94 – Episode 94 Battle of the Plains
Beyond the phalanx troops,
I saw knights charging head-on.
The distance between the two gradually becomes closer.
The more I did that, the more the world felt a little slower.
I guess it’s because I was so focused.
I swallowed dry saliva.
Perhaps because I inhaled a lot of smoke, a sticky sensation went down my throat.
‘Blessed Phalanx.’
It is the strongest barrier I can use.
If even these cannot stop the charge,
The Battle of Paonia may be repeated.
While I was thinking,
The two units were almost in contact.
Quaaang!!
Quaaang!!
The phalanx soldiers in the first row were shocked.
The same goes for the second row.
Row 3. The bounce range decreases as you go to the 4th row.
And when we reached the fifth row,
The knight’s charge lost its power.
Elite soldiers trained for many years.
A class called Phalanx.
And the priest’s blessing.
When the three elements come together,
The knight’s charge was blocked.
To be exact, it is true that it endured.
While the phalanx collapsed down to the fourth line,
Except for the horse being killed, the knight was safe.
The knights turned and widened the distance.
After that,
“Muslims! Launch!”
Ta-ang!
Ta-ang!
The horses that were not protected by mana fell once again.
Towards them,
From Noble mtl dot com
150 Blessed mercenaries charged.
Quaaang!!
Quaaang!!
Knights and mercenaries.
Individual abilities are inferior to mercenaries.
But,
The knight used a lot of mana,
The mercenary has saved his mana.
Also,
Unlike knights, mercenaries are blessed.
Finally,
Mercenary 150 charged,
Knight 100 is in a tangled state as his horse dies.
The dust created by the collision between the two sides cleared,
The results were revealed.
“You finally defeated the knights.”
A dozen knights fell to the ground due to the mercenary attack.
Even full plate armor could not withstand the expert’s attack.
Doo doo doo doo.
The mercenary passed by the knight,
We prepared to attack again.
Meanwhile,
“Muslims! Salvo!”
Ta-ang!
Ta-ang!
“Phalanx advance!”
Chuck. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck.
Chuck. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck.
From the rear, pressure was applied with phalanxes and muskets.
With the article in between,
Anvil and hammer tactics.
The hammer is ready.
They started colliding at high speed.
At that time,
Puh—-Woo!
Puh—-Woo!
The duel was declared over.
“All troops on standby!”
“All troops on standby!”
The mercenary stopped charging.
The enemy troops retreated.
‘The duel is suddenly over? Why?’
Raise your head and look around,
I could understand the reason.
This was because a white flag was raised at the Stern headquarters.
“It’s over. Everyone, triage the injured! The priest begins treatment with the soldier in critical condition!”
**
**
Stern headquarters.
“Lord So…”
The staff called Stern in a worried voice.
A small lord who fought numerous battles.
All of those battles were won.
That kind of small lord was defeated today.
“Young lord, there are times when you win a battle and times when you lose it. So…”
“Huh? “What did you say?”
Lord Su turned his head.
The face revealed like that,
‘Aren’t you disappointed?’
He was too peaceful to be a defeated commander.
On the contrary, there was even a small sense of anticipation.
“Oh… No.”
Stern chuckled and turned his head forward again.
A battle in which our forces were overwhelmingly defeated.
Only our troops fell on the battlefield.
There will be a significant number of deaths among them.
‘The purpose of coming here has failed.’
He wanted to kill Elwin and attract the attention of the church.
‘I got something in return.’
A new weapon used by Elwin.
A new type of weapon not yet known to the continent.
‘If only I could get that.’
While I was worrying,
The examiner approached.
“You have to settle the account. “Please gather at the judges’ seats.”
“I understand.”
The road to where the examiners are gathered.
‘Can I get a weapon if I give money?’
What if it doesn’t work?
What should I do if I can’t have it with money?
Stern’s mind was filled with thoughts of new weapons.
**
**
I sat down with Stern.
The judges were seated in the center.
“This duel is Elwynn Frontier’s victory. Do both sides agree?”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
“The Battle of Paonia in Ireland was a legitimate right of self-defense for the Frontier. Do both sides agree?”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
“Finally, the death of the Moon Church priest and temple knight that occurred during the process was not Frontier’s fault. Do both sides agree?”
“I agree.”
“…”
For the first time, Stern hesitated to answer.
At this, the examiner turned his head to Stern.
“Do you agree?”
“… I agree.”
After all the questions are over,
The examiner handed over the paper.
“Please sign.”
The question asked earlier was written exactly as it was.
I signed the last part,
Stern also did the same.
The examiner finished signing and held the paper high.
“I declare that the truth of this day has been revealed in accordance with imperial law. Anyone who is dissatisfied with this may raise an objection within the deadline. Then next time…”
I moistened my lips with my tongue.
The long-awaited time has finally arrived.
Compensation.
The winner does not only get the truth.
You can receive duel rewards from your opponent.
This was like the loot obtained after a war.
‘How much should I offer?’
I couldn’t think deeply about compensation.
Because I only thought about the duel.
When I had meetings with my subordinates, we only talked about battle.
‘Can something else be used instead of money?’
When you are thinking like that,
Stern spoke first.
“With sufficient war reparations, I would like to purchase today’s weapons.”
Stern demanded high compensation.
So much so that even the examiners nodded when they saw the amount he proposed.
I also have no complaints about the amount.
However, purchasing weapons is a different story.
“I am satisfied with the compensation, but the weapons cannot be sold.”
“This proposal is a package. “The reason for generous compensation is also the advance payment for the purchase of weapons.”
It is an early form of gunpowder weapon.
But even so, the Count of Valois is strangling him.
‘The impact shown in the first battle was definitely strong.’
“I repeat, this is not a weapon for sale. “If you really need it, I’ll sell you a ballista…”
Boom!
Stern hit the desk hard.
“Ballista? There are enough weapons like that. They even produce it directly at their estate. What I want is a weapon! “The weapon used this time!”
Stern was blinded by the weapon and misunderstood the situation.
“Mr. Stern, we did not meet to make a deal. “Today I am the winner and you are the loser.”
“…”
Even though a duel is different from an actual war,
It was a battle filled with swords.
The winner there was me.
Stern closed his mouth and thought about something.
Then, he brought out a new suggestion.
“I heard that the Frontier receives a lot of wanderers.”
To be exact, it wasn’t Frontier, but it was me.
Anyway, it wasn’t wrong.
“Yes.”
“I will give you 5,000, no, 10,000 serfs as war indemnity.”
Suddenly giving them serfs?
It’s not a bad suggestion.
Personally, I prefer serfdom to money.
Because I am already making enough money through many businesses.
‘The reason I couldn’t refuse their duel was ultimately because of food.’
What if the number of additional farmers increases by 10,000?
Ireland’s food self-sufficiency will also accelerate.
When trying to accept an offer,
Stern opened his mouth again.
“Is 10,000 not enough? Then, I will give you 15,000.”
Suddenly increasing 5,000?
The County of Valois is large,
Even if you own a large farm,
5,000 Serfs is a big number.
Nevertheless, they proposed raising the number.
‘Is it that urgent? Why?’
Stern wanted to send serfs as much as I wanted serfs.
Then…
“30,000.”
“What… What did you say?”
“30,000 Serfs. This amount of compensation is needed. “If you don’t like it, give it to me in money.”
The average population of a barony is 150,000 to 300,000 people.
30,000 Serfs is more than 10% of the total baron population.
‘Once you call 30,000, you can trade for 20,000 or 25,000.’
It is foolish to call out the number you want right away in a negotiation.
First of all, call it higher than that,
Just pretend to give in and say the number you think of.
But,
“… Good. 30,000. “I will send 30,000 serfs.”
‘Huh? Should I have called a bigger number?
Regardless of my concerns,
The examiner judged that there was an agreement,
The war indemnity was set at 30,000 serfs.
After the duel,
The way back to the territory.
‘Stern gets 30,000, it makes me feel uncomfortable.’
30,000,
This is 50% of the number I have collected over the years.
In an instant, the population of the Dominion increased by 50%.
Still, I felt uncomfortable.
‘If I had called for 40,000, would I have given 40,000?’
I shook my head.
Because it is a number that makes no sense in common sense.
There is no way they would give you that much compensation for losing a duel.
“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do. “Let’s go build a village!”
**
**
Stern headquarters.
Stern is on his way back to Valois with the remnants of his defeated soldiers.
Now it is halfway between Ireland and the continent.
Crossing the Vampires Bridge.
“Little Lord, 30,000 serfs are too many.”
“I know.”
If it were simple war reparations, one serf would be enough.
“But why did you do that? “Even the Count won’t be silent about this!”
Population is both military and economic power.
Using this, you can even increase your political power.
The basis of a territory was its population.
I can’t believe the population exceeds 30,000.
Stern looked at his staff tirelessly.
I understand what he is thinking.
“It is not just war reparations. “There is a bigger reason.”
“What if there is a bigger reason…?”
“I plan to add Sejak among the serfs. So we uncover the secrets of the new weapon.”
If you can obtain Elwin’s new weapon,
The cost of 30,000 serfs was not a waste.
