Horizon of War Series

Chapter 42

Despite the grain caravan’s success, the relief it brought to Korelia was short-lived. The price of grain dipped for a few days, before steadily rising again.

The next morning, Lansius visited a worksite, accompanied by Calub, Cecile, Carla, and Stirling, along with two guards who provided security.

Arriving while the sun was still in the east, he closely inspected the progress made on the site, ensuring the ditches were deep enough and equipped with a simple sewer system to prevent mud accumulation.

He also checked the nearly finished picket fence. Though rough and crude, it would serve as an effective deterrent. Now, not only the castle, but also the town, had additional protection measures.

While a wall or a wooden palisade would be better, Korelia didn’t have the timber and resources to build one. Even building the picket fence likely put some strain on Korelia’s only forest for decades to come.

In this regard, Lansius envied the Romans, whose region could supply them with endless timber for fortifications. Compared to them, Lowlandia was akin to the Eurasian steppe.

Satisfied with the inspection, Lansius approached the wooden tower, which was halfway completed. Calub had informed him that the platform could be used to address the men.

Lansius climbed up and gazed at the numerous workers toiling away on the defenses. He took a deep breath, but the tension refused to leave him. Nevertheless, he turned to Stirling and said, “Go ahead. Get their attention.”

Stirling nodded, turned toward the workers, and bellowed in a loud, crisp voice, “Attention, all! You stand in the presence of the Lord of Korelia! Gather around and listen!” His energetic tone made his presence felt.

The workers took notice, dropped their tools, and gathered around. Lansius saw many familiar faces, mostly the troops that had stayed with him since the previous year.

“Please, do not be alarmed. I am here to speak with you briefly,” Lansius said, projecting his voice so that everyone could hear him over the sounds of wind and other noises. “First, it’s the third day, so we’re here to pay for your work.”

This announcement attracted short cheers from the crowd.

“It’s usually the treasurer’s job, but there’s a slight change. Today, we’re giving you a new option . . . You can choose to be paid in cash or salt.”

At the mention of salt, there were murmurs among the crowd.

“The usual rate is three days of work for two silver coins. Now, I can offer you a cup of salt for the same—”

The crowd grew lively all of a sudden.

“Order! Order,” Stirling shouted, trying to maintain control.

“Three days of work for a cup of salt. The rate stays until winter ends,” Lansius paused. “Next week, the ground will probably be too hard to work on. However, the workshops will be ready.”

The crowd listened intently.

“I’ll pay the same rate for the workshop. Two silvers or a cup of salt—”

Just like a beehive being struck, the crowd was buzzing. Their faces were overjoyed. For many, their biggest fear of not having enough food for winter was now allayed.

“Order, say your piece after the lord is done.” Stirling tried to rein in the crowd.

“The workshops will remain open throughout the winter, and if you choose to work there, while it won’t be much or taste as good, we’ll provide you with two free meals a day.”

At this point, the crowds just couldn’t believe what they heard, leaving Lansius to continue his speech. “We will also provide firewood for the night, and those who do not have access to firewood for their families can spend the night there.”

This time, there was only a little cheering. Instead, all Lansius got were murmurs and a different kind of look from the crowd.

Did I say something wrong?

However, Lansius pressed on. “Lastly, the small amount of salt you’ll get probably won’t be enough for meat curing. So I’ve ordered the castle, just for this winter, to buy more fresh meat, and we’ll pay in salt. A bucket of salt for a fat lamb, less for smaller ones.”

Despite Lansius’s expectations, the crowd reacted differently. Doubt was etched on their faces.

Calub took the stage after Lansius had said his piece.

I’m really not a good speaker . . . Lansius thought as he descended from the tower.

“Fellow Korelians,” Calub began, addressing the crowd. “I have the lord’s speech in writing. The town crier will share the details in the main plaza over the next few days. With that said, let’s get down to business.”

Afterward, Calub started the roll call, and each worker was given the option of taking coins or salt.

Now, only time would tell if Lansius’s plan would work or fail.

Last summer, little Timmy lost his job, shelter, and meals when the family he worked for faced difficulties due to a livestock stillborn disease that had afflicted their herd.

Timmy joined forces with other similarly unlucky children and resorted to begging for alms or food in the streets of Korelia. Although his situation was dire, he wasn’t the unluckiest. Little Tia held that title, having lost her flock to a wolf attack, which also left her with a limp.

The children formed a group to survive. Tia’s knitting skills came in handy for making winter clothes from scraps of leather or unused rags. However, they struggled to find food.

It was a well-known fact that the poorest inhabitants of Korelia faced a bleak fate every winter. Korelia was a harsh place to live. Its winter mercilessly culled those unfortunate enough to lack food, fire, and shelter.

A shepherd family without enough livestock faced hunger or death. It was a deadly dilemma.

Butchering too many of their herd would make them poorer the following year, but butchering too few could lead to the loss of a family member from hunger.

Timmy had lost his last aunt and several friends the previous winter, and this year, the situation was even more dire as food prices rose so high, making it unaffordable for most.

After the harvest was over, there was very little work to be found, and many resorted to pickpocketing and even robbery.

Before the situation became critical, the new lord took over. They called him Black-Haired Lion Tamer, and his reputation preceded him, leading many to expect the worst.

Unexpectedly, the new lord initiated a series of works with the promise of pay. Most of the work involved digging trenches just outside the town. It hardly required any specific skills. Naturally, many of Korelia’s poorest applied, including Timmy.

Sadly, little Timmy was deemed too small.

However, many of the older kids in his group were accepted. The promise of pay materialized every three days. They were ecstatic. For the first time, they could sleep with a full stomach.

The work and pay continued to enable them to sustain themselves. But they knew winter was coming. Fear lingered in their minds that there would be no work if they couldn’t dig as the ground froze in winter.

As luck would have it, the situation improved when a much-talked-about caravan arrived, and grain prices dropped, much to everyone’s delight. But the price drop was short-lived.

For the poorest in Korelia, even with all their savings combined, they could only secure a paltry amount of grain.

That close to winter, things were looking grim. Many joked that the lord’s digging project would be a fitting burial site for them.

Then one day, the lord showed up and offered payment in salt. The poorest took the offer and ran to the market to trade their cup of salt for grain.

For them, it was nothing less than a miracle. The amount of grain they received from trading a cup of salt could feed a person through winter.

Suddenly, the situation changed rapidly for the better. Many were called back by their shepherd master. Now that everybody had salt, they gathered what they had and started a meat-curing process.

More and more shepherds sold their livestock for salt and gained enough to produce sausages, corned meat, and even meat jerky. Processed meat products fetched a high price at the market and boosted Korelia’s meager economy for the upcoming year.

Timmy and Tia weren’t the lucky ones. There was no work available for children and the crippled, but that didn’t deter them. They heard about the workshop that provided free meals twice a day and a working fireplace every night.

It sounded too good to be true, and naturally, there was a big crowd of applicants. Unsurprisingly, the two weren’t accepted, but they were permitted to spend the night.

Their first evening spent in the workshop would forever be etched in their memories. The warmth of the roaring fireplace, fueled by an abundant supply of firewood, provided a comforting reprieve from the biting cold outside.

To their delight, they were even given a woolen mat to sleep on, which felt like a luxurious treat. The skilled craftsmen employed by the lord kindly offered the children gruel in exchange for their help with cleaning.

During the day, they were assigned simple tasks, and in return, they received a slice of bread and a bowl of hearty stew, ensuring everyone had enough to sustain themselves.

As winter settled in, the first snowfall was quickly followed by a blizzard. Timmy and Tia watched and learned as craftsmen, carpenters, and apprentices crafted crossbow parts, strings, and bolt shafts.

The situation in the workshop was far from ideal, but now even the likes of Timmy and Tia could survive Korelia’s winter and hope for a better future.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Korelia’s poorest residents shared the same sentiment. Whether they were daily laborers, shepherds, orphans, or destitute townsfolk, they were all equally grateful. Under the rule of the new foreign lord, they sensed they could not only survive but also thrive in Korelia.

Though they had not yet fully placed their trust in him, they were beginning to see him as their beacon of hope.

What had started as a move to prevent an uprising had inadvertently galvanized support at the grassroots level. Unbeknownst to Lansius, he had mobilized the entirety of Korelia to his cause.