Chapter 96: Playing Politics with Fools
Originally, I’d had no negative feelings toward the Euz nobles. This was my first time visiting the border territory of Euz, and I’d been dispatched as support under the Crown Prince’s leadership to counter Burgundy’s invasion. I thought this war was a golden opportunity to earn merit.
Usually border skirmishes ended with territories fighting each other, so requests for central support weren’t common. But when the enemy forces pushing across the border started exceeding 1,000 men, Euz hurriedly requested support from the capital. The duchy forces led by the Crown Prince served as the advance guard.
Then news came that subjects who couldn’t evacuate in time were under attack, but Count Euz judged it too dangerous for his forces to move alone without support and left them to their fate. Most refugees had already fled to Euz Castle, so he turned a blind eye to sacrificing the minority.
The Crown Prince, having a sense of justice, couldn’t let innocent subjects bleed, so I ended up leading about 50 duchy light cavalry to crush the enemy’s raiding parties. Not only that, but after returning with prisoners and loot, we advanced north and burned their supply lines, completely turning the unfavorable war situation around.
Capturing Mont Blanc was just a small bonus.
I’d faithfully carried out the Crown Prince’s orders and fought hard for merit. But despite clearly being a huge help in the border war, I had to face unfair pressure from the Euz nobles. At first I was stunned and dumbfounded—pressured for achieving brilliant results.
Through my father-in-law’s and Fried’s persuasion, I came to understand that nobles as a species are sensitive to profit, and the more achievements I earned, the less there was left for them. But from my position, it was truly incomprehensible behavior. Is that how you treat a knight who risked his life fighting hard?
They’d received help but acted uncooperatively toward the duchy forces and prioritized their own interests above all else—was that behavior really justified? From that point on, my perception of border nobles was permanently tainted. They started looking like greedy pigs to me. Now that perception had reached its peak.
They were only pushing their own achievements.
What if I hadn’t predicted the enemy’s surprise attack? Euz, struck from the rear, would’ve suffered massive casualties. Did those nobles, so sensitive about their own interests, think their small territories and manors would’ve been safe after a defeat? If I were Count Épinay, I would’ve cleaned them out completely.
I had perfectly seen through the enemy’s plan and annihilated them. I’d had a huge impact on the northern battlefield where the main forces clashed, and as a result of the surprise unit’s failure and collapsed supply lines, the mercenaries forming the left wing were the first to desert. It was only natural that Burgundy’s forces, demoralized by the coalition’s offensive, fled in defeat.
I’d received orders from my father-in-law to pursue the fleeing enemy and specifically targeted Count Épinay. From a pursuer’s standpoint, isn’t it obvious to target the enemy commander rather than rank-and-file soldiers? It was the optimal timing with the count’s cavalry absent, so I launched a raid and successfully captured him.
Could there be any more glorious achievement?
I returned triumphantly, but what awaited me was an assault from Euz nobles who thought I’d hogged all the glory. I’m not some saint—would anyone not get angry in this situation? At least I cursed them internally and didn’t spit insults at them outwardly.
I maintained minimum courtesy.
Besides, I was a lower noble anyway.
To summarize, Baron Valent’s cavalry had been pursuing the fleeing enemy when they got ambushed by Count Épinay’s personal cavalry (guard unit) and withdrew after heavy casualties. Two other barons also claimed half their forces had died.
Accurate casualty counts hadn’t been completed yet, so I couldn’t confirm, but judging by their behavior, there was definitely exaggeration mixed in. These three barons were powerful vassal families of Euz.
They held enough power that even the heir Fried couldn’t make them bow. That’s why Fried, who’d been at odds with them, seemed eager to join hands with me to rein in Euznirk’s vassals. I didn’t know why Count Euz let things be, but I could imagine how much conflict there usually was.
The Euz nobles, who could never unite when dividing spoils among themselves, came together and raised their voices because the force they were facing was from the capital. Simple logic. With the power dynamic between regional and central forces at play, they closed ranks to confront a common adversary.
Factional logic exists everywhere on Earth.
But the thing is, I wasn’t an adversary—I was an ally who’d earned merit in war. "Enemy" is a term you use for Count Épinay and Burgundy, who actually invaded. Yet they attacked me more fiercely than they ever had Burgundy. What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this?
Objectively speaking, it’s right that nobles who participated in war receive compensation. Even I would naturally be furious if I bled and the government didn’t compensate me. I could understand demanding compensation. They had nominally fulfilled their role (war) as noble families defending the border.
If they’d requested politely and properly, I would’ve naturally made concessions. That’s how noble society works. But should I meekly give in while these pig bastards openly antagonized and ganged up on me?
To end this situation, there were ultimately only two options.
Ignore them and withdraw, or make concessions.
If I ignored them and withdrew, my relationship with the Euz nobles would naturally plummet to rock bottom, and I couldn’t expect future cooperation. While it was true they had opposed duchy command, it was also true they had formed a coalition and fought the enemy. A minimum level of cooperation had been achieved.
To simply ignore them, I was merely a lower noble.
Ignoring them required sufficient power and authority, so ultimately my only real choice was appropriate concessions. I was extremely annoyed at being in this position despite earning merit, but nobles favorable to me, including my father-in-law, sympathized with me and came to my defense.
So first, I schemed to divide the opposition from within.
It helped that Count Euz lent me his tacit support.
"I oppose hastily naming Baron Valent the second achiever!"
"Baron Hildrant! Are you dissatisfied with me being the second achiever?"
"While I regret that your cavalry suffered heavy casualties, I also suffered considerable losses. It’s only fair that we Hildrants, who fought the most devotedly and hardest, receive greater compensation!"
"Nonsense! Boeven achieved results more than worthy of the second position!"
When the three barons started claiming their achievements were superior, I was instantly pushed to the background. That must be what the Euz nobles usually looked like. When they had ganged up to attack me, I thought no negotiation would work.
Normally, even if an individual claims white, if the group says black, it becomes black. So knowing they were sensitive to profit, I predicted that if I singled out one person and gave him all the recognition, the others would naturally push back. When dealing with groups, exploiting divisions is fundamental.
And I had subtly cemented my position as first achiever. Those nobles were now fighting over the second-place position. Isn’t it laughable? They were actually acknowledging my achievement in their hearts. That’s why they panicked when Baron Valent was set to receive a share as second achiever.
When a group splinters, the difficulty of negotiation drops significantly.
It’s a tactic corporations and politicians often use, so it’s hardly a noble method.
"To think Euz nobles get swayed this much by a single word. Surprising."
"Normally such tricks wouldn’t work. But right now everyone’s blinded by profit, aren’t they? When rival factions clash over immediate gains, even brilliant minds become useless."
"Can they really be blinded this easily by the prospect of reward?"
Fried muttered.
He must have felt a great deal watching their behavior.
He sensed the danger that if the Duke of Burgundy promised massive compensation and demanded defection, these nobles could turn on Euz. Guarding against and monitoring that was Euznirk’s responsibility.
The ministerial council I’d experienced had been similar to this.
The scale and authority differed, but the essence was the same.
Even the ministers forming the government leadership couldn’t unite, and even these border nobles couldn’t unite. Fighting as a knight had its limits, and ultimately, unless the state itself changed, we could never compete on equal footing with Burgundy. This was probably the deep-rooted curse of aristocracy.