How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 265: 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐬’ 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 (2)

It didn’t take long for the people to clear up their misunderstandings. The people who were terrified of the newly appeared army soon praised Johan’s name in unison.

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨.’

In fact, it wasn’t difficult to win the favor of serfs if they had plenty of silver.

Reduce the tribute to be paid, reduce the corvée, and do not recruit. . .

The reason why nobles don’t do this is not only because they don’t feel the need to do so, but also because it is a matter of losing money in the immediate future.

There are not many nobles who are willing to sacrifice their profits to be called merciful.

“Even though I’m going to get this fiefdom, I can’t just leave it alone. Does anyone have any good ideas?”

Johan called his subordinates together.

Even if he used this fiefdom as a bargaining chip with other lords, or ruled it with a vassal, leaving it alone would be a loss.

One of the sub-captains raised his hand cautiously and said.

“Since it is already a ruined fiefdom, why don’t we conscript all the people and make them soldiers? Then, we can use the town as a camp for mercenaries.”

“. . .That’s an interesting idea.”

Johan wanted to say ’𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺?’, but he held back. If he berated his subordinate, the others would be even more afraid.

The captain’s face brightened at Johan’s words. He had only said it on a whim, but the evaluation was better than he had expected.

Encouraged by the praise, the others began to speak up one by one. Suetlg thought to himself:

‘𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢, 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦?’

Soldiers beyond what was needed were useless. They were only making the lord’s pockets lighter.

“If you will lend me the people who are skilled at hunting and are fast, I will exterminate the rogues.”

“I heard that there are some defeated soldiers in the nearby town. I will go and hang them.”

“Those are all good ideas. I will let you do that.”

Fortunately, other opinions began to emerge, besides fighting. Some of the scribes who were accompanying the army suggested that they buy good quality livestock, fatten them up, and increase their numbers.

It was a good time to release livestock like pigs into the forest, as the number of people in the area had decreased.

The sub-captains shook their heads in disbelief.

‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭?’

‘𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥.’

Johan’s mercenaries were as proud as they were loyal. To them, the scribe’s proposal was simply too insignificant.

“It’s fine. Once we deal with the rogues and wild animals in the forest, things will be much better. Conduct a raid, and summon the serfs to distribute livestock to them.”

“Y-You mean just give it away?”

“If we ask them to buy it, they won’t be able to afford it. Let them pay for the livestock after they’ve raised it.”

Johan listened to the scribe’s suggestions, one by one, from livestock to crops, and came up with various responses. The sub-captains looked at Johan with pity. A count like a knight had to worry about such matters.

“Is there any unmined silver mine around?”

“If there were, the feudal lord’s family would still be holding out.”

Suetlg answered Johan’s grumble with a firm voice.

Even in the south, wealthy fiefdoms were able to hold out somehow with their sturdy walls and fairly trained soldiers. It was the fiefdoms that could not do so that were first conquered.

“I heard that if you live a good life, you’ll find a silver mine in the back mountains. . .”

“When are you going to stop telling old stories? I don’t think even dwarves would believe such fairy tales.”

Suetlg replied with a snorting laugh at Johan’s joke.

Johan was doing quite well, regardless of those delusions. He had quickly reorganized the fiefdom and calmed the dissatisfaction and fear of the serfs as soon as he arrived.

You could feel the atmosphere if you just went outside and rode a horse around.

People’s anxiety would be greatly reduced if they could just confirm that they were being protected by the new lord.

The land was in a mess, but the land was vast and there were many uncultivated forests and mountains. If they just waited patiently, the territories would surely regain their former appearance.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When a major war breaks out, the number of mercenaries increases accordingly. The Empire, which has had many major battles, has a large number of mercenaries.

These mercenaries did not disappear easily even after the war ended. Only a very small number of mercenaries made a career. Most of them spent the money they received that day, and some unlucky people even lost their equipment.

As such, it was not difficult for the southern feudal lords to gather mercenaries. Mercenaries who wandered around nearby gathered from all over after hearing the news.

“Have you seen Count Yeats?” “Of course I have. I saw him from afar, but I saw him clearly.”

Naturally, the stories that mercenaries tell are about the recent wars. Participating in a famous battle was a kind of medal. The more battles you participate in and survive, the more respect you can get from other mercenaries.

“You said you saw the Dragon Slayer King?”

“Isn’t he a count, not a king?”

“Isn’t it similar?”

“You ignorant b*stards. It’s different. And it’s a count, not a king.”

An aged mercenary clicked his tongue and scolded the others. The mercenaries here couldn’t quite distinguish between a count and a king. To them, all feudal lords seemed alike.

It was natural, then, for them to mistake the recently famous count for a king, referring to him as “your excellency”.

“Knights, dozens of them, attacked, and he didn’t blink an eye, just stood his ground and knocked them down, charging forward. It seemed like there was a halo shining behind him.”

“Wasn’t it just sunlight?”

“According to rumors, the count is blessed by God. He even won a battle once after receiving a divine revelation in a dream.”

“It doesn’t seem possible for him to be human. Is he really a person?”

The mercenaries, who had never seen Johan, were very curious. There was no one as widely rumored as the count. The rumors were so varied that it was hard to guess based on them.

There was a superstition that seeing a brave and honorable person from afar could make one a bit like them in glory, but even without that, curiosity was piqued about what kind of knight could slay a dragon.

“To arms!”

“Form up!”

The sound of trumpets and drums rang out, and the mercenaries’ steps quickened. Hundreds gathered in one place, but there was little semblance of order.

Even though they were all mercenaries, they were rarely trained in formation. But here, dozens of mercenaries, big and small, were gathered together. Just assembling them was enough.

From far ahead, knights on horseback began to shout and encourage the mercenaries.

“We look forward to a glorious battle! There will be no retreat. Let’s sweep away all those rogues!”

“Long live Sir Knight! Long live Sir Knight!”

There was no pay for shouting, so the mercenaries happily cheered.

They were now on their way to quell the rebel army that was hiding in the forest.

Even though the forest was large and dense, the mercenaries were not worried. Their opponents were just serfs, and they were seasoned veterans of the battlefield.

“Forward! The one who finds the rogues first will be rewarded!”

The mercenaries drew lots to select a few scouts. The lucky ones looked happy, while the remaining mercenaries looked envious.

“They made free money.”

“Don’t worry. If we win, I’ll treat you to a big drink.”

The scouts who went ahead did not return for a long time.

“. . .?”

“It’s a fire! There’s a fire over there!”

The mercenaries at the main camp, initially puzzled, were startled by the sudden flames and began to move.

“Put out the fire!”

“It’s impossible right now! The fire is fiercer than we thought! Please allow us to retreat!”

“Retreat? We haven’t even seen a shadow of the enemy, and you speak of retreat? What nonsense!”

Although the knight shouted in anger, some mercenaries had already begun preparing to escape upon seeing the fire.

They knew too well how quickly a fire could spread in such a forest.

“Shoot them!”

“What???”

“I clearly stated that those who run will be punished.”

“But that’s. . .”

“Shoot!”

Not many mercenaries could withstand the knight threatening them with a sword at their neck. Eventually, the mercenary captain fired a crossbow at those fleeing.

The situation, already chaotic, worsened as they began fighting amongst themselves. Even the mercenaries maintaining order started to crumble, marking it the worst decision.

“The enemy has appeared in front!”

“Follow me!”

The knights, along with their elite forces, prepared to charge.

The chaos in their own ranks didn’t matter. In the end, crushing and trampling the opponent meant victory in battle.

As the knights led the charge, even the disoriented mercenaries looked on with hopeful eyes.

A powerful charge that even mercenaries found hard to emulate.

The knights’ infamous reputation on the battlefield was not without reason.

𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡!

“It’s a swamp! There’s a swamp!”

“What nonsense is this?!”

The knights were baffled as a swamp, which hadn’t been there during reconnaissance, appeared before them. Arrows began to rain down. The knights held their ground with shields and armor, but one by one, their horses fell.

Excellent! Wizard! The knight dastards are running away!

Halzedel slapped Bolts on the back with his large hand. Bolts coughed up phlegm from the impact.

“I. . . I told you it would work. I’ve worked for the knight dastards before, and they’re very susceptible to this kind of trickery.”

“Excellent. I, Duke Halzedel, am very pleased.”

‘𝘋𝘶𝘬𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴. . .’

Bolts thought it was a bit funny that a fallen nobleman would call himself a duke, but he didn’t say it out loud.

The rebellion was not as easy as the southern lords thought. Unlike the rebellions where the exploded serfs beat up the administrators and drove them away, this rebellion was growing like wildfire due to the combination of various factors.

The remnants of the army, wandering mercenaries, gangs of thieves, and descendants of fallen noble families had all managed to charm and control the exploding serfs.

They were not elite, but they were not a mob either. They had the skills to defeat the knights who were moving quickly to resolve the situation by surprise.

“Listen up! We won today. If we win a few more times like this, those b*stards won’t dare come in here, and the other lords of the Empire will recognize us!”

The leaders of the rebellion had a clear goal.

To have the land they occupied recognized as their own fiefdom and live there.

Occasionally, knights or mercenary captains would attempt to seize small towns or fiefdoms by force and make them their own.

Most of them failed miserably, but there were also cases where they succeeded due to a combination of luck and coincidence.

Their scale is different, but there is no reason why they can’t do it, right?

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“You lost?”

Johan couldn’t believe his ears.

“Yes. . .”

“No, how could you lose to serfs? That’s ridiculous.”

Losing to the emperor was one thing. The emperor was a crazy b*stard, after all.

But a knight losing to serfs was too much.

“They weren’t as disorganized as we thought. The leaders seem to be quite intelligent. In fact, they sent a letter to Your Excellency the Count.”

Johan laughed in disbelief.

“Bring it here.”

Fortunately, the rebels had some sense and didn’t dare to proclaim themselves dukes. Acting that way towards a real noble would only earn their wrath.

The letter was a humble appeal.

I am actually a descendant of a certain family in the south. My family actually had some rights to this fiefdom originally, and my wife is also a distant relative of the feudal lord’s family, etc., etc.

Then, they went on to write that they would pledge their loyalty to Count Your Majesty if he would accept them as vassals.

“I don’t need such vassals.”

Johan threw away the letter with a click of his tongue. It was a letter that didn’t need to be answered.

“Even though we lost once, there’s no need to worry too much. The feudal lords will come to their senses and properly suppress them again. We just have to sit back and wait.”

“That’s right!”

The sub-captain nodded as if he understood Johan’s words.

“By the way, is it true that silver mines were found in the mountains?”

“I haven’t confirmed it as a silver mine, but. . .?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is it something similar?”

“Yes. I think we need to confirm it more, but for now. . .”

“Well done!”

“T-Thank you.”

Johan smiled with a joyful expression. He had said it as a joke to Suetlg, but he never thought that a mine would actually be found.

The sub-captain was puzzled by Johan’s reaction. He didn’t think that the count, who was full of dignity, would be so happy about the discovery of a mine.

Could there be some magic sleeping there?