Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 280: Reporting

Chapter 280: Reporting

Alpheo sat at his desk in the workroom, the glow coming from the small window at his sides lightened the meticulous reports spread before him. He leaned forward, his sharp eyes scanning the rows of numbers compiled by the treasury accountants. The calculations were clear as soon as the army returned home 14,800 silverii had been spent on the soldiers' pay that was owed at the end of the campaign.

The figure was staggering, but it was a necessity. Warfare demanded discipline, and discipline demanded compensation. Soldiers did not receive their salaries during a campaign, a policy Alpheo firmly upheld. Transporting such vast amounts of silver was logistically burdensome and with high risk of losing them against enemy's ambushes, not to mention the sheer amount of guards that would be needed to guard the money.

But there was a more calculated reason why general did not pay soldiers during campaign : soldiers with full pockets were more inclined to think of home, their minds wandering toward comfort and the temptation to desert. 

Even a victorious army like that of Alpheo, after conquering Arduronaven experienced desertion, although the criminals were soon apprehended and nailed into trees, their shouts being the clearest warning to anyone that shared the same thought of going home before the prince's permission.

This time, however, the campaign had been a financial success. The Herculeian prince's land had proven fruitful in plunder, yielding 19,000 silverii from the spoils of war. The margin was modest given the expenditures , but it was a victory nonetheless. Alpheo allowed himself a small smile, satisfied with the balancing act of costs and returns. The loot after all not only covered the soldiers' remuneration but also left a surplus to bolster the treasury