Chapter 121 - Observations in Elm Town
Having recognized that the people of Dolrcocha were demoralized and that no one wished to fight any longer, Balotelli's first thought was to invite the Viscount of Lanwan's envoy back to renegotiate the matter of reparations. However, Jonathan Hackman was already long gone.
Dolrcocha was merely the first stop on Jonathan Hackman's diplomatic mission. Next, he was headed to Badan, Carmela, Sudaman, and Kaoluo.
In the elder council of the city-state of Badan, Jonathan Hackman presented Charlotte's demand for two million Fuso in reparations as before.
The elders of Badan pointed their fingers at Jonathan Hackman's nose, cursing him as "shameless," "utterly disgraceful," and shouting, "We were the ones who suffered the greatest losses!" "The people of Badan will never yield!" "She's just a mere Viscount of Lanwan!" "Badan has never feared war!" "We will prove once more with sword and blood that Badan cannot be bullied!"
And then, they signed the reparations agreement.
It became known in history as the "Treaty of Badan."
The process went so smoothly that even Jonathan Hackman was astonished. It proved once again that Badan was indeed a city-state not particularly overflowing with martial spirit. They were more willing to part with their wealth to avoid disaster than to fight another war with the Viscount of Lanwan.
However, Badan's reparations were not to be paid entirely in cash. They adopted a payment model of half cash and half goods.
Over three years, Badan would pay the Viscount of Lanwan five hundred thousand Fuso and two million Dir. The remainder of the compensation would be paid in goods such as linen, olives, grapes, wine, and tuna. There was no other choice; although Badan was prosperous, the disastrous defeat in the Dolrcocha campaign had saddled the city-state with the heavy burden of pension payments.
Leaving Badan, Jonathan Hackman arrived in Carmela, where he once again demanded two million Fuso from the Carmela elder council.
Naturally, the elders of Carmela did not give Jonathan Hackman a warm welcome.
Compared to Badan, although Carmela's losses in the war were not small, they had not reached a crippling level.
The elder who had feigned death during the night raid, Alvaro, had escaped back to Carmela with the routed troops. Unlike Badan's general, Giovanni Draghi, who had been scared witless by Charlotte, Alvaro vigorously promoted the "Lanwan Threat Theory," demanding that the city-state mobilize its forces for a counterattack to avenge their defeat.
Under these circumstances, the Carmela elder council had initially been unwilling to discuss any reparations with Jonathan Hackman. At worst, it would just be another fight.
However, Jonathan Hackman presented the reparations agreement he had signed with Badan.
The faces of the Carmela elders instantly fell. Badan was both Carmela's ally and a shield standing before them—Dolrcocha didn't count; that shield had already shattered. With Badan surrendering at such an astonishing speed without any warning, was Carmela to face the Viscount of Lanwan's offensive alone?
Faced with this situation, the Carmela elder council weighed the pros and cons and ultimately signed the reparations agreement.
It became known in history as the "Treaty of Carmela."
After some haggling with Jonathan Hackman, Carmela agreed to pay only 1.2 million Fuso in reparations, also in a half-cash, half-goods format like Badan. The cash portion included three hundred thousand Fuso and 1.2 million Dir, with a payment period of two years.
While Jonathan Hackman was visiting Dolrcocha, Badan, and Carmela, the negotiating envoys from Little Sassinian also arrived in the Lanwan Viscountcy.
This time, Little Sassinian sent more than one envoy. Besides Matt, who had visited the Lanwan Viscountcy before, there was also Eric Scamario's old friend, the Little Sassinian elder Garris, and Apo, who had just fought a frustrating battle.
The reason for Little Sassinian's sudden change in attitude and willingness to negotiate with Charlotte was partly due to Eric's relentless lobbying of the elders. More importantly, the news of the disastrous defeat of the three city-states—Dolrcocha, Badan, and Carmela—had finally reached Little Sassinian.
This news shocked and terrified everyone in the city-state. They were shocked that the Viscount of Lanwan had achieved such a resounding victory against superior numbers, and they were terrified of how they would defend themselves if the Viscount, after this major frontal victory, turned to attack Little Sassinian.
Fortunately, the Viscount of Lanwan's forces were limited. After consecutive battles against overwhelming odds, her army was weary and exhausted, forcing a withdrawal to rest and regroup, leaving them unable to attack Little Sassinian for the time being.
This brought a great sense of relief to the elders of Little Sassinian, and they began to seriously consider the "economic alliance" that Eric had repeatedly mentioned during his lobbying.
When Eric Scamario was publicly invited to the elder council, Apo felt a profound sense of absurdity. While the front lines were fighting and bleeding, the elders in the rear had been sheltering and hiding an enemy lobbyist! He suddenly realized that perhaps this so-called North Soqya front had been doomed from the start.
The city-state's leadership was riddled with self-interest, wavering between war and peace, their resolve unsteady. The city-states schemed against each other, vying for power and profit, dragging their feet and undermining one another. The allied army lacked unified command and strategy, veering from carelessness and arrogance to recklessness and cowardice—a complete mess from beginning to end.
With the main front defeated, no matter how well he fought on the flank, Apo was defeated without ever truly losing a battle.
However, although Dolrcocha's failure was largely "thanks to" their own incompetence, the enemy's sharp and cunning fighting style had left a deep impression on Apo. He wanted to see for himself what kind of person the Viscount of Lanwan who had defeated him was. Thus, Apo joined the delegation to the Lanwan Viscountcy.
Upon their arrival, Cecilia arranged for them to stay at a hotel in Elm Town, which was part of Charlotte's private property, to await an audience with the Viscount.
Matt, weary from the journey, was about to go downstairs to find something to eat when he ran into Apo, who was also preparing to go out.
"Apo, where are you headed?" Matt asked casually.
Apo gestured with his chin towards the street outside the hotel. "I'm planning to take a stroll outside. Care to join?"
"Of course," Matt smiled. "I was just about to get a bite to eat. The restaurants in Elm Town are quite good; you should try them."
The two men walked downstairs, chatting and laughing, when a man in plain clothes with graying hair approached them, bowing obsequiously. "My lords."
The man's name was Ethan, a local Lanwan coachman.
Since the journey between Ambratu and the Lanwan Viscountcy took more than a day on foot, a new trade had quietly developed between the two territories after Charlotte took Ambratu—short-distance coachmen. Ethan was the coachman Apo had hired in Ambratu.
Apo's main reason for hiring Ethan wasn't to drive the carriage—the delegation had its own horses and carts—but to act as a guide.
"We're going to wander around the streets. You can show us the way," Apo said.
"No problem," Ethan replied immediately. The tip Apo had given him was very generous, and Ethan was starting to feel a bit embarrassed just sitting around drinking in the hotel lobby.
It was evening, the busiest time of day in Elm Town. The streets were bustling with people coming and going. The sounds of shouting, hawking, and haggling rose and fell, while the smells of cooking smoke, wine, meat, and the earthy scent of livestock filled the air.
"My lords, if you're looking for food, the West Market is your best bet. It's full of restaurants and taverns. If you want to shop, that would be the East Market. You can find goods from all over—the Green Plains Duchy, the Kingdom of Lesalei, Soqya—cheap and in large quantities. If you're looking for some entertainment, head to the South Market. There are all sorts of casinos, card houses, fighting pits, and racetracks. I guarantee you'll have a good time..." Ethan enthusiastically introduced the town to Apo and Matt.
"Oh? Then take us for a stroll through the South Market first, and then we'll go to the West Market to eat," Apo said with interest, then turned to Matt. "What do you think?"
Matt nodded with a smile. "Sounds good."
As the three walked down the street, besides the residents, pedestrians, and merchants, they occasionally saw a couple of patrols of men in black, marching in neat formation. They were dressed uniformly and equipped with "non-lethal weapons" like short batons and chains.
"Who are those people? Knights?" Apo asked, pointing at a passing patrol.
A look of contempt naturally appeared on Ethan's face. "How could they be worthy of being called knight-lords? They're just the dogs of the Administrative Hall..."
From Ethan's explanation, Apo gathered that these men were the Elm Town patrol. The patrol was mainly composed of strong young commoners who had received some military training. They were paid by the Administrative Hall, held no noble status, and typically did not participate in wars.
Their duties included apprehending thieves and criminals, collecting taxes, mediating disputes—which usually meant beating up both parties—and managing the town's appearance, such as issuing fines to people and animals who relieved themselves in public. Due to the nature of their work, the patrol was highly disliked by the residents and merchants of Elm Town, who privately called them "black-skinned dogs."
However, Ethan only dared to grumble about the patrol in private; those men had the authority to ticket his carriage, and he didn't dare to offend them.
Because of Ethan's derogatory words and the fact that the patrolmen were just commoners, Apo didn't pay them much mind.
As they neared the South Market, Apo suddenly saw a scaffold where a middle-aged man of about thirty was being held by several men in black, stripped to the waist, and whipped. The man cried out in pain, his face filled with indignation.
"What crime did that man commit?" Apo asked curiously.
Ethan immediately ran over to inquire with the onlookers and returned to report the details to Apo.
It turned out the middle-aged man was a merchant who sold pills that he claimed could vastly increase a man's vigor and keep him... erect. However, a male customer who bought his pills yesterday went home, took them, and felt no such effect. So, today, he came to demand a refund from the merchant. The merchant, confident in his product, refused to refund the money, claiming the customer himself was the problem. The customer, of course, refused to admit it was his own failing, and the two argued all the way to the Elm Town court.
The judge conducted an experiment using a dog and a monkey and proved that the medicine was indeed effective, so the merchant did not have to issue a refund.
However, selling medicine was explicitly regulated under the "Urban Management Law (Trial)" issued by the Viscount of Lanwan, requiring a business license from the City Hall. This middle-aged man had not obtained a license and was selling medicine illegally, so the judge sentenced him to twenty lashes.
"Getting whipped for selling real medicine, how pitiful," Ethan said, quite sympathetic to the merchant.
Ethan's repeated mention of the City Hall piqued Apo's interest. "Where is the Elm Town City Hall? Can you take me to see it?"
"Well... I can, but there's not much to see," Ethan said hesitantly.
"It's fine, just lead the way," Matt added, also interested.
Ethan led the two on a short detour to a few plain, square stone buildings, pointing them out. "That's the courthouse, that's the City Hall, and that's the patrol headquarters..."
In front of the courthouse stood several stone tablets inscribed with the "Urban Management Law (Trial)" and the "Penal Code (Trial)" signed by the Viscount of Lanwan.
At the entrance of the City Hall stood a row of notice boards covered with announcements. For example: the Agriculture Department announced the free distribution of crop seeds for the spring planting; the Tax Department announced another increase in the tax rate on lottery winnings; the Commerce Department published reference prices for pork, beef, and mutton; the Civil Affairs Department announced that unmarried men and women over the age of thirty would be fined; the Education Department published the schedule for night school courses; the Transportation Department announced the registration period for all vehicles and boats in Elm Town, as well as the rule that carriages must keep to the right on roads, with fines for violators...
The items were listed one by one, so detailed and meticulous that it left Apo and Matt, both from city-states, dumbfounded.
"Do you all follow these rules?" Apo asked.
"Yes, we do," Ethan replied.
"Is that broken-down carriage of yours also registered?" Matt asked doubtfully.
"Of course, it's registered!" Ethan raised his voice slightly.
"What happens if you don't register?" Apo asked again.
"Those black dogs patrol the roads every day. If they find an unregistered carriage, they'll issue a fine. If you're caught carrying passengers illegally without a registration, you'll be sent to court for trial, and you might even get whipped. Our new lord is good in every way, except she just loves to stir things up..."
Ethan's voice was full of resentment; he had clearly suffered under these complicated regulations before.
"What about the other things? The seed distribution? Who gives them out? How?" Matt still found it hard to believe that the City Hall could manage the affairs of its jurisdiction in such fine detail.
"You collect them from the public granary yourself," Ethan answered.
"How does the granary know how many seeds you need? What if someone takes too many?"
"The farmlands are already registered at the City Hall, and so are the households..."
Listening to the conversation between Ethan and Matt and watching the figures moving in and out of the City Hall, Apo's expression gradually grew solemn. He felt as if he were seeing a precise and complex machine enveloping the entire town, operating with high efficiency and order.
For some reason, Apo, who rarely felt fear even on the battlefield, now felt an indescribable pressure.