210 – The Greedy Emperor and Martin (3)
It seems to be human instinct to feel as if one’s internal organs are being twisted when in the presence of an extremely high person.
This is even more so if the high-ranking person is the emperor and continues to exude the air of ‘I am generous.’
How did I come to know that… The emperor in front of me right now?
“Now, let’s have a drink first. “Drink it all the way.”
The emperor smiled at me and poured a lot of wine into my glass.
He has a thick beard, and in Korea he is about the size of a president, but when he does this to me, the leader of a small and medium-sized mercenary army, I feel like my esophagus is blocked and refuses to eat any food, and my intestines are not cooperating with the digestion process, so it is not food of the highest quality. The table setting consists of wine and snacks, but I think this will be fine as well.
No, I feel like I want to run away from this place because I’m seriously ill and could lie in bed for a day.
This is what I have been thinking ever since I suddenly heard that the emperor wanted to hear my brave mercenary story one on one.
“hehehehe, thanks to you, I was able to save face very well.”
“I am truly honored to hear you say that.”
“I heard from Count Dion that you were extremely confident when proposing a strategy, but when I actually met you like this, I found out that you were this polite. “I thought you were a pretty bold guy who believed in your youthful spirit.”
Just as love requires pushing and pulling, in order to be liked by a higher being, you must know how to push when to push and when to fall when you fall, so I am doing this.
“I always act only for the benefit of my employer, who has recognized us. In normal times, we always maintain a humble attitude out of respect for our employer, but the motto of our Whitebeard Mercenaries is to act with enthusiasm when we have to make a bold suggestion or act for the benefit of our employer.”
A smile appeared on the emperor’s face.
Well, if you say it like this, it’s okay. Is this the look on the face of a military officer recommending that a new soldier be called to work as a ‘specialist sergeant’?
“I like it very much. Okay, I had quite a few questions for you. “Let’s take this opportunity to ask.”
When I heard those words, I almost tilted my head.
I thought that the emperor, who had so much work to do and no one else, had called me to hear ‘my saga’.
I thought he would immediately encourage me to become his subordinate or suggest something else.
“When the first battle took place with the Barcelo guys, I heard that you were the first in the entire army to insist that Count Dion support Baron Amigo.”
I was really embarrassed at that time.
At the meeting the previous day, I said half-jokingly and half-seriously that there would be a nobleman who would get excited because the emperor was watching.
When our first mercenary unit went to rest after leading the battle to victory, we heard the sound of Baron Amigo, our follow-up unit, charging at Banzai while shouting ‘Long live the Emperor!’
When I think about that time, I still feel like I’m going to pass out because I’m so dumbfounded.
“According to your immediate superior, Baron Eclair, as soon as he saw Baron Amigo marching out, he suggested that we should support him. How was he able to judge and act so quickly? “What is the reason?”
That’s because there is no way he would be sane if he shut up and launched an assault plan while shouting “Long live the Emperor,” While the enemy’s battle line is intact.
However, if I speak too directly, the emperor may think I am ignoring the nobility of the Montmartre Empire.
‘I guess I should say it in an appropriate way.’
“As Baron Amigo attempted to push back against the enemy with great momentum, it was thought that something would change in the stalemate front. So, we decided that it would be helpful to His Majesty and Count Dion if we followed along and helped him.”
The change, of course, refers to the Montmartre army falling like dominoes, starting with Baron Amigo…
‘Because you barons are of the highest rank.’
It’s a bit unfortunate that I can’t say this.
The Emperor stroked his beard and smiled in satisfaction.
“Hmm, hmm. Could it be that he was saved because, as a mercenary leader, he had an outstanding ability to seize opportunities to act for his allies? “I like it.”
“Thank you.”
“You certainly think that way yourself, right?”
When people evaluate themselves, they can never be objective.
As evidence of this, even Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who made achievements worthy of being called a walking natural disaster during the Japanese invasions of Korea, did not view himself objectively.
Ah, his self-evaluation was like this.
‘At the Battle of Okpo, we were only able to destroy 26 of the 50 enemy ships, and one of our troops was injured. ‘The soldiers’ training was perfect, but my abilities were lacking.’
Even if I were to fly here for a long time, I would never be able to match his power…
How much more objective self-evaluation? No guessing, no guessing.
And I believe that the most necessary condition to become an excellent general is the ‘crisis detection ability’ that does not put allies in danger.
Why? No matter how large an army you lead, if you get caught in a surprise attack, it will be torn apart.
He put those thoughts aside for a moment and nodded.
And the emperor asked by holding my shoulder and shaking his arm as if he were going to ask.
“So, what did you think of that fishing operation?”
This is the battle that established the emperor’s prestige, so this is probably the most curious.
Seeing that you keep asking me this, I guess I want to find out once more what level of human skill I have.
Take a look at my abilities.
“It was expected that taking down castles one by one would not only take a very long time, but also cause considerable damage to our troops. Because the Kingdom of Barcelo will send reinforcements during the extended battle. In that case, even Count Dion, whom I serve, would not have been able to take over La Masana Castle.”
Whenever a castle with more than 1,000 people was captured by an army of close to 15,000, the castle would have held out for at least a week.
Then, including the marching period, it would take about 3 months to reach Lamasana, unless the Barcelo guys are idiots.
They would have tried to stop us by bringing in a large army, even if it meant squeezing out the army and the people.
In that case, they could have overwhelmed us in numbers, and this war could have almost led to the defeat of the Montmartre Empire.
“Furthermore, the nobles of the Kingdom of Barceló were also very thirsty for victory, so it was expected that if Count Dion pretended to be crazy about victory and pushed defenselessly into the enemy camp, the defenders in the castle they had passed through earlier would come to attack them. “I did it.”
I paused for a moment and spoke again.
“I thought that if we launched an all-out war at that time, it would be possible to bring out the defenders who had been holed up in the castle and annihilate them. And so it was, so we were able to march to La Masana Castle without any resistance.”
When the emperor heard that, he smiled broadly.
“That’s right, I did! Indeed, without this calculation, what kind of crazy mercenary leader would have been able to persuade the Marquis of Dion, who was leading a large army of nearly 15,000!”
Not the Count of Dion, but the Marquis?
No matter how much of a difference in title there is between a count, a margrave, and a marquis… They receive two levels of title at once.
The Marquis of Dion must be in tears right now.
“Your ability to read the strategic board is better than I thought, and your personal strength and personality are beyond reproach. Okay, then I’ll be blunt.”
As expected, what I said about listening to the sagas was just a side story, and I think what I’m about to mention is the real thing.
I changed my sitting position to show that I was listening with great interest to your story.
The emperor looked at this and smiled with satisfaction.
‘No one likes to be listened to.’
“I was originally a collateral royal family member. Originally, he was born into the royal family and would inherit a noble family that had no heirs. However, thanks to the fact that my older brothers became successors to other families before me or died when I was young, I was able to participate in the competition for the next emperor.”
Unlike Korea, where it is common sense that a child will most likely grow into an adult, in this world, even if a child is born, there is no guarantee that the child will live to adulthood.
Of course, the infant mortality rate among high-ranking nobles is significantly lower compared to the Middle Ages and Renaissance eras, when priests had healing techniques and various potions, which had similar technological capabilities, but…
“From then on, in order to survive, really, to survive, I had to kill my brothers, and the sisters who lost in political battles were sent to convents or used as diplomatic tools.”
“Yes.”
“So, how was I able to win the competition for the throne and finally become emperor the year before last? But perhaps because he was the one who gained the throne through political strife, everyone looked down on me.”
The emperor gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
“So I waged this war to strengthen the royal authority. “In the future, we will create a stronger Montmartre Empire, and we hope to establish an absolute monarchy in the future.”
He was a very ambitious man, really… If it weren’t for a guy like that, the emperor wouldn’t have come forward to his own government.
“And for that, I will get rid of the numerous nobles who stand in the way of my royal authority, and in their place I will plant capable people who are only loyal to me.”
The emperor pointed his finger at me.
“That’s right, a young man like you.”
“It is an honor to be evaluated so highly.”
“I will tell you bluntly, I will give you the title of Baron Bornese.”
I think the emperor is planning to use me as a sword to establish an absolute monarchy…
From Noble mtl dot com
“Baron Bornese has a daughter who is just 20 years old this year. There are many rumors among the nobles that she is beautiful. “If you make an arranged marriage by taking that young lady as your wife, I will turn that damn baron into an old man.”
“Is that possible?”
“The year before last, his relatives participated in a rebellion, and he tried to join in, but he was saved because I suppressed him in advance. So, like the guys who are usually given the title of son-in-law, this is a family where you don’t have to worry about your wife, in-laws, or father-in-law. He said he was a Whitebeard mercenary force, if you will? Take them all too. “I will purge all the vassals under that guy.”
It’s so damn hot, damn.
“Again, there are still many nobles in this empire who oppose me. So, they too will one day be eradicated by my hand, and the empire’s territory will continue to expand if you help me. “Right now, you’re just starting out as a baron, but I’ll help you rise to count in the future.”
It’s terrifyingly attractive, really.
What should I do now…