Chapter 874 The Evil Man

Although there were wells and water intake facilities around the castle, the fire broke out fiercely, and thick smoke spewed up the corridors, making it difficult for rescuers to even approach the hall on the first floor.

The First Army quickly withdrew from the castle and sealed off the area. The fire burned for more than two hours, and they could not enter until the afternoon of the next day. At this time, there was nothing left in the dungeon.

Afterwards, the scene was cleaned up and investigated. The officials who came with the army set up a temporary city hall and began to take over the administrative affairs of Jinsui City.

The fire in the dungeon came to fruition soon: a group of mice, hating Duke Borg who had turned the bustling city into a poor fortress, sneaked into the castle underground through a secret passage and set fire to piles of straw in the prison.

So this is an extremely vicious case of man-made arson, which not only poses a major threat to the order of the East, but also a provocation to the First Army of Neverwinter.

In addition to vigorously publicizing the results of the investigation, the First Army and the city hall also launched a campaign to eradicate rats throughout the city. Leniency for confession, strictness for resistance, rewards for reporting, food for exposing... In addition, the food stocks found in various noble mansions were successively put into the market and relief, and the lifeless city instantly became noisy.

On the night when the rodent eradication order was issued, Bear's Paw entered Iron Ax's camp again.

"Boss, those big families are showing signs of evacuation. Today, more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages passed through the west gate, and the direction is heading towards Haifeng County. Some of them have very deep ruts, and I think they should be loaded with..."

"Gold, silver and jewelry." Iron Ax put down the quill in his hand, "But I said at the beginning that as long as they bring food, let them go."

The commander-in-chief was not surprised by the occurrence of this situation.

When the fire broke out, the trust between the First Army and the traditional nobles completely disintegrated. No matter what considerations they had, escaping from this place was the only way they could think of. Losing the pillars of the family and several knights is not an unbearable loss for a family. The title can be inherited, and the knights can be canonized again, but the courage to confront directly will no longer be there.

Rather than staying here and waiting to die, it is better to take the whole family, servants and wealth to other lands to find new opportunities--fiefdom is important, but compared to life, the latter is more reluctant.

What's more, in order to prepare for this war, Willion Borg concentrated all his resources in Jinsui City. Most of the nearby territories were seriously abandoned, and it would be difficult to recover in two or three years. Otherwise, they would not have made up their minds so quickly. determination.

"Boss, there is one more thing..." Xiongpao hesitated halfway through speaking, which was a rare expression for a stubborn adjutant.

"Tell me," Iron Ax said seriously.

"The fire in the dungeon...was it you who set it off?" Xiongpao hesitated for a while before finally asking in a low voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"Let's not mention that there is an iron gate partition in the secret passage. It is difficult to break through with the strength of a few mice alone. I don't think the garrison team is so lax that someone set fire without noticing it. In addition, I also went to the dungeon to see , the flame doesn’t seem to be drawn from the room, but seems to spread from the aisle to both sides, and judging from the burnt remains, it should be caused by oil.”

Iron Ax nodded after listening, "You guessed right, it was my order."

Probably not expecting him to admit it so readily, Xiongpao couldn't help being stunned for a while, "...why?"

"It's fine for me to do this kind of thing, but it's easy to go wrong if you know it."

"I didn't ask that," the adjutant shook his head, "I mean—didn't they surrender?"

"So that's how it is..." Iron Ax pondered for a moment, "Simply speaking, I don't have time to judge whether they are really willing to surrender, and His Majesty also doesn't have time to judge them—this is why His Majesty Roland sent the The reason why all matters on the Eastern Front are entrusted to me.”

"But……"

"Do you think that making such a decision without trial may lead to the death of innocent people among them?" Iron Ax interrupted the adjutant, and handed him a booklet on the table, "Look this."

"Is this... a census book?"

"It was found in the study room of the castle." The commander-in-chief nodded, "Five years ago, Jinsui City and its surrounding areas had a population of about 220,000, which can be called the most prosperous area in the east, but this year, This number has plummeted to about 60,000. The cumulative number of refugees we have accepted from the east border is about 30,000 to 40,000. Even if it is calculated at 40,000, there is still a gap of nearly 120,000—this is still based on the fact that the number of people does not increase. Next. The reason for all this should be clear to you."

Xiongpao took a deep breath, "Those farmlands that have been flooded..."

"There is also this unrecognizable Golden Spike City." Iron Ax stood up, and walked to the candlestick with his hands behind his back, "In order to block the road and thicken the city wall, Willion obviously recruited all the nearby citizens— — Without the permission and assistance of other lords, he would never be able to do this alone. And the large concentration of population has made the problems of business interruption and farmland production reduction more serious, and the final result is the number in the statistics book. In other words In other words, these nobles are all the accomplices of the Duke, do you still think His Majesty will accept their services?"

"..." Xiongpao was speechless for a moment.

"However, what they said about their innocence is not a lie," Iron Ax continued, "because in their eyes, it is nothing at all. Even though the cultivated farmland has shrunk by more than half, the noble's mansion is still full of grain , and even... people. After all, if stored properly, meat can last longer than wheat."

Xiongpao's pupils suddenly constricted.

"Of course, the most important thing is that they have seriously hindered His Majesty's plan - the population is His Majesty's most fancy resource, but they are squandering it recklessly. If we didn't carry new firearms, what would the battle situation be like? Field artillery will It is difficult to move an inch in the mud, we can only forcefully attack the city, or fight a protracted war. At that point, I think the nobles will not surrender until the city's population is exhausted." Iron Ax turned around, "Do you have any other questions?"

After a long time, Xiongzhang raised his head and said, "You did the right thing - burning these guys to death is simply too cheap for them... However, this method of handling is not from His Majesty's intention, right? If he finds out... "

"What if?" Iron Ax raised his brows, "Do you think I will hide this matter and not report it? No, His Majesty will definitely know - I have written everything that happened in Jinsui City into the report , whether he agrees with the practice or not, I will be responsible for this matter alone."

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