Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: A Splendid Vacation (4)
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That night, in a cabin near Jaegerburg Castle.
A whole suckling pig skewered and roasting over the fireplace, lamb ribs, bubbling cheese fondue, and beer along with mare's milk liquor imported from the Reich Empire.
Without any northerners around, it was a lavish feast they could never have back home, and the mood here was incredibly lively.
Deep down, they all wanted to bring some women in and cut loose a bit, but the tribal chiefs clung desperately to their self-control.
After all, with so many northern tribal leaders gathered in one place, who knew when political talk might crop up.
But the Crown Prince of the Empire had personally journeyed to this frozen north to accept their oaths of loyalty. That was as good as a promise that plenty of scraps would fall their way from here on out.
Even if they weren't usually close, on a day like today—when their tribes' bright futures were all but assured—the other chiefs looked as welcoming as ball-and-chain buddies of over a decade.
“I never dreamed His Highness the Crown Prince would come all the way to this cold, godforsaken north. Hell, I didn't even dare imagine it.”
“Of course, Kakan never treated us poorly before. But who could've guessed he'd travel from Reichburg all the way out here?”
“I've gotten pretty tight with the commander of the Northern Army's 13th Regiment lately. Colonel Millinod told me the Empire's central command is pausing the war for a bit, and that'll mean more subsidies and settlers flooding into the north. I didn't buy it at the time, but now with His Highness here? You can bet massive funding's coming our way.”
The northern tribal chiefs—no, the newly minted northern nobles of the Reich Empire, granted knightly titles and territorial domains—perked up at the mention of subsidies.
More than that, they trembled with barely contained excitement and anticipation, like a man on his wedding night with the girl of his first love.
The subsidies they'd already received had skyrocketed the quality of life for themselves, their families, and their tribesmen. If the Empire poured in even more massive support and drew in a bigger population?
As their territories developed and earned real clout, ascending from mere “knightly” nobodies—decent enough for the Empire, sure—to full-fledged “barons” with seats in the imperial parliament suddenly didn't seem like a pipe dream.
'Once I'm a baron, these knight wannabes will know to bow and scrape on sight...?'
'Just picturing it feels amazing. Minokov bending the knee and greeting me all polite-like before my title...'
In the midst of this heating atmosphere, one man appeared who stood out in his utterly different attire from the other chiefs.
To be precise, he'd been listening quietly from the corner and chose that moment to join the conversation.
Dressed in the formal suit of an imperial noble, clean-shaven without the signature northern mustache and beard, he looked completely out of place.
The man—no, Andersen—let out a heavy sigh with a grave expression.
“His Highness coming all this way to the frigid north is proof the Empire truly cares about us. I have no doubt massive subsidies will flow in for developing our territories. But are all the Empire's nobles cut from the same cloth as Captain Jaeger? You can be damn sure there are plenty who'd get a stomachache knowing we're getting handouts straight from His Majesty and the parliament—and they'd pull every string to block it.”
Every eye snapped to him.
Because until Ludwig had rooted them out up north, everyone in this room had lived through times when one tribe's gain meant stomachaches for all the rest.
And no matter how they sliced it, they all knew men like Captain Jaeger—their Kakan, the man they all secretly hailed as supreme khan—were one in a million.
Besides, the speaker, Andersen, operated under the firm belief that as an imperial noble now, he had to grasp the Empire inside and out—even if he didn't fully share their mindset.
Young for his mid-thirties, he'd even hired private tutors to master the etiquette, culture, and knowledge imperial nobles learned from grade school onward. The man was treated as a full-on Reich Empire expert.
Confronted with cold reality from such a source, the other chiefs had no choice but to nod in reluctant agreement.
“Yeah, if taxes from my lands got funneled to some southern imperial fief, I'd be pissed too...”
“We serve Kakan to the death, but the Empire's other nobles are his subjects just the same. They can't outright veto subsidies from him, but slashing the budget to ribbons? Easy.”
“......Now that we've bent the knee to the Empire, don't we deserve proper manors or castles to live in? And a shot at hearing 'baron' ourselves? Do our northern tribes lack for land? Hell no. A little development, pack in more people, and any one of us could run a tidy little barony.”
Andersen smirked wickedly as he watched the mood swing his way.
'With Captain Jaeger holding down the north, I'll never outrank him as the top dog. But if I can steer these guys exactly how the Empire wants... I could end up the only one here with a proper Reich title.'
It was a scheme that aided the Empire and trickled benefits down to everyone—not a bad play at all.
But his private plot to skim a little off the top of the tribes' rewards and climb into nobility and wealth? That had to stay hidden for now.
'Can't pull a stunt like that last traitor—getting my head shipped off to Viscount Kerjite. Nah, number two in the north is the sweet spot for me.'
Andersen cleared his throat a few times to pull everyone's focus.
“That said, there's a solid way to shut down the imperial parliament's pushback.”
The chiefs fell utterly silent, leaning in like their lives depended on it.
“Be real—Captain Jaeger was just some orphan nobody back in the day, right? The kind we'd never spare a glance. But his personal exploits carried him all the way here. So we need to cooperate in ways that force the Empire to recognize us. Our tribesmen will soon be conscripted like any imperial citizens, trained up, and paying proper taxes, yeah?”
Heads nodded all around.
“We chiefs convince our people: enlistment might feel like a drag at first, but everybody does it. Pay those taxes willingly. Whether it's off to war or basic training, we tell the young bloods, 'Your hustle decides if the tribe rises or falls.' Light a fire under 'em. Then what imperial parliament noble dares second-guess subsidies from Kakan himself?”
The idea struck the chiefs as rock-solid.
Hell, even as “barbarians” commanding hundreds or thousands, they'd handed out rewards to standout subordinates plenty of times.
And they'd seen firsthand how no one could argue when merit was the justification—no matter how salty the rest of the crew got.
“Argue? Over my dead body. We're not some lazy bums sucking subsidies dry without lifting a finger. If we're earning it through real deeds, anyone who objects is a goddamn traitor.”
“All this wealth and peace we got? Straight from Kakan. If he's fixing to give us more, we cooperate like we should.”
“I agree with Chief Andersen.”
Andersen decided to pile on one more spoonful.
“Real talk: in the Empire's central politics, who else is watching our backs besides Kakan and Captain Jaeger? The north's still under Northern Army HQ jurisdiction, too—if we get screwed over too hard, he could even file a petition on our behalf. So let's send him a gift. Something that screams gratitude and goodwill. But no asking for promotions or tribal aid—heads will roll for that. Pure thanks, nothing else.”
A few days later, Peter Jaeger received a hefty haul of top-grade warhorses, prime pelts, and luxury furniture crafted from northern pine timber—as gifts from the northern tribes.
“......Imperial law's a real joke sometimes. No quid pro quo, just a straight gift? 'Not bribery' by the book. But if I turn it down, that could stir up even bigger headaches. Better ship it all to His Majesty and pass along a message: 'The northerners will never abandon His Majesty.'”
And with that, Peter Jaeger wrapped up his northern tour with the Crown Prince and headed home.