A Heart of Compassion
Victor did not continue lecturing Michael because they were on a forced march.
Just as he was gesturing for Michael to leave, the latter unexpectedly spoke up, "Sir, please wait a moment. I have something else to tell you. Although it may not be directly related to the current war, I still think it is necessary to report it to you!"
Michael then recounted in detail the information he had received from the two farmers about the man known as the landlord, Mr. Dede.
After listening, Victor couldn't help but exclaim, "It's unbelievable that a mere small landowner in a rural directly subordinate to the Duchy a duchy can be so powerful!"
It seems that even the Grand Duchy is no longer able to control its directly controlled territories.
After a moment of contemplation, Victor solemnly said to Michael, "This matter is of utmost importance and must be handled properly as soon as possible. I will immediately send a messenger to Blackwater City to inform the Interim Management Committee there of this situation and request Gaita to come and take charge of it."
I believe that through his efforts, not only will the situation improve, but we will also achieve something!
Upon hearing Victor's words, Michael finally felt relieved, and a smile of relief spread across his face.
He nodded slightly to Victor, then turned and sprinted towards the main force.
Victor stood quietly, his gaze following Michael's receding figure. He thought to himself, "That's impressive! Even though Michael has become a prominent mid-level officer, he hasn't forgotten the suffering and injustice he experienced as a serf."
This deep sympathy and understanding for the people at the bottom of society undoubtedly demonstrates the kindness and integrity deep within his heart.
Thinking about this, Victor couldn't help but feel very gratified, which showed that his education of young officers had been remarkably effective.
After a moment's thought, Victor quickly pulled out an exquisite notebook from his pocket and picked up a pen without hesitation, preparing to write an important letter to Gaita.
He knew that this intelligence contained enormous potential and could be used to achieve certain goals.
"Gaita," Victor wrote in his pen, "I have a discovery to share with you." He then described his observations in detail:
"After the start of the Civil War, the Grand Duchy had to transfer a large number of troops and personnel from its directly subordinate counties."
Today, the Grand Duchy is no longer able to effectively govern the rural areas within its directly controlled territories.
It is worth noting that, because there were no independent nobles here, the dominant force in the countryside was a group of rural landowners.
They colluded with the officials left behind by the duchy, forming a close-knit community of interests, and unscrupulously eroded the tax revenue that Capital City the duchy and the wealth accumulated by the people.
Victor went on to explain, "This situation has resulted in an increasingly heavy burden on the inhabitants of the directly controlled territories."
Many were reduced to slavery and sold into slavery, while others were forced to flee their homes in search of a way to survive.
Faced with this situation, our Interim Management Committee can seize this excellent opportunity to subtly fuel the flames, encouraging those greedy landlords and corrupt officials to further inflate their desires and frantically plunder the dwindling wealth and grain reserves of the people."
"We can induce them to manipulate market prices, making food extremely expensive and scarce."
This would put even greater pressure on the already impoverished residents, forcing them to consider finding other places to make a living, thus making them willingly leave Wright County.
Once these inhabitants leave, we can save ourselves the enormous costs associated with large-scale population relocation.
Moreover, it would then be perfectly logical to launch an investigation and purge of those landlords and officials.
After all, they are largely to blame for this meticulously planned "food crisis."
Through this action, we were able to seize their vast wealth and stockpiled food resources.
More importantly, when those suffering from hunger learn the truth, they will surely be filled with gratitude towards us.
Because we helped them out of their predicament and gave them new hope. At the same time, successfully eliminating these profiteers in Wright County also means that we can better control this land and its produce.
In short, this strategy allows one to easily acquire astonishing amounts of resources and land without investing too much manpower or material resources...
Just then, Victor suddenly stopped writing, as if blocked by an invisible force.
He stared at the words that had already been written before him, a sense of unease and guilt welling up inside him.
It turns out that when he was considering this plan, he was only focused on weighing the pros and cons, but he completely failed to consider the people of the duchy who would suffer greatly because of it.