269 – Side Story – Conquest of Brittanya (4)
And then a week passed.
The dramatic situation in which a person equal to the crown prince of an empire took the risk of being assassinated and gave a speech exhorting surrender in front of the castle of an enemy country has not been done again since that time.
Instead, the army of the Croytel Empire hung hundreds of large pots every day and showed them cooking porridge for more than 300 servings at the same time three times a day.
And the people of York, who had already surrendered, came out several times a day, in groups of at least 10 and at most 30, shouting:
“Don’t be fooled anymore. It is Edward Nome who has sent his family and friends to starvation and death. He ditched him and came out quickly. He comes here before the porridge cools down.”
“Come on Naosh. Let’s share a bowl of warm porridge! If I go hungry in that narrow, dirty tent, sleep curled up in the cold, and die, I will be the only one who suffers.”
Whenever this provocation was made, the commanders tried to calm the public sentiment by saying that all the Yorkers said was because William von Kreuttel held his family hostage.
Because the serfs and poor people who make up most of the soldiers guarding Londimium are ignorant but not stupid.
They knew very well who the real oppressors were, holding their families and tomorrow hostage and driving them to the brink of death.
But if I showed my dissatisfaction, it was as obvious as watching fire to whom the tips of the swords of the human weapons clad in iron armor in front of me would be pointed.
No one showed their true intentions in front of high-ranking people and just stayed still.
As night fell and everyone returned to the makeshift refugee camp near the city walls, Lieutenant Hutchins, who had infiltrated as a spy, began lamenting with irritation and complaints.
“f*cking aristocrats. They couldn’t even properly give us a bowl of barley porridge. What? Is the fact that the guys from York yelling at us to get out of the castle mean we’re forced to lie because our family is being held hostage? While they lie… We know everything.”
A few days ago, if he said this, the refugees around him would have stopped him.
Because no matter how ugly their king Edward is, it’s because they have a deep-rooted instinctive idea of survival that if they curse at a high-ranking person, there will be a backlash.
If the words leaked out, not only the guy who said that, but also themselves could be harmed just because they were there.
But now it was different.
The refugees who were with him did not dissuade the lieutenant, but sympathized with him and began to speak their minds.
“What is the reason why we go to bed rubbing each other’s skin in this palm-sized tent in the first place? It’s because the damn nobles are holding our wife and children hostage.”
“Besides, it must have been this f*cking civil war that those bastards started to pile up even one more gold or silver coin in their storehouse. But my wife was raped by an English soldier who would kill her and stop…!”
“My great King, I don’t even know where or what he is doing. Wouldn’t it be better to go under the Kreutel Empire? Even if you die when you go there, won’t you eat at least a bowl of porridge and search for it?”
When the shocking words of going under the Creutel Empire came out of a refugee’s mouth, the eyes of the serfs and poor people around him were focused on the madman who had said that.
Even the spy, Lieutenant Hutchins, got to know that bastard for a moment and doubted whether he belonged to the same intelligence agency as me.
However, the madman continued his words, ignoring the vicious atmosphere around him.
“I’m a guy who doesn’t care if it’s treason or whatever. Because in the last civil war, all of my relatives, including my wives and children, were searched for by the damn Donover bastards. I survived because I went on an expedition with Sir Wilbur then. I thought it would be better to eat porridge to my heart’s content than to live alone and starve. You guys starve, get stabbed, get lucky, get old, don’t you want to go and rest by Deus-sama’s side anyway?”
A few years ago, even a week ago, if I had said this among refugees, I could have been accused or had my head broken on the spot after hearing the words, ‘You traitor bastard, I will break your head with a hammer!’
Sick of the eight-year civil war, the refugees who had to go to war with the Creutel Empire began to lament and tell their thoughts when they heard that.
“Honestly, me too. What kind of person is this? Doesn’t he give me half of that porridge mixed with barley and wheat in a bowl the size of my palm once in the morning? A few days ago, while on shift, I met her wife and we chatted for a while… She said that my daughter, Cindy, had starved to death because her milk wasn’t coming out. Wouldn’t it be better to go to the Kreutel Empire to live in a place like this?”
After one member finished, another relay continued to confess their situation and feelings, and the place where the refugees gathered became a place to share their sadness and sadness.
I heard some soldiers patrolling the area cursing the kingdom of Brittanya, but even they can’t speak.
Because they either lost a family member like them or saw a colleague mourn the loss of a family member in the civil war, they pretended not to see it and did not report it to their superiors.
And that night, at William’s command, in the ears of the soldiers and serfs struggling to hold out in Londimium Castle, a song reminding them of their hometown rang sadly.
The officers and nobles listened to it and ordered them to sleep over their ears, but except for a few, they pretended to be asleep, wet their pillows with tears, and recalled their hometown in the days when there was no war.
Every drop of tear they shed contained longing for their hometown and daily life.
That longing gradually melted away the loyalty to the Britannia nobles and King Edward, which they had always taken for granted.
**
Croitel Imperial Army Corps directly under the crown prince’s barracks.
“This is Baron Short, Deputy Chief of Information, Your Highness the Crown Prince. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
After I gave him permission to enter, Baron Short entered the barracks with black under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well for days.
However, apart from the depth of the dark circles on his face, his facial expression is full of confidence, so it seems that the operation has brought news of success.
“Is Operation Londimium Bloodless Operation Successful?”
At that, Short replied with a confident smile.
“Is it possible? Everything is running smoothly. In Londimium, except for the commanders and knights who are nobles, everyone will join the uprising if given an ‘opportunity’. Then, as Your Highness wishes, everyone will stand up.”
Hearing that, I imagined.
To see the people and soldiers of Londimium participating in the protests, crying out for porridge and a peaceful daily life.
The soldiers who saw it will try to suppress it peacefully until the higher ups arrive.
If the king and nobles fail to stop their protests and surrender to the Creutel Empire, they will lose all vested interests they have enjoyed, so they will try to suppress the people even with violence and weapons.
However, it won’t be easy to defeat the angry people who are dozens of times more than themselves.
That’s how we got the beautiful sight of Londimium being taken without spilling a single drop of Kreutel soldier’s blood.
“Just thinking about it makes my heart race. The fact that I will capture the capital of Brittany, like Londimium, without even sieging it, and put it in my hands. My father will be very happy to hear of this achievement.”
When Baron Short heard that, he replied with a slightly relaxed expression.
“Through my experience of serving him for over 30 years, he will give a huge amount of money to the messenger who has delivered the news. For that day, His Majesty the Emperor must have let all the overtime officials go home on time, saying that he too should share this joy.”
“Then I will send Captain Patton as messenger. During this expedition, he severely cut his ankle while carrying out infiltration work, and now he is only able to work in the rear. He will be awarded the Gold Cross and a pension will come out, but it will break his heart that his advancement is blocked.”
“It is as you said.”
So we chatted some more, then opened the map sent by the spies who infiltrated Londimium and said.
“In the next three days, we will carry out the ‘liberation’ operation in earnest. In order to do that, you will have to gather the infiltrated agents or officers at the same time in the castle square at the promised time and sing a song to naturally attract the attention of the poor.”
“And you intend to arm the people by robbing the armory, the building shown here? He will drive that momentum and threaten the royal family and nobles of Londimium.”
“Yes. At the same time, some of the infiltrated agents should go to the west gate, where the enemy’s guard is expected to be weakest, open the gate, and let the citizens who come out through the west gate eat the prepared porridge right away.”