Mayor Louis Baudelaire ran toward me, his face beaming with excitement.
“Baron Rothschild, Baron, we’ve done it!”
However, his words lacked the details of how and why this had happened.
With just what he said, it was impossible to tell exactly what he meant...
But it seemed obvious enough without him spelling it out.
A man like him, covered in bloodstains, and the mayor at that, running around in a panic — something must have happened for him to be so worked up.
"Did you succeed in killing the commanders of the support troops?"
"Yes, Baron! We successfully wiped out all the commanding officers, including those ranked as Battalion Commander and above. From now on, Mayor Louis Baudelaire and all officials and soldiers of Guillaume City will act according to your command."
This was also common in the case of coups.
When you manage to sway the commander of a division, you can mobilize the full strength of that division, but sometimes battalion commanders or regimental commanders refuse to follow orders.
This could complicate things if you had a division commander on your side, but the lower-level commanders refused to comply.
Although Louis and his immediate subordinates were on our side, it would still be more accurate to say that we hadn’t yet fully seized control of the entire city.
‘Never let your guard down.’
In fact, the more things seem to be going well, the more careful you should be.
Even someone who ranks first in a mock exam can easily fail the real thing if they eat the wrong lunch and suffer from stomach cramps.
In a war far more complicated than a simple exam, you must always be cautious.
“The job is well done, Mayor Baudelaire. Or should I say, Baron Baudelaire.”
“Thank you! Baron! If we win this war and I am granted the title of Count of Guillaume, I will honor you and your family as lifelong benefactors.”
Now that he had accomplished such a great feat, he was asking for the reward I had promised earlier, right?
Yes, when someone makes a promise, it’s important to keep it, no matter the circumstances.
“The right to bestow land rests solely with His Majesty the Emperor of Toscana, so I cannot give you a definitive answer on that.”
Among friends or family, promises are kept without much fanfare or grandstanding.
But in business or politics, if you make a promise or offer something, it’s important to make sure the other party knows you’ve done them a favor—without overdoing it, of course.
“As for me, Baron Rothschild, I will keep my word and honor the promise I made to you and your vassals, so don’t worry too much.”
I immediately took pen and paper and wrote down the promise that Louis and I had made earlier.
“A vow to uphold the promise no matter what happens.”
“Thank you, thank you so much, Baron!”
“If you succeed, what can I not do for you? There may be some noise in the Toscana Empire’s parliament, but I will do my best to resolve it.”
The Toscana Empire’s parliament doesn’t usually oppose things just for the sake of opposing them.
We are not a democratic country where that sort of behavior can be tolerated.
‘Oppose just for the sake of opposing, and you’ll quickly find yourself blacklisted by the Emperor or other nobles, with your family’s name disappearing in an instant.’
Still, there are those who can’t bear to see others succeed and will make a big deal of even the smallest opposition.
Then I can quietly suppress that useless opposition and make a show of handling it.
‘If I leave a huge moral debt on Louis, he’ll be unable to break free from my influence.’
“The work is not finished yet.”
That’s how it always is.
It’s not over until it’s over.
In baseball, sometimes, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, our player can hit a grand slam and turn the game around.
The same holds true in war, where human madness and sheer chance are in play.
‘Until the enemy acknowledges defeat, we can’t afford to relax.’
Though I am not a soldier, as a student of history, I would never forget such basic principles.
“First, the Toscana Empire has already sent the declaration of war.”
A hundred years ago, this continent was still in the age of chivalry.
Back then, the commander-in-chief would sometimes charge alongside the front lines and personally cut down the enemy’s knights.
If I were to use such evil tactics, it could lead to an outcry, and surrounding countries would unite to attack us.
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But times have changed, and such absurd behavior no longer exists.
‘An ambush without a declaration of war is unacceptable.’
“The declaration of war should have been delivered to the southern port city of Eclay in the Kingdom of Lyon.”
It would take about a month and a half to march from Eclay to the Count’s domain by foot, even with rapid marching.
‘Even if we use fast riders, it would take over a week for the news to reach us.’
“Speed is of the essence in such surprise attacks. Send someone trustworthy immediately to inform Toscana Empire that Guillaume City has fallen.”
In the Imjin War, the treacherous Japanese forces advanced with such speed that King Seonjo was left in shock.
They breached the capital in just 20 days from Busan.
And this wasn’t because Joseon was a weak and incompetent country, as some traitors like to claim.
It was because the unexpected attack caught us completely off guard.
We need to rapidly consume Lyon Kingdom’s territory, just as Toyotomi Hideyoshi did when he took Seoul in a swift strike.
“We’ll send someone immediately.”
This kind of information requires speed.
Understanding this and immediately sending a messenger during our conversation is the right course of action.
“And make sure the support troops don’t realize their superiors are missing for as long as possible. I trust you understand what I mean.”
“We’ll use the excuse of a long meeting to buy time tonight and then hold a celebratory banquet for tomorrow morning, to honor the victory in the upcoming war. We’ll serve plenty of alcohol and entertainment, making sure they’ll be too hungover to move by the day after tomorrow.”
The basics of military strategy and war are simple:
‘Always think and act from the enemy’s perspective.’
In daily life, it’s the golden rule to treat others as you would like to be treated, but in war, it’s the opposite.
If I need money, I must strip the enemy’s coffers dry, leaving them with nothing.
“Feel free to use all the money I’ve brought to provide food, drink, performers, and minstrels. Call in everyone we can.”
“Yes, Baron.”
“And for the banquet, invite the members of the city council and the influential figures in the city.”
At this point, I controlled all the judiciary, economy, administration, and military in Guillaume City.
However, in a practical sense, it wasn’t entirely accurate to say I controlled all the power.
There were still those loyal to the Kingdom of Lyon and Count Guillaume.
“We’ll try to win over anyone we can, and those who are impossible to sway, we’ll send them to Deus.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Let them know that we’ll hold a celebration in honor of the victory tomorrow morning, and gather the city councilors and the key figures.”
Then, the next morning, I decided to take the final steps toward securing control of the city.
Using a banquet as an excuse to summon the chieftains of barbarian tribes is a fairly common tactic.
It’s one of the most common forms of diplomacy, where food, drink, and promises of wealth and glory are used to win them over peacefully.
King Sejong also treated the Jurchens who were obedient to him with food and alcohol, though, of course, he dealt with those who overstepped their bounds wisely.
‘In the end, banquets have always been a useful tool in war.’
“Baron Rothschild, the members of the city council and other important figures are gathered.”
“Good. We’ll go out soon. But first, make sure all the doors are locked.”
“As soon as your speech starts, the soldiers will lock the doors and maintain strict security.”
I don’t plan to kill every "reactionary" who doesn’t listen to me.
If I did that, my reputation would be ruined.
But I can certainly host them as guests in my home, where they’ll be taken care of for as long as necessary.
Their accommodations may be a small room with a straw mattress and some slightly spoiled food, but still...
‘At least I didn’t kill them.’
“Make sure everything goes smoothly. And even if the Lyon Kingdom’s support troops get drunk, make sure they don’t do anything reckless.”
In wars, killing prisoners is considered a cruel but somewhat acceptable action.
But in my case, using deception to capture prisoners and then killing them is...
‘It’s objectively more beneficial to spare them than to kill them.’
“Alright, let’s finish this and win over the remaining ones.”