Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Empire's Vikings (4)
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Pillage can be either a medicine or a poison, depending on how it's handled.
The poison case comes first—when the pillaging side fails to properly control its soldiers.
If that happens, the troops under your command get blinded by greed. Even if the commander orders them to stop pillaging and withdraw, they ignore it and keep at it.
A gap opens up in the meantime, and if the enemy exploits that weakness, the army could be annihilated in the worst case.
In fact, there are plenty of historical examples where, after fierce fighting and nearly routing the enemy, our own soldiers got so fixated on looting the supplies the enemy left behind that they lost their heads—and got hit by a counterattack that wiped them out.
On the flip side, it becomes medicine when the pillaging is carried out tightly under the commander's control: grab what you can and get out.
Do it right, and it boosts our troops' morale, replenishes needed supplies, and thoroughly crushes the enemy's will to fight and combat ability to boot...
As the leader, I'm choosing the "medicinal pillage."
"Captain, we'll make landfall in five minutes!"
At those words, every eye—mine included—turned to the small port right ahead on the shoreline.
It must bustle with people in normal times, but now, knowing we were coming, they'd evacuated all the civilians. Not a soul in sight—it felt like the set of a medieval movie.
Yet just a few hours ago, this place had been alive with merchants and fishermen.
Traces of the hustle and bustle remained plain as day.
The villagers must have rushed to evacuate, grabbing only the bare essentials and valuables before fleeing into that castle visible in the distance.
The northern soldiers seemed to share my thoughts. With the tantalizing prey right in front of them, they chattered excitedly, eyes glazed over at the thought of plunder.
"Our ancestors sailed ships like this to raid foreign lands..."
"Haha, yeah. My late grandpa used to brag about how, when he was young, he loaded up a longboat, took horses along, raided everywhere, and came back loaded."
"Serving the Kakan sure lets us put our traditions to thrilling use."
High spirits are good, but pillaging is addictive like drugs or gambling—once you start, it's hard to stop.
A final warning before landing wouldn't hurt.
"All hands, attention!"
The hundred soldiers on my ship snapped their gazes to me.
"We're about to land in the Warsaw Grand Duchy and execute a pillaging operation. Let me say it again: this isn't some fun outing for you. It's a clear-cut mission. That means anyone who doesn't obey the commander—me—will face strict court-martial under military law. Understood?!"
Casual pillaging often devolves into rotten entertainment—or straight-up crime—where soldiers toy with women and slaughter civilians before the enemy can catch up.
But slap "operation" on it, and it becomes a systematic plan to achieve strategic goals.
These guys have trained as Reich Empire soldiers for months, so they damn well know the difference.
"One more time: disobey my orders or those of your superiors in this op, and the punishment won't just hit you—it'll reach your wife, kids, and family. Keep that in mind."
My stern warning wiped the grins off the northerners' faces, replacing them with serious expressions.
"Finally, here's what you must follow in this operation. First: obey every order from commanders and superiors. Second: no pocketing even a single copper's worth of loot. Stick to those two rules. Why? Because your commanders and I act on the Kakan's orders. All plunder belongs to the Kakan, and he'll divide it fairly among you. Warriors of the North—no complaints?!"
Our Emperor Michael would divvy up the value of their loot—plus a cut from the captured ships—to the northerners.
By now, the other ships would've given the exact same warnings to their troops.
"None, Captain!"
"We'll offer all the spoils to the Khan first, then gratefully take our shares!"
"The Kakan is great, and we shall be his sword in battle!"
As the northerners roared their cheers, the lookouts on each ship bellowed out.
"Prepare to land! We're almost at the shore!"
"Good luck! Come back safe, everyone!"
"Long live the mighty Reich Empire! Long live the Warsaw Raid Force!"
With the encouragement done, they beached the ships at suitable spots, dropped planks from the decks, and let men and horses disembark.
The soldiers handled their mounts carefully as they hit solid ground.
Landfall complete, the warships—meant to support us as we moved—pulled away from shore right away. No sense risking attack from their navy.
They headed straight back to our original base.
"From now on, disperse by company—hundred-man units! Each company follows its designated commander. Rally point is near Fortbui Castle, and you will arrive by dusk three days from now! Move!"
At the order, everyone except my direct hundred-man unit bolted to fill their quotas.
Lightning-fast—they must've been itching to loot since they first spotted land from sea.
"We're sweeping this village clean. Split into four platoons: scour the granary, armory, assembly hall, and inspector's office. Valuables and secret documents only—nothing else!"
With that, my platoon started hunting for the village mayor's office.
As expected, not a voice or sign of life anywhere.
The northerners grumbled as they searched, disappointed at the empty streets.
"Back in the ancestors' day, there was at least the thrill of resistance from the townsfolk..."
"Ain't it better to loot easy? Shut it, Sergeant, or you'll get chewed out."
"Damn, still would've been nice to have some action since we're here."
Pillaging ain't fishing or hunting for the thrill of the catch—why spout that nonsense?
Still, we've got a long road ahead, and even in a strict hierarchy like the army, gripes are fine as long as there's no mutiny.
I ignored the complainers and entered the office building in the village center.
Like a Korean township head or county mayor's place—not expecting much, but surprisingly lavish inside.
Fine wool carpets, lacquered furniture, stuffed beasts, even what looked like artwork on the walls.
This guy's skimmed a pretty penny.
"Search every inch. There's gotta be valuables."
The soldiers tore through the place. One pressed his ear to a wall, thumping it with his fist.
He stopped at one spot.
"Captain, sounds like a hidden door here."
"What's your basis?"
"Normal walls thud dully or not at all. This just goes thump-thump like wood."
I tried it—yep, like knocking on timber.
"Looks like we hit paydirt. Step back—I'll smash it."
I pulled my mace and bashed the wall. Sure enough, a secret room behind.
Small as a wardrobe, but packed: gold and silver rings and jewelry, high-end pieces with sapphires and rubies (a bit cloudy, but real), and sacks bulging with gold coins.
Thousands of gold, easy—scraped together over at least a decade.
Naturally, records of bribes given and taken, with names, would be here too...
"Fuck yeah, good find! Dvinkov, you little shit—I thought you were a clueless punk when you volunteered to follow the captain."
"Sorry for calling you dead weight, Private Dvinkov. You're top dog in the unit now."
"These Warsaw thieves got filthy rich... Fuck."
My men cared more about the loot than any bribe ledgers I was after.
Still, I found the secret ledger in Warsaw script, tucked in an obscure corner.
Personally, snagging this ledger thrilled me more than the cash.
Just a few like this, and we could fuck over Grand Duke Warsaw beyond his nightmares.
"Bag the ledger and treasure. Then we torch the office and the whole village. Make it blaze bright enough for those cowards holed up in the castle to see."
The northerners, giddy at playing with fire after so long, set the wooden houses around the assembly hall alight.
They burned hotter than I'd hoped—satisfying.
And so, my four thousand light cavalry torched over a hundred villages along the Warsaw coast, plus dozens more on our route.
Grand Duke Warsaw's gonna love this.
Reich Empire Imperial Palace, audience chamber.
"Your Majesty, I brought some gifts on my way back. I hope they please you."