Kislöw's meat festival was very bleak this year. Even in the capital of the kingdom, Kislów Castle, it was rare to see such a scene. Now, there was only desolation on the streets. The refugees were still struggling at death's door. This was only because the Empire's Ostermark Province had sent a new batch of relief food, and because the nobles, generals, and Poillé had been forced by the female Tsar to cough up some of their spoils of war, the refugees were barely able to survive.
Even so, several dozen frozen corpses had to be carried out of Kislów Castle every day.
"I remember that when the Red Tsar (Boris Bokaha) was in power, at this time of the year, every household would go to the streets to make and cook pancakes. Traditionally, the first pancake would be given to the poor as a memorial to the dead. Children would go out to the streets early in the morning to make snowmen. Rich families would fry pancakes early in the morning, and people would use straw and cloth to tie up dolls to symbolize winter. " Berliat came out of Bokhar Palace and said to his deputy, Xie Lieping, "Look at the situation now. Refugees and poor people are fine, but even rich families are rarely seen! "
"Sometimes I really want to … Mmm!" Xie Lieping was fully armed and was eating a small meal bag with meat fillings in his hand. This was the Empire's meal for today's embassy. Kislöw had a severe shortage of food, but the Empire's military camp and embassy still had plenty of food.
"Khorkina?" Berliat suddenly turned his head and said in a playful tone, "Tell me, when was the last time your family made pancakes early in the morning on the meat festival?"
"General, it was five years ago." The girl's cheeks were red from the cold. She said with some fear, "After that, it became less and less."
"Good." Berliat nodded. He didn't think much of it. "Come with me to the banquet tonight. Remember, just eat and don't talk unless I tell you to."
"Yes!" The little girl nodded repeatedly.
After more than a week of recruitment, the Ugor mounted archers led by Berliat had already recruited more than 900 people. These people were all Ugor elites from the central region of Kislöw and many strong men who didn't have any weapons or equipment. Berliat only used a bearskin coat, a set of brand new weapons and equipment, standard rations and a small bag of silver coins, as well as a simple promise that they could settle down with their families. A large number of Ugor men were willing to leave with him. Berliat carefully selected 600 people and mixed them with the remaining 200 people to form a new Ugor legion.
And tonight, he had a banquet to attend.
The female Tsar, Katarina, had once strictly forbidden Berliat from ransoming the felons and political prisoners in the Qitar prison. She couldn't tolerate these people being released to tarnish the female Tsar's reputation, not even to other countries.
However, Katarina didn't realize the most important point, which was that her kingdom was now unstable and unstable. Not to mention the low-level refugees, even the middle-level bureaucrats, Poillé, and the upper level nobles and generals had begun to have difficulties in their lives. She gave Berliat an excuse to openly contact the high-ranking officials, nobles, and generals. And when some 'small gifts' and 'small thanks' were sent to these people's homes through various channels, some things could no longer be blocked.
It was still early in the evening. Berliat and Xie Lieping brought a few Ugor soldiers to stroll around the streets and inspect the situation.
And now, there was a grand scene on the streets. Every corner of the street was full of people! There were people everywhere! The refugees, dressed in rags and gray, were huddled together, trying to sell themselves to the Ugol officers.
"Sir! I've been a worker for three months! Can I work? "
"Sir, I can write my name. I also know arithmetic within 20. Can I enter the labor camp?"
"Me! Me! Me! I have an engineer's certificate! Look, I've been a worker in Prague for two years. Can I enter? "
"Sir, although I'm a woman, I can read and write! I'm actually the daughter of a Poillé! "
"I'm begging you, Sir. My family has been starving for days! Please, let us join the Gulag! I'm willing to do anything! "
The scene was chaotic. The Ugor soldiers were doing their best to maintain order, but the people behind still continued to surge forward, wanting a place.
"The Gulag labor camp is recruiting people from all over Kislöw. It requires skilled workers who have worked in factories, or intellectuals, or noble ladies who can read and write!" A scholar stood at the door and shouted. Next to him was the Cheka secret police. Every time someone passed the screening, they would be given a bowl of red cabbage soup and two pieces of black bread.
At the same time, the Ugor people would also take out a sum of money to the Cheka secret police, representing the "ransom" of the person. The price was very cheap.
Soon, the people who came to apply had a nickname full of black humor, "Gray Livestock."
At first, the people of Kislöw were suspicious of the so-called "Gulag labor camp." They thought that it was just another trick by the Cheka to purge suspicious people. However, Berliat quickly came forward and announced that the people who joined the Gulag labor camp would enjoy food rations and personal protection, as well as a shelter from the wind and rain.
Mrs. Kiesler still didn't believe it, but some people were really hungry and had to carry dozens of corpses out of the city every day. Thus, the first person to eat the crab came. His name was Mihail, and he was born in a wealthy family of fishermen in Örengrád. He was an encyclopedic all-rounder. He came to Kislöw Castle alone to study, and with the help of the Essun Church, he only used five years to finish eight years of courses. He knew five languages and was proficient in physics, chemistry, mining, and metallurgy.
However, these talents didn't come in handy when Kislöw was in trouble. Instead, he was forced to become a refugee because he couldn't do manual labor, join the army, or hunt. He lived a very poor and half-full life. Originally, he could make a living by doing accounting for a shop, but as the situation worsened, the shop closed, and he became unemployed. He lived on the street gruel.
Mihail tried to write to Tsar and Katarina to apply for relief, but when the letter reached the Ice Witch Sisters, it was "flooded". Originally, the Ice Witch Sisters sympathized with him and gave him a bag of relief food, but when the reply reached him, only a message was left.
The scholar was extremely disappointed with the kingdom because his ideals and talents couldn't be put to use. He was so hungry that he had to eat grass. When he saw that the so-called "Gulag labor camp" was recruiting people to work in Brittany, and clearly expressed that scholars were welcome to enjoy food rations and shelter from the wind and rain, Mihail's mind immediately turned. He felt that if someone really wanted to kill him, it wouldn't be so complicated. After all, the Cheka was an organization that could easily convict and arrest people.
He decided to be the first to eat the crab.
Berliat naturally knew how important this kind of person was to Laing. Brittany lacked such high-level intellectuals! Not only did General Ugor personally welcome Mihail and invite him to dinner, but he also publicly announced that he had been granted the status of a free citizen and a generous ration of 100 grams of meat a day!
With the first, there would naturally be a second, and with the second, there would naturally be a third. Soon, a large number of scholars, skilled workers, and those destitute nobles who had been reduced to eating porridge together swarmed over. According to the price that Belial and the Tsar had agreed on, the price of adult men, elderly men, women, and children, the Kislev Palace instantly received a considerable amount of income. Furthermore, the pressure on the food supply had also been reduced.
Once they tasted the sweetness, they couldn't stop at all. Now, the head of the Cheka, Ye Ruofu, had sent people to keep a close watch on the "Gulag labor camp". Every person that Berliat accepted had to pay on the spot, or they would not be released.
Berliat didn't feel any pressure at all. After the trade, he had a large sum of money in his hands. He didn't even need to use the funds that Laing gave him. The price of these gray animals was very cheap, and the requirements were very low. They only needed to eat one meal a day. A meal of 300 grams of rye bread and a big bowl of red cabbage soup was enough to satisfy them.
At this time, Kislöw was already out of control. Previously, it was the refugees who took the initiative to seek refuge, but in just a few days, the situation had completely changed.
The Qika secret police had already started arresting people all over the city. Those who were skilled workers and high-level intellectuals who didn't come out to do work were all arrested and brought to the gulag to be sold to Belial for money. Not only that person, but also their whole family. After all, the elderly, women, and children could also be sold for money.
During this time, the black-uniformed Cheka swept the city every day, and Ye Ruofu took Berliat to visit all the prisons except the Cheka prison. He let Berliat personally "see the goods" and bargain.
And as time went by, the great nobles and Poillé began to participate in this "gray business". They took the initiative to send their bankrupt distant relatives and redundant people to the Gulag labor camp to be sold.
So, groups of "gray animals" were escorted by the army to Örengrád and sailed to Brittany to prepare for their new life. It was said that there was not only bread and milk in the warm south, but also wages and living security.
"I expect there will be two more groups of people." Berliat looked at the lively scene and shook his head. "The good stuff is almost all sold out. There aren't many people left."
"Sigh, General, we've already bought three thousand people. Can you believe it? We spent less than three thousand crowns on them!" Xie Lieping exclaimed. At the same time, he was also a little angry. "That bastard Ye Ruofu! Did you know, General? He's really cruel when it comes to capturing people. When some families still have food left, Ye Ruofu would have Cheka announce their crimes and confiscate their food. When some workers hide in their homes and don't come out, he would have them set on fire just to force them into bankruptcy and sell them for money! "
"Very good. The more cruel he is, the better we seem." Berliat was very calm about it. He shook his head. "If I'm not wrong, Ye Ruofu must have someone supporting him from behind. And those people must have gotten a lot of benefits."
"Then what do we do now, General?" Xie Lieping sighed. He still hadn't gotten used to the change in identity from Ugor's mercenaries to Brittany's regular army.
"It's still early. Let's walk around. "
The two of them strolled around for a while. No matter what, it was still Kislöw's festival. The atmosphere in the city was much better than before. Because of the food supply from Ostermark Province, there were more people on the streets.
On the commercial street, a vendor was frying the famous pancakes for the Meat Appreciation Festival. However, before he could sell the pancakes, a Karim guard rushed over and stuffed the pancakes into his mouth. He then walked away while muttering, "Mm, not bad."
"Sir, I beg you, please have mercy. You can't do this. We still have families to feed!" The vendor knelt down and cried. "What will happen to our families if you do this?"
"You can give your family pancakes, idiot!" The Karim guard wiped his mouth impatiently. "Really, what do these people know? Letting us eat is for the sake of the country! They don't even know this and they have the nerve to ask! "
"This bastard!" Xie Lieping clenched his fists. "Damn it, I really want to teach him a lesson!"
"Calm down … Forget it, let's go to Ice Street first." Berliat shook his head. The good stuff was almost all gone. The next step was to plan how to save the great engineer Sheogh. "Prepare for the banquet tonight."
The two of them walked for about thirty minutes and entered the wealthy district of Kislöw. The scene here was different from the tragic scene outside. It was full of Kislöw's nobles, generals, and many of their wives and female ministers. They were all well-dressed and the streets were filled with carriages. There were guards everywhere. Even Berliat and his group were forced to show their documents before they were allowed to enter.
There were many shops on this street. These shops didn't have any signs and could only be entered with special documents. The shops on Ice Street were different from the empty shops outside. The nobles, generals, and Poillé, as well as the ice witches who controlled the country, could shop here to their heart's content. There were all kinds of rare food and Kislöw specialties, such as caviar, cod, fish, vodka, white bread, and cream cake. Other than that, there was also refined salt, white sugar, brown sugar, and good quality meat.
There were all sorts of specialties from the old world, such as imperial stout beer, Brittania wine and formal wear, Arabi chocolate, dwarven armor, high-quality jewelry and silk clothes, Tyrell leather shoes and coffee, Estalia perfume, and wood elf medicine. Many of the products were products that Belial had just sold. And because of the large number of new products, the streets were filled with shoppers as it was a festive day.
"Do you know why the food from Ostermark Province is directly distributed by the Empire's army on the streets?" Berliat turned to look at his lieutenant and maid.
"Is it because they don't want the food to fall into the hands of others?" Xie Lieping thought.
"Let me tell you a joke, Xie Lieping. Listen carefully." Berliat looked at the scene and calmly said, "One day, Emperor Karl-franz of the Empire sent a letter to Her Majesty Katarina, requesting the Kislöw army to destroy a goblin nest in their territory near the Roof of the World. Her Majesty Katarina asked for 5,000 gold marks, and Emperor Karl agreed."
"The 5,000 gold marks were immediately transferred. Her Majesty Katarina was very fast. She immediately sent the winged cavalry to deliver the money to the general on the frontlines."
"After the general on the frontlines received the 500 gold marks, he didn't hesitate and immediately sent out the order to deploy troops. Together with 50 gold marks, he handed it to his subordinate, Poillé."
"Poillé's reaction was also very fast. He exchanged the 5 gold marks for 50 silver coins and handed it to his bodyguards. A few of his bodyguards took the money and immediately set off. They came to a village at the foot of the Roof of the World and asked for a goat to be handed over. They held a goat feast on the spot. After eating, they wiped the grease from their mouths and left. They went back to report that there were too many goblins. They couldn't win the battle and suffered heavy losses."
"After Her Majesty Katarina received the news, she immediately sent a message to Emperor Karl-franz, saying that the goblins were too strong and Kislöw suffered heavy losses. She asked for 1,000 gold marks as compensation. She also hoped that the Empire would give her another 5,000 gold marks and let her try again."
"This time, Emperor Karl did not approve it. Instead, the Imperium gave five thousand gold marks to the province of Ostermark and the Castle of Carrack Butchers. After receiving the money, Kurfürst Wolfram and the dwarf Butcher King immediately formed a coalition army and marched across the territory of Kislev, completely destroying the goblin's nest and burning it down."
"Her Majesty Katarina was very unhappy about this."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
