Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Money problem(1) Chapter 124: Money problem(1) A week had passed since the defeat of Lord Ormund and his forces.

The shock of the conflict had subsided, and the city of Yarzat had returned to a tense, but quiet, state.

The two bodies-Lord Ormund and his eldest son Darian-had been carefully prepared and sent back to their ancestral fiefdom in the city of Confluendi, to be received by his late windown and the last of his son Alpheo’s army, now occupying Yarzat, was tasked with maintaining order in the city.

However, with no immediate threats or uprisings, the soldiers found themselves with little to do.

The city’s streets were calm, and the citizens carried on with their daily routines, albeit with wary eyes cast toward the men in armor who patrolled the roads.

Most of Alpheo’s troops spent their days idly or engaged in rigorous training sessions.

The clang of swords and the thud of shields echoed across the barracks and open squares where drills were held.After that during the night many would go to brothels or taverns to spend either the money , they got from the loot or the bonus that their captain gave them following the three battles they fought in a month.  Alpheo, always pragmatic, had issued clear orders to his men shortly after occupying Yarzat: no unnecessary trouble in taverns or brothels, and every mercenary was to pay their dues fairly.

Yet, despite the commands, he knew well enough that mercenaries-especially victorious ones-had a tendency to push boundaries.

Unsurprisingly, whispers reached him that some of his soldiers were “eloquently” convincing tavern owners to give them discounts, using their presence to subtly intimidate the proprietors.

Though the soldiers avoided blatant violence, the pressure they exerted was undeniable, and it wasn’t long before the practice became more widespread than Alpheo had anticipated.

Finding a solution wasn’t easy.

He couldn’t police his own men all the time, and many of these instances flew under the radar.

Yet, knowing that unchecked behavior could damage his reputation and the army’s discipline, he decided to take action.

Alpheo placed some of his most trusted soldiers on patrol near the city’s taverns and brothels, their job to subtly dissuade their comrades from pushing their luck, and report those who tried, promising a reward for each name given.Normally soldiers wouldn’t rat companions out, so Alpheo had to use those soldiers he put into the garrison, mostly new recruits that had no attachment to veterans and that Alpheo had the intention to completely separate from the normal military, to create something akin to a police force.

Within days of these reforms, Alpheo began receiving names-soldiers whose misbehavior had been noticed.

Rather than dealing harsh punishments, he opted for a lighter, yet still effective, approach: docking their monthly pay.

It was a measured punishment, just enough to sting but not so severe as to sow discontent among his ranks.

Word spread quickly, and soon enough, the amount of “discounts” they got diminished significantly, still present but not as severe as before.

Many tavern owners, once fearful of the armored men who came to drink and carouse, found themselves breathing a little easier, their businesses no longer subject to the whims of aggressive patrons.  It was also decided the date for Princess Jasmine’s coronation .

The ceremony was to take place exactly two weeks from now, giving time for the remaining lords and nobles to make their way to the capital.  Making use of the gathered nobility, it was decided that it would be also announced that Jasmine’s marriage to Alpheo would follow immediately after the coronation.

By aligning the two events, they ensured the presence of the most important figures in the realm, both for the political symbolism of her ascent to the throne and for the consolidation of power through marriage.

This way, there would be no time for anyone to go against the marriage.

The date for the coronation was set two weeks from now, yet Alpheo found himself confronting a new and pressing problem: they were running out of funds.

The mercenary army, the lavish preparations for both the coronation and the subsequent marriage, and the maintenance of the army-all these costs were quickly depleting their resources.

Alpheo had thought long and hard about the issue, but instead of taking action behind his future bride’s back, he decided it was better to bring the matter directly to her.

He was many things, but a fool wasn’t one of them; dealing with Jasmine openly would avoid future tensions, especially as their fates were now tied together.The marriage would go much better if his bride knew that she would retain her power and not be stolen from it.

————– Inside a small room the two people that would soon ruler the princedom of Oizen were currently scratching their head.

“Do we truly have no money?” Jasmine asked, her voice edged with disbelief, as she sat across from Alpheo at the small table cluttered with reports and financial records.

Alpheo glanced up from the parchment he had been studying, his face grim.

“Well,” he began, carefully choosing his words, “I had one of my companions review what’s left of the funds.

And if you remember, quite a bit was spent on that largesse of grain you gave out after the battle.” He paused, catching her gaze.

Jasmine shifted uncomfortably, offering an awkward smile, though she knew the decision had been hers.

“How much do we have left, then?” she asked, her tone softening slightly, but still carrying a hint of worry.

“I have less than 10,000 silverii remaining, or 1,000 aureii if you prefer to count it that way,” Alpheo replied, his brow furrowing.

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly troubled by the dwindling resources.

Jasmine exhaled, leaning back in her chair.

“That should be enough to cover the costs of the banquets and the ceremony, right?” she suggested, trying to sound optimistic.

Alpheo shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he laid out the harsh reality.

“Most of that money will be used to maintain the army for the next few months,” he explained, “and whatever is left won’t come close to covering the expenses for the coronation, let alone the feasts, entertainment, and all the other ceremonies that follow.

We’re looking at far more than just a few thousand coins for what’s ahead.

Worst part is that we can’t afford to be cheap, as extravagance is the only word that should be used to describe a coronation and a royal marriage…” “How much do we currently spend on the military?” Jasmine asked, her brow furrowed as she had no way of knowing how much Alpheo’s soldiers cost him Alpheo exhaled, setting the parchment down and leaning forward on the table.

“Just from my army alone, we spend nearly 4,000 silverii each month between wages, food, and weapons maintenance.

That doesn’t even include the spending on the various city garrisons across the royal fiefs.” Jasmine waved a hand dismissively, her expression softening.

“Oh, that’s not a problem.

The maintenance of the city garrisons is subtracted from the taxes paid by each city.

The cities cover their own soldiers.” Alpheo blinked, digesting the news.

He was quiet for a moment, his thoughts racing.

“So, you don’t know exactly how much you spend annually on maintaining every city garrison?”  Jasmine hesitated before shaking her head.

“No,” she admitted.

“It’s always been done this way-since my father’s rule, and his father before him.

The commanders take care of it, using the taxes from their own cities to manage the soldiers stationed there.If we were to decide on each city’s budget we would take an entire month to finish that alone” Alpheo’s mind spun as he processed this.

So nothing stops city commanders from withholding more than they need?

He thought, realizing that the lack of a centralized system left them vulnerable to corruption .

It became increasingly clear to him that the princedom didn’t have an effective bureaucracy in place, leaving much of the financial management divided and disorganized.

A problem that however Alpheo knew was only inevitable for strong empire and should be uneheard for such smalle petty kingdom He leaned back, his fingers drumming lightly on the table.

“You mean to say there’s no real oversight over what the city commanders take?

No record of how much they need versus how much they actually spend?That what we receive by them is just the scraps that remained after they made their own costs?” Jasmine shrugged, looking a bit unsure herself from his tone.

“It’s been tradition.

The commanders are trusted to manage their cities and report back on what they need.

It’s always worked well enough.Usually if any major discrepancy is found, a man is sent by the royal court to see whether the commander is corrupt.” Alpheo raised an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of concern and disbelief.

“That leaves a lot of room for…

personal gifts made by commanders to themselves.

In the future we may have to deal with that for now we will let it run.” There is no way , I will let that exist for long, Alpheo thought as he was adamant that such a lax way to deal with with the provincial holdings could not be allowed to exist under him.  “Well…

if things are so tight,” she ventured after a pause, “can’t we just reduce the number of soldiers?

Or even dismantle the army entirely for now?

It’s peacetime after all.

Why not save the coin?” Alpheo’s face hardened at her suggestion, he looked at her hard for a second .

He then shook his head, his tone firm.

“That’s a bad idea,” he said, his voice low but resolute.

“Right now, the only thing keeping the more ambitious nobles from putting their foot on your neck is this army.

These men are veterans, elite soldiers who fought and bled for you.

Dismantling them now would be like throwing a door open for any ambitious noble to refuse any of our calls or edict.

” Also all of my power derives from them, he thought as he faked reading from another report.

Alpheo leaned forward, tapping the table lightly with his fingers as he changed the subject “Have we sent an envoy to the Prince of Oizen for the ransom of his son?” he asked, his gaze steady on Jasmine.

Jasmine nodded.

“I already took care of that.

An envoy was sent last week.

Soon, the Prince of Oizen will dispatch someone to negotiate terms.

It shouldn’t take long.” Her tone was confident, though there was a flicker of concern in her eyes.

Alpheo nodded, pleased with her foresight.

At least that ransom will cover some of the long-term financial strain, he thought, feeling a small sense of relief.

The money from the ransom would buy them time, but it wasn’t the solution for their current problem.

Jasmine sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Still if what you say is true , we’re bleeding money.

The last yearly revenue was 55,000 silverii, and at this pace, we’ll be spending more than 48,000 just on military expenses alone.” Her voice carried a tone of frustration.

“It’s unsustainable.” Alpheo could see her stress, and he knew they couldn’t afford to have her panicking, especially now.

He raised a hand, his voice calm and steady.

“Don’t worry.

I have a way to increase our revenue-enough to cover at least half of that military expenditure, if not more.” Jasmine raised an eyebrow, skepticism creeping into her features.

“You do?

And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Alpheo leaned back slightly, a small, confident smile playing on his lips.

“it would be much simpler to show it.

Soon I will give you the first samples of those ways I am speaking of .For now we should instead find a solution for the upcoming funds needed for the court expenditure…”