The carrot and the stick was a tactic that worked throughout history and across the world, and Chris had just put it to use.
On one hand, he supplied everyone in Bich Town with food so no one went hungry. On the other, he sent Players to hang the former mayor and whip a number of outspoken townspeople as punishment.
That established the initial foundations of his rule.
As long as the food kept coming and outside enemies could not break in, his rule could continue.
As for whether that rule was stable, or how many people cursed him behind his back, Chris did not care... as long as no one dared say it to his face.
Good people did not live long.
The ten Players who had gone out finally returned three days later. Eight of them came running back, dragging two corpses, and their achievements were impressive.
Those ten had actually chased the routed Restoration Army soldiers, harrying them with guerrilla attacks for three whole days. In that time, they had killed around thirty men, completely breaking down their cohesion and morale.
So when the eight survivors returned, they even brought back more than twenty prisoners.
Chris did not know whether to laugh or cry... What Bich Town needs most right now is food. You brought back twenty-odd extra mouths-are you trying to eat me out of house and home?
Fine, fine. Bich Town does need labor anyway. They can stay.
As for the Players, Chris awarded the eight who returned alive second- and third-class Sword Medals.
Bich Town was poor, and its land was particularly barren. Not far outside town was a small river fed by mountain streams. Its flow was modest, but it was certainly more than enough to irrigate the wheat fields outside town.
Yet