Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 110  Iosif and the East

The biting cold of winter clung to Eisenburg like a vengeful ghost, seeping into every crevice and bone. Even those who had experienced fifty seasons of winter couldn't help but curse at it as puffs of hot air escaped their mouths while they hurried back to their houses. It was getting so cold that even the merchants would only display their items for a few hours a day, not daring to stay out in the blistering cold all day. Although they loved the twinkling sound of the coins in their pockets, it wasn't worth their lives.

The intense cold had also forced the workforce working on the capital's revitalization to halve their workload. According to Henry's estimation, everything would be over in half a year. There was no need to rush things, the most important part, the walls defending the capital, was ready. The rest could take a bit more time, there was no need to rush things and sacrifice the subjects.

A tense silence spread across the archers standing on the capital's walls, their eyes were staring sharply into the horizon. The cutting wind whipped against the crenellations of the walls and continued towards the Frozen Forest, as if it wanted to attack and destroy its most hateful enemy. It caused the archer's fur clothes to flutter and shrink their bodies, resisting the encroaching chill.

The gentle snow also created a hazy veil, creating an obstacle and making it somewhat difficult to see everything clearly. The archers would exchange wary glances, rub their hands together, and puff hot air into them, before finally returning their eyes to the horizon. They knew that another war was knocking on their doors, and they had to be prepared.

"Enemy approaching from the East!" – Suddenly, a shot echoed and reached everyone's ears, as if carried by the walls themselves.

Soon, the soldiers on top of the wall moved like an organic cell, some remained in their positions, while others rapidly moved towards the East side of the wall. Two of them quickly took positions behind wooden ballistae, already loaded with large bolts. Another two soldiers stood beside them, next to other bolts on the ground, ready to reload the weapon. The rest of the soldiers had already drawn their bows, ready to defend the capital, ready to defend their houses.

"Identify yourselves!" – One of the soldiers screamed towards the huge platoon that appeared in front of the East gates, on the White Merchant Road, the side that led to the East.

-x-

Watching the huge walls of the capital, Iosif gently patted the head of his Snowfire Horse a few times to make him stop – "It's been a tough year" - he murmured with a nostalgic sigh.

His hands moved towards his unkempt black beard, which had grown significantly in the last year. It had reached the point of completely covering the huge scar that stretched from his ear to his mouth.

"I left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to trim this down. I will embarrass myself in front of the king." – He unconsciously caressed his beard as he thought – "I will ask for forgiveness, since I have done such a good job."

Under Henry's decree, he led five hundred soldiers to the East side of the kingdom, the most underdeveloped region of the kingdom, with a mission to bring order and to spread the royal power to the region. He had to seize influence over that region, since it was the only part of the kingdom where they could have easy access to the sea and a place that Henry had plans to develop.

In the eyes of most nobles, these lands were not profitable, leading them to turn their efforts to develop and fight over the western part of the kingdom, where the mines could produce high volumes of iron every year.

This underdeveloped region was only known for its fishing boats, with the sailors' only able to feed their families and unable to reach sufficient volumes of food to commercialize it. Because of that, the region's economy stagnated and lacked merchants. There was also a serious security problem, with bandits' attacks happening on monthly basis. These occurrences only worsened with the disbandment of the nobles, who ran away from the kingdom as the barbarian's attacks happened and the civil war exploded. This led to bandits fully taking control over the whole region, with their words sounding like the king's laws.

When Iosif reached one of the village in the East and witnessed this scene, ire took over his mind. These bandits were usurping royal power and using violent ways to oppress the subjects of his king. He immediately led the troops under him and began cleansing the trash.

Iosif knocked on every door and decided to forcefully drag these usurpers, breaking their houses, and even burning it down. He gathered them in the middle of the village and ordered his soldiers to strip them of their clothes, laying their bodies bare to the cold wind, not even the woman was spared. They begged with their knees on the cold snow, the women even tried to insinuate themselves to the soldiers, but they remained unresponsive. There were some pretty women there, enough to tempt some of the soldiers, but they didn't dare to raise their voices and accept their offer. They were swords of the king, and the general was right there, they would never do that.

Without a single drop of empathy in his eyes, Iosif ordered them to be whipped until the skin on their backs was peeled off. He also commanded the people of the village to watch the entire process. And when everything was over, he ordered poles to be lifted in the middle of the village and their bloody bodies to be hung there as a warning. They would only be taken down when the wind and cold claimed their lives, or the crows feasted on their eyes and brains. Then, in a matter of three months, Iosif had visited every village and dealt with every single one of them this same way.

It was a brutal scene, but something that Iosif had to do to regain the royal's power over this region. He had to strike fear into the hearts of every person while also reassuring the law-abiding subjects that times had changed, and the king would take care of them. However, despite everything, the people seemed hopeless and only thought that the dynamic of power had changed again; nothing would change in their everyday lives. They returned to their daily routines as if nothing had happened, they had already grown accustomed to this brutality. It was always like that and soon, it would change again.

After dealing with everyone in those three months, Iosif settled in Frostwave Bay, the only city that had a small port, that is if a small pier with only twenty small fishing boats could be called a harbor.

Under Henry's orders, he had to find the families that knew how to build these boats and put them under the control of the royal power, paying them enough to provide a comfortable life while also guaranteeing their security. He also had the task of developing the area and attracting merchants to this place of only about ten thousand people, where the houses greatly resembled the ancient Nordic ones and the snowy scenario seemed to seamlessly blend with the sea that had a silvery hue, like crystals shining with the touch of the sun.

Following another of Henry's orders, Iosif demolished the houses near the harbor, projecting an expansion, and also built a small market for the people to do trades and commerce. It was a way to revitalize the economy, a small change that had an almost immediate effect. Previously, the people feared being extorted by the bandits controlling the city and never brought out their goods. Now, they could finally trade. This single change brought new colors to the city and happiness could be seen in people's eyes.

 It evoked a sense of joy inside Iosif's chest, something he had never felt and drove him to do even better. Henry also ordered him to open a building where people interested in fishing and ship building could gather to learn and discuss topics related to sailing and other nautical developments.

Henry wanted to establish something similar to the Court of Sagres in these lands, a place that allowed Portugal to become one of the most successful countries in the world in terms of sailing and sea warfare. The Court of Sagres helped Portugal to become the first country to reach India without using the Mediterranean route, successfully navigating around the Cape of Good Hope and even reaching a whole new continent, America.

Henry wanted to create a society to develop the maritime technology, a place that could enable him to explore the sea and possibly become a great maritime country, one that could dominate the commerce and warfare.

In the span of a single year, the region seemed to be revived and revitalized. The harbor was undergoing great remodeling, and new ships were gradually populating the waters around it. The number of boats had gone from twenty to almost fifty, showing the great development. Also, merchants finally began to visit the region, with some even opening their own shops in the city.

Iosif wanted to stay longer and guide these people toward an even greater future. However, one day, a messenger named Zahra arrived in the town, bearing a message and an order from Luther. While the message was simple, as Iosif read it, his eyes shone with anxiety. The king was missing, and a war was imminent. The two kingdoms had begun to move, and they would soon reach the capital.

He was ordered to return to the capital with the five hundred soldiers and defend it until the king returned. Luther was heading to war against the Aritreia's army, aiming to resolve matters there before they posed a threat to the capital. Iosif rapidly gathered the soldiers and led them to the capital.

-x- Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I am General Iosif!" — Iosif shouted towards the walls, urging his horse forward, presenting himself to the war. "I have returned!"