Chapter 139: Strategy
“What were you doing instead?”
“Huh?”
I glanced briefly at the desk Jerry had been facing just before.
There were some documents on it, densely filled with letters and numbers.
Upon hearing my words and following my gaze, Jerry, in an uncharacteristically shy manner, turned a bit red.
“Um… I was imitating my lord.”
“Imitating me?”
“I gathered the desperate folks and brought them into the army, providing them with food.”
“Oh?”
“And for those who want it, I help with matching them with prostitutes or introducing them to the widows of those who died in battle.”
“Why go that far?”
I was inwardly impressed.
I had an inkling of the reason, but I decided to ask Jerry directly.
“It was the same for me too. If they could eat and have a household, that’s good enough for them. Most of those who get involved in ‘businesses that don’t require initial capital’ are usually desperate or have nothing left to lose.”
“So you provide them with jobs and families, then.”
I nodded slightly.
It was the reason I had imagined.
And understanding that, I raised my assessment of Jerry.
“Yes. My lord, this is really interesting.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Unlike before, this was an introduction that surprised me.
“I’m coordinating remarriages for widows, and both men and women are welcoming it.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
The fact that both were welcoming piqued my interest.
“First of all, the widows of those who died in battle receive a small amount of compensation of their late husbands.”
“Fumu, that’s true. The Empire is a nation of warriors, and they properly compensate the families of those who fell in battle.”
“So they get used to it. They might think, ‘Maybe my next husband will also die in battle.’ So if the new husband is also a soldier, they’re happy about that.”
“Hahaha! I see, it’s the kind of on-the-ground voices that would never reach a Ruler like me.”
I looked up at the ceiling, laughing heartily.
Such vivid tales never make it to the Emperor.
What reaches the Emperor is usually polished, glorious, and pleasant to hear.
That’s why Emperors of various dynasties who are considerate often go out incognito, and I also imitate that by wandering around alone.
This story was something I could never have known in my past life and it was something I will likely never hear about as long as I was in the Imperial Capital.
Just hearing this story from Jerry made my solo trip worthwhile.
After laughing for a bit, I addressed Jerry.
“Then the fact that men also welcome it means—let’s see, it’s because the widows have money, right?”
“That’s an incredible insight, my Lord, that’s exactly it.”
Jerry said with an impressed expression.
“Of course, a woman with money is better than a poor one. Especially the ones I’m matching have just come from a dire situation.”
“I understand now. You’re doing well.”
“Ah…”
After complimenting him at the end, Jerry turned a bit bashful, which was unlike him given his robust appearance.
“I get that, but what were you troubled about? You had quite a serious look.”
“Oh! That’s right, that’s right. Well, of course, for the majority, my goal is just to provide food and keep them settled, but I also hope some of them will turn out like me. You know, what you told me last time: If even one out of a thousand returns, it would be profitable.”
“Hm.”
I was a little impressed.
I admired how quickly Jerry was putting into practice what I had just said.
“Well, I’ve been looking into the tally of accomplishments in our battles. Until now, we counted trophies by collecting heads, but heads are heavy, and there’s no time to drop them during combat. If we wait until after, there’s a lot of arguing over whose is whose.”
“What? Is that all?”
“Huh? You think that’s all? No, it’s quite a hassle, you know.”
“Why not just collect ears instead of heads?”
“…Ears?”
“Yes, ears are much easier to chop off, right?”
“…Oh!”
Jerry clapped his hands, looking impressed.
“Right, ears! How did I not think of that!?”
“An ear would work as well as a nose for just one trophy, but noses are tricky to take off.”
“That’s true! When I used to run that business, I quickly took ears to intimidate people, so I know ears are easy to cut.”
“Haha, worthy confirmation from an experienced hand. Well, from my perspective as someone who hasn’t experienced it, I think it wouldn’t hurt to have specialized tools for ear removal.”
“Tools just for ear removal?”
“There are tools that are specifically made for peeling fruit, right? It could be small, easy to use, and something you can hang from your waist.”
“Awesome! As expected of my lord! That’s great—I’m going to have a craftsman make one right away!”
Despite me being right in front of him, Jerry strode to the entrance of the room and called out in a booming voice, “Hey!!” to summon someone.
Immediately, I could hear footsteps rushing over, and he quickly gave instructions to one of his subordinates.
I smiled as I watched.
It feels good to see someone act swiftly and decisively like this.
Of course, there are times when it’s better to weigh your options carefully, but when it comes to tools for cutting ears, it’s definitely a situation where making quick decisions is preferable, as it will go through the prototype stage anyway.
The young official visible over Jerry’s shoulder was making a face as if to say, “Again?” while listening to Jerry’s orders.
It’s not hard to imagine that he probably gets tossed around by Jerry on a regular basis.
After a while, once Jerry’s command or instruction came to an end, the young subordinate left, and Jerry himself returned to me.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, my lord.”
“Don’t worry about it. Can you get it done?”
“It’s fine. If I can’t do it, I’ll just kick that guy’s ass and get someone else to do it.”
“I see.”
I chuckled, thinking that he certainly doesn’t waver at all.
“Hmm? What is that?”
I asked, looking at Jerry’s hand.
He had a folded piece of paper in his hand.
“Oh, this? It’s a report regarding that scumbag.”
“About Eila Nouf? What kind of report?”
“That scumbag’s wife died, apparently. So, imitating the Emperor, he had an enormous tomb built and… what was it called… apparently, he shoved about 300 of his people into the grave with him.”
“Human sacrifice?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Jerry pointed at me sharply as he spoke.
I thought he probably understood the term “human sacrifice” but was pretending not to know.
I see, I thought.
By making Don do what I asked, the leader of the rebellion, Eila Nouf, claimed to be the Emperor.
Originally a branch of the royal family, he was fairly easy to manipulate.
And with Eila claiming he had “become Emperor,” he started behaving like one.
Human sacrifice was certainly the prime example of that.
“But human sacrifice is such an old-fashioned thing. However, I see, the support for the usurpation of the title of Emperor is also having an impact here.”
“Huh? Was that set up by you, my lord?”
“Yes… to make it easier to strike.”
I didn’t mention that it was a countermeasure against Oscar.
Instead, when I justified it as creating a pretext, Jerry looked at me with shimmering eyes, clearly moved.
“As expected of you, my lord! I thought that scumbag was oddly becoming more arrogant, and it was your scheme all along!”
“Arrogant, yes, that’s right.”
I thought that Oscar was probably enraged again upon hearing the news of this “human sacrifice.”
According to Imperial law, only the Emperor or Empress may have human sacrifices for their tombs.
After the Emperor’s death, it is also stated that the widow—the Empress Dowager—requires the current Emperor’s permission for this to happen.
Of course, since she is the Empress Dowager, she would not be denied permission.
Instead, this serves only to showcase that the Emperor is a person who values filial piety.
In any case, human sacrifice is only for the Emperor or Empress.
This means that pushing a human sacrifice into the grave of his wife is an act of claiming to be the Emperor.
That’s the one thing Oscar can’t tolerate.
Oscar is furious about Eila’s false claim to Imperial power, and now this human sacrifice on top of it.
I was secretly relieved, thinking that the rear—Imperial Capital—would surely be safe during this campaign.
“If that’s the case, I would like to set up a bit more.”
“Set up? What do you mean?”
“Even though he just claimed to be Emperor, he’s doing all sorts of Emperor-like things. If he’s that kind of person, I think he could be easily taught to indulge himself to the limit.”
“Oh! As expected of you, my lord! That’s definitely a great idea!”
“…Jerry.”
“Yes!”
After pondering for a moment and calling Jerry’s name, he stood at attention, straightening his back.
“Can we get the local people to prepare something for him?”
“That’s a piece of cake.”
“Then let’s see if we can present him a ‘meteorite that has his name naturally engraved on it.'”
I recalled one of the ridiculous acts of flattery towards the Emperor from history books.
The story goes as where a meteorite that fell in the mountains or fields was said to have the name of the current Emperor engraved on it, and it was presented as proof that the Emperor was blessed by the gods—resulting in the bestowal of mountains of gold and silver treasures.
If you think about it calmly, it’s impossible for a meteorite to have a name engraved on it, but still, there have been countless Emperors throughout history who believed it and felt pleased.
“That’s amazing, my lord. I’ll get right on it!”
Jerry then rushed with big strides to the entrance of the room to call his subordinates.
If a fake meteorite can cause chaos among the rebel army, it’s a good deal; and even if it doesn’t, there’s no loss in it.
I thought there’s no harm in setting this up.
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Thanks for the treat.