99 – Maxburg True Education (3)

“This is a report from the guild master of the Black Bats who infiltrated Lotringen.”

“I thought it would take the next two days to send the report already.”

Upon hearing that, Lieutenant Short whispered to me in a low voice, even though no one was around.

“Due to the intense clashes between citizens and soldiers in the city of Lothringen, it is said that it has become very easy to go out and come back.”

If the captain of the castle’s garrison is not an idiot, he will do his best to maintain the castle’s alert posture, and if he can report that entry and exit has become easier…

In fact, it can be said that the operation has already been successful.

[The Black Bat Guild Master reports. The serfs are very dissatisfied with the garrison captain and the soldiers who cannot protect them, and the nobles do not trust the refugees and reduce food rations to them.

As a result, some of the serfs protested with pitchforks and farming tools, saying that they were killed by the soldiers or starved to death, and were executed a few days later.

As this situation continues, control within the city is becoming increasingly difficult.

And, the defenders inside the city don’t seem to fully trust each other anymore.

Finally, some of the troublemakers, other than our guild members, worked so hard that they were branded as mobsters and hanged.]

From Maxburg’s point of view, it would seem like the blood would flow backwards, but from my point of view, it produced the best results.

First of all, by doing this, the garrison commander can no longer recruit serfs to defend the castle if I attack the castle.

Because even if he somehow puts aside his suspicions of the serfs, the other soldiers don’t trust them.

Then, in effect, 60% of the available forces would be lost.

And even now, when I have not yet approached the enemy, those poor soldiers will suffer the fear of being assassinated and the physical exhaustion of the continual service.

In this way, after a few months of siege, the castle could be opened without shedding blood, provided that no relief troops would come.

However, right now we must lure Maxburg’s forces to the desired location and destroy them…

I should deliberately divulge the contents and make Maxburg hurry.

“Very desirable. Lieutenant Short, instruct your subordinates to take good care of this letter so that it can go to His Highness, the Duke of Maxburg.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Upon receiving my order, Lieutenant Short left my tent to summon his men.

And not long after, my adjutant, Major Frost, entered.

“You have worked hard, Frost. So, did you get a call from your father and Baron Balt?”

“Your Excellency Baron Frost has been informed that you can come to the plains near Lothringen tomorrow afternoon at the earliest or the next morning at the latest. His Excellency Baron Balt is now marching in company units, and I heard that he will arrive the day after tomorrow morning.”

“Ideal. so ideal… Did something happen?”

After hearing that, Frost listened to me and continued his report in a calm voice.

“His Excellency Baron Balt tried to besiege Salzburg, but Sir Lohengrin, the commander of the garrison who remained in the castle, was a very thorough man… It is said that the siege itself was difficult. Also, even if they were going to plunder, Lord Lohengrin ordered the soldiers in advance to accept all supplies and people… ”

“That’s why you passed the castle without much success. If possible, I wanted to rob Salzburg, the main trading city of the enemy… I can’t help it.”

“And some of the soldiers led by Sir Frost disobeyed the order to drink beer with cold water, and there were some soldiers who collapsed from stomach upset after drinking water and beer separately.”

“I trained like that, and that’s how it is. I can’t help it… Still, if the loss during the march is less than 2%, it’s a success, so the only thing we can do is get a report after we meet. Thank you, and since the war is about to begin, tell your soldiers to drink no more than two beers and one glass of wine per meal. If anyone is drunk, I will punish them severely, regardless of rank or title.”

**

A day after I camped near the Lothringen Plain to face the enemy, Balt and Baron Frost camped accordingly.

And I held a banquet with beef, pork, and lamb, and a little alcohol to congratulate them and my soldiers for their hard work.

Adding a bit of exaggeration, the meat was provided to the soldiers saying they couldn’t eat it because of the unpleasant smell from their mouths, but the alcohol was provided to the soldiers just enough to satisfy their taste buds.

Also, since we couldn’t bring the warlord to this place, the soldiers’ favorite girl didn’t come along either.

The next day, I started a meeting with Baron Frost, Balt, and their commanders of majors and above in the largest tent I had set up exclusively for myself.

“Major Valentine, Commander of the Scout, I will report the current situation according to Your Excellency’s orders. The Duke of Maxburg and his 40,000 soldiers were in Mern near Hellsmann Castle, not Hausenburg, and it is estimated that they just passed through Braunheim, and it will take about 7 days to gather all the troops.”

“Right… How is the food and supply situation of the enemy?”

“It is presumed that they are receiving almost the same level of food and goods as us. However, weapons and armor were not returned to ordinary soldiers, and it seems that soldiers of thirty or more were given breastplates and helmets from our territory.”

“What about the morale of the enemy?”

“My morale is very high, perhaps because the merchants provide generous support, or because I eat much better than usual. However, the nobles are very anxious because of the fear that Lothringen may fall.”

“Okay, go back to your seats.”

After that, Major Valentine quickly went back to his seat, and I continued talking while pointing at the map.

“The place where we will fight is this Rotheim Plain, one kilometer to the left of here, and we will build a position here to greet the enemy until the enemy comes.”

“If you are in position, do you plan to dig wooden fences or trenches to make it difficult for the knights to charge?”

“Keep listening to the story. We will camp on this road that connects the plain of Rotheim with Lothringen. Here we repulse the incoming enemy to save Lothringen.”

The commanders listened to me, nodded, and started talking.

“If Maxburg were to avoid the battle here, he would be giving up on his duty to protect the people of the territory. Then no one will follow him.”

“Yes, so the Duke of Maxburg must come into conflict with us. If those idiots ignore Lorthringen, the citizens will surrender to us right away. Then you’ll be able to take the whole of Lothringen without shedding a drop of blood. The duke will not tolerate that… ”

While most of the commanders were talking favorably, Baron Frost looked at me and asked in a serious voice.

“However, if we are at a slight disadvantage, the enemy garrison commander will attack us with soldiers and serfs. Then you will be surrounded from front to back. What are you going to do with this?”

As Frost pointed out, they will attack from the rear as quickly as possible if they think we are at a disadvantage.

But if I do not fight here, the Duke of Maxburg will surely drive us to fight in a more disadvantageous place.

And I looked at them and said in a firm voice.

“The idiots we’ve dealt with so far are different from Maxburg. Because Maxburg won’t be as vigilant as Baron Santoburg, who fought a 20-year-old kid, and he won’t be as reckless as Schwein. That’s why, if I fight without having this much of a disadvantage, he… They will try to come into our territory.”

“No, even if… To fight with such a risk… ”

“And the moment our estates begin to be robbed, the morale of the originally low-morale serf soldiers starts to rise as they plunder rich estates and rape women. Then, before you know it, elite soldiers are created. Don’t you guys know too?”

Of course, just because morale rises like that doesn’t make you an elite soldier, but soldiers who have tasted plunder after being conscripted usually have a sharp rise in morale.

Because when you feel the pleasure of raping a weak woman while plundering and the specific hope of getting a share, you have a goal of plundering that transcends the fear of death.

That’s why you don’t desert well, and the attitude to go to war has definitely changed, making it harder to deal with.

To add a bit of exaggeration, one serf who has tasted plunder is scarier than two serf soldiers who have not tasted plunder.

The commander and the knights seemed to think so, as they listened to me and nodded.

“It is as you said.”

“And in this battle, there is a secret weapon that I have been hiding for fear that the spies will hear about it, and that Magsburg will hear and respond first. Baron Frost, did you bring some black soil when you were the last to get off Braim’s ship?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. But why did you bother ordering me to bring soil?”

To that, I replied in a playful voice.

“If you bring it, you will know. I’ll show you something fun.”

Shortly thereafter, a soldier brought the black soil I mentioned.

Then I put the dirt on a very slightly white plate and put it where everyone could see it.

Then, I lightly dropped some embers on it.

Then, with a ‘pop’ sound, black soil and plates flew away.

The knights and commanders who saw the unexpected sound, the smell of rotten excrement and urine, and the black smoke opened their eyes in surprise and froze.

And Balt saw this and said a word.

“It sounds like thunder rumbling, Your Excellency.”

That guy also pretends to be fine, but the shock must have been so great that he used to say ‘Yo’ in public, so he said everything.

And I laughed and said

“We will fight with our backs to the gates of Lothringen, and we only dig stakes and trenches in the rear. And the weakest left side of the square will be left empty. Also, all knights should dismount from their horses and prepare to fight as a heavily armed infantry reserve. If there is no objection, we will start construction work tomorrow.”