Ch.217Threat (1)

“Um… Didn’t you say this was military training?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what exactly are we doing here?”

The supervisor avoids my gaze, seemingly at a loss for words.

Normally, he would have told me to stop talking nonsense and get in line properly… but this time, even the supervisor seems embarrassed.

“…Ahem, a warrior simply follows orders from above.”

“Is digging with shovels considered military training?”

“Enough. Stop with the useless talk and continue working.”

Sigh.

They could have just openly said we were being mobilized for labor service, but why twist it around like this?

No one would complain if they called it labor service… I mean, who would object to digging a reservoir?

“Yes, understood.”

“…”

The conscript gives a perfunctory salute to the supervisor and resumes digging with his shovel.

The supervisor notices this attitude but deliberately ignores it.

He knows very well that demanding excessive discipline from conscripts is unreasonable.

Unlike some archaic, authoritarian knight, for someone who completed officer training at Dijon’s military academy, minor infractions from conscripts are common and inevitable.

Of course, if this were combat training, it would be a different story, but anyone can see this isn’t combat training, is it?

‘Ahh, I wish time would pass quickly…’

Meanwhile, the conscripts, unaware of the officers’ attitudes, are inwardly praying for the swift passage of their mandatory three-week military training that comes once a year.

‘Actually, this isn’t so bad. They feed us regularly anyway, so what does it matter what we do?’

Some conscripts even think this is better than actual military training.

It’s hard work, but they figure building a reservoir is naturally better than practicing with spears.

Of course, they consider military training important, but when the alternative is building a reservoir, it’s not hard to guess which one these people, accustomed to rural life, would value more.

Ding-ding-ding-ding—!

“That’s enough! Morning work is over!”

“Ahhhh…”

When the bell signals the end of morning work, the soldiers throw down their shovels and collapse on the ground.

If regular standing army soldiers did this, supervisors would immediately rush over to discipline them, but as mentioned earlier, these are conscripts, so the restrictions are much looser.

“Oh, I’m dying…”

“How long are we supposed to do this?”

“Dunno, looks like it’ll take years.”

Unlike their exhausted bodies, the conscripts’ mouths are moving quite busily.

In medieval society, where many born in rural villages never leave their hometown until death, ordinary farmers would typically be wary or aggressive when meeting strangers. But this situation is different.

Everyone is forced together under the equal status of conscript, sharing the same hardships.

If there were class differences between them, things might be different, but since they’re all simply receiving three weeks of military training once a year, there’s no hierarchy among them, making such assumptions pointless.

“Whew… I thought I’d be swinging spears, not shovels.”

“Isn’t swinging a shovel better than swinging an unfamiliar spear?”

“That’s true. These shovels feel different from the ones at home, they fit really well in the hand, maybe because of that handle at the end.”

“Handle? Don’t all shovels have those? In our village, everyone uses shovels like that.”

“Huh? Not in ours… is it because of Barr?”

“Haha, Barr is a bit backward. But things should improve with time, right?”

“I hope so.”

People gathered from all over the Rotaring Kingdom converse with others from different regions whom they would never have met in their ordinary lives. As regional distinctions fade and nationalist consciousness is continuously instilled, the idea that they are Rotaring people takes root in their minds.

Of course, their identification with their hometown is still stronger than their identity as Rotaring citizens, but if conscription continues in this form, even that consciousness will soon disappear.

……….

“Large-scale troop mobilization…”

Meanwhile, the Holy Empire, which has been keenly observing Rotaring’s political situation since the absorption of the Caroling Kingdom, isn’t taking this grand project at face value.

They can’t help it. On the surface, it may look like they’re simply building a reservoir, but looking deeper, it reveals the scale and speed at which soldiers can be mobilized.

“…I couldn’t understand why they only mobilized for three weeks, but seeing this, it makes perfect sense.”

What surprised the Emperor most wasn’t the scale or speed, but the sustainability.

The fact that they can steadily progress with such large-scale construction despite each soldier being available for only three weeks demonstrates Rotaring’s conscription system very well.

This is something ordinary administrative power couldn’t even attempt.

Knowing exactly where conscriptable citizens are located and actually being able to conscript them? And even providing all those conscripts with shovels and pickaxes?

“If they conscript soldiers for war instead of labor, and give them spears instead of shovels and pickaxes, it’s obvious what would happen.”

Lorenzo speaks as if reading the Emperor’s mind, and hearing this, the Emperor becomes more confident in his suspicions while sighing.

“Hmm… I simply cannot predict the Rotaring monarch’s direction. If he had consistently done one thing, we could predict his next move and prepare accordingly, but his actions so far… yes, it’s like a greedy child who can’t decide which fruit to choose, so he just grabs as many as he can hold, making prediction impossible.”

It’s impossible to anticipate Claude’s actions.

He pretended not to care about the holy war, then suddenly intervened; acted disinterested in the Caroling throne, then abruptly seized it; incited citizens to call for war themselves, then diverted their attention with entertainment; seemed to prepare for war, then changed direction to eliminate domestic nobles; and now, after establishing a powerful conscription system, he’s using it to build reservoirs.

He has never acted consistently.

‘Perhaps his unfortunate upbringing made him reluctant to directly express his desires?’

No, even so, this is too extreme. Once or twice would be understandable, but to act so erratically in everything?

‘Yes, it seems his innate nature combined with his unfortunate environment created a synergy.’

Nothing else could explain such an unusual way of thinking. Truly a vicious synergy.

“…How is the Empire’s military system structured? I know we’ve implemented many reforms.”

The Emperor wants to compare Rotaring’s military capabilities with his own.

Though it’s clear the Empire’s military capabilities are inferior, properly assessing the current situation is necessary to solve future problems.

“Many things have changed, such as lords being unable to refuse military mobilization orders, but the basic framework remains the same as during the last holy war. When a mobilization order is issued, each lord either sends troops selected from their territory to the central authority or provides equivalent money and goods.”

“I suppose rapid troop mobilization like Rotaring’s would be impossible.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

This reminds the Emperor of several desperate facts, the most significant being:

‘If the Rotaring king harbors ill intentions and attacks the Holy Empire, by the time we complete our military mobilization, the tide would already have turned.’

With such slow mobilization capabilities, the Empire clearly cannot respond properly to a preemptive attack from Rotaring, which can mobilize tens of thousands—potentially up to 100,000 soldiers—in just a few days.

Moreover, this calculation only includes conscripts.

According to the Holy Empire’s intelligence, the approximately 10,000 standing troops and numerous mercenary groups available for immediate hire haven’t even been factored in.

“…Lord Lorenzo, let me ask you one thing.”

“You need not ask for my permission, Your Majesty.”

“Spare me the formalities. In your view, what is the possibility that such a sophisticated conscription system and enormous standing army are maintained for reasons other than war?”

“…I can state with certainty that there is none.”

“Indeed, I think so too.”

Currently, they’re using those mobilized soldiers to build reservoirs, but this shouldn’t be taken at face value. The erratic, unpredictable behavior of the Rotaring king proves this.

Focusing only on the most certain facts at present: Rotaring has implemented an extremely advanced conscription system and maintains a standing army of about 10,000.

A conscription system capable of mobilizing up to 100,000 troops and a standing army of 10,000 are budget-devouring monsters unless used for war.

‘There’s no way they would maintain such a large army without purpose.’

A defensive force? That’s excessive. What ruler would maintain such a large standing army just for defense?

Thus, one can conclude that Rotaring definitely desires to invade its neighbors. No, it’s not just a conclusion—it’s certain.

And that neighbor will most likely be the Holy Empire, with which it shares the longest border. The Andalusian Kingdom to the south has poor, unprofitable lands, and the Albion Kingdom to the north requires crossing the sea, which diminishes the advantage of a large army.

If the Holy Empire is caught off guard by Rotaring, it will be helplessly defeated before it can even form a proper army due to Rotaring’s rapid conscription system. Therefore, the Empire has only one option:

“…I declare to my loyal subjects and citizens. Issue mobilization orders to gather as many troops as possible.”

Mobilize the army in advance and declare war on the Rotaring Kingdom first.

Finally, is it time to see the results of the Empire’s reforms that have been ongoing for over a decade?