Published at 20th of January 2023 5:00 pm

Chapter 265

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The fire in the pier was extinguished on the fifth day. It was only possible with the help of rain.

The warehouse, where the food to go to the North was piled up, collapsed to the frame. Nearly half of the temporary warehouses in the capital army were also burned away.

The only thing that survived was the gunpowder warehouse, which the port officials and garrisoned units risked their lives to protect.

Two piers were turned to ashes. State-owned cargo ships and military ships that were anchored were also damaged.

The damage was not limited to state-owned property.

The embers blown away by the wind also ignited the warehouses of large grain and fabric merchants.

The damage to their property was indescribable.

“If the plague of the West is not extinguished quickly, there will be famine.”

An Interior Ministry official, who always offers a pessimistic outlook, said so.

The central part was fertile, but there were no large farms. Those with sufficient financial resources have already entered commerce and industry.

Buildings were built on the vacant land, and cows and pigs were raised. The farms were planted with expensive luxuries consumed by nobles, or fruits and vegetables that had to be harvested quickly because they easily wither.

Naturally, stocks were leaning west and east.

However, there was a plague in the West and conflict in the East.

If the plague is contained quickly in the West, it will be fine.

However, they have not yet found a cure other than the miracle of the divine power.

If this plague spreads across the West, it will ruin next year’s crop.

And even now while farming was not a problem, food could not be brought from a place where an unknown disease was circulating.

There was no law against bringing pestilences between people and livestock.

The central part is the center of logistics. It was no exaggeration to say that the plague spread throughout the Empire the moment it infected the central part.

The Eastern part was also difficult.

Grain will be piled up in the warehouses of the great landowners. But will those who fled in rebellion give it up with ease?

Of course, there were more who considered it an overly pessimistic view.

“The plague is not yet so serious. And even if the situation becomes a little more serious than it is now, the West can handle it well enough.”

“Because there is a new crop called Melbon. It’s a crop that you just have to plant, so even if the wheat crop is poor, there won’t be a famine.”

Then, there were those who said that the central part was fine.

“I’ll be honest. The Central is fine. The problem is in the North.”

At those words, all the officials became silent. The one who spoke out lamented.

“Whatever happens in the West and East, the price of grain in the Central will unconditionally rise absurdly. But we can’t wait for the price to stabilize. We have to set sail before the northern port freezes.”

To do this, they had to prepare a large amount of new supplies before autumn.

They would have requisitioned it from a grain dealer. This time, however, the granary’s warehouse was also damaged.

If they requisition from the undamaged capital and warehouses in the central region, they will not be able to handle the public resentment in the central part this time.

Moreover, it was not only grain that had to be requisitioned. Various munitions were also needed, including weapons.

It was also necessary to replace the burnt ship.

There was no way for the Emperor to hand over the munitions of the central army. In the end, it would also be an added burden to the people.

“If you subdue the criminal of treason…….”

The officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance who attended the meeting whispered amongst themselves in such a low voice.

Then, they looked at the generals of the military who were seated on the other side.

The Emperor was neglecting the eastern part of the country on the grounds that if he sent the army twice a year, the people’s livelihood would be in jeopardy.

But now that the situation has come, shouldn’t he establish the military for the livelihood of the people?

Even if it raises prices and increases the burden on people’s livelihoods equally, using armaments to subdue traitors would result in less backlash than requisitioning for the North.

Subdue some of the large landowners in the East to open the warehouse and confiscate the property. Then, grain, various essential resources, and ships were not difficult to obtain.

There was no voiced opinion to leave the North unattended.

The skirmish with Karam happens once every few years.

It was at the end of last year, so there is a high possibility that it won’t be this year.

So, it might not have been a problem if they didn’t supply supplies this year. They must have accumulated a stockpile to survive in the North for about a year.

Then, the burden of requisitioning ships was reduced.

But no one dared to say such a thing.

The Crown Prince was Grand Duke Evron. Who can come forward and say let’s leave the North alone?

Chancellor Lin coughed lightly.

The crowd quieted down. The door to the conference room opened just in time.

“The Crown Prince enters.”

said the attendant doing the opening and closing of the door.

Officials attending the meeting rose from their seats in unison.

Cedric sat in the empty seat to the right of the upper seat reserved for the Emperor.

And he beckoned the officials to sit down.

Lin said,

“You look tired. I heard you went home late last night, did you get some sleep?”

Cedric ran his hand over his face.

Needless to say he was tired.

The fire was five days long, but it took nearly two weeks for the follow up. He hadn’t slept at all during that time.

As Crown Prince and Grand Duke Evron, he had to deal with this.

And when he returned, only Artizea’s letter remained in the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“It’s okay. It’s not like I will fall asleep during a meeting.”

Cedric said in a voice cracked from fatigue.

“Your Highness…….”

Lin called to him in a sad voice.

Cedric let out a long sigh.

“What were you talking about?”

“We haven’t put it on the minutes of the meeting yet, but we were sharing our views on the grain price issue. After talking like this, sometimes a solution comes out…….”

An Interior Ministry official said,

“The grain dealers have already locked up their warehouse, Your Highness. For a forced requisition, you will have to rely on military force.”

Then, a Treasury official said,

“At such times, it is not uncommon for people to stock up in anticipation of price surges, Your Highness. If you try to pay the full price, the national treasury will not be able to afford it.”

said a Security official.

“We have to arrest some of the severe merchants, behead them as an example, and confiscate their property.”

Finally, Chancellor Lin let out a sigh without saying a word.

They would lose the public opinion either way. They sometimes had to risk it, but he was reluctant to do it as soon as Cedric was crowned Crown Prince.

It was so because it had to do with the affairs of the North.

If there is a person behind this, he will undoubtedly gather the rumors together.

The Crown Prince cherishes and loves only the North, and he intends to squeeze all other regions for the sake of the North.

And that would be a good excuse for the Emperor.

Cedric wiped his face once more.

“Fortunately, I have a way to solve some of those problems.”

“How?”

“The Crown Princess, last year’s grain loan, in the spring of this year…… was returned as Melbon of the same value. Before summer, she said that most of them were brought into warehouses in the central area.”

Not many people know what Melbon is. There were only a few of the Interior Ministry officials who did.

But they all turned bright.

“Given the value of wheat and Melbon, the quantity would be enormous.”

“Yes. Melbon grows even in the middle of winter, so it must have been a good spring harvest.”

“If it was saved in advance, the labor required for requisition would be reduced and there would be less risk of introducing a plague.”

Cedric sighed and said,

“If you mix and release the stockpiled grains and Melbon, you will be able to last for about a year without difficulty. It’s not even an area where we can judge the quality of grain.”

“The Crown Princess’ comprehension is beyond measure.”

Praise poured in.

Cedric nodded his head with a gloomy face.

Artizea’s collection of Melbon in advance had one purpose to revitalize the economy by leaving wheat in the West, but another purpose was to distribute Melbon to the North.

She wanted to spread it out as quickly as possible. However, in the North, it was difficult to produce in large quantities enough to be able to supply Melbon as a seed to all regions in a short period of time.

It was a winter thing to discuss with Artizea.

He never thought it would be used this way.

“It would be something to know for certain only by figuring out the quantity, but it can be said that the food problem is not urgent. The problem is with transportation.”

“It has been partially resolved. The Kingdom of Iantz decided to lend a transport ship for free.”

Cedric said. It was also arranged by Artizea.

[I simply left a word to Crown Prince Bernat. Don’t hesitate to use Iantz if you need it.]

Reading such a sentence in Artizea’s letter, he met Crown Prince Bernat.

Bernat immediately talked about lending a transport ship. Artizea said that she only left a word, but it seemed to have been talked about to a considerable extent.

Artizea was considerate of everything. In her letter, everything she could advise was left behind.

Except, the story about herself.

[I think it’s unlikely that the fire in the port was a coincidence.

I can’t write it here because it’s too risky. But keep in mind that if the person behind it exists, he knows not only what I did, but also what I discarded, and the plans I put as the foundation and plans that didn’t come to fruition.

This arguably served the same purpose in different ways. They will never stop burning supplies.

The first priority is to crack down on the North.]

All of those sentences were not something written by a wife to her husband, but by the strategist to her master.

[Do not resist His Majesty. Whatever the case, I’m sure you know better than ever that you have to stay where you are now in order to reduce future sacrifices.

Please keep Her Highness Natalia in the Crown Prince’s Palace. Don’t take your eyes off Leticia. Protecting the heir should take precedence over everything.

This also has to do with your maintaining the position as the Crown Prince.]

She even wrote down a request for her daughter that way.

And the one last sentence was written by a sinner.

[This is all my responsibility.]

Artizea must have been unaware of what she was doing wrong to him.

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