Chapter 76: The T?ner Tribe Suppression (5)
Two weeks later, in the village of the Lukru Tribe.
Semi-farming, semi-pastoralism. This term means more than just simultaneously engaging in farming and livestock rearing.
The significance was that, although farming was already challenging, one had to raise livestock inevitably, much like nomads, to make a living.
It might sound strange to describe it this way.
In society, you often see people working two jobs. If one job were enough to provide economic stability, then they wouldn’t go back to work after clocking out of their first job.
If the barbarians living semi-farming, semi-pastoral lives had no problems just farming, they’d choose to mainly farm and raise only a bit of livestock, much like the peasants of our Reich Empire.
“It’s truly pitiable, Colonel. How can people live in such rundown places?”
“Weren’t they always fighting just a hundred years ago? They didn’t develop or accept essential skills from the outside. They may have kidnapped peasants from the north, but I guess they never brought skilled technicians.”
“It’s hard to believe.”
I heaved a deep sigh that emerged naturally and surveyed the surroundings.
Roofs haphazardly made by intertwining straw and all sorts of weeds, walls seemingly covered with mud thoroughly but uneven in thickness. They seemed precariously built and tilted, as if they might collapse at any moment.
People need decent places to live to find peace of mind. Given these conditions, it’d be hard to find someone with a kind heart. Their personalities would likely be strange.
It might be bearable in spring and summer, but come late autumn, living in these poorly insulated homes in such cold conditions, no wonder they resort to kidnapping and raiding…
Ah, understanding them didn’t mean forgiving their actions.
In Korea, where I came from, one fundamental principle taught to soldiers was to respect civilians and prisoners during or after wars.
I didn’t plan to apply that principle to this tribe.
Because these barbarians, very true to their name, have killed or kidnapped thousands of the Reich Empire’s citizens.
While I might not fully retaliate, considering these tribesmen were no different from heinous criminals, they deserved fitting treatment.
“Attention, Battalion! Once we enter the village, form groups of 10 and search every house thoroughly. Some might hide and attack you, so stay alert until the search is over. Afterward, rip off the roofs to make fires for cooking. Scouts, is the village really empty?”
“Judging from our reconnaissance, they probably thought they couldn’t handle our 24th battalion. There might be some hiding inside houses, but none were outside.”
“Well, with their inadequate farming skills, they have to resort to this semi-pastoralism. They probably made some barricades or defense facilities.”
But from where I stood, about a 20-minute walk from the village, I saw no military defense facilities, save for a few barricades likely for wild beasts.
Had they known of our approach, they’d have come out and prepared to defend.
According to the scouts, there really was no one outside.
After ordering the soldiers to scour the village, I headed outside to the fields with some soldiers to assess the situation.
If it had been any regular city or castle, checking fields of wheat, barley, or beans wouldn’t mean much.
But when fighting these damned barbarians, merely observing their fields would give clues as to why they invaded.
If their crops grew well, they probably invaded to expand during an expected good harvest year. If it looked average, it was just a regular raid. If their crops were completely ruined, they came to plunder for food and slaves.
Knowing this, we approached their fields, but the soldiers ahead of me exclaimed in surprise.
“Is this really a field cultivated by barbarians? It’s much better than we expected, even better than ours!”
“Look, Hans, these look like winter barley. They aren’t fully mature, but they seem strong. How can they grow so well in such barren land without good fertilizers?”
“Wow, once I finish my service, I might just settle here.”
“Why did these damned barbarians invade us? Their farming seems good enough. Are they trying to prove they’re not barbarians?”
The soldiers chattered excitedly about the unexpectedly good state of the barbarians’ fields. Seeing it myself, the barley, though still blue, was growing robustly. So, it was most likely that they attacked us for territorial expansion.
However, according to the intel, the Lukru Tribe used enslaved peasants for labor-intensive farming.
Captured slaves, tired from hard agricultural work, intentionally withheld the technique of making fertilizers.
‘If they were taught to make fertilizers, they’d have to work from dawn till late night without rest, on top of the 14 hours they already farm…’
So, the ignorant nomads’ idea of fertilizing was just sprinkling unprocessed animal manure… and it hardly even smelled.
Returning to the village, Laura, who had been waiting, approached and reported.
“As per the Colonel’s orders, we formed groups of 10 and thoroughly inspected every house and storage. As a result, the village had 70 cows, 120 sheep, 100 pigs, and no horses. As expected, there were no hidden tribe members, but we found 20 male and 30 female peasants from the empire who had been taken as slaves.”
Considering how these slaves were starved and made to work incessantly until they could bear it no longer, it was likely that most of the discovered slaves were recently kidnapped imperial peasants.
Moreover, the fact that they did not kill the slaves and left them for us to find suggested they probably hoped we would take the prisoners with us, slowing our march and consuming our supplies—not out of any humanitarian concern—but for their own tactical advantage.
“Damn barbarians! First, bring me one of the prisoners who can communicate. Give minimal rations to the rest. We brought plenty of hardtack and dried meat for such situations. Also, prepare to cook by tearing off some roofs.”
“Understood.”
Not long after, the soldiers brought a middle-aged man.
Upon seeing me, the man kneeled, deeply bowed and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
“We thought our village people would become toys for those brutes. The men would labor like dogs and then simply die. That you’d come this far for mere peasants like us… I don’t know how to express our gratitude. Thank you. Truly.”
I had never received gratitude like this in the wars I’d fought before. We had never defended civilians or rescued prisoners. Saving my nation’s people filled me with pride and elation.
“You’re safe now. No need to worry. As a noble and officer of the empire, I did what was expected. From now on, I’ll also avenge your enemies. But first, there are things I wish to know. Answer as best as you can.”
“Of course.”
“Do you know where the Lukru tribe went? Besides that, share everything you know about them.”
The man began to pour out all the information he thought might be helpful. Even if he didn’t know exactly where they went or the full strength and numbers of their forces, he did provide information on recent bountiful harvests and indications that the barbarians waged wars more frequently as a result.
As the man’s long report of information was about to conclude, I asked,
“Lastly, what kind of fertilizer did you use? Even with tools made of stone and crude metal, how did the barley grow so well here?”
The man gave an unexpected answer.
“There’s a peculiar patch of soil not far from here. If you take soil from there, mix it with water, and boil it, a transparent lump forms. When you mix this with the soil, the crops grow incredibly well.”
Hearing this, I was at a loss for words. This fertilizer was a game-changer. I nearly blurted out a swear in astonishment. But as a Colonel, I couldn’t casually swear in front of my subordinates.
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