Ch.182Suppression (1)

“…That concludes today’s lesson.”

Despite medicine being unpopular among nobles, it’s still a university course, and occasionally nobles take it as an elective.

And recently, those nobles have become extremely hostile, which is naturally related to what His Majesty has been doing.

‘The atmosphere is really bad…’

Normally, I would have received numerous questions by now, but as I mentioned earlier, the atmosphere is so tense that this isn’t happening.

Even commoners, seeing the nobles’ state, hesitate to ask questions, awkwardly reading the room before lowering their hands.

…Their behavior is likely related to me as well.

‘Sigh.’

I’ve received His Majesty’s favor, and anyone can see I’m closely connected to him.

If someone were to say something to me, it would naturally reach His Majesty’s ears. Even the most innocent questions could be misinterpreted in the current volatile political climate, so everyone avoids speaking to me altogether.

I understand this well, so I can’t urge students to ask questions. When even a slight misstep could lead to disaster, of course they can’t ask questions.

*Creeeeak*

After sighing inwardly, Ellen opens the classroom door and walks out, and only then do the students rise from their seats to follow.

And all these students feel the same thing.

That soon, something momentous will happen in this country.

……….

“They’ve begun… mobilizing troops.”

Why does my reign have so many rebellions?

From the moment I first became a duke, my two uncles rebelled, and the nobles in the Bar region, which I wrested from Caroling, also revolted. The minor rebellions by lesser nobles are too numerous to count—it’s tedious to even think about them.

Why do they all act this way?

Well, my uncles… given my background, I can understand their decision. But the other rebellions make absolutely no sense.

Did I oppress them or something?

‘No matter how I think about it, that’s not the case.’

Yes, I conducted a census to prevent tax evasion and issued identification cards to domain residents, but that’s all.

Apart from that, I’ve never interfered with my vassals. Yet they go berserk over just one intervention?

Moreover, the census and ID cards should be tremendously beneficial for the lords themselves!

Even though they handle local administration, this is still the medieval era—there must be tax evasion and residents who slip through the administrative net.

I used my administrative power to catch these issues for them, and instead of thanking me, they raise armies and rebel… good grief…

“…So, where are they now and what are they doing? Have they already assembled?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty. They’re gathering troops in their respective domains and converging at a single location.”

You see?

Despite having ample opportunity for dialogue, they immediately resort to physical and extreme measures.

Whether they failed to consider dialogue or deliberately ignored it, I’m not sure, but they’ve crossed the line by an unfathomable distance. It’s impossible to view this charitably, no matter how I try.

The only option left to me now is to crush them mercilessly; all other choices have completely vanished.

“It would be easier to deal with them before they unite. Gather all available soldiers immediately and systematically eliminate each group while patrolling the provinces.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. What about conscripts and soldiers who take longer to mobilize?”

“Leave the conscripts be, as they won’t be of much use. As for the slower-mobilizing soldiers, have them depart as soon as they reach operational strength, taking a different route from the advance force.”

Normally, dividing an army to attack enemies separately risks being defeated in detail—not a good choice. But this time, we’re in a race against time to capture the rebels before they unite, so we have no choice.

We must create multiple regiments to deal with each gathering lord’s forces individually. Though their quality will be inferior to the army I’ve carefully built, they’re still military forces—if they unite, they’ll become extremely difficult to handle.

“Also, send employment contracts to all mercenaries in the country. We can’t do anything about those already contracted, but we can prevent uncontracted mercenary companies from joining the rebels.”

“It shall be done, Your Majesty.”

Tsk… why do expenses keep piling up?

This is why mercenaries are troublesome. If I don’t spend money on them, they’ll join the enemy, which puts tremendous psychological pressure on me.

Yet I can’t eliminate all unauthorized armed groups in the country like they might in East Asia.

If I declared all mercenaries illegal and decided to suppress them, these men who’ve spent their lives training to kill would instantly transform into bandits and run wild.

…I’ll need to address this thoroughly once this matter is settled.

“Ah, and don’t be selective about which weapons to use.”

“But… wouldn’t that cause too many deaths?”

Indeed, we have many weapons specialized for killing: explosive shells resembling the Joseon Dynasty’s Bigeokjincheolloe, hand cannons simplified through ignition magic, primitive napalm-like incendiary bombs made with sugar extracted from sugar beets, and more.

No, to be precise, they’re not specialized for killing enemies but for killing people in general.

In a world where people have only killed in lines and points, suddenly weapons appear that kill in areas. This means the enemies don’t know how to respond, which translates to massive casualties even with a single use.

It’s no wonder Leclerc is horrified. To him, these people are nobles and subjects of Lotharing before they are rebels.

“They’re enemies now, so why should we show restraint?”

But I don’t see it that way.

To me, they are rebels before they are nobles and subjects of Lotharing.

And isn’t it common sense that rebels must be suppressed by any means necessary?

I feel sorry for the subordinates who chose the wrong employer or lord, but that can’t be helped.

“…Yes, I understand, Your Majesty. They are indeed enemies now.”

Fortunately, Leclerc seems to understand.

Though he still seems uncomfortable, he accepts my assertion that they are rebels.

If only other vassals would listen as well as Leclerc… sigh.

“Ah, and are there any from the House of Bourgogne among those rebels?”

“Yes, the House of Bourgogne has been widespread and dominant since the days of the Duchy of Bourgogne, so many are among the rebels. The closest to Your Majesty would be… the Duke of Nevers, who was the second brother of the late king.”

Ah… I remember.

The son of my younger uncle who initially rebelled against my ascension but then fought against the Kingdom of Caroling’s invasion.

Hmm… indeed, he’s very close.

He would be considered family even in modern Korea, and all the more so in medieval society where bloodlines are given greater importance.

“…Since they’ve joined the rebellion, they must be treated as rebels, not as House Bourgogne. If they survive after the battle, I won’t necessarily execute them, but during combat, treat them as ordinary rebels.”

Even so, ordering their deaths feels too uncomfortable.

If I give such orders publicly in front of everyone, I’ll have room for excuses later.

“Well, it seems we’ve covered all preliminary arrangements. Now, march forth.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!!!”

The knights’ and attendants’ shouts echo throughout the audience chamber.

Ugh… it’s loud, but seeing this, the sense of pressure and solemnity is no joke. Is that why they deliberately design audience chambers with echoing acoustics?

……….

“Are you certain this is wise? Surely the king must know we’re mobilizing troops.”

“What nonsense—this is merely a minimal safety measure. Would you propose demanding the king leave your domain without any military backing?”

“Well…”

“Now you understand? Cattle herd together not to resist the wolf, but to appear larger and deter the wolf’s attack.”

Claude’s prediction was wrong.

They weren’t mobilizing armies to attack Claude, but to defend against his attack.

Negotiating with the king without military support would be suicidal.

The king’s wicked character—pursuing his goals by any means necessary—would surely lead him to use force if things didn’t go his way. The minimum safeguard against that force is the mobilization and unification of faction armies.

“If we unite and speak with one voice, asking the king to cease his infringement of our rights, even he will have no choice. Don’t you agree?”

“Hmm… but mobilizing armies already seems like we’ve gone too far.”

“I agree, but it’s necessary to defend against the king’s aggression. If the king has any sense, he’ll reflect on his own actions that drove us to this point rather than blame us—”

*BOOM!!*

“—ugh?!”

Suddenly, a tremendous noise erupts, swallowing the noble’s words.

It’s a bizarre sound, like metal scraping combined with an explosion.

“AAAAARGH!!”

“GYAAAAH!!!”

“W-what is this…”

The noble, momentarily stunned by the otherworldly sound, regains his senses at the terrible screams of the soldiers that follow.

It’s too horrific.

Soldiers are instantly reduced to pieces of flesh rolling on the ground, and meat chunks with metal fragments embedded in them are covered in black soot, creating an extremely nauseating scene.

What’s even more terrible is that most soldiers in this state couldn’t even scream—they just twitched their bodies.