NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 25
One day, a tsundere senior from my department, who constantly criticized alternate history and territory management stories but watched them to the end, said this:
“Those protagonists sure live easy lives. I mean, it’s one thing for a mere high school or college student to implement a technology like the Bessemer process, but how can it be that when food production increases, the population simply skyrockets without any issues? Is it really the same outcome?”
“Isn’t that historically the case though? After the four-field crop rotation was introduced in England, it surpassed France’s food production, and we even heard the sounds of the world’s granaries, leading to a population boost.”
Upon hearing this, the graduate student hit my head and said:
“You’re only seeing the good outcomes that arose from increased food production. Back when food itself was effectively the standard currency, it wasn’t like that. Yes, the production technology improved. But that meant serfs also became unemployed. If it took ten serfs to produce 100 kilos of food, and suddenly it took only one, the employer could just reduce the workforce. Those people were overworked as industrial revolution laborers.”
“Yeah…”
“Now, if novels about managing territories depict a situation where surplus food production has increased without any machinery to utilize it, what would happen?”
“There’d be a surge in unemployment, leading to banditry and crime. Even if we disregarded the rest as wasted…”
Just as he said, in our territory, where food production has vastly increased, there is now a surplus of food.
Of course, the noblemen can’t just fire the serfs they protect under customary law at a moment’s notice.
But still, the value of serfs could sufficiently decline compared to before.
And to prevent that, ultimately, a group that uses a lot of food is needed…
In the end, expanding the military is the answer.
**
A few weeks after taking office as the Lord of Croilet, one day.
As usual, I woke up in the morning, got dressed with the assistance of Ela, and was on my way to my office when Balt quickly approached me.
“Ah, Balt. What’s the matter?”
“Sir… I mean, Your Excellency. Finally, the mercenaries you called for have arrived.”
“Let’s go see them.”
**
Entering the training ground surrounded by a flimsy wooden fence outside the Croilet Count’s castle, there stood about 100 well-disciplined mercenaries.
Each of them held weapons such as spears, crossbows, swords and shields, morning stars, and axes, and although they wore only breastplates, they had on iron armor.
When I first met Helmut’s mercenaries, each one wore different armor, but these guys looked somewhat unified in their attire.
As I began to scan the area with Helmut standing next to me, he pretended not to see me.
I extended my hand and greeted a mercenary who looked like a captain with a feather stuck in his helmet, and he shouted with a voice that could make your ears ring.
“It is an honor to meet the esteemed Count Croilet! I am Weiss, the leader of the Red Bear Mercenary Company. All the people behind me belong to my mercenary group.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“We will go wherever you summon us, provided you uphold your loyalty to us!”
I shook Weiss’s hand firmly and replied.
“As promised, I will employ you for life. Furthermore, if you desire, I will also grant you an opportunity to become a knight later on.”
At those words, Weiss’s eyes widened in astonishment.
And why wouldn’t it? In this era, the title of ‘knight’ is not merely a ‘profession’ but also a ‘status’ and a ‘privilege’.
It’s no wonder that a knight captured during a war is shared food by nobles and treated with respect.
“R-Really?”
I chuckled lightly before answering Weiss.
“I can’t grant it to you immediately because there are eyes watching, but someday. Of course, if you are employed for life, I will guarantee a stable income sufficient for a living better than now. If you don’t believe me, Helmut!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“You were also a mercenary, right? Have you seen me break a promise?”
Helmut glanced back and forth between Weiss and me, then grinned and said.
“Didn’t you already make me a knight? Once I get married, everything will be perfect.”
At that remark, Weiss displayed a shocked expression and looked at Helmut.
“What, what do you want me to do?”
“I vow my loyalty. Our mercenary company will now belong to Count Croilet!”
“Glad to have you.”
**
My name is Jacques, the third serf of the Croilet Count’s territory, and I have inherited no property whatsoever.
I occasionally do various jobs under Knight Hans, the lord of the village, and work tirelessly on the estate, so I won’t starve to death…
Yet, living is miserable.
Every day, I don’t even get to eat meat or bread; I only have two bowls of watery porridge made from a mixture of barley and wheat. In times like winter when food is scarce, I sometimes can’t even get a single bowl.
Hence, a few guys sometimes consider becoming bandits, lured by promises of food, women, and drink, but they end up enjoying for a week or a month, only to be captured by the Count’s soldiers and lose their heads.
However, now—thanks to the lords implementing the four-field crop rotation method or whatever—it seems the rich have become richer…
Now I can have at least two to three bowls of thick barley porridge daily, but there’s no guarantee it will get any better…
But still, being able to eat my fill every day is something to be grateful for.
That said, the other serfs I grew up with as kids seem to be living quite well these days.
Max, the serf who plowed the fields with me, boasts about how his family eats bread instead of porridge every day…
What about me…
“Hey, Jacques! What are you doing! Get to work! Don’t you want to eat porridge??!”
“No, I don’t! No, Sergeant!!”
“Work!!”
***
After working all day, I finally got my wages and headed to the marketplace in the village.
I should have a drink and eat some rye bread after such a long time…
“Hey, hey, buy cheese from Hamburg. If you buy one kilo of cheese, you get one kilo of bread for free!”
“How about salted fish? It’s delicious when you place it between slices of bread. Really sweet. Sweet!”
“How about a warm stew? A pot of stew simmered forever is half price today!!”
Though the market only comes around every two weeks, it was as lively as always.
The merchants encouraging buyers to purchase cheese, bread, and pickled fish…
In the past, all that was sold was stew, as there was hardly any food, but now everyone seems to be living well.
Yet, here I am at my age, not even marrying, and the most extravagant thing I can do is drink a mug of beer on payday…
Suddenly feeling pitiful about myself, I sighed and muttered.
“Sigh, at my age, what am I doing… Our neighbor Jackson is already married with two kids… and I’m living like this as the third son of a serf… I can’t stand it. I should at least…”
**
I entered the inn I often visit, called ‘Serf’s Rest.’
There, as usual, gathered a crowd of people eating cheap beer with rye bread or occasionally nibbling on cheap salted fish as snacks.
I sat down on a chair made of discarded oak barrels and a table crudely fashioned from planks that splinter with a light touch, all for a moment of respite and to indulge in my maximum bit of luxury.
Usually, there wouldn’t be much meat smell in here, but once I entered, the smell of ‘roasted pork’ wafted through the air.
Perhaps it’s because of the Count’s reforms, which have improved everyone’s living standards.
Suppressing that feeling, I raised my hand to call the innkeeper’s maid, and she approached me briskly.
“What will you have?”
“A mug of beer, rye bread, and salted fish.”
“Sure, please wait a moment.”
After a brief moment, the maid returned with the beer, rye bread, and salted fish I ordered.
The brown beer mixed with yellow bubbles, the rye bread split in half, and salted fish lightly seasoned…
This is the maximum luxury I can enjoy once a month, though it’s thanks to the Count attempting new agricultural methods to increase yields…
In the past, I would come here just for stew…
Sigh, what am I thinking?
I took a piece of the salted fish, placed it on the rye bread, took a bite, and washed it down with beer.
The slightly nutty yet salty flavor of the pickled fish was complemented by the deep flavor of the rye, and the remaining dryness was washed away by the beer…
Isn’t this what heaven tastes like? Which is why even brides and Deus have said that beer is permissible.
However, the beer seems to have gotten much barley-rich compared to before…
“Sigh… this is the taste.”
After enjoying a month’s worth of beer, salted fish, and bread for about thirty minutes, I was about to leave the tavern when suddenly the door swung open.
A man entered, wearing fancy clothing that wasn’t glittery like knights often wear but had a mix of black and blue.
He smiled at the innkeeper’s maid and then spoke.
“Bring a mug of beer for the gentlemen sitting here and serve the reserved roasted pork.”
“Um… actually, I’ve roasted the whole pig already…”
Hearing this, the man put on a showy demeanor and said.
“No way! If that’s left over, it will hurt business… Fine, I’ll buy them all. Hey you there! I’ll tell you a good story, so gather your friends. Some of you clear out that cheap table and oak barrels to make space for the pig!”
As soon as he finished, most of the men hastily went outside to find friends while I helped push the oak barrels and table into the corner.
An hour later, enough men had gathered to fill the tavern.
Confirming this, the man smiled and said.
“Don’t you all want a chance to start over in life? Then come and join the army. I am Sergeant Heintz, serving Count Croilet… no, actually, I am a sergeant. With a bit of effort, you can become someone like me. And with my salary, you can live better than any knight! You could serve whole chickens on the table for your family three times a day, no, even five times a week! Plus, you’ll get bread and meat!”
At those words, I and the other men exchanged looks of disbelief and stared at the man calling himself a sergeant.
“Is that true? Why would I come all the way here to lie to you? And don’t you know that to falsely misuse the Count’s name here could get you killed? It’s true! Even if you can’t do what I do, serving in the army for seven years will earn you land. So if you save enough from your salary to go out, you can become a free peasant. Who wants to join?”
At that moment, I couldn’t believe my ears.
Rarely do serfs get conscripted into the army; even when they do, they don’t receive wages or rewards unless they chop off a noble’s head.
The military is notorious for not providing proper meals, forcing soldiers to buy food with their own money in a rough environment…
Although you’d have to serve for seven years, they are offering land? It sounds like a scam…
So, I thought it was nonsense and scoffed as I replied.
“Sergeant, stop talking nonsense. While our Count is indeed magnificent, I can’t imagine him offering something like that…”
The sergeant named Heintz laughed at my remarks and then showed me an order stamped with the Count’s seal.
Even a complete fool could recognize the seal and insignia that anyone living in this Count’s territory would be familiar with…
The fact that he handed that over meant this sergeant was carrying out a ‘Count’s’ order…
“You foolish idiots! Count Croilet is personally giving you morons a chance to redeem your lives by enlisting as soldiers! Haven’t you heard of the famous mercenary knight Helmut from our territory? He really will give you land! That’s the proof of it; I’m giving you roasted pork and drinks. And beneath this cup… there’s the signing bonus of ‘one gold coin’ for you! For those who wish to sign up, drink and take the gold coin!”
…
If this is a genuine opportunity to change my life, then I won’t be looked down upon anymore, and I can endure for seven years to become a free peasant, get married, and live without envy of others…
Well, there’s nowhere left to fall anyway.
So I downed my beer, took the gold coin out, and said.
“Alright, Sergeant! I’ll join the army!”
“So what about the rest of you?”
**
That day, Count Croilet acquired 100 soldiers from among the poor.
I read the report and smiled as I said.
“Indeed, since ancient times, if you provide alcohol and a good atmosphere, anything can happen…”