'Those who do not wish to, I will not force. I will pay for your travel expenses and seven days' rations out of my own pocket, and return your confiscated property to you at its converted value. My soldiers will escort you safely out of this land.'
Arthur gestured to Olivier to give these people money, just like the commoners before. Olivier looked at Arthur with resentment. Sometimes his Lord was cruel, like a true lord, and other times he showed inexplicable mercy and generosity. But in the end, it all came down to one thing: he didn't treat money like money.
He did not respond to Olivier's resentful gaze. In the age of cold weapons, a city's fall inevitably led to slaughter. It was unwise for a general to prevent soldiers from venting, as it would only earn their hatred and resentment. Even the Second Emperor couldn't prevent it; he could only control soldiers with huge economic incentives, just like the Second Emperor who opened the treasury to ransom cities for his soldiers, avoiding massacres, which was already the best approach.
There were no grand words; everything had to be built from the very foundation. Only then could these cold-weapon soldiers, after a future city capture, avoid massacres and instead wait for the general to open the treasury for rewards.
He didn't care about the few coppers in the commoners' hands. How many copper coins could a commoner have? The combined property of these two hundred commoners from the knight family didn't even amount to a few silver deer, less valuable than a noble's robe. Confiscation was included in the statistics only to prevent soldiers from coveting the commoners' meager possessions.
The commoners looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
An old man walked out, trembling:
'My Lord... is what you say true?'
'...Will you really return our property?'
'You... will you really let us go?'
Arthur, on horseback, did not look at them, yet he was speaking to them: 'I have never failed to fulfill my promises.'
The crowd was silent for a moment, and then, most of them knelt down.
'We are willing to farm the land for My Lord! We are willing!'
To them, in this time of war, a lord who could give them land, homes, and a way to live was already the best choice.
No one knew if they would meet a good lord after fleeing.
But there were also a few who chose to leave. As agreed, they received money and food paid for by Arthur out of his own pocket, and their property was returned at its converted value. Escorted by soldiers, they set off on the road leaving the Legge Family's lands.
Night deepened.
Bonfires crackled in the plundered castle courtyard.
The soldiers gathered around the fires, laughing loudly and excitedly, praising the generous and magnanimous Lord Arthur, and counting their gains.
Arthur stood alone on the castle wall, gazing into the dark distance. An envoy from Riverrun would surely come, and after the Legge Family's vassals had taken their fill, they would surely unite against him, the one who had gained the most. He pondered his counter-strategies.
Olivier stepped forward, his footsteps light, and spoke softly: 'Lord Arthur—'
Arthur did not turn his head:'Speak. I know you've been holding it in all day.'
Olivier took a deep breath, his voice filled with suppressed worry.
'Lord Arthur, what you did today, while it won the loyalty of the soldiers...'
He paused, seemingly searching for the right words.
'But... it also laid a huge hidden danger.'
Arthur finally turned around, finding this interesting, and looked at Olivier: 'Oh? How so?'
Seeing Arthur ask, Olivier's voice became somewhat agitated: 'Lord Arthur, you are feeding a pack of wolves with raw meat.'
'The soldiers have tasted the sweetness of war; they will become increasingly warlike and increasingly greedy.'
'When peace comes, what will they do?'
'An army accustomed to gaining everything through war merits and dividing noble property after sieges will become the most terrifying source of unrest in the peaceful lands under your rule!'
He took another step forward, intending to give some examples to explain the seriousness to Arthur.
'Lord Arthur, have you ever heard of the Ironborn's "Ancient Road"!'
Arthur nodded without speaking. The Ancient Road, as a national characteristic of the Ironborn, was infamous, and truthfully, his entire family had perished at the hands of the Ironborn.
'The Ironborn call their tradition of raiding the "Ancient Road," replacing buying with plundering wealth through war, which is their so-called "paying the iron price."
'They mock those who farm the land and work hard, viewing war as everything in their lives.'
'And now your soldiers are more like Ironborn than the Ironborn themselves. They determine their status in your land and army by military achievements, and they gain their wealth by killing others.'
'Lord Arthur... please forgive my offensive words, My Lord, you are establishing your Ancient Road for your people.'
Arthur listened quietly, his face expressionless. His gaze fell on the excited, cheering soldiers below.
Only after Olivier finished speaking did he slowly open his mouth: 'But what I see is the loyalty and bravery of the soldiers. Tell me, on the battlefield, what is more useful?'
Olivier was momentarily speechless: '...But Westeros doesn't have that many wars, My Lord.'
'When this war ends, what will happen to your people...'
'In the long run, once there is no war, these people will become unstable elements in your territory...'
Arthur interrupted him: 'Long run?'
'We must first achieve victory, and only then can we talk about the long run. Right now, I need an absolutely loyal and capable army, an army willing to chew through any hard bone for me.'
'Money lost can be earned again, but if people's hearts scatter, they can never be gathered again.'
He patted Olivier's shoulder, his tone a little lighter: 'As for the war and peace you're worried about...'
Arthur smiled, his smile appearing somewhat unfathomable in the flickering firelight.
He leaned closer to Olivier and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.
'How do you know there won't be war?'
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