“Cowing a population properly is no easy task. More often than not, some will get the bright idea to stand up against their new rulers, and thus get themselves killed, usually not alone either. Even in a well done occupation, some dissidents would have the smarts to lay low, to wait for a more opportune time in the future.

Finding and stamping out these seeds is usually a long process, often measured in generations, and thus it is a long term task that often necessitated having highly competent rulers over the occupied territory for a good while. This is one field where I truly envy those who were born as part of the long-lived kind.” - Xaliburnus the Conqueror, First Emperor of the Elmaiya empire.

“Fine work once again, Captain Edelstein,” said the Crown Prince in praise with an honest smile as he accepted Reinhardt’s “delivery” of one crime lord, gagged and trussed like a chicken to be slaughtered with all his limbs crippled to prevent escape. “The bounty will be deposited with the rest of your payment at the end of the contract as usual.”

“A pleasure doing business with you, Your Highness,” replied Reinhardt with a polite bow. The city’s occupation was progressing well after the last of the resistance was taken down, even if the prevailing sentiment among the populace still mostly contained fear and uncertainty. This time they had no local elements to help calm and control the people down after all.

“We will be staying here to catch our breath for two more days, before we set out for Fort Fendorf,” added the Crown Prince as he looked at Reinhardt once more. “I would like to hire the services of Mrs. Edelstein as an interpreter for that period should she be available.”

“Certainly, sire,” replied Reinhardt. The language barrier was by far the issue that complicated the occupation the most, with so few of the locals even speaking a few phrases in common. Ironically, those who learnt to speak common more tended to be of the criminal elements, as they usually had contacts outside the nation. This time around those were not an option to consider since the army had just basically uprooted the major criminal organization of the city. “Our… local asset from Zefirous had also been learning common of late, and he learnt fast. As long as it’s not too complicated, he could be of use as an interpreter as well.”

Lars had spent much of his time during the week they rested in Zefirous and again during the travel to Norouz learning the common tongue, so he could communicate with the rest of the mercenaries without needing much help from Elfriede to interpret. A couple of his underlings - that’s what Reinhardt and the rest of the mercenaries considered the few men and women who followed Lars - also started to learn the tongue, but picked it up more slowly.

In the Holy Kingdom few learned the common tongue outside of the nobles - who often also had their own dealings with the outside - and the criminals, though some phrases were commonly used enough that they made their way into the local vocabulary. The assimilation of Varsha’s organization was honestly a masterstroke in terms of facilitating communication with the locals in Zefirous.

Reinhardt had sent Lars and his group off with Grünhildr during the battle earlier, and he later learned from her that Lars had helped them make two walled off groups - locals who were fighting against the gangs currently running the town - stand down by talking to them.

The man himself met Reinhardt and reported what he did in accented, but passable common, and asked for a pardon for promising things he had no authority to promise to those beleaguered people back then.

Since all he promised to them was that they would be treated fairly and be spared of the rape and plunder they expected to happen, Reinhardt all too easily approved what he did. While the practice was commonplace in many nations, it was not part of the dwarven culture to rape and plunder.

As they generally thought in the long term, the dwarves favored building goodwill and cooperation with those whose lands fall under them, and as such, generally treated them as if they were already their people. As for the Free Lances themselves, such activities were forbidden on the pain of death, from the very first day the company was found, as their founder, father to the late captain Ingrid, was formerly a Knallzog soldier himself.

Exceptions were made when the company was hired to specifically pillage the enemy territory, though, but personal pillaging was still forbidden all the same.

“That is good. We can never have too many interpreters to help deal with these people,” replied the Crown Prince with a nod. “Graf Harscape, I would like you to remain here and pacify the city while we take care of Fort Fendorf. Will a garrison of five thousand be sufficient?”

“It is enough, my Liege,” replied the old dwarf with a bow. “Though if possible I would like to have the criminal we caught to help pacify the people with, and the services of at least one interpreter in that time.”

“He’s all yours,” replied the Crown Prince as he looked to the bound and crippled crime lord without pity. “As for the interpreter… Captain Edelstein?”

“I can lend Lars and his people over for the time being. They’re all locals and many are making an effort to learn common,” said Reinhardt in reply. While he was close with Graf Harscape he knew that in such formal occasions it was not the place to speak informally. “They should probably be of help in dealing with the local populace.”

“I was hoping for Friede, but that works too,” replied the Graf with a nod. “I take it the Free Lances are going to join the offensive on the fort then?”

“We plan to do so. We will see this war through to the end one way or another,” replied Reinhardt with certainty in his voice. “We owe those who had gone before us too much not to do so.”