Sauron's Spoils
The smoke of battle has cleared, and blood has soaked the scorched earth.
The reconstruction of Carnford began with great difficulty amidst the ruins, thanks to the survivors' tenacious will to survive.
After more than a month of hellish siege warfare, Carnford, which originally had a population of nearly three thousand, had only six or seven hundred survivors, most of whom were wounded. The entire territory was practically deserted, and its vitality was severely damaged.
However, even in this desperate situation, an unexpected turning point emerged.
Amid the chaos caused by the retreat of the Sauron army, the 30,000 Broomflower slaves who had been captured and imprisoned in the Sauron camp seized the opportunity to break free of their shackles and scatter in all directions.
The harsh winter in the Northern Territory is a cruel and merciless judge. In the vast wilderness and forests, refugees lacking food, warm clothing, and shelter can hardly survive alone. They either freeze to death in the wilderness, become food for hungry wolves or even more terrifying Magic Creature, or fall into the clutches of bandits in the nearby mountains.
In the despairing eyes of these escaped slaves, Carnford Castle, which stood tall amidst blood and fire and ultimately repelled the Sauron army, became the only beacon in the darkness.
Having witnessed firsthand the fortress's strength and the defenders' tenacity, they developed an almost instinctive trust and dependence on the land and its ruler Lord Karl von Schmidt.
That place is the only possible source of hope for survival during the harsh winter in the Northern Territory.
So, in the days following the Sauron's retreat, groups of three to five escaped slaves, dragging their frozen and exhausted bodies, arrived one after another Carnford City, filled with trepidation and hope, begging for shelter.
Faced with these ragged, emaciated compatriots, Karl naturally welcomed them all without hesitation, opening his doors wide to them!
Every citizen of the Broomflower is an indispensable force in rebuilding the territory.
He ordered Edgar and Brendan to properly settle the newcomers, distribute limited food and warm clothing, verify their identities, and quickly integrate them into the reconstruction teams.
The news spread like wildfire among the fugitives, and the number of people coming to seek refuge gradually increased.
In just a few days, Carnford's population miraculously recovered to nearly 5,000 and is still slowly increasing.
These newly arrived inhabitants, though weak, possessed an extremely strong will to survive and were filled with gratitude towards Carnford and Lord Karl for taking them in. They quickly became an important force in the reconstruction efforts.
Of course, Karl also made some distinctions.
He could not, and would never, allow newly surrendered exiles who had not yet established sufficient trust and shared memories to be treated and granted the same rights and privileges as his old subjects who had fought alongside him in the darkest and most brutal battles of Carnford, proving themselves with their lives and loyalty.
Those old residents were the most solid foundation of Karl's rule; they had witnessed Carnford's rebirth from ruins, and their families might still be buried beneath the city walls.
If newcomers are allowed to easily receive the same treatment as these meritorious veterans, it will undoubtedly severely dilute the special status that the old people have earned with their blood and sacrifices, undermine their sense of belonging and loyalty, and may even trigger a "bad money drives out good" effect, leading to the alienation of the core support force.
The reconstruction work is complex and multifaceted, but the primary task is clear.
Under the command of Chief Engineer Morr, everyone was prioritized for repairing the most critical defense facilities.
The section of the city wall that had been destroyed by the Sauron' heavy artillery has begun to be cleared of debris, the foundation has been compacted, and new stones have been laid.
Due to the shortage of stone, a large amount of Sauron camp timber and even the remains of enemy siege equipment were dismantled and utilized.
Meanwhile, houses destroyed by the war within the city were being cleared, and simple dwellings that could barely withstand the cold were being built using the remaining broken walls and collected materials.
However, the biggest food problem soon emerged.
Carnford's pre-war reserves of staple foods such as rye and beans are nearing depletion after the long siege and the effects of the war.
Although the Sauron abandoned a lot of food and livestock when they fled north in panic, this was indeed a huge windfall that temporarily relieved their immediate crisis. However, with thousands more mouths to feed, these captured supplies could not last long.
Now, their only hope lies in the south, in the Earl Rochefort's subsequent food aid; otherwise, Carnford, which has just survived the war, may very well face an even more silent but equally deadly famine.
Amid the bustling reconstruction site, Karl stood quietly, his gaze sweeping over the land, once soaked in blood, now regaining its vitality.
The air was no longer filled only with the smell of gunpowder and blood; it was now filled with the sounds of earth being turned over, wood being cut, and the bustling sounds of people.
His gaze fell on a group of newly joined, still physically weak, people in the distance, who were chanting heavy work songs as they worked together to drag several thick ropes.
At the other end of the rope, a massive, dark cannon, its barrel covered in war scars and charred marks, was firmly bound.
That was Nine-pound siege cannon abandoned on the battlefield by Sauron. Harald's army was in such a panicked retreat that it was impossible for them to take away such a heavy iron lump, weighing thousands of pounds, and it could only become a spoil of war for Carnford.
There is a noticeable crack near the muzzle of the cannon, clearly caused by the Sauron themselves, rendering it completely unusable.
But Karl looked at the wrecked heavy cannon without any regret in his eyes.
What he needed was not the cannon itself, but the considerable amount of high-quality cast iron that made it.
These metals, after being melted down and recast, will become iron nails for repairing the city walls, swords for forging new weapons, and iron tips for agricultural tools urgently needed for spring plowing.
Every pound of iron is more precious than gold at this time when everything is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt.
He stopped paying attention to the piece of scrap metal being slowly dragged toward the furnace, turned around, and looked at the two people who had just walked up to him: Morr, whose face was still pale but whose eyes had regained their sharpness, and Edgar, who was busy but still trying to remain calm.
"The Morr, Edgar, Sauron have suffered a crushing defeat, with heavy casualties and demoralized. Harald has also suffered significant losses. Without six months to a year of rest and replenishment, it is absolutely impossible for them to organize an effective offensive again. The next large-scale offensive will not be possible until the spring or summer of next year at the earliest."
He pointed down the mountain to the open area that had once been the Sauron camp, now being cleared, and further on to the somewhat desolate plains under the warm winter sun. "These next few months are our golden time to catch our breath and recover."