Ch.142I’ll make even more money!

Normally, rebellions don’t occur in this world.

Of course, rebellions rarely happen in reality unless under extreme circumstances, but in this world where one cannot simply seize power out of greed, rebellions driven by mere avarice were exceedingly rare.

But rare doesn’t mean nonexistent. When monarchs fail to properly manage public sentiment, discontented classes rise up in rebellion to break the monarch’s will.

Simply put, they’re saying, “We don’t like how you’re running things, so we’ll correct it through force.”

Usually, in such cases, there are sufficient warning events that allow for early detection, but occasionally rebellions erupt suddenly, like seizures.

This current situation was such an example, and the full story was as follows.

Three countries to the south of Amurtat…

Balkeginia, Dvelushi, and Herestin.

These three countries were twice indebted to Amurtat and possessed industrial foundations too weak to fully repay their debts.

With nothing but land and people, these three nations tried to utilize these resources to repay their debts. For them, the landowner class, who accumulated wealth from vast territories, was seen as more than just a thorn in their side—they were corrupt forces that needed to be swept away.

After years of tense standoffs, the landowners, driven mad by the thought that their vested interests would be violated, rose up in unison, and that was the full story of the current situation.

“As you can clearly see, there are more than a few suspicious points.”

“Indeed. No matter how much discontent there was, they didn’t rise up simultaneously in different places, but all at the same time. This would be impossible without meticulous advance preparation.”

Even setting aside the timing, there were too many questions.

Despite the landowners’ wealth, they shouldn’t be able to match monarchs who control the entire nation’s resources, yet they rebelled. Moreover, all the malcontents in the country sided with the landowner class to fight against government forces? As the advisor said, this required extremely sophisticated preparation.

“Well… it must be them?”

“Who else could it be but those guys?”

Demon worshippers… you guys again?

If this was orchestrated by the followers of demons, everything would make sense.

The simultaneous uprising was to prevent support from other countries.

The lower classes of the three countries joining the rebellion en masse indicated the demon cult’s strong influence among the impoverished.

The funds and resources to maintain such military forces, as well as the weapons, were likely being secretly supported by the demon cult.

Like a corrosive substance that produces only terrible results wherever it’s applied, I was almost impressed by the achievements of these demon worshippers.

To be honest, this is a trap set for Amurtat.

Since the indebted countries are likely to fall into the hands of rebels rather than repay their debts, we have no choice but to dispatch troops.

If we remain passive, we lose our financial lifeline. Moreover, other countries might observe this and stage their own rebellions disguised as coups, or deliberately cause state-sponsored terrorism in their own countries to seek debt relief. Therefore, resolving this situation was crucial.

“What will you do?”

“Hmm…”

We had two main options.

One was to dispatch Sword Masters to sweep them all away, and the other was to send an army to do the same.

For reference, there was no possibility of defeat.

Since we could already deduce the mastermind from this brief conversation, by now the monarchs suffering from rebellion would have realized they weren’t really fighting the landowner class to the death. From now on, they could receive help from religious circles.

“…Alright. I’ve decided. We’ll dispatch the army.”

“Understood.”

Sword Masters are strategic weapons.

But soldiers are not.

I organized 60,000 soldiers, dividing them into three groups of 20,000 each, forming the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd armies of this expedition.

Of these, 30,000 were combat troops, and the remaining 30,000 were support troops for supply, medical services, and other auxiliary functions.

“Well then, shall we see the thrill of line infantry in action?”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, never mind.”

*

“Fight against the evil followers of demons! For our monarch!”

“””For our monarch!”””

Outside the walls of Herestin.

Government forces and rebels were engaged in fierce combat to secure the main route to Herestin.

As Tiberius had predicted, it wasn’t difficult to identify the rebels’ true identity (demon worshippers), as there were people among the enemies who openly exuded an “I’m the bad guy” aura, and they used symbols associated with demon worshippers.

“Death to the false monarchs! The barrier must be broken!”

“Destroy the human nations! Glory to our masters!”

And since their dialogue was clearly abnormal, the soldiers had no hesitation in slaughtering these former humans.

When suppressing rebellions, the most difficult part is having to kill fellow citizens, so this reduced the burden of command. In reality, this was good news since what was happening was an invasion rather than a rebellion.

Clang! Clash!

“Urgh!”

“Argh!”

However, despite the government forces’ fierce resistance, they were gradually being pushed back.

The reason was that the government forces’ equipment was designed for suppressing rebellions.

Naturally, they had brought blunt weapons like clubs to crack the rebels’ soft skulls, had left behind long spears that would hinder quick movement, and had brought short bows for rapid firing rather than longbows.

In contrast, the rebel army—or rather, the demon worshippers’ army—had come fully equipped with weapons for proper line battles, including swords and spears, had sufficient numbers of longbows and crossbows, and crucially, also possessed numerous mutants created through demon possession rituals.

No matter how much this was a fight between irregular and regular forces, with such a difference in equipment, suppression was impossible.

“General! At this rate, our center will be breached!”

“Damn it… give the order to retreat! Knights, spread out to the center and both flanks to prevent the soldiers from wavering and the enemy from pursuing!”

“…Yes, sir!”

In the end, Herestin’s general had no choice but to issue a retreat order with tears of blood.

*

“Is… is that true? Are you really sending reinforcements?”

“Yes. It’s already confirmed by our home country. His Majesty Tiberius plans to deploy an army of 20,000 whenever you wish.”

“20,000…!”

When Amurtat’s diplomat made this statement before the monarch of Herestin, the entire court stirred.

In truth, 20,000 wasn’t that large a number.

Even Herestin in its current state could mobilize that many without much difficulty.

But Amurtat’s army actively utilized gunpowder weapons… literally possessing combat power from a different era, and they underwent intensive training while consuming expensive gunpowder in large quantities, so their fighting capability was guaranteed.

In short, accepting their support meant certain victory.

“Of course, if you accept Amurtat’s support, the collection of your debt will become even more rigorous.”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

Naturally, there are no selfless good deeds in international relations.

If it appears so, it’s either well-hidden or hypocrisy, and if such a thing were to happen, it would be recorded in history books.

All nations prioritize their national interests, and Amurtat was no exception.

The plan was predicated on them having enough value to warrant dispatching an army, so the lower their value fell, the lower the probability of receiving support.

“Isn’t accepting support the best option?”

“But then we’d have no choice but to collect more taxes…”

“Don’t we need to save the country first?”

“But that would cause public sentiment to turn against us….”

Murmuring.

In response to Amurtat’s “offer,” the monarch’s subordinates began to confer with each other.

With already scarce resources becoming even more constrained in the future, if they truly accepted the support, even the high officials among them wouldn’t be able to think about putting meat dishes on their tables for some time.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

At that moment, the advisor standing beside the monarch demanded silence by roughly striking the ground with his staff, and the officials quickly corrected their posture and bowed their heads to the monarch again.

“Envoy of Amurtat. Tell your monarch this: We, Herestin, accept Amurtat’s ‘support.'”

“I shall convey this to His Majesty Tiberius.”

And so, austerity upon austerity was implemented, and the three countries that accepted Amurtat’s support received thinly veiled mockery for selling their nations to the hands of another country’s monarch rather than to demon worshippers.