El was a bit downcast, and
Lorist was speechless. Though El had a background as a gang boss in the underworld, he'd only been pushed into the role. At heart, he was still loyal and principled, nothing like a truly vicious underworld boss. Tagel was different. Having clawed his way up from the bottom of society, he'd seen his fill of deceit and treachery. Though he appeared generous, smooth, and accommodating—a thoroughly decent person on the surface—he had no bottom line. To achieve his goals, he'd use any means necessary.
Back in Geldos City, he'd suggested that Lorist exploit the fact that Count Corbily's soldiers' families all lived in the city—by dragging those families onto the walls, they could force the soldiers to switch sides, giving Lorist an effortless victory. But Lorist had refused. For a noble family built on military merit, winning through such means would be deeply shameful. It would bring nothing but disgrace to the
That was when Tagel first caught Lorist's eye. Combined with his talent for building relationships and gathering intelligence, Lorist had compelled him to bring his family and head north. Lorist didn't care whether Tagel was cunning or ruthless. A family's growth required people of all different temperaments. As long as Tagel maintained his respect for the Norton Family and loyalty to Lorist, he had no qualms about giving him the opportunity to show what he could do.
Now it seemed Tagel had more talent for intelligence work than El. El, on the other hand, had grown more and more like a traditional knight since becoming head of Lorist's guard, placing great emphasis on knightly honor. Lorist could only pat him on the shoulder in consolation, quietly saying they had no choice—for
The visit to Viscount Timba went smoothly. Having returned to the royal capital, the Viscount had regained his aristocratic composure. Upon learning that Tagel and his two companions had come to visit, he welcomed them warmly. After the pleasantries, Tagel brought up Kalik. But the Viscount had already heard from his servants about Kalik's disturbance the night before. Still vexed by Kalik's lack of tact, he merely gave a cold snort. Tagel, ever perceptive, promptly changed the subject to the current state of the war.
Viscount Timba was curious about why Tagel cared so much about the war. Tagel smiled bitterly—they'd been away for nearly a year, not only failing to travel as planned but now stuck on the island with nowhere to go. The Peterson Trading Company's planned commercial outlets in the Haneabada Kingdom had yet to materialize. They had accomplished nothing.
Viscount Timba burst out laughing. He promised there was no need to worry—Tagel could set up a trading house in the royal capital first, and he would personally guarantee the Peterson Trading Company. No one would dare cause trouble.
Tagel was delighted. He voluntarily offered thirty percent of the trading house's shares to the Viscount. The two went back and forth with elaborate politeness before the Viscount finally accepted the one-third share with a show of reluctance.
After finishing their discussion of shares, Tagel turned to the current state of the Redemption Legion, expressing concern about the low morale of the mercenaries and slave hunters who had joined it. Viscount Timba agreed wholeheartedly. He revealed that the Legion was still far from full strength, with morale at rock bottom. Most of its members were personnel who had fled back from Nubite Port, and after being forcibly conscripted by His Majesty, they complained endlessly—never committing serious offenses but constantly causing minor troubles, turning the royal capital into chaos. Even the city garrison was at its wits' end.
Tagel offered his own take, arguing that His Majesty Lude III had made the mistake of being too hasty in his handling of the Legion. The best approach would have been to properly comfort those who had fled back, reward and promote the meritorious, stir the competitive spirit and sense of shame in the rest, and then use generous incentives to entice them onto the battlefield—rather than lumping every deserter into the Redemption Legion and forcing them to the front lines.
Tagel believed the biggest difference between voluntary service and forced conscription was reduced combat effectiveness and increased battlefield desertion—two factors that were the crux of any campaign and the primary cause of a unit's collapse. If the Legion marched to the front with its current low morale, it would pose virtually no threat to the enemy. Instead, it would drag down the allied forces and cause them tremendous trouble.
Viscount Timba thought Tagel made an excellent point, but said His Majesty couldn't think of any good way to raise morale. Tagel shook his head—there were good methods, it all depended on whether His Majesty had the resolve to follow through.
Tagel cited the example of the Peterson Trading Company's temporary militia. To turn a motley bunch of mercenaries into a fighting force quickly, only three things were needed: unlimited food and drink, generous rewards, and strict discipline. Within a short time, this hastily assembled militia would become highly capable—more than sufficient for wars of moderate intensity.
By treating them to food and drink regularly, their morale would soar. Those who eat your food become soft-spoken, and those who take your gifts become obliging. Regular feasting would make these rough mercenaries grateful for your hospitality, significantly increasing their loyalty and goodwill, and they would no longer resist going to war on your behalf...
Generous incentives were different from bounties. Gold was important, but you also had to cater to individual needs. Those who wanted fame should be given renown; those who wanted fortune, generous rewards; and those who wanted titles could have nobilities dangled before them. All of this was to make them willingly take to the battlefield and fight tooth and nail for the goals they desired, using battlefield glory to lure these warriors into winning victory for us...
Third was strict discipline. They ate my food, drank my wine, and we dangled all those rewards before them. If even that couldn't make them fight wholeheartedly, then we might as well drag out the troublemakers and make an example of them—punishing these old veterans harshly so the mercenaries understood we weren't pushovers. What was given must yield a return. Only then could we establish authority and ensure they obeyed our commands...
Tagel's grandstanding successfully piqued Viscount Timba's interest. The two armchair-generaled for quite a while. The Viscount lamented that if such methods had been proposed earlier, the Redemption Legion wouldn't be the mess it was today. But his brother-in-law, Lude III, was now in too deep to back down—he had issued iron-fisted decrees, forcibly conscripting all those who had fled to the capital, making it impossible to switch to a conciliatory approach.
Tagel moved his lips as if to speak, but ultimately held his tongue.
The Viscount noticed his hesitation and was curious to hear what he had to say.
Tagel said, "Your Lordship, this is actually a golden opportunity—one that cannot be missed. Traveling back to the capital together and speaking with you has convinced me you are a nobleman of great vision and intelligence. The trouble is, most people see you as a young lord riding on his sister's coattails, blind to your own talents. The radiance of your sister, the Grand Queen Consort, and your brother-in-law, His Majesty the King, is simply too dazzling—causing everyone to overlook Your Lordship..."
Viscount Timba nodded unconsciously. He felt Tagel had struck right at the heart of the matter.
"Now is exactly the critical moment for Your Lordship to step forward and let others see what you can do. Consider—the Redemption Legion's performance has already gravely disappointed His Majesty. As you said, he's already forced the deserters into service, and he cannot abruptly reverse his hardline stance. So faced with the Legion's hopeless state, he can only watch helplessly."
"But what if Your Lordship were to step forward? By status, you are the Grand Queen Consort's brother. By experience, you broke out of Nubite Port—without a large escort, without a Great Swordmaster or Golden Knight at your side, carrying only two slaves back to the capital. That shines far brighter than those who fled back in disgrace, throwing away their armor and weapons. If Your Lordship is willing to sort out the Legion's tangled mess, His Majesty would surely welcome it..." Tagel's words filled Viscount Timba with elation.
"Mm, you make an excellent point, but I don't want to lead the Legion into battle..." the Viscount said with evident reluctance.
"No, Your Lordship, you're mistaken. How could a viscount of your stature ever set foot on a battlefield? That's utterly out of the question. Forget the battlefield—even losing a single strand of your hair would be an immeasurable loss to the Kingdom, as it would prove the toll taken by your tireless devotion to its future. All you need to do is organize the Redemption Legion properly, and someone else will lead them into battle."
Tagel flattered him with abandon. Down below, El and Lorist flushed red at his shameless sycophancy, so embarrassed they wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor. How could anyone say such things with a straight face? And yet the Viscount was eating it up, eyes gleaming, growing more at ease with Tagel by the minute...
"I believe that if Your Lordship takes charge of reorganizing the Legion, you may spend a little money, but you'll gain tremendous prestige, win His Majesty's favor, and make the Grand Queen Consort proud. From that perspective, spending a modest sum of gold to secure so many future benefits is an excellent deal. The thought of the honorable Viscount Timba being valued and heeded by His Majesty in the royal court fills me with excitement. Only with Your Lordship's support will our Peterson Trading Company truly have an unassailable position in the Haneabada Kingdom."
"Then... how many gold Forde would this cost? Tagel, do you have an estimate?" Viscount Timba asked with some hesitation.
Tagel smiled. "Your Lordship, the cost of treating a legion is actually quite modest. The Redemption Legion has nearly twenty thousand men. A single round of food and drink costs only seven or eight hundred gold Forde. A large silver coin is worth a hundred coppers, and feeding a soldier his fill costs only forty to fifty. A bottle of cheap potato liquor is fifteen coppers, a large mug of ale just ten. One bottle of liquor and one mug of ale is enough for a soldier to drink his fill. Add thirty coppers' worth of meat, and his belly will be fit to burst.
With seven or eight hundred gold Forde in food and drink, over twenty thousand soldiers could eat and drink to their hearts' content. Right now, the Legion's soldiers get cabbage soup and black bread—many haven't tasted meat in days. If Your Lordship treats them even once, they'll be deeply grateful.
Of course, Your Lordship should first consult your sister to see if it would be appropriate. If the Grand Queen Consort supports your initiative and secures His Majesty's tacit approval, then Your Lordship can truly shine during the reorganization. Once you demonstrate your abilities, you'll be worthy of shouldering the Kingdom's great responsibilities, and no one will look down on you again."
"A single round costs seven or eight hundred gold Forde?" Viscount Timba murmured, wavering.
"Your Lordship, if you step forward this time, our Peterson Trading Company is willing to help—donating five hundred gold Forde." Tagel added another chip.
"Hm?" The Viscount was taken aback. "Tagel, tell me honestly—what's behind this donation?"
Tagel chuckled. "Your Lordship, to be frank—it's called a donation, but if you treat the soldiers twice, those five hundred gold Forde will find their way right back into our hands."
"Oh? How so?" The Viscount was suddenly very interested.
"Your Lordship, if I donate five hundred gold Forde and ask you to let us handle the food and drink procurement, would you refuse?" Tagel asked.
"Of course not. You've donated so much and are still willing to serve—the procurement is naturally yours," the Viscount replied.
"Your Lordship, food and drink procurement is actually a very profitable business. I just ran the numbers—a soldier's portion costs around fifty coppers, but that's retail. When we buy potato liquor and ale in bulk, the cost drops significantly. As for the meat, we can buy sick and dying cattle and sheep at rock-bottom prices. It's all going to those rough soldiers anyway—chop it up and throw it in a big pot, and no one can tell whether the meat is good or bad.
If we have connections to get some moldy dried meat from the military warehouses, the cost drops even further. So when I say the procurement budget is seven or eight hundred gold Forde, we can actually pocket three to four hundred in profit. Even after donating five hundred, we earn it back in two rounds of treatment." Tagel confided these procurement secrets to the Viscount in a low voice.
"I also understand that Your Lordship returned from Nubite Port alone, without much in the way of funds. Even with the will to help, your hands are tied. So Your Lordship could report to His Majesty your idea of using rewards to accelerate the Legion's reorganization, and request the gold Forde for treating the soldiers—say one thousand per round, three rounds total. As for procurement, let us handle it. We can make the receipts impeccable while skimming off two thousand gold Forde to solve your current cash shortage. What do you think?" Tagel asked quietly.
Viscount Timba's eyes lit up. "Mm, that's an excellent idea. I'll go to the palace right away to see my sister. The three of you, please wait here. When I return, we'll discuss everything properly. How does that sound, Tagel?"
Tagel immediately stood and bowed respectfully. "Your Lordship, it is my greatest honor to serve you. We shall await your good news."
...