For the sake of the two savages with rifles outside the corridor, the affairs officers who had 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.
They are only used temporarily because there is no one available, and there is no benefit in directly cutting them off except for temporary pleasure.
Fang Chang knew very well that these guys seemed ignorant on the surface, but secretly they were inextricably linked to the grassroots.
They transfer part of their power and obligations to grassroots civil groups, allowing those civil groups to "legally" collect "fire money," "water money," and "sanitation fees," and the latter will inevitably need to share some benefits with them.
In other words, these guys are probably not just simply collecting money and not doing anything, but "collecting money twice and not doing anything"! Most of the poor people in Golden Gallen Port need to pay three times for the same public affairs——
Including those for civil society groups.
In such a situation, only if you can afford to wear clothes without eating dirt, you will be a ghost!
Although most settlements in the alliance also adhere to the principle of "self-determination of survivors", they have never sold public affairs to private individuals, or even simply handed them over to violent associations. This is no longer a question of autonomy rate, but simply
rot!
If the problem of one person paying three cents of money is not solved, no matter what they do in Golden Gallon, people's lives here will not change much.
As a first step, he planned to rely on the only authority of the old bureaucracy and the coercive power of the militia to take back some of the rights and obligations that had been delegated to unknown places, or simply recruit some of the guys who had done a good job.
In the second step, he needs to promote some capable grassroots personnel from the citizen class with a reasonable literacy rate to gradually replace the blood that is already exuding a rancid smell, and even train a person from these people.
A qualified city lord or mayor will cooperate with the future governor of Golden Gallen Port.
If the administrators plan to send the governor here.
…
"...The situation here is worse than we imagined. It's like an orange that's rotten from the inside. You don't know what's going on inside unless you peel it off. Sheriff Bihari is right. If we
Abolish slavery here, and this settlement will be submerged in shit in just one week, but we still have to do it."
After coming out of the governor's office, Fang Chang met Lao Bai who had returned from Camp Lowell, and talked about what had just happened on the way.
Before "getting off work", he signed a recruitment order to recruit two hundred literate citizens into the city hall with a monthly salary of 2,000 gallons.
After training for a period of time, he will arrange specific departments and work for them based on the organizational framework previously discussed at the forum, and merge and reorganize the original departments from the time of Governor Nihak, and gather the old bureaucrats into one
The peripheral departments were gradually dismantled and the final replacement was completed.
This organizational structure was originally intended for use at the French Fries Port, but unfortunately there are too few people there now to use it at all.
It would be better to take advantage of the survivors of Golden Gallon Port first.
Looking at Fang Chang who was shaking his head, Lao Bai grinned.
"Do you remember why we came here in the first place?"
Fang Chang was stunned for a moment and then said.
"Teach the clown a lesson, and free some slaves to go back to work... What's wrong?"
"What we are doing now seems to be helping the poor. Look at your hard work," Lao Bai said with a smile, "Don't be too impatient. Some things cannot be changed in a day or two."
"I'm not in a hurry. I have nothing to be anxious about. And this can't be considered poverty alleviation. It's just a group of poor people who have no sense in exploiting them. If we want to get enough benefits from the local area, we must first make the local people rich, or at least live.
You have to show off." Fang Chang sighed, pinched his eyebrows with his index finger, and said to himself, "...Literacy rate is a big problem, and literacy education must be done as soon as possible."
He had previously hired a group of doctors from outside Silver Moon Bay to treat the injured prisoners. Perhaps they should invite some teachers to come over.
Looking at Fang Chang who was deep in thought, Lao Bai gave him a look that said, "It's whatever you say." He smiled and patted his good brother on the shoulder.
"Let's talk about some good news. The reconnaissance team we sent to the north collected news and heard from the locals 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 it.
With what happened at Golden Gallen Port, maybe someone will come to contact us soon."
Fang Chang pondered for a moment and said.
"Keep searching, I hope there are talents we need... By the way, do you smell anything?"
As he was talking, a slight sweet smell suddenly penetrated the tip of his nose, which seemed to be drifting along the street from the direction of the pier with the sea breeze.
Weird thing.
The smell coming from there is actually not fishy.
Looking at Fang Chang with a surprised expression on his face, Lao Bai said with a smile.
"That's the second piece of good news I have to say."
"Tail and the others just arrived."
…
"Oh! Golden Gallon Harbor!"
"Although it has only been more than two months, it still feels like a long time has passed."
"Yes, yes! The changes are huge!"
Time goes back to a few hours ago, on the deck of the Rourou.
Tail and Rourou, who were standing on the bow of the ship with their feet propped up, looked excitedly towards the port and pointed at the buildings there.
The wharf is still the original wharf, but the device for lifting goods has been replaced from the original wooden crane to an electrically driven metal turbine, and the vehicle for transporting goods has also been replaced from an ox cart and manpower to one produced in Dawn City and Boulder City.
Forklifts, pallets and light and heavy trucks.
Boxes and bundles of military supplies were piled near the port area, and militiamen with white stripes on their arms replaced the imperial soldiers patrolling the shore.
The only fly in the ointment is that the place is a little more depressed than two months ago, and there are only a few fishing boats moored on the pier.
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 have almost disappeared, and the merchant ships of the Wilantes have also disappeared.
However, this also happened to free up berths for merchant ships from Silver Moon Bay.
This time the Rourou not only brought a thousand tons of shelled and dehydrated corn, but also brought an entire fleet loaded with cargo!
Previously, when he was in Silver Moon Bay, Sisi released the news through the bank under the White Bear Knights that the ceasefire agreement was about to be signed and that the empire had imposed an embargo on Golden Gallon Port. Then he asked the president, Elder Bulma, to provide a guarantee for specific shipping routes and goods.
A loan with very low interest rates.
There is no need to deliberately promote anything. With the support of information and funds, the merchants active in the port will naturally pounce on the port with the goods they need here like sharks smelling fishy smell.
Sisi, who was sitting in the cockpit, blew the whistle skillfully and said hello to his friends on the dock.
Sesame Lake at the stern of the ship is greeting the crew of Silver Moon Bay, preparing to dock and unload cargo.
With the concerted efforts of everyone, cargo ships finally docked at the port before evening. Containers filled with goods were transferred to the port with the help of crane towers, and the stacked containers were transported by forklifts.
of the reservoir area.
This was originally a place where people were transferred, and it was also where the White Bear Knights once 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 area, it has been transformed into a storage area for stacking containers.
, used to increase the port’s warehouse capacity.
With the green light from the port administration, the port staff gave priority to checking the list of food-type goods, stamped the batch of goods purchased by the Jingallang Port authority on the spot and completed the delivery, paying all the payments at once.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen trucks drove into the container parking area.
With the efforts of a group of bare-chested workers, bags of corn and flour were thrown into the cargo containers and headed towards several construction sites in the city managed by the Golden Gallen Port Authority, Camp Lowell and the prisoner of war camp outside the city.
Drive in the direction.
A total of 8,000 tons of shelled and dehydrated corn were sold at a wholesale price of 700 silver coins per ton! Nearly 3,000 tons of cornmeal were also sold at a price of 900 silver coins per ton!
In Luoxia Province, especially the Lion Kingdom, which imports a large amount of fertilizers, pesticides and high-yield seeds produced by the alliance, the production cost of one kilogram of corn is only 2 to 3 silver coins! And from Lion City and Luoye City to Petra Fortress
After the railway was opened to traffic, transportation costs were reduced to less than 50% of production costs.
Even including the maritime shipping period, deducting a series of costs including crew members, mercenary wages, etc., the total cost of a ton of corn is less than 600 silver coins. And if it is your own cargo ship and personal guard,
The cost can even be reduced to around 500 silver coins!
This at least 16% return on commodity profits is enough to drive all the traders who come here to do business crazy!
For the authorities of Golden Gallen Port who are facing the threat of famine, this batch of food worth more than 8 million silver coins can be regarded as solving the urgent need of this settlement.
Even if it is divided equally among everyone, one person can get 11 kilograms of carbohydrates.
Of course, the final distribution method is definitely not this simple and crude division.
The Golden Gallen Port authority will launch a number of municipal projects through a relief-for-work approach, such as the ongoing reconstruction of the Kraba Market and the construction of several major traffic arteries and sewers.
Through these projects, the authorities will use gallon coins to pay salaries and payments to the people and units involved in the construction, and the food imported from the port can only be purchased with gallon coins.
This not only prevents the citizens and the old aristocracy who hold large amounts of Xilan coins from rushing to buy and hoard food, but also provides a place for the huge young and middle-aged labor force to use up their energy. By the way, it also improves the infrastructure of Jingallan Port.
, and accurately put the currency 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 grain, it was ostensibly borrowed by the authorities from the wealthy Baiyue Company, but in the end it would be paid for by the compensation paid by the Emperor of the Xilan Empire.
Fang Chang is too lazy to figure out how many times the alliance has won this battle for the respected manager...
After all, he has figured out this switch.
…
Suburbs of the city, prisoner of war camp.
After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Kapil slowly 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.
"here it is……"
The doctor glanced at him and said casually.
"Golden Gallon Harbor."
That accent sounds like someone from the Camelback Kingdom.
But that's not the point -
Kapil's face was half happy, 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 spoke, he shouted to the side.
"This guy is awake, but his brain is not normal. I'll leave the rest to you."
There was a faint shout in the distance.
"Okay, just wake up and leave the rest to us. You can go and work elsewhere."
"learn."
The doctor raised his hand holding the pen as a response, then hurriedly wrote a few words on the notepad, and then left the small tent.
Kapil looked at the man in astonishment, and his outstretched right hand fell unconsciously. He didn't come back to his senses until the man was far away, and then moved his stiff neck to pay attention to his surroundings.
This place seemed to be a field hospital. There were more than a dozen beds in a tent that was not spacious, and it was filled with people wrapped in bandages. It was lifeless.
Then he looked at his body, and the half of his body that was exposed from the edge of the sheet was tightly wrapped in a bandage.
What shocked him even more was his right hand.
Only now did he discover that his right hand, starting from the elbow joint, had been replaced with a bulky metal prosthesis.
The memories before he fell into coma hesitantly poured into his mind. He remembered that he was knocked unconscious by a mortar while attacking the Governor's Palace.
At this time, a man in khaki uniform opened the door curtain and entered the tent, walking straight to his bed.
"...There were twelve shrapnel fragments on your body, and only ten were taken out. It's a miracle that you are 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 of them can't even put together a complete body."
All dead...
Kapil's Adam's apple moved and he couldn't say a word for a long time.
do not know why.
When he heard this sentence, he should have been angry, but there was no wave in his heart, only numbness and confusion.
If a person dies, he will remember that person's name, visit his grave every now and then, and even miss what he was like when he was still alive.
However, when so many people have died that they can only be summarized by a scrawled number, the weight assigned to each name seems insignificant.
Perhaps General Alaya felt the same way when faced with that number...
He just felt that it was so unreal that he was still alive.
"...Who are you?" Although he had already guessed the identity of this person, Kapil still managed to squeeze the words out of his throat.
"Clerk of the Prisoner Section of the Logistics Division of the Jingallan Port Civil Defense Office, as for my name, you don't need to know, you just need to know that you are a prisoner."
As he spoke, the man raised his thumb and threw an iron plate the size of a coin onto his quilt with a series 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 around and walked outside the tent. Kapil, who had come back to his senses, suddenly thought of another thing and quickly stopped him.
"Wait, my hand..."
"It turns out that the one is useless, and we have replaced it with a new one for you," the man who claimed to be the clerk of the Prisoner Management Section glanced at his arm and continued, "This money will be paid by your Majesty as part of the war reparations.
, no need to thank us."
Watching the man leave, Kapil tried to move his body. He felt that he had almost recovered, so he got out of 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.
Just in time for dinner.
After completing the registration, he found the camp where he belonged under the instructions of a logistics staff. After receiving the bedding, he carried his lunch box and lined up in front of a large pot.
Two guys who looked like them were busy next to the big pot, constantly stirring the contents of the pot with a large wooden spoon.
The entire camp was filled with a mellow and sweet smell, which made him swallow a mouthful of saliva unconsciously and grunt subconsciously.
"What are you cooking?"
He thought no one would take notice, but he saw the man standing in front of him turned his head.
"I heard it's corn."
There was a trace of expectation in the man's eyes.
Kapil couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"……corn?"
He had heard about that kind of crop, which seemed to be very common in the central and southern parts of Lux Xia Province. A small amount of it was also introduced in Borneo Province, but it was not planted as much as beans.
"Yes, it is said that it was shipped from Silver Moon Bay, including the doctor who treated you..." After taking a look at the newcomer who was still wrapped in bandages, the man continued, "My name is Akhtar, and I used to be Manu.
A captain of ten thousand men... forget it, we are in the same camp as you now anyway."
Kapil swallowed and introduced himself.
"...Kapil, Prince Dilip led us to attack the Government House."
Akhtar whistled softly, glanced at the militiamen on duty not far away, grinned and said.
"Really? It was really a disaster...I heard that only a thousand or so of you died. You must be blessed by the Wolf God to survive."
Kapil smiled bitterly and was silent for a while before asking.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"As you can see, we lost and became prisoners of the Alliance... although it was mainly the militiamen who were in charge of us."
As if he didn't want to mention the details of the battle, the man named Akhtar vaguely passed the topic and continued.
"...In the first three days, those monkeys put us in cages, urinated on us, and poured food on the ground for us to lick. Finally, the Alliance people couldn't stand it any longer, so they dragged us here. Anyway.
You woke up at the right time, and now the prisoner of war camp has been built. You only have to work eight hours a day, take care of three meals a day, and get two gallons of wages."
Kapil: "Gallons?"
"It's just new money."
Akhtar took one out of his pocket, shook it, and stuffed it back.
"Since the empire cut off the supply of supplies here, this thing is much easier to use than the old money. Although 2 gallons can't buy anything, it's better than nothing. By the way, I heard that if they can read, they
Some less tiring work will be arranged, and the income will be slightly more, and I can earn five or six coins a day."
Although he was completely confused about the so-called new money and had no interest in making any money, Kapil still asked subconsciously.
"...How to arrange it?"
"How to arrange it? Of course they will arrange it for you. Do you think you can still be picky about this thing? Those who don't want to do it will just pick shit. Don't be stupid and talk back to them," Akhtar looked at in surprise.
Taking one look at this guy whose brain seemed to have been blown out, he continued, "But you are different from others. Other guys who wake up like you are just as crazy."
"Maybe my brain is not normal," Kapil smiled bitterly and continued after a long pause, "I feel...as if I died once."
Akhtar looked at him blankly and said nothing, because it was his turn to eat.
A bowl of fragrant polenta, a spoonful of pickles and two slices of steam-cooked yellow bread were their dinner after a day's work.
Akhtar smiled and thanked the inmate who refilled his lunch box, then happily took his portion and sat aside to eat.
It's not just him.
Everyone here eats deliciously.
Not only because they had worked hard at the construction site and wasteland for a day, but also because they had never eaten such delicious food.
Especially the fluffy and soft bread.
This thing didn't look like something that would appear on civilian tables at all, and these iron men actually fed it to them, the prisoners of war!
What a group of kind people!
Akhtar wished he could kneel down and kowtow to those strong men who freed him from the cage and gave him a good meal.
It is no exaggeration to say that the food here is even better than when they were squatting in the trenches!
Kapil also went up and filled 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, found a deserted place and ate quietly.
In the Xilan Empire, his family belonged to the civil class with relatively good conditions, and he had not been mistreated in terms of nutrition since he was a child.
Logically speaking, it is impossible for him to have an unusual reaction to the taste of food.
But when he leaned over to the bowl and took the first bite, he couldn't help but open his eyes in surprise.
A touch of mellow 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 wasn't particularly delicious, the special taste and texture made him subconsciously swallow another mouthful.
Before he knew it, he had finished a large bowl of polenta and swallowed two slices of bread that were probably fermented cornmeal along with the spicy and sour pickled beans.
A satisfied Kapil sat on the ground.
He looked down at the empty bowl he was licking clean in his hand, still not satisfied, and then looked up at the starry sky that was getting brighter.
It smells so good...
I really want to have another bowl.
Putting the steel prosthesis on his bandaged belly, he rested the back of his head on the tent of the barracks and closed his eyes sleepily for a while.
The quiet evening wind blows on the face, as if it brings the songs of hometown, and the deafening roar is like a distant dream, buried in the distance together with the boiling blood and soul.
This was the first time since he woke up that he felt that life was so beautiful...
…
At this moment, it was not only the gray wolves sitting in the prisoner of war camp who were enjoying the fragrance, but also Prince Dilip squatting in the detention center of the Port Area Security Bureau.
Although he fought the most stupid battle with Emperor Xilan's family fortune, it did not hinder his appetite while sitting in prison at all. After finishing one bowl, he wanted to have another bowl.
To be honest, he is a very particular person.
Especially when it comes to eating, he can even boast that even the people of Wilant have to bow down to him.
For example, when roasting lamb, he would only eat lambs that had just been weaned, and he would only eat a small piece on the back and give the rest to his servants.
However, after being imprisoned these days and forced to eat several "vegetarian meals" without big fish or meat, he found that the door to a new world had opened.
I didn’t expect that the alliance is not only technologically advanced, but also has such profound knowledge in the study of food. It can actually use simple ingredients and cooking methods to make such unique dishes!
Passing the dinner plate in his hand through the small window of the prison, Prince Dilip looked at Chief Mandal longingly and said sheepishly.
"Can I have another bowl?"
"Are you a pig? You eat more than those who work!" Looking at the prince who had gained a lot of weight, Mandal, the police officer of the port district, couldn't help but cursed.
It was these pig-headed people who ruled the empire that caused their faces to become swollen and swollen.
Mandal was angry and happy at the same time. He was angry because he found that he had been ridden by a pig, but he was happy that he was now riding on the pig's head.
Even if it's temporary.
He waved his index finger and arrogantly signaled to his men in police uniforms to serve another bowl to the flattering prince.
Looking at the polenta poured into the bowl, Prince Dilip seemed to feel embarrassed, his face turned red like a monkey's butt, and he regained his dignity and said.
"Have some more of that sour stuff... Hey, the food expenses can be added to my ransom. I won't eat your food in vain... pay for it."
"Let's wait until your Majesty signs the ceasefire agreement."
Mandal rolled his eyes, taking his words as fart, told his subordinates, and then glanced at his watch.
It's time to get off work now.
After feeding these "key criminals", his stomach was still hungry.
By the way, that polenta smells really good...
Mandal swallowed, but still held it back.
It wasn't that he couldn't bear to eat the prisoners' food, but that there would be better delicacies waiting for him at the banquet soon.
In order to thank the merchants who supported the reconstruction of Jingallon Port, and for the purpose of attracting investment, the authorities of Jingallon Port are planning to hold a dinner at the most luxurious hotel in the port area to entertain these merchants who have solved the urgent needs of the settlement.
of guests.
Not only those guests coming from afar, but also prominent figures in this settlement, as well as some important representatives of the iron men will participate.
Although you can look forward to the delicacies at the banquet, what you eat at that banquet is never the point. Getting closer to those iron men is the key.