Abandoning a portion of the population was undoubtedly the simplest and crudest way to solve the food crisis.
However, whether it was Pushkin or Lilith, both of them had intentionally or unintentionally neglected this method in their previous discussions. Since the start of the war, humans had suffered more than three million casualties. But for people like them who were at the decision-making level, they were already used to receiving and dealing with grievous news every day. In their eyes, death was just a string of cold, cold data.
But this time, it was different. This time, the people they abandoned did not die on the battlefield, nor did they die from uncontrollable disasters such as plagues or monster attacks. Instead, they died because of a decision.
In a sense, the person who made this decision was equivalent to personally murdering the lives of millions of people.
The atmosphere in the lounge was unprecedentedly heavy.
After a long silence, Pushkin spoke again. "No matter what, this time … it's my negligence. The Temple had clearly reminded me about the Church of Patience, but I didn't pay enough attention to it. So, I'll take full responsibility for this matter, and I'll be the one to announce the decision to stop the food supply."
The Prime Minister's words meant that he was prepared to bear the name of the executioner. Coupled with the fact that Armored Rock City had fallen, the best outcome for him was to be removed from office, and to appease the people, he might even be imprisoned and executed.
Pushkin stroked the brooch on his chest that represented his position as Prime Minister and sighed. "I've spent my entire life thinking about how to be an upright and strict person, but in the end, I can't even protect my integrity … I don't know what kind of infamy I'll leave behind in history." The Prime Minister shook his head. "No matter what, let's discuss a plan to stop the food supply first."
Stopping the food supply did not mean that they would randomly pick a few cities and remove all the food from them. Everything that Pushkin and Lilith had done was for the survival of their race, and stopping the food supply was the same. First, the army's food supply had to be guaranteed. Otherwise, the gods wouldn't even need to do anything; the monsters that roamed the land could wipe out humanity.
Secondly, the young and strong should be protected as much as possible, as they were a reserve force. Many of them had received militia training, and with a little organization, they could defend the city walls even if they couldn't surround and kill the monsters. Children, on the other hand, were less important. Even though they were a symbol of hope, that was something that would happen in a few years or decades. If they could not overcome the current crisis, the future would be useless.
As for the elderly and the disabled, they were the first group of people that Pushkin intended to abandon.
This might go against traditional moral values, but even Lilith had to admit that in terms of survival, Pushkin's plan was more realistic.
"But have you ever thought about how to divide the people according to your requirements? Basically, every adult man has children and the elderly at home, but even if you don't distribute food to these people, they will still share their food with their parents and children. They would rather starve themselves, because this is the reason why they continue fighting."
Lilith's words caused Pushkin to fall silent again. After a while, the old Prime Minister said bitterly, "Are we walking into a dead end this time?"
"Yes, so you better think about how you're going to thank me after this." A voice came from behind the old Prime Minister.
The door was pushed open by someone. D 'Addarion leaned against the door and said leisurely.
Lilith stood up and said, "You're back?"
Although her tone was as calm as ever, a trace of joy could be seen in her eyes. During this period of time, Lilith had to be the one who had worked the hardest. D 'Addarion, the real president, had suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. So all the pressure was on Lilith's shoulders. She had to deal with the affairs of the Sorcerer's Association and take care of her young son at the same time. Many people felt sorry for her. Only Lilith did not complain from the beginning to the end. She did not think that D 'Addarion was fooling around.
In a sense, this man was quite capricious and childish. He was full of shortcomings, but when it came to the critical moment, he would never let people down.
Just like in that alley six years ago, D 'Addarion fought against eight enemies and saved her from the hands of the Inquisition. Everything he did was meaningful when she thought about it.
"I heard that the final battle is about to begin. How can I miss this kind of excitement?" D 'Addarion said as he put a bag of sesame seed cake on the table. He scratched his chin and explained, "Ah, I happened to be a guest in Fireplace Castle, so I bought some local specialties there."
"Fireplace Castle? Have you been in the dwarven world all this time? "Pushkin was surprised when he heard that.
"Well, to be exact, I've been to the dwarves, orcs, elves, and a few smaller races. I wanted to look for the dragons, but I didn't have enough time, so I came back first." D 'Addarion poured himself a glass of water and drank it. Then he let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Sure enough, my best talent is talking. In this regard, even that guy named Rob is no match for me."
Lilith could not bear to see D 'Addarion's complacency. She said, "You heard the question just now. If you have any solution, just say it."
"While we're talking, 140 cargo ships carrying food have docked at the port of Labrador," D 'Addarion said lazily.
"What?" Pushkin was overjoyed when he heard that. He did not even care to maintain etiquette. He rushed out of the room and rushed to the Magician's Association in Labrador to verify it. However, in less than a quarter of an hour, Pushkin hurried back and said with a bitter smile, "President D 'Addarion, please don't make such a joke … Labrador said that they did not see any grain ships."
"Huh?" D 'Addarion's expression was also very interesting. "It doesn't make sense. The elves promised that 30 ships would arrive first. I even helped them modify the power system … Wait, what time is it now?"
"Magic Calendar, October 13th, Year 998," Lilith said.
"Did I remember the wrong date? Strange, I have no impression at all …" D 'Addarion muttered. "How did the last week pass? Really, those dwarves can't distinguish between day and night when they drink. Well, if that's the case, the elves' fleet should arrive in the next four or five days."
"Really?" After experiencing the shock of falling from heaven to hell, Pushkin became much more cautious. He no longer trusted someone unreservedly.
Sure enough, D 'Addarion said, "Ah, probably … The climate on the sea is ever-changing. It's normal to have some deviation."
"…"
"In this way, the food crisis will be solved." Lilith breathed a sigh of relief. Although humans were the most numerous on the Dawn Continent, the other races combined could still surpass humans. The elves and dwarves did not encounter any plant diseases, and this year's crop harvest was good. As long as they were willing to help, humans would be able to overcome the current crisis. Next year, the Abyss crops cultivated by Rob and others would be able to be harvested, and there would be no need to worry about food anymore.
"Great," Pushkin said happily. But then he thought of something, and his expression changed. "No, I have to send a fleet to help them. I can't let the incident in Armored Rock City happen again."
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