Chapter 167: Beginning of a grand plan (1)

“F-FOOD?!”

“IS THIS FOR US?”

“WHAT IS THIS RUBBISH?!”

The prisoners shouted as they glared at the prepared food. But their hunger quickly drew them to the food.

“This… this is delicious!”

“Is this corn?”

“Look at this bread!”

“This soup has meat! It’s amazing!”

“This is like heaven!”

“Can we have more of this food?”

Becoming a prisoner of war usually meant a life of misery. Ending up as a slave was the luckiest ending for them, but living a slave did not mean it was all that great either. They would be thrown away with their legs cut or killed for slight mistakes or any resistance. All the captured people of the empire were readying themselves for such treatment when they were captured.

However, the first thing they had was a bath. The prisoners were sent out to a waterway which was ten feet wide and one foot deep, and stretched on with no end in sight. It was a cold winter, but they were still forced to clean up.

-Only those who wash will get to eat. We will not starve you if you wash yourself clean. Wash up!-

People began washing up when they heard they would be given food. It was freezing out in the winter but they did not stop as they wanted food. These conscripted soldiers were mostly farmers. They knew what it felt like to starve. When they finished washing up, they dried themselves by the bonfire and were given fresh, dry clothes. Then, they were led into a huge cafeteria. The inside of the building was warm and was filled with the aroma of food. All the prisoners were shocked by the sheer amount of food on the table.

“Follow what the person in front of you is doing!”

A soldier took a plate and a weird utensil that looked like a fork and spoon combined and walked up to the food. Then a woman who was waiting there scooped up some food and put it on the plate. The soldier continued until the end of the line and went to sit at an empty table.

“Do as he just did! YOU!”

“YE-YES!”

The prisoner named Jerome answered as he was called out by one of the soldiers.

“You start. Do it like you just saw. GO!”

‘Plate. Spoon. And move on.’

Jerome thought to himself about what he just saw and began moving. His plate began to be filled with food as he walked around and soon, it was already full. He was worried that he would be given less as a prisoner, but the amount of food he received at the end was three times that of his meal back at home. After that, all that was left was to eat.

‘I’m so happy.’

He truly thought so, even though he was a prisoner.

-HEAR THIS! This is the land of the Ainos and the land of Lord Brant Khalodian! There are a variety of races here. We have our own laws to follow. We are strict about this and anyone who disobeys will be punished by Sir Joonbum Khalodian according to our laws!-

The soldier began explaining about the town itself. At the end, he mentioned that anyone who sought asylum would be granted two meals per day and a job as a farmer. In just one day, two-thirds of the soldiers from the empire gave up their citizenship. The six thousand who refused were in a frenzy at such a shocking result. After three more days, the number of people who did not give in had decreased to two thousand. These were the people who had families back home. They couldn’t just decide to abandon their homeland.

“This is amazing. How did you think of this, sir?”

Jackson was truly astonished by the result. He did not think that the plan would be this successful.

“It’s only natural if you think about it. They are commoners. All they wish for is to live in peace without starving. They never lust for power or money as it was never theirs in the first place. All they need is shelter and food.”

Joonbum explained as Jackson quietly listened. It was something Jackson could not think of.

‘He is extraordinary… I know this. But sometimes I just can’t understand him. Hmm…’

Jackson narrowed his eyes. There were just some things that he couldn’t explain about Joonbum’s actions.

‘Raising food for all the people of the land…’

He was the most surprised when he heard of the plan with corn. Even now, the Ainos women worked hard to increase the cornfields. Just in a day, there were new fields left and right. It was possible that all these fields could even feed millions.

‘Let’s not hope that he will go save the world.’

Jackson shivered at that as part of him thought it was possible. The corn harvest was that much of a success.

‘Maybe it is possible. Dammit.’

Jackson frowned at the thought. Corn was good to eat when it was fresh, but it had no problems even when it was dried. It could be cooked with all kinds of possible methods and had a long lifespan in storage. Of course, when it was harvested, the root and other leftovers could be given to animals like lambs and goats.

“We’ll have a good winter this time.” Joonbum spoke casually.

‘Huh? Does he not know what he did? I guess he doesn’t. That’s probably why he can keep cool even though he just punched the duke’s face!’

Jackson groaned and turned to Joonbum.

“We have thirteen thousand people who are seeking asylum. How are you going to handle all that?”

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“Huh? Just let them live here. How is that even a question? We can’t give them houses right now so just put up some huge tents and let them live there. It’s not too cold here so that should do. We can have them work on the farm before spring.”

“Ugh.”

Jackson scowled as Joonbum casually gave his explanation.

“You must remember that they are the enemy! What will you do if they betray us? These people outnumber our villagers by a large margin! We can’t handle a rebellion from within!”

“Rebellion?”

“Yes, sir. A rebellion. These people were born and raised in the empire under the duke. How can we trust them?”

“I don’t trust them.”

“Huh?”

“Who said I trust them?”

“B-but?!”

Jackson stuttered and began thinking to himself.

‘He doesn’t trust them? But… Oh. OHHH! YES! That’s it!’

Jackson realized what Joonbum was talking about. Joonbum shook his head.

“Don’t we need people? We should use people when we have them. Don’t worry about a rebellion. They can’t live in prosperity if they leave this place, and they know how the world is these days. It’s really hard to avoid starvation. Why would they rebel when we feed them? They’re just farmers after all.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t worry. That’s why I separated all the nobles and commanders. They won’t have leaders to persuade them in such ways. I’m pretty sure they will hate to leave this place in a few months. They don’t care who their king is. All they need is food.”

“Hmph…”

“Go pick out some people to work for you. Pick some smart ones and you can train them.”

“But I don’t have enough time, sir.”

“You still need to do it. You have to train those you like if you need people who you can trust. You don’t need to train them if you can do it all by yourself though.”

Jackson moaned at the words. Then an Ainos came running into the room.

“Joonbum! I found some strange people!”

It was Pav. He was now tall as Joonbum and was well-built. He was muscular, but he was also very lean like a male deer.

“What people?”

“About five people looking like hunters have been lurking around in the area since yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah, but turns out they aren’t hunters.”

“They look like hunters but they’re not?”

“Yes. They carry some dead animals but I think it’s just cover. They look like spies to me.”

There was no proof but it was the Ainos that reported it, and that was enough. Jackson spoke out.

“I think they are spies from the empire. There should be hundreds of them like that.”

“I see.”

Joonbum and Pav nodded.

“What should we do?”

“Let’s send some of them.”

“Send who?”

“We should hand over some nobles and knights to them.”

“Huh?”

Joonbum did not seem to grasp what Jackson was going at.

“There are some nobles that we can use. We should treat them with respect and send them back with treasures. They will talk highly of us when they go back to their country and that will make them look suspicious of betrayal and begin fighting with each other. It will keep them busy for a while.”

Joonbum looked at Jackson in disbelief. It was a really cunning strategy.

“Let’s do it now!”