Soldiers are bandits, even worse than bandits. This is the general perception, and Walter, having once been a lowly soldier of Hamlet, felt this even more deeply.
But he couldn't deny that the army of Hamlet now was very different from that of his past impression.
"Then let's leverage our advantage. While they are organizing their troops these few days, we should plunder as much food as possible. By the ti they get in, they can only pick up our leftovers. It's no longer realistic to continue harvesting through food. It's not just the distribution issue; it's also because the people have beco impoverished, and there's nothing left to squeeze out of them."
"What about the autumn harvest in a month and a half?"
"The autumn harvest?" Walter chuckled. "With the current situation in the city, it would be a success if it lasts even a month."
"Do you have a new plan?" Vick seed to sense sothing upon hearing this.
"First, tell what the Lord said about our previous plan."
Although Vick had ntioned upon entering that the Lord agreed, Walter would not rashly propose a new plan until he received the Lord's explicit stance. He feared the young man might have miscommunicated.
Vick recalled briefly and then narrated the situation, adding so details.
"The Lord gave us several suggestions. First, we should keep all the crossbows and lee weapons. There's no need to send them back. We should also keep so of the armor, as we need to form a stronger guard to support our actions.
Second, Ovando City is deeply corrupted by the evil cult. The relationship between the upper echelons and the Ascension Sect is particularly unclear, so he advised us to be cautious.
Third, we are to watch out for movents from Bastia and also be wary of potential actions by the Barbarian Tribes.
Fourth is about our safety. The Lord said that we are more important than Ovando, and there's no need for unnecessary sacrifices. If a special situation arises, we are allowed to retreat back to Hamlet."
The earlier points were not surprising to Walter. He knew that Hamlet had phased out crossbows in favor of firearms.
Regarding the evil cult, he was also sowhat inford, as the Lord had warned him about this early on.
As for the fourth point... Though he was reluctant to admit it, and even found it sowhat embarrassing, he could undoubtedly feel the Lord's true stance.
Walter didn't rush to say anything upon hearing this. Instead, he fell into thought, then after a mont's contemplation, he suddenly looked at Vick and asked, "I have a plan. Are you daring enough?"
"As long as it benefits Hamlet, there is nothing I wouldn't dare to do."
"I want you to infiltrate among those commoners, unite them, and then take over Ovando City."
"Isn't that a bit… too aggressive?" Vick was shocked by Walter's new plan. They had always focused on causing disorder and then spiriting away talented individuals. This new plan was escalating things far too quickly, wasn't it?
"Many at the bottom have already been forced into despair. It's a pity they lack a capable leader, which is why they've been suppressed repeatedly, suffering heavy casualties. But for us, this is good news. Because those with influence have died, those remaining are mostly commoners. They are like headless flies. At this mont, they will listen to whoever can secure food for them. And the only one with sufficient food in Ovando City is us." Walter then elaborated on his new plan. "After all, Ovando is still a city, with many valuable things inside. The Lord desires a fully intact city, not ruins that need to be rebuilt. What's more important is that, through your struggles with the bureaucrats, you will understand exactly what the Lord intended for you to do."
With the conversation having reached this point, Vick would have to be quite foolish not to understand Walter's painstaking efforts. He'd been so caught up in these chaotic affairs recently that he'd almost forgotten the Lord had sent him out to establish Hamlet's intelligence network, not to play rchant. And Walter's new plan was undoubtedly tailored specifically for him: infiltrate, unite those people, and fight against the Nobility, bureaucrats, and their lackeys.
"Thank you."
"Now you're being formal. We're all doing it for Hamlet," Walter teased with a smile. Although Vick's execution could sotis be rough, he was very fond of this young man. He was intelligent and capable, quick to grasp things, and possessed strong execution abilities. If only Vick were his son, how wonderful that would be.
If Walter had any lingering regrets, it was probably that his own children lacked the ability to inherit the family business. They had nearly bankrupted it, and now he was forced to work for others to pay off his debts.
"The people of Ovando have had enough of those corrupt bureaucrats and greedy rchants. They need you to bring them the hope of Hamlet."
"For Hamlet!" Vick solemnly replied.
...
anwhile, on the other side of Ovando City, within the headquarters of the Gene Comrcial Group.
In the main hall, Gene sat in the primary seat, surrounded by the high-level mbers of the rchant guild. They had gathered today to prepare for the guild's upcoming endeavor to seize new trade channels.
The transportation of staple commodities like grain by ship would cost much less, but if transported by land, the costs would be extrely high. If the journey was too long, it might even cost more than the grain itself, making the profits too low. They didn't value such routes much anyway, as they controlled the farm channels around Ovando City. Only those like Walter, who previously had sales channels in Totnes, and so small trading groups looking for a livelihood, would choose routes with less competitive pressure. But now, all the surrounding grain had been absorbed by them. To continue maintaining supply, they had to target those other places.
"Those places are now completely monopolized by that old man Walter, and from the looks of it, the roads won't be very peaceful," said one executive.
"With the army's protection, how could those bandits possibly dare to provoke us?" another retorted.
"I've already contacted so of their people and am preparing to lure them over," a third executive stated.
"..."
The hall was filled with heated discussion, but Gene paid no mind, his thoughts drifting towards the ball that evening.
Originally, no matter how successful Old Gene had been, he was still just a rchant. The money he earned would have been largely siphoned off, layer by layer, by those greedy bureaucrats, leaving little behind. But now, I've seized this opportunity and suddenly beco a noble, albeit of the lowest rank and without any real power. However, when I returned with that army, the look in the eyes of those who had once looked down on changed. Especially after they learned I had obtained a noble title and gained the favor of significant figures, their tone of voice beca utterly subservient, and they tried their utmost to curry favor with . Even the Governor, whom I'd never been able to et before, invited to dine and sent invitations to balls—treatnt I had never experienced. At that mont, I understood: the title of Knight isn't my limit. The Gene family will rise under my leadership...
Just then, a commotion from outside interrupted his thoughts, causing him to frown.
"What's going on outside?"
Outside, things were indeed getting lively. The guards, coachn, porters—nearly the entire retinue of the Gene Comrcial Group—had gathered. It was lively, but not for a good reason: the workers had co knocking, demanding their pay.
"When will our wages be settled?"
"Exactly! You promised a pay raise. Why is there nothing now?"
"Never mind the raise, why are you even deducting our pay?"
"..."
Initially, transporting grain to the front lines was too risky, and few people were willing to take the job. For a few copper coins a month, why would anyone risk their life? So, to incentivize them and get them to work, Gene and the others had no choice but to increase the wages. Only then were people willing to sign up.
However, despite the initial promises, many days had now passed without their wages being settled. Furthermore, not only was there no increase, but the wages were also actually decreasing. Even so, the workers could not get their money. But they weren't doing charity or voluntary work. Everyone had to make a living and feed their families. Not to ntion that the price of grain remained high, making it difficult enough to buy even a loaf of bread with what little money they had.
They were the ones who transported the grain, bag after bag passing through their hands, yet now they couldn't even afford black bread mixed with sawdust and bran.
This was reality...
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