron Andersen is reporting that some idiot has rebelled in the north and is causing trouble. “Go there to suppress the rebellion and make a major contribution.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“By the way, I want to ask you something. How is the atmosphere these days?”
Vincent asked back as if he was dumbfounded by my words.
“Don’t you know better than me?”
“Even if I know the overall situation, it’s just the thoughts of the lower-ranking officers and soldiers. “The thoughts of the soldiers are also the thoughts of the people.”
If there are about 100 troops conscripted into the imperial army, more than 87 of them are serfs, who make up the majority of the empire’s population, and the remaining 13 are citizens living in the city.
In addition, among the conscripted soldiers, only about three are promoted to non-commissioned officer, so most of them are half-civilians who are counting on their fingers the days until they will be discharged…
If you know their mood, you can roughly understand the thoughts of those who are now commoners of the empire.
“Everyone was very excited. The Ministry of Finance officials received orders from His Majesty to raise the soldiers’ salaries, and the food situation improved significantly. In the past, biscuits were only black bread if they came out well. Now we have black bread two or three days a week.”
“Isn’t it a bit far from what the people think?”
“If you listen to the stories of the new officers, you will hear blood-curdling battles such as the Battle of Litzen and the Battle of the Plain of Linz, which feature the activities of the Marshal and the 7th Division, and the number of bards singing about the pure love of the Duke and Duchess of Philolence, which shows their support for the Imperial Army. My self-esteem also increased. One guy who enlisted a few days ago was a commoner and joined the Knights Guard after becoming a senior officer. “After listening to the story, it seemed like everyone had a pretty positive view of the war happening.”
It is like looking at the German Empire during World War I, as it is an empire in the position of Germany in its previous life, which positively evaluates the outbreak of war.
The current situation in our empire is almost similar to those back then.
The difference is that we have no intention of going into the lands where pagans live to gain colonies.
There is a high probability that other countries will join hands to attack the empire, which has become stronger after defeating the Venetian Alliance, and it is time to prepare for it.
I am so glad that the people are favorable to the war.
If you tell people who hate war to prepare for war, they will all avoid it.
Then it will become difficult to prepare for war.
“I see, it’s a little different from what I thought. “It was unexpected.”
Vincent heard me and raised his voice as if he was curious.
“What on earth were you thinking when you said that? “Marshal?”
If he wasn’t my brother-in-law, a captain wouldn’t have asked me, his enemy, a question like this…
To the guy who expressed doubts, I spoke solemnly in a low voice as if making a declaration.
“I changed the system so that commoners who enlisted in the imperial army could rise in status, but the majority of those who received rewards in war were officers. The majority of commoner soldiers end up receiving only a few silver pieces unless they show outstanding performance in the war, and many of them end up just getting killed. “Even though I became a war hero, just thinking about this makes me sick.”
When I received a large award, it was very common for our country’s soldiers to die in tens of thousands.
To be honest, I didn’t cry emotionally on the day the war ended, because it was the same as saying that tens of thousands of people in the empire lost their families.
But I couldn’t just be happy, so I had to swallow a lot of bitter feelings.
In the case of some soldiers, they were the only male in the family and died during battle, leaving the remaining family with no means of livelihood. When I found out about such a man’s situation, I used the reward money I received to support his family.
Of course, if a noble other than the emperor buys a soldier’s favor in this way, he will be suspected, so he received permission from His Majesty and sent it in the name of the emperor.
When I think about these things, the thought of having to go to war in the future darkens my mind.
“So I thought the people would hate war. “Well, this atmosphere may have been largely influenced by the mobilization of bards to promote the survival of the empire, but it is truly absurd.”
“Is that so?”
“But that’s not all bad. As the empire becomes stronger through victories, the lives of its people continue to improve to some extent. Jobs related to craftsmen, merchants, farmers, and laborers engaged in numerous businesses will be created, and a peaceful daily life for the people will be guaranteed. “Just like now, I enjoy war-related stories like adventure stories and legends.”
I chatted with Vincent little by little and entered the office where the emperor was waiting.
“See you, Your Majesty.”
As soon as His Majesty saw me, he immediately walked down and personally helped me up.
“Marshal Jaeger, hahahaha, I have been looking forward to the day when you will become my marshal! And it makes me so happy to see you wearing the rank of marshal and uniform like this, hahahaha.”
Having said that, His Majesty carefully examined me from the tips of my feet to the top of my head, and while I was doing so, I also checked my sleeves and such.
In line with the symbolism of the enemy, the black livery and the black eagle embroidery symbolizing the gold empire are engraved in several places on the sleeves in gold and black.
It is dazzlingly gorgeous, but it feels even more majestic.
I can see it at a glance, but if someone else sees it, it will feel incredibly intimidating, right?
“The reason I called you today is because I wanted to hear how you plan to command the imperial army before officially starting work. “The Chief of Staff will submit an official report, but after receiving it, I would like to have a drink with you.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
After saying that, His Majesty sighed and said.
“Of course, as the empire has grown so much, I know very well that ‘restraint’ and ‘defense’ are necessary, as you have been saying for a long time, so please speak without being judgmental. What should our Imperial Army do now?”