episode_0006

As anyone who likes the military knows, the biggest advantage of conscription is its convenience.

From manpower supply to training, control, and ease of command.

It’s far superior to hiring mercenaries in almost every aspect necessary for a soldier.

“Conscription… So you’re drafting the people and using them as soldiers?”

“Yes.”

“Will that work properly?”

“Of course. It just requires a little know-how.”

Shall I explain it in detail?

First of all, conscription targets the young men within the country, so it’s easy to gather personnel.

Unlike mercenaries who need to be sought out and contracted at each base or garrison, you just issue a draft order.

The costs involved are also much lower.

Since they are all citizens ruled by the country, it’s easy to issue orders, make them do various tasks, and train them.

This is also a differentiating aspect from mercenaries, who tend to resist unless it’s specified in the contract.

Furthermore, since all soldiers are selected and trained in the same way, the standardization and leveling of combat power and doctrine are a bonus.

Even in the case of defensive warfare to protect the nation, you can aim for morale boosting through patriotism.

From the perspective of a ruler, conscription is in many ways a superior version of mercenaries.

“Unlike the old days when everyone fought with swords and spears, nowadays firearms are basic everywhere.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“It is because of this era that conscription is useful.”

Then why wasn’t it widespread before the modern era throughout human history?

The reason was simple.

Their combat power was lacking.

Bladed weapons like spears and swords require a long time to master. One or two years is not enough, you need at least several years.

Magic is the same.

You have to train like crazy for a long time at institutions like magic towers or academies to barely be worth your salt.

But how many countries in the world are rich enough to have standing armies that do nothing but eat and practice fighting when there is no war?

Therefore, they had no choice but to use mercenaries.

It cost a lot of money, but it was less than operating a standing army.

‘Guns changed everything.’

However, the situation changed with the advent of firearms.

Weapons that allow even a rookie recruit to kill a veteran warrior with only a month or two of practice.

The power to send a knight flying with a single shot, regardless of who uses it.

The popularization of gunpowder changed the paradigm of war.

Now, as long as you have the ability to produce firearms, you can continuously produce high-quality troops.

An era has arrived where the difference in skill does not have a huge impact on combat power.

This meant that the way armies are formed also had to change… but most national leaders had not yet realized this.

So I have to let them know.

So they can kill each other as soon as possible.

“Miss Calia, would you mind if I asked for your help again, despite my impudence?”

“Willingly.”

“And please arrange for a printing house as well. The same place as last time would be fine.”

* * * * *

The ideology I was going to use this time consisted of two things.

Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Rousseau’s “The Social Contract.”

The first is self-explanatory as it emphasizes the importance of conscription.

The second is used to explain the necessity and justification of military service.

At first, I was only going to use “The Prince,” but when I thought about it, I realized that I needed to persuade not only the Doge but also the citizens, so I prepared it additionally.

Conscription is a system that runs smoothly only when all levels of society understand its value and meaning.

“Then I will recite the contents of the manuscript. Please translate and write it in Helvetic as is.”

I have memorized all the contents of Machiavelli’s and Rousseau’s books. I can roughly recite them verbatim, not only in the Korean version but also in the original version.

I appropriately edited and processed it in my head, and slowly dictated it to Calia.

So that when readers read this, they can think and react in the direction I want.

Oh, and with the addition of appropriately stimulating expressions.

[Humans are willing to replace their rulers in the belief that they can live a better life, and this belief leads them to take up arms and revolt against their rulers.]

[A prince who uses mercenaries to defend and govern his state will never enjoy security or even peace. Mercenaries are disunited, ambitious, and undisciplined.]

[Mercenaries avoid war and defeat. Therefore, a prince who uses mercenaries is plundered by them in peacetime and by the enemy in wartime.]

[For a state to wage a large-scale war using mercenaries is, in the long run, synonymous with plunging both enemies and allies into the abyss of ruin.]

[A people’s army, sufficiently trained and filled with patriotism, is in every way superior to a band of brigands fighting for plunder and wealth. The more technology advances, the more this trend will strengthen, and it will never weaken.]

First of all, I omitted the parts in “The Prince” that praised the republic and revered the people. Because such content does not fit my purpose at all.

Instead, I intentionally exaggerated and focused on depicting the cruelty that a prince should have and that anything is allowed for the sake of power.

You could say that I induced the negative image of so-called Machiavellianism.

Since I’m not writing it to get a huge response from the public, I’ve adapted it in a way that suits the tastes of those in power.

[If citizens do not regard public duties as their first priority, and if they try to solve them with money instead of people, they are simply bringing about the downfall of the state themselves.]

[The driving force behind protecting and maintaining a nation comes from the voluntary patriotism and will to defend of loyal citizens.]

[It is immoral to hire people with money to provide an army to march to the battlefield. A truly great nation would have its people do everything themselves, not try to solve it with money.]

[The state and its people must not be treated like objects to be sold off their sacred duties. It is nothing more than a mockery and infringement of human rights.]

Likewise, “The Social Contract” as well.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who wrote this, originally valued freedom, equality, and fraternity.

This book was the ideological basis of the French Revolution and was treated as an essential guide for revolutionaries, since it was his masterpiece.

Therefore, there are many parts that praise the republic and democracy in the content, but I excluded or rewrote almost all of them.

Depending on the reader, it was made so that they might even feel affection for the monarchy.

Later generations may criticize it… but who cares?

This isn’t my world anyway.

If you want social contribution or the dissemination of correct ideology, go ask that damned goddess.

“That should be enough. I’ll leave the paragraph editing and section adjustments to you, Miss Calia.”

The time it took to complete the two magic books, no, ideological books, with their volume somewhat reduced by cutting and trimming here and there, was only two weeks!

As I rubbed my throat, which was tired from constantly reciting the manuscript, and tried to have a cup of black tea, Calia muttered beside me.

“…Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“The last booklet was the same, but this is the first time I’ve seen such ominous writing. It provokes people’s hatred and anger, incites the masses, and encourages exploitation… How can you write such things?”

I had only slightly taken and unraveled the essence of philosophy and politics that humanity had accumulated over thousands of years.

Even that was too spicy for the people here to feel.

Calia was in charge of recording directly by my side, so the level she felt was probably more serious.

“I’m not going to spout nonsense like you shouldn’t do this. I joined this organization because I hate the damned human society too. But you… Why? What makes you write these things?”

From my point of view, it was nothing more than digging out memories and knowledge from my head.

From her point of view, I would seem like a guy who instantly creates propaganda that captivates the public and twisted ideologies.

She was asking what kind of things I had experienced, what kind of terrible past I had, that made such ideas possible.

“I wonder.”

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could say.

How can I explain that I’m wreaking havoc as revenge because a crazy goddess kidnapped me into this world?

I’d be lucky if I wasn’t treated like a madman if I did.

“Let’s just say it’s for revenge for now. I don’t particularly want to blab about my past.”

“…I understand.”

That’s how our second collaborative work came to an end.

* * * * *

The completed manuscript was handed over to the printing house managed by the organization, just like last time.

I wrote Kang Chun-soo’s pseudonym, ‘Ismael,’ in the author’s spot, and added an advertising phrase that it was a sequel by the same author as the booklet.

Referring to the previous sales volume, the number of copies printed was 10,000 each.

I was worried that this was too many for a publication in this era, but in reality, it was the opposite.

“The Prince and… The Social Contract?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I have to buy it! If it’s by the same author as that booklet, I can trust it!”

The books that were handed over to the Helvetian Republic were selling like hotcakes. Thanks to the name value of the previous work, which became a hot topic in the capital.

It sold out so quickly that illegal copies began to be produced almost simultaneously with its release.

“Hmm, a sequel.”

And there was someone who was looking at this situation with interest. It was the 34th Doge, Enrico Dandolo.