Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton

A streak of Silver Light hastened over. Before White Neck could come to a halt, Lisa impatiently leaped down from its back, anxiously speaking to Ange, “My Lord, the situation is bad. War has broken out among the nations.”

Famine, disease, and war are the legendary cataclysms that signify the end of the world. They rarely occur independently but often accompany one another. Famine triggers wars, wars lead to diseases, and diseases lead to famine.

Once the famine started, everyone predicted the inevitable arrival of war. Not every leader, like Anthony, was trying their best mitigating the disaster.

The impoverished populations, stripped of their possessions and livelihoods, were driven from their homes by the Noble Landlords, simply because they could not pay this year’s tax.

The landlord’s henchmen took the last bag of grain from the farmers, who pleaded, “Please have mercy, this is the last of our family’s food. If you take it, we will starve to death.”

The Landlord responded, “What do I care if you starve to death? You farm the land, I collect the tax. That is the divine right given to me.”

Dispossessed farmers, starving commoners—the numbers kept growing and they roamed the land, becoming refugees.

The city-states shut their doors, denying them entry. These refugees wandered to villages, and consumed everything that could be eaten. The local villagers, who initially could withstand for some time, could hold no longer. They had no other choice but to join the refugees, and seek sustenance elsewhere.

Regarding the changes in mainland affairs, Anthony was the most informed. Bored to tears, Negris suggested they consult with Anthony.

“In reality, if only these disaster victims were aided, to prevent them from impacting other areas, the situation wouldn’t have escalated. However, the upper echelons of the Wusu Kingdom are clearly fanning the flames, letting the situation worsen. They have even started driving the disaster victims towards the border, causing them to flood into the Kingdom of Luosha,” said Anthony with an air of confidence.

“It’s clear that the Wusu Kingdom is intentionally manufacturing these distressing conditions, and then driving these victims into the Kingdom of Luosha.”

Shocked, Negris asked, “Are they insane? Causing a disaster within their own kingdom, and then driving the victims to another kingdom? How does this benefit them?”

“Haha, the benefits are innumerable. It could ease population pressure, free up more land for the noble landlords to get richer. A large number of disaster victims means cheap labor. In order to survive, a lot of people would sell their children or themselves and become slaves of the nobility,” Anthony smirked.

“Furthermore, a large influx of disaster victims into the Kingdom of Luosha would increase their burden, and undermine the stability of their kingdom. Spies embedded among the victims could instigate, agitate and create problems.”

“If the Kingdom of Luosha seriously dealt with the relief effort, these problems would keep them preoccupied. Conversely, if the Kingdom of Luosha neglected the disaster victims and left them to their own fate, the moment a fraction of them starves to death, the Wusu Kingdom would have an excuse to invade Luosha. Even the curia may not intervene.”

Stunned, Negris responded, “Why? Why do this? Aren’t the lives of these disaster victims worth anything? Even if they disregard human life, the population still holds some value, right? Is it really necessary to actively create death?”

Regrettably, Anthony said, “For the landlords who crave land, the population holds no value because there are too many people. As long as there is land, they can find people to cultivate it next year, maybe even cheaper slaves.”

While speaking, Anthony harshly slapped something, saying resentfully, “The failure of the Western District. They should have confined these greedy individuals. Damn it.”

The church isn’t completely evil, because they can restrict even more wicked occurrences.

“The rulers of the Kingdom of Luosha, in essence, are a bit more kind-hearted. They should accept these disaster victims, but it’s a time of famine now, and without sufficient food, the Kingdom of Luosha can’t do much. Oh, by the way, Lisa was the princess of the Kingdom of Luosha. Before becoming a saint, she was the first in line to inherit the throne.”