35 – Rotate Ethlon Plains (7)

In the diplomacy of war, regardless of success or failure, there is always a price to pay.

However, it is usually not nobles or knights like me who pay the price, but those without power.

Because, when war breaks out, nobles like me are rarely injured or killed because they usually wear ‘expensive armor’.

Furthermore, even if they are captured, they are spared the danger of being killed or abused at any time like commoners or soldiers if they pay the right money.

So, sometimes among the nobles there are fools who enjoy this unresponsible pleasure, but I can’t…

because…

“Your Excellency, then I will read the list of the dead and seriously injured.”

It is because I have to confirm those who have taken the responsibility of the war on my behalf and left.

“Okay, let’s begin.”

After hearing that, a knight dressed in armor looked at me, bowed his head, paid his respects, and began to read the papers carefully.

“Sir Knight Florin Warrior, Sir Night William Sergeant Major, Captain Sieg Sergeant Major, Lieutenant Croy Warrior, Lieutenant Mandalheim Warrior, Ensign Celt Beercan Warrior, Ensign Servant Mais Warrior, Sergeant Jack Warrior….”

After going through the list in a calm voice for about a minute, the article spoke loudly as if there were no more names to read.

“Above 20 fighters, 10 seriously injured! And the casualties of the enemy are incalculable. Other than that, the captives are 20 knights and 200 soldiers, including Baron Santoburg and Baron Celt!”

When the words were finished, the knights who were listening to the report applauded and cheered loudly.

“hurray!! Long live Baron Creutel!!”

“Isn’t this the best result? Heh heh… I can’t believe it. Beerhill, since you lost, give me 5 silver coins.”

“Okay, I’ll pay for alcohol when the warlord comes instead.”

“Yes, I will cut a hole in your wallet.”

Simply looking at the numbers, it can be said that it produced the best results.

Because he clashed with 3,000 enemy soldiers on the battlefield and won with only 20 casualties.

Historically, in a battle of this scale, a commander who lost only 1% of casualties was called a ‘great commander’…

In other words, I gave the maximum result that I could produce anyway.

Thinking like that, I could feel that the ‘sorry for the people who died on the battlefield’ that I felt yesterday melted away even just a little bit.

However, they are soldiers who died by ‘my order’ anyway…

Before enjoying the joy of winning the war, it would be right to express gratitude and sorry for them.

With that in mind, I raised my right hand to stop the delighted knights and said.

“Before rejoicing, I would like to express my respect and regret to my comrades who died fighting the most courageously in this war. Everyone, put out your glass.”

When the knights held out their glasses, the soldiers waiting behind poured wine into their glasses.

Seeing that the wine was poured, he spoke with regret before congratulating the victory.

“We honor our comrades who fought bravely, and we are grateful for the victory won by their sacrifice. With that in mind, let’s drink.”

After my words were over, everyone quietly emptied the wine with sad expressions on their faces, as if thinking of their comrades who would have died on the battlefield.

I didn’t drink the bitter wine well, so I purposely brought in a wine with strong sweetness, but it felt so bitter, perhaps because I was depressed.

After confirming that I and all the knights had finished the glass of wine, I said with a smile.

“Gentlemen, we have completely won, and we have succeeded in receiving huge indemnities from our enemies as well as cessation of land and mines.”

After that, the knights put down their glasses and began to clap and cheer enthusiastically.

“hurray!!”

“Compensation, territory, and mines!! That’s amazing, Your Excellency will be delighted to hear this news!!”

“hehehehe… To show such a great figure in this old old knight’s final battle… This old man has no regrets even if he dies…”

I raised my left hand to calm them down and resumed my conversation.

“However, it is still too early to break the wine barrels and enjoy banquets and feasts! All the battles in this war are over, but there is still a lot left to clean up. Therefore, after recovering the remains of the dead tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, let’s invite warlords to enjoy a banquet! Disband then!”

**

There are two main reasons for collecting corpses on the battlefield of this era.

One is to show ‘respect for the dead’ and mourn by holding a funeral for the body of an ally.

Although it is not possible to carry the body and bury it in their hometown due to transportation limitations, it is a great comfort to the bereaved family to hold a funeral even on the ‘battlefield’ and deliver belongings.

And the remaining one is to loot the various weapons and armor held by the enemy.

At this time, the looted corpses are classified according to their status in life.

The bodies of nobles are dignified and buried in their own way, and the corpses of ordinary soldiers are left with only their armor and weapons removed.

However, I knew that contagious disease would spread if these corpses were left unattended, so I ordered the soldiers to cremate and bury even the corpses of commoners, at least briefly.

After two days of clearing the battlefield, the warlord that all nobles and soldiers had been waiting for finally appeared.

I’ve done all sorts of businesses, but because of my circumstances, I rarely come into contact with war merchants, so this is actually the first time I’ve seen them…

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My first impression when I saw them was that it was a walking theme park for men.

Wagons full of food that soldiers like, such as bread, meat, beer, and wine, blacksmiths who can easily repair broken weapons, clowns and bards who provide entertainment for soldiers, and even ‘adult entertainment’. Even the many prostitutes to provide…

Is this why you waited for those guys, regardless of soldiers or nobles?

As I watched the procession, the leader of the procession, a fat man who looked like he was about to reveal money, appeared in front of me and rubbed his hands together.

“Your Excellency Baron Creutel, congratulations on your victory. I am Shylock, leader of the Golden Honey Merchant. Thanks for calling us here today, hehehe… It’s a little bit here…”

And that guy held out a small pouch full of silver coins to me.

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Judging by the size, there must be about 100 silver coins in it… It must mean that they ask you to condone the ‘rip-off’ in exchange for this.

However, I pushed away the hand that was offering the bribe and said.

“There is no need for bribes. Instead, I won’t be alone if you go ripping off the soldiers. And I don’t even need a woman.”

Hearing that, the warlord looked at me and made a dumbfounded expression and said subtly, as if threatening.

“But, if you reject our sincerity like this…”

“Do you think such threats will work on me? Can I pass that word on to the apprentice in Hamburg? And…”

I raised my hand and called to Ella who was standing around me.

As Ella approached, the warlord nodded as if misunderstood, and spoke cautiously.

“If you had such a beautiful maid… Really, with the women we have… I get it. Then, look at your Excellency’s face, and I’ll pay you five times what you brought instead.”

If this is refused, the morale of the soldiers will drop, considering that the cost of bringing this amount of goods from here to here from the nearest free city and the profit he expects will be met…

“Okay, just five times. I won’t be alone if I receive it anymore. In return, the soldiers will sell you weapons from the enemy for a good price, so take them all. Then, get ready quickly.”

After hearing that, the warlord thought it over and said with a bright expression, perhaps thinking that there would be ‘profit’ left if he took all the weapons I sold.

“I will do my best to serve His Excellency’s soldiers.”

**

War merchants quickly moved their carts in front of our camp, and before we knew it, we had enough facilities for our 3,000 soldiers to use.

To whet the soldiers’ appetites, they deliberately skewered cows and pigs and grilled them in barrels, with beer kegs and wine kegs lined up next to them.

A short distance away, clowns and minstrels sang and performed tricks near campfires…

At a further distance, a tent was set up, and a ‘tent’ was set up in which secret pleasure… no, a woman’s sexual voice resounded.

Knights say that hanging out with soldiers in a place like this is degrading, and they call women to their private barracks…

Seriously, they’re like machos from the Middle Ages who don’t know how to control themselves…

Watching the knights and soldiers like that, I ate a whole roasted hind leg of beef and sighed.

“Oh, I play well…”

Ella, who waits next to me, answered my words with a smile.

“Yes, master. Everyone is really having fun. Like when we held a festival in Windheim before… Do you remember? At that time, Master also played with the villagers.”

“It was. Guy Zacri, it’s a shame that it’s just you and me… Remember how he vomited on me on the day of the festival when he was in a good mood?”

“Yes, the next day he came to the master and said, ‘Boss, I have committed a mortal sin! Please save me!!’ I begged you At that time, the master…”

“It was like, ‘I was drunk at the time, so I don’t remember ever doing that? Have you ever had a dream while drinking? It’s an unholy dream.’ You handed it over.”

Speaking of Zachry, I remember the first time I came to this manor and tried to survive.

At that time, I really did everything I could to avoid going to the academy…

And it was very difficult but rewarding moments to spread the four-row cropping method and make sugar.

Now that he’s become a baron, it’s hard to meet Zachry, who he hung out with when he was Lord of Windheim, again…

No, I’ve now forced the people I somehow made a good living into ‘battlefields’ for whatever reason…

It was a huge victory, and it would have been difficult for anyone to achieve more results than that, but to be honest, I feel a little uncomfortable.

Whether or not she knows how I feel, Ella came to me at some point and poured me some wine from a wine bottle.

“The owner at that time was very nice. And even now, Master gives for the soldiers just as he gave for the villagers back then. I heard from Lord Balt, that the warlord merchants originally received 20 times more, but the master ordered them to only receive 5 times more.”

I drank the wine Ella poured me in one go and said.

“That way, the soldiers will continue to follow me. And just to get 100 silver coins, you can’t let my soldiers steal money, can you?”

Hearing that, Ella smiled softly and then quietly poured me some wine.

This wine… It’s thicker than I thought?

Even after that, Ella continued to tell me about the pleasant memories in Windheim, and comforted me by saying that the soldiers would be grateful to their master just like the serfs in Windheim now.

After about an hour of drinking wine in a good mood like that, my eyes started to get a little dizzy.

I tried to walk back to the barracks on my own, but I couldn’t walk properly because my steps were staggering, probably because I drank too much.

Seeing me like that, Ella smiled softly and quietly supported me and guided me to the barracks.

And inside the barracks, Ella took off my armor and quietly whispered in my ear.

“Master, Ella wants to comfort the master who was hurt on the battlefield.”