Stanton paused for a moment, and Yun Zhe had already gotten the answer he wanted.
The human trafficking operation indeed ended in Belvaldo. Stanton, unaware of the truth, instead began to mock them.
"Hahaha, you don't, you don't actually think that the elves brought so many people over there to create the Aruru people, do you!"
Yun Zhe was too lazy to argue. He had gained a lot from today's interrogation, and now his mind was full of information. He desperately needed a place to organize his thoughts.
Based on the information currently available, it can be concluded that the forces behind Omar and Emil are the very ones responsible for the tragic fate of Count Donic's family. Furthermore, according to this human trafficking route, they may also have colluded with the Belvedere royal family to wage war.
The only question is, would starting a war really be in their best interest?
In Yun Zhe's understanding, war is a desperate choice made when political or economic conflicts cannot be resolved, not a simple tool to be used at will. If these people are indeed colluding with foreign powers, what kind of pressure would drive them to take such a risk and act so brazenly?
Yun Zhe frowned and began searching his memory for relevant information. He eventually came to a rough guess: it was highly likely that a disagreement over the division of spoils led to a breakdown in negotiations, after which both sides took action.
Yun Zhe looked north through the castle window and suddenly realized what was going on.
This is probably what they mean by betting on both sides. It seems their bet in the north was successful. Having grasped the situation, Yun Zhe suddenly felt enlightened. He finally stepped out of the battle and began to examine this war, which had lasted for nearly a year, from a higher perspective.
In the very next few days, the battlefield underwent a dramatic transformation. Gérard Carlos suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of his brother, Juan Carlos, just as the royalist coalition launched a massive offensive. Then, the Duke of Fields raided the Marquis of Clayton's territory. His grain and livestock were looted, and his castle was burned to the ground. Upon receiving this news, Clayton, enraged and disregarding the advice of others, withdrew his troops to reinforce his own territory. As expected, he was ambushed by the Duke of Fields on the way. Of Clayton's nearly 20,000 troops, 5,000-6,000 were killed or wounded, and another 5,000-6,000 went missing. Clayton himself was also wounded by several arrows and was critically injured. He was forced to seek refuge at nearby Fort Wyle. Thus, the Marquis of Clayton temporarily lost two-thirds of his territory.
Meanwhile, the royalist forces, having lost Clayton's 20,000 men, were significantly weakened. Juan also lost his chance to kill his brother. The two sides faced each other across the river, finally stabilizing the battle line.
As for Yun Zhe's side, Duke Yassini's ace general, Graham, halted his expansion after taking control of Ordorf. It wasn't because the several Yun Zhe flags on the opposite bank of the river, clearly a bluff, intimidated him. Rather, General Graham, always suspicious and sensitive, and never underestimating any opponent, didn't want a direct conflict with Duke Field at this time.
Yes, it's the Duke of Field. General Graham understood perfectly well that the fox was arrogant because the tiger was behind it. And the reason those flags dared to stroll so openly along the riverbank was also because of the old man, the Duke of Field.
Moreover, after crossing the river, there was a vast plain with no natural defenses, and the transport routes were limited. In Graham's view, crossing the river would neither allow for a rapid expansion of the war effort nor guarantee absolute logistical security; it would be tantamount to walking into a trap.
Duke Asini was both angry and helpless about the general's decision. After all, the general was the only one under his command who could fight, and even if he disagreed, he couldn't replace him with someone else to command the troops.
“Just consider it a good holiday,” Asini sighed helplessly as he looked at the letter Graham had written to him.
Let's return to Yun Zhe. Yun Zhe understands that his opponent may be using a plague virus to destroy his rule, but how much time he has left remains a mystery. Yun Zhe also learns about the specifics of the plague outbreak. Based on the descriptions, it seems to be a combination of bubonic plague and cholera. Therefore, he convenes a meeting of all his generals, temporarily halts training, and focuses all efforts on improving sanitation, eliminating rats, building makeshift shelters, and protecting water sources such as wells and rivers.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhe demanded that all refugees drink boiled water, an unexpected requirement that greatly displeased them. However, due to the winter season, it wasn't too difficult to implement. The only problem was that the refugees preferred to boil the water to 50-60 degrees Celsius rather than fully boiling it. This gave Yun Zhe a major headache. On the other hand, the elves found Yun Zhe's demand for boiled water utterly incomprehensible and offensive. They were very confident in their water and even thought Yun Zhe was deliberately causing trouble. Helpless, Yun Zhe could only collect the water, boil it himself, and then distribute it. Upon learning of Yun Zhe's handling of the water provided by the elves, the elves angrily cut off his water supply. Had it not been for the intervention of the Elf Prince, a conflict would have been inevitable.
Besides, deciding where to settle the refugees was also a headache. Fortunately, some of the refugees followed Yun Zhe's arrangements and went to Herak Village, north of the castle. In addition, some of the refugees went to River Valley Village.
Although the people were separated, Yun Zhe was still uneasy about the possible impending plague.
As the days passed and the weather grew colder, Yun Zhe's efforts to combat the plague gradually yielded results. Finally, a few days before the Winter Solstice, the last group of refugees moved into makeshift houses. Rats, bedbugs, fleas, and the like were less common, and the roads no longer smelled of the past.
What makes Yun Zhe happiest is that more and more people are starting to accept boiled water.
Of course, the search for vagrants was also underway, and thirteen people like Stanton were arrested. At the same time, some thugs, brothel owners, loan sharks, and gambling ringleaders were also dragged out of the castle by Yun Zhe and driven away.
However, the Belvado spy was never found. As for Gao Chaizeng and Oma Emil, they also vanished without a trace.
The population has also largely stabilized, with over 6,300 households of refugees settling in Yun Zhe's territory. Although this number is much lower than initially expected, it is still roughly equivalent to the population of an earl's territory.
Despite holding the title of baron, he possessed the potential of an earl. Yun Zhe began to feel a glimmer of hope for the future.
On that very day, Ellie brought Usa to Yunzhe's place. Serena also led her troops back to her loyal Donic Castle.
The Winter Solstice Festival is approaching.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
