episode_0027

The commoners are like pigs and dogs.

No matter how much you exploit and swindle them, they don’t even realize they’re being taken advantage of, and they’re only obsessed with their immediate interests and livelihoods.

They can be easily seduced and used with a few sweet words, and you don’t have to worry about the aftermath even if you deceive them or discard them.

The commoners are nothing more than ubiquitous resources for the noble blue bloods.

This was a publicly known perception among the nobles of Hispania.

No, not just them, but also most of the nobles throughout the continent.

Why?

If someone were to ask this, the answer was simple.

‘Because that’s the rule of the world.’

They had learned and lived that way their whole lives.

Their grandfathers and fathers, too.

They had lived in a world where the caste system was taken for granted for hundreds of years.

Therefore, they regarded contempt for the lower classes and a disregard for life as common sense.

Therefore.

Rescuing the people swept away by the flood was not an act of charity or outstanding morality.

“Who will work in my city if those bastards die?”

“If the serfs decrease, the taxes I collect from next year will decrease. We have to keep them alive.”

“Even something insignificant is quite difficult to replace if it disappears.”

A judgment based purely on necessity and value.

Of course, not everyone may be like this. There may be fools who act according to their own sense of morality or justice.

But the logic of the vast majority was like this.

This world is still a thorough caste system society.

In it, to those belonging to the upper class, the lower class was nothing more than an inferior creature with a human-like form.

‘Status is a more important criterion than differences in race or ethnicity.’

A being that is used and exploited because it is useful, but not equal.

No matter how outstanding and excellent, they will be treated as useful cards, but they cannot be regarded as the same human beings.

They are by no means objects with equal human rights and dignity.

“No, is there a way to get rid of these people without pouring money into the flood victims?”

“Yes. I’m gathering supporters who agree with me now.”

Therefore.

When Malthusianism presented them with a basis for abandoning their duty as human beings.

It was an extremely natural phenomenon for the nobles of Hispania to welcome it.

* * * * *

[If population growth outstrips agricultural production, famine or war is like a naturally occurring dependent variable. Initially, intense competition for ownership due to resource scarcity will increase the prices of essential resources and goods, increasing poverty and inequality.

As time passes and asset prices continue to rise, social unrest will occur. This will eventually be forcibly adjusted through extreme phenomena such as large-scale wars, riots, coups, and famines.]

[Societal collapse is extreme, but it is one of the possible outcomes that can occur in the flow of population growth and forced decline. Such outcomes, i.e., disasters, inevitably tend to regulate the population more simply and sustainably.

Even if that is not the case, those who have to manage and control disasters should make it so. If they don’t, another disaster will strike soon.]

Author Ishmael said through Malthusianism.

It is only natural for people to die from natural disasters.

It is not something that must be prevented, but a necessary evil to properly maintain the population of the country.

[Continually uncontrolled populations lead to continued disasters and various unavoidable social problems. In order to prevent phenomena caused by a cycle that human power cannot stop, the only way is to prevent the phenomenon that causes it.]

[Give appropriate jobs to those who are able to work and contribute to society so that they can support themselves. Reduce unnecessary support for those who cannot support themselves and have no family to support them.

Improving society in a healthy way and curbing excessive wasteful spending will lead to the construction and maintenance of a stable society in the long term.]

For the sake of the country and the future of mankind, some commoners need to die off.

Unless it is a disaster that shakes the foundation of the country and leads to destruction, it is not a bad choice to leave it alone.

Rather, it can prevent a situation in which food shortages are caused by food shortages and excessive overcrowding. It also helps to improve the lives of the survivors through the forced redistribution of resources.

“This is a truly groundbreaking and inspiring piece of writing. This is the first time I’ve heard such a fresh perspective.”

“I agree. To define the process of disaster striking so clearly!”

The nobles willingly accepted the author’s intention to remodel the original work.

Disregard for the weak, contempt for the poor, and so on.

Without leaving out all the terrible things.

It was also an argument that perfectly suited their tastes.

“If this book is correct, doesn’t that mean the relief measures being implemented by the Imperial Family and the government are useless?”

“Frankly, isn’t that true? What’s the point of pouring a lot of money into those sitting on the streets?”

“We’re wasting the money to build a fleet of battleships to save only a few tens of thousands of poor people. Wouldn’t it be better to use it for something much more beneficial?”

“Beneficial, you say?”

“Why, in a place where investment yields corresponding results. Like a factory or an army. Or our territory.”

They can’t openly argue that the commoners are unnecessary and should be abandoned.

Because there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed even in the political world.

No matter how insignificant and how many of them die, it doesn’t matter.

It’s a statement that openly violates the words and scriptures of the Goddess, so wouldn’t it be a reason to be politically attacked?

No fool who has been in politics for a day or two would commit such a self-defeating move.

However, using the arguments presented directly in the book was enough to add persuasiveness to the claim.

As if the author had anticipated this situation, he had provided plenty of appropriate examples and solutions.

“It seems we need to gather our opinions. Is there anyone who will join me?”

“Me! I will!”

“Our Marquisate, too!”

It didn’t take long for the nobles’ opinions to come together.

After reaching an agreement, they immediately rushed to the Emperor and pleaded in unison.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider the relief measures!”

“Why waste money on meaningless things!”

“…Then what do you want me to do?”

“Invest the budget reasonably. Not in the commoners, but in facilities.”

The Emperor, who accepted the proposal, soon changed his policy.

The collected funds will be used to rebuild the country’s damaged infrastructure and supplement productivity. And to provide only the bare minimum of support to flood victims.

And the nobles picked out healthy and physically fit poor people and offered them new jobs.

The job of a mercenary.

“Mercenary…you say.”

“Yes. In other words, it can also be said to be a kind of manpower dispatch business run by the state.”

The state directly gathers people, trains them, and forms them into mercenary groups.

And sells them to other countries that are in urgent need of troops–Kram and Nabre.

The salary earned from being a mercenary is sent to their families after deducting a commission.

Since the war is in full swing, probably no country will refuse.

If it goes well, it may be possible to solve the livelihood of tens of thousands of people with other countries’ money.

At the same time, it will also have the effect of reducing the number of poor people and suppressing the rise in riots and crime rates.

“What about families with no one to send?”

“Isn’t that none of our business?”

Families who don’t have a suitable man to send to the front won’t receive benefits…but there’s no reason to care about that, right?

They’ll have to beg or work odd jobs to feed themselves.

“It’s a pretty clever plan for something that was conceived on the spot.”

“I agree. The expected effect is huge while costing almost nothing.”

They boasted that they had created an amazing low-cost, high-efficiency policy.

Without even knowing what Ishmael’s reaction would be when he heard about it.

* * * * *

“Wow, they put their heads together.”

I was amazed.

I was honestly surprised.

As expected, the higher-ups can just remove and attach humanity like an optional extra if you just give them a trigger.

I never thought they would try to eliminate the source of internal conflict by turning victims of natural disasters into soldiers.

Did I underestimate the jjotgan power of humans too much?

‘This way, they can get less flak from friendly countries and earn foreign currency. At the same time, they can selectively extract only the core of the war.’

I heard that Kram and Nabre have been putting a lot of pressure on Hispania lately to provide support.

Sending even mercenaries will reduce that kind of reaction.

At the same time, if they make and sell military supplies with the restored factories and productivity, they can make up for the taxes that have plummeted due to the flood.

If we put aside minor elements such as ethical issues, it is effective.

Isn’t it a position where they can minimize damage to their own country, claim some stake after the war, and easily back out if they lose the war?

‘I don’t like it.’

Annoying. Where do they dare to try to take only the advantages like a cheat?

If we’re going to be ruined, we should be ruined together and face destruction amicably. Why are they trying to escape on their own?

But as it is, there’s no good way to screw them over. I need some way to tie them more tightly to the war so they can’t escape…

“Ah!”

Come to think of it, there was something suitable.

“Miss Kalia, it seems we need to publish.”

“I should buy some manuscript paper. What kind of book is it this time?”

She asked, already used to it, with an almost expectant tone, and I replied with a smile.

“It’s called The Wealth of Nations.”

A timeless masterpiece that will overhaul the foundation of the empire’s economy and subject it to the special circumstances of war.