May 3rd, on the Trinb Kingdom's front lines, the Commercial Alliance army's main camp.
Chairman Camblerett of the Two-Headed Dragon Trading Company was furious beyond measure, so enraged that he abandoned all pretense of composure and began cursing loudly in front of everyone inside the main tent...
But his targets weren't the people inside the tent, nor his own troops who ignored orders and acted on their own, and certainly not the enemy defending the fortress castle across from them — this time, even King Trinb VII didn't catch any of the blame. What Chairman Camblerett was cursing was his own relative — that cousin over in the Ulubaha Duchy, the famous third-rank Great Swordmaster, the stubborn old Grand Duke Ulubaha IV.
This was a literal slap to his own face! No wonder Chairman Camblerett was so furious. Two months ago, the chairman had written to this relative of his, hoping to hire a legion from the Ulubaha Duchy to serve under his command, with the Commercial Alliance covering the hire fee. In Chairman Camblerett's view, setting aside their family relationship, the sheer volume of business the Two-Headed Dragon Trading Company gave the Ulubaha Duchy each year should have been more than enough to secure his relative's support for the Commercial Alliance.
And so Chairman Camblerett had received a personal reply from Grand Duke Ulubaha IV, in which the grand duke expressed unwavering support for the Forde Commercial Alliance and condemned King Trinb VII's reckless behavior. The letter stated that an Ulubaha legion was currently on a mercenary contract, and once that contract expired, the duchy's Scarlet Corps would be dispatched to serve under Chairman Camblerett's command.
At the time, Chairman Camblerett had been delighted upon receiving the letter, showing it to everyone as proof that the Commercial Alliance had widespread support and that their invasion of the Trinb Kingdom was just.
After routing the four-nation coalition that stood in their way, Chairman Camblerett led his army into two new prefectures of the Trinb Kingdom. The garrisons of both prefecture cities — one fled, one surrendered — allowing the Commercial Alliance to seize two more Trinb Kingdom prefectures without breaking a sweat.
Chairman Camblerett was about to press his advantage and sweep through the entire Trinb Kingdom to capture King Trinb VII in one fell swoop, when his motley troops once again stopped listening. They scattered into the two newly conquered prefectures to plunder everything they could get their hands on, leaving the chairman fuming with rage.
Before he could even order punishments for the squad leaders, distress signals arrived — those Gold-rank swordsmen and mercenaries sent to raid noble estates and castles had attracted the attention of assassins. Some were besieged, others killed, and thirteen or fourteen Gold-rank swordsmen or mercenaries had already been beheaded. Their heads had been collected for bounties.
Chairman Camblerett had no choice but to deploy the counter-assassination squad to round up the scattered, besieged, and clueless looters one by one and bring them back to camp. It took nearly a month to sort everything out. He reorganized the troops, restated military discipline, and set out again — only to be blocked by the fortress castle up ahead after just two days of marching.
If the Trinb Kingdom's army were defending this fortress, intimidation, threats, bribery, and promises could have handled it easily. But King Trinb VII knew all too well that his kingdom's army was incompetent, cowardly, and unreliable. This time, the force he sent to defend the fortress was none other than a renowned mercenary legion — one of the two mercenary legions from the Ulubaha Duchy: the Scarlet Corps.
The Scarlet Corps numbered twenty-four thousand men, making it a small-scale legion. But among the surrounding nations, this legion was quite famous. It had participated in numerous campaigns to suppress rebellions and sweep out bandits, and had even helped an heir to a small kingdom reclaim his throne. It was known for its loyalty, bravery, reliability, and tenacity.
The reason Chairman Camblerett had set his sights on the Ulubaha Duchy's two mercenary legions was precisely because of their reliable combat effectiveness and their excellent obedience to orders. Besides, their hire fee wasn't expensive — only a hundred thousand gold Fordes per legion per month. With such a mercenary legion under his command, the chairman believed he could both restrain his motley troops and show them what real soldiers looked like — a perfect win-win.
But now, the very reinforcements and reliable fighting strength that Chairman Camblerett had waited for and longed for had become the enemy, blocking the Commercial Alliance army's advance. This twist nearly made the chairman cough up blood.
Two days later, the truth was laid bare before Chairman Camblerett. It was simple: King Trinb VII had offered a massive sum — one million gold Fordes for three months — and Grand Duke Ulubaha IV had unhesitatingly broken his promise to Chairman Camblerett, turning to stand on King Trinb VII's side.
The order given to the Scarlet Corps was to hold the fortress castle to the last man — as long as they lived, the city stood; when the city fell, they died. Grand Duke Ulubaha IV had even hoped that the entire Scarlet Corps would perish here, because King Trinb VII had promised that if the Scarlet Corps was completely annihilated, he would additionally compensate Grand Duke Ulubaha IV with five million gold Fordes, and all weapons, equipment, and armaments would be fully replenished. And for Grand Duke Ulubaha IV, human life was the cheapest commodity in the Ulubaha Duchy — no matter the losses, he could always conscript replacements to fill both legions at any time.
This was why Chairman Camblerett had cursed his so-called cousin — the money-grubbing, faithless old bastard who would sell out his own relatives for gold. The Two-Headed Dragon Trading Company's past favors and business benefits to the Ulubaha Duchy had been fed to a white-eyed dog...
And this from the Scarlet Corps, a legion known for its tenacity and resilience.
Perhaps the saying that the battlefield is the best academy held true, but actually forcing his motley troops to attack the fortress would guarantee heavy casualties even if they managed to take it. The Scarlet Corps, under orders to hold to the death, would exact what kind of exchange ratio before being wiped out — one to three? One to four? Was such a heavy toll worth paying for a single fortress? Chairman Camblerett firmly believed that if his troops suffered fifty percent casualties, they would likely lose all will to continue the invasion of the Trinb Kingdom.
But if he didn't attack, what then? Going around would make him a laughingstock — a hundred and fifty thousand troops having to detour because of a single fortress castle. Rumors would spread in no time that he was afraid of the Scarlet Corps, boosting the enemy's morale while undermining his own. Yet he truly couldn't bring himself to issue the attack order. The fortress up ahead had no defensive vulnerabilities, its vigilance was iron-tight, and any assault would result in mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Even then, people would still accuse him of using excuses to weaken commercial competitors and suppress the second- and third-rate trading companies. It was maddening!
At this moment, Chairman Camblerett truly wished his so-called cousin dead. Being money-hungry was one thing, but this was practically tearing off all pretense — sacrificing every family bond for gold.
With a long sigh, Chairman Camblerett leaned back in his chair, only to notice from the corner of his eye that there was still someone standing in the main tent. He paused in surprise, then looked more carefully — it was Selham, the eldest young master of the Chicked Trading Company.
"Hmm? Why are you still here?" Chairman Camblerett asked, puzzled.
The eldest young master Selham stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Chairman, I have an idea that might allow us to take this fortress without a direct assault."
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" Chairman Cambleratt perked up.
"It's like this, Chairman. First, can we confirm that the Scarlet Corps defending the fortress up ahead has indeed received orders to hold to the death?" eldest young master Selham asked.
Chairman Camblerett nodded.
"No orders to sortie?" eldest young master Selham pressed for confirmation.
"None," Chairman Camblerett replied.
"Then this should work, Chairman. I would like to go as an envoy to that fortress castle and meet with the commander of the Scarlet Corps. Please allow me to undertake this mission," eldest young master Selham requested.
"What are you planning?"
"Chairman, perhaps we can do something with those two words — 'hold to the death'..." eldest young master Selham smiled.
Two days later, the Commercial Alliance's hundred-and-fifty-thousand-strong army marched along the main road, bypassing the fortress castle and continuing their advance eastward. Eldest young master Selham and the Scarlet Corps' commander Celia stood at the gates of the fortress, watching the Commercial Alliance troops file past in an endless stream heading east.
"Thank you, Commander Celia. I'd like to once again express the sincere gratitude of the Chicked Trading Company. Perhaps there will come a day when we can cooperate again," eldest young master Selham said to the Scarlet Corps' commander with genuine sincerity.
Commander Celia of the Scarlet Corps was a burly, rough-looking man in his forties, a Gold Two-Star Knight. He simply shrugged. "No need for thanks — we're each getting what we need. Just as you said, nobody wants to die for nothing. I don't want to lead these good lads of ours to pointless deaths either. Besides, we haven't violated our orders — we did hold the fortress castle and didn't let it fall into your hands. As for your army passing around the castle, that's none of my business. I never received orders to block the main road and deny you passage..."
May 11th. The Commercial Alliance army successfully passed through the fortress held by the Scarlet Corps and continued their advance. Upon receiving the news, King Trinb VII was alarmed. On one hand, he dispatched envoys lavishing gold to invite reinforcements from surrounding nations. On the other, he sent someone to question the Scarlet Corps about what they thought they were doing.
Commander Celia of the Scarlet Corps produced the orders he had received and replied with righteous confidence: they had held the fortress castle to the last — they had not violated their orders. Where the Commercial Alliance army went was none of his damn business. That wasn't his responsibility...
King Trinb VII was furious upon hearing this report and sent word to Grand Duke Ulubaha IV. In response, Grand Duke Ulubaha IV brought the other mercenary legion stationed in his duchy — the Three-Color Sword Corps — to the Trinb Kingdom, where, together with the allied forces of various nations, he stood against the Commercial Alliance's hundred-and-fifty-thousand-strong army outside the Trinb Kingdom's capital, Feys City, formally siding with the Trinb Kingdom. And so, another stalemate war lasting over three months began. But that is a matter for later — we shall not dwell on it here...
……
May 14th, Haneabada Kingdom, Nubit Port.
More than thirty of the Chicked Trading Company's ships were lined up neatly in the harbor, and countless ragged, hollow-faced, robust slaves were shuttling back and forth like busy ants, carrying bundled supplies down from the ships.
An older slave's foot slipped, and the square bundle strapped to his back with straw ropes crashed to the ground. From inside came a crisp sound of something shattering. The surrounding slaves' faces turned deathly pale. They quickly moved away from the stumbling slave, not wanting to be dragged down with him.
The slave who had fallen simply sat on the ground, a smile of relief spreading across his face. Several burly, menacing overseers rushed over and pinned him to the ground. One grabbed his long hair and yanked it back. Another drew the long sword from his waist and brought it down — in an instant, head and body separated, and blood gushed from the severed neck.
One of the overseers picked up the square bundle, examined the marking on it, and cursed viciously: "This is Lord Watzek's cargo. We're going to get an earful for this. Might even have to pay a fat indemnity. Damn slave! A few of you — stick that head on a pike and throw the body into the sea!"
The scene on the dock was nothing remarkable to either the Chicked Trading Company personnel or the slaves. In this nation of slaves, such occurrences were commonplace — nothing to be surprised about.
In a lavishly decorated mansion in Nubit Port, the Chicked Trading Company's third young master Moribac was accepting the hospitality of the local host. In attendance were the top ten or so major slaveholders and slave traders of Nubit Port.
Having sailed from
Amid clinking cups and clattering plates, a few of the slave traders who had drunk their fill loosened their tongues, one after another complaining about how difficult the slave trade had become this year — poor market conditions, subpar merchandise, and so on...
Third young master Moribac asked curiously what was causing such a significant impact on their slave trade.
The slave traders cited many reasons, but the one common thread was that the meteoric rise of the
One slave trader fondly recalled the good old days: "During the years of the Empire's civil war, the nobles of the former Krisen Empire welcomed our caravans. We were treated no less warmly than dukes and marquises. Those nobles were only too happy to sell us their captured prisoners of war, disobedient subjects, and rounded-up refugees. Back then, a fit prisoner of war could be bought for just a small silver coin. If we were willing to go to the trouble, we could even hire mercenaries to go after those refugees — every one captured was a gold coin..."
"Indeed, it's a shame the civil war ended so soon — only seven years, sigh!" Another slave trader chimed in. "But the business was still decent back then. Plenty of nobles were willing to deal with us. We'd transport slaves from the Redelis Kingdom to the Luorm Duchy and load them onto ships — a single trip could net several thousand gold Fordes."
"Who would have thought that the king of the Redelis Kingdom — the former Empire's first prince — would crumble so easily, actually defeated by his nephew, the Second Prince of the Andinak Kingdom, right up to his capital city, and forced to cede two southwestern provinces before the second prince withdrew. Remember, our main trade route at the time ran through those two southwestern provinces. Just like that, the route was cut off."
"Does the first prince not deal in the slave trade either? Or the second prince?" third young master Moribac asked.
"Third Young Master, you might not know this, but the three princes of the former Empire each had different attitudes toward the slave trade. Take the second prince — that's the king of the Iberia Kingdom. His approach was to publicly not support it while quietly tolerating it. He was the easiest to deal with, and of course we never forgot to show our appreciation. Back in the Iberia Kingdom, we could openly buy up slaves anywhere.
The first prince was different — he would only pretend not to notice, but then have his soldiers impose heavy tribute taxes on us. Passing through his territory was like being skinned alive. There was still some profit, but not enough to make it worthwhile.
The most terrible was the Second Prince. Before, when the third prince fell ill and the first prince took power, things were still manageable. We once brought a batch of slaves from the Iberia Kingdom and tried to load them onto ships at Qilin Port in the Andinak Kingdom. When we were caught, it was just a fine. But after the Second Prince came to power, if we were caught by Andinak soldiers, it was over — no questions asked, straight to the chopping block. He even proclaimed that the Empire's citizens were noble and couldn't be sold as slaves!
In reality, he was out of his mind. His Empire's citizens were practically starving to death, and he couldn't even see that being a slave at least meant staying alive. It's just that with three hundred thousand troops at his command, nobody dared cross him. In those two southwestern provinces, he'd rather ladle out porridge to feed three or four hundred thousand refugees than give them a chance to escape. If those refugees had fallen into our hands, that would have been an enormous fortune!
Last time, didn't Durik try to lure some away from the southwestern refugees? He posed as a Morant City merchant recruiting workers and managed to attract nearly a thousand people. But he was recognized as a slave trader, and both he and his entourage ended up hanging from the gallows."
"Oh, Third Young Master, has the second prince gone to war with the first prince yet? I hope they're locked in a fierce struggle — the longer it drags on, the better our chances of getting our hands on large numbers of slaves," one slave trader asked.
"Forget about it. When I left Morant City, I heard that the Second Prince led his army over the Cloudsever Mountains at the end of February and launched a surprise assault that captured the Redelis Kingdom's capital. The first prince fled in disgrace. I suspect by the time I return, I might hear that the Redelis Kingdom no longer exists. With such a formidable Second Prince in power, I wouldn't count on getting slaves from there ever again."
The third young master then launched into his own grievances, recounting the Chicked Trading Company's original northern strategy.
"It's a shame none of that can happen now. Just one second-rank Great Swordmaster, three thousand family soldiers, and our company's leadership went all timid and indecisive. Now that the situation has changed, there's nothing left to count on..."
But the slave traders weren't interested in that: "Third Young Master, you mentioned the
"That's right. That bastard doesn't have to worry about our family eyeing his Shiloas Island anymore. He's recruited fifty to sixty thousand refugees from the two southwestern provinces to develop the island..." Third young master Moribac, unable to hold his liquor, passed out cold...
……(To be continued.)