aircannonsinc Chapter 48 Vito: Your request is outrageous!
Chapter 48 Vito: Your request is outrageous!
A selection process is underway at the White Legion's estate.
Vito first had someone bring over the roster and, as Tiberius requested, had them gather together. They formed a sparse line, which made Tiberius frown.
"Open your mouth!" A mercenary slapped a slave's cheek hard with the scabbard of his sword. "Open it wider!"
"How long did you work at the lime kiln?"
"I just arrived three months ago..."
"What did you do before? Were you a born slave, a debt slave, or a prisoner of war? What skills did you have? Tell me the truth! I have your information written on this list!" the mercenary said menacingly.
"Debt slave, sir! I used to be a blacksmith, and I also know carpentry!" The lime kiln slave almost knelt down. "Sir, I'll give you money..."
"Shut up! If you utter another word, I'll smash your teeth! You'll be eating thin porridge and shitting for the rest of your life!" The mercenary threatened, brandishing his scabbard. "Tell me, why did you become a debt slave?!"
"During the 96AC border war, a mercenary group took a batch of weapons from me ahead of time. They had a decree from the Governor's Office, and they agreed to use the decree to get reimbursement from the Governor's Office... But they never returned, and the Governor's Office didn't reimburse me for the equipment, saying the invoice didn't meet regulations... I simply couldn't afford to pay for it, so I had no choice but to sell myself into slavery," the man murmured. "I beg you..."
"Alright, shut up. Go to the circle on the left!" After examining the teeth, the mercenary unceremoniously ordered the younger, stronger slave to the left area.
The area on the left was mostly populated by young, strong slaves like him. Their faces were filled with fear, unsure of what awaited them.
"We still don't have enough men!" Tippi, standing on the edge of the area, frowned as he looked at the number of people in the circle to his left. "Of the more than three hundred men in the manor, are only thirty or forty suitable to be soldiers?"
"Your request is outrageous!" Vito spat out the foxtail grass from his mouth and lazily complained.
"What's so outrageous about this?" Tippi frowned slightly.
Vito chuckled. "My 'Lightning General'! You should be grateful that you managed to gather this many men, and that so many of them basically meet your 'outrageous' requirements."
"Look at your demands! I think you've lost your mind! Do you think this is picking pumpkins at a market or choosing calves in a livestock pen? Look... young and strong, which means we don't want anyone over thirty! Having a family and children? That's easy enough; the master will always give a slave wife, since the children born are also slaves. Debt slaves. These guys are relatively few to begin with, and the clever ones have already found ways to redeem themselves or climb the social ladder! I've heard some would rather sell their asses to buy their freedom!"
"You need good teeth and good health: ask those who have worked in lime kilns and quarries for a year, how many of them have healthy lungs? How many have flexible joints? Even slaves who toil in the fields for a few years will have back and waist problems! Do you think the manor is a military camp? With meat and vegetables, and then you just eat your fill every day and have nothing to do but toughen up your bodies? We can only hope that the tasks assigned to them by their masters haven't turned them into weaklings... This is the most outrageous thing!" Vito looked at Tiberius's demands on the parchment and gave a bitter smile.
"Look! Skilled workers get priority: blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons—which master wouldn't treasure these kinds of talents, or have them already been selected to do skilled work? Even on our own estate, these people mostly work in workshops, which is easier than farming. Would they willingly give up relatively safe jobs to risk their lives? It's only because you, kid, took them to be soldiers!"
At this point, Vito's face showed a hint of admiration.
"But you're ruthless enough to have actually anticipated that someone would run away!"
He pointed to another area in the distance, where many women, children, and the elderly were gathered. They were somewhat apprehensive as they received large portions of food—slightly better than usual—from the menacing mercenaries. They thanked the mercenaries profusely, and then went to eat in another open space.
"You lured them here under the pretense of 'food bestowed by the master,' then used them as hostages, keeping them chained up here! You called it a reward, but it was really just using them as leverage to force their fathers and husbands to participate in this monstrous selection process! This idea is absolutely despicable! You're holding onto their weaknesses and won't let go. Want food? Let your men be chosen!"
"However... it did work. I reckon they'll be eternally grateful to you after this meal! Tiberius, you're a born lord! Ruthless, decisive!"
"Is that a compliment?" Tiberius quipped.
"You're better than being stupid and dull, aren't you?" Vito rolled his eyes at Tiberius.
"That's true." Tiberius readily accepted Vito's praise.
"However, we still don't have enough people!" Tiberius frowned. "Bring in the bachelors, especially the young, hot-blooded ones. They might still have some energy and haven't given up on themselves!"
Vito shrugged. "We don't have enough men! What do we do next? Go back to the market and buy more? Our money doesn't grow on trees, and we don't have many of those 'good stuff' anymore. That guy from the Hein family complained that our demands were too harsh! All in all, we've only managed to get about twenty more over the rest of the way!"
"Let's train them first!" Tiberius let out a soft sigh. "We can deal with the personnel later. We can train them well first, give them a foundation, and they'll become the backbone of our legion!"
"Alright, kid, but to be honest, I really don't think you're a good candidate for using slaves." Vito made no attempt to hide his skepticism about Tiberius's plan. "Even if you control their entire family, even if you promise them the biggest rewards..."
He pointed to the slaves who dared not utter a sound in the face of the mercenaries and said with considerable disdain.
"Sometimes, war is all about spirit and morale! It's about winning with that ruthless determination to draw blood from the enemy! Look at them, so weak! They're used to bowing their heads, used to enduring, used to passively accepting their fate. I'm afraid that when they're actually on the battlefield, hearing the thunderous drums and the earth-shattering battle cries, and stepping on the sticky, bloody corpses on the ground, their long-suppressed cowardice will definitely surface! At that point, all the carefully constructed framework you've built will crumble in an instant."
Upon hearing Vito's words, Tiberius revealed a cryptic smile.
"So Vito, I'm going to train them properly! I admit they have their weaknesses, but they have two strengths!"
"What advantages?"
"First, they come from the mines and farms, and are naturally obedient to their superiors. After all, without orders comes whips and clubs—that's ingrained in their bones! In other words, I don't need to lecture those free men like I do in mercenary groups about why they should obey their superiors, and they naturally won't have any crooked thoughts. Vito, you know yourself, sometimes a fool's sudden inspiration is more dangerous than a bad person's elaborate scheme! Second..."
Tibbie revealed a sinister smile tinged with pity and exploitation:
"Their lives are so hard, so incredibly hard! It's a life where you can see the end from the beginning! I only need to give them a little something sweet, and they'll willingly risk their lives for me!"
"Damn it..." Vito cursed under his breath. "When it comes to manipulating people, I'm truly unparalleled! So, let's do it your way. I want to see if your 'carrot and stick' approach can actually squeeze a drop or two of courage out of these spineless cowards!"