Chapter 104: Mutiny
Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
Bursts of shouting and crying resounded all throughout the military camp. This was sheer mutiny because Reg had no official post in the army. No matter who he was, he had no right to interfere in military affairs. What he was doing right now was no different from a rebellion.
Officers of all levels realized that the situation was not advantageous for them. Thus, some of them retreated into the camp while some changed over Reg’s side immediately. As for those who were fond of bullying the soldiers and cursing the former regimental commander, Conrad, they were now scattered and flying in all directions, trying to find a way out. But the scale of this rebellion was so large that almost all the soldiers were involved in it. There was no chance for them to get away at all. They were either killed or tied up.
As the commander of the cavalry, Rudolph had at least two hundred personal guards. All of his guards were brought along from his family and were absolutely loyal to him. They were so loyal to the extent that they weren’t afraid to die for him. However, Rudolph himself was not as courageous as his private guards. He used to say that personal fighting capacity was insignificant for a regimental commander—it was the decision-making ability that determined their success or failure.
It can’t be denied that his words were true and had his reasons to a certain extent. Moreover, these words were an insinuation to vilify the former Regimental Commander, a tenth-grade professional, and the real fighters. Rudolph himself was only an inconspicuous sixth-grade knight. However, the situation at this moment did not fit his words at all. In such chaotic circ.u.mstances, one’s decision-making ability was the least important while personal fighting capability was the key to success!
If Rudolph had the fighting capability of a tenth-grade professional like Gerald, he would have stopped this mutiny by rus.h.i.+ng into the camp to kill Moxinke, capture Reg and disintegrate all the rebellion groups via both threats and inducements. Unfortunately, he was not a tenth-grade professional and could only hide behind his personal guards like a mouse. His decision-making ability was also not as good as he had boasted that he even tried to threaten the soldiers with military laws, which intensified the contradiction and provoked the murderous intention of them instead of rea.s.suring them.
Soon, all of Rudolph’s personal guards were dead. He was there alone but Reg didn’t kill him immediately. He moved towards him step by step, frightening him out of his wits. Rudolph had lost his arrogance completely and knelt down while showing a fawning smile to Reg. A soldier came up to him and gave him a heavy kick. Rudolph was. .h.i.t into a tumble but climbed up immediately and knelt down, smiling ingratiatingly again.
Rudolph had never thought that he would encounter a mutiny organized by his low-level soldiers. He even looked down upon his opponents at the very beginning. However, when he saw that even his personal guards were killed one after another, he felt frightened and hastily ordered his men to lay down their weapons while trying to alleviate the conflict. Such a stupid decision brought nothing good for him. The result was that his personal guards did drop their weapons but the soldiers did not spare their lives.
Now all Rudolph wanted was to survive; he was willing to pay any price for this. However, it was just an unattainable wish for him. Why would Reg spare his life?!
Reg stood in front of Rudolph, his eyes blood red and his muscles tight. He stared at Rudolph icily while Rudolph was kneeling on the ground; gesturing and saying something desperately as if he was explaining himself. Han Jin and Sunier could not hear what he was saying; it was too far away. All they could see was Reg reaching out a hand while a soldier pa.s.sed him a longsword. The next moment, the longsword was raised over Reg’s head.
Rudolph fell backward in desperation, raising his right hand in front of his face still trying to explain. But Reg no longer had the patience to listen to him. The longsword slashed down onto Rudolph’s neck, leaving a streak of sword shadow in midair.
Blood spattered everywhere. Rudolph’s head flew high into the air then tumbled down onto the ground, leaving a long smear of blood.
The soldiers cheered loudly. Rudolph’s death was a symbol that implied the victory of this rebellion.
Now that he has avenged his parents, an expression of confusion appeared on Reg’s face. Everything he had done since the moment he knew that the coffin of his father was taken away was based on his desire for revenge. There were no plans made in advance and the whole process went smoothly. But now that Rudolph was killed, Reg suddenly felt lost.
The soldiers all looked at him quietly after cheering but Reg didn’t know what to say. A strange silence took over the camp.
Han Jin and Sunier both had a change of expression on their faces. The soldiers had bet their lives on Reg, the descendant of Regimental Commander Conrad. Now they were all waiting for his speech, any speech, even if he were to say something as mad as sweeping across the whole continent . If he didn’t give a speech, their high morale would collapse in an instant.
The soldiers had put all their hope on Reg, at least he should point out a way for them! Who would trust a man that didn’t know what to do?
“Have you forgotten about Ronning, Reg?” Sunier suddenly shouted, “He is still imprisoned in the Tenth Town and will be executed at noon tomorrow!”
Hearing this, Reg’s body trembled. “Who will come with me to save General Ronning?” he roared.
“To save General Ronning!” the soldiers responded.
“Come with me. Kill those who dare to stop us!”
The soldiers all shouted. Sunier showed a deep smile. Ronning had a good reputation among the soldiers. He had both strong capabilities and qualities. If he didn’t have both of these, Conrad would not have recommended him as his successor. If Reg and Ronning could complement each other, they would be able to take control of the entire Riptide Regiment.
“What are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so happily?” Han Jin asked casually.
“I am thinking about our future,” Sunier replied.
Just then, Reg walked out of the camp followed by the soldiers. He ordered them to wait and ran toward the giant tortoise directly.
He then jumped onto the back of the tortoise with no soldiers around him. “What should I do?” he showed a bitter smile and asked in a low voice.
“You do not know what to do?” Sunier asked in astonishment.
Han Jin and Cessacioun both s.h.i.+fted their eyesight elsewhere. They did not expect Sunier to be so great at acting. Everything Reg had done so far was pushed by the urgent situation and their instigation. It would be astonis.h.i.+ng if Reg knew what to do next.
“I… I really don’t know.”
“First of all, you need to know what the soldiers will face! You will need another general to come and control the Riptide Regiment if you leave. Once you leave, this event will surely be considered as rebellion and will bring severe punishment to the soldiers. Though not all of them will be killed, dozens of them won’t be able to avoid execution. Otherwise, who would dare to command them in the future?” Sunier said slowly, “Secondly, you need to bury your parents in a place unknown to everyone. Do you think that those who hate Knight Conrad will forget to avail themselves after this coup? To be honest… I really doubt whether you can protect the remains of Knight Conrad or not. It may be possible that before you return, Green Garden would of been destroyed by the troops.”
The expression on Reg’s face kept changing. A ray of malicious light glinted in his eyes, “What if I stay?”
“If so, things will be much easier.” Sunier had been waiting for this reply.
In fact, Reg was as smart as Sunier, but he just couldn’t calm down at this moment. Plus, Sunier was right. If he wanted to protect these soldiers and the remains of his parents, he must have his own force instead of mere tolerance.
“Much easier?”
“Think about this; if you have the most powerful regiment in Beitman, who would dare to annoy or oppose you?” Sunier narrowed her eyes, “At that time, even if you do nothing, the castellans will arrange everything for you, such as the graveyard for your parents and the military supplies for the Riptide Regiment.”
“What if they do not support me?”
“Have you seen the soldiers? What do you think they are holding in their hands?” Sunier smiled, “Thatch?”
Reg pondered in silence while Sunier moved on smilingly, “Knight Conrad felt that it was difficult to manage a regiment because he was too upright and uprightness is…”
“I don’t want to talk about my father,” Reg stopped her, “all I want to know is what I should do.”
“You should find the quartermaster or control all the military supplies yourself. There are soldiers that were killed or were injured during the battle just now, weren’t there? They and their families must be comforted and compensated. Plus, all the other soldiers who joined in the battle should be rewarded. Though they didn’t support you for money, you can’t neglect the importance of it. Money can make them even more loyal to you.”
Reg gave it a thought and nodded. He accepted Sunier’s advice, “What else?”
“And,” Sunier smiled, “you should reappoint officers at all levels. You can’t manage two cavalries on your own. All you need to do is manage the officers and they will control the soldiers for you.
“I also saw that you caught a lot of prisoners. Ho ho… Don’t forget that what you have done is rebellious. What’s the use of keeping the prisoners? You can order the new officers to kill them in front of the soldiers. This will burn their bridge and let them stay with you all the time, even if the soldiers fail the battles in the future.
“We are not soldiers and will surely be rejected by your men. To avoid any negative influence, we can’t help you in terms of this. But don’t worry, do anything you want. You are the son of Conrad. They trust you and rely on you. Even if you were to do something wrong, they would consider it right! So, there’s nothing for you to worry about!
“A troop without an aim or a goal is dangerous. The first goal for you is to save Ronning. As for the future… you can decide it together with him.”
Sunier said a lot in one breath. Reg cast a deep glance at her and dismounted from the tortoise.