The Hunger Crisis: A Fight for Survival

Late at night, after a day of grueling battle, the soldiers had finally fallen asleep. The refugees, having been given bowls of hearty meat soup, were able to rest peacefully.

In the barracks, the conference room was still illuminated by four fluorescent lights, despite the hour.

These lights, a rare commodity brought from Ronald's personal space, burned with a resin that would last for a quarter of the year—far brighter than any candle.

As everyone took their seats, Ronald scanned the weary generals and spoke in a deep, serious tone, "You've all worked hard. I won't waste time with pleasantries. The situation is clear to all of you."

"Liu Long, report on the battle."

Liu Long, standing upright, nodded and began, "Young master, generals, in this battle, the elite guards of the Personal Guard wiped out over five thousand enemies, capturing three thousand eight hundred. We also seized countless weapons and armor. Additionally, when Commander Chen Yang was clearing the battlefield, he found over ten thousand gold coins and fifty thousand silver pieces on the mountain bandits' bodies."

He paused before continuing, "The Personal Guard suffered thirty light injuries. They've been treated and should be fine, with no casualties."

The room fell into stunned silence. Despite having fought against an army of mountain bandits, losing only thirty lightly injured soldiers, and virtually no deaths—this was a result almost too unbelievable to comprehend.

What was a decisive victory? This was it. A clean sweep.

Ronald nodded in approval. While the enemy bandits were fierce, they lacked proper weapons and armor. In truth, they were little more than a disorganized mob. Their personal fighting abilities were roughly comparable to the kingdom's own guard on any given day.

Just days ago, the Personal Guard had broken through the ambush of a thousand elite soldiers. Against such odds, defeating bandits of comparable numbers was a foregone conclusion.

Moreover, the Personal Guard had grown far stronger since their last battle.

Ronald chuckled. "Excellent! We've done ourselves proud. When news of this victory spreads, I imagine it'll scare the life out of some."

The generals laughed in agreement. This victory would surely become a prized tale for future bragging rights.

"Let the wounded soldiers rest and recover. Half of the spoils—gold, silver, and weapons—will be distributed among the troops."

"Qingyue, prepare the reward roster tomorrow. Write down the names of those who contributed. Once we expand, we'll make sure they are well compensated."

"Thank you, Young Master."

Currently, no formal military reward system had been established, as there wasn't anyone capable of managing such matters. But for now, that was all they could do.

Turning to another matter, Ronald asked, "How many refugees have we gathered? Have you completed the count?"

Fan Qingyue answered, "I did a rough count while distributing food earlier. The total is around thirty-five thousand."

"Enemies captured?"

"Three thousand eight hundred."

"Is the food supply sufficient?"

Fan Qingyue's face tightened with concern. "If we continue with the current rationing, the food in the warehouse will only last for six more days."

Ronald's brow furrowed. The food shortage had always been a looming problem. He had thought that the dried meat cakes he brought from the space would last longer, but now they were almost gone.

"Cuihua, how long until your crops are ready for harvest?"

Cuihua answered, "At least ten more days, Young Master."

"Ten days..." Ronald's voice trailed off in thought.

"Should we buy more food from the space?" he wondered internally. The silver stored in his space was precious, and using it all for food would stunt his territory's growth.

Liu Long noticed Ronald's troubled expression and hesitated before speaking up. "Young Master, should we send troops to eradicate the nearby bandit camps? It might alleviate the food shortage."

Ronald pondered for a moment and then shook his head. "The enemy's mountain strongholds are well-hidden, easy to defend but hard to attack. Traveling back and forth, and fighting, would take too much time. It's too late for that to help."