Chapter 712 It smells so good!

  Chapter 712: Really good!

  It turns out that yelling is still somewhat useful.

  For the sake of the two barbarians with rifles outside the corridor, the officials who have been kept in captivity for many years finally took a little serious attitude.

  As for the result, we have to wait for the next news.

  However, Fang Chang did not put all his hopes on these insects.

  He used them temporarily just because there was no one else available. There was no benefit in directly laying them off except for a moment of pleasure.

  Fang Chang knew very well that these guys seemed to know nothing on the surface, but they were actually inextricably linked with the grassroots behind the scenes.

  They transferred some of their powers and obligations to grassroots civil groups, allowing those civil groups to “legally” collect “fire money”, “water money” and “sanitation fees”, and the latter would inevitably need to share some benefits with them.

  In other words, these guys are likely not just simply collecting money but not doing anything, but “collecting money twice and not doing anything”! Most of the poor people in Jin Gallen Port need to pay three sums of money for the same public affairs – including to those civil groups.

  In such a situation, it would be a miracle if you could afford clothes without eating dirt!

  Although most of the settlements in the alliance also adhere to the principle of “survivors’ self-determination”, they have never sold public affairs to private individuals, or even handed them over to violent associations. This is no longer a question of autonomy, but simply rotten!

  If the problem of one person paying three times the money is not solved, no matter what they do in Jingalon, people’s lives here will not change much.

  In the first step, he plans to rely on the only authority of the old bureaucracy and the coercive force of the militia to first take back some rights and obligations that have been delegated to unknown places, or simply recruit some of the guys who have done a good job.

  In the second step, he needs to promote some capable grassroots personnel from the citizens with a decent literacy rate to gradually replace those blood that is already emitting a rancid smell, and even cultivate a qualified city lord or mayor from these people to cooperate with the future governor of Jingalon Port.

  If the administrator intends to send the governor here.

  …

  “…The situation here is worse than we thought. It’s like an orange that’s rotten from the inside. You don’t know what’s going on inside unless you peel it. Sheriff Bihari is right. If we abolish slavery here, this settlement will be flooded with shit in just one week, but we still have to do it.”

  After coming out of the Governor’s office, Fang Chang met up with Old White who came back from Camp Lowell, and talked about what happened on the way. Before

  “off work”, he signed a recruitment order to recruit 200 literate citizens to the City Hall with a monthly salary of 2,000 gallons.

  After a period of training, he will assign them specific departments and jobs according to the organizational framework discussed in the forum, and merge and reorganize the original departments during the period of Governor Nihak, concentrate the old bureaucrats in a marginal department and gradually eliminate them, and complete the final blood transfusion.

  This organizational structure was originally intended for French Fries Port, but there are too few people there now, so it can’t be used at all. It’s

  a bargain for the survivors of Golden Gallon Port.

  Looking at Fang Chang who was shaking his head, Lao Bai grinned.

  ”Do you remember what our original purpose was when we came here?”

  Fang Chang was slightly stunned, then said.

  ”Teach the jumping clown a lesson, and free some slaves to go back to work… What’s wrong?”

  ”What we are doing now seems to be poverty alleviation. Look at how hard you work,” Lao Bai said with a smile, “Don’t be too impatient. Some things can’t be changed in a day or two.”

  ”I’m not in a hurry. What’s there to be anxious about? And this can’t be considered poverty alleviation. It’s just that there is no point in exploiting a group of poor ghosts. If we want to get enough benefits from the local area, we have to make the local people rich first, or at least live like a human being.” Fang Chang sighed, pinched his brow with his index finger, and said to himself, “… Literacy rate is a big problem. Literacy education must be done as soon as possible.”

  He had hired a group of doctors from Silver Moon Bay to treat the injured captives. Perhaps they should invite some more teachers.

  Looking at Fang Chang who was lost in thought, Lao Bai gave him a look of “whatever you say is what it is”, smiled and patted his good brother on the shoulder.

  ”I have some good news. The reconnaissance team we sent to the north has collected information. The locals said that there is a guerrilla group active in the mountainous area on the north bank of the Yongliu River. Although they have not noticed our signal yet, they should have noticed what happened in Jinjialun Port. Maybe someone will come to contact us soon.”

  Fang Chang said after a moment of hesitation.

  ”Keep searching. I hope there are people we need inside… By the way, do you smell anything?”

  As he was talking, a slight sweet smell suddenly penetrated his nose, as if it was drifting from the direction of the pier along the street with the sea breeze.

  Strange.

  It was not the fishy smell that drifted from there.

  Looking at Fang Chang with a surprised expression on his face, Lao Bai said with a smile.

  ”This is the second good news I want to tell you.”

  ”The tail and the others just arrived.”

  …

  ”Oh! Jinjialun Port!”

  ”Although it has only been more than two months, it always feels like a long time has passed.”

  ”Yes, yes! It has changed a lot!”

  Time went back to a few hours ago, on the deck of the Rourou.

  Standing on the bow, Wei and Rourou looked excitedly in the direction of the port, pointing at the buildings there.

  The dock was still the same dock, but the equipment for lifting cargo had been replaced from the original wooden crane to an electrically driven metal turbine, and the vehicles for transporting cargo had been replaced from ox carts and manpower to forklifts, carts, and light and heavy trucks produced in Dawn City and Boulder City. Boxes and

  bundles of military supplies were piled up near the port area, and militiamen with white strips tied to their arms replaced the imperial soldiers patrolling the shore.

  The only drawback was that this place was a little depressed compared to two months ago, with only a few fishing boats moored at the dock.

  This may be due to the closure of the slave import and export business and the impact of the war. Cargo ships from the west coast of Borneo Province were almost extinct, and the merchant ships of the Willant people were nowhere to be seen.

  However, this also made room for merchant ships from Silver Moon Bay.

  This time, Rourou not only brought a thousand tons of dehydrated corn, but also a whole fleet loaded with cargo!

  Earlier in Silver Moon Bay, Sis had spread the news through the bank of the White Bear Knights that a ceasefire agreement was about to be signed and the Empire had imposed an embargo on the Port of Golden Galleon, and then instructed the bank president, Old Bulma, to provide a loan with very low interest for specific shipping routes and goods.

  There was no need to deliberately publicize anything. With the support of news and funds, the merchants active in the port would naturally come here with the goods needed here, like sharks smelling blood.

  Sisi, who was sitting in the cockpit, blew the whistle skillfully and said hello to his friends at the dock.

  Zhimahu, who was at the stern, greeted the crew of Silver Moon Bay, preparing to dock and unload.

  With the concerted efforts of everyone, cargo ships finally docked at the port before dusk. Containers full of cargo were transferred to the port with the help of cranes and transported to the storage area where containers were stacked by forklifts.

  This was originally a place for transit population and a place where the White Bear Knights had fought.

  Since the arrival of the Alliance, the facilities here have been completely vacated, leaving only a plot of less than 20 square meters as a historical memory. As for the remaining areas, they have been transformed into storage areas for stacking containers to increase the warehouse capacity of the port.

  With the green light from the port, the port staff gave priority to completing the check of the list of food-type goods, and stamped the goods purchased by the Golden Gallon Port authorities on the spot to complete the delivery, and paid all the money for the goods at one time. Then more than a dozen

  trucks drove into the container berthing area.

  With the efforts of a group of naked laborers, bags of corn and flour were thrown into the cargo boxes and headed to several construction sites in the city managed by the Golden Gallon Port authorities, the Lowell Camp, and the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city.

  A total of 8,000 tons of dehydrated corn were sold at a wholesale price of 700 silver coins per ton! There were also nearly 3,000 tons of cornmeal, which were sold at a price of 900 silver coins per ton!

  In Luoxia Province, especially the Lion Kingdom, which imported a large amount of fertilizers, pesticides and high-yield seeds produced by the Alliance, the production cost of one kilogram of corn is only 0.2~0.3 silver coins! Since the railway from Lion City and Fallen Leaf City to Petra Fortress was opened, the transportation cost has been reduced to less than 50% of the production cost. Even

  if the sea shipping is taken into account, the total cost of one ton of corn is less than 600 silver coins, deducting a series of costs including crew and mercenary wages. And if it is your own cargo ship and private guards, the cost can even be reduced to around 500 silver coins!

  This commodity profit return rate of at least 16% is enough to make all the merchants who come here to do business crazy!

  For the Jinjialun Port authorities who are facing the threat of famine, this batch of food with a total value of more than 8 million silver coins can be regarded as solving the urgent needs of this settlement.

  Even if it is divided equally among everyone, each person can get 11 kilograms of carbohydrates.

  Of course, the final distribution method is definitely not this simple and crude method. The

  Jinjialun Port authorities will launch a number of municipal projects through the method of work-for-relief, such as the ongoing transformation of the Klaba Market and the construction of several major traffic arteries and sewers.

  Through these projects, the authorities will use Gallon coins to pay salaries and money to the personnel and units involved in the construction, and these grains imported from the port can only be purchased with Gallon coins.

  In this way, it not only avoids the citizens and the old aristocracy who hold a large number of Xilan coins from buying and hoarding food, but also finds a place for the huge young and middle-aged labor force to consume their physical strength. By the way, the infrastructure of Jinjialun Port has been improved and the currency has been accurately put into the hands of those who need it.

  It can be said that it kills four birds with one stone.

  As for the foreign exchange spent on purchasing food, on the surface, the authorities borrowed it from the wealthy Baiyue Company, but in the end, it would be paid for by the indemnity paid by the emperor of the Xilan Empire.

  Fang Chang was too lazy to calculate for the respected manager how many times the alliance won this battle…

  After all, he had figured out the switch.

  …

  Suburban area, prisoner-of-war camp.

  After sleeping for an unknown period of time, Kapil woke up from his coma.

  When he saw the man in a white coat in front of him, he almost subconsciously opened his mouth and squeezed out a sentence from his burning throat.

  ”This is…”

  The doctor glanced at him and said casually.

  ”Golden Gallon Port.”

  The accent sounded like someone from the Hump Kingdom.

  But that’s not the point –

  Kapil’s face showed a little joy, and he excitedly stretched out his stiff right hand and grabbed the sleeve of the man in the white coat.

  ”We won?!”

  The doctor was stunned for a moment, then looked at him and smiled.

  ”What are you talking about in your sleep?”

  As he said that, he shouted to the side.

  ”This guy is awake, but his mind is not normal. The rest is up to you.”

  A voice was faintly heard in the distance.

  ”Okay, it’s good that he’s awake. Leave the rest to us. You can go and do something else.”

  ”Understood.”

  The doctor raised his hand holding the pen as a response, then hurriedly wrote a few words on the notebook, and then left the not-so-spacious tent.

  Kapil looked at the man in astonishment, and his outstretched right hand unconsciously fell down. He didn’t come back to his senses until the man walked away, then moved his stiff neck to pay attention to the surroundings.

  This seemed to be a field hospital. There were more than a dozen beds in the not-so-spacious tent, all of which were covered with bandages, and it was lifeless.

  Then he looked at himself, and the half of his body that was exposed on the edge of the sheet was tightly wrapped in a circle of bandages. What

  shocked him even more was his right hand.

  It was not until now that he realized that his right hand, starting from the elbow joint, had been replaced with a bulky metal prosthesis.

  The memory before he fainted hesitantly poured into his mind. He remembered that he was knocked unconscious by a mortar during the attack on the Governor’s Mansion. At

  this time, a man in khaki uniform lifted the curtain and entered the tent, and walked straight to his bed.

  ”… Twelve shrapnel fragments on your body, only ten were taken out. It’s a miracle that you are still alive.”

  Looking down at the guy lying on the bed, the man continued in a sarcastic tone, “Of course, your teammates are not so lucky. Nine people can’t even make up a complete body.”

  Dead…

  Kapil’s Adam’s apple moved, and he couldn’t say a word for a long time.

  I don’t know why.

  When he heard this, he should have been angry, but there was no ripple in his heart, only numbness and confusion.

  If it was a person who died, he would remember the guy’s name, visit his grave every now and then, and even miss what he was like when he was still there.

  However, when there are so many dead people that they can only be summarized by a sloppy number, the weight that can be assigned to each name seems insignificant.

  Perhaps General Arayan felt the same way when he faced that number…

  He just felt that it was so unreal that he was still alive.

  ”…Who are you?” Although he had guessed the identity of this person, Kapil still squeezed out this sentence from his throat with difficulty.

  ”I’m a clerk in the Prisoner Section of the Logistics Department of the Civil Defense Office in Jingalon Port. As for my name, you don’t need to know it. You just need to know that you are a prisoner.”

  As he spoke, the man raised his thumb and threw a coin-sized iron plate on his quilt with a string of numbers written on it.

  ”This is your number. When you get up, take it outside to register your name and address. You will use it when you get your lunch box, if you still want to eat.”

  After explaining the matter, the man turned and walked out of the tent. Kapil, who had come to his senses, suddenly thought of something and hurriedly stopped him.

  ”Wait, my hand…”

  ”It turned out that the one was useless. We replaced it with a new one for you,” the man who claimed to be a clerk in the Prisoner Management Section glanced at his arm and continued, “The money will be paid by your Majesty as part of the war reparations. You don’t have to thank us.”

  Watching the man leave, Kapil tried to move his body. Feeling that he had almost recovered, he lingered and got off the bed.

  The registration office was not far from the tent. He walked over with the iron plate and completed the registration of the prisoners in a short time.

  It was just in time for dinner.

  After completing the registration, he found his camp under the instructions of a logistics staff. After receiving his bedding, he came to a big pot with his lunch box and lined up in front of it.

  Two guys who looked like they were busy beside the big pot, stirring the contents of the pot with a big wooden spoon.

  The whole camp was filled with a mellow and sweet smell, which made him swallow unconsciously and mutter subconsciously.

  ”What are you cooking?”

  He thought no one would pay attention, but the man standing in front of him turned his head.

  ”I heard it’s corn.”

  There was a hint of expectation in the man’s eyes.

  Kapil couldn’t help but be stunned.

  ”…Corn?”

  He had heard of that crop. It seemed to be very common in the central and southern parts of Luoxia Province. A small amount of it was also introduced to the Bharat Province, but it was not planted as much as beans.

  ”Yes, it is said that they were transported from Silver Moon Bay, including the doctor who treated you…” The man continued after taking a look at the newcomer who was still wrapped in bandages, “My name is Akhtar, and I used to be Captain Manuwan… Never mind, I’m in the same battalion with you now.”

  Kapil swallowed his saliva and introduced himself.

  ”… Kapil, Prince Dilip led us to attack the Governor’s Mansion.”

  Akhtar blew a whistle softly, glanced at the militia on duty not far away, and grinned.

  ”Really? That was a disaster… I heard that only more than a thousand of you died. You must have been blessed by the Wolf God to survive.”

  Kapil smiled bitterly and was silent for a long time before asking.

  ”What exactly happened here?”

  ”As you can see, we lost and became prisoners of the alliance… Although it was mainly those militias who managed us.”

  As if he didn’t want to mention the details of the battle, the man named Akhtar vaguely passed the topic and continued.

  ”…For the first three days, the monkeys locked us in cages, peed on us, and dumped food on the ground for us to lick. Finally, the Alliance couldn’t stand it anymore and dragged us here. Anyway, you woke up at the right time. The prisoner-of-war camp is now built. You only need to work eight hours a day, and you will be provided with three meals a day and two gallons of wages.”

  Kapil: “Gallon?”

  ”It’s the new money.”

  Akhtar took out a coin from his pocket, shook it, and put it back.

  ”Since the Empire cut off the supply of materials here, this thing is much better than the old money before. Although two gallons can’t buy anything, it’s better than nothing. By the way, I heard that if you can read, they will arrange some less tiring work, and the income will be slightly higher, about five or six coins a day.”

  Although Kapil was confused about the so-called new money and had no interest in making money, he still asked subconsciously.

  ”…How to arrange it?”

  ”How to arrange it? Of course they will arrange it for you. Do you think you can be picky about this? Those who don’t want to do it will all go to carry manure. Don’t be confused and talk back to them,” Akhtar looked at this guy whose brain seemed to be blown up in surprise, and continued, “But you are different from others. Other guys who woke up like you are like crazy.”

  ”Maybe my brain is not normal,” Kapil smiled bitterly, and continued after a long pause, “I feel… like I have died once.”

  Akhtar looked at him blankly for a few times, and said nothing more, because it was his turn to get food.

  A bowl of fragrant corn porridge, a spoonful of sour beans and two slices of yellow bread cooked by steam were their dinner after a day’s work.

  Akhtar smiled and thanked the inmate who filled his lunch box, then happily took his share and sat aside to eat with big mouthfuls.

  He was not the only one.

  Everyone here ate very happily.

  Not only because they had worked hard in the construction site and wasteland for a day, but also because they had never eaten such delicious food.

  Especially the soft and fluffy bread.

  This thing didn’t look like something that would appear on the table of civilians, but these iron men generously used it to feed them, the prisoners of war!

  What a kind group of people!

  Akhtar wanted to kneel down and kowtow to the iron men who had released him from the cage and fed him a full meal.

  It is no exaggeration to say that the food here is even better than when they were squatting in the trenches before!

  Kapil also went up to get a bowl.

  Perhaps because of the lack of experience in the past few days, he was not as excited as his former comrades. He just silently took his lunch box to the corner of the camp and found a place where no one was around to eat quietly.

  In the Xilan Empire, his family belonged to the well-off citizen class, and he had never been deprived of nutrition since he was a child.

  It stands to reason that he would not have an extraordinary reaction to the taste of food.

  But when he leaned over to the bowl and tasted the first bite, he couldn’t help but widen his pupils in surprise.

  A touch of sweetness spread along the taste buds on the tip of his tongue. It was a taste he had never tasted before, just like milk mixed with honey.

  Although it was not particularly delicious, the special taste and mouthfeel made him swallow another mouthful subconsciously.

  Unconsciously, he had finished a large bowl of corn porridge, and two slices of bread that were probably fermented from cornmeal, along with the sour and spicy sour beans.

  Kapil sat on the ground with a satisfied stomach.

  He looked down at the empty bowl in his hand with an unsatisfied look, and then looked up at the gradually brightening starry sky.

  It smells so good…

  I really want another bowl.

  He placed the steel prosthesis on his bandaged belly, rested the back of his head on the tent of the barracks, and closed his eyes sleepily for a while. The

  quiet evening breeze blew on his face, as if bringing the ballads of his hometown. The deafening roar was like a distant dream, buried in the distance with the boiling blood and soul.

  This was the first time he felt that being alive was so beautiful after waking up…

  At

  this moment, it was not only the gray wolves sitting in the prisoner-of-war camp who were enjoying the aroma, but also Prince Dilip who was squatting in the detention center of the Port District Guard Bureau.

  Although he fought the most stupid battle with the family background of Emperor Xilan, it did not prevent him from having a big appetite while squatting in prison. After finishing a bowl, he wanted another bowl.

  To be honest, he was a very particular person.

  Especially when it came to eating, he could even say conceitedly that even the people of Weilante had to bow down to him.

  For example, roasted lamb, he always ate only lambs that had just been weaned, and only a small piece on the back, and the rest was given to the servants.

  However, after being imprisoned for the past few days and forced to eat a few “vegetarian meals” without fish and meat, he found that he had opened the door to a new world.

  I didn’t expect that the Alliance not only had great technology, but also had such a deep attainment in the study of food, and could make such unique delicacies with simple ingredients and cooking methods!

  Passing the plate in his hand through the small window of the prison, Prince Dilip looked at Director Mandal with a face full of desire and said embarrassedly.

  ”Can I have another bowl?”

  ”Are you a pig? You eat more than those working people!” Looking at this prince who had gained a lot of weight, Mandal, the police officer in the port area, couldn’t help but curse.

  It was these pigs who ruled the empire that caused their faces to swell again and again.

  Mandal was angry and happy in his heart. He was angry because he found that he had been ridden by a pig, and he was happy that he was now riding on the head of a pig.

  Even if it was only temporary.

  He waved his index finger and arrogantly signaled his subordinates in police uniforms to serve another bowl to the fawning prince.

  Looking at the corn porridge in the bowl, Prince Dilip seemed to feel embarrassed, his face turned red, and he said to save face.

  ”More of that sour stuff… Well, the food expenses can be added to my ransom. I won’t eat your food for free… Pay.”

  ”Wait until your majesty signs the ceasefire agreement.”

  Mandar rolled his eyes, took his words as fart, and handed this over to his subordinates, then glanced at his watch. It

  ’s time to get off work now.

  After feeding these “important prisoners”, he is still hungry.

  By the way, the corn porridge smells so good…

  Mandar swallowed his saliva, but still held it back.

  It’s not that he can’t bring himself to eat the prisoners’ food, but there will be better delicacies waiting for him at the banquet later.

  In order to thank the merchants who supported the reconstruction of Kinggallon Port and to attract investment, the Kinggallon Port authorities planned to hold a banquet at the most luxurious hotel in the port area to entertain the guests who had helped the settlement.

  Not only the guests who came from afar, but also the well-known figures in the settlement and some important representatives of the Iron Men would attend.

  Although the food at the banquet was something to look forward to, what to eat at that banquet was never the point. The key was to get closer to the Iron Men.

  His success was all thanks to them!

  (End of this chapter)