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Vol 05 Chapter 143: Plebeians II

The incident started when a patrician of the Aris Family, struggling with financial difficulties, imposed a temporary tax.

During the last war, the plebeians had been promised a tax reduction. This temporary tax came right after that promise.

The plebeians were furious. However, it did not immediately lead to armed conflict.

At that time, the plebeians reluctantly paid the tax.

But soon after, the situation took a drastic turn. One of the patrician’s sons raped a plebeian girl.

The girl was a virgin, about to be married.

She fell into a deep depression and took her own life.

Naturally, her family and fiancé protested to the patrician, and a trial was held. However, the result of the trial was that the son of the patrician was found not guilty.

Then, on their way home, the disheartened family was attacked by the private soldiers of said patrician.

This news spread throughout the entire territory.

The enraged plebeians, centered around the soldiers that had just fought in the war, united. At the same time, they rose in armed rebellion.

And they surrounded the mansion of the patrician.

◇

「What the fuck are they doing… By the way, most patricians have a certain number of soldiers employed at all times. What are those soldiers doing?」

「It seems the patrician’s soldiers have sided with the plebeians.」

Hearing Raymond’s report, a sigh escaped my mouth.

Well, soldiers are plebeians too. They might have some level of patriotism, but their loyalty to the patricians is questionable.

「What should we do, Your Majesty?」

「What do you mean, what should we do? We have to suppress them.」

If they had only stopped working and declared a strike, I wouldn’t need to deploy the military. I would have tried to persuade them somehow. However, since they have resorted to violent actions, that’s a different story.

Of course, the patrician is at fault. But the plebeians who have turned to violence are also at fault.

「Gather the soldiers who are building the roads. We will head to the site of the riots within two days.」

◇

The assembled force numbered three thousand. The regular army I lead approached the territory where the rebellion was taking place.

I cannot help but feel that the soldiers seem a bit unsettled.

「Iarl, I hate to ask you to do something dangerous, but… go negotiate with the rebels. Tell them, ‘I promise a fair retrial. Disband immediately. Also, the leaders of the rebellion must present themselves before me. Otherwise, we will suppress you by force.’」

The soldiers under my command are plebeians, and the rebels are also plebeians. While I believe both sides are at fault, the plebeians likely do not see it that way.

They must be sympathetic to the rebels. In this situation, even if we fight, there is no guarantee we will win easily.

There is even a risk of us losing. I do not want to turn the people against me.

「Understood. I’ll try to persuade them.」

◇

Iarl returned at sunset. As soon as he saw me, he shook his head.

「It’s no use. They were too agitated to negotiate.」

「I see…」

There’s no helping it. We’ll have to resort to armed suppression.

「What exactly are they demanding?」

「Well… most of the plebeians making up the rebel force are demanding a retrial. However, the ringleader is very agitated and is demanding for all the patricians to be overthrown.」

So there’s a significant difference in goals between the ringleader and the soldiers. … Maybe it’s too early to assume this will lead to a violent clash.

◇

The next day, we crossed the border and advanced into the territory where the rebellion was occurring. By noon, we had reached the vicinity of the patrician’s mansion.

From a distance, we could see the crowd surrounding the mansion. They were all armed, and their equipment was indistinguishable from that of the regular army.

After constructing a simple encampment on a nearby hill, I addressed the soldiers.

「Everyone, you know the situation. The ones at fault here are the patricians who conducted an unfair trial. However, those who have risen in armed rebellion are also at fault. They should have appealed to me before resorting to violence. I do not like bloodshed. There is no greater tragedy than fellow countrymen killing each other. Therefore, I proposed a retrial, but they rejected it. They are too agitated to listen. …Is there anyone among you who has relatives or friends in the rebel army? If so, please step forward. Help me persuade them.」

The soldiers began to stir. After a while, a few men raised their hands.

「My daughter is married here. My son-in-law might be participating.」

「My brother was adopted as a son-in-law here!」

「My friend is from that territory!」

「My cousin moved here!」

I looked around at each of their faces.

「I want you to persuade your friends and relatives. I will ensure a fair trial is conducted. I swear on my name as your king, I ask the gods and you to be my witness. I do not wish for conflict.」

「「「Yes, Your Majesty!」」」

Alright, I hope this turns things around.

◇

「Roswald, I’m glad you came.」

「What do you need of me, Your Majesty?」

「If fighting breaks out, the infantry may not be of any use. In that case, we’ll have to rely on the Praetorian Cohort. …In the worst-case scenario, we might end up having to fight the enemy with just your unit.」

Right now, we’re negotiating with the plebeians making up the rebel forces, not the ringleader. The plebeians don’t want much—just a retrial.

I’ve promised them a retrial. However, the ringleader has a different agenda and won’t listen.

That’s why I’m negotiating directly with the plebeians. If the message comes from someone they trust, they’ll believe it.

But there is still a possibility that the ringleader will push for a fight. We have to be prepared for the worst.

「If it comes to battle, their morale should be low. We’ll take them down with just the cavalry. They don’t have a real commander. If we can outflank them, it’s over.」

Roswald’s words are reassuring. He has grown a lot… He’s completely different from the man who engaged in battle with the Regal Dibel’s army after falling for their provocations.

「It’s reassuring to have the Praetorian Cohort in times like these.」

「We are always on your side, no matter what, Your Majesty. …But what is the ringleader planning?」

「According to Iarl, He wants to overthrow all the patricians. He hasn’t explicitly mentioned me, but… he probably aims to eliminate me as well.」

I am highly popular among the plebeians. If he openly declares me an enemy, no one will follow him. That’s why he seems to avoid mentioning me as much as possible.

But what concerns me is…

「Why the rebels don’t disband? In any case, once I promised a retrial, many in the rebel army should have felt their goal was achieved. Their morale must have plummeted. In this state, they can’t win even if they face a weaker enemy.」

They will die a pointless death. If it were me, I’d consider it bad timing and give up.

「It is strange. The timing of the uprising is bad. They should have gathered more dissatisfaction, recruited more comrades, and launched a large-scale rebellion… At this rate, they can’t even kill a single plebeian, let alone overthrow the monarchy.」

We both felt silent.

We might be misunderstanding their objectives.

「Could it be… that causing a large number of deaths is their actual goal?」

「Meaning? What are you implying?」

「I’m thinking that the ringleader might be a pawn of another country. The goal might be to drive a wedge between me and the plebeians…」

If that’s the case, I must disband them without going to battle.

「This matter needs to be resolved without bloodshed.」

◇

As the sun fully set, the people sent for persuasion returned. I called them over to hear their impressions.

「How did it go?」

「They seemed to be wavering. They asked for more time to think…」

We can’t maintain a state of civil war indefinitely. It would give other countries an opportunity to exploit us.

「Understood. We will wait for their response until noon tomorrow. If there is no response by then, we will attack.」

After telling them this, I gathered the soldiers.

「We will commence the attack at noon tomorrow. I might dislike bloodshed, but if they insist on fighting, we have no choice. I am the king. I have a duty to bring peace to this country. Therefore, I cannot let those who threaten peace go unchecked, whether they are plebeians, patricians, or slaves. But know this: whether we resolve this through negotiations or by force, a fair retrial will be conducted. This is my promise.」

The soldiers’ expressions were grim. However, there was no sign of unrest or a significant drop in morale.

Even if it comes to a battle, it seems they will be able to fight to some extent. As long as they don’t desert in the face of the enemy, that’s all that matters.

After that, Roswald’s cavalry will crush the enemy with a flanking attack.

◇

The next morning, at dawn. I approached the rebel army with a small group of cavalry, including Roswald.

The rebels’ equipment was almost identical to that of the regular army, but… their organization and morale were completely different.

Despite our approach, they didn’t notice us until we were close. Even after discovering us, they couldn’t form ranks quickly, and the formations they finally managed to assemble were pathetic.

Their camp was also in terrible shape, with most of them sleeping on fur mats in disarray.

I advanced to the very edge of the range of their bows.

「Lulu, Soyon, I’m counting on you.」

「Yes!」

「Leave it to us.」

The two of them worked together to cast a spell. One of the spells developed by Tetra, a voice amplification spell.

「Rebels! I do not wish for bloodshed. But if you desire bloodshed, I will not hesitate. As I have said many times, I promise to conduct a fair retrial. There is no need for you to shed blood! Disband immediately. Furthermore, there are suspicions that the ringleader of the rebellion is in contact with foreign powers. Surrender and explain the situation. If you do not disband by noon… I will consider you my enemy. You know well that I do not show mercy to my enemies.」

The purge of the Dibel Family instilled fear in many patricians. And it isn’t only the patricians who fear me; the plebeians likely do as well.

The soldiers of the rebel army were in turmoil. Deep down, they might have believed that I would not attack them.

Now they realized the gravity of their crime. Anger is fleeting. Given time, it dissipates like the receding tide.

Even though a girl was raped, for most plebeians, it’s someone else’s tragedy. They might have been enraged initially, but over time, that anger will fade, and they will become rational again.

If they do not disarm after this, there will be no choice but to suppress them by force.

Having said what needed to be said, I left the scene.

◇

By noon, there was no communication from the rebel army. There was no other choice. I briefly informed the soldiers that we would attack as planned, and we marched out.

We formed our ranks and advanced toward the rebel army. Despite the warning of an imminent attack, they had barely prepared for a counteroffensive.

「Prepare!」

At my command, the soldiers readied their spears. It was an impressive phalanx.

Meanwhile, the rebel army couldn’t organize any formation at all.

「Charge…」

I was about to give the order to attack when one of the rebels started to flee. That triggered a mass exodus; the entire rebel force broke and ran.

We hadn’t even clashed weapons, yet they were in total disarray.

「Should we pursue them?」

「No, it’s fine.」

We won without a fight. I doubt they have the morale to rebel again.

「Roswald, don’t kill the rebel soldiers. Just capture the ringleader.」

「Understood.」

Thus, the rebellion came to an anticlimactic end.