After ordering Genorio to get some proper rest and a good night's sleep,
Morant City had over a million residents, plus over two hundred thousand laborers and paupers outside the walls, along with more than four hundred thousand Commercial Alliance troops stationed on the Mana Hill Plains front. The daily grain consumption of these one million seven hundred thousand people was bound to be an astronomical figure. The Mana Hill Plains had once been the famous granary of the Galentea Continent, but it had now been reduced to ruins, producing nothing for the past two years. More than half of Morant City's coarse grain and meat supply could only come from the barren Christo Hills, and the Commercial Alliance's grain supply pressure had always been immense.
Tagel was summoned and brought yet more bad news. The neighboring fortress city of Thomas City was originally the military provisions storage base for the four hundred thousand-plus Commercial Alliance troops on the front lines, but after its capture they discovered that Thomas City had dispatched most of its military provisions reserves to the front just ten days ago — enough to sustain the Commercial Alliance forces for roughly a month. The remaining military provisions in Thomas City's warehouses were now quite sparse; even if everything were shipped back, it would only feed Morant City's population of over a million for a day or two.
The Commercial Alliance had planned for the arriving transport fleet to fill the reserve gap once it docked, but they hadn't anticipated that the Invincible Fleet would be completely destroyed and the transport fleet would become spoils for the
After the transport fleet surrendered, some of the grain had been unloaded at Romani Cape as daily provisions for the ten thousand new-recruit prisoners and laborers under Schwaid's charge who were filling in the reef zone. The remaining grain had been transported to Shilovas Island by private ships. Lorist then took the empty ships that had originally been intended to transport the ten thousand conscripted recruits to Tamania Port, where the
The current problem was that Morant City lacked grain, Lorist had ships but no cargo, and Shilovas Island had grain but no ships — there was no way to get the grain to Morant City. The private ships that had originally transported the grain, after delivering it to Shilovas Island, had gleefully purchased large quantities of goods and products from Norton Family territory and were now sailing toward the southern seas of the continent. It was already too late to hire them back for grain transport.
Meanwhile, the North Sea Lightning Fleet under Sembawood's command was heading toward Hidden Gold Bay to escort the families of the surrendered Invincible Fleet's crew members and sailors to Shilovas Island, reuniting families… All actions were being carried out strictly according to plan, yet this single problem of Morant City's food shortage could render all of Lorist's and the Norton Family forces' efforts fruitless.
After Sembawood brought the Lightning Fleet to Hidden Gold Bay and transported the prisoners' families to Shilovas Island, he could also bring the transport fleet along and carry the grain stored on the island back. This round trip and return journey would take at least fifteen to sixteen days of sea transport alone, and this time was, for Lorist, the most critical factor in whether the entire plan could succeed.
In two or three days, Lorist estimated that the Commercial Alliance forces on the front lines would react and learn of Morant City's fall. If the commanding brass leading the four hundred thousand-plus Commercial Alliance troops acted decisively, they could be at the gates of Morant City within ten days. Although Lorist had made prior arrangements for the Flying Tiger Legion and Hunter Cavalry Legion to pin down the Commercial Alliance forces, with over four hundred thousand troops, even splitting them in half, the Commercial Alliance could still rely on the well-fortified defensive installations on the Mana Hill Plains to hold off the fierce assaults of the Flying Tiger Legion and Hunter Cavalry Legion for a time.
Lorist's original plan was to hold off the Commercial Alliance counterattack at the gates of Morant City. As long as he could delay for seven or eight days until the Flying Tiger Legion and Hunter Cavalry Legion arrived, with tigers in front and wolves behind — trapped in between with no line of retreat — the Commercial Alliance forces would surely collapse. Once they weathered this crisis, what followed would be the Norton Family's great harvest.
But now Morant City's food shortage was like pressing Lorist against the mouth of an about-to-erupt volcano. The twenty-four outer city districts, with over a million residents, had only two regiments — nearly twenty-four thousand troops — maintaining order. They had suppressed a few small riots, which had served as a deterrent, and things were temporarily peaceful. But if a large-scale riot erupted due to food shortages, combined with an external enemy at the gates, Morant City could very well fall back into the Commercial Alliance's hands. Then everything would be lost.
"Tagel, how was the grain supply for the twenty-four outer city districts originally managed?" Lorist asked.
"Your Highness, the Commercial Alliance basically provided a batch of grain to the outer city district grain shops every half month, mostly coarse grain. Then every household could use their registered household booklet to purchase the grain at regulated prices. Each household had a quota, and if they exceeded it, they had to pay extra…" Tagel flipped open a document folder to report.
Wait — Lorist felt a bit dizzy. Why did this sound so familiar? It was practically the planned distribution system from the planned economy era of his previous life! He remembered how his grandfather and grandmother had to bring armfuls of cloth coupons, grain coupons, and meat coupons whenever they went shopping. Once, when he'd been greedy and swapped a cloth coupon for malt sugar, his grandfather found out and gave him a thorough beating. He remembered his grandfather saying that being greedy for candy wasn't the problem — the beating was for taking without asking, because that was stealing and had to be disciplined!
These Commercial Alliance merchants really had strange ideas, actually coming up with a planned economy distribution system. Lorist asked curiously, "Did the residents of Morant City's outer districts never protest this? And how were the grain shops distributing these supplies managed?"
Tagel shook his head. "Your Highness, the residents of Morant City are easily swayed. The Commercial Alliance's slogan was 'everything for the front' — they believed that as long as they defeated the Andinak Kingdom's invaders, everything would return to normal. Enduring some hardship now meant a happier life in the future. Besides, although the grain on the quota slips was coarse, the price was cheap. Fine grain was available too, just more expensive. Many families preferred to eat the coarse grain and sell their fine grain quota slips for extra income."
"In the past few days, I sent people into the twenty-four outer city districts to investigate. We didn't find much of note, but we did get a clear picture of these small details. According to our investigators, the cheapest food in Morant City right now is potatoes and dried salted fish. The potatoes come from the Christo Hills, and the dried salted fish were caught by Morant City's fishermen in Hidden Gold Bay a few years ago. Nobody used to eat them, but now they've become the main dish for the outer city residents."
"Our family forces occupied Morant City, and now the potatoes and meat from the Christo Hills can no longer be supplied. After Lord Berunek led a Rock Fortress regiment to seize the warehouse district outside the east gate, he found that the reserves of potatoes and coarse grain were not large. After tallying, they could only supply the outer city residents with their daily rations for about ten days, unless quotas per household were reduced, which would stretch them to fourteen or fifteen days. There was plenty of dried salted fish, but that stuff can't fill your stomach."
"All quota-based goods trading was managed by the Commercial Alliance's various merchant guilds. For instance, coarse grain, fine grain, and meat were handled by the Forde Guild, fabric and leather were Peterson Guild's specialty, luxury condiments like honey and spices fell under the Mayflower Guild, the Livord Guild managed other daily necessities, the Chike De Guild handled seafood, and the Twin-Headed Dragon Guild dealt in various rare ingredients exclusively for the wealthy and nobility."
"In short, Morant City now had severe wealth disparity. Those with money and power could still buy whatever they wanted, while those without could barely feed their families with quota-allocated goods. Not to mention that beef and lamb — which everyone in our family's territory could afford — were sold here at sky-high prices, at least ten times what they cost back home. I've even heard that in the outer city districts, some people have organized rat-catching squads specifically to catch and sell rats for meat…"
"What's noteworthy, Your Highness, is that after we captured Morant City, all the merchant guild shops in the twenty-four outer city districts have shuttered. Previously, residents were accustomed to buying all their necessary grain and daily supplies in bulk during the first few days after quota distribution. The next quota distribution is only three or four days away, but those shops remain closed. The outer city residents are already showing signs of unrest — they're worried they won't be able to buy grain and daily necessities…"
Lorist stroked his chin and paced back and forth. After hearing Tagel's report, the situation was indeed grim. The top priority was to calm the residents of the twenty-four outer city districts. Stability was paramount — they absolutely could not allow Morant City to erupt in rebellion at this critical moment in the battle, or all their efforts would be for naught.
"Have Tolin, Berunek, and Jadess come see me at once. Send word to Ail and Ovikis to complete the transfer of all supplies from Thomas City and Gipsis City as quickly as possible and then return to Morant City." Lorist issued two orders, and several guards hurried off.
"Tagel, send a message hawk to the family territory. Have Baron Shrade and Steward Speer organize a transport fleet immediately and transport the nearly one million magical beast pelts stockpiled in the family territory, along with all accumulated daily goods inventory, to Shilovas Island. They are to await my next orders. At the same time, have Baron Shrade and Steward Speer bring a batch of capable civil officials to Morant City as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll see to it right away," Tagel replied.
"Wait, Tagel. Send someone to notify the community organizations responsible for managing the twenty-four outer city districts in Morant City. In my name, invite them to a meeting. Set it for tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Lorist stopped Tagel.
Tolin was the father of Tok, the deputy commander of the North Sea Fleet. Due to his advanced age, he only handled logistical affairs for the fleet. This time, Lorist had him lead about a dozen large armed warships equipped with bronze cannons to blockade the mouth of Hidden Gold Bay — a task he had performed splendidly.
Tolin arrived first, followed by Jadess, and lastly Berunek from the warehouse district outside the east gate. Seeing them all present, Lorist straightforwardly laid out the difficulties currently facing the family forces and the present situation, then began assigning tasks.
"I'll give you twelve days. You must transport the grain from Shilovas Island back here."
"Additionally, I'll write you a personal directive. If you encounter Sembawood's North Sea Fleet along the way, tell him not to proceed to Hidden Gold Bay — instead, have him turn back to Shilovas Island to complete this grain transport mission first. Do you understand?" Lorist's first assignment went to Tolin. The sooner the grain from Shilovas Island was brought over, the sooner he could rest easy.
Lorist deeply regretted having sent all the surrendered Invincible Fleet crew members, sailors, and their families to Shilovas Island just two days ago. If he had known, he would have delayed their departure until today. The remaining crew and sailors still in the fleet district were either without family or had relatives who had perished in the North Sea Fleet's attacks — they were all marked as unreliable elements. Sending Tolin to lead the transport fleet on this trip carried significant risk.
"Yes, Your Highness. Rest assured, I will bring the grain back," Tolin said. Time was precious, so he took his leave and headed straight for the fleet district.
"Jadess, immediately seal off the commercial district and begin searching all merchant guild warehouses. All wealth and valuables found are to be transported to the inner city. Remaining supplies are to be inventoried, sealed, and listed for submission, pending my next orders."
"Yes, Your Highness," Jadess replied, standing at attention and saluting.
"Berunek, take one battalion to the Christo Hills — not to requisition grain, but to purchase it. Whether it's potatoes or other coarse grain, buy everything at fifty percent above market price. If any farmers there transport grain to Morant City on their own, we'll buy it at double the price. The same goes for cattle and sheep — purchase them all at double market price. Furthermore, I'm only giving you three days. You don't need to venture deep into the Christo Hills — just get the word out about our purchasing plans. Understood?"
"Understood, my lord. I'll see to it immediately," Berunek said.
The next day, Lorist met with the invited community organization leaders in a spacious conference room. Among them was Ledos, a former brother of Ail whom he recognized. After more than a decade without meeting, Ledos's gaze was peculiar, and he didn't greet Lorist. After all, their paths had diverged greatly. When Ail chose to follow Lorist faithfully, Ledos had become a community leader. Over a dozen years, Ledos was still a community leader, while Lorist had gone from a black-iron mercenary to a Sword Saint renowned across the continent and Grand Duke of the Northland for the Andinak Kingdom.
"Gentlemen, our Norton Family has occupied Morant City for the sake of peace, not to plunder wealth." Lorist said this brazenly, not caring whether those present believed it or not. After spending considerable time explaining that they had been compelled to occupy Morant City to force the Commercial Alliance into signing a peace treaty for lasting peace between the two nations, Lorist finally stated his purpose.
"Our Norton Family guarantees that we will not plunder any resident of the twenty-four outer city districts, so long as they do not engage in any acts of resistance or rebellion. As I've just stated, the only ones we oppose are those merchant guilds that have dragged innocent Morant City residents into this bloody war for their own ambitions. Therefore, even when we confiscate supplies, it will only be those guilds' goods — we will not implicate the residents of the outer city districts."
"Please quiet down. I know what everyone wants to say. It's true that all the daily necessities and grain distribution for the outer city residents are controlled by the various merchant guilds. If we confiscate the guilds' supplies, the million residents of Morant City would be left destitute with no way to sustain themselves. However, to demonstrate our sincere pursuit of peace, we will not abandon these million residents. All guild supplies must be confiscated, but the confiscated daily goods and grain will be sold at low prices or distributed free of charge to all residents of the twenty-four outer city districts…"
"Gentlemen, in the past you were only responsible for community-level security, sanitation, taxes, and miscellaneous affairs, while the trade in daily necessities and grain was controlled by the major guilds. Now that the guilds are gone, I hope you will take on the responsibility of helping the outer city residents with their difficulties — assisting us in distributing or selling these daily necessities and grain to the residents of your respective communities, and maintaining peace and stability across the twenty-four outer city districts…"
The corner of Lorist's mouth curved into a slight arc. "One more piece of good news: in three days, we will distribute a batch of grain free of charge to all residents of the twenty-four outer city districts. Each household will receive, according to their household booklet quota, ten jin of potatoes and one jin of dried salted fish per person, regardless of age. At the same time, we will also put the confiscated daily goods from the various merchant guilds up for sale at very low prices to all residents, and the sale of these goods will be handled by all of you…"