I had come to inspect the fortress.
We had mobilized 2,500 soldiers to build palisades and trenches.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”
“Ah, Jakob. Thanks for hastily gathering the materials for us.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I am being paid, after all.”
For this round of fortification, unsure of how much time we had before an invasion, I paid a little extra to expedite the preparations. I wanted to use as much time as possible to reinforce it.
“It seems they have started their own preparations.”
“So, it’s finally beginning…”
Thanks to the Golden Sheep Company’s information network, we learned that the nobles in the encircling alliance had started gathering food supplies. They’re still at the stage of amassing resources, but soon they’ll begin planning and conscripting soldiers.
Jakob refrained from asking if we would win. If we lose, he’ll just cut ties; if we win, business as usual. He’s simply observing the outcome, moving according to profit and loss.
“But, they’re working hard, aren’t they?”
Jakob’s gaze was fixed on the soldiers diligently working on the fortress construction. They were still young, yet he seemed impressed by their work ethic.
“Well, people like Erich and Herbert trained them, and we’re paying them.”
Using peasant soldiers for this kind of work is common, but they’re typically inefficient in such cases. Being conscripted or serving in place of taxes, they don’t have much motivation. That’s why knights keep a close watch on them to prevent desertion during battles.
“By the way, what made you think of this, Your Grace?”
Is he trying to pry into the source of my knowledge?
“I just thought it would be more efficient to let nobles do noble tasks, soldiers handle soldier duties, and peasants focus on peasant work. I hadn’t expected it to work quite this well, though.”
“I see. Efficiency is indeed important.”
As merchants driven by profit calculations, they would be quite familiar with the concept of efficiency. It seemed my explanation had satisfied Jakob.
“Well, we’ll be on our way now. May fortune favor you, Your Grace.”
“Ah, I’ll reach out if I need anything else.”
Jakob gave a small bow and departed.
“May fortune favor me,” he said. But of course, they want the eastern region stabilized and to stay under our rule with tax exemptions.
Still, it’s a bit troubling to rely solely on the Golden Sheep Company for foreign intelligence…
Should I create some kind of ninja-like organization? Such a group would make information gathering and rumor spreading much easier. Father has one, but I’d like one of my own too…
Wonder if there are any ninjas lying around somewhere.
