NOVEL WEB Chapter 205: Doing Cartwheels
“General Yaeger has brought the wheel! It means he will kill all the traitors!”
“Because of that damn Istvan, I thought even we, the innocent ones, would be harmed. The General has said he will clearly distinguish us from them. As expected of General Yaeger!”
“My blood is boiling. In the past, when we caught traitors who betrayed the alliance, we would slowly roll that wheel and kill those who were taller than the wheel, and the rest would be enslaved.”
I heard from Anya that among the northerners, after subjugating a tribe that betrayed their trust, they would gather the surviving male traitors of the tribe in one place and stand them next to that wheel.
Then, as the Mongols did, they would kill all those taller than the wheel and enslave those who were shorter for life.
So, I heard that a chief or a leader rolling the wheel symbolizes subjugation and revenge, but to react so fiercely, well…
“I heard that among you northerners, there is a custom of rolling the wheel to punish a tribe that has betrayed an alliance. Isn’t that so?”
The chiefs affirmed loudly, almost as if they were worried their throats would tear, in response to my words.
“Such customs do not exist in the Empire, but those are the ones who dared to betray His Majesty’s grace and abandon their kin. In front of such scum, rolling the wheel signifies that your intent and mine are the same. Therefore, after our Northern Army triumphs in this subjugation, we will gather all the surviving traitors and their clans and roll the wheel in front of them. Men taller than the wheel will not survive. And the men shorter than the wheel, along with their wives and daughters, will be enslaved by the Empire to cultivate the land you will farm.”
However, doing so might lead to complaints about getting fewer prisoners compared to their achievements, or why someone else received more than they did.
I would make it so that no one could have slaves. Since no one could have them, just like oneself, the total amount of dissatisfaction would decrease.
Because if people couldn’t have the same possessions as others, at least the dissatisfaction that came from envy wouldn’t arise.
Moreover, even if the ownership of slaves belonged to the Empire, they would be satisfied since their tribes could use them to cultivate the land.
So, there was neither agreement nor disagreement with my words.
Rather, what they eagerly awaited, glittering in their eyes, seemed to be the talk of military service permission, the first step towards receiving equal treatment with the Empire’s nobility and citizens.
“Although it’s almost a done deal, from this summer on, I plan to request that you young northerners be allowed to serve in the military just like the Empire’s citizens. That would reduce your taxes and eliminate the need for you to be called out for labor two days a week. How does that sound?”
Upon hearing that, one of the chiefs in the crowd cautiously asked.
“That would be great. But even when living a nomadic life in the north, to receive something, one must give something in return. Then, what would the Empire ask of us?”
“You will bear the same duties as the citizens of the Empire and serve His Majesty. Attend mass at the church every Sunday and serve in the Imperial Army for three years, just like the citizens.”
“If we do just that, will we become citizens of the Empire? You won’t oppress us for not following the Empire’s culture and customs?”
According to what I learned from the concept of the Islamic Empire, oppressing a nation for having a different culture was generally a foolish act.
Because minority groups, knowing their numbers were very small, tended to follow the state they belonged to unless they were oppressively suppressed.
As long as their ‘unique culture’, a sensitive matter, wasn’t touched, Muslims and Christians could get along reasonably well.
Thus, the faith of Christians living in Arabia, Egypt, and North Africa was tolerated in exchange for a poll tax called jizya.
They also very well accepted various Western concepts of medicine, science, and philosophy.
As a result, countries including the Ottoman Empire did not face many problems, even though many races with different cultures lived together.
“However, once you join the army, you’ll need to be able to communicate to some extent with the Empire’s noble officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, and understand what kind of people the citizens of the Empire are. Soldiers from the north who enlist in the army will also receive the basic education required as citizens of the Empire.”
Hearing this, the chiefs all nodded in satisfaction.
“To be honest, I also struggled initially with handling official documents and tax issues because I couldn’t read the Empire’s script, let alone how hard it must have been for the tribespeople.”
“In our village, three years ago, we almost paid 20% more taxes due to misreading the tax payment documents. Fortunately, the administrator adjusted it, and we were saved.”
“If the young ones become well-informed about the Empire, it will make things easier in many ways. Besides, coming out of the army makes one smarter, doesn’t it?”
Joining the army provided the same tax benefits as the Empire’s citizens and taught basic arithmetic and writing, functioning much like today’s schools.
It was true. Before the introduction of the elementary school system and compulsory education, the military was the optimal tool for raising the national education level.
Because illiterate peasants from the countryside needed to be taught letters, basic mathematics, and the rules to be observed in the army to turn them into tools that could understand commands and act accordingly.
Therefore, some historians consider the standing army and conscription system to be the main actors in modernization.
In addition, His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and I had prepared to foster loyalty to the Empire by adding a reasonable level of nationalism, history, and pride in the Empire.
With this, the Northerners who had gone through the military would live with the identity of being nomadic people of the north and simultaneously citizens of the Empire living in the north.
“So now, the Empire and the Northerners officially become one. Now, let’s all raise our glasses and shout. Cheers!”
At those words, all the chiefs and officers present raised their glasses high and shouted cheers.
Then, guided by the Operations Officer, I went to where Istvan and the 20 chiefs who had planned to betray the Empire were gathered separately within the banquet hall.
They were trembling and discussing the new benefits promised by the Empire, as they had intended to stab the Empire in the back until recently.
“Damn, if I had known General Yaeger was coming, I would have sprinkled salt when that Istvan bastard came to my house.”
“Shut up; at least we sided with the Empire in the end. We will become citizens of the Empire just like them.”
“With taxes lowered and all sorts of forced labor gone, life will be somewhat better. Got any information to sell? It’d be good to establish some merit.”
I approached them, tapped their shoulders, and spoke with a warning.
“The Empire is well aware that you were in collusion with Istvan. But it’s good to see you’ve come to your senses now, isn’t it?”
Upon hearing this, the chiefs stiffened like stones.
“Truly fortunate. Otherwise, I would have had to watch you and your families stand in front of the wheel, which I would have hated to see. It’s truly fortunate that you came to your senses quickly enough to stand on the side of rolling the wheel.”
“We had a moment of madness, Commander. Given the chance, we will do anything to atone for our sins.”
Anyway, the plan was to scare them a bit and use them as an example to motivate the other chiefs.
Ah, but there was absolutely no intention to torment them like the penal battalions of Germany or the Soviet Union, where they were sent to die fighting.
“When military enlistment starts this summer, get the young men of your tribes to actively join the army. Make it so that the other chiefs feel impatient to see this. And when you go to the battlefield, encourage them to fight with the readiness to die. We will soon have a war with those Stockholm bastards. Prove your loyalty there.”
“Of course, we love war. Moreover, if we can fight for the Empire, we are willing to die.”
“Such an admirable attitude. Then, I look forward to your proof of loyalty.”
Thus, two months after the ceremony, conscription started for the Northerners, and as I mentioned, the 20 tribes that had considered betrayal applied for enlistment, even those in their 40s claiming to be young.
Seeing such enthusiasm, other tribes also rushed, with men in their late 30s applying for military service.
Following the Imperial Army’s conscription standards for physical and age requirements, I was able to draft elite (to-be) recruits by excluding about a third of the applicants.