HCB Chapter 375 Famine
Chapter 375 Famine
A full month had passed since John had laid siege to Murcia, and during that time, he had not launched any offensive except for the enemy troops coming out of the city to meet him, but had quietly waited for the food in the city to run out.
On the city wall, the guards took turns to stand guard exhaustedly, watching their compatriots fall one by one. The residents in the city also began to feel the threat of hunger, and people died every day due to lack of food.
However, during this period, the King of Murcia repeatedly ordered the residents to hand over grain, which was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire and exacerbating people's panic and dissatisfaction. Although there was no organized resistance to the King of Murcia and his grain collection team, sporadic robberies and violence gradually occurred in various areas of Murcia.
At the same time, John received the Kushan chiefs from the vicinity of Murcia in the camp. After learning that Murcia was besieged by an unidentified army, these chiefs sent people to investigate the situation.
When they learned about the plight in the city and knew that the leader of this army was Mamtim, who had previously announced his intention to rise up to fight the King of Murcia, they immediately decided to visit this powerful, wealthy and benevolent Kushan monarch with all kinds of gifts, in order to take the initiative to show goodwill in exchange for peace for their tribe.
"Your Majesty, we heard that your army has surrounded the city of Murcia. I'm afraid that you will become the king of Murcia soon."
A Kusha chief said respectfully.
John smiled and responded:
"Thank you for coming. Indeed, we have surrounded the city of Murcia, but I may disappoint you. Although I previously revealed to the outside world that I was from the Kuxia monarch Mamtim in the south, my real identity is John, a nobleman from a country that believes in the God of Light."
When these words were spoken, almost all the Kushan chiefs were shocked, and some even stood up and drew their swords. At the same time, their faces turned pale and they looked at John, who was wearing Kushan clothes, with horror in their eyes.
Seeing the other party's reaction, John laughed and then stretched out his hand to comfort the Kusha chiefs.
"Don't panic, everyone. The reason I brought the army here is because the King of Murcia attacked our village. As a punishment for him, the capture of Murcia City is an inevitable result."
"But our goal is to defend our homeland, not to conquer you. In this conflict, you have been oppressed by King Murcia, and countless of his subjects have become victims of his personal needs. Please rest assured that I will not invade your land, nor will I force you to convert to the God of Light. As long as you promise not to invade Acre again, I will not be your enemy."
Hearing John's words, the Kusha chiefs breathed a sigh of relief. One of the chiefs quickly replied:
"Lord John, we deeply admire your generosity. We are willing to obey your rule and work hand in hand with you to govern this land."
Seeing someone taking the lead, other Kusha chiefs followed suit. After all, if they did not accept, John's army would be here, and those who disobeyed could be dragged out and beheaded. Moreover, their tribes had a population of just over a thousand at most and only a few hundred at the least. Even if they fought with all their might, they could not defeat John. It would be better for them to take sides quickly and leave a way out for their tribes.
The walls of Murcia are like an indestructible barrier, protecting the city. However, an oppressive atmosphere permeates the walls.
The soldiers stood exhausted on the city wall, holding their weapons in their hands and looking into the distance with empty eyes. Due to the shortage of food, they could only eat a small piece of bread and a pot of water every day, which made their morale extremely low.
Suddenly, a commotion broke the silence on the city wall. The soldiers looked up in horror and saw a huge catapult slowly starting up in the camp outside the city. Then, black dots flew into the air with a roar.
"The enemy's catapults have been activated, be careful to hide!" The general in charge of guarding the city wall shouted hurriedly, then turned and rushed into the tower to avoid the attack of stones.
However, unexpectedly, there was no sound of rocks hitting the city wall, nor were there any screams from the soldiers. The black spots were getting closer and closer, and the soldiers could see clearly that they were actually bundles. When the bundles approached the city wall, they fell apart, and the contents fell to the ground - they were golden baked bread!
The soldiers' eyes lit up and they immediately rushed to the bread. The residents in the city saw this and rushed forward desperately, fighting for every piece of precious food.
At this moment, a team of people wearing armor and riding horses appeared on the road in the distance. Leading the team was a ferocious-looking grain collector who waved a whip in his hand and drove away the residents who were picking up bread.
"Since these breads have landed in Murcia, it means they are the property of the King of Murcia! All of you lowly people, load the breads into the carriage at the back, or you will be executed on the spot!"
The grain collector said viciously.
An angry resident responded:
"Bullshit! We have already given all our food to King Murcia, and now you are even asking for the food we picked up. Are you still human?"
As soon as the words fell, two soldiers rushed forward and dragged the resident away. Then, a shrill scream was heard, and the resident's head had been chopped off, with blood splattered all over the ground.
The grain collector looked at all this with a sneer and said loudly:
"See? This is what happens when you resist."
However, this statement did not have much of a deterrent effect on the people present. Although they put the bread in their hands into the carriage as usual, just like the previous grain collection, at this moment most of the residents were holding back their anger, and when it reached its limit, the anger would burn into the palace of King Murcia.
As night fell, the soldiers on the city wall returned to the barracks exhausted. They lay on the ground, chewing the remaining bread, with longing in their eyes. However, they did not know what kind of torment tomorrow would bring.
In a house in a corner of the city, dozens of residents crowded into the small space, their faces full of fatigue and worry, eating the bread they had snatched in the morning while complaining to each other about the cruelty of the grain collectors.
At this moment, a middle-aged man with a big beard took out a piece of parchment from his arms. The paper was densely covered with Kusha's words.
"What is this."
One of the Kushans asked.
"I don't know. I found this in the bundles thrown in from outside the city this morning. I can't read, so I'll ask someone to take a look at it tomorrow."