Ch.284Side Story) The Saint’s Son (2)

“Haaa…”

A few days later, Michel, who had performed emergency treatment and modified the Proissen Border Decree to suit his taste, stared at the final problem that even his efforts couldn’t solve.

The large paper filling Michel’s field of vision was densely covered with various writings and patterns, all pointing to a single piece of information.

The Proissen Border Territory had a critically low population.

‘At first, I was just happy to receive the largest territory among my half-brothers… Heh, who would have thought there was such a catch.’

Michel felt his vision darken.

This was information he had known since his first day in the territory, but back then he only knew it roughly, so the shock was less severe.

Looking at such detailed surveys of population numbers and density in each region made even familiar information feel newly impactful.

It was similar to the difference between vaguely knowing there’s a cockroach in your house versus seeing one on the wall right next to your head while lying in bed.

“I’ve been clearing forests to create more farmland, but there’s no one to work those fields… Tsk, should I buy people from other territories with money?”

While “buying people with money” might sound like slavery, that’s not what Michel meant.

He was referring to paying neighboring lords to allow their subjects to relocate to his territory.

With the large initial funds Claude had provided, plus the taxes that had accumulated during the lord’s absence, he could secure quite a large population if the neighboring lords agreed to sell their subjects.

“Your Highness, the lords of the Holy Empire are short of subjects due to the aftermath of war, so they won’t sell their people. Of course, they might sell if offered enough money, but as you know, that would only secure a population far below your target.”

“Hmm…”

But as the servant said, the empire’s lords couldn’t sell their subjects due to their tight circumstances.

In this feudal era where national power directly correlates with population, few lords would consider selling their subjects even in normal times. With the added aftermath of war, honestly speaking, no lord with a normal mindset would sell their subjects.

“What about the lords of the Polrab Kingdom?”

“There’s a possibility. But they too will either refuse to sell their subjects or demand extremely high prices.”

“Why?”

“Because they see the Holy Empire as prey. The weakening of the Holy Empire has been enough to inspire desire in neighboring countries.”

To make matters worse, the lords of the Polrab Kingdom were taking a hostile stance rather than cooperating, making it difficult to secure additional population.

Thanks to the weak royal authority in the Polrab Kingdom, they wouldn’t face a large-scale invasion, but the weak royal power meant the lords were more unruly, causing the imperial territories adjacent to the Polrab Kingdom to live in constant fear.

If the Polrab Kingdom had strong royal authority, they would only need to negotiate with the king, but without that, they had to communicate and negotiate with various lords. Naturally, this couldn’t work properly in a medieval feudal society with minimal administrative capacity.

Michel’s territory, Proissen, was also adjacent to the Polrab Kingdom, making it coveted by Polrab’s lords, but Michel barely escaped this danger by virtue of being Prince of Lotaring.

‘…This is giving me a headache. Discharging excess soldiers to become farmers… that would obviously be a stupid idea.’

Fortunately, the Proissen Border Territory traditionally maintained a large military force as it was the empire’s frontline.

This was one of the causes of Proissen’s current population shortage, but they couldn’t reduce military forces when an enemy nation was right across the border, gnashing its teeth.

“So, what do you think? How can we recover the population?”

“Well… I can only think of promoting childbirth by applying tax reductions based on the number of children. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for over something like this?”

Michel had asked his servant for ideas just in case, but the response was merely the obvious answer.

Using tax reductions as bait to promote childbirth.

This is the most reliable way to increase population regardless of the era, a standard method used by all countries trying to boost their numbers.

‘But… that would be too slow.’

However, tax-incentivized childbirth policies require a basic population foundation to be effective. A territory like current Proissen with such a small population has neither the luxury nor the time to implement such policies.

‘Ugh… at this rate, Proissen will still have many undeveloped areas even when I’m old and dying.’

What should I do? I can’t just kidnap people like the northern barbarians of old… Wait, kidnap?

“Your Highness?”

“Wait a moment.”

Michel, ignoring the servant’s puzzled gaze, examined the Proissen Border Territory’s army and the funds his father had provided.

He looked like a person suffering from thirst searching for water, but Michel felt no embarrassment about his appearance.

It would be strange to feel embarrassed when the only person present was his servant, and besides, he had no luxury to worry about his appearance when he needed to find something more important.

“…I have a solution to the population shortage.”

And as Michel finally reached a conclusion after reviewing various information, the servant could only maintain an ambiguous expression, not knowing how to respond.

……….

“Did you hear? The bastard emperor’s child received Prusa.”

“What? Why are you bringing up a story from over ten years ago now?”

“Ah, no, I misspoke. I mean, the bastard emperor’s child has moved into Prusa. Apparently, they’re settling there permanently now.”

“Huh? Really?”

The soldiers of Pomeral on border duty passed the time discussing their neighboring country, Proissen.

Of course, such idle chatter during guard duty was forbidden, but the story of the neighboring country was too interesting to observe such prohibitions.

How could they keep quiet about the infamous bastard emperor’s child becoming the lord of the neighboring territory?

“Do you think the child has the same personality as the father?”

“Generally speaking, wouldn’t they?”

“Hmm… I prefer peace, you know.”

“Right, I’m sick of war… *sigh*”

The Pomeral soldiers sighed deeply, assuming Michel’s personality would be identical to his father Claude’s.

Currently, imperial citizens perceived Claude as a devil who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, so wouldn’t the devil’s child naturally be a devil too?

The soldiers merely prayed that nothing would happen during their term of service.

“…Hey, what’s that?”

“What?”

“Over there, people are…”

“Huh?”

And just like that, the soldiers’ wishes vanished like bubbles.

A soldier who had been sighing while gazing at the distant mountains suddenly noticed that the scenery was quite different from usual, and this realization quickly turned into confusion and fear.

Having already fought in several battles, the soldiers cursed their military service at the prospect of another conflict.

……….

“536 people? Good, that’s more than enough.”

Michel, mounted on his horse, was satisfied with the number of prisoners secured so far.

The term “prisoner” used here differs slightly from its commonly understood meaning.

Traditional prisoners include only enemy soldiers, but here, prisoners include civilians as well as enemy combatants.

“What about the children?”

“All accounted for, Your Highness. No children remain!”

If any of the abducted civilians had minor children, the village was thoroughly searched to capture those minors as well.

If only the parents were taken prisoner, wouldn’t the children left behind become orphans and have their lives threatened?

Moreover, for Michel, a devout believer, the heartbreaking sight of children separated from their parents was unimaginable, so he specifically instructed the army not to be careless but to thoroughly check and seek cooperation from the captured adults.

“Good, then we move to the next region. Everyone, hurry!”

“Yes, sir!!”

Having achieved his objective in this region, Michel hurriedly moved to the next.

Though they could win if enemy forces arrived, wouldn’t it be better to achieve the goal without fighting?

[I need to abduct people from neighboring territories and settle them in Proissen.]

[Pardon?]

[First, mobilize the army. We can create a justification later.]

It’s an extreme method, but one that can definitely increase the territory’s population.

The fact that people living under the feudal system in medieval times lacked modern civic consciousness like national identity or patriotism, making it possible to relocate them without significant resistance, greatly influenced Michel’s judgment.

[B-but… such actions would permanently damage relations with neighboring lords—]

[If those neighboring lords were strong, it would be a problem, but they’re not, so it doesn’t matter. Hurry with the mobilization. Recruit mercenaries too.]

[…Yes, Your Highness.]

Additionally, Claude’s approach provided the decisive push for Michel’s seemingly insane decision.

No matter how crazy an action might seem, if backed by powerful military force, it quickly transforms from madness into strategic judgment.

By hiring mercenaries with the money that would have been used to buy subjects, and raiding neighboring territories alongside Proissen’s border troops, he obtained several times more subjects than he would have through negotiation.

Of course, neighboring territories would become hostile, but with powerful military force, such hostility becomes an insignificant concern.

‘Indeed, I must first strengthen the military.’

Michel, who took his father as a mentor—a man who achieved various accomplishments by building a strong military—decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and prioritize developing a powerful army.