Chapter 123* The Canned Food Psychological Warfare The first rays of morning sunlight shone...
The first rays of morning sunlight shone on the majestic spires of the Caslan family castle. The weather was unbelievably fine; the azure sky was cloudless, as if cheering for a grand procession.
At the castle gate, a grand convoy was already ready to depart.
The scene appeared exceptionally harmonious, filled with an atmosphere of peace. At the head of the procession were a dozen or so magnificent carriages crafted from fine nanmu wood, their bodies carved with olive branch reliefs symbolizing peace, and white flags fluttering in the morning breeze. On each of these "gift carriages," the words "Kaslan Friendship Supplies" were clearly written in the common language of the mainland, as if to ensure that everyone knew they were there to deliver warmth and goodwill.
However, beneath this facade of peace lay a completely different scene. Behind the wagons stretched a massive transport convoy of two hundred heavily loaded wagons, stretching for miles. Beneath the heavy tarpaulins, neatly stacked crates of supplies and carefully wrapped weapons gleaming with a cold metallic sheen could be vaguely seen.
Ryan von Kaslan, dressed in a well-tailored white aristocratic suit with the family's silver crest on his chest, stood in front, a gentle yet confident smile on his face.
"Peace negotiations? Of course, it's peace negotiations." He looked at the team before him, half angels and half devils, and sneered inwardly. "However, my sincerity is contained in those two thousand cases of Hope Brand canned goods that can make dwarves weep; my goodwill is hidden in the Hope Town special ale that can make you forget your troubles. As for the negotiating table... tsk, that's just a dessert for those who can't resist temptation."
“Young master,” a young girl named Arya, dressed as a maid, hurried to Ryan’s side and draped a sun-protective cloak over him, her voice filled with worry, “Dwarves are notoriously stubborn… Will this… really work?”
“Stubborn?” Ryan’s smile widened. “That’s because they haven’t encountered real delicacies yet. Remember, Arya, there are only two kinds of people in this world—those who have eaten Hope Town canned food, and those who are about to eat Hope Town canned food.”
It's as if canned food is some kind of brainwashing magic... But then again, for hungry people, delicious food is indeed more effective than any preaching.
He turned to look at Captain Renault, the bodyguard who was whispering instructions to several squad leaders: "Renault, is everything ready?"
Renault stepped forward and bowed: "Young Master, rest assured. Everything has been arranged perfectly. I guarantee there will be no mishaps."
Just then, a small commotion caught Ryan's attention. A young guard who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old was furtively trying to stuff two bulging earthenware jars into his baggage next to his saddle. The movement was too large, and one of the jars slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a clatter, revealing the glistening, fragrant, spicy rabbit meat inside.
"You brat!" Renault's face darkened, and he was about to step forward and reprimand him.
Ryan smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry about it. He looked at the young guard who was pale with fright and at a loss, and simply said, "Hide it better next time. Remember, if you get hungry on the way, remember to share half with Captain Renault."
The young guard was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with joy and gratitude, and he nodded repeatedly.
The convoy slowly started moving, its massive wheels rumbling over the hard stone pavement. The procession marched out of the castle, heading south towards the mountainous land of the Iron Kingdom.
Along the way, they passed through many villages and towns. The people, who were already used to the mobilization of the Caslan family's army, simply peeked out curiously at this strange convoy, which seemed to be going to attend a congratulatory event in the first half and going to war in the second half, and discussed it among themselves.
Ryan sat in the most ornate carriage, not appreciating the scenery along the way. His gaze remained fixed on the long tail of the caravan, his mind replaying the impending war without gunpowder.
Sometimes, the most terrifying war is not the clash of swords, but the surrender of the enemy without their knowledge.
...
The Forge Court, the most fortified stronghold of the Dwarven Kingdom, stands silently amidst the rolling mountains, like a colossal steel beast crouching on the earth.
The thick, black iron walls, heavy enough to withstand the impact of a dragon, were densely packed with dwarven guards clad in heavy armor and wielding battle axes and giant hammers. Their eyes were resolute and solemn, fixed intently on the open, rocky plain outside the city.
Ryan's convoy lined up neatly at a safe distance from the city walls' arrow range.
There were no war drums, no bugles. Only hundreds of white flags, symbols of peace, fluttered silently in the valley wind.
Soon, the city gates slowly opened. A convoy of envoys, escorted by ten heavily armored dwarven guards, emerged. Leading them was an old general with white hair and beard, his face etched with scars and the marks of time.
"I am Ironbeard." The old general's voice was booming and full of metallic quality. "Humans, state your purpose."
Ryan spurred his horse forward, stopped ten meters away from the other party, dismounted, and performed a standard noble salute.
“General Ironbeard, I have long admired your name.” His voice was gentle and polite, which was out of place with the solemn atmosphere around him. “My name is Ryan von Kaslan. I have come here on the orders of my father, Duke Kaslan, and His Majesty the Kingdom, to conduct a friendly peace negotiation with you, which aims to resolve the dispute and reopen trade routes.”
He handed over a prepared diplomatic statement.
The adjutant behind General Tiexu took it, glanced at it briefly, and then whispered a few words in the general's ear.
After hearing this, General Ironbeard gave a sneer of utter contempt.
"Peace negotiations?" He snorted heavily. "We dwarves have heard far too many of humanity's sweet talk! How many alliances have you torn up and how many promises have you broken over the centuries? Now you want to use a few empty words to deceive us and gain our trust?"
He pointed to the Forge Royal Court behind him, his voice like a roar: "This is the homeland forged by the blood and sweat of the dwarves. We need no hypocritical pity or charity from you! Go back and tell your dukes and kings that the dignity of the Forge Royal Court is inviolable!"
“General, you misunderstand.” Ryan maintained his smile, a smile that, to General Ironbeard, was utterly hypocritical. “We are not here to buy dignity; we are here to save lives. Dignity is important, but when you’re hungry, can words fill your stomach?”
"Shameless!" General Ironbeard was completely enraged by these words. He suddenly drew his battle axe from his waist, and his terrifying killing intent instantly locked onto Ryan.
Ryan simply shrugged calmly. "You're right. So it seems today's negotiations can't continue. In that case, I won't bother you any longer. However... I can't just take these friendship supplies I brought back empty-handed, can I? Since the generals and nobles don't need them, I'll have to distribute them outside the city to those who truly need them. After all, the Caslan family has always been known for its generosity."
After saying this, he turned around and calmly returned to his own camp without waiting for General Ironbeard's reaction.
Negotiations broke down.
General Ironbeard trembled with rage, yet he was helpless. He couldn't very well order a war just because of a few provocations from the other side; that would only play into the hands of humanity.
He could only watch helplessly as Ryan's troops set up camp outside the city, and then... they really started doing charity work.
...
"Gentlemen, from this moment on, we are about to wage an unprecedented war." Ryan returned to the camp and, in the makeshift command tent, addressed his equally bewildered core team. "This war will not be bloody, but fragrant."
On a huge map, he circled the four city gates surrounding the Forge Court.
“The East Gate has the largest flow of people, mostly ordinary people and craftsmen. We set up a free relief station there, featuring the newly developed [Tomato Fish Canned Food] from Hope Town, which is sweet and sour, appetizing, and suitable for all ages.”
"The south gate is close to the mining area and the wounded soldiers' camp. Set up a medical point there, and in addition to distributing some basic herbs, also supply a fixed amount of [blood-nourishing and body-strengthening chicken liver pâté canned goods] to supplement nutrition."
"The West Gate is the area where nobles and wealthy merchants lived. Let's set up a children's care center there, specially providing children's favorite [honey and fruit canned goods]."
"As for the North Gate, it's the main passage for garrison rotation and patrols. We'll set it up as a veterans' comfort station, providing the most hardcore 'braised pork canned goods' and five hundred barrels of Hope Town special ale that can make dwarves forget their troubles."
“Remember,” his eyes gleamed with a cunning, fox-like light, “our attitude must be friendly, but not servile. When any dwarf comes to collect, do not ask his name, his origin, or any additional conditions. Control the daily supply, give them hope, but do not let them be easily satisfied. Let them know that this warmth and deliciousness comes from outside the city, from us.”
On the first day, smoke rose from the campsites outside the city.
A huge iron pot simmered with bright red tomato fish soup. The sweet and sour aroma, mixed with the freshness of the fish, seemed to have grown wings and rode the valley wind, stubbornly penetrating every corner of the Furnace Royal Court.
On the city wall, the young dwarf sentinel Balg Bronzebeard sniffed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
"Captain...this smell...it seems...it seems to be fish?"
"Don't look, don't smell, that's a human trick!" The old captain beside him, with his granite-like face, shouted sternly.
“But… I haven’t had a hot meal in three days…” Balg muttered to himself.
"Shut up! We are warriors of the Forge Court. The pride of the dwarves must not be tarnished!"
"...But pride can't fill an empty stomach..."
By noon, a few of the weakest-looking dwarf civilians, who were starving and could hardly stand it, mustered their courage and sneaked out of the city gate.
The staff at Camp Ryan immediately greeted them warmly, without asking a single question, and simply smiled as they handed them a bowl of steaming tomato fish soup and a piece of soft white bread.
The moment the sweet and sour hot soup slid down her throat, a young dwarf girl burst into tears.
As evening approached, the crowd of onlookers began to grow. A dozen or so dwarves lingered outside the city gate for a long time, but in the end, their desire for food overcame their pride and concerns.
They handled the canned food with utmost care, as if undergoing some kind of mystical ritual. Afterwards, a deep sense of satisfaction mixed with a touch of guilt was clearly etched on their simple faces.
Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal. This principle applies to every race.
...
On the third day, the qualitative change began.
Outside the east gate, a long queue had spontaneously formed. The dwarves were no longer sneaking around as before, but were now in groups of three or five, exchanging their experiences of eating over the past two days.
"Hey, have you tried that canned meat?" The dwarf nudged his companion with his elbow, his face beaming with ecstasy. "It's amazing! Let me tell you, it smells so good it could steal your soul!"
"Come on, canned meat is nothing. Tomato fish is the real delicacy. That broth, soaking in the white bread they give out, tsk tsk..."
“You’re all so superficial. Yesterday at the West Gate, I got my darling a can of fruit preserves, and guess what? After my daughter finished eating it, she hugged my leg and said it was the best thing she’d ever eaten in her life.”
"But...didn't the eldest prince say that this was a human conspiracy?"
"So what if it's a conspiracy? It doesn't cost any money anyway." A dwarf craftsman who looked rather shrewd rolled his eyes. "Besides, we can barely even get moldy porridge in the city, so what right do we have to complain about human conspiracies?"
The bustling activity outside the city contrasted sharply with the gloomy atmosphere inside.
The aroma of roasted meat still wafted through the Crown Prince's palace, but the atmosphere at the dining table was unusually tense.
In the working-class district, the fires in every household had gone out, and only the faint cries of children from hunger echoed in the empty streets. Sneaking out of town to collect canned food had become an open secret.
Even within the defending forces, wavering began to emerge.
Nighttime, atop the city walls.
Balgh Bronzebeard was on duty. The campfires outside the city flickered, and the aroma of food tantalized his senses like the devil's claws. His stomach growled involuntarily.
"Damn it..." he cursed, then looked around to make sure no one was watching.
Three days have passed. He has secretly slipped out of the city under the glorious pretext of "going deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence" and eaten canned food three times. The first time was tomato fish soup, the second time was braised pork with ale, and the third time... he even secretly brought a can back and hid it under his bed.
“I’m doing this for the Forge Royal Court…” he said to himself seriously, “Understanding the enemy’s food composition is also part of intelligence work.”
Heavy footsteps sounded behind him. It was Captain Iron Face.
Balg immediately stood at attention, looking wary, and stared intently at the outside of the city.
Iron Face walked up to him and remained silent for a long time, so long that Balger's heart was about to jump out of his throat.
Suddenly, he asked, "Is it good?"
Barger trembled with fear: "Captain, I...I was wrong..."
Iron Face just sighed deeply: "Don't explain. I saw you yesterday."
Balg was so ashamed that he wanted to jump off the city wall on the spot.
But Iron Face's next words made his eyes widen, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
"...That braised pork canned food, is it really...really as delicious as you say?"
...
The atmosphere in the eldest prince's war room was as oppressive as a volcano about to erupt.
"If this continues, we'll collapse from within without any human attack!" General Ironbeard slammed a stack of reports on the table and roared angrily.
“Yesterday, another fifty commoners secretly left the city to collect canned food. This time… this time even the families of the garrison soldiers went.” A noble representative’s face was ashen.
“What’s worse is that the soldiers are starting to waver. This morning on patrol, I overheard three sentries discussing which type of canned human food would go better with alcohol!” The intelligence officer’s voice was filled with despair.
"Enough!" The eldest prince, Thorek, his face already ashen, stood up abruptly, interrupting everyone's argument.
He paced restlessly back and forth in the operations room. They were caught in a dilemma.
Finally, he stopped and coldly said to the guard beside him, "Take me to the dungeon."
In the dark, damp dungeon, Stonefist Furyhammer, or rather, Uncle Stonefist of Hopetown, leaned calmly against the wall. Although his hands and feet were bound by heavy shackles, his eyes remained resolute.
"Look what you've done!" Sorek angrily questioned his cousin, who was related to him by blood but whose beliefs were completely opposite to his own. "If you hadn't foolishly trusted humanity back then, would we be in this state today?"
“The foolish thing is not believing, but refusing to believe,” Stone Fist replied calmly.
"Shut up! Humans have never been trustworthy! History has proven this time and time again..."
"History has proven time and again that those who remain stagnant and closed off will only perish." Stone Fist interrupted him. "Go out and see those tribesmen lining up outside the city to receive human canned food. Their feet have already made the choice for you."
"That's because they're weak. A true dwarf would never sell their dignity for a meal!"
“A real dwarf?” Stonefist gave a bitter laugh. “When children are so hungry they can’t cry, when the old are too sick to get out of bed, when our warriors don’t even have the strength to grip their battle axes… tell me, what is a real dwarf? Is it stubbornly waiting to die here, or is it setting aside that pointless pride and seeking a glimmer of hope?”
Sorek was silent for a moment: "You...you're blaming me?"
“I just want you to understand that my choice to cooperate with humanity back then was not betrayal, but for the future of the Forge Court.” Stonefist shook his head. “Looking back now, my methods may have been flawed, but the direction was right.”
"The future? Your future is for our people to line up like beggars, receiving handouts from humans?"
“Brother,” Stone Fist used this term for the first time, an affectionate way they addressed each other when they were young, practicing martial arts together in the royal court’s backyard, “that’s not charity, that’s an opportunity. Can’t you see? That human named Ryan doesn’t need to attack the city at all. He just needs to wait, wait for us to collapse from within. Instead of that, why not take the initiative to the negotiating table, at least… we can still salvage some dignity for our people?”
"Dignity? What dignity is there in surrendering?"
“Who says negotiation is surrender?” Stone Fist retorted. “Didn’t your father sign trade alliances with human kingdoms back then? Was that also surrender?”
Thorek was moved by those words, but still firmly replied, "That's different!"
“Brother…” Shi Quan sighed deeply, “You know in your heart that we lost. Not on the battlefield, but in the times. The world is changing, and closing ourselves off will only leave us far behind. I made a mistake, but the mistake wasn’t choosing to cooperate, but failing to find the right way to cooperate. If you continue to be so stubborn, the mistakes you make will only be bigger than mine.”
"This isn't like you."
"Because in the years I've been abroad, especially in the last year or so, I've really seen and learned a lot from people."
Thorek remained silent for a long, long time. Finally, without saying another word, he turned and strode away from the dungeon.
"You should reflect on your actions. Once I have defeated humanity, I will come back to hear your insights."
Shi Quan watched his departing figure and simply shook his head.
"You know, we can't defeat them. Not that we can't defeat their army, but that we can't defeat the hope of our people to survive."
...
The next morning, Balg Bronzebeard was summoned to the captain's office.
"Reporting, sir!" He stood at attention and saluted, trying to remain calm. "Um... I've been conducting reconnaissance deep into enemy territory for three consecutive days and have obtained a wealth of valuable intelligence!"
The iron-faced captain said expressionlessly, "Oh? Tell me about it."
Barger reported solemnly, "Through my careful observation, canned food for humans mainly falls into three categories: fish, meat, and fruit. Tomato fish soup is the most popular, but braised pork canned food has the highest nutritional value, while fruit canned food is most attractive to children..."
"So, you tried everything over the past three days?"
"How can we find out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses if we don't try it ourselves..." Balg said guiltily.
Iron Face sighed deeply: "Alright, stop acting." He pulled a forged civilian pass from his drawer. "Tonight, you and the men of the Third Squad are going to scout outside the city. Remember, don't wear military uniforms."
Balger was stunned: "Captain, what's wrong...?"
"Go ahead." Iron Face waved his hand wearily. "Anyway... it doesn't matter anymore."
There were too many implications in those words for Balger to process them all at once. Was the captain...giving up? Or tacitly approving? Or perhaps, even the captain found human canned food surprisingly appealing?
At night, Ryan's tent was brightly lit.
Arya was giving him an update: "...Young Master, the number of people coming to collect food today has exceeded five hundred. This includes at least thirty garrison soldiers disguised as civilians. Some people in the city have started openly discussing it, saying, 'Perhaps peace talks wouldn't be such a bad thing...'"
“Very good.” Ryan put down the report in his hand, a look of relief on his face. “Inform the kitchen to increase the supply starting tomorrow. Also, tell them that they can prepare some more refined dishes.”
Arya's eyes lit up: "You mean..."
Ryan smiled and picked up the ale on the table: "The walls are already cracking. Next, we need to let those high-ranking nobles and generals smell the aroma too. Pride, when faced with delicious food, often... doesn't last long."
After all, human nature is universal. Whether you are a nobleman or a commoner, a general or a soldier, you need to eat when you're hungry; that's a fact no one can change.
As night fell, the walls of the Forge Kingdom still stood majestically, but at their feet, scattered campfires, like seeds of hope, were quietly sprouting in the darkness and gradually connecting into one.
On the city wall, Balg Bronzebeard gazed at the warm firelight and subconsciously touched the empty can he had licked clean in his arms. The emblem of the Hope Merchant Guild, composed of gears, ears of wheat, and a sacred tree, gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
“Perhaps…” he murmured to himself, “war doesn’t necessarily have to end with swords.”
In the distance, Ryan stood outside his tent, also gazing in the direction of the Forge Royal Court. He raised his wine glass, offering a distant toast to the steel city that was about to surrender without a fight to the allure of food.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is just the beginning."
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