860: 293.
And yet, he even said thank you to us.
860: 293.
And yet, he even said thank you to us.
“What’s wrong with you today?
Why are you so absent-minded?”
In the administrative office of Crimson Castle, within the small office that Governor Miriam had just moved into, Lord Murphy furrowed his brows and said to Baroness Moran who seed sowhat distracted:
“Are you too tired these past few days, or was the siege from the other day too unsettling for you?
Your complexion looks quite poor, how about I give you a couple of days off?
Or should we have Mother Mary Ann perform a calming ritual for you?”
“It’s nothing, I just feel a bit anxious today.”
Miriam also rubbed her temples with so confusion, the red-haired girl who always tried her best to keep herself energetic said:
“It’s like sothing has happened, but I can’t find out whether it has anything to do with or not, it’s hard to describe this feeling…
You don’t need to worry.
I will go to Avalon Cathedral and perform a calming ritual after work.”
“That’s good to hear.
Right now, you are the core of the entire Transylvania governance system.
In terms of importance, you are even more significant than , the lord.”
Murphy smiled, but then his expression turned serious as he said:
“What do you think about the proposal I just ntioned to you?
Is it feasible?”
“Hard to say.”
Miriam picked up her teacup and took a sip, pondering before she replied:
“Having the Wolf People prisoners construct the road that Professor Chen planned is already a set strategy.
Those barbarians have virtually no rights in the eyes of the locals, and if they were to die from exhaustion, there are plenty of commoners who would applaud.
But to have Blood Servants who were just released and the soldiers sent from other nations to assist us work alongside the Wolf People, that is a bit too much.
You have to understand, Lord Murphy, Blood Servants are humans too!
Many of them have relatives right here in Crimson Castle, and it’s already bad enough not to allow family reunions, but to have fought for the Blood Vulture Clan and then co back to do hard labor, that would greatly diminish your image in the eyes of the people.
I think we should consider an alternative approach.”
“They are a source of instability, Miriam, and you know this well,”
Lord Murphy pointed at the map of Count Cadman’s Domain on the table, which was produced by Old Chen himself, and said:
“We need ti to discern which of them are willing to submit to the new order we’re establishing.
Blood Servants are an extre bunch; you can’t just release them back into the territory.
Besides, I’m not making them do hard labor forever.
Once their identities and professions are registered, those with skills will get jobs, and those who perform well in a week or half a month of work can receive a new identity.
Then there are the Northerners sent as supporters to Transylvania.
Even Duchess Xiani openly stated that they were a bunch of trash that had been cut loose, tossed into our territory by the Northerner generals as a way of disposing of waste.
I don’t think you should hold any optimistic expectations of their character.
With the current scarcity of manpower in Transylvania, I don’t want to waste ti on them.
They’re here to aid us, not to revel in good fortune.
Isn’t constructing roads and bridges and building villages also a form of support?
I’m already giving them enough respect by not throwing them into the Polluted Swamp to dig trenches.”
“That may be so…”
Miriam was also feeling a headache.
This was the first ti she had dealt with such a complex situation, and she was not very supportive of Murphy’s blunt approach, but it seed she had no better alternative at the mont.
As the standoff continued, the office door was pushed open, and Professor Malcolm entered, carrying a stack of docunts.
He gave a respectful greeting to Murphy, then smoothly joined the discussion.
The professor quickly offered his opinion.
He said to Murphy:
“Your line of thought is absolutely correct, my lord…”
“But what?”
Murphy interjected.
Professor Malcolm laughed and gestured as he said:
“Well, yes, the approach is indeed too heavy-handed.
I’m not referring to the inhumane aspect of the plan, but to assign all of them to basic labor for repairs is simply a waste of manpower.
The rough work is well enough handled by the Wolf People and Gnoll prisoners.
Even the ragtag lot have brains sharper than the jackals and wolves, capable of creating more value, especially in manpower-depleted Transylvania.
I just conducted a simple survey among the Blood alliance knights, Witch Hunters, and Thorn Vampires, and I found that they have high praise for those broad, convenient, easy-to-store ‘grey tents’ produced in our camps.
Such items are not difficult to make, so perhaps we could establish a factory near the planned collective farm to specially manufacture similar goods.
I believe that once the Black Disaster starts, such military-useful goods will be in great demand.
It’s far more valuable to have the military riffraff producing tents than to have them digging ditches and filling trenches.
Moreover, a punitive system needs to have a hierarchy of severity.
If you make them start with hard labor, what will you do if they cause trouble?
You can’t actually kill them, can you?
Look, those who are unwilling to work can beco miners, and if they still cause trouble then they can repair roads.
Those who don’t even want to fix roads in the safety of the rear can be thrown into digging trenches.
This tiered punishnt system should deter most of the weak-willed, and those who remain problematic can serve as examples.”
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