218 – Breg River Surprise Battle (1)
As soon as I went up to the podium, thousands of eyes were fixed on me.
Some of them gave me curious looks.
“Is this the person who became the lord of the Barony of Cologne near us?”
Some people even criticized me in a low voice.
“Where on earth did that guy come from and suddenly become a baron? “It’s the end of the world!”
I did not listen or pay attention to all the reactions pouring in towards me.
Not only can you not worry about each and every one of those things, but if you use your noble privileges to cut down one or two people just to boost your prestige, your morale will only drop.
However, I need to at least change the atmosphere so that everyone can focus on my story.
“Everyone be quiet!!!”
As the enormous voice of the Auror rang out, some weak-minded civilians covered their ears and sat down.
“Hibb.”
The rest also stumbled, covering their ears and grimacing.
Was it a little harsh?
But it worked because I was able to draw everyone’s attention to me.
“I am Martin von Cologne, the rightful lord of your neighboring fiefdom, the Barony of Cologne.”
Perhaps because I completely distracted everyone, no one complained about what I said and the whispering disappeared.
As I stand here, I am tempted for no reason.
I have an instinct to tell wonderful and touching stories about the experiences of principals, members of the National Assembly, division commanders, regiment commanders, battalion commanders, and presidents who have stood on this podium.
However, even if it contains good content, it is not good to keep doing it for a long time…
I will keep it as short and concise as possible.
Oh, I won’t even mention patriotism, honor, and all the other things that don’t help you make a living.
I say that because talking about things like that will only make you less focused.
“Normally, there are many nobles who stand in a position like this and talk about such useless things as the honor of the empire and being loyal to repay the favor of the lord who protects you. “When I was a mercenary, hearing stories like that made me sleepy, and I didn’t even remember them, so I won’t mention such useless things.”
The civilians in front of them looked at each other and their eyes widened.
When the nobles start talking, they talk about topics such as honor and loyalty for over an hour from beginning to end.
He does a lot of idiotic things that he arbitrarily thinks will boost the morale of the soldiers, but I think it’s because this is the first time I’ve seen a guy who says he won’t do anything like that.
“An enemy army of 15,000 men, led by Count Hansa, is now attacking the Barony of Maurer. On the other hand, the army we have is only a little over 4,000 people. “Looking at it objectively, the current war situation is very unfavorable to us.”
I also want to brag in front of the territory residents that we can win without fail, but that only works to raise their morale right now.
The moment they face a large army of 15,000 on the battlefield, they are completely shattered.
No, rather, the serfs may feel betrayed that we have deceived them and forced them into this dangerous war, and may even try to stab us in the back.
The number of allies is already small, and if divisions within the army break out, we will never be able to handle this unless Admiral Yi Sun-sin comes.
When I intentionally stopped talking, the serfs around me started to get upset.
The impatient guy didn’t dare to protest directly to me, the Baron, but he grabbed his neighbor’s shoulder and got angry.
“f*ck, are you just telling us all to die?”
Hearing those words, he turned his gaze left and right and shook his head.
“Even the higher-ups don’t want us to die. “Because taxes pay.”
When everyone was anxious, the wind catcher who had been planted asked me loudly.
“Then what should we do?”
At that unexpected question, all the serfs’ eyes were focused on the wind catcher.
“That’s a good question, let me answer it. It is about fighting and risking your life to defeat the enemy. “There is no other way for you and your family to survive.”
“But didn’t you say that the enemy numbered 15,000 and we only numbered 4,000? And we are just serfs. A serf who, if taken to the battlefield, would be killed without even receiving a single spear. “How on earth do we fight like that?”
In 21st century Korea, if an ordinary soldier protests against a regiment commander, he or she will not be taken to court and sentenced to death.
However, in this world, it is not a big deal if a baron with the status of a regiment leader cuts off a serf’s head and kills him just because he is in a bad mood.
Protesting against me in this situation is a crazy way to risk your life, and it is a statement that can make you feel thirsty to the point where ‘upon you, under me’ feels like an angel.
When the wind catcher said that, everyone was focused on killing that son of a b*tch.
I threw away all my pride and bowed my head deeply.
“Because of my incompetence, I have put you in danger. Sorry. But what is clear is that you and I can only survive if we fight for our lives. If you run away from here without fighting, Count Hansa will chase you to the other territory you fled to.”
After saying that, he came down to the podium.
“Even if you succeed in escaping, do you think you will be able to live like you are now? Don’t you know this too? “What is the fate of the serfs who left the village?”
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The guys who were shaking in fear stopped trembling for a moment.
I stood in front of my new husband, who seemed to have just gotten married, and asked.
“Do you have a family?”
“Yes. “I have a wife and a young son.”
“Even if you escape from here, you will soon be captured by Count Hansa. Then you will see your son being miserably killed by Count Hansa’s soldiers, and you will see with your own eyes your wife being gang-raped by several men. “After you see it all, you will be thrown into the galley, your arms and legs will be constantly wet and have wounds, and if your body is not treated, your body will rot and eventually die.”
The wars I have fought so far have ended with the plunder of money and food from villages and cities where serfs live.
This was possible because the nobles hired mercenaries by paying them proper wages, and brought in only the number of serfs they could control who worked them without pay.
But what kind of control can there be in a situation where a civil war breaks out and people are hoarding money and scraping supplies?
No, if we only allow plunder and rape, we can relieve our ugly instincts, and then they will be under control.
The guy who heard me imagined a terrible future and trembled with fear.
“Do you think that if you succeed in running away, your life will be rosy? No. The situation is still not good. Your men will become poor day laborers in the city, and your wives will become prostitutes who sell themselves for a few handfuls of flour. And your sons and daughters will inherit this wealth and will resent you.”
It’s unfortunate, but this is reality.
All of the women who became concubines of the mercenaries in our mercenary unit had a hard time making a living, so they sold themselves to slave traders voluntarily or unwillingly.
In the meantime, if a mercenary wins the bid for him, he can live a much better life than living as a prostitute, so he made that choice.
And as for the prostitutes, they say that women in this world don’t age, so if you just move to a different region and wash your identity, you can be active for decades…
If you sell your body in a place with poor hygiene, you will one day contract a s*xually transmitted disease and die in a miserable condition.
This is a tragedy that often occurs among serfs.
“Yes, young new groom. “I ask you, do you want to be like that?”
The man answered my words in a loud voice.
“I don’t like it! “I will live in this village with my wife and son until I grow old and die.”
“It’s a good posture.”
“Then I ask you, do you really want to see that terrible scene with your own eyes?”
Another wind catcher answered.
“I don’t like it!!! “I’d rather fight and die than see my family suffer like that!”
When one windbreaker set the tone, the others were not to be outdone and shouted loudly.
“I’d rather die! “I will fight!”
“Even if I die, I will protect my wife and children with my own hands!”
“Let’s fight!”
Then Dalton came up to the podium just in time, bringing his pregnant wives with him.
Then Dalton put his ear on Millia’s stomach and just gently stroked it.
He doesn’t say anything, but he looks happier than anyone else.
Although it was a bloody atmosphere, it was a sight that made us all smile.
“Your name is Arthur. “Arthur Maurer.”
Dalton, who was patting his stomach with a happy expression, looked down at everyone and pulled out his sword.
“I will also risk my life to protect my family, and to protect you and your families in the territory. So let’s all fight to the death!!!”
Everyone’s cheers pierced the sky.
And starting from that day, Dalton thoroughly trained about 5,000 serfs he had conscripted for about a month…
“Here’s a report! Count Hansa’s 15,000-strong army has arrived at the border of our territory!”