Probably because they didn't expect the so-called punishment to be so understated. After hearing Gawain's words, the hunter siblings didn't react for a while. It wasn't until Gawain repeated his question that the red-nosed Tom nodded in a daze. : "Yes...my sister and I can find another settlement."
Homeless refugees will wander around between territories. Usually, their routes of action are irregular. They walk in places that no one knows, and they will die in places that no one knows, but in general, The area where they can stay is limited.
These ranges are usually in the deserted mountains and ridges between various noble territories, and this large piece of land north of the Baishui River, east of the Tanzania Mine Mountain, and south of the Kant Territory is such a place.
A large number of refugees from Vulture Land, Carroll Land, and many scattered villages and towns in the northwest wandered to this area along the direction of rivers and mountains. They could have migrated to the slightly richer central area, but in the past two years, the central area of the kingdom Poor harvests in China and the southern region have led to insufficient food storage everywhere. Although many places have recovered this year, the nobles in various places are still strictly guarding against foreign refugees. The nobles in the central region even treat thieves and robbers Those hungry people from the "poor south", so for these homeless people, all roads to the central region have been blocked, and they can only wander into this forest in the south.
According to rough information, there are as many as thousands of homeless people who are starving and living scattered in this mountain forest and wilderness, and because most of the refugees have migrated along the same route (even from the same place) Places), the settlements formed by these homeless people maintain a certain degree of connection. Although the connection is extremely loose, it is like a net. As long as one of the nodes is mastered, the whole Zhang Wang is in his hand.
It has been more than half a month since Knight Byron spread the news through his underground channels in the southern region. Certainly some of the information about Cecil's gathering of refugees has entered the ears of these homeless people, but these poor people have long been concerned about the nobles. Lose confidence Before the frosty moon comes, there will be mercenary slave catchers sent by the nobles to rob them almost every few days, so I want to make it so easy for these people to believe that there is still a noble family in the world that is willing to accept and protect them friendly They are almost impossible things.
But if there is a group of refugees, a group of refugees who escaped with them and lived in the wilderness like them for a few months or even a year or two, running between settlements to pass news, then it is easy to recruit homeless people There are many.
Gao Wen planned to select a group of people with more flexible minds, more courage, and more credible speech from the dozens of refugees in front of him as guides and messengers, relying on their persuasive power to attract the homeless in Cecil. Lead the family to settle down.
The Frost Moon is coming to an end, and after the Fog Moon begins, winter will officially enter, and it is necessary to complete as many resettlements as possible before more people freeze and starve to death.
The boy with the red nose in front of him (maybe he is an adult? But he is too thin) is a bit reckless, but he is quite courageous, and his eyes are not completely numb like most poor people, so he can serve as such a messenger.
"The Cecil family is reshaping the order in this land. Before the cold moon of this year comes, all homeless people wandering in this forest and nearby wilderness can report to the Cecil family and Become a permanent and legal citizen of this land," Gao Wen looked at the young man in front of him, and at the same time told everyone around him, he deliberately emphasized that all this should be done before the "cold moon" comes. Effective, but not really to set this limit, but to make this thing more believable, and to create a sense of pressure and urgency for these people in front of them, "in order that all people who need help can receive it in time News, I want you and other capable people to find those refugees who are hiding, and I will send soldiers to escort them to ensure that you can complete these tasks alive."
Tom listened to all this with wide-eyed eyes, while Gao Wen turned around and turned to the haggard southern refugees whose expressions were only nervous and numb: "I know that you were all honest and responsible people, who obeyed the law and worked hard. Workers, but your lords have abandoned you, and all the nobles in the entire southern region have abandoned you. No family or piece of land allows you to stand and survive. You can only wander in the wilderness, relying on grass roots, bark, and even Moss and rats came to fill your stomachs, but even so, those noble minions are still robbing you, mutilating you, and even chasing you here! But, from today on, you stand on the land of the Cecil family, from today From the beginning, I am your lord! You can live freely and safely on the land of the Cecil family, and you must tell the people you know who have suffered together in the wilderness, let them know that there is a place where they can settle down !"
A little bit of brilliance finally emerged from those turbid and numb eyes.
They are still human after all, and they still have hearts.
Gawain didn't expect these dull hungry people to cheer and respond to him. After he finished what he wanted to say, he took a half step back. Seeing that Wright had given the holy light treatment to all the wounded, he turned his head and looked at Knight Philip: "Distribute some of the excess food to these people. Otherwise, in their state, it may be difficult to reach the territory. In addition, send a soldier on a fast horse back, tell Hetty the news, and let her prepare."
Handing out food after a pep talk is always the way to go, especially in this day and age.
When the "lord" orders people to take out the food, these people will really feel that they have returned to the "human society", and they are sure that their new "lord" will indeed fill their stomachs, and they themselves will To this end, obey orders and maintain the most basic loyalty. The civilian thinking of this era is so simple and direct, it can be said that this is the only kindness Gao Wen feels in this malicious world.
At this time, the black-haired girl who had just received Wright's treatment came over suddenly, she clutched her clothes nervously and nervously, as if she wanted to say something, Gao Wen took the initiative to speak when he saw this, "You want to ask me for something? "
"Yes... yes, sir... my lord," the black-haired girl seemed to stumble a bit when she said the word "lord", but she managed to say it smoothly, "Is what you just said true?"
"Of course it's true," Gawain laughed. "Is it necessary for me to lie to you?"
But what the noble lords say is never true.
Joan only dared to think about this sentence in her heart, but what she said was: "Can I go and find other settlements with my brother? He has a handicap and needs someone to take care of him."
"If necessary, I will arrange a horse or a car for him." Gawain had noticed the problem with the boy's legs and feet just now, but he still nodded. "Of course, you can still act with him."
The girl bowed her head deeply: "Thank you very much for your kindness."
A day later, Gawain and Amber led half of the soldiers and escorted the two mercenaries captured alive back to the territory first.
Knight Philip took the remaining half of the soldiers to escort the dozens of "increased population" and followed behind. Since the refugees were weak and many of them had chronic diseases, Wright also stayed behind to take care of them.
By the way, that Priest of the Holy Light can also match the fighting power of a Berserker...
Gao Wen was in a very happy mood. Although he only brought back a few dozen new populations this trip, which was not even as large as the population of a slave ship that came from Tanzan Town, he managed to fight against Baishuihe with this. The refugees in the northern wilderness have established contacts, and the initial trust will be developed on the basis of these dozens of people. He is extremely happy when he thinks of how many labor forces the territory urgently needs gathers in this vast barren land.
Not to mention that most of these refugees are freedmen with some skills, or at least a little knowledge. Their basic quality is higher than that of slaves bought back, which will reduce a lot of costs in later education.
It is very difficult for serfs to become refugees because they were tied to death on the land. When the famine came, the local nobles would collect their serfs and feed them at the lowest cost until the end of the famine, so as to resume production, while the serfs who tried to escape They will be caught and executed, but the freedmen with higher status will lose all their support in this situation and have to flee from their homes.
That's why some people sometimes joke that in some noble lands, the price of freedom is higher than that of being a serf.
But Heti, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the territory, seemed a little worried. She found Gao Wen, "Ancestor, are you really planning to collect all the homeless people in the wilderness on the north bank of the White Water River before the cold moon arrives?"
Gawain had already expected that Heidi would come to him, so he smiled: "Is there any pressure on food?"
"Indeed, if those reports are true, the entire wilderness is now full of refugees, and we will support about 4,000 people through this winter. The population expansion in the territory after this period of time is only 2,000 people. To support refugees who are more than twice our current population at once. And this is only a secondary problem. After all, food can be bought with money. Tanzan Town is rich and willing to sell us food at a low price. This aspect is easy to solve. Really The trouble is how to maintain order when so many people are added at once. We have finally digested and assimilated the purchased serfs and slave laborers into rule-abiding and law-abiding citizens. I am very worried that the results of previous efforts will be destroyed even if the refugees did not intend to destroy it."
"We have increased the population from 800 to 2,000, and the population has more than doubled, but the order has not collapsed," Gawain looked at Heidi with a smile, "so what is there to worry about?"
"That's because the previously increased population arrived before the Frost Moon. The weather is warm and there are enough jobs for those people. They can follow the people to open up wasteland, log, and build houses. According to what you said, there is labor. There is a transformation, and sufficient jobs will be the best way to digest and absorb the new population, but now it is the late frost month, and will soon enter the snowy foggy moon, and then the cold moon with dripping water, at this time we There would be no jobs…”
"Who said there isn't any?" Gao Wen smiled more happily, "Why can't we work in winter, but can only stay at home to consume food? In fact, it's the opposite... There are still piles of engineering projects waiting for me here. Manually complete it." 8)