Act Ninety-Seven: The Missing Food III

"Trouble?"

Veronica tightened the fur coat around her shoulders, the hem revealing the slender curves of the female legion commander beneath the light brown base of the Cruzian winter uniform—the exact same shade as Cruz's famous brownstone. She walked toward Brando, passed him, lifted the felt curtain, and cast a cautious glance outside. A biting cold wind howled in, making everyone inside the tent shiver. The lady dropped the curtain, turned back, and said with a solemn expression, "What I am about to tell you is something you can only listen to with your ears while keeping your mouths firmly shut. Every single one of you."

"There are three hundred soldiers in this camp, but starting today, our food reserves are only enough to last until next week."

Brando suddenly understood why Veronica was making such a big deal out of it. If this news spread, it would likely cause a panic. And this was because the army Veronica brought consisted of Cruzian elites; if they were private mercenary forces, a riot would not even be out of the question. In Cruzian military tactics, a food supply sufficient to sustain an army for one week was called a baseline reserve. Normally, an army on campaign consumed two baseline units of food per week, while garrisoned forces consumed relatively less. When food reserves fell below four baseline units, an army that was still combat-capable had to consider whether to retreat. Falling below two units was a situation that only occurred when desperate defense under siege was necessary. If it fell below one unit and the army still hadn't rioted, it either meant the commander had suppressed the news exceptionally well, or it meant the army was extremely elite, or perhaps a combination of both.

However, Veronica had participated in the last