Three days later, Roland delivered a speech in the theater of Longsong Stronghold.
For this publicity, he had Peiluo inform the people of the entire city about the details of the rebellion in advance, and he also specially asked Maisie to bring back the Echo from Border Town.
On that day, the crowd gathered in the theater was smaller than he had imagined, although it was already spring, the endless snowflakes outside hindered people's desire to go out.
Fortunately, the Second Army and their families were basically all present, it seemed that his "generous compensation for fallen soldiers" mentioned in the preview had worked. As for other civilians, they could be won over slowly in the future. Roland believed that the best publicity came from word of mouth. As long as a seed was planted in the hearts of these people, it would sooner or later affect more people—this was also the reason why he insisted on building a people's army.
They were sharp blades, iron walls, and also role models for propaganda.
"My subjects, good morning. I am Roland Wimbledon, the lord of the Western Territory, and I believe most of you have heard of my name," Roland looked around at the people below the stage. "First of all, I express my condolences for the casualties caused by this dongluan. This was a conspiracy from the royal capital. Tifeikeo repeatedly provoked wars in order to interfere with the order of the Western Territory. It is regrettable that the four major families of the Western Territory not only did not stand on the side of the people, but acted as thugs for the other side, which ultimately led to this tragedy."
The prince didn't say too much about the rebellion. People preferred to inquire about these "secrets" in taverns rather than listening to his formal lectures. Therefore, after a simple introduction, he shifted the topic to the compensation item that everyone was more concerned about.
"In the dongluan, fifty-six of the one hundred and twelve soldiers of the Second Army of the Western Territory were killed in battle, and the rioters also set fire to and looted residential areas, causing twelve houses to be burned down and forty civilians to die," Roland said in a deep voice. "Here, I express my apologies to the subjects of Longsong Stronghold… As the guardian of a territory, I have failed to fulfill my responsibilities."
The prince's words caused a commotion among the crowd. Obviously, no one had ever heard of a royal noble apologizing to the people. Many people felt a sense of shock and astonishment. However, in Roland's eyes, this was just the attitude that a lord of a territory should have. He did not have the unreasonable arrogance and self-esteem of the nobles. If the people were not valued, they could not truly support the people who led them, a point that had been repeatedly proven by history.
"I guarantee that everyone's blood will not be shed in vain! Fallen soldiers will not only receive a grand burial, but their families will also receive five gold dragons as a pension, and every month thereafter, they can also lingqu a portion of food and charcoal from the city hall as extra compensation! This standard is exactly the same as the First Army of the Western Territory, and I promise here that subjects who newly join the Second Army in the future will also receive the same treatment!"
There were very few cheers. Obviously, most of the stronghold people were skeptical of these generous compensations. After all, deductions and embezzlement had occurred from time to time. Even the relief grain in winter could be mixed with sand and leaves, let alone gold dragons.
However, Roland had already thought of a response. Since it was propaganda, it was natural to make the "topic" the best. He clapped his hands, and Peiluo, Iron Axe, and two First Army soldiers carrying boxes walked onto the stage from behind the scenes. "At this moment, I have a list of the fallen in my hand, and now the chief executive officer of Longsong Stronghold, Peiluo Hermon, will personally distribute the pensions to you!"
As the soldiers poured all the glittering gold coins from the boxes onto the table, people's reactions became enthusiastic.
"Second Army, First Platoon of the Musket Camp, Aya!"
"Second Army, First Platoon of the Musket Camp, Zhutou!"
"..."
Iron Axe slowly read out the names on the list. Family members stepped onto the stage one by one, excitedly accepting the gold dragons, bowing and kowtowing. The scene was a bit chaotic for a while, and Roland even felt that Nightingale had placed her hand on his waist.
Fortunately, despite the chaos, nothing unexpected happened. By the time the pensions were finally distributed, it was nearly noon. Roland waved his arm, suppressing the noisy discussions in the theater. "Those who have lost their homes due to the war can also get a place to shelter from the wind and full rations. Until the end of the Months of Demons, someone will distribute them to you."
"Then… Your Highness, what about after the Months of Demons?" someone asked loudly—of course, the "questioner" was created by Echo.
"At that time, the city hall will provide a large number of job positions, which not only have considerable salaries, but also enjoy the benefits brought by urban construction. As long as you are willing to work, you will never have to worry about filling your stomachs!" Roland raised his right hand and said loudly, "The Western Territory will not forget those who have contributed to it, and I will not forget it either!"
This time the crowd's reaction was much warmer. Everyone raised their right hands and responded to the Prince's declaration. Amidst the cheers of the subjects, Roland ordered his men to distribute meat porridge at the right time, pushing the atmosphere on the scene to its peak.
In the afternoon, many more people gathered in the theater. Not only were all the seats filled, but many people were also squatting directly in the aisles—obviously, they were all here for the afternoon's trial.
It seemed that watching how to deal with prisoners was something that people all over the world, even in another world, liked to see.
Roland handed over the work to Iron Axe and Peiluo, and he sat in the luxurious box on the second floor of the theater, acting as an audience.
The result of the trial had already been decided. The prisoners were dragged onto the stage, lined up and knelt down in front of the people, with solemn-looking soldiers holding guns standing behind them. Iron Axe announced the crimes, Peiluo read out the verdict, and then the soldiers escorted them to the execution ground—the stronghold square.
And some victims' families, upon seeing their enemies, would rush up and fight them. As long as it did not endanger their lives, the First Army would not stop them—no one would pity these thugs. When they were burning, killing, and looting, they should have expected this day to come.
In the end, a total of one hundred and thirty-two people were sentenced to death, six of whom were great nobles, and the rest were mercenaries, guards, and servants. The methods of execution were also different. Since the gallows were limited, only the nobles could enjoy this treatment. The others were all executed by shooting—this was also the first time firearms were used in execution.
The remaining nine hundred people, although they participated in the rebellion, did not have blood on their hands, so they were imprisoned and waited to be sent to the North Slope Mine in batches.
At this point, the noble resistance forces in the Western Territory were wiped out.
The next day, Roland summoned all the innocent nobles to the castle hall.
Clearing the obstacles was just the beginning. If he wanted to truly rule this place, he still had a lot of work to do.
The most important thing was to establish a new order.