The moonlight was hazy, and insects chirped in the grass. Claude sat by the campfire and stared at the woods in the distance, where there were terrible monsters.

He and his team of paladins had been trapped in this humble camp for more than twenty days, and these days, some people were gone, and many more were coming. It was originally a camp of more than 1,000 people, but now there are more than 2,000 people.

Claude was confused, he had been following the teachings of the Paladin, trying to help all those who needed help, but the result of his efforts was to make these people fall into a more difficult life. There is a lack of food and clothing, not even enough shacks, and many people just sleep on the ground. Claude had to admit that the shantytowns in Blackcastle were many times stronger than here.

Recently, the food quota in the camp has been reduced again, with only half a piece of brown bread and a sweet potato per person, and the vast majority of people do not have enough to eat. Claude knew that the baron had done his best, after all, consuming 800 loaves of bread a day was a big burden for the young pioneer lord. Claude learned from the lord's guards that all of their lords together were less than 1,200 people. Now, these 1,200 people have to feed not only themselves, but also more than 2,000 people in the camp, which is equivalent to one person feeding three people.

Claude knew that more people would gather here, and that failure to resolve the issue soon would be catastrophic.

Claude also knew that it was no longer a matter of the ferocious wolves, but that he had to persuade the baron to abolish the division of work, otherwise the freedmen would come in a steady stream, and the lords here would not be able to support too many people.

Just as Claude was pondering how to convince the lord, a gradual footstep came to his ears.

"Captain Claude, you're here, and it's going to make me look for a while. ”

The familiar voice made Claude put down the mace in his hand, and he said, "Green, you haven't slept yet?"

A young man sat cross-legged next to Claude and chuckled, "I can't sleep, come and talk to you." ”

Then he leaned over again and whispered, "During the day, I caught a fat gopher and hid it until now, just when it was roasted, and we were half of us." ”

The young man skillfully threaded the fat gopher gopher through a branch and set it up on the campfire to turn it around, and Claude felt a burst of warmth.

Green was a little thin and pale, he had fiery red hair, a pair of piercing eyes, and a kind smile on his face, which looked both energetic and pleasant. He had joined the camp ten days earlier, and now he had taken Biddy's place as Claude's helper.

Biddy was already dead, and not long after he arrived, Biddy secretly led a few people to try to penetrate deep into the territory, but they were confronted by a ferocious wolf, and Biddy became the first to die under the fangs of the ferocious wolf. Then there were many more daring men, who tried to penetrate the territory in droves, some of them died, some fled, some disappeared, at least the lord's guards said that no one had reached their camp.

The news of the ferocious wolves was confirmed, and there were no less than three, and no one dared to leave the camp again. The reluctant freedfolk began to beg the guards to escort them to the lord's castle, but were ruthlessly refused. So they turned to the paladin, and Claude did another stupid thing, and he agreed. Eventually, there was a riot in the camp for a place in the camp. Helpless in the face of the riots, the lord's guards stood by and watched, but fortunately Grimm and a group of men stopped the riots with sticks and whips, so he took Bydy's place and brought order to the camp.

The three-pound fat gopher gradually turned golden brown under the scorching flame, and a few drops of grease rolled into the bonfire, making a "pop" and "pop" explosion, and the tempting aroma spread, Claude couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Green pulled out a knife and quickly split the gopher in two, handing the smaller one to Claude. Claude took the scented gopher, hesitated, and took a hard bite. He just thought that this roast gopher meat without any condiments was so delicious.

"Green, can you believe it? I haven't eaten meat in half a year. Claude swallowed the tender and crispy gopher meat and said with emotion.

Green blinked and asked suspiciously, "Is life so difficult for the Paladin?"

"No, our paladin's food is still good, but when we got to Blackcastle, we distributed the meat to the children in the shantytown, you know those little ones are growing and they need more nutrients. Claude said with a smile.

Green pursed his lips, tore off a large piece of gopher meat, and muttered, "You're such a noble man." ”

"I'm just doing what I have to do, we holy warriors have been living in monasteries since childhood, and the monks have always taught us that it is the people who have fed us and have mercy on the people. Only in this way will you not lose yourself because of the great power and eventually degenerate into the devil. Claude sighed.

Green nodded solemnly: "Your teacher is really a wise elder, and his strength is like a double-edged sword, which can hurt both others and himself. ”

Claude's eyes moved: "Green, you don't look like an ignorant free man, what did you do before, why did you come to this remote place?"

"Actually, I'm a noble kid, can you believe it?" said Green with a grin.

"I don't believe it!" Claude shook his head.

If he was really a nobleman, he would not have become a freeman anyway, and even if no family was willing to accept him, the wealthy vassals would be happy to make him their son-in-law. This bit of common sense, Claude still knows.

"You saw through it, I really wish I was a noble child, but unfortunately I am just the youngest son of a vassal, I once served as an attendant to the noble lord, and before I could get out of the way, the lord of my family was imprisoned by the emperor, so I have always been a free man. Now, I want to try my luck too. I didn't expect there to be so many people. Green smiled wryly.

Claude was silent for a while, and said indignantly: "Damn the war, I really don't understand why these lords don't put force on opening up territories, but use it for internal fighting?"

There was a moment of silence, except for the crackling of the campfire.

After a while, Claude said: "Green, you have served the nobles, you can help me think about it, how can I persuade Baron Victor to abolish the division of work system?"

"Why?" asked Green, frowning.

"I know that you also want to join the division of work so that you can be promoted to a vassal in a few years. But, do you see? The territory is still very immature, and there are still ferocious wolves in action, and the baron can't even exterminate them, so he can only take the people to the castle with them. If you continue to consume like this, there will be a big mess. Claude whispered.

"I've also thought about taking everyone through the territory of the Vicious Wolves and into the hinterland of Victor's territory. But what to do next? There are not enough fortifications in the territory to protect more than 2,000 people, so let them scatter outside? And then, every day, a few people are dragged out of the hut by the ferocious wolves for dinner? Well, even if we exterminate the ferocious wolves, the baron will not be able to feed so many people! There is not even much arable land here. ”

"Green, the root of the problem is not the ferocious wolf at all, but the baron's division of work, and as long as his division system is not abolished for a day, there will be a steady stream of people who will come to try their luck. Maybe three thousand, maybe four thousand, maybe more. That's a disaster. Therefore, only by abolishing the division of work system can we avoid disaster. ”

Claude said with a solemn voice, his eyes shining, he had been pondering this matter these days, and now he had thought clearly.

"Why?"

Green's flat tone stunned Claude, and he didn't understand how a person as smart as Green could obsessively want to join the work system?

"Why destroy the hopes of others for the sake of some? Are they wrong? Are the lord's lords and guards at fault?"

There was a sharpness in Green's calm gaze, which shocked Claude, and he was speechless for a moment in the face of cross-examination.

"Because we don't have it, so we don't want it, and it's too peaceful? Just like the last time, you had to escort some of the people to the baron's castle, and what happened? Because some people couldn't go, they made trouble, and everyone else didn't go! Isn't that funny?! If somebody has children and somebody doesn't have children, what do you do? Kill the child? Nobody want to have it? You will hang this kind of person. Really?"

Green's questions were like a hammer that blessed the Holy Sword Technique, constantly knocking at Claude's heart, shattering his preconceived notions.

"You, what do you think?" asked Claude, his mind like a mush at the moment.

"Yes, Captain Claude, that's what I think. Green nodded solemnly, "You see, Victor, as a lord, declares executive orders in his own territory, and this is his right. It is their duty for his people and guards to support their lords. And it is also our own will that those of us who have traveled thousands of miles here to pursue a bright future. There's nothing wrong with any of that. ”

"Could it be that the ferocious wolves are wrong? But these beasts ran so fast that we couldn't find them when they drilled into the purple cane forest. Claude said incoherently.

Green almost spurted out a mouthful of old blood, but for the sake of his mission, he still explained: "Of course the ferocious wolf can't be caught, the area of Victor's territory is too large, the terrain is complicated, and there are many wild boars here, which is the ideal habitat for ferocious wolves." But that's not the point. Didn't you say that the ferocious wolf is not the root of the problem! ”

"I, me?" said Claude, the boss with his mouth open, pointing his oily fingers to his nose in disbelief.

"Yes, the problem is with you! You take responsibility that you shouldn't have, you give these people hope that they shouldn't have. ”

"But I have protected them, I am a paladin, and it is my duty. ”

"It's not your job to protect these people from taking jobs. Look at the people in this camp. For example, me. I came from a squire background, I don't know how to farm, I don't have skills, and I can't find a job in Blackcastle, so I wanted to try my luck here. Look at them again, but no one who can endure hardship will be exiled here. ”

"These people are not stupid, they understand that the division of work system cannot satisfy everyone, so they are staring here, not only wanting to join the system, but also thinking about not allowing others to join the system. That's why when you lead the team out, they riot. If you hadn't set up camp here to protect them, these people would have returned to Blackcastle a long time ago, and the people who came here wouldn't have gathered more and more. Captain Claude, no one can be held accountable for their choices, they must be accountable for themselves. ”

"Why are you still here?" Claude asked, in a whisper.

"Like them, I want to try my luck, but you asked me and I told you what I thought, it's as simple as that. Green nibbled on the roast gopher nonchalantly.

"So what should I do? I can't sit back and watch disaster happen. Claude muttered.

"You should go back decisively, take away those who are willing to go back with you, and tell those who want to try their luck here, everything here. This is the best option. The longer it drags on, the more serious the consequences. Green suggested with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Even if there is no camp, there will still be people. ”

"Yes, they may succeed in joining the division system, they may die in the wolf's belly, they may escape, but they will not stay here. Everyone is responsible for themselves, isn't it?" Green shrugged.

"If I take people back, how many people will be willing to go with me?, and how will the food problem be solved?" Claude asked with a frown, he was convinced.

"It's not going to be easy here, as long as you announce your return to Blacksburgh, there will be a lot of people going back with you. The food can be handed over to the lord to solve, and the baron will definitely find a way. ”

Grimm had heard that Madame had given Victor a full fifty thousand gold soles, and that the little baron was definitely rich, and that no food was a problem.

"You're right! I'm going to talk to the baron's guards about it. ”

Claude turned and walked away, pausing and saying sincerely to Green, "Thank you, my friend. ”

Watching the paladin disappear from view, Green's expression was a little complicated, and he muttered to himself in an inaudible voice, "What a sincere fool. ”

Green is the leader of the Blood Fox Bandits, and it was on the orders of the Earl of York that he brought a dozen of his men to the freedmen. In order to complete the tasks ordered by the House of York, Green must take control of the camp, and the Paladin becomes an obstacle for him, so he tries to get Claude out of the way. Now, he's succeeded.

"The little baron's luck is really good, I robbed him of the essence, and the lady gave him 50,000 gold soles, and became the lady's little lover, the freedmen came to storm the territory, and there happened to be a fierce wolf blocking the road, and then when I took control of this camp, he really had no risk at all. I guess he's sleeping with that pretty girl in his arms right now. Hey, I'm so miserable, there's nothing here but rats. Green thought with some jealousy.

A gust of wind blew, and a dark cloud covered the bright moon, and it was about to rain.