Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 129: Money problem(1)

Chapter 129: Money problem(1)

A week had passed since the defeat of Lord Ormund and his forces. The shock of the conflict had subsided, and the city of Yarzat had returned to a tense, but quiet, state. The two bodies—Lord Ormund and his eldest son Darian—had been carefully prepared and sent back to their ancestral fiefdom in the city of Confluendi, to be received by his late windown and the last of his son

Alpheo's army, now occupying Yarzat, was tasked with maintaining order in the city. However, with no immediate threats or uprisings, the soldiers found themselves with little to do. The city's streets were calm, and the citizens carried on with their daily routines, albeit with wary eyes cast toward the men in armor who patrolled the roads.

Most of Alpheo's troops spent their days idly or engaged in rigorous training sessions. The clang of swords and the thud of shields echoed across the barracks and open squares where drills were held.After that during the night many would go to brothels or taverns to spend either the money , they got from the loot or the bonus that their captain gave them following the three battles they fought in a month. 

Alpheo, always pragmatic, had issued clear orders to his men shortly after occupying Yarzat: no unnecessary trouble in taverns or brothels, and every mercenary was to pay their dues fairly. Yet, despite the commands, he knew well enough that mercenaries—especially victorious ones—had a tendency to push boundaries. Unsurprisingly, whispers reached him that some of his soldiers were "eloquently" convincing tavern owners to give them discounts, using their presence to subtly intimidate the proprietors. Though the soldiers avoided blatant violence, the pressure they exerted was undeniable, and it wasn't long before the practice became more widespread than Alpheo had anticipated.

Finding a solution wasn't easy. He couldn't police his own men all the time, and many of these instances flew under the radar. Yet, knowing that unchecked behavior could damage his reputation and the army's discipline, he decided to take action. Alpheo placed some of his most trusted soldiers on patrol near the city's taverns and brothels, their job to subtly dissuade their comrades from pushing their luck, and report those who tried, promising a reward for each name given.Normally soldiers wouldn't rat companions out, so Alpheo had to use those soldiers he put into the garrison, mostly new recruits that had no attachment to veterans and that Alpheo had the intention to completely separate from the normal military, to create something akin to a police force.