177 – Eastern Franchi Expedition (12)

There are three reasons for clearing the battlefield by mobilizing serfs in the occupied county of Iris.

First, it is to make them aware of the fact that they are serfs under the protection of the Elain Empire by assigning them appropriate roles.

If you say this, you can do something like this.

Didn’t you promise them unconditional protection when you occupied the Earldom of Architel, without giving them anything to do?

Indeed it was. At that time, the serfs of the Earl of Akitel were given protection as a reward for accepting the soldiers of the Empire without any resistance.

On the other hand, the serfs here fought systematically under the command of their lord, so if they were given the same unpaid protection as the serfs in the Earl of Aquitel, they might feel insecure.

The second reason is that there is no need to waste stamina by letting our soldiers do what replacement personnel can do in a situation where the war continues.

The third is to give hope and expectation that life in the future will be more prosperous because, under our control, we can receive some wages and food even when we do not have to pay any wages.

While he was reviewing future plans while classifying and systematizing the information on the battlefield that had poured in so far, Baron Loren, who was in charge of the administration of the expedition, came in.

“You must have a lot of work to do, too. What are you here for at this hour?”

“I have come to report after an analysis of the cost, food, and dead and wounded of the entire expeditionary force in the battle that took place yesterday to the eastern border of the Earl of Iris starting tomorrow. What would you like to see first?”

“First of all, I would like to hear about the number and reaction of the serfs who were mobilized to clear the battlefield in the Iris County. If possible, I want to take care of light things first.”

Lauren didn’t even look at the material in her hand, as if she expected me to ask this first, and answered my question right away.

“So far, we have brought about 1,300 people from nearby villages, and over time, more distant villages will join us… A total of 6,000 people are expected to be mobilized on the final day of cleanup. Also, the currently mobilized serfs are mostly content with food and pay, even though they are mobilized for part-time work… Some of them complain that they will not be able to do the farming work properly because they have been ordered to work as part-time workers, even though young people have already been conscripted and do not have enough workers.”

“I bet there aren’t any guys who openly complain about it, right?”

“There is not. And as a result of unleashing the henchmen belonging to the reconnaissance unit against the complaining guys to see if they have any rebellion against His Excellency… Most of them shouted loudly when the minion mentioned ‘treason’, saying, ‘Don’t even think about it because you have received this kind of mercy’, and some of them reported the minion to their own soldiers.”

Although I have saved the serfs from being massacred or plundered…

What I demanded of them now is to make them do hard labor called collateral labor in exchange for money apart from the serfs’ duties of farming and paying taxes.

If you compare them to office workers, you can fire them all during mergers and acquisitions, but instead of firing them, it would be similar to having them do part-time jobs that have nothing to do with their work during working hours and only pay the minimum wage.

Even so, the original work does not give, so in the end, the employees have no choice but to work overtime with tears in their eyes.

In such a situation, they showed their loyalty to the point of scolding and reporting on the guy who mentioned treason or resistance while grumbling.

“Then, among those who participated in the sub-role, were there any people who were afraid because they didn’t know when their allies would suddenly change?”

“I think it can be said that after witnessing them being provided with meals and paying salaries during their part-time service, they practically disappeared. After all, who would pay a fair price to work for someone who would soon be killed and plundered?”

“great. Then, attach allied spies to keep an eye on those who complained until the battlefield is cleaned up. So, if there are guys who seem to have a particularly strong desire to earn money, let them make suggestions like this.”

“What is your suggestion?”

“The Eastern Expeditionary Force of the Elaine Empire will seize this opportunity to occupy the entire Iris Earldom. And in the meantime, according to the orders of His Excellency Kreutel, you should act as chores during normal times, and when you go to rest at night, move to the surrounding villages in front of the legion and spread rumors that you paid a fair price to those who did the labor. Join me after that.”

Fake rumors are quickly exposed and do not take effect in a few days, but what about rumors related to their lives and property among real things?

Of course, at first I doubted that it might be a false rumor, and when our expeditionary force passed by, the serfs would bring a small amount of grain or alcohol to check on their own, and then check the truth.

Also, since our soldiers will tell the same story as they heard, it will be cross-validated.

Then many of the serfs of Count Iris who have heard these rumors will have their hopes on us, and at least they won’t think of going against or treason.

“I will obey your orders. Then I will report the casualties of this war. We have 120 knights and 1300 infantry. 230 Knights of the Count of Elias, 3000 Infantry, 200 Knights of the Count of Isra, 2400 Infantry, 300 Knights of the Duke of Orléans, 10,000 infantry.”

In terms of ratio, our Croytel Corps is about 3%, Ilias and Isra’s army is about 20%, and the Duke of Orléans is about 25%.

Since the victorious Eastern Expeditionary Force suffered so much damage except for me, the power loss on the French side, which was defeated and the supply routes and headquarters were robbed, would be beyond imagination.

“In addition, the food required for this march is 20,000 tons of grain, 8,000 tons of pickled herring, 4,000 tons of chicken, 2,000 tons of pork, and 50,000 tons of hay, based on our troops. The cost, including other supplies and transportation, is 60,000 gold coins. Also, the apprenticeship of Hamburg… No, according to the report of His Excellency Margherita, who will become Baron of Hamburg… It is said that the cost required for the march of His Highness the Duke of Orléans is about 170,000 gold coins, His Excellency Count Ilias 50,000 gold coins, and His Excellency Count Isra 42,000. Excluding our family, who must serve, it seems that His Majesty Margherita, a war merchant, ate pretty well.”

As soon as I heard those words, I felt like calling out to the Emperor for a moment.

That’s probably the case, because I signed a contract to hand over 50% of the profits to me in exchange for taking Margherita as my vassal and giving me the authority as a warlord with an exclusive position.

Also, except for really special items, all the food, equipment, and weapons supplied to the Eastern Expeditionary Force are from Creutel, so all the income from selling them comes into my territory.

And if you roughly calculate the profit you get from the process, it’s about 100,000 to 120,000 gold coins.

Of course, the vast majority will be paid in debt obligations, not in physical gold coins, but… If you use it to harass those 3 people, you can get something bigger.

Even this is only the cost consumed during ‘1 month’, the minimum time required to march, and this war has already been going on for nearly 2 months.

So, by the time the war is over, they will have a bigger debt to our family, and if they can’t pay it back, they can eat away at the land or mine.

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Maybe that’s why I was able to laugh out loud for the first time in a while even though it was a battlefield.

“As expected, even if he rots, he is an apprentice of Hamburg, no, he has the skills of a baron who governs Hamburg and the surrounding territories! When I laid the plate, I did a very good job! If we end this war safely, we will give Margherita a large estate as well.”

“Thankfully, the magistrates will die, but… ”

“I’ll send people with abilities under Margherita’s upper rank, so don’t do it too much. By the way, are the supplies for the combat engineers and artillery well transported?”

“do not worry. Trustworthy soldiers are selected and transported in secret. And even if the contents were discovered, you wouldn’t even guess what they were for.”

However, no matter how excellent a weapon is, if it is a weapon you have never seen before, you will not be able to get a good feel for how to use it.

So, it is virtually impossible to set up a proper countermeasure against the cannons or grenades I brought with me.

“Then, transport it well as it is, and make sure nothing is lost. Also, when the rapid march begins, you should cooperate with the Intelligence Command to secure as many serfs and land documents as possible in the Earl of Iris and the Earl of Akitel. Let me go.”