Kaimen did not disappoint
As one of the Galentea Continent's renowned slave-trading markets, Nubite Port was quite a metropolis that had undergone massive expansion. Its inner city was not large. In the nearly hundred years since the kingdom's founding, Nubite Port had never been attacked, so the slave owners and merchants of the Hanea Bada Kingdom had long lost the vigilance and caution they should have maintained. They had expanded recklessly outside the inner city—mansions, estates, warehouses, trading houses, you name it—but now everything had fallen into Lorist's hands.
Countless slaves poured in joyfully, and the newly established camp expanded ceaselessly. As they watched the gates of warehouse after warehouse being thrown open and large quantities of supplies and grain hauled off to the slave camp, the slave owners and slave merchants still standing on the inner city walls surveying the situation felt their hearts being torn apart. Wailing, sobbing, and cursing rang out without cease.
Around three in the afternoon, the defenders on the inner city began hurling firebrands outward, igniting the large number of residences built right up against the inner-city walls. Perhaps they hoped to use fire to burn everything outside the inner city to the ground, but Lorist reacted swiftly, ordering and organizing a large number of slaves to assist the family's armed forces in establishing a firebreak outside the range of the inner city's defensive crossbows, thus foiling the enemy's plan. He also used steel crossbows to deliver suppressive fire against the defenders atop the inner-city walls, inflicting heavy casualties.
Near evening, a squad of family soldiers who had been out searching brought Lorist good news—they had found Shiked, the missing clerk of Shilowas Island.
Lorist was overjoyed. The newly established grand slave camp had already gathered nearly seventy to eighty thousand slaves—still less than a third of the slaves in the vicinity of Nubite Port. In the coming days, the number of slaves would explode. The more people there were, the more problems arose, and Lorist was already overwhelmed trying to juggle it all. Upon hearing that Shiked had been found, he was ecstatic—at last he had someone to handle these tedious administrative matters.
...When Shilowas Island was attacked by those slave traders and slave-catching squads, Shiked could have evacuated to Falama Village first, but just as he was leaving White Bird Town, a slave-catching squad caught up. Town Mayor Hugo Old Dad took a dozen or so young men to resist while Shiked organized the panicked townsfolk to evacuate. This delay allowed another slave-catching squad to surround them, and he was captured and taken as a slave.
The only thing Shiked was grateful for was that when he first heard the Qiked Chamber of Commerce was eyeing Shilowas Island, he had sent his family away to Northland. So even though he himself was captured and would become a slave, at least he didn't need to worry about his family's safety. On the ships bound for the Hanea Bada Kingdom, he had already witnessed countless tragedies of families torn apart.
In Shiked's view, the members of those slave-catching squads were all beasts—jackals in human skin. They weren't human at all and didn't possess a shred of humanity. Setting aside the massacre of the elderly and disabled in White Bird Town when they left, during the ten or so days at sea alone, apart from a few young girls selected to be taken back as gifts for slave owners, they had violated all the remaining women. At least every day, women who couldn't bear the shame jumped into the sea to commit suicide...
Shiked's luck was decent. The slave owner he was assigned to quickly realized he was different from the rest. Upon learning that he had been the clerk of Shilowas Island and a top student at the former Krisen Empire's Mobeir Academy, the slave owner didn't treat him like those common laboring slaves. Instead, Shiked was given a position as a miscellaneous clerk at a trading house in Nubite Port, responsible for registering and organizing the miscellaneous items stored in the warehouse.
When the soldiers of the Norton Family's armed forces, led by slaves, seized warehouse after warehouse and appeared before Shiked, he was dumbfounded. He had once imagined that Lorist might send someone to ransom him and the family knights who had fallen into the hands of the slave owners, but he had never imagined that the Norton Family's armed forces would come knocking at their door within these short two to three months.
During the day, Shiked had been in the warehouse as usual organizing items, unaware of the situation outside. Now seeing company after company of Norton Family soldiers appear before him, he snapped to his senses and hastily announced his identity. In this way, he quickly found himself standing before Lorist.
After a brief greeting and some words of comfort, Lorist immediately assigned Shiked new work. Looking at the stacks of documents on the desk, Shiked felt his scalp tingle—at that moment, he even thought that organizing miscellaneous items in the warehouse would have been preferable.
"My lord, you've been talking for quite a while now, and it seems like you want me to handle everything. What's the top priority?" Shiked asked.
Lorist then realized that dumping all the work on Shiked was perhaps a bit much. "Here's what I'll do—you'll primarily be responsible for handling slave affairs. Our family's invasion of the Hanea Bada Kingdom this time serves three purposes: first, to rescue the captured family knights and civil officials like yourself; second, to retaliate against these slave owners for their raids on our family's territory; and third, to plunder the Hanea Bada Kingdom's wealth to address the funding shortage for developing our family's territory.
...complete annihilation.
So from now on, all of our armed forces' logistics and supplies must be sourced from here, and the key to that lies in obtaining the slaves' help. We proclaim that we've come to retaliate against those slave owners and incidentally liberate the slaves here, granting them freedom. But the prerequisite is that these slaves must be organized by us. Otherwise, without discipline, these slaves will quickly ruin everything in their desire for revenge, and that would turn into a disaster...
The Hanea Bada Kingdom has over four hundred thousand slaves. Around the Hamidas royal capital's plains there are over a hundred thousand, on those twenty-seven nearby islands there are another hundred thousand or so, and the remaining two hundred thousand plus are scattered across the areas surrounding Nubite Port. Today, our newly established slave camp has already gathered over seventy thousand slaves, and in the coming days even more will arrive upon hearing the news. How to manage and organize these slaves to maintain order and assist our armed forces—that is the greatest key to achieving victory in this campaign..."
"My lord, I understand. I will manage these slaves well," Shiked said.
Lorist shook his head. "Shiked, don't treat these slaves like refugees—that would only backfire. Don't let them just sit idle in the camp. The key is to keep them occupied. What I'm most worried about is that after gaining their freedom, these slaves will indulge in revenge against the slave owners. If they can't find anyone, they'll set fire to those estates and mansions, which could easily escalate into catastrophe..."
Lorist pulled out a document and handed it to Shiked. "Look—this is bolted cloth captured from two warehouses. I've ordered all of it transported to the slave camp so they can make new clothes for every slave. The purpose is to increase these slaves' goodwill and confidence in us, to make them believe we are genuinely here to save them, not deceiving them.
Another purpose is to give these slaves something to do. Idle hands breed trouble, and it could even give certain ambitious slaves the opportunity to organize gangs and lord it over the slave camp. Once that takes root, it will bring enormous麻烦 to our family. Remember, there are two to three hundred thousand slaves here, while our armed forces number only thirty to forty thousand."
"When you go to manage the slave camp, keep several things in mind. First, establish an artisan company and select the skilled craftsmen from among the slaves. Second, organize several garrison companies—pick honest and reliable young men from among the slaves to be responsible for security and maintaining order. Third, screen the slaves. Identify those glib-tongued individuals who usually relied on currying favor with slave owners and bulling other slaves using their masters' authority. Pick every last one of them out. Anyone with blood on their hands must not be spared; those without can be confined to a separate camp for hard labor later. These people are the most likely to cause chaos...
Additionally, all captured prisoners must be strictly guarded. I will give you two heavy armor battalions and one wheeled-steel-crossbow battalion. Their duties are to guard prisoners and key warehouse areas, as well as to keep watch over the slave camp. If a revolt or riot breaks out in the slave camp, you must immediately deploy these three battalions to suppress it. Under no circumstances can the slave camp be allowed to descend into disorder...
I have already ordered the naval corps to sweep the surrounding islands. They will bring back prisoners and slaves, at which point the slave camp's population will exceed three hundred thousand. It is now September, the harvest season—the nearly ripe grain on those islands must not go to waste. You can organize slaves to go harvest it. If any slaves wish to settle on the islands, we can promise to allocate them farmland. They can become our subjects, living here in peace and enjoying freedom and happiness."
"My lord, do you mean that this place will become our family's territory in the future?" Shiked asked.
"Yes." Lorist nodded. "I intend to destroy the Hanea Bada Kingdom. This place will become our family's overseas territory. After you screen the slaves, you can assign those with families who are willing to live here to those islands for farming. Our family will provide them with daily necessities and allocate them land and housing."
"My lord, what do you plan to do with the prisoners? Put them to hard labor?"
"Hard labor? Ha—hardly. They don't deserve it." A grim smile appeared on Lorist's face. "Ask the family soldiers. After witnessing the horrors on Shilowas Island, do you think they'd be willing to let those perpetrators off? Hard labor is for human beings, not beasts. To tell you the truth, Shiked, I don't intend to spare anyone from the Hanea Bada Kingdom. Whether noble or commoner, I will slaughter them all—so as to serve as a warning to any who would follow in their footsteps..."
Shiked shuddered. The killing intent emanating from Lorist in that moment made his blood run cold. "My lord, it's only right to execute those slave owners, slave traders, and slave catchers. Even those nobles and garrison soldiers could be considered guilty beyond redemption and deserve death. But the commoners, the women, and the children—they are innocent. You cannot vent your anger on them..."
Lorist smiled and shook his head, but the ice in his eyes made Shiked tremble. "Shiked, you're a good man. But you've forgotten that this is the Hanea Bada Kingdom—a land filled with the grievances of countless dead slaves. Just being born here is the greatest crime for people like those commoners, women, and children. Perhaps they never personally killed a slave, but their daily enjoyment was still built upon the blood, sweat, and tears of slaves. Now retribution has come, and they cannot escape it..."
"...give those women a way out and a chance to atone..." Shiked took a step back and offered a suggestion.
Lorist was silent for a long time. After a while, he finally spoke. "You're right, Shiked. I'll leave this matter to you—go handle it. Remember, managing the slave camp is the most important thing."
"Yes, my lord. I'll go get to work." Shiked bowed deeply.
"Take these related documents with you. Also, I'll have Kaimen—the one currently managing the slave camp—come see you. He's a slave himself, but he awakened
"Yes, my lord. I understand."
Shiked withdrew. From now on, he would be incredibly busy. Lorist finally let out a sigh of relief and sat down.
War was not just about charging into battle and leading troops in combat. Far more of it was about the countless trivial matters piling up on one another—logistics and supplies, provisions and fodder, the wounded and the dead, marching and encampment, defense and vigilance. Only when all these matters were properly handled would the fruits of victory be borne. Thirty to forty thousand elite family soldiers were more than enough to sweep across the Hanea Bada Kingdom, but it was the organization and management of over four hundred thousand slaves that determined how much plunder and how great a victory the Norton Family would ultimately reap from this war.
Bodenfeng walked into the great tent. "My lord, the matter you ordered has been completed. Over two thousand heads have been cut off and are undergoing preservation treatment. The headless bodies have been buried in pits dug by the slaves. The bodies of our family's fallen soldiers have been cremated, and their ashes have been collected."
Bodenfeng hesitated. "My lord, I don't understand why you gave such orders. What's the use of enemy heads? And you also instructed Tiger Ross and the others to bring back enemy heads as well—what purpose does that serve?"
Lorist chuckled and was about to answer when a guard outside the tent loudly announced that a messenger bearing a white flag had arrived from the inner city of Nubite Port, requesting an audience with the lord.
"Your question can wait, Boden. Let's first hear what these cornered rats have to say."
The messenger sent by the slave owners cowering in the inner city was an old man. He introduced himself as a viscount of the Hanea Bada Kingdom, though without a fiefdom—merely a title-noble. He had drawn the short straw and been forced to come as an envoy.
Only Lorist and Bodenfeng sat in the great tent. The old man tremblingly expressed his protest, denouncing Lorist for unprovokedly leading troops to attack the Hanea Bada Kingdom. This was an offense against the peaceful Hanea Bada Kingdom, he said. They had brought blood, fire, and war to this prosperous land, causing the nobles of the Hanea Bada Kingdom to suffer enormous losses—all of which was unforgivable, sinful conduct...
Lorist laughed heartily and stood up. "I think you all know in your hearts who we are, where we come from, and why we're here. Let's not beat around the bush. Since you had the audacity to attack my family's territory, then you'd better accept our retaliation obediently. Don't tell me you're willing to compensate. Honestly, you can't afford it—unless you can bring the innocently slaughtered people of Shilowas Island back to life before my eyes..."
Lorist gently patted the old messenger's shoulder. "We're very reasonable people. As an envoy, I won't lay a finger on you. Though we're currently at war, we still treat envoys well. You don't need to be so frightened—we'll let you return. Tell the people in the city to eat a good meal and enjoy themselves to the fullest. You have only one night left. Best to take a bath too, so that tomorrow when our soldiers get to work, they won't soil their weapons..."
The old man shook all over, trying his best to appear strong and unyielding. He stammered out a sentence: "W-we will not y-yield! We still have s-six Great Swordmasters! We can h-hold out until the king's Imperial Guard Corps arrives..."
"Mm, you make a very good point," Lorist said with great satisfaction. "This morning I killed three Great Swordmasters and barely got my fill. I hope these six Great Swordmasters of yours can hold out a bit longer and not disappoint me. As for your king—don't worry. He'll be joining you very soon."
The old messenger broke down, returning in a flood of tears and snot, weeping all the way.
"Boden, take your men to the area in front of the inner city and clear out an open space. Then arrange those preserved heads into a pyramid shape. Mount the heads of the four Great Swordmasters on wooden stakes at the front. Light plenty of torches—make this pyramid of heads bright and visible..." Lorist said.
"My lord, what are you...?"
"Don't ask. You'll understand once it's done."
A hundred meters from the inner-city wall, Bodenfeng cleared an open space and began arranging the heads. This was within range of the wall's mounted siege crossbows and longbows. At first, the guards on the wall shouted and screamed, but when a single volley from a hundred wheeled steel crossbows flew over from the distance, no one on the wall dared stand upright. The defenders could only crouch and peek through the crenellations to see what was happening, since the enemies below didn't appear to be preparing to assault the walls.
When several carts delivered a large quantity of heads and a dozen or so bold soldiers began arranging them into a pyramid, the wall fell completely silent. Bodenfeng even thought he could hear the sound of teeth chattering. From the beginning of the arrangement until their withdrawal an hour later, not a single arrow flew from the wall, and not a sound was heard.
So this was how you could terrify the enemy and shatter their morale, Bodenfeng thought smugly.
At two in the morning, a guard burst into the great tent and woke Lorist, who had just fallen asleep. "My lord, the enemy is breaking out! They've sortied the entire city through the rear gate, disregarding casualties and running for their lives. The defensive line deployed behind can't hold them back. Great Swordmaster Yingjieliek requests the lord's immediate reinforcements and pursuit..."
Damn—building a pyramid of heads scared the enemy into fleeing, Lorist thought in frustration.
...(To be continued.)