In the span of several days, Windrise City was thrown into turmoil.
The war of invasion, spearheaded by Count Moye, the lord of Elk City, came to a complete halt after five days.
The entire territory of Lord Highros City was seized.
Rumors abounded that Highros perished in the invasion, while others whispered he fled with his wealth. Regardless of which was true, the seventy-two-city structure of Windrise City became history.
Count Moye became the first lord to seize another city's territory since the Old Prince’s departure.
He was also the only lord in Windrise City to possess two main cities.
This event sent shockwaves throughout Windrise City. Although the lords of various cities had their grievances and constant friction amongst themselves, the seizure of resource cities or small city-states was a common occurrence.
No one had expected a lord to be so ruthless as to conquer another's main city. This had altered the mindset of other lords within Windrise City.
The ambitious intentions of powerful cities gradually surfaced, while weaker cities, living in constant fear, began to form alliances to ensure their safety.
Cities surrounding Elk City dispatched heavy troops to guard their borders, vigilantly watching for any moves by Moye.
Coinciding with this city-conquering incident, small-scale conflicts frequently erupted around Windrise City. Camps outside Windrise City were inexplicably attacked. The attackers' identities were unknown, and they offered no quarter, launching direct assaults on the camps.
Due to the vast disparity in strength between the camps and the attackers,
the camps around Windrise City were utterly incapable of resisting, ultimately resulting in their destruction. However, the attackers seemed uninterested in the camp dwellers.
Their sole objective was resource plundering and dismantling camps for materials.
They did not harm lives.
Within a mere five days, over seventy percent of the camps surrounding Windrise City were overrun. Knowing that the attackers did not intend to kill them, some camps simply surrendered.
Resistance would yield no different outcome, so surrender was the better option.
Survival in the earth-caverns had always been a matter of the strong preying on the weak. They had once been the aggressors in resource acquisition, and now being robbed meant they were simply outmatched, with no room for complaint.
There was nothing to resent!
The attackers' strength was on an entirely different level. Given that they were willing to stoop to plundering them, what reason did they have to struggle?
Consequently, when these rogue elements appeared, the camps immediately raised white flags.
"Take whatever resources you desire."
Under normal circumstances, such news would have reached the desks of other city lords. However, Moye’s conquest of Highros City had shifted their focus away from Windrise City.
Windrise City was indeed a piece of cake that many powerful figures behind them were eyeing.
The issue was, if they couldn't even protect their own cities, how could they possibly talk about dividing the cake? A single misstep would see them become the very food being divided.
With the camps outside the city razed, the only path to survival for the camp leaders and dwellers was Windrise City.
This series of chain reactions led to a surge in Windrise City's population.
"My Lord City Lord, I am eternally grateful."
The camp leader bowed and scraped profusely before Chen Yu, his gratitude so profound that if he were a maiden of marriageable age, he would have wished to marry Chen Yu.
"We were neighbors once, and we are family in the future. It is only right,"
Chen Yu said with a gentle smile, handing the official document in his hand to the camp leader.
"Take this document and seek out City Lord Klay. He will designate a territory for you with a seventy-year usage period for your people to inhabit."
"Seventy years?" The camp leader’s expression showed surprise as he clutched the document.
Throughout history, territories in the earth-caverns had always been owned outright by the purchasers; there had never been talk of usage periods for land.
While seventy years was not a short time, it was not particularly long for the people of the earth-caverns.
Most people in the earth-caverns could live for a century, and if they cultivated to the Iron, Bronze, Silver, or higher realms, their lifespans would increase accordingly.
This was why the old king and the old prince of the Tatu Kingdom had remained unchanged since the kingdom's inception.
"Our Windrise City is undergoing reforms. The remuneration system and tax policies have undergone significant changes compared to those issued by the Tatu Kingdom," Chen Yu explained patiently. "Among these reforms is land reform. All territories within Windrise City will be collectivized. You can purchase building plots or land for farming and livestock within the city, with a usage period of seventy years. Upon the expiration of the seventy-year term, you may choose to renew the purchase, and the renewal fee will be significantly lower. This is to prevent the situation you encountered from recurring."
Only then did the camp leader grasp the situation, and Chen Yu continued with a smile.
"Regarding our previous land sales in Windrise City, we sold it and washed our hands of it. If your camp was destroyed, it was your own issue. Now, with the collective land ownership system in place, your land belongs to you, but it also belongs to the city. If any issues arise, Windrise City will not stand idly by. Furthermore, to assist you, the territories allocated to you within the city are provided without charge. You only need to pay the fees later, and the fees are not particularly high."
"This..."
The camp leader was instantly stunned and thumped his chest in regret.
He hated it!
If Windrise City had implemented the collective land ownership policy earlier, their camp would not have suffered such a severe blow, and decades of hard work would have been in vain.
Seeing the regret in the camp leader's heart, Chen Yu patted his shoulder.
"We cannot change what has happened, but the future is in our hands. Isn't it better for us to work together to build a beautiful home?" Chen Yu pursed his lips and smiled gently. "Don't dwell on it too much. Go discuss the land matters with City Lord Klay. Our Windrise City's remuneration system is also very generous, and the tax policies are even more people-friendly. Go and learn more, and I believe your territory will prosper greatly under your leadership."
"Indeed!"
Clutching the document, the camp leader walked out. The little devil standing to the side witnessed this entire scene.
"You're something else. This is already the nth camp leader, and they don't suspect you at all. They're even taking out zero-down-payment loans for land. They're essentially preparing to work for you their entire lives."
"They have nowhere else to go but to me," Chen Yu shrugged.
Black Donkey, wielding heavy troops, had the surrounding areas of Windrise tightly secured. Even if these camp dwellers wanted to escape, they couldn't.
"You're truly ruthless. Isn't this like slaughtering pigs?" The little devil couldn't bear to watch and pouted. "You seize their resources, make them come to the city to work, buy land that still belongs to you, and in the end, the land still belongs to you. If you talk about exploitation, you're no different from those nobles and royalty in the earth-caverns."
"Believe it or not, he'll still thank me for this."
Before Chen Yu could finish speaking, the camp leader, who had reached the doorway, suddenly turned back.
"City Lord, thank you!"
"See there..." Chen Yu shrugged, then smiled broadly and nodded at the camp leader before turning back to the little devil and spreading his hands. "They're happy about it too."