Chapter 63: Like Military Boots 1 (2)

Chapter 63: Like Military Boots 1 (2)

Volden. This was the land that bordered the St. Gallen territory of Erebus Rohtlehrgen across the mountain range. The elevation of the mountain range was somewhat lower than other regions. Perhaps it would be possible to launch a surprise attack by crossing the mountains from there.

Of course, such was not an easy decision.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

Crossing the mountains was not without its dangers. There was a risk of losing soldiers due to accidents during the march, as well as risking battle with monsters. In addition, it was difficult for horses to traverse the terrain there, affecting their supply lines.

But the allure of taking Arquell by surprise was very difficult to resist. After all, St. Gallen had no little time to spare. In a war where food was scarce, it was understandable that they would rely on surprise, where a single blow would be decisive.

Then a general made one suggestion.

"......In the war fifty years ago, where did their defeated soldiers escape to?"

The war in which St. Gallen captured the western half of the Erebus Rohtlehrgen. In the early stages of the war, the Arquell side lost their leaders and lost their ability to organise resistance. Naturally, the St. Gallen side tried to extend the damage of the war by encircling the enemy. In spite of this, many of the enemy forces fled the battlefield and they failed to trap them. This was despite the enemies losing their commanders. In addition, they had a blockade set up in the Allemande area assuming it would be the most natural escape route.

Did the enemy forces cross the mountains to escape Erebus Rohtlehrgen into Volden?

Fifty years ago, there was political turmoil, including the purge of aristocrats who had acted arbitrarily causing the war, and so, the investigation of how the enemy soldiers escaped remained a mystery. After the war, the country shifted to a policy of reconciliation and peace, and refrained from harping on the past.

With the suggestion of crossing the mountains, a secret survey of the mountain range was conducted, and a startling fact was discovered. To their surprise, a pathway that was narrowly acceptable for an army was found. Of course, as was usual in the mountains, monsters existed, but their strength was not high. They could be easily fought off by a well-stocked army. The defeated soldiers of half a century ago must have taken this road to escape and return home. Now, on the other hand, they could use it to attack Volden the Kingdom of Arquell.

However, it costs a lot of money to gather a large number of mercenaries enough to keep a presence in the army and to be able to claim credit for any merits. Enough money to destroy a Counts fortunes in a single battle.

In order to prevent that from happening, Count Langogne would have to get a loan from a moneylender to finance the war. But he could not do that.

"You merchants! You money-grubbing bastards with the stench of coins on your fingers! Look at the feet of this Count Langogne!"

The reality was that there were difficulties at fundraising.

When he asked merchants for loans, they were either reluctant to lend him the amount at once or quoted an unusually high interest rate. Ironically, this was due to the fact that Count Langogne was an upright noble in his own right. He avoided expensive purchases and strictly refrained from borrowing money unnecessarily. As for art, he preferred the works of young artists who had the potential but had not yet budded, rather than the already renowned artists. The fact that many of them came into the limelight as a result of this was also his hope, but this is not the point.

Because of this, he had not been able to build a trusting relationship with the merchants. The moneylenders have no idea how much to lend, and if they did so, how much he could eventually repay. This made it impossible to promise large loans.

Nevertheless, if he had opened his treasury chest and negotiated earnestly, he might have been able to win a certain level of trust even in a short period of time. But again, his aristocratic spirit got in the way.

Count Langogne was a genuine noble. He believed that it was natural for a noble to be served by a commoner, and on the contrary, he believed that it was impossible for a noble to bow down to a commoner. And if a noble did bow towards a commoner, then he would be no noble in his eyes. In other words, he was not the kind of person who could make concessions to commoners such as merchants.

If it had been Tullius Oubeniel, he would have bowed without hesitation. He would have bowed as long as it would have gotten him the money and the things he wanted. After all, he was a man who had been making money by selling self-made potions since he was a child. He knew from experience that if he was negotiating with a merchant, that would be one of the options he would choose. In the first place, he was an abnormal noble who believed that the class system should not be blindly followed.

Linus Oubeniel, whom he had gotten rid of the other day, would have other options open to him. That unfortunate young man had a large territory and was skilled at administration and planning projects. Instead of bowing for help, he could prepare any number of materials to make the negotiations more favourable, such as addressing the inadequacies of his offered terms or offering the other party an opportunity to a business venture in his territory. If it was about the notoriety of his brother then there was nothing else he could do.