Chapter 22: Reclaim The Territory (1)
As soon as my meeting with the Crown Prince ended, I immediately returned to the guest quarters that had been prepared for me by the Emperor.
The next day, as previously arranged with the Crown Prince, I sent an apologetic letter to the Emperor, stating that due to the overwhelming gratitude and excitement for ‘the honor of receiving a medal directly from His Majesty the Emperor after the battles,’ I was incapacitated with a fever and was unable to attend the ball.
In response, the Emperor, as someone who knew that I had met with the Crown Prince and had decided to align myself with him, sent this reply,
‘I wanted to introduce you and share detailed stories of your bravery in a gathering where both the Crown Prince and Division Commander Stefan were present. It’s truly regrettable. Everyone, including myself, wishes for your speedy recovery. Hence, I’m sending 1,000 gold and a few potions that are good for vitality. Get well soon and serve the Empire.’
If he thought I was really sick, he would have sent a skilled doctor. This was essentially a payment for siding with ‘the Crown Prince’ under the pretext of ‘recuperation.’
Moreover, some nobles kindly suggested,
‘It’s lonely to be sick and alone. How about getting a wife or a maid to care for you at night?’
Given this situation, it was clear that I wasn’t really sick but hadn’t decided which side to align with politically. They expressed that capable individuals like me were always welcome. If ever I decide to join, they would reward me with money, a modern-style wife, and even a beautiful maid.
Inadvertently, having officially fallen ill meant I had to avoid all the social gatherings of the nobles, starting with the ball. So, I had to stay in my room during my stay in the capital.
Meanwhile, in a world without games and TV, I killed time by sorting out the flows and knowledge from the original novel that could be useful in the upcoming war and my new domain.
During this process, I asked the Crown Prince for the mage Teresa Greenwood whom I wanted to recruit, and he readily agreed to send her to me.
Schmitz, who had followed me since I was a student platoon leader, was promoted to sergeant and agreed to take charge of the regiment’s staff sergeant.
Additionally, about 20 men from the Yaeger Company who earned their discharge after the last battle chose to follow me, converting their status to non-commissioned officers.
It would have been nice if the officers also followed me, but other officers had already been assigned to other fronts, receiving fast promotions from lieutenant to captain, before my proposal reached them.
It was unfortunate that I couldn’t bring the officers, but being able to bring veteran non-commissioned officers who fought with me in my first battle at the Raintlant Front was rewarding.
Having them should be sufficient. My regiment wouldn’t lack sergeants, and the new officers I’d meet could be appropriately led by me.
In a short time, I could somehow create the most elite battalion.
After all preparations were complete, I headed to the new territory with the soldiers from the Yaeger Company, who volunteered to stay under my command.
Despite arriving at Bruno Castle in the new territory with renewed resolve and high expectations, the state of the territory was severely worse than I had anticipated.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
I understood that in order to prove my capability, I needed to show that I could revive a territory that seemed impossible to reconstruct.
No matter how I led the Raintlant Front to victory, neither the royal family nor other nobles would say,
And the Crown Prince would use the territory near Bruno Castle, which I was in charge of, as a major supply point.
If I showed outstanding military exploits in the invasion of Chekovia without disappointing expectations, considering I had ‘revived a ruined territory and played a significant role in the war,’ they would likely elevate my status and grant me more power.
Moreover, the Crown Prince would suppress other competitors by placing and recognizing capable people in needed positions, which was a major virtue of the Emperor.
“Let’s start thinking of ways to reconstruct the territory.”
“Yes, understood.”
“I heard that the shortage of food in this village is not because it was on the front lines or because of a lack of arable land, but because of the merciless exploitation by the lord. Was there exploitation by the soldiers too?”
“From what I’ve reviewed, the soldiers under the lord were also somewhat complicit. There are rumors of substantial bribes going to Lieutenant Pels, who is stationed here.”
Usually, in a land of this size, a corrupt lord either collaborated with the military or local influentials to exploit the locals.
If one did this, questions would arise about whether everyone had to become accomplices for long-term benefits.
If there was a lot to exploit, the military, local influentials, and the lord could all share and still be satisfied.
If several people were plundering a small territory on the front line, smaller than a baron’s domain, it wouldn’t last long.
In places with little to exploit, local influencers were usually not power elites but maybe respected village heads or hunters with no power.
It seems the lord of this territory knew this and clung to the troops dispatched from the center...
Damn, in such a situation, even the ‘show of the newly assigned me correcting wrong practices and killing wicked influencers’ wouldn’t work.
Moreover, since the image of the military was at its worst, the soldiers here, newly under my command, probably wouldn’t listen to me well.
In such cases, the best course would be to tame and use the influential people in this area with the gold coins I had received.
“This is the worst. How on earth...”
About 30 minutes into my silent contemplation, a fairly reasonable alternative emerged in my mind.
“People regard food as heaven. This means that whoever feeds them well is the best. It won’t do to release food without a counterpart, but... employing the influentials in this area might present a viable solution.”
Then, I immediately spoke to the administrator of Bruno in front of me.
“There’s no time. Gather all the influential people here immediately. Also, don’t think about having welcoming or congratulatory events for the new lord. Just prepare plenty of stew with chicken in it.”
