I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

When the declaration of war was received, I was somewhat expecting it.

Historically, kings of poor countries have always waged wars to satisfy their power and the desires of their vassals by conquering wealthier nations.

This is a rule that has been accepted as truth throughout history.

Therefore, those who made the declaration this time must certainly be envious of how our territory is reviving compared to before, and they probably declared war to get a share through this.

At least they are using their heads because it seems that two barons from their side are joining forces since they probably think that “one baron territory” will not win against us.

Even so, their serfs are probably only similar to ours or slightly more in number; as for food, money, and the loyalty of the people, we will undoubtedly have the upper hand…

Thinking about that, I moved to the conference room where the military council would convene to prepare for war.

**

Even before entering the conference room, my vassals were shouting loudly, unable to hide their extreme anger even in my absence.

“Baron Celt of Romania and Baron Santoburg! How dare these nobodies, who aren’t even true barons, challenge our Baron Excellency!!”

“Even if they are the same barons, aren’t those Romanian fools of a different caliber compared to our Excellency?”

“Moreover, our Baron Excellency’s father, Paul von Croilet, is a noble who bears the title of ‘Viscount’! His nobility is on a completely different level from those fools!”

“And yet, they act as if they are on the same level of nobility? If you have any honor, do you believe they will fight fairly?! We must teach those fools a proper lesson of honor!”

…When I first inherited the barony, people were saying, “What can a mere 17-year-old baron do?” But now that I’ve made ‘castoffs’ and acquired people, buying up all the grains taxed from them, they are singing my praises…

I wonder what Croilet would think if he saw this scene now.

However, although it is somewhat absurd, it’s nice that the nobles of our territory are showing me their complete support, which gives me no reason to complain.

In fact, their unity makes me more confident that we can win in war.

As I entered the room where they were having a heated discussion, my vassals welcomed me in a sharp posture.

“You’ve worked hard. So, Sir Frost, where do you think we should invade?”

“I believe we will meet on the Eshelon Plain. We will likely take 2,000 soldiers and 50 knights… They will probably come to raid us, so they will bring at least 2,500.”

“And then?”

“To my knowledge, there is no other suitable location for such a large army to clash aside from the Eshelon Plain. Since the enemy has designated it as the battlefield, I think it would be proper to engage in a fair battle there like true knights.”

Fair battles, war… If a senior who studied military history heard this, they would probably laugh and say something like:

“The most foolish person in the world is the one who fights fair in war. Of course, a proper declaration of war must be made, but aside from that, fighting fairly is foolish. It’s like giving up all the strategic advantages you could gain from ambushing the enemy.”

So, should I step in here and consider an operation aimed at ambush and surprise? That thought crossed my mind, but the information is still lacking…

“2,500 soldiers… We are outnumbered…”

“The quality of soldiers is different. Eighty percent of their infantry will likely be conscripted serfs and will not be able to withstand trained soldiers.”

“I understand. Then, let’s talk about the overall plan once more.”

Upon hearing this, Frost bowed his head and continued speaking.

“First, we will march our standing army of 2,000 soldiers along the Rhyme Mountains to arrive at the Eshelon Plain a day earlier than the enemy. Then, we will accurately assess the size of the enemy force, and if their numbers exceed 4,000, we will retreat and gather our forces 30 kilometers away at the ‘Esheim Plain’ and prepare for a battle there.”

“I see, then what about the troop formation?”

“50 knights, 1,500 pikemen, 400 crossbowmen, and 100 soldiers to guard the supply units traveling through the supply routes leading from the battlefield to the rear. The soldiers in charge of supplies have been issued wagons, and since all the areas we will pass through are our territory, there’s nothing to worry about.”

As a novice in warfare, I found no fault in this strategy.

No, I actually think it’s quite an excellent military arrangement.

Especially with 400 crossbowmen deployed, considering that most casualties in warfare occur due to ‘long-range weapons’ like bows…

The old knight must have leveraged his experience to deploy them as effectively as possible.

“Good, let’s do that.”

Once we mapped out the rough outline for the war, Jack, who was in front of me, spoke with a surprised expression.

“Don’t you have any other ideas, young master? I thought you would propose some brilliant ideas that we had not considered, as usual…”

To be honest, just as Jack said, if I put my mind to it and come up with ideas, I’m sure I could suggest a new strategy.

For instance, like the tercio used by the Spanish forces, I could increase the number of crossbowmen and place them on the left and right flanks of the pikemen, allowing them to shoot when the pikemen engage.

Another method could be entering the enemy territory first, raiding it, and then using ‘the townspeople as bait’ to demoralize them…

Since I have tactics that warriors from this age, soaked in chivalry and outdated customs, wouldn’t think of, they are all in my mind.

However, even if I were to employ these tactics, there’s no guarantee it would succeed on the ‘first’ attempt since I am not a genius specialized in warfare like ‘Napoleon’ or ‘Admiral Yi Sun-sin’.

In fact, if a rookie like me suggested new strategies and tactics and failed, it would be like a half-baked practitioner causing harm.

Therefore, unless it’s a battle where I absolutely cannot win with ordinary tactics, it is a hundred times wiser to listen to the words of a ‘veteran who has a lot of experience on the battlefield.’

“This is my first war. Therefore, I believed it was right to heed your counsel in battle.”

Upon hearing those words, the other knights seemed satisfied that I trusted them, as they nodded with smiles.

“Then until we encounter the enemy, we will act according to this plan. Prepare thoroughly, and we will set out in two months. Dismissed!”

**

There is a saying regarded as an absolute truth among scholars studying history and soldiers.

“Beginners in war discuss combat, while seasoned veterans discuss supplies and marching.”

And while preparing for this war, I keenly realized why that saying is correct.

Managing to maintain even a few thousand soldiers over several months requires hundreds to thousands of tons of food, and dozens of tons of iron and weapons.

And water is consumed in an instant, so I learned that when marching troops, we must almost always move along rivers or lakes to ensure they can drink.

No matter how much water I load, it will only last about three days before the soldiers die of thirst.

Moreover, leaving aside food, water, and iron, the tents and fabrics used to camp, materials for repairing carriages, blacksmiths for weapon repairs, various alcohols for maintaining troop morale, and courtesans…

When you total up all the supplies for moving people, it’s almost on the scale of a city moving.

Calculating and predicting all of this was unimaginably overwhelming and forced expenditures beyond what I expected.

Fortunately, due to the increased food from the four-crop rotation system, I had enough grain stored, so I wouldn’t have to buy wheat and barley to wage the war, which was a relief.

If, hypothetically, I had to purchase ‘grains’, it would have taken 500 gold coins.

This amount could budget for a regular barony for a year…

As I contemplated these thoughts while checking all the budget and purchase records listed on the documents, I sighed and said, “Ha, fighting in war will be tough, but preparing for it is no joke…”

At my muttered words, Balt responded.

“That’s why usually such matters are handled by bailiffs or inspectors, and nobles like your Excellency only conduct final checks. But you insisted on overseeing it yourself, causing unnecessary hardship for yourself, didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t help it. Surely, I never thought the bailiffs would think of embezzling while knowing I would be supervising… No, a barrel of beer (40 liters) was marked as a single silver coin indeed, but they noted it down as a single silver piece! If I had only read the summarized documents I’m looking at right now, they would have embezzled 20 gold coins.”

“Hahaha, your Excellency…”

Recalling that moment and hearing Balt’s unsightly laugh, my anger flared up even more.

“Though I can understand that, but when I instructed to load the wheat from the grain storage into sacks… They were trying to mix rotten wheat with dirt? Honestly, while I could tolerate those trying to embezzle money, what were they thinking about mixing in rotten wheat and dirt?”

“It’s a common occurrence among the soldiers, but…”

“If this becomes common, our territory will be ruined. If the soldiers end up with stomach issues before the battle, we will lose.”

While I hadn’t done anything wrong, it seemed my firm words struck Balt quiet, and he responded in a gloomy voice.

“Yes, your Excellency.”

Seeing Balt’s reaction, I felt guilty for taking out my anger on him when he had done nothing wrong.

“No, Balt. Those who engage in such behavior have already been punished by hanging or turned into slaves depending on the gravity of their sins, so they shouldn’t do it again in the future.”

“Yes, and among the soldiers, your Excellency’s reputation has also risen. I’ve heard that you are regarded as a virtuous lord for personally taking care of the ‘soldiers’ food’.”

I was merely punishing those malicious individuals trying to exploit my soldiers, and yet being called a virtuous lord…

I felt my spirits lift with this somewhat exaggerated praise.

“Good, then that’s excellent. I’ve dealt with the corrupt servants as well, and the reputation among the soldiers has improved. All right, Balt, you can go in and rest for today. I’ve finished checking all the supplies.”

Upon hearing those words, Balt replied with a huge grin.

“Really?”

“Yes, quickly go in. Ha… I also need to come in and rest now. But tomorrow we will set out, so don’t drink too much.”

**

Before long, dawn broke, and I was about to engage in my very first war.

Since I had worked late into the night buried in papers yesterday, even though I was tense about going to war, I was fortunate to have gotten a good sleep due to my ‘physical fatigue’.

Thus, I was able to greet my first deployment in life in a fortunate state of not being tired.

I slowly and confidently headed from my office to the square outside the castle gate where my soldiers were waiting.

Seeing me going out to war, perhaps thanks to my prior ‘selection’, several citizens threw flowers at me to welcome me.

A little while later, I mounted my horse that was prepared in the square outside the castle gate.

Then, looking at the soldiers, I shouted,

“Everyone, let’s set out! We will crush the two barons who dared to declare war on us without knowing their own place!”

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