Iron Power And Sorcerer

Iron Power And Sorcerer Chapter 155

2021-01-23

Chapter 155 Mobilization
No war can start without clinking gold and silver.

Old Luo, Duke of Tyre once said bluntly to his son-in-law, the Holy Muro Emperor Richard IV: "You need three things to start a war, money! Money! The third is money!"

With periodic financial bankruptcies, Richard IV lost his best generals and all his lands south of the shaded mountain range.

But by its very nature, money cannot be used directly in warfare.

Gold can't be used as a gunpowder, silver is not worth the money for weapons and armor. War needs money because money can buy war resources.

Rid cultivator once told Winters: "The weapon that kills the most people in this world is not the sword, but the mobilization." The stick is deliberately mystifying.

But after seeing the ordinary people in Horsehead waving war bonds, and listening to the old cultivator dissecting how the Republic of Palato raised war money after war.

Although Lieutenant Winters Montagne still doesn't quite understand the word "mobilization," he feels a genuine fear.

The military history course of the Lu Academy reveals the truth: war is a game for the few, at least until the pie is divided.

A war between kingdoms and kingdoms is actually a war between kings and kings.

The common people had to pay taxes and serve in the king's wars, but they had to.

No one wants to go to war for free. Some people don't believe it, so they don't pay the army, and they end up miserably in the end.

Taxes, military service, feudal obligations, etc. can still be considered a kind of property of the king, in essence the king is still using his private property, his treasury to support his wars.

So too much taxation, too much corvée, and too much exploitation of vassals lead to overthrow, which is also a kind of bankruptcy.

Therefore, the population, wealth, and culture are all dominant, but the dynasties and empires that have been destroyed by the Barbarian Race rising in the remote areas are all subjugated;

The wealthy countries, the bankrupt ones The royal family is not uncommon;

In terms of population, land, and wealth, the Duchy of Firthland is not worth mentioning in front of the Holy Empire, but in the end, it is the "trader and pawn, mob" in the mouth of the emperor. At last.

In the final analysis, war is not about how much gold, silver, and population to rule, but how much gold, silver, and population can be mobilized for war.

Among the republics, Palatu was the second-worst in population and far less wealthy than Veneta, the Provinces, and Vine.

If she was still a Palatu dukedom, years of expeditions would have caused the Grand Duke to move his head—either by the Hurds or the Palatus.

But her territory is the largest, and it's getting bigger and bigger.

Where did the Republic of Palato come from to fight the war?

Answer: Borrowed.

It is common for monarchs to borrow money for wars, but their nature is still private lending. Borrowing objects are limited to luxury merchants, churches, Knights and bankers.

Borrow and repay most of the time, occasionally renege on a debt.

Thirty years ago, in Palatu, there were royalist rebellions inside, and Hede cavalry attacked outside. The Republicans were trapped in the castles, and were busy holding public trials and sending people to the guillotine.

Faced with a mess of people, food, and most of all money, General Ned pioneered another way of borrowing to raise military funds: special war bonds.

[Note: Ned Smith was still a general at the time]
These bonds were small denominations and were open to purchase by all.

There is no collateral, and it is expected to be repaid with all the proceeds during the war, including the private property of the nobles that has not been cleared, the seizure of future battles with the Hurds, etc.

Sounds like pay a small price for big rewards in return , but maybe that's why bonds sell so cheaply.

The four-silver-shield denomination bond sells for only one silver shield—and even that's very few buyers.

And then Ned Smith had a small victory, copying a Knight's home.

Valuable items, estates, houses...all spills of war are listed for sale at low prices, but only bond purchases are allowed.

Because it can be exchanged for physical goods, people gradually began to buy bonds, but the price of four silver shield bonds rose to two silver shields.

Then Ned ·Smith fought another victory of neither too big nor too small, copying a count's home.

Spoils of war As usual, the bond price of four silver shields on the market has risen to three silver shields.

Ned Smith's soldiers gradually began to agree to pay their salaries in the form of bonds -- at market prices, of course.

The bond buyers became shareholders, and the military became partners.

War became a business, or a gamble.

Every Platonic who buys bonds prays to Ned Smith for more victories and more spills of war.

After the eighth victory, General Ned announced that all bonds would be repaid as a single unit after the war was over.

There are two reasons: First, during the war, the largest real estate in the spills of war could not be sold for a price; used to expand operations.

The decision is a major blow to bond confidence, but Ned Smith has something behind.

"Open Bonds for Free Trading".

General Ned also announced that in order to allow bond buyers to recover their investment, the "Bond Exchange" of the Kings Castle was established.

If you don't want your bond, just take it to the trading floor and sell it. Maybe it's a loss, maybe it's a gain, it all depends on your ability.

The first [Bond Exchange] in the world was born 3 months later when [War Bond] was born.

Through this method of financing, Ned Smith mobilized money from ordinary people, such as artisans, merchants, and maids, and turned it into war funds.

Through this financing method, Ned Smith turned a small group of people fighting against another small group of people into a war between the Republic of Palato and another small group of people.

No one wants to serve for free, but everyone who buys war bonds is volunteering for the war.

 …

"Wait, what if we lose the battle? If the bond doesn't go away, there's nothing left?" Winters frowned asked the old magician.

"It's very simple, just don't lose." Reid cultivator said with a smile: "Don't forget, that's Ned Smith! The invincible tough guy!"

...

The one-year war ended, the royalists were purged, and the Hurds fled. The Republic of Palato was officially established and became the third member of the Senas Union.

The bonds issued during the war were all repaid at par, and Ned Smith took off the "Special War Bond Exchange" and returned to the province.

He got word that Richard IV was about to lead personally bringing troops into battle.

This time, the emperor vowed to crush the rebels completely.

......

"This is mobilization, the ability of a country to put resources into war" the old cultivator said slowly: "A war between countries is like two clumsy drunkards. Han wrestling. The strongest man can only use 10% of his strength, and he will be thrown by a weaker man who can use half of his strength."

Winters perked up his ears.

"The grossest mobilization is the mobilization of manpower, as is the case with military service, corvée, your militia; the more brilliant mobilization is the mobilization of money, where there is money, there are people, as was the case with Ned Smith, and so was the collection of taxes.

; Further up? I don't know. I'm afraid it is to dedicate all resources to the war, to cast the entire country into a weapon."

"How to cast?"

"If you want to forge the whole country into a weapon, you have to be united. Huh, the human heart?" The old cultivator sneered: "The human heart is the most difficult thing to predict in this world, and I really can't think of how to control it. People's hearts."

Hearing this, Winters couldn't help but sarcastically: "The people in the motorcade are about to treat you as a living saint, and you still don't know how to manipulate people's hearts?"

"You can't learn things before and after life." The old cultivator tapped Winters hard on the head: "If you have the ability of Ned Smith, you will be invincible."

……

Cross the turbulent boundary river from the pontoon bridge, and there is no road underfoot.

Between Heaven and Earth is a vast expanse of open fields, with only vague ruts marking the way.

Walking horses foaming at the mouth and striding hard, militiamen armed with muskets and lances walked by, occasionally helping to lift the wheels out of the mud.

More than two hundred carts wind their way through wasteland, unconsciously pulling into a long queue of more than two kilometers.

The person in front often just climbs a slope or goes around a mound and disappears from the vision of the person behind.

Winters patrolled back and forth to ensure order in the march. Any malfunctioning carriage is quickly dragged out of the queue to be rescued by Second Lieutenant Bud, who is in charge of the sweep.

Crossing the border river is equivalent to leaving the Republic of Palatu in a legal sense, and everyone is a little nervous.

Fortunately, there were no surprises along the way, except for the rear wheel of a carriage that fell off.

The tension quickly subsided, and fatigue flooded into the body.

Marching is extremely tedious labor, in fact, walking non-stop. And the lieutenant colonel strictly forbids his subordinates to put weapons and sundries on the cart.

The militiamen, carrying thirty or forty pounds on their backs, walked on wasteland with one deep foot and one shallow foot, thinking only of rest.

Lieutenant Colonel Jesska strictly controlled the rhythm of the march, and every time the hourglass flipped twice—about an hour—the team could take a break.

It was not until noon that the lieutenant colonel ordered the bugle to sound the long rest.

 …

The “buffer zone” between the Heard tribes and Plato has been around since ancient times.

For hundreds of years, the two sides have been at war and at peace. Whenever the Hurd people were stricken by disasters, they would go to Palatu to dig grass valleys. slave .

Historian Bonnie Seifer puts it this way: "The Palatu people are essentially agrarian, catholic Heds. Even in the eyes of the uneducated Monta Mountains, the Palatu The Tu people are also too barbaric."

The tribes of Heder were reluctant to go to the pastures near Palatu to nomadic, and the people of Palatu dared not settle near the tribes of Heder, and finally formed a zone of no concern. .

30 years ago, when Marshal Ned signed a peace treaty with the three ministries of Hurd.

It was even stipulated in written form that "two hundred miles here, the Palatu people will not cultivate, and the Hed people will not herd livestock", and the buffer zone has since then had a formal legal basis.

According to Ned · Smith's vision, maintaining distance may be the best way to avoid military conflict.

But the truth is the exact opposite of what he thought.

[Note: In Imperial Calendar 526, the butcher Arlean was defeated and killed. In the following year, there was civil strife in the Duchy of Palato, and the royalists and the republicans attacked and killed each other. Hed Khan "Xibanjue" took the opportunity to invade the east, and Ned Smith led the alliance army to break through it, slaughtering Jueye Khan, and all Hed's tribes have been stunned since then]
 …

"No wonder you have to choose winter to send troops!" A voice came from a distance: "This rotten land is better for walking in winter. When it rains in spring and summer, the ground must be full of mud, and the cart can't move at all."

If I haven't seen him, I hear his voice first, and at first I hear Lieutenant Andrea Cellini. Lieutenant Cellini is currently the recognized number one voice within the Jessica Battallion.

However, there are also rumors circulating: Although it is not obvious on the surface, the voice of Second Lieutenant Montagne can be loud enough to scare people to death.

Following its source, it was probably a wolf town militiaman who was drinking and telling the story of the second lieutenant "angry roar scared the giant bandit Ivan to death".

Andre strode towards Bud and the others, rubbed his hands together and laughed and asked, "Berrion, what's for lunch today?"

Bud, Kaman priest and Rhett cultivator sat on the ground with a large piece of canvas under him.

Several people were waiting for the food, and Bud came from the end of the convoy on purpose.

Since Bellian turned to orderly, more and more people have lunch and dinner with Winters.

"The main course is slow-cooked pork knuckle, sir." The chef with the wok replied, "There is also a creamy vegetable soup, but the bread is from yesterday."

Berrion lifted the lid and steamed pork knuckles simmered in sugar and sauce. The meat that has been stewed all the way is soft and juicy, and the bones are removed with a light stroke.

"Have you been to the camp ahead?" Winters jumped off the carriage with a basket of bread: "Is it early enough to come back?"

Andre stared at the pot , replied casually, "How long does it take to go back and forth for 20 kilometers?"

A few people around the iron pot began to divide the meat during the conversation, and Berian returned to the carriage and brought out a pot of miscellaneous vegetables. soup.

Rid cultivator took a sip, tsk tsk praised: "Mr. Berrian, with your ability, I think it is more than enough to be a chef for the emperor."

The blacksmith smiled. didn't say anything.

"Which emperor's court have you been to? Madman Richard's? Oathbreaker?" Winters couldn't help but refrain.

As a soldier of the Republic with strong roots, Mr. Montagne is most disgusted by such descriptions as "Imperial Family".

"I've never been there, but that doesn't hinder my evaluation criteria." The old cultivator was content and remained unmoved at all.

……

The long break of the trucking team is also lunch time. Most of the people in the team are eating dry food, and it is best to add some pickles.

During the march, the most important thing is dinner, because only in the evening there is time to make a fire, and the other two meals are casual.

Before Berrian became a waitress, Winters mostly ate cold bread for breakfast and lunch.

But since Berrian was in charge of the meals, Winters had been able to eat hot food.

The blacksmith made a special kind of iron furnace. The stove is half a person high and made of pure iron. It is divided into upper, middle and lower layers:

The middle layer is the combustion chamber, which can burn firewood and coal;

The remaining ash The slag falls to the bottom layer, and there is a small sliding door on the bottom layer, which can not only discharge the slag, but also adjust the ventilation to control the fire;

The best thing about this iron stove is that it doesn't leak open flames, it can't set the wood on fire with slate, and it can control the burning speed.

Berrian put the iron stove on the carriage, and set off in the morning to cook something, keeping the fire low. Winters have hot food to eat during the lunch break.

And, according to Winters, this iron stove is far more fuel efficient than a campfire.

……

There is no dining table in the wild, so Winters spread a piece of cloth and sat on the floor, which was a bit like a picnic.

"When I was around Gusa, I dreamed of drinking a hot soup." Bud said with emotion: "If there was such an iron furnace at that time, we would not be so hard."

p>

"Berion." Winters also echoed: "If you bring this kind of iron furnace to Hailan to sell, keep it safe and earn a smile."

Andre sang the opposite: " It's good, but you don't even look at how much iron the stove uses! Is it enough for ten breastplates? How many people can afford it?"

Winters immediately retorted: "Cast iron and steel are one and the same. Does it matter? The breastplate also has handmade money. The more iron is used, the better the materials are used. It is not a problem to use this stove for several decades. Spend one-time money to buy something that can be used for a lifetime, and some people in Hailan are willing to buy it ! When I get home, I'll put one in the study. "

The two Venetas are arguing with each other, and Berion is just eating.

He is also sitting in this small circle of people, with the same The Hundred-Men Commander dined with the priests—a request from the second lieutenant of Montagne.

The blacksmith refused, but the second lieutenant insisted that "it's just food, not so much honor".

p>

Winters didn't think much of it, except that when Berrian was initially transferred to the orderly, he was prepared to serve him like a servant, which made him very uncomfortable.

After a while, Winters' gendarmerie Heinley Shee and Ciel also came over. The two gave a salute and then sat down to enjoy the food.

The soldiers in the Ten Men Squad take turns preparing the food, but the Gendarmerie is directly under the Hundred-Men Commander , does not belong to any Ten Men Squad.

So Winters asked Shire and Heinrich to join him.

Other officers may not accept it, but Bud, Andre , Kaman priest and Rhett cultivator are not very concerned about the concept of inferiority.

Everyone sits around eating and chatting, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

It is Jess Lieutenant Colonel Ka visited this place and left without saying a word.

The baggage team arrived at the camp safely, and Winters and the others had dinner as usual. Still didn't say anything.

Until the evening of the second day, the lieutenant colonel stopped the three second lieutenants: "From today onwards, the three of you will eat with me. ”

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