Chapter 32, Collective Responsibility System and the Honest Soldier Hudson_1

If looks could kill, Hudson would have torn the annoying old man before him to shreds. They were still playing uncle and nephew during the day, but so swiftly he'd already sold Hudson out.

"Whoever proposes the plan, is responsible for carrying it out. If successful, the credit goes to everyone; if it fails, the responsibility is borne solely by the proposer."

This simple workplace rule, Hudson didn't realize he had fallen into it after crossing over, was left in tearless despair.

By heavens, he had been very careful. Was it just for making a bit of money that things had to escalate this much?

The damnable plan was his suggestion, even though he had merely hinted at it and had never mentioned the word "robbery".

In the process of drawing up the specific plan, Hudson adhered to the principle of discretion for fear of making mistakes, only ever voicing agreement.

Originally wanting to be a quiet observer, he ended up reaping the fruits of his own disdain. The moment Mitchell made the suggestion, everyone echoed in agreement.

Such praise made Hudson feel irritated. As a Novice Knight, he astonishingly surpassed the promising potentials and was immediately promoted to a figure of "Prestige and Respect".

On such a shameless operation, all Hudson could do was capitulate.

The hat was placed very high on his head; no matter how much he declined, he couldn't resist the forceful promotion from a group of nobles.

Hudson genuinely experienced the phrase, "The tree that is tall catches much wind".

All of this originated from his outstanding performance. Even though Hudson had tried hard to hide his abilities, compared to the others, he still stood out.

His game of "playing the tiger to frighten the pig" was too successful, leading everyone to mistakenly believe "more soldiers are better under Hudson's command".

Otherwise, no one would dare to entrust this "heavy duty" to him. After all, if something went wrong with the food supply, everyone would be punished.

Even if Hudson was willing to take the blame, his slight frame would not be able to bear it. Even if they wanted to use someone as a scapegoat, that would be Knight Charles' misfortune, after all, he was the one who was the Legion Commander.

Overwhelmed by the collective force, Hudson could only passively take on the heavy burden. Initially, he had wanted to pull a few unlucky eggs to accompany him but eventually gave up.

If they were to encounter the main Rebel Army robbing the supplies, the whole Fifth Army combined would not be enough to deal with it, leaving some knights behind would be of no help, so it's better not to make enemies.

Accepting the full command of all the serf soldiers, Hudson felt immense pressure.

Fortunately, on the Continent of Aslante, the social hierarchy was strictly maintained, the troublemakers had long been taken care of by the noble lords, no one jumped out to cause trouble.

Through voluntary voting, democratically elected several commanders of ten, Hudson appointed his own trusted followers as centurions and reluctantly set up a command system.

Looking at the troop below him that resembled a swarm of earthworms, Hudson took a deep breath and reminded himself: these were not his troops, there was no need to demand so highly of them.

"Starting from now, the whole army must act in unison. Be it eating, sleeping, or defecating, they must be done collectively at the specified time.

Keep your eyes peeled, we'll all watch each other. If one person violates the rules and no one reports them, yet they get caught-

Then if one person violates the rules, the whole team goes hungry; if one team violates the rules, the whole camp goes hungry.

Under my command, you have to obey my rules. Don't take it lightly. Those who violate military orders are to be hanged.

If we can't catch them, it doesn't matter, we can always hold their family accountable. If you don't want to implicate your family, behave deceitfully.

Stick close to your unit. If you disappear without a trace, you'll be considered a deserter. The whole family will be sent to the gallows at the village entrance…"

Hudson chastised in plain and easy-to-understand language. It could be summarized in three words: collective responsibility.

Originally, he wanted to establish that if one person violates military orders, everyone gets decapitated, but considering that this is a group of ragtag soldiers, Hudson was afraid that there will not be enough people left in the end, so he had to change it to "starvation".

For the lower class serfs, starvation is equally a severe punishment. Before they joined the army, they could hardly get a few full meals all year round.

Now that Earl Piers is in charge of their meals, they can finally let their stomachs out and eat. They had finally managed to eat a few full meals, naturally, no one wanted to continue starving.

Frankly speaking, the current method of transporting grain is not scientific. If everyone moves forward all at once, in case the war lasts too long, they will still have to run back and forth later on.

Hudson knew this, but he didn't say a word. As a minor military officer, obeying orders was his duty.

Moreover, this was merely a rebellion, not a war between nations. Discussing the duration of the war could easily lead to embarrassment.

In fact, even when wars break out between nations on the Continent of Aslante, their duration usually isn't long.

The reason is simple: war is too costly. In the undeveloped Feudal Era, prolonged warfare is unbearable for anyone.

Dependent on the imposition of the "collective responsibility" system, and having executed a few scapegoats who violated military orders, the supplies convoy finally stabilized.

On the battlefield, whether they can be relied upon is uncertain. At least in logistical food transport, no one else went missing.

Of course, one important reason is that everyone's standard of meals has increased. Not only do they have unlimited access to black bread, but they can also get a bowl of salty minced meat soup.

Thanks to this bowl of salty minced meat soup, Hudson's image in the eyes of the serf soldiers has transformed from a terrifying noble lord to a "generous" noble lord.

Unsurprisingly, the extra minced meat soup with added salt came from the quota of the Fifth Army Nobles.

Initially, Hudson planned to swallow this chunk himself, but with the absence of merchants along the path, there was no place to fence the goods.

Grain and grass were bulk commodities; there was nowhere to hide them. Hudson wasn't gullible enough to go and join the main force with embezzled supplies.

He scorned at those short-sighted merchants who had missed such a great opportunity to make money.

Unable to sell stolen goods, he had no opportunities to fence supplies. Faced with the harsh reality, Hudson had to play the role of an honest soldier. So he showed generosity to his companions, improving the dietary treatment of his soldiers.

After self-reflection, Hudson attributed his failure to embezzle to - lack of extensive connections.

Merchants are indeed profit-driven, but they don't have enough strength against unscrupulous nobles who often trick them out of their entire fortunes.

Despite knowing that the Fifth Army was in charge of transporting the grain, no one dared to do business, chiefly because there were too many nobles in the Fifth Army, making it impossible to bribe everyone.

Any unsettled link could lead to being double-crossed. Such underhanded deals, if robbed, wouldn't be voiced out in public.

The risk and returns ratio is not equitable, naturally, no one comes forward. After all, who could have imagined that the nobles of the Fifth Army could use such cunning tactics, robbing collectively, leaving only Hudson to guard the house?

With his dream of getting rich shattered, Hudson was left only to dispose of some disposable military supplies like arrows to alleviate his inner pain.