Move (Part 2)
The big victory last night didn't excite the people living in the territory.
Everyone kept desperately working in speechless silence!
The thought of holding a celebration didn't even cross Murphy's mind. He stood in the central town square and watched the eleven Spartan infantry soldiers, who had wounds all over their bodies. He was in a solemn mood and wanted to say something, but he only managed to spit out a few words: "Rest well and recuperate!"
Murphy clearly felt that the battle last night had made all the troops start to realize the importance of a thing called "army spirit."
But with such a large number of casualties, Murphy couldn't bring himself to feel excited about this. He felt like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Army spirit!
Army spirit was when the Roman eagle flag was there, and countless Roman soldiers swore to guard it! It was when the five-star red flag was still held high when the revolutionary pioneers feared for their lives!
That was army spirit!
It was a wondrous thing, but it wasn't rare.
Army spirit was like a banner, a banner that could give countless people the courage to die fearlessly in battle!
Where there was the eagle flag, there was the soul of the Roman army!
The five-star red flag represented the spirit of the revolutionary pioneer army!
The human heart would decay with time, but the army's spirit would never rot away…
They would disappear with the wind, but people would always tremble when they remembered them!
Many people who didn't know much about war didn't know what this flag meant on the battlefield!
They didn't know there was an expression that had been around since ancient times—"remove the flag"!
They didn't know why on TV, when the red flag fell down again and again, there would always be someone who would fearlessly raise it up again...
That was army spirit!
And the flag was just one way it was kept alive.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Sparta!
It was this word that had gathered the town's army spirit!
It represented pride, bravery, fearlessness, and the best soldiers!
Last night, the Spartan infantry had fought against the elite gnolls, and their tragic losses would be remembered by the military and all the civilians in the town. Wherever the Spartan military flag was located, the Spartan soldiers would be there with it, and army spirit would arise.
Perhaps it hadn't yet become a faith, but it had still given the soldiers some courage!
That was why when the word "Sparta" was shouted loudly, everyone was shocked by the spirit it produced in people!
That was why General Hamilton had said: "Spartans don't ask how many enemies there are. They ask where the enemies are!" At these words, the Spartan infantry marched without looking back and rushed toward the powerful elite gnolls, who were far stronger than them!
They simply ignored death!
All to get a victorious win!
That was definitely army spirit!
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The construction of a new town would take a long time.
During this time, the citizens' food source would mainly come from the harvest from the Nidoria River.
There would be a period of tough times ahead.
The only thing that was worthy of mention was that once the summer approached, they wouldn't have to worry about the gnolls attacking.
This was because the gnolls' fur was very thick, and although this fur helped them withstand the harsh coldness of winter, it also caused them to be afraid of the heat during the summer season. In the summer, it felt like they were wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket all the time. If the gnoll was just carrying out its ordinary activities, it wasn't a problem. However, if the gnoll was marching and fighting, then the thick hair could be very deadly!
Running for ten kilometers in a cotton-padded jacket could make even the strongest man lose most of his fighting power due to excessive dehydration.
As long as it was summer, Murphy would be able to get a breather from the gnolls attacks for a while.
In the lobby of the temporary Governor's Mansion.
"How much money does the Treasury have left?" Murphy asked.
Although he had changed his clothes, Murphy still smelled like blood because of the numerous injuries on his body. He had simply wiped his body with warm water. After squinting for a while, he had no choice but to get up again and go over statistics and generate a budget for the materials left in the National Treasury.
"Great Governor, there are still 1,200 silver coins in the treasury, and funds are already very tight," the old financial officer said. It had been a busy night, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead before continuing: "But there is still a lot of food. Our food rations can last about a year, and the port is replenished with a large amount of fish each day."
One thousand and two hundred silver coins.
There were only 1,200 silver coins left?
Murphy rubbed his forehead and gently closed his eyes and thought about ways to raise funds.
Agricultural development took a long time, but commercial trade was basically non-existent. It would be impossible to maintain the development of cities and towns with just a little taxation!
After a long moment of deliberation, Murphy let out a long sigh.
Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook rice without rice.
Similarly, without resources, what could they exchange for the funds for urban development?
"Your Excellency, I think we may be able to collaborate!" came the voice of Lady Elizabeth from outside the door. Her voice sounded confident, and she didn't seem to fear that Murphy would refuse.
Murphy had no energy left to ask any questions, and in a strict tone of voice, he merely spit out one word: "Speak!"
After straightening her clothes, the Marchioness, who'd been forced to pick up her sword the previous night, first organized her thoughts, then set her sights on Murphy's body.
Murphy was very good at being patient. He quietly stared at Lady Elizabeth, waiting for her answer.
"Your Excellency, Murphy, you need funds, and I can make money for you!" she said. When Lady Elizabeth brought up the topic of business, her face seemed to become ever-so radiant. She even deliberately switched to addressing Murphy by name to get closer to him. Then, she said gently: "You have a lot of wealth in your territory. It's just that you haven't thought of it yet!"
"What wealth?" Murphy said, frowning. For a moment, he really didn't know what wealth Lady Elizabeth was referring to!
"The gnolls that are slaves!" Lady Elizabeth said straightforwardly.
"The gnolls that are slaves?" Murphy had a sudden realization and finally understood what Lady Elizabeth was thinking.
"Yes, it is those gnoll slaves! They are enemies of the humans, and more than 300,000 humans have been forced to leave their homes and lose their wives because of them! Those beasts make everyone hate them! I believe there are many gladiators and colosseums that would be willing to pay a high price for them!" As she said this, Lady Elizabeth became so energetic and excited that even Murphy, who had been slightly distracted, became interested. She continued in an excited voice: "At the border of the city-state, the top gnolls are used to train the military. So, there's never a large number of captured gnolls kept alive by the humans!"
"For these sort of man-eating creatures, I'm afraid the generals' first thought is to kill them!"
When Lady Elizabeth said this, the corner of her mouth suddenly curled upward into a strange smile, and she said slowly: "Also, besides for that, this territory also has another unexpected fortune!"
"And what is that?" Murphy's curiosity was peaked.
"Those dead gnolls…" Lady Elizabeth said, then paused. She carefully watched Murphy's expression to see if the look on his face would change.
But she was quickly disappointed.
Murphy's expression was still very calm and didn't appear to have changed at all.
"The furs of these gnolls are of very good quality. Even if they sell for only ten silver coins apiece, it would still bring in a huge income! I believe black market merchants are willing to buy them for more than fifteen silver coins!" she said. After she finished speaking, Lady Elizabeth felt a slight tingle of pleasure and was comforted by his stoic expression as she conveyed this idea, which would have been unacceptable to the average person.
"I'll mobilize an army of a hundred people for you. Settle it immediately," Murphy said. His expression didn't change in the slightest, and his tone was strict and serious.
This was definitely the man she wanted!
He didn't have the slightest hint of a woman's benevolence when it came to treating the enemy's ruthless leader!
If he didn't have such courage and determination, then he wouldn't be worth her time or energy.
Lady Elizabeth smiled and leaned in toward Murphy and performed a charming lady's salute. A pair of snowy white breasts appeared before Murphy's eyes. Lady Elizabeth's body trembled slightly, and at that moment she felt a slight tingle and wetness between her legs...
At that moment, she was ashamed of her perverted thoughts and feelings!
But her shame quickly disappeared.
Because she knew she really didn't have much pride left...