Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Northern Conquest (10)
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After our victory in the battle, over the next two months, we split our forces into manageable groups and plundered more than four hundred barbarian villages.
As a result, we captured roughly four hundred thousand prisoners, and the cows, pigs, and sheep we seized were too numerous to count—we could say we'd achieved a feat for the history books.
However, since the Northern Army had no force of comparable size to relieve us yet, we were stuck north of the Quappenhaun Peninsula, unable to escape Ludwig's territory.
One might think that even though we'd completely annihilated Ludwig and his tribe, some other hostile force had appeared.
But the other northern barbarians were just as savage and ignorant—though their survival instincts were honed to near-human limits.
"Regiment Commander, sir. This is 4th Company Commander Hendrick Hommel. A barbarian tribe from north of Quappenhaun has come offering their loyalty and surrender. They'd like you to accept it."
On the contrary, to avoid the fate of Ludwig's warriors or their enslaved families, they'd come voluntarily, offering up their entire territory.
There were no fools idiotic enough to defy the Empire—a power that had just crushed a mighty neighbor and risen anew.
Moreover, if they were going to surrender to the Imperial forces anyway, many preferred to do so through the sector we were guarding.
That was because I'd killed the Khan.
"Damn, guess I'll have to suit up in my armor. There's a cup of warm milk I was about to drink right here—help yourself and wait."
"Thank you, Colonel, sir."
With that, Captain Hommel bowed to me with sparkling eyes and drank the warm milk.
Following his report, I changed into my armor and headed to the checkpoint our regiment was guarding.
About ten minutes later, when I arrived at the outpost—not quite a full gate—I saw a fair number of mounted barbarians waiting there.
There were about four men dressed like chieftains in ornate attire, two thousand warriors mounted for combat, and five thousand family members.
True to their nomadic nature, they had around ten to twenty thousand horses, cows, and sheep in tow.
I glared at them imperiously and declared,
"Wise northerners seeking to return to the Empire's fold—we welcome you. However, as you're not Imperial soldiers, we cannot permit you to enter our territory armed. Please disarm."
At my words, the 1st Battalion soldiers manning the outpost aimed their spears and weapons at the group.
They went on high alert, as if war might break out at any moment.
It might seem like an overreaction to those surrendering, but just a week ago, when we'd ordered another group to disarm...
...they'd nearly come to blows. So in a way, it was a justified precaution.
As both sides stood off in armed standoff, a woman's voice—sounding about my age—rang out.
"Everyone, disarm. Lay down your weapons and follow orders."
At that single command, the warriors from the other tribe hesitated slightly but all dropped their spears and swords to the ground.
I inwardly sighed in relief that no pointless fight or standoff had erupted and said,
"Northerners, I, Colonel Peter Jaeger, commander of the Reich Empire's 24th Regiment, welcome you. Finally, before passing through our outpost, please line up single file. We will also inspect all your belongings."
"So be it."
With those words—not savages anymore, but northerners surrendering to the Empire—they swiftly formed a single line as I'd ordered and underwent our inspection.
We didn't ask why they'd come or where they planned to stay, as if they were entering from overseas, but the search itself was extremely strict and thorough.
Regardless of age or gender, Imperial soldiers personally patted them down over their clothes to check for hidden weapons.
Their luggage was unpacked entirely, every item examined, then returned.
However, having men inspect a female chieftain could cause issues, so I called Laura to handle it personally.
After mobilizing the entire regiment and spending half a day inspecting every person and belonging from the northerners,
"Thank you for your cooperation. Is there a representative for this group?"
At my question, a blonde woman with blue eyes removed her fur hat and strode forward confidently.
"I represent them."
She looked remarkably young for a chieftain—a beauty—but she carried the full dignity of a tribal leader, so she wasn't just a figurehead.
That explained why her tribesmen had obeyed her order to disarm before the Imperial army without hesitation.
"I am the chieftain of the Kerzhit Tribe, the White Wolf of the North, Anastasia Kerzhit. I've come to surrender this group to the Empire."
Yet despite surrendering, she spoke to me—a colonel in the Imperial army—in familiar terms, which irked some soldiers and officers. A few glared at her murderously.
But she wasn't a prisoner; she was surrendering, and she'd brought a sizable group. Groveling before me would seem odd instead.
"Lady Kerzhit, I sincerely thank you for your decisive choice and for coming all this way. I'll get permission from the Northern Commander, who's still here, by tomorrow or the day after, and arrange for you to live formally as Imperial citizens. Also, since the journey here must have been arduous, how about a feast?"
"Very well."
With her approval, I ordered the men,
"Today is an auspicious day—four tribes, including the Kerzhit, have surrendered to us. Slaughter some of the cows, pigs, and sheep we took from Ludwig's lot and hold a feast. No alcohol since we don't know when another tribe might show up, but eat your fill with no limits on food."
As I spoke, the Kerzhit chieftain looked at me with evident interest.
Laura stared back at her with wary eyes.
Laura was probably on guard because she worried the Kerzhit chieftain might harm me.
"Major Laura, it's fine. We inspected all their belongings and confirmed no hidden weapons, and you just checked that she has nothing concealed on her person, right?"
Well, if we really got thorough, there are other ways to hide weapons...
But surely not.
"Th-that's true, but..."
"Besides, this is my business. If you're still uneasy, just double the guards watching outside my tent. In that case, Lady Kerzhit, while the rest enjoy the feast, shall we have a brief talk?"
Anastasia smiled brightly at my words and replied,
"Gladly. My heart races at the thought of speaking with the hero who slew the Khan."
Three hours later, as night fell.
"Haha, thank you so much for killing that damned Khan."
"Ahem, it was our regiment commander who took down that rotten scum. I happened to see it! He flew in—bam!—and plunged a dagger right into the bastard's solar plexus."
"You were just like the White Wolf from our tribal legends. So similar—toppling the evil Khan at such a young age!"
Outside my tent, the northerners and Imperials were animatedly swapping tales of how I'd killed the Khan and crushed the wretched Ludwig tribe.
Fusing with surrendering barbarians overnight was usually tough.
But they were getting along well, likely because resentment festered in their hearts from being chased by Ludwig into the North's harshest lands.
Our army had lifted that burden, earning us goodwill.
Plus, by surrendering, they'd acknowledged our superiority—proving their will to avoid fighting the Empire.
As I listened to the chatter outside, Anastasia Kerzhit, chieftain of the Kerzhit tribe, entered the tent.
Upon seeing me, unlike her demeanor outside, she adopted an extremely deferential attitude.
"Anastasia Kerzhit, chieftain of the Kerzhit tribe, greets the hero who slew the evil Khan. Please look favorably upon us."
She was projecting strength to her followers to soften their resentment toward surrendering, but here, she was humbling herself completely to extract concessions from me?
I liked that...
"Rise. Also, I'm just a mere regimental commander. You might not know coming from the North, but I lack the authority to decide your treatment."
Liking it didn't mean I'd go easy on how we handled them.
Regiment and brigade commanders like me at the border must evaluate surrendering tribes' value preliminarily and report it.
I have no authority, but you have the right to request how we treat you.
Now, prove your worth.