This Game is Too Real

  Chapter 712 Really fragrant!

   As it turns out, shouting can be useful.

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

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

   But Fang Chang didn't put all his hopes on these insects.

  Temporary use of them is only because no one is available, and there is no benefit to cutting people off directly except for a moment of pleasure.

  Fang Chang is very clear that these guys seem to know nothing on the surface, but they are actually inextricably linked with the grassroots behind the scenes.

  They transferred part of their rights and obligations to more grassroots civil groups, allowing those civil groups to "legally" collect "fire money", "water money", and "sanitation fees", and the latter will inevitably need to distribute some benefits to them.

   In other words, these guys are probably not just simply collecting money and doing nothing, but "taking money twice and doing nothing"! Most of the poor in Port Cam Gallon need to pay three sums of money for the same public service - including those to civil society.

  In such a situation, it is a ghost if you can afford to wear clothes without eating dirt!

  Although most settlements in the Alliance also adhere to the principle of "survivor 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 pure rot!

  If you don't solve the problem of paying three bills per person, no matter what they do in the Golden Gallon, people's lives here will not change much.

   In the first step, he intends 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 have been devolved somewhere, or simply incorporate some of the guys who have done a good job.

In the second step, he needs to promote some competent grassroots personnel from the citizen class with a fair literacy rate to gradually replace those blood that is already exuding rancid smell, and even train a person from these people. A qualified city owner or mayor will cooperate with the future governor of King Gallon Port.

  If the Administrator is going to send the Governor here.

  …

"...The situation here is worse than we imagined. It's like a piece of orange that rots from the inside. You don't know what's going on inside until you peel it off. Sergeant Bihari is right. If we destroy the Drop slavery here, and in a week this colony will be flooded with mountains of shit, but we still have to do it."

  After coming out of the governor's office, Fang Chang met Lao Bai who had returned from the Rowell camp, and talked about what happened just now on the way.

  Before "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 a period of training, he will arrange specific departments and tasks for them with reference to the organizational framework discussed on the forum before, and merge and reorganize the original departments during the time of Governor Nihak, and concentrate the old bureaucrats into one The marginal departments are gradually abolished to complete the final exchange of blood.

  This organizational structure was originally intended to be used by Chip Harbor, but there are too few people there now, so there is no need for this thing.

   It’s better to take advantage of the survivors of King 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 slightly taken aback, 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 can't be changed in a day or two."

"I'm not in a hurry. I have nothing to worry about. And it's not poverty alleviation. It's just that a group of poor people has no meaning of squeezing. If we want to get enough benefits from the local area, we must first make the local people rich, or at least live. Look like a man." Fang Chang sighed, squeezed the center of his eyebrows with his index finger, and said to himself, "...literacy rate is a big problem, and literacy education should be done as soon as possible."

  He hired a group of doctors from outside Silver Moon Bay to treat the wounded prisoners, maybe they should invite some teachers over.

  Looking at Fang Chang who was lost in thought, Lao Bai gave him a "whatever you say" look in his eyes, smiled and patted his good brother on the shoulder.

"Some good news. The reconnaissance team we sent to the north collected news. The locals said that there is a guerrilla active in the mountainous area on the north bank of the Yongliu River. Although they haven't noticed our signal yet, they should have noticed. When it comes to what happened in Port Cam Gallon, maybe someone will come to contact us soon."

   Fang Chang pondered for a moment and said.

   "Continue to search, I hope there are talents we need... By the way, do you smell anything?"

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

   Strange things.

   It's not fishy smell coming 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 have to say."

   "Tails and the others just came."

  …

   "Oh! Port Galleon!"

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

   "Yes, yes! The change is huge!"

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

  Standing on the bow of the ship, Tail and Flesh looked excitedly towards the port, pointing at the buildings there.

The wharf is still the original wharf, but the device for hoisting goods has been replaced by an electric-driven metal turbine from the original wooden crane, and the vehicles for moving goods have also been replaced from ox carts and manpower to those produced in Dawn City and Boulder City. Forklifts, pallet trucks and light and heavy trucks.

  The vicinity of the port area was filled with boxes and bundles of military supplies, and militiamen with white stripes tied to their arms replaced imperial soldiers patrolling the shore.

  The only fly in the ointment is that this place is a bit 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 Province have almost disappeared, and the merchant ships of the Willant people have disappeared.

   But this also happens to free up berths for merchant ships from Silver Moon Bay.

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

When he was in Silver Moon Bay earlier, Sis released the news through the bank under the White Bear Knights that the ceasefire agreement was about to be signed and the empire imposed an embargo on the Golden Gallon Port. A loan with very low interest.

   There is no need to deliberately promote anything. With the support of news and funds, the merchants active in the port will naturally bring the goods they need here, and pounce on them like sharks smelling fishy.

   Sisi, who was sitting in the cockpit, blew the whistle skillfully and greeted the friends who were on the pier.

  The sesame paste at the stern greeted the crew of Yinyue Bay, ready to dock and unload.

With the concerted efforts of everyone, one after another cargo ship finally arrived at the port before evening, and the containers full of goods were transferred to the port with the help of the crane tower, and were transported by forklifts to stack the containers of the reservoir area.

   This was originally a place where the population was transferred, and it was also the place where the White Bear Knights once fought.

  Since the alliance came, the facilities here have been completely vacated, leaving only a plot of less than 20 square meters as a historical memory. As for the rest of the area, it has been transformed into a storage area for stacking containers to increase the warehouse capacity of the port.

  Under the green light of the port administration, the port staff gave priority to checking the list of food-type goods, and stamped the goods purchased by the Jin Gallon Port Authority on the spot to complete the delivery, and paid all the goods in one go.

   Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen trucks drove into the container parking area.

With the efforts of a group of bare-chested laborers, sacks of corn and flour were thrown into cargo boxes and headed towards several construction sites in the city managed by the authorities of King Gallon Port, the Lowell camp, and the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city. direction.

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

  In Luoxia Province, especially the Lion Kingdom, which imports a large number of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and high-yielding seeds produced by the alliance, the production cost of one kilogram of corn is only 0.2~0.3 silver coins! Since the opening of the railway from Lion City and Fallen Leaf City to Petra Fortress, the transportation cost has been reduced to less than 50% of the production cost.

  Even taking into account the shipping period and deducting a series of costs including crew and mercenary salaries, the total cost of one 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% commodity profit return rate is enough to make all the merchants who come here to do business crazy!

  As for the authorities of King Gallon Port, which is facing the threat of famine, this batch of food worth more than eight million silver coins can be regarded as a solution to the urgent need of this settlement.

   Even if it is distributed equally to everyone, one person can get 11 kilograms of carbohydrates.

  Of course, the final distribution method is definitely not such a simple and crude division method.

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

  Through these projects, the authorities will use gallons to pay salaries and payments to the personnel and units involved in the construction, and the food imported from the port can only be purchased with gallons.

In this way, the citizens and the old aristocrats who hold a large amount of Xilan coins are prevented from rushing to hoard food, and they find a place for the huge young and middle-aged labor force to consume their energy. By the way, the infrastructure facilities of Jingalun Port have been improved. , and accurately put the currency into the hands of those who need it.

   It can be said to kill four birds with one stone.

  As for the foreign exchange spent on purchasing grain, the authorities apparently borrowed it from the rich and powerful Baiyue Company, but in the end it would all be paid for by the indemnity paid by the Emperor of the Xilan Empire.

  How many times the alliance has won this battle, Fang Chang is too lazy to count for the respected manager...

   After all, he has figured out the switch.

  …

   Suburbs, POW camps.

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

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

"here it is…"

  The doctor glanced at him and said casually.

   "Golden Galleon Harbor."

  That accent sounds like someone from Hump Kingdom.

   But that's beside the point—

  Kapil's face was half happy, and he stretched out his stiff right hand excitedly, and grabbed the sleeve of the man in the white coat.

"we won?!"

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

   "What are you talking about in your sleep?"

   As he spoke, he yelled to the side.

   "This guy is awake, but his mind is not normal, and the rest is up to you."

   There was a faint shout in the distance.

   "Okay, just wake up, leave the rest to us, you can go 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 not-so-spacious tent.

   Kapil looked at the man in astonishment, and his outstretched right hand unconsciously fell off. He didn't recover until the man was far away, and then moved his stiff neck to pay attention to his surroundings.

  Here seems to be a field hospital. There are more than a dozen beds in the not-so-spacious tent, and the people lying on it are full of bandaged people, and they are lifeless.

   Then he looked at his body, the half of his body that leaked from the edge of the sheet was tightly wrapped in a bandage.

   What scares him even more is his right hand.

   It wasn't until now that he discovered that his right hand, starting from the elbow joint, had been replaced with a bulky metal prosthesis.

  The memory before coma poured into his mind hesitantly. He remembered that he was knocked out by a mortar while attacking the governor's mansion.

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

   "...Twelve pieces of shrapnel on your body, only ten pieces 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 people can't even make up a complete corpse."

   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 bewilderment.

  If the person who dies is a person, he will remember that guy’s name, visit his grave every now and then, and even miss what he was like when he was still alive,

  However, when the number of dead people can only be summed up by a scribbled number, the weight that each name can share seems insignificant.

  Maybe General Arayan felt the same way when faced with that number...

   He just felt so unreal that he was alive.

   "...Are you?" Although he had already guessed the identity of this person, Kapil managed to squeeze out the words from his throat.

   "Clerk of the Captive Section of the Logistics Department of the Port of Jingalun Civil Defense Office, as for my name, you don't need to know it. You only 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 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 receive the lunch box, if you still want to eat."

  After explaining the matter, the man turned around and walked outside the tent. Kapil, who came back to his senses, suddenly thought of another thing, and quickly stopped him.

   "Wait, my hand..."

"The original one was abolished, and we 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 , don't thank us."

  Watching the man leave, Kapil tried to move his body, and felt that he had almost recovered, so he dawdled 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 to which he belonged under the instructions of a logistics staff. After receiving the bedding, he carried his lunch box to a big pot and lined up in a long line.

  Two fellows who looked like them were busy working beside the cauldron, constantly stirring the contents of the cauldron with a large wooden spoon.

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

   "What is this cooking?"

  He thought that no one would answer, but saw the man standing in front turned his head.

   "I heard it's corn."

  There was a trace of expectation in that person's eyes.

   Kapil couldn't help being stunned.

"…corn?"

  He had heard of that kind of crop, which seemed to be very common in the central and southern parts of Luoxia Province, and a small amount was introduced in Borneo Province, but not as many as beans.

"That's right, it is said that they were shipped from Silver Moon Bay, including the doctor who saw you..." Looking at the newcomer who was still wrapped in bandages, the man continued, "My name is Ahta, and I used to be Manuwan. Commander... Forget it, anyway, we are now in the same battalion as you."

   Kapil swallowed and introduced himself.

   "...Kapil, Prince Dilip led us to attack the Governor's Palace."

   Ahtar whistled lightly, glanced at the militiamen on duty not far away, and said with a grin.

   "Really? That was really a disaster... I heard that only a thousand of you died. You must be blessed by the wolf **** to survive."

   Kapil smiled wryly, and asked after a long silence.

   "What the **** is going on here?"

   "As you can see, we lost and became captives of the Alliance...although mainly the militias are running us."

   It seemed that he was unwilling to mention the details of that battle. The man named Ahta vaguely passed the topic and continued.

"...For the first three days, the group of monkeys put us in cages, urinated on us, and poured food on the ground for us to lick. Finally, the people of the alliance couldn't stand it anymore and dragged us here. Anyway, you Woke up just in time, now that the POW camp has been built, I only have to work eight hours a day, and pay three gallons of wages for three meals a day."

   Kapil: "Gallon?"

   "It's the new money."

  Akhtar took out one from his pocket, shook it, and stuffed it back.

"Since the empire cut off the delivery of supplies here, this thing is much better than the old money before. Although 2 gallons can't buy anything, it's better than nothing. By the way, I heard that if they can read, they I will arrange some less tiring jobs, and the income will be slightly more, and I can have five or six yuan a day."

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

   "... how to arrange?"

"How do you arrange it? Of course they arrange it for you. Do you think you can pick and choose? If you don't want to do it, go pick and choose. Don't be so stupid and talk back to them," Ahta looked at in surprise. Taking a look at the guy whose brain was blown out, he continued, "But you are different from others, and other guys who wake up like you are crazy."

   "Maybe my brain is not normal," Kapil smiled bitterly, and continued after a long pause, "I feel... as if I have died once."

  Akhta stared at him blankly, but said nothing, because it was his turn to cook.

  A bowl of fragrant corn porridge, a spoonful of capers and two slices of steamed yellow bread is their dinner after a day's work.

  Akhta thanked the inmate who filled his lunch box with a smile, and then happily took his own portion, sat aside and ate.

   It's not just him.

  Everyone here is delicious.

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

  Especially the fluffy and soft bread.

   This stuff doesn't look like something that would appear on the civilian table at all, and these iron men generously used it to feed them prisoners of war!

   What a group of kind people!

  Akhtar wished to kneel down and kowtow to those iron men who let themselves out of the cage and fed themselves.

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

  Kapil also went up to serve a bowl.

  Maybe because of the lack of previous experience, he was not as excited as those former comrades-in-arms. He just silently took his lunch box to the corner of the camp, found a place where no one was around, and ate quietly.

  In the Xilan Empire, his family belonged to the bourgeoisie with good conditions, and he has not been ill-treated since he was a child.

   Logically speaking, it is impossible for him to have an extraordinary reaction to the taste of food.

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

  A touch of mellow sweetness spreads along the taste buds on the tip of the tongue. It is a taste he has never tasted before, just like milk mixed with honey.

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

  Before he knew it, he had already finished a large bowl of polenta, and he swallowed the two slices of cornmeal fermented bread with the hot and sour capers.

   Satisfied, Kapil sat on the ground.

  Looking down at the empty bowl he licked clean in his hand, he looked up at the gradually bright starry sky.

  It smells so good...

  I really want to have another bowl.

   Putting the steel prosthesis on the bandaged stomach, he rested 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 bringing the songs of the hometown, and the deafening roar is like a distant dream, buried in the distance with the boiling blood and soul.

   This is the first time he felt after waking up, that being alive is so wonderful...

  …

  At this moment, it is not only the gray wolves sitting in the POW camp that are really fragrant, but also Prince Dilip squatting in the detention center of the Port District Security Bureau.

  Although he fought the dumbest battle with Emperor Xilan’s family fortune, it didn’t stop him from squatting in prison at all. He had a great appetite and wanted to have another bowl after finishing a bowl.

  Honestly speaking, he is a very particular person.

  Especially in terms of eating, he can even confidently say that even the Willanters have to bow down before him.

  For example, roast lamb, he always only ate freshly weaned lambs, and only a small piece from the back, and rewarded the rest to the servants.

  However, after being imprisoned these days and forced to eat a few "vegetarian meals" without big fish and meat, he discovered that the door to a new world has opened.

   Unexpectedly, the alliance is not only advanced in technology, but also has such deep knowledge in food research. It can use simple ingredients and cooking methods to make such unique delicacies!

  Passing the plate in his hand to the small window of the prison, Prince Dilip looked at Director Mandal longingly and said shyly.

   "Can I have another bowl?"

   "Are you a pig? You eat more than those who work!" Looking at the fat prince, Mandal, a police officer in the port area, couldn't help but curse.

   It was these pig heads who ruled the empire, which made their faces swollen and swollen.

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

   Even if temporarily.

  He waved his index finger, gestured arrogantly to his men in police uniforms, and served another bowl to the flattering prince.

  Looking at the polenta poured into the bowl, Prince Dilip also seemed to feel embarrassed, blushing like a monkey's butt, and said in a face-saving way.

   "A little more of that sour thing...cough, the food expenses can be added to my ransom. I won't eat your food for free...pay for it."

   "Let's wait until your Majesty signs the ceasefire agreement."

   Mandal rolled his eyes, took his words as fart, and explained this to his subordinates, then glanced at his watch.

  It's time to get off work now.

   After feeding the stomachs of these "criminals", his stomach is still hungry.

   By the way, the polenta smells really good...

   Mandal swallowed, but held back.

   It's not that he can't bear to eat the prisoner's food, but that there will be more delicious food waiting for him at the banquet.

In order to thank those merchants who supported the reconstruction of King Gallon Port, and to attract investment and other things, in short, the King Gallon Port authorities are planning to hold a dinner at the most luxurious hotel in the port area. the guests.

   Not only those guests who came from afar, but also prominent figures in this settlement, as well as some important representatives of those iron men will participate.

  Although the delicacies at the banquet can be expected, what to eat at the banquet is never the key point, and getting closer to those iron men is the key.

  His success depends entirely on them!

  (end of this chapter)