Chapter 80: I Want to Be a Bandit
Bruno's primary goal in constructing Idar Avenue was to ensure that Idar City became a mandatory stop for merchants traveling between the Norman Empire and the Basel Kingdom.
However, despite the convenience of the cement road, there were bound to be some foolish merchants who, in their eagerness to save time, would choose to take the old muddy paths instead.
That was unacceptable!
This trend needed to be stopped immediately!
If merchants bypassed Idar City, where would Bruno get the wealth he needed to recover the costs of road construction?
Thus, for the Idar territory, establishing a well organized and highly skilled bandit force had become an urgent priority.
Only by developing a world class, nationally renowned bandit group could he ensure that merchants traveling between the two nations would obediently stop at Idar City.
After all, Bruno considered himself an upright and kind-hearted person, radiating noble virtues from head to toe.
Therefore, as long as merchants spent money in Idar City, it would be considered as paying a protection fee, and Bruno would ensure their safety from bandit attacks.
What a flawless plan!
However, if any merchants still refused to heed his warnings and insisted on taking shortcuts, then sorry Idar's bandits would have no choice but to seize all their goods and resell them in the shops of South Idar City.
Bruno had even thought of a name for the store" Roundabout Second-Hand Trading Center."
When Sam Layton heard his Earl's brilliant plan, he was utterly astounded.
His lord was truly a naturally gifted entrepreneur!
"But, my lord, how exactly should we go about forming this bandit group?"
"For now, we'll select personnel from the standing army. Let's start with a group of fifty, but we must choose only the most elite soldiers. In particular, we need to prioritize their political education scores!"
Political education, now a mandatory course for all Idar soldiers, was regarded by Bruno as just as important as their regular military training.
Ever since the first batch of paper was successfully produced, a large portion had been allocated to the standing army.
As a result, Idar's soldiers spent their mornings and afternoons on physical training, but in the evenings, after dinner, they would gather around campfires to attend lectures on political education.
And every morning, before breakfast, they took literacy classes to learn basic reading and writing skills.
Bruno didn't expect them to become eloquent speakers after all, they were soldiers, and their primary duty was to defend the Idar territory.
But he also didn't want them to be illiterate.
At the very least, they needed to be able to read basic orders, regulations, and official notices!
Political education classes helped the soldiers understand why they fought, what they stood to gain from war, and what their true purpose was.
In the past, Idar's soldiers fought simply for the generous annual salary of three gold coins.
But now, with their wages paid in full and with constant ideological guidance, they had started to find deeper meaning in their service.
They began to realize that, beyond their pay, there were things even more valuable to protect.
For example… their families, friends, and comrades-in-arms.
Unlike the rest of Idar's civilians, these soldiers were the first to experience the rapid changes in the territory.
Higher wages, improved living conditions, better food, better housing—these were things they could feel firsthand.
During their political classes, instructors explained the purpose behind Idar's many infrastructure projects, further deepening their admiration for their Earl.
Many of them believed that only under Earl Bruno Stuart's rule could they enjoy such a good life.
Because of this, their sense of belonging to Idar had grown tremendously…
Bruno placed particular emphasis on the political education scores of the soldiers selected for the "bandit" squad because they wouldn't always remain bandits.
Once Idar's bandit reputation was well established and merchants realized the risks of taking side roads, most of these men could be reassigned to other positions.
And their time as bandits would ultimately enhance their overall skill set.
"Political education scores?" Sam Layton asked, puzzled.
"Announce that tomorrow afternoon, all standing army soldiers will take a political education exam. Those who rank in the top 100 may volunteer for a special mission, and we'll select the best among them."
"But, my lord… if we openly recruit soldiers to be bandits…?"
"Are you an idiot?" Bruno scolded. "Who in their right mind would publicly announce that they're becoming a bandit before committing crimes? Do you think you're some kind of Phantom Thief Kid?"
"Phantom… Thief Kid?" Sam Layton looked at his Earl with confusion.
His lord had been saying some really strange things lately…
"That's not important! The point is, can't you rephrase it a little? Call it a 'covert mission' or something!"
"I understand, my lord…" Sam quickly responded.
Just as Sam was about to leave, Bruno called him back.
"Wait… After the soldiers are selected, how do you plan to explain to them that they'll be working as bandits?"
"Uh… this…"
Bruno sighed in frustration. "That's why, once recruitment is complete, you must explain things clearly to them. They might be 'bandits' in name for now, but this is just another way of defending Idar. The merchants they will target are the greedy ones from the Basel Kingdom, who are inherently selfish and unwilling to contribute to Idar's development. That is shameful! The goods they seize will be used to improve the living conditions of Idar's people."
"Furthermore, these 'bandit soldiers' will receive bonuses based on the value of the goods they seize, in addition to their regular military salaries."