NOVEL NEXT Chapter 269
Chapter 269 Soon It Will Speed Up. (2)
The territory was continuously recruiting soldiers, and this time a large-scale recruitment announcement was made, but the increase in troops was not as fast as expected.
It was due to the perspective of the territory residents towards the army.
“Isn’t our territory doing well with the number of soldiers?”
“We’re living comfortably without being soldiers.”
“There’s really no need to go to a dangerous place, right?”
If they worked hard, they could earn a high salary. The cost of food was incredibly cheap compared to other places.
In the past, essential goods had been quite scarce, but that wasn’t the case now. Various merchant groups had come to get food and had released many items.
Of course, they weren’t living as leisurely as nobles or wealthy people, but since they had lived in poverty for so long, they were satisfied with their current situation.
Plus, they caught all the criminals and put them into the “Labor Assault Corps,” so public order was quite good.
The territory was continuously developing. Thus, there was much work to do. The pay was high, so many people worked just enough to earn a bit, played around, and worked again when their money ran low.
The problem was that everyone had become complacent in this situation.
“They say the pay is good if you join the army.”
“Eh, but it’s still hard work. I’m fine with this much. Just remember how it used to be.”
“Right, the house is clean and nice, and we’re not starving, so there’s no need to be greedy. When the war comes, we’ll all be conscripted anyway, right?”
Everyone was like this, so no matter how large the territory was or how many people there were, replenishing the army couldn’t happen quickly.
Claude was scratching his head in frustration. Thinking about the future wars, he would need many more troops than now. But since the replenishment was slower than expected, he couldn’t help but feel stifled.
“Ugh… People don’t understand the seriousness. We have to fight Desmond and the Duke Faction, and Raybold is the same. Enemies are everywhere.”
The territory residents had no clue about political circumstances. They didn’t even know who they would have to fight in the future.
At least everyone knew Ghislaine was from the Crown Prince Faction by now. Claude had been spreading that news everywhere.
The fact that the royal family was on their side also helped to ease people’s anxieties.
Claude actively promoted that he would provide more benefits to soldiers using the Chief Officer’s power.
[Penris Territory Army Recruitment! Tax exemption during service! Free full-plate armor and the latest armament!]
The promotional materials depicted Claude pointing forward with his finger.
[Brave warriors! Join for the honor of protecting the territory!]
[Let’s march towards the battlefield together! The glory of victory and rewards await you!]
[Your arrival means the war starts!]
Once they announced tax exemption benefits, the number of volunteers increased significantly compared to before. However, it still fell short of Ghislaine’s target.
The goal was to recruit at least 10,000 soldiers, but at this rate, it would take years to achieve.
At this rate, it would take years without a doubt.
Claude approached Ghislaine and said.
“I think we might need some forced conscription after all.”
“Before that, get rid of those promotional posters with your face on them. It makes me more embarrassed every time I see them.”
“…Yes.”
“Is the mandatory military training being prepared well?”
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a big problem. Everyone is kind of expecting it anyway.”
Typically, territory residents receive basic military training for a few days each year to prepare for conscription.
This was true in other territories as well, and in Penris Territory, everyone was getting a bit of military training.
Ghislaine had established proper training camps everywhere to make it a little more systematic.
However, that was just minimal training, and to wage war, they needed significantly more properly serving soldiers, so they had to find a way.
After a moment of contemplation, Ghislaine smirked and said to Claude.
“Isn’t it because things have gotten livable that the tension has dropped? They don’t even know who they are fighting.”
“That’s true. At least it’s no longer a problem to eat and sleep.”
“But that doesn’t mean we live like the wealthy commoners in other territories, right? There are still plenty of inconveniences.”
“Maybe because we’ve lived without much, everyone is satisfied with just this much. As long as things aren’t taken away, it’s good enough, I guess? They were mostly exploited territory residents or the poor.”
“Right, so we need to instill some tension. If living comfortably means we aren’t being taken from, then we must take something!”
“Are you… are you really deciding to become a wicked lord now? That does suit you well. With that personality, you’ve held back until now… Aah!”
Getting hit by a mana blast, Claude rubbed his forehead with a sulky expression. Honestly, it wasn’t entirely wrong, but it felt unfair to get hit.
Seeing Claude’s reaction, Ghislaine continued.
“First off, if we forcibly take and conscript, morale will inevitably drop. Our territory’s army must always have high morale. That way, they can actively engage in training.”
“Then how do you plan to raise the tension?”
“I have a plan. First, spread some ominous rumors.”
Too comfortable living is a problem? Then solve the problem.
Ghislaine was still grinning smugly.
*
“Count Desmond is supposedly invading here soon?”
“Isn’t that territory known as the strongest in the North?”
“They’ve already sent a scouting party to our territory.”
The territory residents would gather and whisper among themselves with anxious faces whenever they met. The topic of conversation was the rumor that Desmond, known as the strongest in the North, would soon attack.
The key figures of the territory had been aware of this fact for a long time. However, the territory residents had been too focused on developing the territory to know the details.
One of the reasons they hadn’t informed the residents was that they wanted to stabilize the atmosphere immediately after the takeover.
Even if they occasionally heard rumors that war could break out, everyone thought it was just nonsense. They were more concerned with their immediate survival.
But upon hearing the rumors that war was imminent, they couldn’t remain relaxed.
“Our lord is from the Crown Prince Faction, right? They said they’d protect us from the royal family!”
“Count Desmond is from the Duke Faction. Don’t you know the duke is stronger? He’s pretty famous too.”
“What are you talking about! The king is the strongest! That’s why he’s the king! Don’t you know what a king is, you ignorant fool!”
“What, you punk? Who are you calling ignorant when you can’t even read?”
As anxiety rose, bickering became more frequent. Still, the people tried to let go of their worries by recalling Ghislaine’s past achievements.
“Our lord is supposed to be incredibly good at fighting, right? So, won’t he defend us well?”
“Are you sure? So, won’t he defend it well?”
“Yeah, our Lord easily defeated Count Cabaldy and took everything here, right?”
“Oh, Count Desmond is on a whole different level compared to Count Cabaldy. It’s not for nothing that he’s called the strongest in the North.”
People’s opinions began to diverge. A debate raged between those who were certain they would lose if they fought and those who believed vaguely that their lord would protect them well.
Still, a lot more people thought it would be okay for now.
That’s just how people are. It’s hard to feel the danger when things are peaceful.
So, the spy Lowell fueled the rumors even more. He kept inciting and agitating the people’s anxieties without rest.
In the past, Territory Residents might have hidden things to reassure themselves, but now, they had to actively spread the word to instill tension in the relaxed minds of the residents.
“I heard Desmond’s Army’s scouts have already appeared near the territory!”
“I heard there was already a battle! The Lord barely drove them away!”
“That’s not the problem! Northern lords are uniting to take this place!”
In reality, some northern lords were forming an alliance, but they were moving to attack somewhere other than Penris Territory.
Lowell mixed lies with truths and intentionally spread distorted rumors.
People felt even more anxious. They knew better than anyone that there was no territory as livable as Penris.
Anxiety and tension among the people began to grow.
“I don’t want to go back to living like before, losing everything. We need to protect what’s ours.”
“I’m sick of starving. If another lord takes this place, we’ll starve again.”
“Since I’ve been working at the construction site anyway, maybe I should just enlist as a soldier.”
Strong and healthy folks started volunteering for military service.
Many laborers left for other jobs, but there were simply enough residents to recruit new laborers without any issues.
In Penris Territory, if there’s a shortage of workers, soldiers also get sent to work on construction. It was no problem at all.
Although there were far more enlistees than before, Ghislaine was still unsatisfied.
There were still many Territory Residents hesitating.
“We don’t all need to go, right?”
“Y-yeah. It would be dangerous if a real war breaks out.”
“Isn’t it better to just play it safe and get drafted later?”
There will always be those hoping for someone else to fight for them and sacrifice instead.
You can’t blame them for that. It’s remarkable for someone to take initiative; it’s not bad if they choose not to.
Of course, they’ll have to fend for themselves if the territory falls.
In the midst of it all, new rumors began to spread, seemingly urging those who hesitated.
“Raiders! Raiders have appeared!”
“What? Where? We have plenty of soldiers in our territory, how can raiders be wandering around?”
“They say they lack soldiers to defend the territory because they have to hold off armies from other lords!”
“I heard some villages have already been devastated! They lost all their possessions and refugees are lining up!”
“W-what about the Vigilante Groups? They’ve received basic training in every village, right?”
“They’re all dead or fled! The stationed soldiers are too few to do anything but retreat!”
Terrifying rumors struck the territory like a storm. People were in shock.
They thought things would always be this peaceful. But it was an illusion. Others wouldn’t just sit back and let a territory rich in food and iron go untouched.
This is an age where if you have power, you can take anything, anytime, anywhere. Nobles and bandits alike would see Penris Territory as a juicy target.
You must protect what’s yours. Living comfortably under the lord’s protection made them forget this reality.
Under the comfortable protection of his title, he had forgotten about it.
The territory residents, having gained a realization about the raiders, started to contribute more resources, significantly increasing the number of recruits. Meanwhile, the raiders’ notoriety was growing day by day.
“Another village has been hit! Those guys are rampaging through the territory!”
“How many of them are there that we can’t stop them? What is our territory army doing!”
“They have over 500 armed forces! We can’t defend a small village! Everyone is running to nearby fortresses or cities!”
“Where did they come from? Did all the northern bandits gather together?”
“I don’t know! Rumor has it they call themselves the ‘Plunder King of the North’!”
At that moment, a man who called himself the ‘Plunder King of the North’ was looking down at a village from a low hill, wearing a mask.
“Hey, this is the village, right?”
“Yes, Lord… it’s about to start its migration process.”
“I told you not to call me lord! Call me leader. What are you trying to do, let people eavesdrop? We’re a band of thieves now, a band of thieves!”
“…Understood.”
The identity of the Plunder King was Ghislaine. Next to him was Claude. The two were currently leading 40 knights to raid a village.
The 500 was just an inflated rumor. To prevent rumors from spreading, they needed to operate with a small number of capable individuals.
“What do you think? The tension rises when we make it close to the actual situation. You know people are on edge these days, right?”
“…Yeah.”
‘You really are a madman… Who robs his own territory like this…’
Ghislaine and the knights smashed the village and looted the food. It was a bit absurd to be actually raiding, but it was definitely effective.
In fact, there were no casualties. Ghislaine and his party just knocked out anyone from the vigilante group who dared to charge. That alone made people scream and run away.
After all, Penris Territory was in the process of integrating all villages into major fortresses and cities. This also expedited the migration process.
They didn’t set fires to prepare for any valuables that might be sought after by fleeing people. It was surprisingly a delicate task that required a lot of attention.
“Make sure to quickly provide homes for the relocated residents and compensate for the lost food and property.”
“I’ve made it clear to the administrators of each territory to handle it as a priority.”
“Good, that will make them work harder.”
Since the migration plan was already underway, houses were prepared according to the population. All they needed to do was compensate for the lost food and property.
Rather, this boosted people’s morale even more. After experiencing such a major event, their determination to protect the territory increased.
As villages were destroyed and actual refugees emerged, the rumors gained more credibility and spread even further.
“Have all the nearby troops retreated?”
“Yes, they have already received their orders and are in the process of leaving. They will focus solely on the protection of the immigrants.”
Orders had been given to the nearby stationed troops to retreat without fighting. The soldiers were busy retreating without a clue as to why.
Now, Ghislaine, who had become the Plunder King, asked the knights beside him.
“What did the barbarians yell when they were raiding villages? What was that again?”
“Uh… kill the women and rape the men…”
“Let’s not do that.”
“Yeah, honestly, that’s a bit embarrassing.”
“Then just make some noise. Let’s go!”
“Waaaah!”
The Plunder King and his band of 40 thieves began to raid another village.