Chapter 94: Northern Conquest War (11)
Anastasia, without showing any sign of disappointment, nodded as if it were obvious, and said,
“Even as the commander of the Kerzhit tribe’s warriors, I cannot decide the treatment of those who have surrendered without the chieftain’s permission. Thus, even those who become slaves after losing a war cannot be enslaved without the chieftain’s consent. So, I am aware that even you, who killed the Khan, cannot determine our fate.”
If it were other officers of the Empire, they might have commented on her comparing the Emperor to a northern barbarian chieftain.
Anyway, both had the common feature of being the supreme leader of a group.
Her analogy showed that she was well aware of her current situation.
“However, the Emperor of the Empire cannot ignore Colonel Yaeger, who killed the evil Khan that threatened the Empire from the north. Besides, the high officials will not take the words of a mere tribal chieftain too seriously. They are currently busy dealing with the surrenders of many tribes and the prisoners who followed Ludwig.”
As she said, Count Benner and the command in the north, including the Emperor, must be preoccupied with how to distribute many prisoners across the country.
Even if a tribal chieftain spoke of their value and requested favorable treatment, it was unlikely to be considered, let alone accepted.
So, did she intend to negotiate with me, who had the reputation of killing the Khan, and then have me report to Count Benner or the Emperor what I thought of her?
Her boldness was almost like a genius insight.
“Alright, I cannot decide the fate of the Kerzhit tribe, but I can give an opinion. So, what do you want?”
As if she had been waiting for this, she confidently said,
“Our tribe and those who came with us intend to surrender to the Empire.”
“Isn’t that obvious, having come all this way?”
“To be precise, we will surrender all our land and live wherever the Empire tells us to. Not just as northerners serving the Empire like other tribes, but as true citizens of the Empire, farming and hunting.”
This was typically how most barbarians, or northerners, surrendered to the Empire.
A tribal chieftain with their own territory would lead their people to the commander of the Northern Army, acting on behalf of the Emperor, to report the size and location of their tribe.
Then, a part of the Northern Army would be sent to the reported location to verify the living area, territory, size, economic power, and military strength.
In case of any issues in the north, a pledge would be written to cooperate with each other, and an agreement would be made to establish at least a minimal cooperative relationship.
Anastasia did not show any sign of disappointment at my words, nodding as if it were expected, and said,
“Even as the commander of the Kerzhit tribe’s warriors, I cannot decide the treatment of those who have surrendered without the chieftain’s permission. Thus, making someone a slave without the chieftain’s permission, even if they have been defeated in war, is a serious crime. Therefore, I understand that even you, who killed the Khan, cannot decide our fate.”
If it were other officers of the Empire, they might have remarked upon her comparing the Emperor to a northern barbarian chieftain.
Anyway, both had the common feature of being the supreme leader of a group.
Her analogy showed that she was well aware of her current situation.
“However, the Emperor of the Empire cannot ignore Colonel Yaeger, who killed the evil Khan that threatened the Empire from the north. Besides, the high-ranking officials won’t take a tribal chieftain’s words too seriously. They are currently busy dealing with the surrenders of many other tribes and the prisoners who followed Ludwig.”
Though I said that, honestly, with the threat of Ludwig gone, we are now effectively bordering Swedia.
Since they had surrendered, we wouldn’t kill them recklessly, but we’d gradually weaken them, as they could betray us at any time.
Or, for the safety of the Empire, we might find minor faults, as was done in Joseon and other countries, to eliminate each tribe one by one.
“I will be cautious.”
Acknowledging her words, I nodded in agreement and asked to properly appraise her value.
“If you simply want to surrender and live on the frontier, swearing loyalty to the Empire and occasionally providing soldiers when the Northern Army needs them is enough. But if you want to become a citizen of the Empire, you must also bear the corresponding duties. Anastasia Kerzhit, what duties are you prepared to undertake?”
Actually, from the perspective of the Emperor and the Empire, just the fact that the chieftain of the Kerzhit tribe had stepped forward and said this was essentially doing everything necessary.
‘When the evil Ludwig was defeated, we who lived in the north desired to become citizens of the Empire under the protection of His Majesty the Emperor.’
This would not only benefit the Empire but also enhance its reputation among nations like the Francois Republic, as the Reich Empire successfully civilized even barbarians.
And the Emperor, using them as a starting point, would likely want more barbarians to fully assimilate as citizens of the Empire, providing them with fertile and good lands to live on.
However, the bold and wise blonde beauty in front of me did not seem to be someone who would be satisfied with just that.
She wouldn’t have come this far, risking everything, if that were the case.
“We will become citizens of the Empire and serve His Majesty the Emperor. The families of our warriors will cultivate the land assigned to us, bear and raise children. The children born in the lands of the Empire will work for the Empire, based on the knowledge and memories passed down by their parents, who raised horses and livestock in the north.”
Working the fields implied a roundabout way of expressing obedience to the order of the Empire, and the work these children desired, as the woman mentioned, was likely to become skilled professionals teaching the methods of animal husbandry.
“Moreover, the warriors I’ve brought can ride horses and cover 100 km in a day, and in battle, they can shoot arrows from a distance unreachable by the enemy, disrupting their ranks. In other words, they are all optimal messengers and the best archers. Surely, His Majesty will need us.”
I was well aware of the prowess of barbarian cavalry.
Especially when they moved erratically across the battlefield with light armor, shooting arrows, and fleeing, it was impossible to catch them.
We had no choice but to fight while being struck by arrows, and recalling the difficulties we faced several times while fighting Ludwig because of them, even now, makes me shudder, but welcoming such cavalry to our side would be greatly advantageous.
“I somewhat agree with what the Kerzhit chieftain says. However, while we can arrange for the people settling in the Empire’s territory to live in the same village as much as possible according to their tribal units, the warriors may be completely dispersed and end up receiving orders from officers of other Imperial units or warriors of other tribes.”
This was something all nobles of the Empire honestly prepared for and accepted.
As evidence, in the unit where I worked, there were actually young heirs who had inherited baronial and count titles.
The soldiers from various domains were mixed haphazardly, and among my subordinates, only about 30 were from my own domain.
But if they couldn’t accept this and insist on serving in the same unit because we were one tribe, unlike the Empire’s system, while I could sympathize, we couldn’t incorporate those into the army who did not fully comply with the Empire’s system.
Also, gathering cavalry in tribal units from the outset was risky.
Hearing this, Anastasia contemplated with a serious expression and then replied,
“We are prepared for that. However, if we accept these conditions, will you welcome us all as citizens of the Empire?”
I did not have the authority to decide their treatment, but frankly, considering they were willing to accept this, neither His Majesty the Emperor nor the capable ministers would discriminate against them.
In fact, seeing the Kerzhit tribe, others living in the upper north would also be inclined to surrender, if only out of envy.
Therefore, within the limits of my authority, I decided to give her assurance.
“The principle of the empire is quite simple. Anyone who fulfills their duty as a citizen, can enjoy the rights they should as a citizen.”
Well, of course, this included social status discrimination and such.
She seemed to realize the meaning of my answer, smiled brightly, and nodded.
“If there’s anything else you desire, tell me now. I can’t guarantee that it will be accepted, but at least I can promise to pass it along.”
So, she and I talked all night about the treatment of the Kerzhit tribe and their party. The next day, Anastasia moved to the Northern Army headquarters to be evaluated for her future treatment, as per Count Benner’s order.
On the way, she expressed a wish to serve under the one who killed the Khan, but in an army of over 300,000, I doubted she would be placed under my command.
After staying here for another month, I received news of the army coming for rotation, and finally, the former units at the northern border could return to headquarters.
“Now, this tedious expedition is truly over. I don’t need anything else; I just want to serve somewhere warm, please.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢