"Now!" He pointed his Myrish longsword at the chest full of Silver Stags. "Make your choice!"
"Those willing to live and die with me! Those who believe in my promise!"
"Step forward! One person! Take one Silver Stag!" Three Silver Stags were equivalent to a farmer's annual income.
"But! The moment you take a Silver Stag! I will assume you have accepted my promise! You will become my soldier! You will obey my military orders!"
The silence didn't last long!
One by one, more and more, people, trembling, crying, or silent, walked to the chest and took their Silver Stags.
They all knew and understood that Arthur was right; they had no way out. If they fled, their land would be confiscated, and even their families would be hanged.
They had no other choice but to believe in Arthur's promise and oath.
Lucien and Hakon watched the crowd come forward to take the Silver Stags, their faces filled with pain. In truth, Arthur's heart was also bleeding, but he understood one principle: money is an external possession! When it's time to spend, you must spend!
Arthur watched as everyone stepped forward and took all the Silver Stags from the chest, knowing it was time for the next step.
"From now on! You are my soldiers!"
He saw the soldiers return to their ranks, their gazes once again fixed on him.
"Lady Roslin has promised me."
"All spoils from this campaign! They belong to me and are at my disposal!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers exchanged glances, unsure what this had to do with them.
Wasn't it natural for noble lords to fight and take the spoils? They were lucky to keep their lives. Why tell these things to conscripted soldiers?
Arthur's gaze swept over their questioning faces, then he raised his voice and, enunciating each word, spoke words that made the entire encampment erupt:
"Now! I promise you! All spoils of war!"
"I will only take half! The remaining half! Will be equally divided among you according to your military merits!"
To ensure they understood the crucial meaning, he emphasized again in a loud voice:
"Divided according to military merits!"
Instantly, the entire camp fell into a brief and eerie silence. No one made a sound; it was so quiet that one could even hear the wind whistling.
Arthur didn't think they hadn't understood or grasped the meaning of this sentence.
Because, illuminated by the flames in the dark night, he saw in their eyes what was originally fear and unease, now replaced by ambition, greed, and desire!
Their eyes gleamed, like vicious dogs or hungry wolves!
In a world similar to the Middle Ages, diligent labor was meaningless, because no matter how much they toiled, they could barely make ends meet.
After paying taxes to their lord, they would even go hungry at the end of the year, let alone if they encountered a year of disaster.
Plunder was undoubtedly the most profitable, the quickest way to make money. Although it violated the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, many people still fell into banditry. Everyone hated the Ironborn, yet everyone envied the Ironborn; they paid the iron price, they plundered salt wives!
Just one day! They could earn what would take them ten years or even a lifetime!
Just one day! They could change their own and their family's destiny!
"Are you telling the truth, Lord Arthur?!" Someone in the crowd shouted loudly!
"By the Seven Gods! Not a single word will change!" Arthur replied.
The soldiers' faces were filled with disbelief, their eyes fixed on Arthur, trying to judge the truthfulness of his words from his expression!
Their wolf-like, tiger-like gazes made Lucien and Hakon grip their longswords tightly!
Fear had not disappeared; it was merely overwhelmed by ambition, greed, and desire. They saw the immense temptation laid before them!
They saw the opportunity to achieve social mobility through violence!
They saw another life from this!
No longer endless toil year-round for mere sustenance, no longer a dilapidated hut made of straw and mud with leaks on all sides, no longer the monotonous food that noble lords used to feed pigs!
They saw abundant food, exquisite clothing, sturdy houses, beautiful women, and even owning their own servants!
The soldiers' breathing became heavy and rapid, their eyes grew greedy and fervent.
The previously scattered formation now seemed infused with a new vitality.
A vitality full of aggression and animalistic wildness!
It was as if they were no longer conscripted peasants forced into service, but ambitious individuals taking risks for wealth!
Arthur stood on the high platform, watching the scene unfold before him. He knew he had succeeded.
He had used the simplest, most brutal method to ignite the desires of these commoners, who were forced to obey their lord's commands.
He didn't need a group of subservient, clueless conscripted peasants who only knew how to mechanically obey orders.
Such people, even on the battlefield, would only be lambs to the slaughter, utterly without fighting strength, merely awaiting the final outcome of death!
What he wanted was a group of warriors who could fight.
Now he had them. This was a group of ambitious individuals who wanted to get more spoils, to change their lives, and to give their families a better life.
They were no longer forced onto the battlefield, but willingly stepped onto it!
Arthur looked around, his eyes sweeping over their faces. From this moment on, this unit truly gained a soul—a soul of ambition, greed, and desire.
"Very good!" Arthur's voice was not loud, but every soldier could hear it, and it sounded so pleasant in their ears.
"Remember your choice today! We are all in the same boat!"
"If the boat sinks, we will all go to the Temple of the Seven Gods!"
"If the boat reaches shore, we will share the gold and silver treasures together!"
Arthur drew his Myrish longsword and pointed it at them, his gaze sharp: "Come! Let us use our swords! To claim our wealth! For me! For yourselves!"
The soldiers let out loud and excited roars, their eyes filled with ambitious desire, as if they already saw mountains of gold and silver jewels piled before them, as if they could already smell the scent of money!
The crowd cheered loudly, drawing their longswords and swinging them forcefully, as if they had endless strength:
"Long live Lord Arthur!"
"Long live Lord Arthur!"
"Long live Lord Arthur!"
The soldier, Toman, who had planned to flee, held the Silver Stag tightly in his trembling hand.
The feel of the silver coin was so real!
He thought of his father, mother, and two younger sisters, and the difficulties at home. To survive, they had to marry off his young sister.
His family was so poor. He remembered his father's dying wish: "Toman, you are the eldest son, the only male. You must take good care of your mother and your two younger sisters."
He thought of his mother's withered hands, clutching his own tightly before he left, weeping mournfully. He thought of his sensible younger sisters being married off to old men in exchange for food to avoid starvation.
And now, he looked up at Arthur on the high platform. This Lord! This Lord Arthur!
He had given him a chance! A chance that might change his life! A chance to change his family's life!