Chapter 41
Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Fake Information (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sergeant Kueln, who was about to be discharged soon.
He had come all the way deep into the Ortz Kingdom alongside people from his village and those sold to his parents.
"Sergeant Kueln, sir, there's a garrison up ahead."
In the Empire, a garrison meant an Imperial Army outpost.
Naturally, in the Ortz Kingdom, a garrison meant an Ortz Kingdom Army outpost.
He now had two choices.
One was to bypass it, the other to enter the enemy garrison.
"Hausen, what do you think? Should we just go around?"
"Do we really need to?"
"You want to walk right into the enemy's mouth, you madman?"
"Look at us—no, look at our sorry state. Do we look like soldiers or refugees?"
Among Sergeant Kueln's group, only four could be called soldiers.
The rest were Ortz Kingdom civilians who didn't even know how to hold a musket, let alone fire one.
After trudging for over two weeks, their clothes were caked in grime, and their faces were smeared with dust.
And the muskets were hidden under the cart's floorboards...
'No one would suspect we're Imperial soldiers.'
"The army might cut corners sometimes, but war is still fought with common sense, right? Think about it logically—who but a madman like us would come all the way here?"
"A madman might, but would you?"
"And don't you know the battalion commander's temperament?"
Michael Schumacher, our battalion commander, was a rare good man in the Imperial Army.
No—generous to a fault with his own troops.
He had clear boundaries, making him easy to deal with as long as you stayed within them.
To badmouth him without knowing his character...
Sergeant Kueln thought his friend had lost his mind for a moment...
"If we rack up a big achievement without breaking orders, we can change our status too. Haven't you heard how soldiers and NCOs under that battalion commander got promoted to officers?"
"Yeah... you're right."
"It's a shot at the big time, you idiot."
Thinking it over, he realized it was true.
The odds of them being exposed as Imperial soldiers were extremely low.
On the other hand, brazenly entering an Ortz Kingdom Army garrison to spread disinformation and gather high-level intel would be a massive accomplishment.
It could change their lives if they played it right.
And men remain boys at heart, whether ten, twenty, or in their late thirties.
'This is insane! Let's do it right now.'
"What are you waiting for? Let's go."
Acting cold, hungry, and destitute, the pair trudged toward the Ortz Kingdom Army garrison.
Sergeant Kueln approached them.
"Oh, we're saved... we're alive."
He then hugged his companions and burst into tears.
"We've been fleeing those wicked Imperial bastards for days. Now we've reached the kingdom army's garrison. We're saved!"
"Finally, we can rest."
"Thank you, Fortuna! Thank you!"
The sentries watching their reaction weren't surprised.
If they were discharged and ended up living in a war zone...
They'd act just like these refugees.
Being captured by Imperial soldiers meant death for men and rape for women.
So they had to flee like this.
Ortz Kingdom's highborn might be bloodsucking tax leeches in peacetime...
But in times like these, they were reliable.
One of the two-man sentry pair approached Sergeant Kueln.
"Where are you from?"
"Ah, we're from Oreas Village."
"You've come a long way. I'm Sergeant Elias of 3rd Battalion here. You must have suffered greatly to reach us."
"Thank you, Sergeant."
Sergeant Kueln continued his pitch-perfect refugee act.
"We've traveled so far without proper sleep. If it's not too much trouble, could we rest here a bit?"
"I'd like to say yes, but I need the battalion commander's permission. Wait here."
Neither the Empire nor the Ortz Kingdom placed much value on the rights of commoners.
But they knew commoners were future labor...
So if refugees begged for shelter, they'd provide some.
And a bit of food if supplies weren't critically low.
"Yes, Sergeant."
Soon after, they received permission from the garrison's officer to enter.
Sergeant Kueln's group entered the outpost.
Inside, they shared various pieces of information with the soldiers there.
"The Imperials were heading toward the Haring region. We barely escaped half a day before they arrived."
"I see. Do you know how many there were?"
"Sergeant Kueln, the village guard captain, would know."
The village guard captain—simply put, the strongest man in the village.
A key role for handling incidents or wild beasts.
The soldiers' gazes toward him shifted slightly.
"How many were there?"
"How should I know? Maybe around 100,000."
Their faces froze at the mention of 100,000.
It seemed more than the Ortz Kingdom's mobilized forces.
"And on our way here, we heard some strange rumors."
"What kind?"
At the words "strange rumors," the man speaking to Kueln changed.
A moment ago, a soldier—now a lieutenant.
"I heard the Imperials are lowering taxes in the villages they've occupied. They take 50% where the Ortz Kingdom takes 60%..."
"Is that true?"
"Why would we lie to you, sir?"
The Ortz Kingdom lieutenant's face hardened.
Tales of 100,000 troops needed verification.
But if word of lower taxes spread...?
Morale would plummet.
For simple farmers, the nation was a millionth priority—what mattered was who took less tax.
Another doubt crossed the lieutenant's mind.
"Fine, let's say that's true. But why come all the way here?"
"How could we trust the Imperials?"
It was irrefutable.
How could anyone trust an enemy promising no harm in wartime?
"Fair enough. You can stay here tonight."
"Thank you."
"Wherever you're headed, I hope you arrive safely."
After the officer left, Sergeant Kueln and his group spread more rumors in the outpost.
That the Imperials surprisingly committed no war crimes, and even lowered taxes.
Allied soldiers' morale sank steadily.
By the time we rejoined the main force, Sergeant Kueln and his group had linked up too.
"Good work, everyone."
"Thank you, Battalion Commander."
They must have walked several times farther than us.
Posing as refugees kept them from being outright seen as enemies...
But operating deep in enemy territory was never easy.
The mental strain and physical exhaustion must have been immense.
"What results did you achieve?"
"We visited six enemy garrisons, thirty villages, and several towns, spreading rumors that the Imperials mean no harm and are lowering taxes."
"You entered and exited enemy garrisons?"
"We figured our appearance made us look like refugees."
Sergeant Kueln looked utterly ragged—not even polite flattery could call it neat.
It was for camouflage, but...
Common sense dictated no one would imagine a spy in such attire.
"You definitely look like ordinary refugees."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Proof of his dedication to the mission.
"Did the kingdom soldiers' morale seem down?"
Sergeant Kueln grinned.
"They were fighting out of fear that the Imperials would kill all the men in their villages and rape the women. But after hearing the truth, some just laughed it off, wondering if they really needed to fight so hard. Morale drop confirmed."
"I see."
The pitch to forcibly conscript soldiers has been the same from ancient times to the modern era.
'Your suffering here lets your family sleep soundly at night!'
'Fight for your parents and siblings!'
'If we don't defend the nation, our women will be kidnapped and raped.'
They stoke fear of loss to force men to grab muskets.
Block that, and morale crashes.
Add that Imperial rule means lower taxes and higher real income...
'Why fight from the soldiers' perspective?'
"The allied troops will pass through here, and the rumors will spread far... Excellent work."
"Thank you."
"If the Imperial Army wins big in this war, I'll personally write a recommendation to the General Staff."
No need to specify what kind—they'd know.
They risked their lives diving into danger to complete the mission...
We owed them the biggest rewards possible.
NCO-to-officer promotions weren't common...
But a General Staff recommendation was the least we could do.