62 – Poitiers Family – 2
As a result, Isabel decided to hire my mercenary group. In fact, it wasn’t even a situation where I could refuse. It was a situation where each person was in need and wanted to lend a hand to the cat.
But there was a problem. Even if Isabel’s family fortune was scraped together, there was not enough money to hire 300 mercenaries. So I came up with an idea.
“Isabel, if you win, what do you plan to do with your relatives on the other side?”
“They are released for ransom, or in the case of ringleaders, their property is confiscated and they are expelled from the territory. From now on, you will live a life like a commoner.”
“In other words, if you win, you will make money?”
“That’s true, but… “
“Then let’s assume we get paid when we win.”
Then Isabel was embarrassed.
“Are you sure you’re okay? “There is no guarantee that you will win.”
“Instead, please add 30% more than the standard compensation.”
“Of course I can do that.”
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The contract was concluded, and soon I was scheduled to lead the army to Oxenberg, Isabelle’s domain.
But here, a problem arose.
A letter came from Liam, the crown prince’s advisor.
[Thank you very much for your impressive performance during the battle of the Imour River and the chase at Seiz Castle the previous day. However, I have recently heard rumors that your actions are contrary to the interests of His Highness the Crown Prince. It would be nice if it were just a rumor, but if it is true, His Majesty the Crown Prince will respond sternly, so please be aware of that.]
In other words, the message was not to do anything that would harm the crown prince.
Actually, I understood to some extent hearing this. As expected, when he went to another academy as an instructor, he pointed out the prince’s strategic mistakes, and this time, he chose the battle of the Immor River, where the prince had lost, in the tactical examination and led it to victory. He even tried to join the war as a mercenary on the other side of the Crown Prince, so from the Crown Prince’s point of view, Charles Jean Rochepol would be a bad guy who would erode the Crown Prince’s reputation in real time.
Of course, it’s not that I don’t like the crown prince. However, he only realized that the crown prince had no answer at all. At first, I tried to walk the line between the crown prince and the princess, but now it’s different. The crown prince seen during the Battle of the Imour River and the chase at Seiz Castle was truly the height of incompetence, and even if his power was strong now, there was a high possibility that he would ruin it all someday.
So, from my perspective, I thought it would be more beneficial to build relationships with monarchs who are hostile to the crown prince rather than with the crown prince, so I made a statement that seemed to deliberately criticize the crown prince.
But here a problem arises. If things continued like this, the crown prince might look down on him. Even if he is a crown prince who will be destroyed in the future, he is still powerful. In other words, he is exerting influence over many nobles. If the crown prince is disliked, it is highly likely that nobles who fear the crown prince will not hire the Rochepol mercenaries in the future.
Of course, there are many nobles who are not afraid of the crown prince, but there is no need to narrow down the options.
“But you have to save Isabelle…” “
Isabel is the first person I made when I came here. Even though he is a subject of the princess, he is also in a cooperative relationship with me.
In order not to be hated by the crown prince, he must betray Isabelle. To save Isabelle, she must be hated by the Crown Prince. Do you take care of your people, or do you act so as not to be criticized by those in power? Either way, it’s a difficult story.
“What should I do…?” ”
As I was thinking about it for a while, I heard shocking news.
—–
“Master Charles.”
The person who spoke to me while I was resting at the mercenary camp was Professor Dian de Balboa’s nephew, Juan de Balboa.
Juan was a man in his early 20s, about 5 years older than me, and had excellent commanding skills. However, because he was in a difficult situation in the crown prince’s military camp, he quit working for the crown prince and joined my mercenary group.
He is currently in charge of general management and supervision of musketeers, and had accumulated some knowledge about muskets thanks to studying them for a while.
“What’s going on? Juan.”
“I received news from His Majesty the Crown Prince’s military camp, and I thought I should inform Charles of it as well.”
“What kind of news is this?”
This is news from the crown prince, something I’ve been thinking about for some time, so I’m really curious.
“I still have many of my connections in the military. Even though my path to advancement was blocked in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s military camp, I made many friends. “I heard from those friends that blood is blowing against His Majesty the Crown Prince’s military camp.”
“Bloody wind?”
What does that mean? The war would have ended?
“It seems that His Majesty the Crown Prince considers the retreat to the Immor River very shameful. Therefore, it is said that officers, knights, and nobles who made mistakes during the retreat on the Imor River were strictly inspected and those who made mistakes were dismissed or severely punished.”
“… “
I knew the crown prince was incompetent, but the crown prince of this universe seemed especially so. In fact, the crown prince of Jeongsa did not go to this extent. He was a person who was infinitely stupid when he was stupid, but sometimes showed a smart side when he was smart.
However, the crown prince of this quarter seemed to be a little more stupid than the crown prince of Jeongsa. Of course, the more there is a major defeat, the more he should think about boosting the morale of his allies by rewarding his subordinates who did well, but if he actively punishes his soldiers who made mistakes, the morale of the officers will drop, and that morale will lead to a decline in the morale of the soldiers. Because. In short, the crown prince is doing the opposite of what he should have done.
“It appears that many capable officers who lost their jobs are moving out because of this. “The reason I say this is because there are some outstanding officers who are worthy of being lost to other forces.”
“Oh my… “
“The mercenary group still lacks talent. Soldiers can be hired at any time, but officers cannot be found right away. Because they are professionals. So, if it’s okay, may I introduce you to a few people?”
I was pleased to hear those words. Right now, the size of the mercenary group is small, so I can run smoothly if I just push myself a little, but as the mercenary group grows in the future, a lot of officers will be needed. However, if tens of thousands of officers with experience serving in the Crown Prince’s army came under me, it would be very easy to increase the size of the mercenary group in the future.
“Good. “Please tell us that among the dismissed people, we are willing to join the mercenary group and that if there is a competent person, we are willing to hire him.”
“I understand. “Then I will make a list right away.”
It worked out well. While I was thinking that, a sudden thought occurred to me.
‘Wait.’
The Crown Prince dismissed or punished numerous officers, nobles, and knights who worked for him. One of them is Diane de Balboa.
Meanwhile, where does the crown prince’s power come from? The crown prince’s power comes from the fact that he is the lord of the wealthy province of Binevia, who rules over numerous nobles and exerts great influence on those who follow him.
So, now that the crown prince’s military base is shaking from within, there may be people who are dismissed by the crown prince and are thinking about transferring, or even if not, there may be people who resent the crown prince.
If that were the case, wouldn’t people who resent the crown prince try to hire me out of antipathy toward him? And by the time the Crown Prince has restored his power…
“My mercenary group has already grown.”
In that case, it is wisest to move now. The Crown Prince will not be able to retaliate for my movements because he is controlling his internal affairs, and if I cause damage to the Crown Prince in this war, it will make a strong impression on the various nobles who are on the other side of the Crown Prince, including Princess Leonia.
Thinking so, I immediately drove my army to the Oxenberg region where Isabelle was staying.
—–
When I first arrived in the Oxenberg region, I was surprised that there was no watermelon. This is because the Oxenberg region was a region so bustling and crowded that it was difficult to even think that there was war clouds in the air.
“Surprisingly, there is quite a buzz.”
When I said that, Juan nodded. Juan also seemed to be thinking of a province in the midst of war.
Meanwhile, when I arrived in the Oxenberg region, Isabelle de Poitiers, the lord of Oxenberg, welcomed me.
“Charles Jean Rochepol.”
“Isabel de Poitiers.”
We bowed slightly to each other and then got straight to the point. Isabel led me into the castle’s guest room, and I, Isabel, and Juan sat in the guest room and had a military conference.
“The number of enemies is 1,000, including 500 soldiers directly under the territory and 500 mercenaries. On the other hand, in the case of our army, there are 800 soldiers, including 300 soldiers under direct control of the territory, 200 separately hired mercenaries, plus 300 soldiers from Charles. Originally, the difference was 2 times 1,000 to 500, but thanks to Charles’ addition, the difference was narrowed to 200 people. “At this point, I can clearly see victory.”
That was fortunate. Although it is a small mercenary group of only 300 people, there are times when 300 people decide the winner or loser in such a small fight.
“But it is not without its disadvantages.”
“Is it a question of command?”
“Yes. The number of enemies is 1,000, including 500 direct soldiers and 500 Melina mercenaries. Since the command is divided into two, it will be relatively easy to control. But in our case, our army is divided into three. There are 300 soldiers under my direct control, 200 members of the Beth Brotherhood that I hired, and 300 members of Charles’ army, so the situation is like a three-headed snake. In short, it can be confusing as three forces suddenly have to work together without preparation.”
That could definitely be a problem. This is a problem that was expected from the beginning.
“More than anything else, the problem is that the mercenary leader of the Beth Brotherhood that we hired is a very difficult person.”
“A person in trouble?”
The moment I said that.
-Percussion!
The door swung open wide and a middle-aged man in plate armor came in, his face red.
“Huh? hahahaha! You’re all gathered here! Please take care of everyone! “I am Beth Aston, the mercenary leader of the Beth Brotherhood, who will be your comrade in arms!”
At that moment, I was able to understand Isabel’s words. This is because the moment this man entered, the smell of alcohol emanated from his entire body.