Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 32: Thracian Overture (7, end)
-VB-
The surrender came before the gates broke.
I was honestly happy that it did, because if any of the tribe's assaults did break the gate open, then I would have no choice but to follow through completely with my proposal to the warriors.
"Halt the attack!" I shouted loudly. There was a pause and then hesitation as men backed off. "They have surrendered!" I added in for a good measure.
That got the warriors to back off.
I looked up to the "diplomat" who came with the word of surrender. The diplomat in question was standing on the battlement above the gate where I was commanding the men. The diplomat stopped waving the white flag(scarf?) hanging to a stick.
"Open the gate so that we may discuss terms!" I shouted.
There was a pause before the man disappeared from my view.
There were shouts on the other side of the gate before I heard heavy wooden beams being lifted and tossed aside. The gates opened with a heavy creak, and some of the wood that made up the gate even fell away. It just went to show everyone that we were very close to breaking through.
The representative in question also paled before clearing his throat and walking forward. Now that I saw him in full, I realized that this was the man who had stood next to their king.
"I am now the new king of Istria."
… Ah. So the ailing king died.
I spoke no words to condolences because I didn't feel it nor was it polite between warring people.
"You are?" I asked casually.
"I am Renius, son of Deneclaw." There was a pause before he spoke up again. "And before I surrender and negotiate our peace, I will have you know the truth." Then two men from behind pulled a third man to the forefront in ropes. "This is my father's friend, who you know as our envoy to you. What you did not know was that he went against my father's orders to befriend you by attempting to sit himself as your lord. He is yours to handle as you see fit; we've already confiscated everything he owned."
Then the two soldiers pushed the man into the mud, making him go splat on the road.
I crouched down and inspected him. Despite the bruises and cuts on his person, he was definitely the same man who had a shouting contest with Ghigari. I stood back up and kicked him in the face, making the man groan in pain. I looked up and allowed Renius' words to play through my head.
"We were both fooled by this man, then."
"Yes." He glared at the muddied man in anger, but there was not a little amount of anger directed at me too. "He is the cause for our suffering." And the 'our' here wasn't including me but including him and his entire city.
"... Very well. I accept your surrender. Let us negotiate how our peace will be like. Do you wish to follow me out into the fields where the stink of the dead won't haunt you or will it be within your walls?"
He looked at me in surprise. "You would trust us with your safety?"
I supposed that it would seem that way.
I walked over to him and grabbed the piece of wood that fell from the gate. I grabbed it in one hand, barely fitting in, and then I squeezed.
The wood snapped into splinters and fell away. Renius paled at the sight as did his men.
"I can defend myself well enough," I laughed as I dropped the splintered wood and shook the splinters away. To my own surprise, none of the splinters had even penetrated my skin. Odd.
"Very well. Let us enter my home."
I gestured for two of my warriors to accompany me, and Hoktim quickly stepped up before anyone else. I was really beginning to appreciate the guy. The other was actually Johaken. I nodded to them in thanks before following Renius.
Walking through Istria's street, I got a good look at the results of my siege. People laid dying covered in their shit and vomit, the sick living stacked their dead in a corner just out of the way of the main traffic, and the thin limbs and gaunt faces followed me as I walked up the small hill towards the palace I saw in the distance.
These scenes of victims of war ebbed the closer we got to the palace. Instead, I saw people mourning.
I ignored it all.
Renius led us to a patio, where chairs and a desk had been prepared. He sat first, as he was the owner of the house, and then gestured for me to sit.
"As the representative of the Lower River Kettins and no more -" I spoke up, and that seemed to shock Renius and his retinue. "- I have demands."
"We've heard them, and they were too much."
"... but before we go there, I have to ask. Is it true? That you and your father had nothing to do with the diplomat as you have claimed at the gate?"
"It is true. My father wanted allies in case the Phyrgians to the south came attacking our ally Byzation. I know not how the people of the Gataens work, but us Thracians are a divided people. Each city-state is a kingdom of its own, which serves as the only reason why we have been unable to unite. Against a large united enemy like the Phyrgians, we cannot win without burning our own fields to starve them out."
"So your father sent a diplomat to us hoping to get an ally…"
"But the man used his position to become a lord of someone else."
"Sucks."
Renius gritted his teeth.
"He was my father's trusted friend. It is what it is. Your people paid very little for my father's mistake while we have paid far too much."
I didn't say anything for a moment.
"Unfortunately, you did not surrender before my people attacked your gates, and we nearly made it through. The past terms are no longer enough for us to simply leave, not after marching all the way here."
"And what would you rob from us even more?"
"As the leading general in this war and perpetrated party on my side, I demand half of your artisans and their families, five thousand talents* of grain and fifteen talents of gold now, and one thousand talents of grain and one talent of gold to be given to the Lower River Kettins as tribute annually for the next ten years. Any of the reparations that cannot be met will be taken in double their weights from your slaves. During this time, the City of Istria will be under the protection of the Lower River Kettin."
Renius' fists curled up into white-knuckled fists, but he didn't speak out in anger.
I knew that he was remembering what happened to the fields. That was the point of why I burned the fields. It was a warning and siege tactic rolled up into one. The first time they refused my terms, I burned their food and farms. The second time they refused? How would I react? Call off the truce and sack the city? Hang every man and enslave all women and children?
He didn't know. He feared me.
I could see it in his eyes. There was anger, yes, but he feared me more.
He bowed his head.
"I accept the terms."
"And the Lower River Kettins pledge to abide by the terms. We will not loot or harm a hair on Istrian citizen's hair. We will, however, stay until all of the war reparations have been collected and volunteers have been decided to man your walls."
I stood up and left.
"For what it's worth," I said right before I left the patio. "I wish you luck in your rule. Long live the king."
I ignored the angry sobbing of a robbed and broken man behind me.
-VB-
Johaken shifted uneasily as his brother-in-law finished his speech before their warriors, and watched as how easily the promise of divided loot calmed the warriors.
But no one so much as spoke out against Alan's warning to not harm any Istrian citizens during their stay. The unspoken promise of violence he would visit upon them needed not be said, not when the smell of smoke and death clung to the air around the city as an example of what happened to those who angered him.
It was scary how Alan waged war. Was this how wars were waged in his homeland?
If so, then Johaken didn't want to be anywhere near it. There was no honor in this. No glory in slaying starved men who can't lift their spear up properly.
Alan won them the greatest victory in all of Kettin history, but the methods he used sickened Johaken to the deepest core of his mind and body.
"Johaken, with me."
He jolted out of his train of thoughts and followed his brother-in-law as he walked away from the celebrating warriors. Once they were out of anyone's range of hearing on this vast hill overlooking Istria, Alan turned to him.
Johaken shivered a little.
"Brother, I have a request of you."
"How can I help?"
"I do not trust any of our elites to not visit what their diplomat tried on us to the Istrians."
Johaken blinked before he frowned. He could certainly see several of his peers try such a thing.
"But I know that you will not."
He didn't like where this was going.
"So for at least a season, I hope that you will lead the warriors in the defense of Istria."
"... Why me?"
Johaken opted to ask instead of refusing. Alan was the wiseman of the tribe. He knew things. His reasons were deep. He wouldn't just simply ask him for help if he didn't need it.
"Because you listen to me. While you do have a warrior's pride, you do not allow it to blind you like it blinds so many warriors."
That was true, even if he's had his own episode or two. He did challenge his brother-in-law for a spar, after all.
"You were also not the one who burned this city to the ground. The people here do not know you as they fear me."
Also true.
"And this way, you will rule this city for however short or long you want it, and learn how to rule without negatively impacting our tribe with mistakes."
His eyes widened. "You mean…?"
"Both of us know who your father wants for him to be succeeded by." he replied.
Johaken nodded. It was a sore point, but one that he begrudgingly accepted.
"It may even be so that I will be forced to take the role of chieftain if the elders and the other leaders choose it. They have seen me bring the tribe victory after victory."
"I know. I know that you have been leading the tribe while I have been … not doing much."
"And this is your chance. To show the tribe that you have guaranteed tribute from the Istrians."
"Yes, but it will mean that I am away from the tribe and my family."
"That is why I only ask for a minimum of a season. Besides, if something were to happen to me, you are next in line anyways. This will be a good experience for you."
Johaken sighed. "Fine. Fine! I'll do it. Stop pestering me now."
"Besides, you might get a wife here, and maybe you might stay."
For a moment, Johaken thought back to their visit to the Istrian palace, where a buxom woman had been mourning.
"...Maybe."
Alan grinned knowingly. "Oh? You already have someone in mind?"
Johaken playfully struck his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "Shove it. It's my business."
-VB-
A/N:
*talent: 1 talent = 26 kg-ish
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Threadmarks: 33: Good and Bad (1)
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 33: Good and Bad (1)
-VB-
The tribe met our flute-whistling and loudly cheering returning march of victory (something I hadn't known we had until others told me about it) with their own cheers.
It wasn't until rather that I truly understood the enormity of my accomplishment, but that was for later.
Right now, I had a bigger fish to fry… or rather, I had a bigger fish to appease.
"W-Wait, wait, wait!" I yelped as my pregnant wife slapped me.
"Why did you bring more slaves, huh?! Don't you know how hard it is to manage what we have right now?!"
All the while I was trying to tell Ureya that I brought them over to bolster the tribe, the tribe in question laughed at our married couple antics.
"Men! You just drop everything and went on a goddamn war! Do you know how hard it was to keep your people from running around like beheaded warriors?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
A war hero, I was.
Still a woman's man, I am.
She finally calmed down a bit after venting at me for half an hour.
"... Sorry. Welcome home, dear."
I laughed without taking her rant too seriously. "I'm back. I got some shiny jewels for you, if you want?"
She made a disgusted face at that. "Keep those icky weird things away from me. Get me food instead."
I snorted. "As you wish."
It wasn't long before the tribe hosted a feast to celebrate the victory.
Things were looking up.
-VB-
Things weren't looking good.
Now, he found that being in charge of a city was very similar to being in charge of the tribe like his father had shown and taught him. Sure, he didn't get most of the lessons, but he'd understood some, and put them to use now. Though he was loathed to do so at the start, he made friends with the new king of Istria to make this occupation-thing easier on him.
To his surprise, Renius agreed to try reconciliation.
"I see, so that's how we ended up in a war," he grunted in irritation after listening to his new advisor's side of the story on how their two people had come to war. "To think that this was caused by a single family…"
"Yes," Renius, the current king of Istria, gritted as he clenched his fists. "And we don't even know the extent of what he's done to the city's reputation."
That worried him, but Johaken was sure that no one as great as his brother-in-law would assault the city. They still had food and weapons, so they could outlast any siege should it come down to it, especially so considering that his brother-in-law was to come back within the month.
"I… expected worse from your people."
Johaken snorted. "I did, too. It was Alan who talked us out of it."
"Really? The man who nearly burned our city to the ground?"
"He said it is all fair in war until there is a surrender."
"Hmm. A merciful man."
"You have no idea."
And then that man got him to agree to a marriage with his sister.
"M-master J-jo-!" the girl, Renius's sister Regia, writhed under him as he made her his. Despite being only few years younger than him, she was a beauty that had somehow not been claimed or had gone off to choose a man of her own.
Her plump breasts jumped up and down as he ravaged her womanhood with his manhood, holding her down by her wrists. Her wet brown hair clung around like the halo of the sun at dawn. Her wet eyes sparkled like morning river streams, and her pink lips just brought out … that intense desire in him.
Despite the fact that they only had a single candle to light this room this night, he could see all of her soft and glistening skin.
This was their wedding night, and he was still not sure how it came to this.
But having a beautiful woman underneath him? A woman who was now his wife and would carry his children?
He wasn't going to regret it.
Their flesh clapped with each of his thrust, and she mewled out in ecstasy.
It wasn't long before he held her and shot his seeds into her.
It had been great, in fact. His first wife treated him well, and he did his best to treat her well. He made sure his warriors didn't needlessly hurt any Istrians as they were now his people-by-marriage. No one made too much of a fuss… well, except for the very few warriors who didn't get themselves local lonely women to spend the night with.
Then it happened.
Two weeks after his brother-in-law had left to carry the news of victory and the reparations paid by the city of Istria to the tribe, the warriors stationed at the city with him had alerted him to the movement of a large body of men to the south. He came to the walls just as the sun reached its peak, and what he saw made him grimace.
Away from the Lower River Kettin tribe and the heartland of the Kettins, Johaken found himself stuck in a situation that he hadn't predicted, foreseen, or discussed.
Another army.
He watched them come to the city's southern gate, and then a messenger rode out.
The messenger (or was it the commander) had more decorations than actual armor. Actually, no, this couldn't be a messenger. This had to be some pompous noble.
"I am from the city of Lygos! I bring with me two thousand soldiers to honor the alliance! Open the gate so that we may talk with the King of Istria!"
Johaken didn't even consider it. From the battlement, he spoke down to them. "The city of Istria is no longer an independent city! It has been conquered by the Lower River Kettins! Turn and go back to your city, the war is already over! The Istrians have surrendered!"
There was a pause before the commander/noble(?) spoke up, this time rather angrily. "We too have issues with Istria like you did, Gatae! I did not think that it would be so easily conquered!"
… Ah, the fucking diplomat. This was his fault, wasn't it? Johaken hoped to the gods that Alan and the rest of the tribe would make that bastard suffer.
"We want the king and his family! We demand justice for what they subjected us to! That is all we require!"
"I cannot follow through with your request, Lygosian!"
"... Then we will break through the gates and make you suffer."
They weren't even going to try and negotiate? Damnation, they really came here to burn the city down, didn't they?
"You are welcome to try!" he spat back.
The commander rode back to the army of two thousand.
Two fucking thousand!
"Fuck…" he hissed as their archers stepped up. He turned to his warriors and the city's native defenders. "Shields up!"
-VB-
A/N:
*Lygos is the name of Thracian city that existed before the Greek colony of Byzantion, which later became Constantinople.
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Threadmarks: 34: Good and Bad (2)
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
New
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 34: Good and Bad (2)
-VB-
"I-Is it right for me to go?"
Johaken nodded. It was the middle of the night, and they who had all gathered here opted out of using torches in fear of the enemies outside their walls spotting their messenger.
The messenger in question was one of the hunters that Alan had brought with him in the initial siege. He was the youngest of all of the warriors who had stayed at Istria, but had the best running speed and endurance combination.
"Yes. You are the fastest, the only one who will get to the tribe in time for a reasonable reinforcement, or at the very least, to call my brother-in-law to our defense."
The mention of the pseudo-demigod of war brightened the boy, and with a nod, the warriors guarding the gate opened its thick wooden doors just slightly enough for the boy to pass through.
The boy, armed with nothing, nodded, and slid through the small gap and ran. He ran like his life depended on it.
Johaken ordered the gate to be closed again, and they did with a soft thud.
It's been three days since the siege began, and the Byzantions weren't as bad as Alan was. They knew that they could burn fields, but all the fields had been burned already. They had no concept of siege weapons like his brother had, and they just settled into "hopefully" starving out the city.
Oh, they did attempt a few attacks against the walls with ladders and tried in vain to bring down the gate with rams, but they failed despite their overwhelming manpower advantage.
Currently, it was the most logical plan of action for them, and Johaken agreed; there wasn't enough food in the city to last them over two months. He also did not like the idea of sitting behind the walls of the city.
"Alright, all of you go get a good night's sleep. We don't know when we'll sleep well after tonight."
It was the same words he'd given every night when the sun set, but they were no less true; if you died, then you wouldn't wake up to enjoy a good night's sleep anymore, just an eternal rest of oblivion.
He watched the few warriors and the local citizen-soldiers (a strange concept for him) who were with him disperse, and then he too went to his … home.
Johaken walked up the street towards the wealthier manors situated at the center of the city. There, he took a turn towards the palace. He passed by the guards standing by the gate, who had opened the thin wooden gates when they saw him coming. The servants who were still working saw him and bowed, moving out of his way as he made his way deeper into the palace.
Then it was he who saw someone else. Renius had come out of his room, probably having heard that he had returned to the palace.
"Brother Johaken."
"Brother Renius," Johaken greeted and bowed slightly. As he was both the younger in years and the one who had married Renius's younger sister, the hierarchy of position was clear, even if they were on friendly terms.
"It's … funny how I find myself wishing the best for the same warrior - I'm sorry, a hunter - who had assaulted our walls no more than a month ago," Renius sighed wearily. "The beds we make, is it not?"
"It is," he said as he straightened himself. "I did not expect these Byzantions to stay as long as they had."
Normally, warfare was nothing like what Alan waged. More often than not, there were several battles where both sides lined up and clashed before one side conceded or were overrun.
"It is not as bad as your other brother-in-law was to us. The worst the Byzantions can do is fire some arrows, bang on the doors, and die on our walls. Your other brother nearly ruined us without even physically touching us. I find the latter to be more horrific, now that I've gone through the tamer siege of today."
Johaken really wondered how ruthless the siege must have been. He was there to see the aftermath, but what would it have been like to see your fields burn, forests burn, water poisoned, and death creep from the sides?
There was a pause. "Will he come?" Renius asked with a frown.
"Why do you ask that?"
"He has no obligation to us, unlike you. It was one of the reasons why I allowed your marriage to my sister."
Johaken nodded. It was as much as a political alliance as well as a military alliance between the King of Istria and the Commander of Kettins. He knew for a fact that had there not been a marriage between him and Regia, he might have just pulled out of the city when the Byzantions came to the siege.
Would it end here, though?
"... It may have been a mistake, however."
Renius looked to him angrily. "Why would calling your brother here be a mistake?"
"Because I don't think that he might stop at merely routing the Byzantions." When Renius looked confused, Johaken quickly spoke again. "Remember that Wiseman Alan nearly burned this city to the ground and poisoned all of its people because one of your nobles' son almost touched his wife."
Renius paused before he asked quietly. "Are you suggesting that the fact that other cities might attack us would be enough for him to set out to subjugate them all like some conquerors in the east?"
"Honestly, I do not know. Is it possible? I believe so."
"... I believe that such a thing may be a speculation. I hope it is a speculation, because I do not wish to be involved in a war that drags dozens of cities into chaos and ruin."
Johaken sighed.
"I will do my best, but I dearly hope so as well."
Johaken would regret bringing this idea up, because Renius, despite having been troubled by the idea initially, would find profit and revenge in the coming years by stoking the flames of war.
-VB-
A/N: 2 more chapters available on Patreon
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Threadmarks: 35: Good and Bad (3)
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
New
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 35: Good and Bad (3)
-VB-
I stared at the panting messenger as he greedily drank from the offered cup of clean water after having finished his story.
It really never ended, did it, this ancient world of warfare?
Bronze Age Collapse truly didn't hold back on me.
I took a deep breath in and released it slowly. It was only after a few moments afterwards that I noticed the high strung tension in the room where the chief, my wife, and other leaders of the tribe were looking at me.
Even Ghigari looked to me, although his stare was not that of a follower waiting for orders but an elder waiting to see what the next generation would do in this situation.
"We march to fight, but when we get there, we will attempt to entreat with them," I ordered. "They are those who trade a lot with the south, yes? What can you tell me of their military capabilities?"
Ghigari's approving nod made me feel good about choosing as I did, but even as I listened to the people around me for details I did not know, I accessed my memories of what the future knew of this time of the Greeks.
First off, an odd tidbit of information: boar tusk helmets were symbols of wealth.
Second, while hoplites weren't a thing yet, the Greeks of this time still preferred to fight with heavy infantry, though this wasn't due to any standardized method of tactic and war but because being a heavy infantry was how a soldier showed his and his family's wealth on the battlefield.
It was odd. A battlefield of this time was similar and yet very different from the ones I was familiar with back home. I have been part of some battles, yes, but I knew that the first was an extraordinary clash of cultures and the siege had been just my adoption of the future's art of war into … something extraordinary.
Being self aware of how odd and different I was conducting war made this very awkward for me. I didn't know how or why people would accept how I do things or not accept it.
Because this diplomacy thing I was going to attempt with those besieging my city might come off as weak to both the attackers and the defenders.
Of course, this was why I was bringing my troops with me. I was going to show them all that I had the upper hand in this, not the other way around like diplomacy might suggest to the people of this era.
… Actually, diplomacy in this era was just people exchanging messages through merchant caravans and messengers between city-states and nations.
"Prepare the troops. I want this mess done and cleared within the week."
The two commanders inside the house with me paled as they realized what I wanted.
We were going to march all the way down to Istria.
Fun.
-VB-
Her husband was due to leave within this phase of the sun, or within a few "hours" as he called his "measurement unit" of time.
She'd seen the frustration in his eyes and tense shoulders, and did what she thought was best for the situation. She gently held his hands, led him into their bedroom, and let him relieve himself with her.
It was the only thing she could do as his woman, but it was he who ended up leaving her numb with pleasure.
Ureya bit her lips as her husband held her up by her legs. He's hooked her legs over his arms while his hands groped her tits. His fingers squeezed her boobs and pinched her nipples at the same time while pulling at them. His hands felt hot and good over her skin.
But Alan wasn't rough with her. No, if anything he teased her too much.
She whimpered as her hot body began to sweat and her pussy throbbed with need. But he wouldn't stuff her already!
"W-What are you waiting for?!" she demanded angrily as she whipped her head over her shoulder to glare at him.
He just grinned lecherously at her. "I just want to hear you moan, Reya," he whispered into her ear, briefly biting her ear lobe before he pushed the head of his dick into her pussy's opening before pulling back out.
"J-Just fuck me already…!" she hissed at him even as her hips bucked with need. Pregnant she may be, but he's spent the last ten minutes just pushing her towards the edge!
"Okay."
Ureya choked as he suddenly penetrated her on his shaft, and she sat impaled on his dick and her body trembled as she orgasmed to the sudden thrust.
"You're cumming," he whispered into her ear as he tightened his embrace. Her pussy squeezed and twisted as her vision went back and forth between blackening, whitening, and normal. She didn't even realize she was moaning like a bitch until well into the orgasm.
When he pulled her up, she mewled for a moment before getting cut off by her own choking gasp as he slammed her back down on his dick. She did this again and again with each penetration, and the deeper her husband dug into her, the more debased she sounded.
She wasn't sure she was speaking anymore, just spewing incoherent gibberish as her mind tried to cope with the numbing pleasure that had her curling toes and begging.
Begging her husband to make her cum.
She moaned pathetically as she came again, and this time, she felt Alan's dick pulse inside her as he shot his seeds into her.
He slowly set her down on the bed on her back, and stood to leave.
She reached out and grabbed his hand.
He stopped and looked back.
Even though she was in her post-coital high, she needed to say this.
"Please come back soon."
He smiled softly, leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, and spoke quietly.
"I will. I'll miss you too much to stay away for long."
She pulled him down for a deep passionate kiss, and let him go. She drifted off to sleep after he covered her up with their bed blanket, and dreamed of a large and happy family.
-VB-
I honestly hadn't expected Ureya to pull me in for a fucking, but I realized that I'd needed it. I felt calmer, surer, and steadier about myself.
It was … wonderful to know that I had someone who trusted me and had my back, even if she could only offer her body for a momentary relief.
Ureya was not a woman who could support me fully, and this fact hurt me. She was wonderful, once we got over her past, and supportive. And yet, simply due to how she was raised in this era, she held neither the tactical, strategical, nor intellectual mind to help me. I wanted to help her with this, but I kept being forced away from home from these constant battles.
I hated my situation.
So what could I do to change it?
As I rode out with two hundred warriors of the tribe, I knew my answer.
I would have to bend the world.
-VB-
A/N: 2 more chapters on Patreon
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Threadmarks: 36: Regional Happenings + Good and Bad (4)
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
New
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 36: Regional Happenings + Good and Bad (4)
-VB-
While the siege of Istria lasted for many days, it was a quick affair by the standards of all those who lived in the world at this time. A standard siege often took months if not years to complete, which was a reason why most walled cities had large granary storages. It was why cities had wells within its walls.
News traveled slow, but it did travel.
The news of Istria's submission to a barbarian tribe in the west raised the eyebrows of all would-be powermongers and conquerors.
Some, like the Byzantions, marched out to burn the city that had stepped on them for decades.
Others, like the Thracian city-states of Acamas, saw that their rivals marched out to war, leaving their fields and cities minimally defended.
Even more so, the rumors of a tribe conquering a walled city, the best defense of the era, made many uneasy.
Spies began to move. Merchants began to speculate. Powerful households began to alter their courses.
The ones who moved first after the Byzantions were the Thracians. Though equally as oppressed by the might of Istria-centric league as the Byzantions, they had been sheltered by the inland nature of their city-states, rather than by the coasts where the Istrians held more sway. As a result of this, they didn't see Istria's weakness as a chance to strike at the Istrians but those who held enough grudge to blindly seek out revenge for decades of oppression.
Under the leadership of the oikos of the city-state of Sestus, Thracians gathered to march out to war.
Seeing the Thracians gather their levies, slaves, and citizen-volunteers, their neighbors like Zeleia, Percote, Dardanus, and Troy saw threats to their own safety, and messages began to fly back and forth for a defensive alliance against the threat that their Thracian neighbors across the strait had just become.
-VB-
I stood on top of the hill where I once stood to look upon a walled city that, as I understood it now, couldn't control its leaders. I now stood there as its reinforcement, staring down at over a thousand soldiers from some faraway city to the east that would fall later.
Byzantion, Byzantine, whatever. The latter was what mattered, and the former would be gone before the latter. In essence, the history that I knew told me that I didn't need to care about these people because they were bound to either die or scatter anyways.
But I didn't care about the fact that they were "soon to be gone." I cared about the fact that they were attacking those under my protection and close to getting my brother-in-law killed. Looking down at the soldiers still oblivious to my presence, I continued to survey them.
I wasn't going to fight them like a brute. Why would I waste the lives of the men under me?
No, no, no.
This was going to be Siege of Istria, Part 2.
Stabby Night Boogaloo.
-VB-
The Byzantion camp was … barren.
Barren of defense, that was.
It was as if they weren't expecting anyone to sneak up on them at night.
Oh, well, they did have spike wooden barricades around the camp, they had sentries at all entry points, and small bonfires lit up the camp dimly.
It wasn't an ideal situation but neither was it the worst. They had guards, but they weren't expecting anything serious.
"It's a good thing we aren't trying to attack them head on."
I glanced at the archer who'd spoken up. He, and fifty others like him, crouched at the ready with their bows and arrows at the ready. The tips of these arrows were wrapped in small cloth and soaked with oil.
During the day, I observed the camp. Specifically, I observed how, when, and where they ate.
An army marched - and sieged - on food, and I have been watching where their food came and went the entire day.
It was, unfortunately, a very divided process. I saw - and remembered - that most of the soldiers carried their own food with them, either by themselves or using pack animals or slaves. Because of this, an army wasn't just an army; it was the families of the soldiers, slaves, pack animals, merchants, prostitutes, and anything else that made any large community of humans function.
What I did notice, however, was where the largest congregations of those foods were. There were only four such places that provided for only a tenth of the soldiers here, but burning those down would pressure the Byzantions into retreating.
So I did just that.
I held up my hand and the archers turned quiet before they all drew their bows. A torch kept under cover was quickly brought forth and a man ran across the front of all of the archers, lighting the oil-soaked rags attached to the arrows.
Fifty fire arrows burned.
"Fire."
And flew.
I watched as the arrows arched high into the sky and then began to fall.
A few sentries saw the arrows and began to shout, but it was too late.
These fifty arrows fell upon the camp, and caught anything they landed on on fire.
"Again!"
The archers drew another fire arrow for themselves and the torch man lit them up while the camp below us erupted into a chaotic cacophony.
"Aim for somewhere that's not on fire and then fire!"
With t-t-t-twangs, another fifty fire arrows flew out into the night and slammed into the camp below like a single force. I saw a few very unfortunate men fall to the arrows while many others landed on tents and grass.
I dropped my hand and then shook it. "Time for us to leave," I said.
Quietly, we all slunk off even as some of the more organized soldiers and a single commander down below charged up the hill.
Actually, that pissed me off. Being underestimated was one thing, but for only a few dozen soldiers to charge me up a hill?
I reached out and caught an archer. He stopped and stared at me before smirking and handing me his bow and quiver of arrows.
I went back up to the peak of the hill and stared down at the gasping men still trying to climb the hill.
I nocked an arrow, drew, and fired.
One down.
I nocked another, drew, and fired.
Two down.
They realized something was wrong only by the fifth kill, and realized that I've been sniping them down, one arrow per person. The few that had shields held it up even as they continued to climb.
I ignored them and shot the others.
One of them was lucky enough and dodged out of the way, mostly because he did so preemptively.
I scoffed. I watched as that soldier jump to the side again after a few seconds. The next jump happened backward and ducking at half the interval.
So that one had some brain.
This time, I left, and they didn't even find good traces of us in the dark.
The next day, I watched under the cover of bushes the damages I'd wrought to the Byzantion army.
It wasn't pretty, and large sections had been burned to the ground. There was even a section where they laid out soldiers who'd burned to death or otherwise.
Last night had been successful.
It's only right that I press my advantage, right?
-VB-
Johaken stared down at the Byzantion camp far from the walls and the smokes that rose out of them. He stood next to Renius, who was also looking at the enemy who'd besieged them.
His brother-in-law next to him shuddered. "Your tribal warlord loves fire, doesn't he?"
"Very much so," he replied jovially. Then his eyes widened. "Gather your man! We must sally out!"
"What?! Are you-?!" Renius stopped himself when he saw what Johaken saw. "Your brother-in-law is mad."
"No, he is a monster of war," Johaken barked out a laugh as he raced down the stairs adjacent to the battlement.
He ran to the quarters where the tribesmen stayed at. He ignored slightly open door of one room and the occupants inside (Horuel never found himself a girl in the tribe, but he was swimming in them in the city somehow), and ran to the most dense barracks.
"Get your weapons, men! My brother in law has come with the tribe and burned those Byzzies! We sally out!"
There was a moment of silence before men shot up with roars of approval.
No one liked being sieged.
As he and his men charged down the street, he kept shouting at the top of his lungs.
"The River Kettin reinforcements are here! We are sallying out! To arms! To arms!"
There were very few ready at the moment, but they joined him immediately. What was only a hundred men became two hundred when he reached the gates, and they opened it.
They saw a ferocious battle.
The exhausted, burned, and hungry Byzantions fought, but they were no match for his brother-in-law!
"CHARGE!" he roared.
The two hundred men he'd come with a unified thunderous roar and stampeded towards the enemy.
A well-armored and shiny looking Byzantion in the back heard them and turned around.
He and Johaken met eyes.
Johaken grinned.
You're mine!
His legs carried him across the battlefield, faster than anyone else with him.
His heart drummed like a terrible thunder.
His soul cackled with glee.
When his war axe swung down with its own vibrating metallic hiss, he found a mark.
He may not be as great as Wiseman Alan, but he was strong, too!
"HAHAHA!" he laughed as what looked like a commander died to one swing of his blade. Just as the rest of his men caught up to him, he jumped, and became a part the angry warriors of Istria crashing of metals and flesh of the Byzantions!
-VB-
The Second Siege of Istria and Battle at South Gate are mentioned as one of the many battles that took place according to oral folklore of the Kettinites and Thracians. Though some evidence of this battle's outbreak exists, these evidence are circumstantial at best.
-Professor Adrik Chodosry of the University of the *****
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
New
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 37: Plots (1)
-VB-
I didn't get the triumphant parade that I deserved for saving the city, but I kind of expected that.
As I walked up the streets of Istria once more but as its savior this time, the people shied away from me.
I was, after all, still the person who'd poisoned their water, choked their air with smoke, and burned their food. All of these still affected them. Their sunken cheeks, dirty hands, and dehydrated lips told me exactly the length of the damages still in place.
After sparing these people only a few glances, I turned back to the current king of Istria, Renius, and apparently my brother-in-law, Johaken, who'd married Renius's sister and became his brother-in-law as well.
I saw what was going on… and let it be.
Despite the fact that I now had the standing and position of one of the leaders of the Lower River Kettin tribe, I still did not believe in intervening in the personal affairs of individuals, which was not the case for most people during this time. Considering that "Romeo and Juliet" took place thousands of years after today and involved families not allowing people to marry or love whomever they wanted, I think I was safe to say such things.
Johaken looked both triumphant - still covered a little in gore and blood of our fallen enemies - and scared. I wondered why.
I looked at his new wife, the woman who'd stood by Renius during the negotiations when Istria fell to me. I noticed right then that Johaken looked even more nervous than before.
I faced him directly and raised an eyebrow. "What are you nervous about, brother?" I asked.
He opened his mouth and then grimaced.
"I… was nervous whether you would be fine with my marriage," he said slowly. Was he trying to make himself not a threat to me? I supposed that by allying himself through marriage with Istria, he was intertwining his interests with the new vassal of the Lower River Kettin.
However.
He could in no way prove to be a threat to me.
If his wife and her family turned him against me, then I would kill them all and drop him in front of his blood family.
It was a simple matter.
But if they didn't mess with me, my family, and my tribe, then they would get many benefits of being my associate.
And despite the almost casual conversation between me and Johaken, Renius looked at me contemplatively. He'd been upon the wall when Johaken and I slaughtered the Byzantions. Since then, he's been staring contemplatively. Thinking. Planning.
As for how I could tell, it was kind of obvious? His face literally looked like a stockbroker's constipated "I think I can make money with this" face.
"And I meet you again, Lord Alan." He bowed once. "Thank you for saving the city."
"I did say that you are a vassal of the Kettin now," I replied. "I do not make promises of vassalage easily or in falsehood. Even if Johaken had not been here or married to your sister, I would have come."
"... Then you will have to come often. The traitor had done much damage to our reputation and honor. Many, not just the Byzantions, will seek to crush us."
I knew this, he knew this, and everyone else in this immediate conversation group knew this (outside of the five of the self-appointed "guards" who came with me).
So why was he saying it?
"Do you intend to wage a defensive war upon all of Thrace on your own?"
I blinked.
That … was a good question. I was able to defeat the Byzantions because they were unprepared.
But would others be as unprepared? Would they only come with a thousand soldiers?
I frowned as I took this in.
Breaking out of my reverie for a moment, I urged us all to move indoors where no one else might hear us.
-VB-
I blinked, hearing just how many enemies had been made by the now dead "diplomat."
"How many?" I asked incredulously.
"At least fifteen cities."
Cities.
I knew that there was a distinction between "city" and "tribe" here. The Greater Kettin Confederation, despite the numbers and wide area we controlled, was a "tribe." A "city" was a fortified city with equal or more people than a third of the GKC put together. Istria, for example, had more than ten-thousand souls, which was a big ass achievement for the era. Sure, they weren't as big as Rome in the 700 BCE or something with its forty-thousand residents, but it was still big.
Fifteen cities meant a total enemy force that could be mustered to anywhere between thirty thousand to fifty thousand soldiers. If they managed to put issues aside or get together with the intent to rip apart Istria and the Kettins, then …
I don't think even I could stop them. I was a "demigod," but there was a firm limit on how many people I can kill before I go down.
As those thoughts came crashing down, I realized that I truly only had one option.
Several options in reality existed, yes, but all except one would be … it would be disadvantageous for me. I could reach out to those cities as a lord over Istria. It might net me some points, but they would certainly demand payment for past injustices.
"I'll tell you what I intend to do later," I told him. It was clear to me that he wanted to use me as the shield for his city. I would not do so easily. As much as I brought this issue upon myself, I had no intention of blindly attacking.
I needed to plan.
Renius bowed and left, leaving me with only Johaken and his wife.
I turned to them.
"You are… Regia," I spoke directly to her.
The long brown-haired and heart faced woman bowed.
"It's -"
"I'm not one for formally," I interrupted. "You are family because Johaken is my family. I expect you to work for and with him first before you work for your city. Is that understood?"
She tittered a bit before she nodded.
"Good." I turned to Johaken. "This isn't just from me but your father, Johaken, whom you've somehow forgotten to inform regarding your marriage. I hope you didn't force yourself on her…?"
A light touch of my war axe made the unspoken words clear.
Brother-in-law, he may be, but I was not going to tolerate rape.
"I was the one to approach him, Lord Alan," Regia quickly interjected. "It may have been … political initially, but I love him now. Please stay your hand for he has not tainted his honor or mine."
I stopped touching the war axe.
"... Fine."
They looked surprised.
"Just fine?"
"Yes. What else was I going to do?" I asked earnestly. "It's not like I was going to demand bride price or something like that…" I carefully looked at how they looked relieved. "Wait, you two seriously expected that?" I asked incredulously.
Johaken was the one to look sincerely apologetic for thinking that about me. "I'm sorry, brother, but in the wider world… it is not uncommon for the ruler to demand a night with the newly wed."
I stared at him in shock.
"Well, fuck them and fuck that. That kind of shit is not happening where I could see, touch, and reach!"
Honestly, what the fuck?
-VB-Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 38: Plots (2)
-VB-
What took more time than the actual battle was the post-battle talks and the looting.
It was something I couldn't stop nor did I want to stop. I watched as my tribesmen and the citizen soldiers of Istria scour the battlefield for trinkets of their liking. To my surprise, it wasn't jewelry that was the focus of their looting.
No, while it was true as I saw that they did want jewelry when they could get their hands on it, it was only one part of looting.
Like right now, there was a particularly distinct individual from the tribe picking out shoes from the corpses. Apparently, good shoes were hard to come by in a tribal society. Go figure.
Not that the Byzantion shoes were much better in my eyes.
"You want us to attack the Byzantions?" The leaders and commanders of the volunteer tribes warriors looked at me in alarm. What I had suggested was not something to be taken lightly.
I was, after all, suggesting that we, a mere two hundred, charge deep into Thracian territory and hit the one city that was on the other side of said territory. It was also said to be a walled city, and while the loss of a few thousand soldiers here would have weakened them severely, there were at least more cities in between who might not take the presence of tribal "raiders" too kindly.
Depending on how they reacted, I might have to go and burn my way across all of Thrace.
I could, however, also get boats and sail from here directly to Byzantion.
That option, however, came with a few problems.
The first problem was that Istria, the closest city/manufacturing center on the coast, lacked any dedicated shipyard nor the necessary know-how and technology to build galleys capable of transporting several hundred men.
Problem number two: logistics. With no allies in the region, we would be limited to what food we can forage and supply ourselves. While we were sure to be able to fish, most of my men weren't fishermen and thus ineffective at keeping ourselves fed. Getting supplies through ships would also mean letting those ships be exposed to the tumultuous nature of the Black Sea.
The last problem: situation at home. Taking two hundred and plus warriors from the tribe would leave the tribe that much defenseless. Istria was simply the closest city, but it was by far not the only city. I knew jackshit about agreements between those cities, and neither did Johaken when I asked him. I'm of the opinion that there was no agreement, whi-.
No, I was overthinking things there.
The basic calculation was that taking the fight to the Byzantions was reckless, but it was also necessary.
I now lived in the Iron Age. This was an era that saw cities, countries, and civilizations fall by the boatload before its birth and I would wager that many more would fall before stability was found. My memories of the world told me that 1000 BC, roughly when I am, was the time of Saul and David in Israel, and between just those two, plenty of cities and even rival civilization fell.
I didn't know what to do, honestly. I could conserve manpower and wealth, but not fighting back to protect what I had claimed for the tribe would be telling the world that we were too weak to strike back. It would be a declaration of weakness. Actually striking back would indeed leave a weakness for others to exploit.
In this situation, I thought long and hard, and came to one conclusion.
I would attack but I wouldn't do so just by myself nor would it be a total war scenario like I had done with the Istrian campaign.
"Istria is a vassal of the tribe. As such, they will provide some manpower for the attack I intend to initiate."
I would not conquer Byzantion like I had conquered Istria. I would make my statement loud and clear by laying a quick and devastating siege upon them and then, once my point was made, I would end the campaign and return.
Sure, many of the warriors might get miffed that there was no loot to be had, but I would give them some wealth from my own coffers, whether it was coin, metal, clothes, or else, which would sufficiently satisfy the greedy among them.
King Renius looked unhappy with my declaration. "Istria is not in any position to send you levy, milord, nor was it part of the agreement."
Agreement, he was referring to, was the agreement we made upon my conquest of Istria.
"So you would endure more attacks when Byzantion eventually recovers? They're not going to let the loss of an entire generation of men go so easily. It'll be burned into their memory."
He apparently hadn't thought about exactly how I might go about regional subjugation if I did go.
"We need those men to start farming in the brief window we have. Please remember that it was you who burned down our fields."
I sighed. "I hope you are at least growing turnips during winter then?"
They blinked. "Turnip? Those vegetables have so few leaves. Why would we grow that when we need food in bulk?"
"Leaves? You eat the roots," I replied, equally confused.
Renius and I stared at each other as did the few farmers who were in the meeting room.
"Wait, you can eat the root of the turnip?" Johaken asked.
"Yes? All of you only ate leaves of the turnip?"
What should have been a strategic meeting became one about food and agriculture, which led to another conclusion in me and others.
Although we wanted to lash out now against the Byzantions for the assault, we were not prepared for it nor willing. I did, however, get a promise out of Renius that should the turnip cultivation become a solution to Istria's food shortage, he would gladly send me two hundred men as levies in the coming campaign.
Though it left me unhappy with the situation, I called the tribeswarriors, assembled, and then headed back to our tribal town.
At the very least, all of the warriors marched happily with the loot of quality weapons, armor, rare jewelry, and clothes.
Next time. Next time, I would go and show the world that my people were not to be messed with.
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 39: Interim
-VB-
Year 3 (Late Spring, 995 BC)
"He's a healthy boy!"
And then I was sitting next to Ureya, who laid tiredly on her birth bed with our firstborn boy in her arms and sucking her tits.
My- Our boy was … well, he was ugly. All the newborns were ugly. I've seen this before in this life and my previous life. But I just felt happy seeing my child and my wife together with me.
Accomplished.
And yet burdened.
Ureya pulled our baby from her tit when he burped (ugh, cute) and gently lifted him up in his bundle towards me.
"Say hi to your son, papa."
I took him as gently and gingerly as I could. I spared no physical effort to do so, and when he was in my arms, he squirmed and cooed.
I sat there, just looking.
I …
I just sat there, looking and holding.
… I guessed that this was what most fathers felt when they held their first kid, huh?
-VB-
I spent a lot of time with Ureya and our son. It was apparently one of the tribe's customs to not name the child until they passed their first year of age.
Infant mortality was a big thing, after all.
To that end, I put everything I knew to action. Washing hands? Check. Make a crib? Check. Pasteurizing goat milk? Check.
At the same time, I had to let my son get a little dirty once in a while as there were many diseases that would be fatal at old age but wouldn't even cause a sniffle to a baby.
But just because I had a new baby didn't mean that I could neglect my other duties. I had many duties as not only an influential member of the tribe but also a landowner.
The least of this was freeing the slaves that I've received from Mahk's Kettin tribe. Some left, but those who stayed got loaned lands from me and were taught how to farm. My other slaves, the ones I received from among the prisoners of war, couldn't be freed. Instead, I offered to match them with slave women if they wanted a family and land to farm. They would keep most of the produce they made, but would remain as slaves to me.
I got scolded for my generosity.
Because none of the now farming slaves wanted to remain in the piss and shit collection and fermenting business, I had to buy slaves to keep it up. Considering that I was known "good owner," most of these slaves were just fucking happy I bought them. They weren't as happy to know that their jobs involved piss and shit collection.
Having already taught the tribe how to make soap, I didn't need to get my hands in on that business. Instead, I focused on the next power.
Yes, it was that time of the year.
I wanted a better body, because the body was the foundation for all things I should be able to do. If the body was weak, then I was weak. For that reason, I put time into exercising and training. As long as I got something related to the sword, muscles, or the body in general, I would be happy.
What also made me happy was that Ureya was a particular lover of muscles.
No less than two months after she gave birth to our son, she was dragging me into the bed after every time she saw me covered in glistening sweat that made my body shine.
I pretended to not notice the jealous stares of slave and free women Ureya got nor the smug look she had every time she met their eyes.
On the other hand, I shot my own smug looks when other men glared jealousy at me. Oh, how they dismissed Ureya because she took up arms to hunt and fight. She hadn't lost her figure, something not all women could boast about, and actually looked better these days.
The definition of a sexy MILF.
Except she was my wife.
---
I took handfuls of her milk-laden breasts as Ureya bounced on top of me.
"Yes~! Yes~!" she moaned loudly as the bed creaked and groaned. "Alan, give me more~!"
She squealed as we came together, and pressed her tits on my chest and kissed me. I kissed her back before switching our positions with a turn, and pounded into her still tight and squeezing folds.
She mewled delightfully as she held onto me.
We spent half of the night making love.
---
Yes, very jealous, they were.
Besides managing my estate, satisfying my wife, and taking care of the baby, I had one more big duty.
It was arguably the scummiest of duties.
Politics.
Because I was a part of the tribe and not its leader, I couldn't just demand that the tribe go on a long expedition to subjugate a region outside of our usual neighborhood to secure the stability and safety of one small area of the neighboring regions.
This wasn't the era where people thought very wide or big. A tribe's world was what they saw and who they talked with. To the Kettin, that was the Wallachia Plains, bits of western Black Sea coasts, the northeastern steppes where the Scythians came from, and nothing more.
I went out each day, spending an hour or two, to try to convince as many of the tribe to let me - in simple terms - dictate the future of the tribe by attacking someone outside of their world.
Of course, the situation was more complicated than that, but that was the simplest way to put it.
I was actively trying to take a leadership role.
Fuck my life, right? I kept on telling Ghigari that I didn't want to be the chieftain, but here I was, convincing people day after day that we needed to do something, which was what non-dictatorial chieftains did.
I, of course, went out of my way to explain to Ghigari why this was necessary, and the man agreed.
Which was why he only allowed those who volunteered to join me to take the fight to the Byzantions.
Once summer came, I would be marching to war, but I had less than three hundred fighters willing to join me, and that was after they had been guaranteed farm work with my slaves and the right to plunder and loot from the city of Byzantion and anyone else that might face us in battle.
I agreed to it all, but three hundred warriors would hardly defeat a city-state on their own. Even if I exercised my right as conqueror of Istria to get them to provide me with levies, I would be limited to maybe six hundred fighters. I also had to worry about supplies.
There were a lot of things I had to worry about, and spending my time talking with tribesmen, arranging transportation, and more took up time to arrange.
I just hoped that the Byzantions weren't getting ready for a war of their own. I did kill off like a thousand able-bodied men, which should have crippled their ability to field citizen-soldiers.
Right?
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 40: Hey, Tribal Democracy is more Democratic than My Homeland!
-VB-
Year 3 (Mid-Summer, 995 BC)
I hummed as a new power settled into me.
Rather than choosing something new, I chose to reinforce one of my powers.
Flexing my arm before striking ten times, I grinned at how narrow the slices of onions were.
I had my Enhanced Precision back, baby~!
Of course, sooner or later, I would end up combining this with other powers for improvements, but while I had it, it would be a really great asset, especially since - coupled with my Superior Swordsmanship and Minor Perfect Body Regeneration - I could use it to direct my currently superhuman fighting ability to even greater heights.
Like chopping onions to thoroughly uniformly that Ureya was gawking from my side.
"How?!" she whined. "I'm supposed to be the wife, not you!"
I grinned back at her.
More time she spent with me, the more I realized why I had felt at ease with her before we got hitched and then married; she acted more like a 21st century woman than a 10th century BC woman. She was, after all, still considered to be a wild tomboy among the tribeswomen.
"My skills with the blade just is," I replied as I continued to chop up the vegetables in the kitchen.
She glared at me. "So you're going to kick me out of the kitchen, too?!"
"Hell no," I replied. "But you're still tired from -"
"It's been two moons, husband. I am no longer tired. Now, let me cook."
I hesitated.
This was enough for the still wild tomboyish wife of mine to tackle me and then swipe the knife from my hands.
My son, no longer the ugly pink flesh sack at his birth but a cute and chubby baby, cooed from the side, obviously entertained by his old man being bullied. I threw a half-hearted glare at my son, only for Ureya to kick me while I was down.
"Stop glaring at Sicoru," she harrumphed as she took over the meal preparation. "And if you keep insisting on treating me like a fragile newborn, I swear I will put arrows in you."
Pouting, I got up from the wooden floor and dusted myself. Then I turned to Sicoru, my son, pulled him up from his crib, and carried him around the house.
"Sico! You're mom is being mean to me!"
He stared at me for a moment before making cute baby noises and reaching for his mom.
"Ugh, betrayed by my firstborn."
Ureya just laughed at my misfortune.
Then she quieted down.
"You're going to try and convince the men to go to war, huh?"
I grimaced. "It's for the future."
"I know," she said calmly but the thunk of the knife on the wooden board told me what she really felt. "You convinced me already. Explained so much why it is necessary. And I hate that I can even agree on some of those points and have to see you leave home. Again."
"Sorry."
"... And the worst part is that you are actually sorry." She set the knife down and slid all of the chopped vegetables into the boiling pork broth. "And you know what you promised me."
"'To finish this business thoroughly so that we can remain home together,' yes," I replied.
Even if it meant razing half a dozen cities and salting the ground.
While that might not mean much for the average 21st century folk, my declaration was on par with promising the death of France in terms of how much of the known world I promised to burn.
"Are you also sure about setting those slaves free?"
The slaves in question were those I received as just payment from the meeting of arnsya one and a half years ago. While not everyone was getting released from slavery, I was releasing those with skills necessary to survive. If it wasn't their knowledge in farming, then I released them on their ability to be a crafter. By not tying them to me, I was ensuring that while I wouldn't directly be the beneficial party of their work, the tribe would benefit from having an influx of craftsmen and craftswomen joining the tribe's economy.
"Yes."
"Hmm. As long as you put our prosperity before your ideas."
And that was a compromise I had to make. The world I lived in was not the modern world. It was so unforgiving and harsh. Sure, the tribe cared for you and whatnot, but there was so much less in all things. To survive, I had to compromise on continuing to keep slaves, especially the ones I "earned" from the Scythian raid.
Under no circumstances could they be released, not if I want them to survive.
"Alright. Bad talks are over. It's time to eat."
-VB-
The tribe's leaders met with many interested parties sitting on the outer edge of the meeting circle in the chieftain's longhouse. In the center of the meeting circle was a newborn calf, dead with its throat sliced open.
Ghigari clapped his hands. He looked pale.
"We offer our thanks to the gods of the earth and sky for the continued blessing we've received."
The rest of the tribe, including myself, clapped.
"We offer you this sacrifice and ask you to continue to bless us."
The rest of us clapped again.
Three servants - not slaves - rose up and took the sacrifice outside to be burned at an alter.
"Let the meeting commence."
And then Ghigari turned to me.
"The reason for this gathering … is because of what you seek, Wiseman Alan. Please, speak, and convince us why we must go to war with a tribe we have no contact with to defend those who slighted us."
I cleared my throat and the rest of the tribe listened.
"Back in my homeland, we educated certain individuals with the knowledge on how to govern. One of the fields of education was called politics…"
I spoked on and on about politics, how it was shaped, "history" of those who wielded it, how they came to wield it, why it came to be wielded, and more. I talked about geopolitics. Of feuds. Of kind and ugly human nature.
I summarized it all so that what I spoke of stood as evidence for why they should help me.
"... and so by either subjugating or eliminating these foreigners who are far from our immediate borders, we can prevent their disruptive influences from diverting our attention from our real enemies to the north and east."
Because Scythians, while they have been repelled, were not gone. They still lurked beyond the green fields of Wallachia, roaming the Wild Fields of Eastern Europe. Now that the Greeks (Mycenaeans) knew of us, we also couldn't hide away from them, not after having already conquered one of their cities. If it wasn't the proto-Greeks, then it would be the kingdoms of Anatolia after they hear about us.
It was, after all, the nature of nations to subjugate those weaker than them by any means.
Ghigari hummed before he spoke. "While I find the ideas and thoughts of your former people fascinating, I stand by my decision: only those who voluntarily join you may go and not in the name of the Kettia. Are there any objections to my decisions?"
Many hands rose up. He counted the risen hands.
"Any for my decision?"
Even more hands rose up. He counted the hands.
He nodded. "The decision stands."
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Interlude: 40a
-VB-
Kettin Slave I
I decided to accompany the master on his self-imposed mission to rid the tribe of a potential enemy.
When I asked the master if I could, I think he was happy that I decided to follow him.
I supposed that it made sense. Out of all of the "slaves" he held, I was neither a woman or a Scythian; I was just a slave but still of kin to the tribe. Slaves could, if they showed willingness, get out of slavery, but if only the slave compensated the master. Following the master onto the battlefield and fighting for him was a good compensation, but not all slave owners let their slaves follow them onto the battlefield.
My master was weird like that.
Master was …
How do I even go about describing the master? Mistress was a normal woman, if a little hot blooded and rude. She was still a good mistress who kept good care of slaves like me. The master, however, went out of his way to help us. Sure, he had us to sometimes do demeaning tasks like collecting shit, but when he told us all what it was for, I understood that it was only superficially demeaning; he gave us tasks that were important to the farm and his estate, which meant that he was trusting us slaves.
He rewarded the slaves based on how well they did, and I got myself good shoes that the master personally crafted!
In fact, I could even go out of my way to say that I might have one of the best shoes in the tribe. Slaves, tribe women, and warriors all alike looked at my shoes in envy, and the master was very keen about making sure none of us were abused by anyone else. Oh, there have been attempts to steal my rightfully earned shoes, but I didn't let anyone steal it.
I fought back … but that may be why the master had less of a following coming with him. It was my fault, so I had to make up for it.
And when the master, who knew why he had less support, met me, he just smiled and told me that all was fine.
Was it any wonder why slaves that would otherwise run away from their masters stuck with him?
But that was all "sprinkling season" as the master liked to say.
"Are you sure about this, master?" I asked him.
Another slave and I, the only two volunteers from his clan and estate, stood inside the master's workshop, where he made wonderful and crazy things. In the far corner of the workshop, the master reached into the cabinets where he kept some of his better works. From that cabinet, he pulled out two odd looking weapons.
They were warhammers, but the head of the hammer, which sat on top of a long handle and shaft, was small. One side of the hammer was a flat hammer but the other side was a short but thick wedge. Hell, it might even work as an axe if I tried it.
"Of course, I am, Rom. Here."
I took one from the master and immediately buckled.
'The entire weapon is made out of metal?!' I thought in shock and looked at Oryum, the other slave, who also met my eyes with his own widened eyes.
"Our enemies are very likely to have heavy armor," the master said seriously. "They're very likely to have shields as well. These hammers are designed specifically to counter those defenses. While we are on the move, I will be training you to fully utilize this weapon as well as unarmed combat."
I blinked.
D-Did he intend to train us to become warriors?
"Slings and bows take too long to master, so I will instead have you two learn how to use this," he added as he reached back into the cabinet and pulled out two clunky weapons. It was a clunky weapon but the general shape of it was that of a bow.
"What is it?"
"Crossbow. It's a weapon I use, actually, though mine is significantly better. I used it to repel the Scythians," the master said fondly as he handed each of us one crossbow. "You won't be the only two using this weapon, though. Unlike the warhammer, I want as many warriors to know how to use this."
"Just … how much have you been preparing for this, master?" I asked my master, Wiseman Alan.
He laughed as he led us to the back…
And I gawked at the sight of rows and rows of crossbows hanging upside down unloaded on layered racks.
"Let's just say that I have been busy for the past few months. I do not put my fate in the hands of ours, and certainly, I do not prepare lightly."
There were enough crossbows here to arm a hundred warriors and enough bundled bales of arrows that should last us … well, I was not an expert of war or even a proper warrior. Master was.
I could see the master going out to conquer all of the neighboring tribes. If it wasn't for the fact that all of Kettia was united, then I could see the master considering the neighbors as threats and conquer them all within the span of a year. I could see it.
Already, I saw how easy it was to use this crossbow. Getting already skilled warriors to use it?
Now that…
I shivered in place in excitement.
'I want to see that in action.'
"So," the master asked solemnly. "Are you prepared to become a warrior?"
"Yes!" I said quickly.
Master smiled.
---
And I would. I would follow my lord from battle to battle, seeing him recruit unruly mobs and train them into professional armies. He swept across what he called the "northern Greek" world. I was there to see the Siege of Byzantion, the Submission of Lydia, the formation of Skemo Mys, and the rise of the Kingdom.
-Archontes Rom "Scarface" of Byzantion, inscription in the Ancient Palace of Kings, carbon dating 932 BC
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Interlude 40b
-VB-
Rom, the Slave
Rom stared at the boat made using his master's knowledge.
And it, and its sister, was a magnificent beast. It was curved on both ends with a single mast pole and mast in the middle of the ship. Or that was what the master called the wooden beam, the cloth for wind capture, and whatnot. He understood none of the technical details of what part of a ship was what. He understood, however, that this ship was a
"People back home called this a longship," master said as he ran his hands slowly across the smooth wooden hull of the ship currently off of the water.
"When did you get these built…?" the chief asked him incredulously.
Master just grinned. "Well, if I only can fight, then it makes me a bad wiseman now, doesn't it?" he asked cheekily.
The chief and the others laughed and then left.
They just left after seeing the biggest boat of their lives.
"Can't impress everyone," master chuckled.
"But you seriously made all of these…?" Rom asked incredulously.
"Yup. Got one of my old … stuff back. Let me do this in a week."
A week?
Master made two boats, each longer as big as a warrior's house, in a week?
"A week each…?"
"No, a week for both," the master replied with a raised eyebrow.
"... Master, if you want to pull a joke, please do it with something more believable."
Master snorted as he pushed the boat from behind towards the river. Why wasn't the master asking for help-.
Krr…..
Rom felt his jaw drop when the boat began to move.
"Look below," the master grunted as he pushed with all of his might. "Actually, come help! Even …! Even a little bit helps!"
Rom hurried over but not before he saw what was below the boats.
Small logs were laid underneath the boat, and he hadn't noticed them because the boat was too big and amazing. They rolled as the master pushed the boat towards the water, and Rom quickly joined him.
Yeah, his strength helped but not much.
But then the rest of the volunteer warriors joined, and they pushed the boat into the river in less than an "hour."
As the boat splashed into the water, Rom felt something like achievement in his chest soar.
He helped move a boat that big! It made him feel… strong.
"Come on, Rom. We need to get the other two in the water and our stuff hauled onto it! Let's move it, people!"
And they did. Hundreds of people, not all of them who were volunteer warriors, worked around as people brought in their supplies, weapons, and even slaves, who, unlike him, were not volunteering. Master, despite his kindness, did not object.
Later that day, the final night of his stay in the tribe's village for a very long time, he approached his master before his master went to his room for his last night with his wife.
"Master…?"
Master stopped and looked at him. Both of them were in the corridor right now.
"Yes, Rom?"
He hesitated for a moment. "Master, why do you let other warriors bring their slaves with them-" he asked as cautiously as he could. "-when you allowed me to choose?"
Master blinked before he seemed a little sad.
"Rom, when you see me, what do you see?"
The question confused him. "I see you, master."
"And?"
"I do not understand."
Master pondered on his answer. "When I see my wife," he began. "I see the daughter of the Lower River Kettin chief, a strong and independent woman, a formidable archer, mother of my only child, my confidant, and more. What do you see when you look at me?"
Rom understood. "I… I see a kind man, master. A strong man, a skilled leader, the tribe calls you a foreigner though I hear that less each week, eccentric, smart… I think we all know that they want you as a chief."
"But am I a chief?"
"No… Not yet."
"Not yet," he agreed. "Which means that I lack the authority to tell others what to do except for those within my house, and even then, do I exercise that right?"
Rom shook his head slowly. "No. You could demand much more from us and be … normal like the others, but you do not."
He nodded happily at Rom's acknowledgement. "Do you know what happens if I try to exert a control I do not have?"
"You fight?"
"I fight. More than that, I cause strife within the tribe. If the situation goes too far, then the tribe's kin may even die. What happens then?"
"But that's extreme, master."
"Extreme but not impossible."
"So you are being cautious?"
"No. If I was being cautious, then I would stay, become the chief, and then lead the tribe into war against those who would seek us harm in the future. This expedition is reckless and I know it."
"Then what about the other slaves?"
"I am not their owner. I cannot tell others how to treat others, but you know that I buy all the slaves I could and give them more, yes?"
"Of course, master. I am better off under you." It was the unvarnished truth.
"Then you must not forget that I am limited. I am powerful in many ways, but not all powerful."
"I understand. Thank you for your time, master," Rom bowed.
Master chuckled as he moved away. "Any time, Rom."
-VB-
A/N: Next chapter - we finally hit Byzantion
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 41
-VB-
It took my two ships a week and a half to traverse four hundred and fifty miles of water, half of which was the Danube River and the other half was the coast-hugging sailing from the mouth of the Danube to Bosphorus Strait.
Traveling close to the coast had been necessary because none of the warriors were sailors and had to be taught on the spot. To make sure none of us drifted away, we stuck within a mile of the coast. Despite the lack of experience, my two ships, shorter than the traditional bireme-style galleys used by the ancient Greeks during this era, had moved quickly.
Unfortunately, it hadn't been quick enough; it gave our target good amount of time to see us coming instead of seeing us coming with only hours to organize.
Fortunately, the alert did absolutely nothing to help them because someone else put them to siege.
As we sailed down the Bosphorus Strait, we saw the city under attack by someone else, and they seemed to be winning, if the constant advance of the soldiers climbing the siege ladders was any indication.
"Pull us up against the shore!" I shouted over the sound of the waves, and my meagerly trained sailors rowed. The sailors on the starboard stopped rowing and the rest of the sailors on the port side quickly picked up the slack. The ships began to lean right and then turned nearly perpendicular to the coast. "Pull up the sail!" Then I turned towards the top of the mast. "Do you recognize the colors?" I asked loudly to my Istrian subordinate on the crow's nest.
Asmathius, an Istrian sailor that we picked up along with a hundred others and more levies, peered, leaning forward. He saw the red soldiers on the walls and then the yellow ones on the field.
"It's Perinthus!"
Perinthus was, according to my Istrian subjects, a walled city on the Sea of Marmara. They were a rival of the Byzantion. Perinthus was also one of the only cities this close to Byzantion that hadn't been subjected to the cruelty of the greedy Istiran diplomat. In conclusion, I had no issue with them.
I also did not have issue with them taking out Byzantion because it would mean less issue for me to look after. After all, a Byzantion angry or fighting another power was a Byzantion not coming after me and Istria.
Just as my two ships ground up to the shore north of the walled city and my warriors armed themselves, I saw the situation change; the defenders killed someone and the soldiers fled, climbing down from the siege ladders frantically.
This was our chance. The defenders would be focused on routing the attackers, and would not even be aware of us.
It took no more than fifteen minutes for all of us to be armed.
"Follow me quietly," I hissed and we sneaked towards the wall. The "gentle" footfalls of over two hundred armored and armed men was still a lot of feet. They made sound but not as much as a march or a charge would have.
The defenders continued to shoot arrows and even sallied out.
"Ballsy fuckers," I snorted as we used the tall grass as cover.
They closed the gate from within, and then the situation changed again; the sallied out soldiers clashed with the Perinthian soldiers and … were getting pushed back. They weren't outright losing, but it was a careful balance that could be broken at any moment.
My troops and I reached the wall of the city. "Hooks," I said as I extended a hand towards my only volunteer slave. Rom reached into his bag and pulled out two three pronged hooks with rope attached. I took one each to my hands and, after spinning them thrice, flung them high up into the air. I watched as the hooks sailed up into the air and -.
C-Clank!
I gave a few good tugs.
It was safe.
"Up, up!"
I, on the other hand, jumped up. Each jump took me up half a meter up, and each step took me up faster up.
And then.
I was up on the battlement.
What few soldiers who were still here saw and looked at me in horror, but that didn't last long before I pulled out and then threw throwing knives with 100% accuracy. Each throw landed a hit, even if it didn't kill.
After my fifth kill, the first of my soldiers climbed over.
The other soldiers on further down the walls on either side saw and raised the alarm.
That was enough to send the sallied soldiers fleeing the battlefield. Perinthian soldiers rallied and roared as they chased after the Byzantion soldiers. From where I was, I saw a wave of red get swallowed by a wave of yellow, and the yellow continued to surge towards the city.
"Surrender to me, and I will defend you from the Perinthians!" I roared in Thracian.
The soldiers looked between the murderous Perinthians that just killed over two hundred of their fellows and a new enemy already within their walls.
Someone ran over to me, dropped his spear and then his shield. He came to a huffing stop in front of me.
"Byzantion surrenders to you. Save us from them."
I grinned.
"Rom!"
My faithful servant walked up to me, having climbed all the way up with all of the equipment I told him to carry. Good man.
"My bow and spears."
This one was not from Rom but from someone else with him. The second man unlatched the hook on his person and then hefted the bow on his back to me.
It was a longbow except if it was reinforced with elastic metal frame. It had been a bitch to make, and there was only one of it. The string was less a string and more of a rope.
And then when I got the bow, Rom handed me the "spears."
They were short spears but also flechetted so that they could be shot from a bow.
The soldier who surrendered to me looked at me in confused shock as I nocked a shortspear and pulled.
Everyone there could hear the metal and wood groan from the strain I put them through.
Then I loosed.
The spear whistled as it cleaved through the air. It flew high up … and then came back down right into the Perinthian force.
"Tch," I clicked my tongue as I began to slowly walk towards the wall that the Perinthians were obviously trying to climb over. I nocked another shortspear. My muscles grew taut from the exercise but nothing that was too straining for it. I loosed it again, and watched as it slammed into the Perinthians again. "MAN THE WALLS!" I roared, and all of my warriors, including Rom, quickly rushed over all the while I loosed one more spear-arrow.
I picked up the spears that Rom left and made my way over as the Perinthians started climbing again.
I didn't even bother with the bow this time. I just threw the spear. It flew and pierced through not one but two Perinthian soldiers who were climbing the ladder and then tossed them over the side.
The siege didn't stop because something odd happened. Most people didn't even see it.
But when I kept throwing and kept killing with my spears, the Perinthians noticed.
And then with my last spear, I ignored the climbers altogether and struck the fanciest looking one among them at the ground level.
He screamed when the spear punched through his stomach, tore out of his back, and then pinned to the ground. He held the spear in shock as he screamed in pain.
That was it for the Perinthians. This time, they really fled.
"Hold fort," I commanded, and my two hundred-... No, one hundred eighty-nine warriors held their positions on the battlement and cheered as our enemies fled.
I turned back to the soldier who surrendered.
"Now, you surrender. Who might you be?"
The soldier, who's been following me, took off his helmet. Underneath it was a dark haired man in his late fifties(?). "I am Vivsius Erekti, the archon of Byzantion. Who may you be…?"
The words that came out of my lips shocked him solid.
"I am the new Lord of Istria, Alan Marris. You lot attacked my city."
The resigned look on his face was delicious for my ego.
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 42
-VB-
The Byzantion succumbed to us quickly. Sure, there were a few individuals who wanted to rise up and fight us, but most of their fighting men were wounded or dead. They were in no position to fight us.
The leading men of the Byzantion met with me at the gates while my troops stayed outside, made camps, and looted the bodies of the Perinthians while returning the bodies of the Byzantion men because they were now my people after their surrender.
And here, I ran into my first problem.
How should I represent myself? If I presented myself as the leader of a band of marauders, then they wouldn't take me seriously. I was lord over Istria and also the potential heir of the Lower River Kettin tribe. It took me a few moments to decide.
I smiled and extended a hand. "I am the current lord over the King and City of Istria, Alan Marris."
One of the men stepped forward when no one did and took my hand in a handshake. He was a short man, shorter than most of the Kettin tribesmen "I am Cuciu, leader of the metal shapers of Byzantion."
I nodded. "Well met."
We separated.
"You have surrender to me, and I have terms for you to follow."
"Name them," Cuciu grunted, ignoring the grumbling from some of his fellow Byzantions(?).
"One, you and all citizens of this city will swear their loyalty to me. And just so you know what happens when you don't," I said before my slave-aide walked up from behind and handed me a log thicker than my thighs that he struggled
I snapped it in half with just my strength.
"Understood?"
Cuciu and the representatives looked alarmed but nodded.
"Two, your city attacked Istria while it was under my rule. I was forced to defend them, and as such, I demand that you pay me reparation for that incident alone. For that, I think I will demand that half of the artisans and their families residing within Byzantion will move to Istria. This will happen within five years.
"Three, I will leave a dozen warriors behind to train your men. You will follow their training, and once a year of training is over, you will also send a quarter of these trained soldiers to Istria.
"Fourth and last, there will be no trade tariffs between Istria, Byzantion, and any other future vassals and subject of mine," I declared. "You can accept these and become my subject or reject them and be subject to … I'm sure you know what happens."
I had to be a little harsh here, because Byzantion was indeed the city that attacked Istria and endangered not only my brother-in-law but my new subjects.
"O-Our war with Perinthus has already seen t-too much of our men dead, Lord Alan," Cuciu quickly interjected. "Even if we tried to follow through all of your demands, we won't be able to carry them out…"
I leveled him a glare. "You know … there are a lot of Kettins back home who would just love to have land to call their own."
Do you want to be sacked?
He bowed his head. "W-we will comply."
Please don't.
"T-Then what about the Perinthians…?"
"I will take care of them. You are now my subjects as well. This means that if the Perinthians continue this war, then I will go to war with them."
My word seemed to ease them a little.
"Of course, you now have obligations as well," I smiled. "I will not impose anything upon you right now because you were at war and many of your working men are dead. However, I cannot promise that it will continue on for more than five years. My other demands still apply. Understood?"
"Y-Yes, arcon."
Right, that was the Greek (weren't these guys yet to be Greeks, something called Thracians right now?) term for leader of the city, or as close as their titles got to "king" without being king.
"Right. Go back to your regular lives then. Military and foreign matters are now in my hands."
And the first thing I needed to do was get in the talks with the Perinthians.
-VB-
A week ago, I sent a party of trio to open talks with the Perinthians.
I planned for a lot of things. Considering just how badly they just lost over here at Byzantion, they should have been wary about another attack and so would sue for peace. If they rejected, then I might have to engage in actual field battle, which would be disadvantageous for me. There was also a chance that my envoy might not even reach the Perinthians.
After all, this was the age of the Bronze Age Collapse. Who knew what kind of problems or warlords were out there? I had been safe so far, comparatively speaking, because I had been outside of the known world that suffered the Collapse the worst (to future knowledge), but I was now in it.
What I hadn't planned, however, was for the Perinthians to reject my offer for negotiation and send the heads of the envoy and his guards.
"AARGGGHHH!!!!" one of the warriors who came with me cried as he hugged the head of his brother. All around us, the Kettin and Istrian soldiers and warriors clenched their jaws and fists, and their demand for this was clear.
"They wanted a war, boys," I grunted.
They looked at me.
The Perinthians wanted war badly.
Okay.
Let's give them a fucking war.
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VagabondI trust you know where the happy button is?
Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 43
-VB-
Perinthus was very close to Byzantion.
Within a day's march if I really pushed it.
However, Perinthus made a crucial mistake in killing my envoy when I offered them peace, so I wanted to prepare thoroughly so that when I came to put Perinthus to siege, there would be nothing that would go wrong in salting that city thoroughly.
This wasn't a fiction, fanfiction, or a game or whatever; a city couldn't replenish their manpower after they've been slaughtered like we've slaughtered the Byzantions and the Perinthians. They were weak now, and I needed to put them down.
So preparations.
Gather all available men from Byzantion except for minimum garrison necessary for its defense.
Retrieve the rest of the weapons and special "fuel" I prepared.
Plan?
Burn Perinthus to the ground.
Quite simple, yes.
However, I could not prepare for too long, which I was prone to do, nor could I go about and strike right now like the rest of my company wanted to, because doing something like that was inadvisable.
So what was a good amount of preparation without us taking too long to strike, and thus create dissent among the company?
I wanted to say one week.
But …
Well, my company of volunteer manslaughtering, revenge-driven, and loot-wanting warriors wanted to attack now.
This was a problem I didn't expect to encounter. When I set out to pacify this region for the Kettin tribes, I expected to go out, quickly cripple all of the major cities, and then come back with satisfied warriors carrying bundles of loot and glory. Taking over the Byzantions was a boon in that regard.
"So because these shitfuckers were too stupid to keep themselves safe, we have to wait for them now?!" one of the warriors burst out angrily, his enraged face contrasting against his black beard and moustache.
"Yes," I replied with a faux sigh. "But please don't forget that their own inability to properly defend themselves was why we were able to take over so easily."
That was also false, by the way. The Byzantions had been at war with someone else, fighting a pitched battle. They were merely overwhelmed by our surprise attack, which they didn't expect because that's the point of a surprise attack. Coupled with the loss in the battlefield, the Byzantions possessed almost nothing to spare for an attack, something I have noted before.
It wouldn't change the fact that I would be pulling my chunk of levies from them.
The warrior grunted before he stepped back, knowing when to complain and when to stop.
The next person among this group of irate warriors was the man with the most to lose: the brother of the dead envoy.
"Wiseman Alan," he greeted me cordially if stiffly.
"Juman," I nodded back. "I only ask for a week."
He took a deep breath in. He kept his breathing slow and full. Everyone here could see that he tried his best to keep his calm. It was a laudable, especially for a man barely into his manhood at an age of twenty.
"You promise? One week?" he asked me.
I nodded again. "One week. That will be enough to drill the Byzantion levies to the absolute minimum and have the rest of our preparations ready."
"Then one week," he agreed and left with a grimace on his face.
Seeing the central figure to their complaints walk away, the rest of the warriors left the plaza where they had confronted me.
"Is it wise to allow dissent so early in the fight?" Oryum, one of my volunteer slaves, asked me. "Great men that I have seen struck down those like Juman there when they questioned the leaders' decisions."
"They are here as volunteers in an offensive against our enemies," I replied and then shrugged. "I should be understanding of what they are going through. Besides, I think you agree with them on how … unenthusiastic the assault on this city was."
Oryum, a man towering over even I, hesitated before he nodded. "Yes."
And that was that.
"Good, then help me prepare. Without strong men like you, I may have to delay the attack, and that would make our friends there unhappy," I said while walking away, and Oryum chased after me.
-VB-
If it wasn't one group of warriors, then it was another group of warriors.
"Really?" I glared at the man kneeling across from me.
In front of him was a dead lamb that he had attempted to steal to eat.
"I-It is our right!" he complained.
I glared at him for a moment longer, and he sweated underneath my gaze.
"Did I not tell you and the rest of us that this city was now one of ours? That we should treat them like kin?"
"But they aren't!"
Some of the warriors in the crowd grunted in agreement while the rest of the crowd looked relieved at my words. I turned to look at the crowd. "Have I not conquered you?" I roared.
"Y-Yes!" someone shouted. "You did!"
It was obvious to most that they said so because they feared what the consequences of "not being conquered" would entail.
"Do you not give us tributes of food?"
"We do!"
I turned back to the thief. "Then why have you stolen from us?" I asked. "This city belongs now to the tribes of Kettin."
He glared at the ground.
I took a deep breath in and let out a breath slowly. "Normally, theft of livestock, no matter who did it, demands by tribal laws that the thief be executed. HOWEVER!"
The crowd, who were thinking up to that point that they might see some blood, stilled and quieted.
"You are a warrior of the Kettin!"
Silence.
"So you have forfeited future loot until twice the value of the livestock has been paid, one half to the owner of the livestock and the other half to the tribe itself. Your inability to pay will result in enslavement-" as much as I hated to do it, I had to in order to enforce the laws. "- and desertion will result in summary execution. If you agree to this ruling, then tell me. If not, ask for a warrior's death."
Silence.
Everyone watched with abated breath.
The now shivering thief stuttered out a reply.
"I-I-I will serve."
"Then rise and return to your quarters."
He ran as soon as he could.
I turned to his squad mates. "Keep an eye on him at all times."
He nodded with a grimace.
The crowd dispersed after that, and I paid the owner of the livestock from my own share of the meager loot that we have already fucking plundered from this city.
"Argh," I mumbled as I walked away. "Seriously, what the fuck? Isn't conquest supposed to be easy and simple?" My own memories betrayed me by showing me similar experiences that men, most greater than me, had to suffer. "Oh, shut up," I grumbled to my mind.
---
Rom used the letters and words Wiseman Alan taught him to write about this in a scroll he bought from the locals.
It was … enlightening. It was a fair ruling. No, more than fair. It was a lenient ruling but it was also a ruling that enriched the tribe and the people. He gave security to the people, as the wiseman liked to lecture about the "psychology" of people, and also made his stance firm on loot distribution, because that man had already received his share of the loot.
If Rom was correct, then that man had received a calf… Rom assumed that the calf was already eaten.
He wondered how his master would continue to rule, because though this might be a journey of conquest, his master had shown him, the warriors, and the city that he was a fair and good ruler before he was a bloody and ruthless conqueror.
It was a warm thought, being led by such a man.
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A/N: 2 more chapters on Patreon.
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