Chapter 46

Although I currently have no chance of encountering an enemy while advancing towards Helzman Castle, I am nonetheless in an isolated situation within enemy territory.

In other words, our army is in a state where we cannot even predict what crisis may strike at any time or place.

Therefore, in a typical case, I would regret why I took on such a mission and be on edge preparing for the various unforeseen crises that may arise…

Despite this situation, I find it much more reassuring to be with the troops under Count Croilet in the enemy’s territory than to be with Count Schwabin.

This is because, as history has proven, an incompetent commander can be more frightening to allies than actual enemies.

A prime example of this is the great General Won Gyun, who likely anticipated the Battle of Chilcheollyang decades ago, and the famed commander of the Independence Army, Mudaguchi Renya, who said that all Japanese people are herbivores…

If I were with such people, it would be safer to desert even if we have a numerical advantage and a favorable situation against the enemy.

As I reflected on being liberated from the torment of incompetent commanders, Balt approached me and said.

“Your Excellency, according to the report from the scouts, it seems we will arrive in Helzman City within 2 to 3 days.”

“Really? That’s faster than I expected… I thought it would take about four days.”

“It seems that Helzman has maintained the roads better than we anticipated. Surprisingly, the carts are encountering less damage compared to when we marched in the territory of Count Nante.”

As Balt mentioned, Count Helzman had likely improved the roads in his territory to boost commerce in the plains.

Although the roads were not as well-made as the “modern usable roads” constructed by Roman soldiers…

Still, there was no worry about horses tripping over stones while traveling.

“That’s great news. The enemy probably doesn’t expect us to arrive first and besiege the castle… This will reduce the time they have to prepare for a defensive battle. Accordingly… the enemy will also lose precious time to stockpile food.”

“Indeed. This will lessen the effort needed for the siege as well. I’ve heard that it usually takes about six months to a year to conquer a count’s castle, so it’s a relief.”

Thinking back, the methods of siege warfare I studied during my university days…

The most common methods involve using siege towers, siege hammers, and ladders to overcome the enemy walls, or digging tunnels under the walls to breach in, or creating trenches to break down the walls.

There is also the method of holding out until the enemy runs out of supplies to minimize troop casualties…

To demonstrate our enthusiasm for the siege and to show results, we must reduce the enemy’s food supplies as much as possible.

And the best way to cut down on supplies is definitely…

“Balt.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“We currently have enough hardtack, salted meat, beer, and pickled fish to last about two months. If we ration it, we can stretch it to three months.”

Hearing that, Balt clicked his tongue and said,

“Three months… To think we have enough food to last three months. This is a figure unimaginable from my days of wandering. Usually, I’ve heard that the most well-prepared duke or king’s army carries supply for just one month.”

“That’s why I packed mainly hardtack and salted meat. They have almost no moisture inside, so they don’t spoil, and they’re lightweight. There’s no point in baking bread on the battlefield, which would turn out to be dough baked on an iron plate. Hardtack is better in comparison.”

Upon hearing that, Balt had a disgusted expression, realizing the grim reality that we would have to eat hardtack and salted meat indefinitely over the next few months.

While I said that, I thought that if given the choice, I would rather bake a simple dough of flour and water on an iron plate.

At least that would be warm and soft, whereas hardtack becomes impossible to chew unless soaked in water or beer.

And salted meat might have “meat” in the name, but it actually consists of half meat and half salt, rendering it akin to chewing a “lump of salt” or a piece of raw paper…

Ugh, just thinking about eating such food while in battle is truly horrifying.

Of course, if we hadn’t prepared like this, we would have had to face the possibility of starving in enemy territory, so there’s no avoiding it…

To turn my attention away from this dreadful reality, I made an effort to bring the conversation back to war with Balt, who was riding beside me.

“By the way, has Count Helzman’s army and Count Nante’s army already engaged in battle? If a battle has commenced, we should retreat from this position to flank them.”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary. According to the messenger sent by Count Jagir, Helzman, who is outnumbered, cannot attack first by crossing the river, and Count Schwabin is also cautious about launching a preemptive attack while his knights are vulnerable crossing the river. They will likely remain at a standoff for several days to weeks.”

“In short, we wait to see who will be the first to get anxious and ‘attack.’ So there’s no need for us to strike first. From now on, let’s send a messenger to all the villages along our marching route to order them to provide all their food according to the timing of our passage.”

Upon hearing that, Balt looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“What? Just asking for ‘food’ rather than pillaging? Wouldn’t it be better for morale to actually allow for some pillaging?”

The pillaging Balt was referring to isn’t about taking money, food, and houses as one would typically think. It refers to the acts of war crimes encompassing murder, rape, arson, and other horrors associated with war, often visible in “massacres.”

Since there’s still a lack of awareness for human rights in this world, such acts are committed without guilt against one’s enemies if necessary, “to raise the morale of the soldiers” during wartime.

However, with my memories of living in Korea, I don’t want to engage in massacres against serfs who have not directly participated in the war, no matter the circumstances.

Also, if we were to kill all the serfs, we might end up in a hellish siege where the blood of innocent people cloaks the deaths of our own troops…

Thus, I decided to reprimand Balt specifically to remind the soldiers.

“If Count Nante’s army prevails in this war, this territory will belong to him. However, if I conduct pillaging and kill the serfs, won’t that leave the Count with a land devoid of people? In that case, the Count will face a situation worse than merely gaining territory. Let’s put an end to such nonsense.”

Seemingly understanding my intentions, Balt turned to the soldiers behind us and shouted.

“In this battle, according to the will of His Excellency, pillaging is strictly prohibited! Therefore, any harassment of women or killing of village serfs for plunder will be dealt with according to military law.”

Then I gestured for a knight nearby to approach me and gave him a command.

“Mobilize the messengers assigned to each company and order the bailiffs or village heads along our marching route to hand over all the food in their villages. If they refuse, inform them we will resort to pillaging.”

“Yes, understood.”

After this command, the knight began to ride off to deliver my orders to the procession behind us.

**

When we marched all day and arrived at a village, the village head greeted me.

“Welcome. As you requested, we have collected all the food in our village…”

While his words were extremely courteous, his face showed a mix of indignation and despair at losing all the food meant to last a year.

However, realizing he had to act ‘to survive,’ the head soon knelt before me and bowed his head.

“So, please ensure the safety of our lives and those of our families as you promised…”

“I swear by my name, Siel von Croilet, that I will guarantee your lives. And that soldier over there.”

A soldier, called by name, ran to me quickly and saluted.

“Loyalty, Corporal Mainz!”

“How long would it take for the serfs to walk from here to Helzman Castle?”

“It will probably take about three days.”

“In that case, provide them with enough food to last three days, and we will take the remaining supplies with us. The serfs from your village will not be harmed as promised, so leave immediately.”

Hearing this, the village head bowed his head in gratitude before quickly running to where the villagers were gathered.

Then the villagers, astonished, distributed hardtack for their three-day journey to Helzman Castle.

As I watched this scene, Balt looked at me and asked.

“Why did you give the serfs enough food to last until they reach the castle? You could have just sent them away without providing anything and still been praised for your honorable actions…”

“That’s true, Balt. However, I hope that, at the very least, not a single one of them dies and that they all reach the castle safely.”

Upon hearing this, Balt looked at me in disbelief and asked.

“Aren’t they just people with arms and legs? If they enter the castle, aren’t we raising the number of defenders there? Then why… wouldn’t it have been better to drive them somewhere else?”

“Look at the people who just passed by. There are hardly any able-bodied men, and most of them are old, women, children, and men unsuited for war. They won’t contribute significantly to the defense. However, they will still consume food once they enter the castle. If that’s the case…”

“Eating mouths will increase without sufficient food reserves, thus reducing the duration they can withstand inside the castle.”

Furthermore, giving them enough food to reach the castle without pillaging creates a good propaganda opportunity.

“I may be in the territory of the enemy’s serfs, but I am not killing them indiscriminately; rather, I have provided them food to ensure they gain protection and safely enter the castle.”

By promoting this narrative, it’s certain that the perception of me among other counts will shift slightly right after this war.

Also, personally, I don’t want to unnecessarily kill people.

“I will maintain this policy moving forward. We must preserve as many serfs as possible to send them into Helzman Castle to lessen their ability to sustain the war. Therefore, if you don’t want to die, reiterate my command that no one lays a hand on the women.”

“Yes, understood. Your Excellency.”

“Then, let’s have a meal here, rest, and prepare to set up a camp.”

**

In this manner, we continued marching while collecting food from each village for several days, reaching the vicinity of Helzman Castle.

As a result, our army managed to gather enough food to last nearly eight months…

This means we won’t have to endure a life of only eating hardtack and salted meat while besieging Helzman Castle.

Upon hearing this news, the soldiers erupted in cheers.

Now it was time to besiege the castle and set up camp for the soldiers to rest.

While lost in thought riding my horse, a soldier suddenly shouted loudly in front of me.

“I see the castle!!”

While I don’t plan to start an actual siege immediately, this type of battle is among the most brutal in medieval warfare…

The siege battle begins; we must strategize to weaken the enemy’s capacity to wage war while keeping our own forces as unscathed as possible in order to return safely.