I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 408: Burden of the Empire (4)

Soldiers are those who die with pride and live with pride.

Even those who belong to the most elite units often lose their will to fight and cannot resist the fear of death when their pride is hurt.

On the other hand, if they have pride, they can become the strongest army, like the Joseon navy, which was a ragtag group except for Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the general who fought with them in the Battle of Myeongnyang.

Knowing this fact, countries with a sound mind teach soldiers to respect them, or at least pretend to respect them.

“I want to emphasize to the soldiers of the Tuscan Empire the honorable duty they must fulfill as soldiers of the Empire, or rather as subjects of the Empire.”

“Subject? What does that mean?”

“It means subjects of His Majesty.”

When I hear this, the phrase imperial subjects comes to mind, and my mood suddenly drops.

I don’t think there is a better word to instill loyalty to the Emperor in the minds of the people of the Tuscan Empire, or more precisely, the soldiers, than the word “subject.”

It’s a word that gives them the pride that they, as a mere citizen, are serving the Emperor and playing a valuable role.

Pride is free, but its effect is astronomically huge.

“I understand the word “subject.” Then why do you make even a mere soldier have an honorable duty?”

“No one in this world wants to die in war. However, just as a father fights to protect his family in order to fulfill his duty as the head of the household, we should give the soldiers of the Tuscan Empire something they want to protect even if it means dying. I just thought that was honor.”

A person who is determined to protect something is strong.

According to one study, there was even a statistic that married men produce nearly three times more value on average than unmarried men.

And that saying applies even if the person they are protecting is not necessarily their family.

Those who fight to protect their honor and risk their lives sometimes end up defeating enemies that are dozens of times larger.

‘During the Battle of Myeongnyang, General Yi Sun-sin fought a 1:133 battle, right?’

“To be more precise, honor and pride. Humans are willing to choose death for these two things.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Do you remember the last war we fought against the Kingdom of Lyon?”

“It was such an easy war. All we had to do was plant our flags on practically empty ground. I never thought I would see a war like that. The war itself was really easy. But I still can’t forget their cowardly actions.”

I took revenge on the Kingdom of Lyon in all sorts of ways.

That war alone wasn’t enough, so I also caused a communist uprising to drive them into chaos and fear.

I also made it so that if they didn’t participate in the civil war of the Holy Empire, their country would inevitably perish.

And he even released Ponzi’s forbidden knowledge and committed Ponzi fraud.

“...... My territory, or more precisely, the seaweed farm in Bio Village, the territory I was first granted, was plundered.”

It’s a story unrelated to what I was saying.

However, Lieutenant General «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Ducat did not interrupt me.

“The seaweed farm technicians kidnapped there were tortured terribly by the Thieves’ Guild, but not a single one of them talked about seaweed farming techniques. They said that if they died, it would all be over, but they would keep their promise and loyalty to me even though it was really over.”

“...... They were people who knew honor.”

“They said that the reason they were able to endure until the end despite the harsh torture and the certainty of death was because they had the pride of having me, the Viscount Rothschild, as their lord. That was their own sense of honor.”

“When I saw that, I was convinced. If I could instill honor and pride in the Tuscan Imperial Army, they would fight with the determination to die.”

Even though I cannot bring the victims back to life, I am taking great care of their families.

I promise that I will never turn a blind eye to those who sacrificed their lives for my family and my company.

“All the soldiers of the Tuscan Empire now respect and love His Majesty the Emperor. And I want to give them the honor of fighting for His Majesty the Emperor when they go out to fight in the Holy Empire.”

“This alone is enough to explain why they should be honored. What method do you plan to use?”

“We can teach this through the military chaplains.”

The method I am about to use is a secret method that should not be used if the soldiers of the Tuscan Empire do not truly respect the Emperor.

Military service is annoying, and now you want me to fight for His Majesty the Emperor and die while fighting in a war that I hate even more?

Even I would seriously consider deserting.

However, if there is infinite loyalty to the Emperor...

“Let me give you an example myself.” “Let’s do that.”

Then I cleared my throat for a moment and opened my mouth in a solemn voice.

“His Majesty the Great Emperor has been ordered by Deus to save you from poverty and keep you safe from external threats. He is concentrating on his government day and night, thinking only of you.”

Even North Koreans, who have been brainwashed from childhood until death, are completely dumbfounded when they hear the level of worshipful comments made by piglets.

They say they will bomb their leader in front of him, but behind his back, they say it’s just the sound of fat crawling.

However, in the Tuscan Empire, when the emperor says such things, everyone, regardless of age or gender, is truly moved.

‘Because he actually saved us from poverty.’

What about the soldiers who go through a weekly, or even daily, training session with the military chaplain to reflect on the emperor’s grace?

If you chew on the grace that you can feel on your skin and see with your eyes and even repeatedly study it, wouldn’t you naturally think that this is the truth?

“Your Majesty saved you from hunger, gave you abundance, and allowed you to dream of a better tomorrow than today. How will you repay this grace?”

Lieutenant General Ducat swallowed hard after hearing me.

You’ve realized, but now is the real moment.

“I can’t repay it.”

There is only one grace in this world that cannot be repaid.

It is the grace of your parents.

Through the flow of those words, I subtly placed the emperor on the same level as my parents.

In the West, it may sound like a new word, but in Eastern culture, there is a saying that “the king and the teacher are like parents,” which means that the king and the teacher are like parents.

For me, who was Korean in my past life, this is not a particularly unfamiliar concept.

“Soldiers of the Tuscan Empire, who have received the unpayable favor of His Majesty, I ask you. Will you be beasts who ignore His Majesty’s favor and live? Or will you live as people who know how to repay the favor you have received? I will say it again. Didn’t Deus save you from hell by dying on the cross, and didn’t Your Majesty save you from starvation by working day and night on state affairs and sowing seeds with tears?”

War is originally for madmen.

I will emphasize this once again: there is not a single sane man on the battlefield.

And in war, the maddest man wins.

‘I will become a mess, no, a madness.’

“Now is the time for you to fulfill his dream. Not as animals that throw away grace, but as people who know grace even if they die today, soldiers of the Imperial Army who swore. Rejoice and be glad. Today, you will have the opportunity to fight to fulfill His Majesty’s dream. You will be able to lighten his burden even a little.”

Humans are not moved by logic.

Humans are ultimately beings moved by emotions.

Logic is merely a means of deciding which way the flow of emotions will go.

So in order to push people into war and win the battle against the enemy, you must ultimately move their hearts.

People should naturally be grateful for what they have received, and you should appeal to their instincts to want to share the burden of the one they love.

Yes, just like now.

“Brave soldiers of the Tuscan Empire, Your Majesty is dreaming now. He wants to drive out the corrupt Sultanate army and the Emperor of the Holy Empire, who has become a cult of the corrupt Deus. Just as Your Majesty embraced you, He wants to save those poor and pitiful people of the Holy Empire. Those who once starved and mourned like you but despaired of the reality where nothing changed. Are you willing to sacrifice your life for this dream of Your Majesty?”

I took a final breath and finished.

“Fight while bearing the burden that you must bear as a subject of the Tuscan Empire. Then you will live in abundance and be embraced by Deus when you die.”

When I finished speaking, Lieutenant General Ducat swallowed hard.

He then looked at me with a slightly strange gaze and said.

“It’s a good thing you’re from the Tuscan Empire. If you were a soldier from the Kingdom of Lyon, you would have invaded us with an army of fanatics who would charge at us while getting shot at.”