plumnovel #285 - The Norse Knights and the Settlement of the Church Nobility
#285 - The Norse Knights and the Settlement of the Church Nobility
Beside the low, pale fence, branches of summer oak trees reached out, and several song thrushes perched on the new buds, chirping sharply.
Sunlight, with a texture like琉璃 (liú lí, glazed colored glass), shone on the backs of several warhorses grazing on young grass, reflecting a metallic sheen.
His body swayed gently with the horse's movements, and the ornate short sword at Muila's waist struck against the iron buckle of his belt, producing a crisp sound.
This gilded short sword was inlaid with tiny gemstones, with silver浮雕 (fú diāo, relief carvings).
This one sword alone cost Muila a full 12 gold pounds, in addition to the 6 gold pounds he spent on three sets of formal attire.
This single purchase consumed nearly half of the 40 gold pounds that Moliaty had rewarded him.
His companions advised him to buy cattle, sheep, houses, and land in his hometown, but Muila did not think so.
A good education, eloquent speech, a handsome appearance, coupled with clothes that emphasized status – this was a ticket to the upper classes.
Muila always thought it was superficial to judge solely on appearance, but he couldn't resist the prevailing trend; he hated the smell of makeup powder, but he still had to apply a little to his face.
Walking on the curved grassy ground, Muila was followed by four hundred Norse foot knights, walking alongside Bussac, who had come to greet them.
These four hundred extraordinary knights were called knights, but they rode donkeys or mules, or even if they rode horses, they were ponies.
Mere transportation.
Matching these donkeys and mules were the knights' farmer-like beards and weathered faces.
As knights from the mountainous county, they couldn't lie around in manors eating, drinking, and being merry like knights from the plains.
In the barren land, even knights had to go out as mercenaries to earn money, their nature similar to laborers.
Except one was a manufacturing laborer, and the other was a military laborer.
They came here under the instructions of Grand Duke Moliaty, to help the Salvation Army of Jeanneburg.
Although they complained about the lack of pay, under Moliaty's authority, the Norsemen scraped together more than four hundred mountain knights.
They set off on March 1st to support the Salvation Army, and only arrived today, March 11th, only to be told that they were too late.
The Edict Legion was gone, Jeanneburg had been captured, and they couldn't even get a taste of the spoils of war.
But fortunately, Horn, the leader of the Salvation Army, was willing to accommodate them, so the trip wasn't a complete waste.
The leader of these Norse knights was Muila.
Muila was a Kush knight from Norse County, his ancestors were in the same batch as the Karlhei knights, all feudalized Kush tribal leaders.
Under the invasion of Frankish and Leah noble immigrants, Muila's great-grandfather had to retreat from the fertile plains to the barren and cold mountains.
Since then, flat fields had become their sweetest dream every night.
Looking at the continuous fences, the crisscrossing streams, and the wet furrows between the fields, many Norse knights revealed expressions of greed and envy.
"You're good at hiding your gold pounds, take them away!"
His ears twitched slightly, and Muila raised his eyelids, looking towards the direction of the sound.
Surrounded by several fertile fields, in the woods shaded by trees, in front of the dark black monastery, hundreds of monks and priests were being driven out by the warrior monks.
The black-hatted warrior monk who had shouted "take them away" pinched two stinky gold coins with his index finger and thumb, disgustedly throwing them into a box beside him.
"This is church property. They have been judged guilty of aiding devils, and all their property will be confiscated. In the next few months, retroactive lawsuits will be initiated," Bussac said, shading his eyes with his hand.
"So many people, can they all be tried?"
The always arrogant monks were all dejected, crying, or pounding the ground. Muila felt a sense of pleasure arise in his heart.
"No, a few lightly guilty ones will be tried, and then they will rely on identifying others to reduce their own sentences. With their help in the trials, the process will be very fast. Moreover, we have a dedicated legal scholar, Martial, to review the cases."
"Oh... Eh, Lord Horn, has he said where the confiscated land will go?" Muila could feel the heavy breathing of the Norse knights behind him.
Their hometown, Norse County, was a small plateau with nothing but weeds and wild cattle.
There, a few acres of land were enough to make people fight to the death, let alone the fertile fields here.
"We are currently only in a temporary management state. His Excellency is also troubled about how to handle these properties," Bussac introduced their current difficulties without hesitation. "During this period, His Excellency has been summoning knowledgeable people from all over Kush to discuss the current situation, but in my opinion, it's probably still the hundred-household system reform."
Muila did not rashly ask what the hundred-household system was. Now, in public, if he asked too many questions, it would seem too deliberate.
To change the subject, Muila pointed to a small tent by the side of the road.
"What are they doing there?"
Under the fluttering banner of the sun wheel, he saw farmers lined up in a long queue in front of the tent.
On both sides of the long queue, black-clothed soldiers with spears in their hands were sternly reprimanding farmers who tried to cut in line.
"Recruiting soldiers," Bussac's voice dimmed slightly. "The previous battle was too tragic."
Although they had captured the northern Kush territory of Langsand County, the knights of the Ibe Plain in the southern Golden River Township were still eyeing them covetously.
In early spring, March, it was still the farming season, and they also encountered a famine, but Horn had no choice but to order another conscription.
Currently, after reorganization and statistics, the Salvation Army needed to replenish 1028 new recruits.
If it were up to Hakuto, it would be best to recruit another 2,000 new soldiers while replenishing the ranks.
However, it was the busy farming season, and taking away more than 3,000 young and middle-aged laborers from the surrounding area at once would be too destructive to Kush's agriculture.
Of course, conscription was indeed necessary, but it was divided into three batches, first recruiting replacement soldiers to fill the ranks.
The second batch would recruit two legions of 1,000 people again in April, and then decide whether to recruit the third batch depending on the situation.
After all, the Salvation Army was a standing army, and the financial pressure was great. Before the economy returned to normal, they had to be cautious.
"Are the farmers voluntarily enlisting?" Muila thought for a moment and understood. "Spring famine and floods, being a soldier at least provides food, and maybe even a salary."
"How much is their daily wage?" A mountain knight asked curiously.
"2 dinars for new recruits, 4 dinars for veterans."
Muila visibly stiffened: "How much did you just say? Is that a weekly wage?"
Not only Muila himself, but the foot knights behind him pricked up their ears.
"Not a weekly wage, it's a daily wage. It's paid every Monday. In peacetime, new recruits get 7 dinars, and veterans get 14 dinars. It doubles in wartime."
"Ah? No, do you get paid even when you're not fighting?"
Muila exchanged a glance with the adjutant behind him. They each saw disbelief in the other's eyes.
These mountain knights worked their asses off as mercenaries for a year, adding in the income from their home farms, and barely managed to scrape together a little over 10 gold pounds a year.
Sometimes employers would even delay paying the mountain laborers' wages, requiring them to lose face, make a big fuss, and even threaten to kidnap the employer to get back seventy or eighty percent of their pay.
The Salvation Army here under Horn had an income of 6 gold pounds a year even without fighting, and that didn't even include the spoils of war.
Who are the real knights here?
"What about compensation? Is there any compensation?"
"If they die in battle, they will receive a pension of one-quarter of their salary every month, with a minimum subsidy of 1 dinar per day, and their children can attend the Papal Royal School for free," Bussac turned his body and answered the Norse knight who asked the question.
"...If you put it that way, I can do this job too."
"I'm a knight, I don't need training, I can be a veteran right away."
"One last question, where do I sign up?"
"You can't do it," Bussac shook his head. "We are only recruiting soldiers from Kush territory for the time being, and we prioritize the Protectorate Guard and farmers."
"I can be a Protectorate Guard too, I can talk."
"Watch your words," Muila scolded the mountain knight in a low voice. "Our lord is Grand Duke Moliaty, you are being too rude."
The scolded knight muttered in a low voice: "Haven't sworn an oath yet, have we?"
Bussac pretended not to hear their conversation: "We can hire you at the market average price, paid weekly without delay. During this time, you will be stationed in Grey Furnace Town first."
"Is food and lodging included?"
"Yes."
"Good!" The Norse knights cheered instantly.