EP.203
Bertha Ishtaven, the leader of this group and the chieftain of the Ishtaven tribe, was troubled.
‘It was almost like baked bread. Why would that damned Khan Slayer come as the commander of the Northern Army? Oh shit. Even if the others don’t know, that bastard is dangerous.’
As it happened, 60 chieftains were gathered together for a meeting when they received a letter and news that Lieutenant General Yeager had arrived.
In front of the chieftains who were buzzing in embarrassment, I answered while pretending to be as nonchalant as possible.
“Let’s start by reading what the letter was sent to. Wouldn’t you like to know that first before you can do anything?”
“It’s just as you said.”
After saying that, one of the chieftains grabbed the letter handed to him by the messenger and began to read it.
“This is Lieutenant General Peter Yeager, newly appointed commander of the Northern Army. The reason why I sent the letter today is because I will be taking office as commander of the Northern Army, and the inauguration ceremony will be held in earnest next week. “I hope you will come and grace this occasion.”
Although they were still in the middle of reading the letter, all the chieftains were so surprised and nervous that they started murmuring again.
“Honestly, wouldn’t it be nice if you surrendered to the Kingdom of Stockholm so you could receive a knighthood and live a prosperous life like the famous nobles of the Reich Empire?”
“You have to look at your opponent and stretch your feet. If it were another Northern Army commander, I could beat him once or twice by stabbing him in the back. But Lieutenant General Peter Yeager? Even that bastard Ludvik was no match for him…?”
“It just won’t work for us. Even now, you have to show some cuteness by licking her head and at least the soles of her feet. Otherwise, we are all dead.”
Meanwhile, Chief Ishtaven lamented and thought about the fact that the new commander who had been appointed at this time was that Peter Jaeger.
‘I have already received a promise that if I lead the cubs here and surrender, my power will be recognized and I will be made the Count of Stockholm. This is an opportunity we created, but we can’t let it go to waste because of that guy Jaeger.’
Therefore, Ishtaven began to think hard about how he could take all 60 tribes here and transfer to Stockholm.
“Also attending this event is Anastasia Kergit, the chief of the White Wolf Tribe and a colonel of the Imperial Army. She wants to see you guys, with whom she has had a close relationship for a long time, so I really hope you come. “I will treat you with the utmost sincerity.”
After reading the letter up to this point, the chief sighed and quietly put it down.
“It seems the Empire has made up its mind, Chief Ishtaven. What do you plan to do? To be honest, the empire has given us a lot, starting with Chief Khergit. Thanks to the empire’s aid, not a single tribesman starved to death last winter or this winter. Also, next year, my son will be given the benefit of going to the academy, which can be said to be the gateway to becoming a noble of the Reich Empire.”
Although he did not continue what he said, everyone here knew the message that the chieftain did not say as he read the letter.
‘The reason 60 of us are going to follow you to Stockholm is because the Empire offers us more generous aid and treatment than the benefits we are currently providing. But what good is it if you die?’
Meanwhile, for Ishtaven, this letter also had this meaning.
Lieutenant General Jaeger’s warning that among the chiefs with whom you are currently bathing, if you come to your senses and come back, the other chieftains except the instigator, Chief Ishtaven, will be especially forgiven.
To Ishtaven, who had been through countless mayhems, this kind of threat was honestly as natural as waking up in the morning and eating bread or soup.
What if the person making this threat is the commander of the Northern Army, Lieutenant General Peter Yeager, who cut Khan down with his own hands?
Naturally, it sends a chill down my spine and makes me shiver.
However, Ishtaven knew well that in order to survive in a situation like this, you had to at least pretend to maintain a normal attitude to increase your chances of survival.
“Yes, the Empire has definitely done a lot for us. It’s just as you said. Honestly, if you ask me to bow down in front of Peter Yeager three times a day, I have the confidence to do it. If it weren’t for that gentleman, you and I would have been used as meat shields in the border castles of the Kingdom of Stockholm or the Kingdom of Sweden. Or hug your tribe members in the snow and freeze to death.”
“Didn’t he come again? “And that’s for the north.”
“But I ask you, no, I ask you here. Since when have we been so concerned about loyalty? Also, even if your child enters the academy, Lieutenant General Jaeger. No, I will not talk about that person since his rise to success is overwhelmingly faster than that of the imperial officers who are the most prominent in the empire. Do you think you will be treated equally with the children of knightly nobles who originally lived in the empire? “I don’t think so, Chief Kinga.”
Kinga could not question those words.
“If there is anything similar between us, the northern nomads, and the empire, it is that if you want to get ahead, you have to build military skills. So, in order for our tribe members to not be discriminated against, they have to join the military. But, King, let me ask you a question. Why can’t young men from our tribe find it easy to join the military? “Aren’t the people who followed that bitch Kergit and abandoned their territory the only ones having fun?”
“… That’s bullshit. “Isn’t that because our tribesmen, as citizens of the empire, still don’t know much about the empire’s culture?”
“No, if that’s the case, honestly, shouldn’t they be allowed to serve at least in the Northern Army? You still don’t know, King. We are discriminated against. So, Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger is grateful that he killed Khan, but in order to live a better and more decent life, he must move to the Kingdom of Stockholm.”
Ishtaven realized.
This means that the leadership and atmosphere of the conversation has begun to shift in one’s favor.
After finishing assessing the atmosphere, he handed over a document that he had received from the director of the Kingdom of Stockholm a few days ago, granting titles and territories to everyone except himself.
The chiefs could not hide their curiosity when they first saw that the seal of the King of Stockholm, which they had often seen, was stamped there.
I hurriedly opened and read a document that should have been opened carefully.
“This is a document that officially grants us knighthood.”
“Not only that, this document says that additional land will be distributed after the northern part is occupied based on merit.”
“It says that you will be treated respectfully as a noble of the Kingdom of Stockholm. “I think this document is real.”
Ishtaven pointed to a pile of boxes covered with cloth to convince the poor souls who still seemed full of doubt.
“Think about it. To be honest, isn’t the Empire simply giving us a corner of bread to spare our lives because we arbitrarily surrendered? But think about it. From the perspective of His Majesty the King of Stockholm, we are credited with giving up the territory of the Reich Empire. So, you will be able to enjoy greater freedom of speech, power, and wealth than if you were part of an empire.”
After these words were spoken, several of the chieftains lifted up the covering cloth.
Inside the cloth, there were about 60 boxes about 40 cm long and full of gold and silver coins piled up.
I couldn’t confirm the exact contents, but the amount inside was about 1000 gold per box.
This amount was equivalent to the minimum living expenses needed for 1,000 households of serfs to survive for a year.
For the northern chieftains, who were much poorer than other regions of the empire, it was an enormous sum of money, enough to paralyze reason.
“I received it from Director Karpelen, who came from Stockholm a few days ago. It was given directly by His Majesty the King of Stockholm. We had only declared our intention to surrender, but they paid us generously. Can you imagine how much compensation we would receive if we took over the entire tribes and the land and, at the right time, turned the backs of the empire and presented it to the King of Stockholm?”
In empires and other countries, nobles cannot change their country without permission, but the nomadic northern peoples are willing to move at any time if they think it will make money.
That’s because if you get into trouble, you can just ride a horse and run away, and that trend has been in place for a long time, so even now that I’ve become a citizen of the Reich Empire, my thoughts haven’t changed much.
In addition, although Ishtaven did not tell the other chieftains, there was even a plan to link up the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and the Kingdom of Stockholm as soon as he betrayed the 60 chieftains.
“So, you decide for yourself. If you’re thinking of going with me, don’t go to the inauguration ceremony sung by Lieutenant General Yeager. If you’re thinking of shaking your tail at the Empire like a coward, get out. “Think about it carefully until tomorrow.”
Ishtaven wanted to kill the chief who disagreed with him right here and now.
‘If you do something like that, other people who agree with me might get scared and leave. ‘This might be best.’
After leaving the meeting hall, he looked up at the sky and muttered.
“The size of my force is determined by how many of the 60 people are left. Only by eating all 60 tribes in the North would he be able to exercise proper political influence in the Kingdom of Stockholm. “I wonder how many of them will leave me…”
What was fortunate for him was that the next day, only 20 tribes, or about 1/3 of the total, broke away from Ishtaven and went to the empire.
A word from the author (author review)
Thank you, reader.
PS According to the results of the popular vote, the cover was changed to show Laura in a swimsuit. Do you like it?
The Europa continent map has been updated. The Reich Empire is steadily expanding its territory. At the forefront is always Lieutenant General Peter Yeager.
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