A gentle breeze caressed his face.
Bee-woman Nuoya was applying ointment to Ergou, while Kailin pursed her lips, gazing at Chen Yu's back. He had been silent for a full few minutes.
The situation Chen Yu had worried about had finally materialized.
Heidou and the others were all captured.
The current situation could be described as the biggest crisis Chen Yu had faced since starting his venture in the underground world. Even when the mercenaries had come to attack him before, he hadn't paid them much mind.
Yet, at this moment, Chen Yu was filled with worry.
What should he do!
It was evident that this group of bandits was not to be underestimated.
In order to deal with the bandits, Heidou had taken all the soldiers from the camp. Even so, they had been defeated, with only Ergou managing to return.
He had been allowed to return deliberately to report the news.
"Interesting."
Chen Yu, gazing at the hazy gray void above, let out a rare chuckle. He licked his lips and turned to Ergou's side.
"How are you?"
"Just a minor injury," Ergou grinned, patting his chest. "My King, rest assured, my body is strong. Your subordinate can still fight."
"Having this intention is enough."
Chen Yu patted Ergou's shoulder, a sigh etched on his face.
Fight again?
Did they even have the qualifications to fight those bandits again now?
Chen Yu wasn't afraid.
If Heidou had led the troops out for a punitive expedition this time, even if they had been defeated and routed, Chen Yu could have led them to retaliate.
He had cannons!
With sufficient resources, he could churn out hundreds of them in a single day.
A barrage of cannons.
What mountain stronghold couldn't be shattered?
This was also why Chen Yu dared to claim the city.
He believed he possessed the strength to defend the city in the short term. Wandering bandits couldn't breach it. Even if he provoked stronger enemies in the future, Chen Yu would still be developing, and by then, he might have ways to deal with them.
The problem was—
Heidou and the others had all been captured by those bandits.
Ergou, whose wounds were being treated with healing ointment, suddenly felt a bad premonition from Chen Yu's expression.
"My King, you're not going to let those bandits off, are you?!"
Disregarding his injuries, Ergou struggled to stand up. His large dog-like eyes were filled with uncontrollable rage.
"This is unacceptable!"
"If we let this slide, wouldn't that be letting those bandits ride roughshod over us? If we don't beat them into submission, they'll continue to provoke us."
"Our city-state is in its early stages of development. You yourself said we are in need of manpower."
"If the city-state cannot maintain a stable environment, how can the refugees in the underground world be willing to join us? How can the surrounding villages be persuaded?"
"My King, we cannot spare them!"
Ergou shouted hoarsely, his eyes wide.
It had to be said,
The lectures within the city-state had been effective during this period.
Chen Yu had recruited many lecturers from the underground world. For elders like Ergou and Kuka who stayed by Chen Yu's side, and who were likely to be sent out as regional governors in the future, Chen Yu had required them to dedicate several hours to study.
At this moment, Ergou's ability to speak like this proved that the lecturer initiative had yielded results.
"It seems you've been very diligent in your studies," Chen Yu said with a smile in his eyes. "You know how to consider the subsequent impact of issues. You're not the old fool you used to be. That's good."
"My King!"
Ergou frowned, his expression filled with confusion.
"How can you still smile?"
"Should I cry then?" Chen Yu glanced at him and returned to his rattan chair, taking a sip of juice. "Or, give me a solution."
"We have siege weapons!"
Ergou's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Our city-state possesses powerful cannons. Even if they are just rudimentary cannons, they might be ineffective against towns, but wouldn't blasting a bandit's makeshift camp be a simple matter?"
Leaning back in his chair, Chen Yu remained silent. The Bee-woman walked up.
"Ergou, stop talking."
"What's wrong with what I said?" Ergou tilted his head in confusion. "I was indeed slow-witted before, but now I've opened my mind. We have cannons, why not use them?"
"What about Heidou and the others?"
The Bee-woman frowned slightly and posed a question.
"Have you considered that if we use cannons to blast the bandit camp, it might solve the problem, but what about the others from our camp who are inside the stronghold?"
"This..."
Ergou's expression faltered. He truly hadn't considered this much.
Since he had started following Chen Yu, he had never suffered such grievances. After a defeat, all he could think about was finding a way to retaliate, but he had overlooked the others who had been captured.
"Think about it..."
"We can't, for the sake of pride, abandon the lives of others and bring dozens of cannons to blast the bandit stronghold, can we? That's the principle of the matter."
The Bee-woman explained patiently. Chen Yu, in his rattan chair, let out a scoff.
"Hmph!"
"If it were only Heidou in that stronghold, I would think this method feasible. Let's blast him quickly so I don't have to worry about him every day."
"My King, don't speak in anger. Would you bear to have Second Master blasted?" the Bee-woman whispered.
"Why wouldn't I bear it?"
Chen Yu looked up, his eyes filled with anger.
"With him around, I'll live ten years less. If he were blasted into ashes, I'd erect a monument for him, which would also save me a lot of trouble. I'm baffled, he follows me around every day, yet he shows no improvement?" Chen Yu shook his hands in exasperation, hitting the table. "Isn't my personal teaching and guidance enough?"
"My King..."
After venting his anger for a while, Chen Yu sat back in the rattan chair. No matter what he said, Chen Yu could not abandon Heidou and the others. He certainly wouldn't erect a monument for Heidou.
"Then what should we do now?" Ergou frowned.
"Ransom!"
Chen Yu snorted through gritted teeth.
"Do we have any other options now? The people are in the hands of those bandits. What can we do but give them money!"
"My King, it's all my fault."
Kailin bit her lip, her voice tinged with a sob.
"This isn't your fault," Chen Yu gently rubbed Kailin's head. "Although it's not your fault, you must remember this lesson for the future."
"Kailin understands."
"How much funds can our city-state mobilize?"
"Currently, the funds you've left for operations, along with the canned goods we sell externally, amount to about 1.4 million gold coins," Kailin whispered. "Should we take it all out?"
"So much?" Chen Yu was a little surprised. "Give me 700,000."
"Is that enough?"
Kailin's eyes held some worry. Having grown accustomed to Chen Yu's exorbitant demands, Kailin felt that the money in the city might not be enough.
"700,000 isn't enough? Are they robbing us!" Chen Yu exclaimed. "Kailin, have you truly been with me for so long that your underground values have become skewed? That's a full 700,000 gold coins, and it's still not enough? Do they have any shame?"
"But you used to ask for millions upon millions."
"Are they the same as me?"
Chen Yu coughed, his face flushing slightly as he waved his hand.
"Go get the money."