Chapter 241 - 195: 500,000?
He was now a veritable perpetual motion machine on the battlefield!
Henry straightened his clothes, stood up, and walked out of the tent to look at the world outside.
The sky was so blue and the sunlight so bright. Henry took a deep breath. He was about to embark on a great journey, one that would change the fate of the entire continent of Caladia.
He glanced at the convoy in the camp’s open area. There, Countess Ratifa was busy arranging the terms of trade with the other nobles.
Henry strode toward his troops. ’War isn’t something one man can fight alone.’
’I don’t know why the Personal Panel isn’t garbled anymore, but why hasn’t the Total War panel finished calculating?’
’Did something go wrong somewhere?’ Henry was starting to get a headache from this supposedly "foolproof" system.
Henry walked through the camp and found the busy Claude and Bain.
Henry took a closer look. Claude’s hair was already streaked with gray, while Bain had grown from a skinny boy into a robust young man.
Looking at them, Henry was filled with emotion. So much had changed with the passage of time.
It had only been two or three years since his graduation from the academy, yet their lives had changed so drastically.
"Claude, Bain." Henry’s voice interrupted their work. They turned, and their faces broke into smiles upon seeing him.
"My lord, you’re here," Claude said, his voice a bit hoarse.
It was clear he’d been so busy tallying casualties and spoils that he hadn’t even had time for a drink of water.
If he was in this state, there was no telling how the clerks helping with the records were faring. Their hands were probably trembling from holding their pens for so long.
"We’ve nearly finished the tallies. We’re just waiting for your orders."
Bain pumped a fist. "My lord, when do we set out? We should move quickly and clean out the enemy’s fiefs!"
Bain had become quite enthusiastic about the idea of cleaning out other people’s houses.
This meant Henry would acquire a great deal of luxurious furniture, tableware, and ornaments. Henry didn’t care much for such things and would likely reward a portion to him.
To Bain, these things were treasures. He wanted to build a home with Orianna, and he didn’t want it to be a dilapidated, empty house.
He wanted to decorate their home with fine furniture, ornaments, and tableware.
Henry clapped Bain on his sturdy shoulder and said with a smile, "We won’t need to run all over the place. Do you remember Countess Ratifa Villarreal, whom we met in Baltahan after the great battle?"
Bain blinked. He vaguely remembered.
"She’s come to our camp with more than enough Dinars. She’s going to pay us directly in cash in exchange for our spoils and everything on the enemy fiefs."
Bain thought for a moment, a little disappointed. He frowned and asked, "My lord, why would she pay us for the things on the enemy fiefs?
Even if she just took them, how could we possibly calculate the loss?"
Claude burst out laughing. "Bain, think about it. Would she dare? If she tried, my lord’s army would be at her fief by tomorrow!"
Bain nodded, though he was still a little displeased with Ratifa Villarreal’s actions.
It cost him the chance to acquire more furnishings for his future home. ’I’ll curse her in small circles.’
After chatting with Claude and Bain for a while, Henry gave his orders. "Claude, take the data you’ve compiled so far and go negotiate the sale of our spoils with Countess Ratifa.
Aside from the high-quality armor, weapons, and horses that are in perfect condition, everything else can be sold to her."
Henry paused, then added, "The prisoners are for sale, too. As long as the price is right, everything is for sale."
Claude nodded. Dealing with these spoils themselves would require a great deal of time and energy, and they might not even get a good price.
Now that Countess Ratifa was willing to exchange them for Dinars, it was undoubtedly a great way to save time and effort.
This was especially true for the prisoners of war. Forcing them to farm, build roads, or work in the mines would require assigning troops to guard them, and they would slow down the army’s march.
They were simply a burden.
Although Bain was a little disappointed, he clenched his fists, determined to win even more spoils in the next battle.
’Hmm... at the very least, a decent set of silverware!’
While Bain was lost in his own little schemes, Henry continued speaking to Claude. "As for assessing the value of the enemy fiefs... you’ll need to take some soldiers and accompany Ratifa’s team.
It’s not that I don’t trust Countess Ratifa, but when it comes to money, we must be careful."
Claude nodded in understanding, taking this as a sign of Henry’s trust. "I understand, my lord. I will personally lead the soldiers to oversee the assessment process and ensure your interests are protected."
Bain straightened up. "My lord, I want to go too! I want to see those enemy fiefs with my own eyes and find out just how much treasure they’ve hidden!"
Bain was thrilled. ’I can’t believe I get to go and pick out the goods myself!’
’My lord and Claude will definitely let me keep a little something for myself, right? They have to, right?’
Henry chuckled at his words. "Alright, Bain, you can go too. But you must listen to Claude’s arrangements and not act rashly."
Bain nodded happily, already impatient to set off on this "business trip."
Henry walked back the way he came, his eyes once again falling on the bustling convoy in the camp’s open area.
Countess Ratifa was there, directing people as they loaded goods in preparation for the trades.
Henry approached her, asking in surprise, "Are the nobles’ deals closing that quickly? I didn’t expect you’d already be loading goods in the short time I was gone."
Ratifa turned at the sound of his voice. Seeing it was Henry, she shook her head and patiently explained.
As it turned out, the deals that had been settled so far were for the spoils belonging to the Knights.
The Knights had relatively few spoils and weren’t inclined to extort her. They were more than happy to exchange their goods directly for Dinars.
Furthermore, the prices Ratifa offered were quite fair, so the Knights agreed to the deals immediately.
This allowed Countess Ratifa’s convoy to quickly complete these smaller transactions and begin preparations for moving larger quantities of goods.
It was a win-win situation for both Countess Ratifa and the Knights.
The Knights could quickly liquidate their spoils, while the Countess could acquire more goods at a reasonable price.
As for the deals with the Barons, negotiations were still underway. The two Viscounts, in particular, were trying to squeeze out more Dinars.
Ratifa didn’t mind spending a bit more, but that didn’t mean she was a fool who would let herself be taken advantage of.
If the prices were too inflated, she would rather walk away from the deal.
Henry nodded in understanding.
The Barons and Viscounts were all shrewd negotiators; they wouldn’t sell their spoils for cheap.
Even a meathead like Calvin would try his best to bargain for a higher price to get more Dinars.
This was common practice among nobles—or rather, it was common practice for everyone. After all, who didn’t want to maximize their own profit?
"Countess Ratifa, I trust you to make the most reasonable judgment."
"Baron Henry, thank you for your understanding. I will ensure every deal is fair. If the demands of the Barons and Viscounts are too outrageous, I will choose to walk away.
After all, I have no need to pay an unreasonable price for a few spoils of war."
Henry’s eyes shifted. ’Could it be that these goods aren’t a dire necessity for the Northern Lands?’
"By the way, what do you think my spoils are worth?"
Ratifa met Henry’s gaze and replied, "Although I don’t know exactly what spoils you have, I believe it would take at least five hundred thousand Dinars to buy them."