174 – Fishing Operation (1)
Count Dion’s command barracks.
After a week of fierce battles after the war began, our Montmartre army was finally able to achieve victory.
So, this place, where the commanders and mercenary leaders under Count Dion of the victorious Montmartre army gathered for the first time after the end of the war, should have been an atmosphere of congratulations and sharing joy, but the first words spoken at this meeting were not words of praise.
Although we won, the damage suffered was so great that it was lamentation and complaints that made us worry about our situation.
“We barely won, but the damage we suffered was no joke… What the f*ck is this?”
“Relax. Anyway, since we won in front of the emperor, wouldn’t you give us a generous reward?”
“Our mercenary corps is different from the Black Crow mercenary corps, so we couldn’t even take on the enemy mercenary leader. I’m so upset because I haven’t been able to accomplish anything worthy of merit. “You’re not making fun of me, are you?”
At those words, Black Crow mercenary leader Hanson stood up.
“Why would I make fun of you! We lost as much as 10% of our troops, 10%! You son of a b*tch! “I won, but it was a victory that only hurt!”
10% Of the troops were killed, which means that the Black Crow mercenaries over there, including the dead and the wounded, were close to 15% unable to fight.
Considering that usually, whether it is a mercenary unit or an army, if 30% of the unit is lost, a decision of ‘annihilation’ is made, meaning that the arms and legs are blown off and the unit cannot do anything. It is truly a huge loss.
‘Of course, we at Whitebeard also lost 10% of the dead and injured.’
If you say that our mercenary army is having a hard time in front of those guys whose only achievement is defeating one or two mercenary units, you will only become a public enemy.
But if you say words of comfort and say things will be better in the future, people will ask if you are deceiving them, so in times like this, it would be best to keep your mouth shut.
The guy who asked if I was making fun of him also bowed his head and apologized when he heard that he had lost ‘10%’.
“Ha, even after this, they are planning to invade enemy territory. “I said that because I felt terrible just thinking about it.”
“I understand, but please be considerate. And let’s take advantage of this opportunity and go higher.”
When they had made amicable peace with each other and the atmosphere had improved, the Count came into the barracks.
“Everyone, sit comfortably.”
We couldn’t like it when we saw that they just glossed over the statement of yes.
That man is not a mercenary leader like Dalton who became a titled nobleman, and he is probably the type of person who takes formalities for granted like breathing.
Omitting that would mean that you should prepare your mind because the content of the story to come is quite serious.
After sitting down, the Count looked around at us and then spoke.
“Before I get into the main topic, I will tell you a message from His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty the Emperor greatly praised our Count Dion army for their outstanding performance in this battle. You also said that your performance was very impressive. “His Majesty will probably personally issue a commendation within a few days.”
There was no fool who couldn’t clearly tell the atmosphere and the location of the cheers the earl was talking about, but he heard that the emperor praised him.
Everyone’s mouths caught in their ears and they started to giggle.
‘The emperor’s praise is worth a thousand gold.’
Even for mercenary units of similar size, the ransom price varies by nearly 1.3 To 1.4 Times depending on whether or not there is an official record of receiving praise from the emperor.
“Baron Livre, your Majesty greatly praised you for your success in capturing the enemy Viscount three days ago. “If you continue to act like this, you will be able to receive a larger territory from His Majesty.”
When Baron Libre heard those words, he lowered his head.
“I will do my best to repay Your Majesty’s kindness!”
The count called the barons and high-ranking knights one by one and praised them, then turned his attention to me.
“Martin Mayer, I had high expectations for you and invested a whopping 10,000 gold coins.”
He has a track record of capturing an enemy baron, leading the rescue of an ally baron and his troops, and causing near-annihilation damage to three mercenary units.
So, you can be a little bossy, but I think it’s best to be humble in times like this.
‘If you show off and get jealous, it will be more damaging, and if you pretend to be humble, you will lose one more piece of cake.’
“When I said I would invest in you, the barons and knights under my command were somewhat worried and expressed concern. However, now some vassals are even saying that the Whitebeard mercenaries were cheap compared to their capabilities. “That’s amazing.”
I said this when signing the contract about six months ago.
‘I will make you think that you should have given 20,000 gold coins.’
I don’t think Martin Mayer’s thoughts have changed much between now and then, but what kind of spirit did he mean by those words back then?
“I simply acted according to the words left by the previous mercenary leader, the current Baron Maurer. ‘If the other person offers 100 gold coins, show 200 gold coins worth of performance. ‘That is the faith of a mercenary.'”
If Dalton from far away hears this, he might ask when I said that and what kind of nonsense this is, but thanks to me, he was promoted to baron and even turned around the lives of my subordinates, so I guess I can sell this much.
“Furthermore, these words are still the motto of the Whitebeard Mercenaries.”
At those words, Count Dion nodded with a satisfied smile, and the other nobles also murmured as if they were surprised.
“For a mercenary, he’s very friendly, no, he’s loyal.”
“If you think about it, we are vassals who are given territory and show loyalty, and they also receive money and show loyalty.”
“I heard that the former mercenary leader became a real baron, so it would have been quite possible in a place like this where the basics are so thorough.”
Leaving such good impressions one by one will become the foundation for growing our mercenary unit from 500 to 1,000 or 2,000 in the future.
Why? In the future, when we become a large mercenary force with more than 1,000 soldiers, if we are given enough money, we will have to travel around so busy that we will even go to an island country where sardines wrapped in mint are eaten in a corner and fight.
Even if you want to be busy, don’t you think you need to have a ‘reputation’ to be called in?
And when I saved face like this, a smile of satisfaction appeared on Count Dion’s face.
“This is a long story. First of all, His Majesty said that since you saved Baron Amigo and his army, he will reward you with a sword made of pure mithril when this war is over. In addition, Baron Amigo personally gave you 2,000 gold coins as a reward.”
I had no choice but to give it to him while holding back tears of heartburn, but if he had been ‘annihilated’ as is, he would not have received 2,000 gold coins… He would have been stripped of his title for violating orders and destroying 2,000 of his subordinates. That’s it.
So, even if you take that money, there won’t be any problem.
And the sword bestowed by the emperor is made entirely of mithril…
‘Even if you are an expert, it is a treasure that cannot be taken without permission unless you belong to the Royal Guard.’
The value is of course thousands of gold coins. To be honest, although it is not a national treasure, it is a luxury item that can be classified as a cultural asset.
Once we rescued Baron Amigo, our mercenary corps’ reputation increased, we made money, and we even got a mithril sword.
Thank you, Baron Amigo!
“Your Majesty knows that you, as well as Count Dion, suffered considerable damage in this battle. But this war is a very important war for our Montmartre Empire.”
If we were to compare what King Barceló said to Korea, the Japanese Prime Minister would say, ‘Dokdo is Japanese land!’ This is the same as saying, ‘That’s why it’s war, you bastards!’
That became the justification for the war.
From Noble mtl dot com
Whoever loses here, whether the Emperor of Montmartre or King Barcelo, will see their position fall into the abyss.
So I have no choice but to fight over whether you lose or I lose.
“Therefore, His Majesty has declared that he will generously reward those who participated in this war.”
At those words, a light sparkled in the eyes of all the mercenary captains, including me.
The signs of worry over losing so many soldiers instantly disappeared beyond the sky.
Of course, we won anyway, and the dead guys unfortunately crossed the distant river from which they could not return.
Furthermore, if you give up your contract and leave here, the entire mercenary corps will be stigmatized and you will not be able to make a living.
Anyway, there is no other option than to stick to the Montmartre guys and follow them, but using the reward given to me as an example, they said they would give it out at the level of ‘the boss is crazy’…
‘I should roll to save the living, not the dead.’
“So, fight to the death.”
Everyone here responded to those words.
“Yes!”
“Okay, then let’s start talking about the actual operation. His Majesty has given us orders to capture all the castles on the way to Castle Lamasana.”
One of the mercenary leaders bravely asked.
“How many enemies are there in Ramasana Castle?”
“I don’t know exactly about that. But if we steadily take down the castle one by one, we will be able to win.”
Then Count Dion pointed to a castle and said.
“So, we want to capture Soldeu Castle first… What are your opinions?”
Capturing small castles one by one is a classic strategy, and the enemy must be expecting this… Is there anything better than this?