107 – Maxburg True Education (11)

When we returned after the open negotiations, there was, of course, a drinking party.

The soldiers were enjoying their intoxication by eating beer, wine, and meat provided by warlords, and tents were set up to provide pleasure for the night while they drank.

The women inside the tent seduced the men by offering their calves and thighs, and in some tents, sexual intercourse between a man and a woman already resonated.

I didn’t want to disturb the soldiers who were enjoying their victory, so I wore a so-called military uniform for camouflage from the time I returned. Maybe that’s why the soldiers were talking nonchalantly when they saw me.

“Honestly, when Colonel Biermann told me to put a Molotov cocktail on a javelin and throw it, I wondered where he was really weird. Didn’t you?”

“you’re right. You have to throw a Molotov cocktail full of oil while riding a horse and wearing armor…”

“So, that’s why I said I don’t know and threw it… ”

“Hey, I never thought there would be thunder and black smoke coming up from there. Didn’t he then fight almost one-sidedly and win?”

“Yes, this old man was lucky enough to capture two enemy knights alive. wahahahaha! If you do well, you might even get a promotion.”

“Even if you don’t get a promotion, you can earn 30 to 40 gold coins by selling armor for the reward. But only one drink for us… ”

“Hey, I can’t. Major I can’t hear you saying it’s sweet and chewy, all of you follow me. One tent for each of you stays up all night.”

That’s what they say, but if you charter a tent for them, you’ll get 10 gold coins…

Since the major’s salary is 2 gold coins every month, I’m going to skip 5 months’ salary just because I get a bounty.

As expected, our territories, other people’s territories, and nobles die and swear by honor and bravado.

In the past, I enjoyed it with Ella after the war, but I can’t bring Ella here, who has become the concubine of a count instead of a baron…

I’m going to have a drink with Baron Frost and Balt.

With that thought in mind, I stepped forward and entered my barracks, where there were roast beef, various types of bread, and soup that had not been touched at all.

And when Balt and Frost saw me, they greeted me and said,

“dismissal! Are you here? I have been waiting for His Excellency to come.”

“Your Excellency Count, I am hungry, so please sit down. Isn’t that how we will fill our stomachs too?”

“Okay. By the way, don’t you guys want to go and have a good time like the other soldiers?”

Frost answered seriously, and Balt spoke in a joking voice.

“I don’t know if I was a knight before, but now that I’m a baron, I can’t hang out with the women that warlords take with me. And, I’m already over 50, and I don’t have the strength to do that anymore.”

“When I was a knight in the past, I could do without getting married, but… Aren’t you the now unmarried baron? You have to pay attention to some extent.”

Baron Frost is already 50 years old, at least he doesn’t have to be on the front line because he’s a baron, so he’s enduring like that. It’s time to think about retirement…

Still, according to reports, Baron Frost’s heir is also sound and competent, so somehow the Frost family can continue to be employed.

Baltic guy… I’ve been busy so I haven’t been able to take care of the wedding until now. It’s a bit embarrassing that the Count didn’t even arrange a wedding for a vassal.

Perhaps he noticed my thoughts, Frost spoke weakly to Balt.

“My friend Balt, if you are in your late 30s or older, you will just find a suitable girl and get married… What have you been up to without getting married?”

“I was going to do the same, but a country boy who won a tournament and became a knight became a baron, so I was busy managing the territory, so I stopped… ”

“Who would not know that most of your manor officials were ordered by Baron Hermann to eat them… ”

“Baron Frost, that is it. Soldier training was also busy. Even if it looks like this, I was in charge of all the Nantes training.”

“So, no more bruising here. If it doesn’t work out, I have a good kid in my family… Even though she is the child of my concubine, isn’t it okay considering the age difference of over 20 years?”

It’s not a bad choice for an arranged marriage, but to Balt, who has lived as a serf, a woman like Baron Frost… It will be difficult in many ways.

They say nobles can marry well without love, but Balt wouldn’t be able to adapt to that.

And since it’s true that I didn’t take care of it, considering my achievements so far, I should marry a girl who graduated from the academy with a lower status but a pretty child…

So I started making excuses to find a good relationship with Balt without offending Frost.

“Frost, I think your concubine’s child and Valt will make a good couple. However, considering the management of the territory from now on, it is necessary to form a relationship with the academy as well. So, for Balt, I’m planning on marrying a girl who graduated from the academy. And sleep.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“What will Major Frost do? Since you’ve already made enough achievements, I think you can promote it to an official knight family. Did he think about getting married? You are already 28.”

At those words, Frost said with a stiff face.

“I will find a good relationship… ”

And between the three of us, there was a heavy atmosphere because of the talk of marriage, and I clapped and said to relieve the atmosphere.

“When I go back, there are not just a couple of guys who will get married. What an auspicious day.”

“Yes, and now I know that His Excellency is getting married soon… ”

That’s right, I’m about to get married to Her Highness, the princess sent by His Majesty the Emperor of the Northern Alliance.

I don’t know what kind of person it is, I don’t even know who it is… . Please don’t wait for an ajumma, no grandma, who is tens of years older than me to come…

I’ve already given the emperor a barony, and I’m a strong economic ally, but that’s the basics of politics…

At least I hope you don’t hand over a flawed woman…

At that, I said in a playful voice.

“right. I heard that there are many beauties in the north. And since His Majesty the King is also quite handsome… A very beautiful person will come. Let’s put down this complicated story now and have a drink.”

So, we drank enough to become rice cakes for about 3 hours.

I drank too much and had a headache, but I couldn’t put those two guys to sleep here, so I wrapped my head and got up.

When I woke up, Baron Frost was sleeping on his stomach on his stomach, and Balt was spread out with a large bottle of wine in his arms.

No matter how much the nobility of this era emphasizes machoness, I would like them to refrain from drinking and stretching…

Then I opened the door to my tent and told the soldier on duty.

“Return Baron Frost and Baron Balt to their tents.”

“Yes, I understand. And… ”

“And what?”

“His Excellency Baron Vladimir of the Northern Alliance asked me to tell him that His Majesty the King is looking for the Count. What would you like to do?”

“Hey, you couldn’t have waited for me to come out all this time, right?”

“You came just a while ago and asked me to tell you this story, and I also came to the car to report it to you.”

“Okay, go immediately.”

I quickly changed into a suit and moved to meet my father-in-law, His Majesty the King of the North.

Damn, I think I’m going to die from drinking, but to call someone in that situation, I’m going crazy because of the first time in a while.

**

Unlike us who had a banquet, let alone alcohol and women, the emperor’s army and barracks were on strict alert.

And when I entered, he greeted me with a smile.

“Is your son-in-law here?”

“His Majesty called me and I hurriedly arrived, but I am sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“No, I thought you would come tomorrow morning. Thank you for coming quickly. Yes, I brought you some good vodka from the north, so try it.”

The emperor said so, and poured vodka, which was as clear as water, into a glass made of solid gold and handed it over.

No matter how low the alcohol content, the vodka, which is said to be over 70%, had no taste in the mouth, just like its reputation, but once it entered the throat, it was hot like burning.

If you breathe into a torch in this state, won’t it start a fire?

“It’s hot!”

“Vodka is what you eat with that taste. yes, by the way… I called because I had a question.”

“Tell me.”

“What are you planning? According to what I have observed and gathered information so far, there is no way I can forgive Maxburg to this extent.”

The emperor is also a very venomous person, no, if he has already ripped off a territory to the point of ruin, I wouldn’t doubt that at least now he has more intentions…

You ask that right away, but what…

In order for our territory to survive in the pincer attack of Franchi and Romania, we need the help of our father-in-law who obtained the Baron of Mainz, so you must answer them all.

I said with a sigh.

“I can’t hide it from my father-in-law, not from anyone else, so I’ll tell you right away.”

“As expected, you all had a plan.”

“Instead, document what you hear here, but don’t tell anyone, master craftsman. No, His Majesty, the future Emperor of the Northern Empire.”

When I finished speaking, the emperor shouted outside his camp and said,

“All vigilantes must remain vigilant 200 meters away from here! Don’t come near me until I call! If they come, they will be executed according to military law.”

With that said, all the soldiers moved away from the tent.

“Are you ready to speak?”

“good. First of all, I am not fighting this war for money.”

“After claiming so much compensation, you didn’t do it to make money? Then why did you come?”

“I have come to take all the economic power of the Maxburg family, no, just the future.”

At those words, the emperor tilted his head and said.

“But it’s only 500,000 gold coins. To put it bluntly, it would be solved by raising taxes on the nobles, merchants, and serfs who were defeated in this war. If you do that, you will pay it off in 10 years… It’s ambiguous to say that you can get your hands on the future with it. And Maxburg, as I see it, pretends to pay for a year or two, then invades again and starts another war to nullify the negotiations.”

“It makes sense.”

Certainly, after the First World War, a debt of 134 billion marks was overturned on the German Empire at the time, so the war that broke out saying that it couldn’t pay it… It was World War II.

However, in the meantime, the economy of the German Empire collapsed due to the huge tax payment, causing inflation that is unprecedented in history.

It plunged the quality of life of millions of people through rock bottom and into hell, which allowed demagogues like Hitler to seize political power.

And what I’m going to do is to spread the power that will act as such a catalyst widely based on the territory of Maxburg, no, our chin-up duke.

However, I still have to tell the current emperor about the plan to eat Maxburg.

Even this alone is evil and cunning enough.

“Yes, as you said… Maxburg will probably pay 100,000-150,000 gold coins unless I use a special move, claiming that this is invalid, and start another war. By the way, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Don’t answer questions with questions.”

“Do you know how the serfs live? Now, with the spread of the 4-rotation method I invented, the serfs no longer starved to death as before. However, except for our manor, they still haven’t been able to eat 2-3 meals a day. What if we collect more taxes on those poor serfs?”

“Yes, serf. It will end up causing a riot. Well, tens of thousands of serfs will die, but what does that matter?”

In normal cases, this would be the case, but if you put a force to act as a catalyst here, and combine merchants, serfs, and nobles who are struggling to pay taxes to the Duke of Maxburg…

Like the era of the Three Kingdoms, you can create numerous rebels.

The majority will be subdued in an instant, but with such chaos, how will you fight the outside enemy?

I just have to deal with the external enemy helplessly, and clean up from the inside.

“However, this indemnity is not at a level that can be finished simply by collecting more taxes on the serfs. You have to extort a lot of money from the numerous upper merchants, technicians, guilds, and nobles. However, you cannot ignore your obligation to pay me. Treason then applies for breaking an oath sworn before the representative of the emperor of Romania… Eventually… ”

At my words, the Emperor applauded and smiled happily.

“You are creating a justification and a situation that will force the nobles to rise up! Serfs die at the forefront hoping for a lower tax rate, merchants provide food and money for them to eat and invest for the future, nobles create chaos to command them and secure greater lands and power. That’s it!”

“In that case, His Majesty the Emperor will take advantage of that opportunity to acknowledge ownership of the territory as if he were patronizing the lords who want independence, or to take the territory of those who fight back and forth. Of course, I will take care of my own profits in the meantime.”

“How much?”

Territories such as East Lothringen are vast lands with strong potential, but it will take at least three years to properly rebuild.

And if I’m rebuilding a place like that, I’m sure Franchi and the other Elector Counts will unite and aim for my territory.

So now I can’t expand into Romania, I can only expand my territory towards Franchi, my potential enemy.

That would be possible only if there were 25,000 standing soldiers available for the expedition.

“The stability of Romania, as soon as this is confirmed, we will aim for the Duchy of Architel in France.”

“Franchi? I thought you would aim for Romania, which has many free cities?”

So I politely asked.

“I gave my father-in-law a vast territory in Romania and a justification for becoming emperor… Can I take Hamburg as change?”

“… . Hamburg can take it without having to move a soldier. Let it be.”

“thank you.”

The emperor asked, pouring vodka overflowing into the glass in front of me.

“Son-in-law, aren’t you curious about my daughter anyway?”

“Isn’t an arranged marriage only when the mutual interests are aligned? All I want is if you’re not too old… ”

Hearing that, the emperor laughed madly and replied.

“You don’t have to worry about that! Because she’s only a 20-year-old girl now. And there is nothing missing in the face or body. I’m not speaking as a father, I mean it. However, the personality is a bit… It’s a problem because you’re a tomboy.”

A tomboy with a good face and body? Damn, something doesn’t feel right…

“But even if you’re a tomboy, it’s only for people you don’t approve of that. Conversely, to the person he acknowledges, he is more cute than anyone else. And the child recognized you. So don’t worry.”

And the emperor continued his daughter’s story.

After hearing the story, the feelings I felt were these thoughts.

Isn’t that a rich girl from an anime?

Well, by the way, I have to go back now…

“So, the way she smiles is just like the one I loved the most, Michaela… ”

“Your Majesty, I have to go back soon… The days are getting brighter.”

At those words, the emperor coughed and said,

“Ahem, I see. Then, what can I do on the stage you created?”

“Introduce the 4-rotation method in all places where the 4-rotation method can be introduced, starting with the Barony of Mainz. Also, make an agreement with the lords to invest 10% of the tax to increase the income of the serfs, and if there is still money, return it to the serfs. Otherwise, the fire that spreads in Romania will also spread in your country. At the same time, if I send priests, please treat them well. In return, I will dedicate 100,000 gold coins to Your Majesty upon my return.”

Since ancient times, it has been said that money will rot if it is piled up.

So, you should use the money you have as efficiently as possible to play with fire in the enemy’s territory and develop the territory.

That way, you can become truly rich.