Although there were wells and water intake facilities around the castle, the fire broke out so violently that smoke gushed up the stairs and made it difficult for rescuers to get close to the hall on the first floor.

The First Army quickly withdrew from the castle and cordoned off the area, and the fire burned for more than two hours, and it was not possible to enter until the next afternoon, when there was nothing left in the dungeon.

After that, the scene was cleaned up and investigated, and the officials who came with the army formed a temporary city hall and began to take over the administrative affairs of Golden Harvest City.

The dungeon fire soon came to fruition: a group of rats, hating Duke Borg, who had turned the bustling city into a fortress of poverty, infiltrated the castle through a secret passage and set fire to the piles of wheat straw in the dungeon.

Therefore, this is an extremely vicious case of man-made arson, which not only poses a major threat to the order of the East, but also provokes the First Army of Neverwinter.

In addition to vigorously publicizing the results of the investigation, the First Army and the City Hall also took the initiative to launch a city-wide rat eradication campaign. Confess leniently, resist strictly, report rewards, expose and distribute pay...... In addition, the stock of grain found in the mansions of various nobles was successively put into the market and relief, and the lifeless city instantly became noisy.

On the night of the rat eradication order, the bear's paw again burrowed into the iron axe's tent.

"Boss, those big families are showing signs of evacuation. Today, more than a dozen carriages passed through the West City Gate, and the direction was towards Haifeng County. Several of them were so rutted that I thought they were loaded with ......."

"Gold, silver, and jewelry," said Iron Axe, laying down the quill in his hand, "but at the beginning I said that as long as there is food, they will let them take anything else." ”

The commander-in-chief was not surprised by this happening.

When the fire broke out, the trust between the First Army and the traditional aristocracy was shattered, and for whatever reason, escaping the area was the only way they could think of survival. The loss of the family pillar and several knights is not an unbearable loss for a family, the title can be inherited, the knight can be canonized again, but the courage to confront head-on will no longer be there.

Rather than stay here and wait for death, it is better to take the family, the servants and the family fortune to go to the other place to find new opportunities - fiefdom is important, but the latter is more reluctant than life.

What's more, in order to prepare for this war, Willion Borg concentrated all his resources in Golden Spike City, and most of the nearby territories were in serious ruins, and it would be difficult to recover in two or three years, otherwise they would not have made up their minds so quickly.

"Boss, there's one more thing...... Bear Paw stopped in the middle of his speech, which was a rare expression for a tendon adjutant.

"You say," said the Iron Axe.

"Fire in the dungeon...... Did you put it?" Bearpaw hesitated for a moment before finally asking in a low voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"Not to mention that there is an iron gate in that dark passage, which is difficult to break through with the strength of a few rats, and I don't think the garrison will be so lax that anyone will not even notice that they have set it on fire. I've also been to the dungeon and seen that the flames don't seem to be coming out of the room, but rather spreading from the corridors to both sides, and judging by the cauterized remains, it must be caused by oil. ”

After hearing this, Iron Axe nodded, "You guessed it right, I gave the order. ”

Probably didn't expect him to admit it so readily, and Bear Paw couldn't help but be stunned for a while, "...... Why?"

"It's up to me to do this kind of thing, you know, it's easy to go wrong. ”

"I didn't ask this," the adjutant shook his head, "I mean—didn't they surrender?"

"I see...... Iron Axe muttered for a moment, "to put it simply, I don't have the time to discern whether they are really willing to surrender, and Your Majesty has no time to judge them—that's why His Majesty Roland left me in charge of all matters on the Eastern Front before the army set out." ”

"But ......"

"Do you think that making such a decision without trial could lead to the death of innocent among them?" Iron Axe interrupted the adjutant and handed him a booklet that was placed next to the table, "Look at this. ”

"It's ...... Demographics book?"

"Scooped up from the castle study. The commander-in-chief nodded, "Five years ago, the population of Golden Harvest City and the surrounding area was about 220,000, which was enough to be called the most prosperous area in the east, but this year, the number has plummeted to about 60,000. The cumulative number of refugees we have received from the east is about 30,000 to 40,000, and even at 40,000, there is a shortfall of nearly 120,000 — and this is based on the fact that the number is not growing. You should know exactly why all of this happened. ”

Bearpaw gasped, "Those farmland that has been poured ......"

"And this unrecognizable Golden Spike City. Iron Axe stood up and walked to the menorah with his hands behind his back, "In order to block the road and thicken the walls, Willion has apparently recruited all the nearby lords - he would never have been able to do this alone without the permission and assistance of the other lords. The massive concentration of the population has exacerbated the problem of disrupting trade and reducing the yield of farmland, and the ultimate consequence is the numbers in the statistical books. In other words, all of these nobles are accomplices of the Duke, and do you still think Your Majesty will accept their service?"

"......" Bear Paw was speechless for a moment.

"But what they think is innocent is not a lie," continued Iron Axe, "for it is nothing in their eyes." Even though the cultivated farmland was shrunk by more than half, the mansions of the nobles were still stuffed with grain and even ...... Person. After all, meat can last longer than wheat if stored properly. ”

The pupils of the bear's paw constricted suddenly.

"Of course, most importantly, they have seriously hindered His Majesty's plans - population is His Majesty's most valued resource, but they are squandering it with impunity. What would the battle be like if we didn't carry new firearms? Field artillery would be unable to move an inch in the mud, and we would have to force the siege or fight a protracted battle. At that point, I don't think the nobles will surrender until they have exhausted the population of the city. Iron Axe turned around, "Do you have any other questions?"

It took a long time for Bear Paw to look up and say, "You're doing the right thing - it's just too cheap to burn these guys...... However, this method is not from His Majesty......'s intention, is it?

"What if?" Iron Axe raised an eyebrow, "do you think I'll keep it from the news?" No, Your Majesty, he'll know - I've written everything that happened in Golden Spike City in my report, and whether he agrees with it or not, I'll be responsible for it alone. ”