Chapter 4: Rogue Lords (4)

So the question is how to survive. In other words, the strategy.

I have a few ideas. The most important of which is the fact that the Royal Army of Narja is completely unaware of my existence. In other words, they don’t know that I know about the surprise attack. I have to take full advantage of this.

The only thing that worries me is the current state of my army. With the lord in such a state, there is no way that the army under him is in good shape.

In fact, in the history of the game, they were defeated without being able to resist in any way, so their condition must be terrible.

The first thing I need to do is to rebuild my army. It is more important to know yourself than to know your enemy. That is also the basis of the art of war. First of all, I called the head chamberlain and told him.

“Chamberlain, we’re going to the barracks.”

“The barracks? If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll call the commanding officer.”

“No, I’ll go myself.”

“Then I’ll have a carriage waiting for you right away.”

The chamberlain rushed out the door. The lord’s notoriety is very useful in times like this. It seems that a number of people have lost their lives due to misspoken words. The atmosphere is such that they don’t even ask if something is bothering me. That helped a lot, as I was not in a position to explain what I was going to do.

Eventually, the chamberlain returned. I followed him and found a carriage outside the lord’s castle. It was a luxurious covered carriage. I was curious, but I didn’t show it on my face as I got into the carriage. The inside was not very spacious, maybe four people could fit. It was about the size of the back seat of a car.

The head chamberlain did not enter the carriage, perhaps intending to drive it himself. I looked around the carriage without a care in the world. Soon the carriage began to move. With a clattering sound, I felt myself floating. Yes, the ride was terrible.

I felt like throwing up every time it rattled. It was a terrible shaking. I knew it couldn’t be compared to a car. Well, there is a big difference in technology. As I leaned against the wall, desperately trying to hold back my nausea, the carriage soon came to a stop.

“Master. We have arrived.”

What good news! I quickly ran outside to get my feet on the ground. The wind calmed my nausea a bit. This is going to take some getting used to. I took a deep breath and looked around.

A wooden barracks caught my eye. As far as I know, in this game, the barracks in the city are in charge of the city’s security. Moreover, it was also the place where the command center of the Territorial Army was located. It was probably the same for Aintorian. I first checked the information with my skill.

[Aintorian’s barracks]

[Troops: 1,200]

[Morale: 20]

When I saw the information, I quickly put one hand on my head and held it tightly. Another headache was coming on. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. The morale of my troops was only 20. The maximum value is 100, so 20 is almost the worst. That’s why they couldn’t put up any kind of resistance and got wiped out by the decoys.

The number of troops is not the entire Aintorian army, but only the ones in charge of defending the city. It’s not too many, not too few, but a good number. In addition to this, there are several other barracks in various parts of Aintorian territory. The city is the center of the territory where the lord’s castle is located, and around it there is a large territory for farming. Well, it’s an agrarian society.

From the looks of it, the morale of the rest of the barracks won’t be any higher than this. I fought off the dizziness I felt at the realization and walked into the barracks.

Inside the barracks, soldiers were gathered here and there. I thought they were training, but soon realized that it was a stupid idea. The soldiers were swarming all over the barracks and holding gambling contests. Starting with a simple game of Sugoroku, there were all kinds of gambling going on.

For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Is this what a barracks really looks like? The lord had just entered the barracks, but no one had noticed, not even the guards. I stopped the head chamberlain from rushing forward and grabbed the soldier who was about to throw the dice by the collar and pulled him as hard as I could.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

The soldier who had been pulled turned around angrily, still holding the dice. Then his eyes met mine.

“Hee-hee-hee! My lord! I’m so sorry. When did you come to….?”

Erhin’s face is famous here, too, and he immediately prostrates himself on the ground as soon as he is recognized. The notoriety of the lord is also very effective among the soldiers.

“Enough. Better yet, go get the commander right now.”

“Yes, sir! Aaahh!”

The soldier immediately stood up with his hands on the ground and ran, fuming. Thanks to his screaming, the people around him were startled when they noticed me, and they all stood up and assumed a cautionary posture. Some of the soldiers looked frightened. At this point, isn’t the lord himself almost a disaster?

Well, the important thing now is the commander. I walked over to the building in the middle of the barracks, the command center of the army. It was also the place where the soldier from earlier had run into.

“Hey, what’s with all the excitement?”

“It’s…….The……lord is here!”

The commanders also gathered to play poker. The amount of money at stake here is far greater than at the gambling tables outside. Since the commander is like this, the soldiers are also indulging in gambling in the morning. There really is no future for them.

“His Excellency has arrived? Ha! Sir!”

When the commanding officer noticed me, he pushed past the soldiers and ran up to me. The soldiers who had been gambling with him also stood up and straightened their posture when they saw me.

His Excellency is a term of endearment for high-ranking nobles, from dukes to counts. This term was also used among the nobility. Commoners called me lord and could not call me your Excellency. Aintorian Erhin is a high-ranking nobleman with a fiefdom. Yes, I was a count now. And as a military commander, he’s also a nobleman, of course, a lower nobleman, probably a baron and a vassal of the Aintorian family.

[Burke Gordon]

[Age: 38]

[Martial Force: 33]

[Intelligence: 23]

[Command: 20]

[Affiliation: Commander of Aintorian Territorial Army]

[People’ Spirit: 10]

I checked the information. Turns out I was right, it was incompetence itself. Even though he was a commander, his martial force was lower than that of a soldier. He became a commander because he was a nobleman. However, even if he employed an incompetent nobleman as a vassal, how could he let such a person command the army? Even if Erhin is incompetent, this is terrible.

“What can I do for you this morning? Heh.”

When Burke walked up to me, he rubbed his palms together and started laughing. It seemed Erhin had appointed him as his commander out of familiarity. He didn’t care if he wreaked havoc on the army, but he cared for his close vassals. And the fact that he was close to Erhin. Needless to say, it was proof that he’s scum.

“Is the outside gambling under your supervision?”

“Yes, of course, since His Excellency allowed it. Anyone who gambles is obligated to pay me a gambling tax. Hahahaha.”

A tax on gambling? Ridiculous. I shook my head and whispered in the head chamberlain’s ear.

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Has he been in command of the army all these years?”

“No. The last lord had a different one……”

“Did I change it?”

“Yes. Well, yes, sir.”

So that’s what this is about. The former lord, in other words, Erhin’s father died of illness a few years ago. Erhin has only been in office for a short time. As soon as his father, who had been controlling him, died, he became like a fish out of water, doing all kinds of evil deeds.

“So, where is the former commander now?”

“……Yes?”

“I’m asking where is your former commander?”

If Erhin had replaced him, he would at least be better than the man in front of him. It’s an immutable truth that tyrants try to keep their loyal subjects away from them, right?

“Baron Haddin is locked up in a prison cell.”

“Oh, I see.”

Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be dead. Because he’s a nobleman? Well, that was good. It’s not easy to find a suitable commander in one day, but it’s different when I have a strong candidate. Of course, I have to examine the candidate carefully before I decide.

“I see. So you’re the one who made them gamble during training hours?”

“Yes, I did, didn’t I?”

I don’t think he heard the whispering between me and the head chamberlain, but he noticed that the atmosphere was suspicious and he looked at me strangely.

“Throw Commander Burke in jail immediately! He’s guilty of disturbing the discipline of the army!”

Right in front of him, I gave him a stern order. Burke jumped in surprise.

“No, sir! What do you mean? I’m Gordon! Gordon!”

So what do you want me to do? There was no need to answer. He was a man who was not worth dealing with any more.