I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

The day after the battle with Simon Marquis.

I assigned appropriate wages to the serfs of Count Iris’s territory to handle the battlefield cleanup and went straight to meet Simon Marquis for peace negotiations.

During this process, I toured the camp of the Franche Eastern Defense Forces, and it was incredibly quiet for a place housing tens of thousands of soldiers.

I looked around, feeling uneasy…

The tents were clean apart from a layer of dust since there had been no fighting in the camp, but morale seemed to have plummeted so much that even the empty tents were not folded properly.

Additionally, except for a few knights, the conscripts and junior commanders were lying around, hardly moving unless prompted by the knights.

When some drew their swords as if to enforce martial law against them, it felt like they were silently defying authority with the look that said, “Having seen hell already, I won’t care if I desert.”

According to the reports from my intelligence unit, while fighting for the occupation of our palisade fortress, there had been 30,000 casualties and 10,000 deserters, so I had anticipated low morale.

However, I hadn’t expected to see a military that had completely lost the will to fight and had given up altogether.

Moreover, with the enemy commander present, it only confirmed the situation…

At this point, it was obviously impossible for them to engage us in further battles, and the moment I returned to my domain to collect taxes for reconstruction, a large-scale peasant uprising would inevitably occur.

Though this was not a matter I needed to concern myself with regarding my territory, it was shocking to see the army in such a dismal state…

After about five or ten minutes of being guided, I entered the inner part of the barracks, and an enemy knight spoke to me in a voice filled with hostility.

“Inside, His Excellency Simon Marquis is waiting. Your Excellency Croilet…”

However, I was the victor, and my opponent was a knight serving a defeated lord.

So I feigned ignorance of the anger in his heart as I replied.

“Very well, thank you.”

Saying this, I casually lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.

There, Simon Marquis appeared as if he had endured great mental anguish after losing the battle yesterday. His once youthful and relaxed face before the battle looked aged and haggard, as if he had been hit by the bombs of time.

He forced a laugh and welcomed me with a voice trying to convey bravado, “Your Excellency Croilet, it’s an honor to have you here!”

“Ah, Simon Marquis. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“Under normal circumstances, it would be proper for us to serve you wine here, but… Given the circumstances, I ask for your understanding.”

“Not at all. You have been so kind despite my sudden visit. That is more than enough.”

We extended our hands to each other and shook them warmly, as if old friends meeting after several years.

If modern Koreans were to see this, they might think, “Are those people crazy?”…

Even though I had thrust the romance of the knights into the mud with cannons, rifles, and matchlock guns, the etiquette of the nobility had not changed.

And the foundation of noble etiquette is mutual respect when ranks are the same.

In addition, the laws of the battlefield in such situations are somewhat similar to the sportsmanship displayed in mutual respect after a battle.

Even if I felt like I wanted to kill my opponent right there.

And if I didn’t adhere to this, unpleasant rumors would circulate, so it would be advantageous to follow it as much as possible.

Though I had suffered losses, having won, my mere smile would surely provoke irritation in my defeated opponent.

“I have come not for idle talk, but because the outcome has been decided in the recent battle. I want to send our soldiers back to their homelands as soon as possible. Therefore, I would like to begin peace negotiations without delay.”

Upon seeing me hurry, Simon Marquis responded with a voice tinged with a bit of regained composure, “Then please, present your terms first.”

“Very well. Our demands are for the Eastern Army to cease hostilities based on the current occupied territories. Additionally, a suitable compensation including the release of the defeated overall commander Simon Marquis, Count Louis, and Count Laureant—should these two conditions be met, our forces will advance no further.”

Since both Count Iris and Count Architel had already lost their territories, there would be nothing left to claim. For the remaining three noble houses, even if land was given, they intended to receive compensation in gold coins rather than territory.

This is because any land acquired from Franche’s other nobles, excluding Count Iris and Count Architel, would likely be devoid of people and goods, handed over as a desolate wasteland.

While this would be faster than cultivating true wasteland, reviving it would again require a massive investment of serfs and resources, resulting in guaranteed losses.

Hearing my terms for ending the war, Simon Marquis chuckled disdainfully.

“Our Franche Empire’s central army will soon defeat the army led by your Emperor, and support us personally. Your forces are now reduced to a mere 25,000, or perhaps around 22,000 to 23,000. Although you possess bizarre weapons we don’t have, our Eastern Defense Forces still number over 40,000. If the Emperor successfully defends, he will send at least 20,000 to 30,000 reinforcements… Can you hold out against that?”

At those words, I almost sighed in disbelief.

I couldn’t blame him, as he had suffered three significant defeats leading an army of barely 30,000, and it was ludicrous for a commander who had lost so many to boast in such a manner.

Of course, if the Emperor of Franche were to come with the pure goodwill of an ideal monarch from a fairy tale, it could indeed happen.

But since the Emperor is also the lord of the nobles, he would undoubtedly bring reinforcements to rescue his vassals, Simon Marquis and the other counts.

So, while his statement wasn’t completely wrong, the issue was that a commander who already had suffered two defeats and then lost significantly in a third battle could not continue boasting.

He had lost over 30,000 soldiers, including casualties and deserters, resulting in almost 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers gone.

Losing so many troops, even with a victory, would lead to scorn; if he were to receive reinforcements from the Emperor to defeat us…

The Emperor would impose a severe punishment that would make recovery impossible, and the knights and lords under him would probably withdraw their oaths of loyalty, seeking to serve other great lords.

Additionally, he could not run away to Elaline’s territory, as the lords of adjacent territories were trembling at the thought of losing their lands, fearing for their own.

Thus, even if he received reinforcements, his family would be doomed, and to threaten me with that…

At that moment, I thought, “Did he suffer too large a defeat in war, or has he lost his senses amidst the booming sound of cannonfire?”

However, to speak plainly, Simon Marquis was already in a politically finished situation after losing 70,000 soldiers on top of commanding an army of over 100,000 across two count territories.

“Even if you leave, I cannot see you prosper, you bastard Croilet who only learned bad things from your parents!”

If he were to employ this kind of desperate tactic in negotiations… it would be needed to kindly guide Simon Marquis to see his true situation and extinguish the spark of futile hope.

“There’s nothing I cannot endure. Our forces have sufficient supplies of food, and thus we will gather the serfs from Count Iris’s territory temporarily and match your forces. Furthermore, before this war began, I had conscripted and trained serfs as reserves, so I can receive 50,000 trained reinforcements from the southern area of Count Croilet’s territory even now. Moreover, I possess around 40 pieces of ‘cannons,’ which I am sure have given you a terrible experience.”

Even though Simon Marquis had probably heard about cannons for the first time, when I mentioned that they gave him a terrible experience, he seemed to realize what they were and began to harden his expression.

“And as soon as we finish the battlefield cleanup, we will mobilize the serfs conscripted from Count Iris’s territory to build a larger palisade fortress. A castle that will be bigger and more elaborate than the current one. So come if you dare, Your Excellency Simon Marquis.”

I may have threatened Simon Marquis right in front of him, but mobilizing 50,000 reinforcements would still result in an army made up of untrained serfs, which wouldn’t be very strong.

Additionally, transporting 40 cannons would take a long time.

Furthermore, if Simon Marquis were to seriously intoxicate himself and abruptly reject negotiations to attack the palisade fortress again… I wouldn’t want to think about it.

Fortunately, it seemed my words had somewhat resonated with Simon Marquis; he spoke in a slightly softer tone than before.

“Then… I understand. What do you wish for?”

“The cession of the territories of Count Architel and Count Iris, 600,000 gold coins from the Simon Marquis house, and 300,000 gold coins each from Count Louis and Count Laureant as compensation. If you agree to these terms, I will tell you how to survive.”

Upon hearing this, Simon Marquis laughed like a madman, discarding any traces of decorum.

“Ha ha, the Marquis of the enemy country demands insubstantial compensation that barely emerges from stripping territories and should be grateful for me showing him the way to survive? Is this some nonsense? Is the world ending? The brides often say that when Deus returns, the world will end… Is that today?”

He mocked me like this, but I genuinely intended to offer him a chance to survive.

Of course, I wouldn’t provide a way to save his life to a butcher who killed thousands of my soldiers.

However, if I could use him… I could minimize the bloodshed of my soldiers.

Moreover, by granting me a duke title and undermining my own power, I could deal a more significant blow to the paranoid emperor behind this expedition.

“I am serious. Even if my words are untrue, the Simon Marquis family is already in a situation where political purging is inevitable, correct? However, if you follow my advice… you can avoid completely losing your territory and the downfall of your house.”

“I’ll listen. Though I doubt it’s all that grand of a strategy.”

Simon Marquis said this, but it seemed my words piqued his interest, and he looked at me with gleaming eyes.

Pretending not to notice this, I continued, “Alright… first, surrender the territories of Count Architel and Count Iris to me. Those two counts have already used up their lives.”

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