I'm in Terra

"That proves Columbia doesn't fully understand the infected." Victory took the plan and scoffed. "The power they can unleash, and their longing for home and belonging, will be the stepping stone for me to ascend the tower. I've already commissioned an exploration team to survey the area. No one knows better than I do how much wasteland there is still to be reclaimed in southern Norvinsk. Once this plan is released, the infected will become my most ferocious jackals. They will ruthlessly tear down all obstacles and provide a stable logistics system for me and my army. And the price, aside from the first year's supply of food, is just a bunch of empty promises."

"Are you saying the 10% tax and 40% land ownership are lies?" Kashena breathed a sigh of relief. While the first year of tax exemption sounded a bit regrettable, considering these infected people had nothing to begin with, it was understandable. As long as they could collect heavy taxes later, Norvinsk would still be able to obtain a huge amount of resources in a short period of time.

"No, these are not lies." Victoria smiled. "Although taxes will be gradually increased later, I don't plan to change the 10% tax and 4% tax rate for the first few years. As for land ownership? According to the axiom, all the territory of Norvinsk is mine. Therefore, those infected who want to obtain ownership of this land must pay a corresponding price."

Looking at Victoria's smiling face, Kasheina pondered for a moment and quickly figured out what Victoria wanted: "You want those infected people to till the fields for you for generations?"

"That's right." Victoria snapped his fingers. "Ownership of the land comes at a price. The price is that the owner must keep all the land cultivated. If the cultivator dies without descendants, the land will revert to me. If the cultivator has descendants, they must also maintain the cultivator's responsibilities, otherwise the land will be reclaimed by me. It's that simple."

"This way, you'll maximize the enthusiasm of the infected, and aside from the initial investment in food, all the rest will be returns." After figuring out the key points of Victoria's plan, Kasheina couldn't help but smack her lips. "Compared to a lord, you're more like a businessman. The kind who eats people and expects them to be grateful."

Victoria spread his hands, smiled and shrugged.

Ancient China's long-term development experience had already given him the answer: exhausting the pond to catch all the fish wasn't the best way to make money; sustainably exhausting the pond was. Only when you spread enough bait will you catch exceptionally plump fish.

Victoria had to thank the anthropomorphic lords like Ursus for this. With them as a foil, Victoria's cutting of flesh seemed incredibly merciful. After all, he had truly fattened up these infected before cutting them off, which was much more merciful than those idiots next door who only knew how to exploit their bones and suck their marrow.

"Speaking of which, I have one more favor to ask of you." After resolving this most thorny issue, Kashena quietly sat on Victoria's lap. Slumped on the sofa, Hunting Bee opened his mouth to say something, but Kashena's gentle gaze silently dissuaded him.

"Hmm? Tell me about it?" Victoria waved his hand, signaling Hunting Bee not to be nervous, then looked at Kashena who suddenly stood in front of her, and gently tasted her pink lips.

Kasheina returned the kiss enthusiastically, then chuckled and said, "I have an excellent doll on hand. I thought that instead of letting her slowly develop outside, I would give her to you to train directly. What do you think?"

"...?"

PS: Hokusai originally wanted to treat book lovers to some fine rice, but unfortunately, the editor ruthlessly shot it down. So sad.

A General's Success: 26 Bloodline Sorrow

Black Snake's doll? Isn't that Tallulah? Is Black Snake serious about this?

Victoria calmly took two sips of his coffee, but his heart was racing. "I think I have enough to deal with right now. What do you think?"

Hearing Victoria's calm refusal, Kasheina shrugged regretfully. "Really? Yeah, I thought you'd be interested. After all, that guy is a good tool with claims from many countries. But you probably won't be able to use him now."

"Let's wait until I become a general to use that kind of thing. What's the next plan?" Victoria didn't bother to argue and decisively skipped the topic.

"There are no other contingency plans. The rest are just some scattered daily reports." Kashena slipped out of Victoria's arms and winked slyly. "But according to the schedule you gave, the caravan to Luxembourg should be back today. You can make preparations in advance."

"Really? Then I'll trouble you to deal with these scattered reports." Victoria straightened his wrinkled clothes and left the office with Hunting Bee.

Waking Dorothy up at this hour was perfect; he could go shopping to change his mood. Watching Victoria and the Hunting Bee leave, Kashena gently closed the office door and smiled meaningfully.

Returning to the villa in the light snow, Victoria asked Bee Hunter to take care of the fireplace and make breakfast, while he returned to the room and softly called out to a sleepy little pig.

"Dorothy~~~Wake up quickly! If you don't get up, the Snow Witch will take you away~~~"

I thought this would be a romantic awakening in the morning, but I didn't expect that Dorothy, who was sleeping in the bed, suddenly twitched, and her tightly closed eyes suddenly moved around irregularly.

Victoria did not panic, he knew that Dorothy was having a nightmare, so he gently hugged the girl and wrapped her in his slightly cool arms.

Sure enough, after a few brief seconds, Dorothy suddenly woke up. She blinked in fear at first, then, regardless of the cold, crawled into Victoria's arms: "Phew~~~ I was scared to death. Fortunately, you're okay."

"Why, did you have a nightmare about me?" Victoria patted the girl's back gently, giving her a sense of security with his arms.

Dorothy hugged the boy tightly and shared her nightmare: "I dreamed that I was wandering in the snowy plains, and suddenly I saw a big bear tearing a little bear apart and then cruelly eating it. I was about to go forward to check on the situation, but I found that the little bear looked somewhat like you. And then, and then, I woke up in shock."

Victoria pretended to be nonchalant and tried to comfort the girl, but he was subconsciously startled. Dorothy had a natural mastery of Originium techniques related to mind and consciousness, so Victoria had almost never seen or heard of her dreaming. But this time, Dorothy suddenly had a nightmare that was extremely related to this, which made Victoria think twice.

But despite his thoughts, Victoria couldn't show any panic. He gently took off Dorothy's pajamas and personally escorted her to the bathroom. Listening to the sound of water dripping in the bathroom, Victoria was just about to think deeply about Dorothy's nightmare when he saw that Hunting Bee, who should have been busy on the first floor, suddenly ran upstairs in a hurry.

"Boss, someone is looking for you outside the door. It seems to be that Uncle Malfoy's son. Oh, his name is Baoxi, right?"

"It's Paul. Go open the door, I'll be right down." Victor's face darkened, his unease growing stronger. He had arranged several special missions for Paul, but now Paul had suddenly returned to Norvinsk...

Victoria knocked gently on the bathroom door, gave a few simple instructions, and hurried downstairs. Paul had been brought downstairs by Hunting Bee to the living room, where he was drinking milk with a frown on his face. Seeing Victoria coming downstairs, Paul immediately stood up to greet him and then explained his purpose in the fastest and most accurate words.

"Master, the second Master Qiaoluoyi died in Woden Town."

"Woden Town?" Victoria raised a brow and sat back on the sofa with Paul. Hearing the news of his brother's death, he finally understood the source of his ominous premonition. Although they didn't share the same mother, the blood connection still made Victoria tremble.

"How did he die? An accident? Or... an assassination?" After calming down for a moment, Victoria asked Paul. Although he had probably already guessed the answer to this question, he was still willing to listen to Paul's explanation. After all, he was the one who had always stayed by Qiao Luoyi's side.

"It was an assassination." Paul clenched his fists and confirmed without hesitation, "Because the dispute with Earl Rossia in Woden Town was becoming increasingly intense, Second Young Master Joloy planned to take me and several brothers with him to personally intervene. To improve efficiency, Young Master Joloy divided the team into three groups and went to different chambers of commerce to lobby. The talks with all three caravans went quite smoothly, but the group Young Master Joloy was with was attacked by an unknown force on the way back. Young Master Joloy and his fellow officers died on the spot, and several of the accompanying attendants also suffered heavy casualties."

"What do Woden Town and Luxembourg say?" Victoria stroked the teacup in his hand, and the excitement in his heart gradually calmed down as Paul told his story.

Paul looked at Victoria's calm face and couldn't help swallowing his saliva. "Earl John of Woden Town immediately announced that he would conduct a thorough investigation as soon as the incident occurred. He also expressed his full cooperation with Luxembourg's investigation request. As for Luxembourg..."

"The war has begun, hasn't it?" Victoria asked. He already had the answer in his mind: "Earl John would never do such a thing to bring disaster upon himself. His attitude also proves his innocence. But if he hadn't interfered, Joloy would have been assassinated, most likely thanks to Earl Rossia. Since the other party has resorted to such a despicable trick, Carter will definitely not sit idly by. After all, the scars left on him by the 'accident' a few months ago have not yet healed completely."

"That's right." Paul nodded vigorously. "When I was contacting the Norvinsk Chamber of Commerce, I heard from several former colleagues that Master Carter was sending troops to the border between the two territories, and I heard that friction had already begun. If the truth about Master Qiaoluoyi's affairs comes to light, I'm afraid the two sides will come to blows."

"I understand." Victor put down his teacup. "Rossia made a bad move. No, it should be said that he couldn't wait any longer, so he had to resort to this desperate measure. It seems that I have to speed up my pace. Paul, the situation may be very chaotic in the future. If you don't have anything particularly important to do, how about staying in Norvinsk and joining the army?"

Paul naturally had no objection: "I'll follow your arrangements."

A General's Success: 27 To conquer foreign enemies, one must first stabilize the country.

Important notice: Chapter 24 has been released. If you can’t see it, just refresh the page to read it.

Still in that luxurious room, Count Rossiya gently swirled his newly purchased red wine glass. He was already familiar with all the wines in the world, and rather than tasting them, he preferred to sniff the delicate aroma that was unique to each.

"That kid Carter looks like he's going crazy. I don't know if he's really in pain or just pretending."

There were obviously many people standing in the room, but no one dared to answer Count Rossia's questions. Count Rossia didn't mind and asked and answered his own questions calmly.

"Whether it's genuine or not, Carter will use this opportunity to increase troops on the border. He knows I can't hold back any longer, but I know he's almost done. New Year's Eve has passed, and yet there's still no decree from Saint Steed Castle. His Majesty's intentions are clear. Whoever wins will inherit the position of general."

Still no one answered. All the officers in the room lowered their heads, quietly awaiting Count Rossia's orders. Count Rossia's gaze swept over the officers, finally stopping at the tall man in the corner. Rossia thought for a moment, then softly called out the man's name, "Hedley."

The man paused, then walked up to Count Rossia with the seemingly arrogant girl and asked, "What do you want?"

Rossia sneered, his eyes gleaming with undisguised ferocity. "I'll provide you with a large commission and supplies. Take your men and wreak havoc on Woden Town and the surrounding small cities. If you can find a way to break into the town and kill Earl John, that would be even better. I don't need a third party to observe my fight with Carter."

Hedley bowed slightly, his face expressionless: "What about those merchants sent to Woden Town? Do we need to bring them back?"

"No need." Count Rossiya sneered. "You can handle those merchants on your own. Do you have any other questions?"

Hedley shook his head: "No, we are ready to set off now."

Earl Rossiya watched Hedley's departing figure with satisfaction, then signaled the maids at the door to start working. When the maids finished cleaning and closed the door again, the military meeting belonging to Rossiya officially began.

"Hey, Hedley. Why don't we run away with the money? Judging from the tone of that gloomy man just now, we're afraid we won't get the next commission."

As soon as they walked out of Count Rossia's mansion, the white-haired girl who had been following Hedley couldn't wait to speak up and make a suggestion. She had been dissatisfied with that guy for a long time, and this was a good opportunity to break up with him.

"W, do you know why I always bring you with me when I meet the Count instead of Inès?" Hedley, who had been resolute and calm, could not help but sigh as he listened to W's suggestion.

The girl called W raised an eyebrow and replied nonchalantly, "Because I'm smarter than Inès?"

"Because if you're left alone in the camp, you'll mess it up." Hedley complained helplessly, "You're bound to run away with the money, but before we leave, we have to complete this commission. This isn't Kazdel. If our mercenary group's reputation gets tarnished, it will be even harder to carry out the next operation."

"Action?" W, who had been unmoved by Hedley's complaints, suddenly raised his voice when he heard the word "action": "We still have the ability to act? Weren't we exiled to Ursus by that bastard?"

"It's alright if you want to understand it that way, but we must fulfill our duty as Sarkaz." Facing W's questioning, Hedley did not back down. "Provoke disputes, participate in wars, and attract as much attention from this country as possible. This is our duty as Sarkaz mercenaries, even if it was given to us by His Highness Tracys."

"Don't! Mention! That! Name! Again!" W fiercely elbowed Hedley, but the tall and strong Hedley took the blow head-on. "We were exiled by that damned fellow. Whatever I do here is my own will! If I hear that fellow's name coming out of your mouth again, anything that sticks to you won't be my elbow anymore."

"Organize the team and prepare to set off." Hedley sighed and reluctantly skipped the topic.

--------

In the settlement near Norvinsk, as notices were sent to various places by officials, news of the pioneering operation quickly spread throughout the territory.

"Hey, skinny monkey. Have you heard? The lord of Norvinsk is planning to let us go to explore the wasteland?"

"Idiot! You only just found out about this now? Notices have already been posted at the city gates, and notices related to the land reclamation have already been sent to various gathering places by those officials!"

"Of course I know about this! I'm asking about the content of the notice! 'Anyone without a job can join the pioneering team. For every standard piece of land the team reclaims, they will receive a portion of food based on the area of the land. And..."

"And the land belongs to the landowner, so there's no tax to pay in the first year. This matter has spread throughout Norvinsk. It's written in black and white in the notice. How could it be false?"

"Wouldn't that mean we'd be rich? If we could just win a decisive battle, we wouldn't have to wander around anymore and could stay in Norvinsk and become landowners."

"It's not as simple as you think! I'm telling you this because there's a high probability that we'll be in the same pioneering team. Don't tell anyone else. I heard that there's a quota for the land to be pioneered this time. If you exceed the quota, the pioneering operation will end immediately. Also, when spring comes, if the infected haven't found a job in Norvinsk, they will be expelled by the patrol team!"

The fatter infected person gasped when he heard this. "Hiss, doesn't that mean that if Pioneer doesn't work hard, then those of us infected people with no other skills will be doomed?"

The infected person known as Skinny Monkey nodded, his face full of solemnity. "I went to the city of Norvinsk once at the beginning of winter. I heard from those infected people who have become official citizens that although Norvinsk does not discriminate against infected people, it will definitely not support useless people. So, Fatty, I advise you to take care of yourself."

"I understand. I'll fight with you this time! I've finally managed to survive until now, and I haven't lived long enough!"

"It's good that you have this intention. If I find out that you are still stealing and cheating like before, don't blame me for turning my back on you. Let's go and find a few more capable fellow villagers so that we can get the team together in advance."

"Go, go, go! We'll do it right away!"

A General's Success: Chapter 28: Reunion with the Guerrillas

"The decree was very successful. Over 80% of idle infected people have responded to the call to explore the new land. Now, orders for farm tools at various iron foundries are sold out, and many weapons factories have temporarily stopped production to make farm tools."

Kasheina adjusted her glasses, which had no prescription, and slid a statistical report in front of Victoria. Meanwhile, at her desk, Dorothy, now back in full force, was painstakingly calculating various statistics, trying to allocate Norvinsk's reserves as rationally as possible.

Victor took the report, glanced at it, and felt reassured. "Let them do what they want. It's a good thing they're willing to respond to the policy. Besides, the debts voluntarily shouldered by the infected will indirectly become our tax revenue this year. This stable income won't be much worse than the profits from the arms trade."

Kasheina nodded. "I understand. Also, regarding the report on those field officers applying for leave..."

Victoria said without looking up, "Tell them that starting this spring, the wages and bonuses for those with perfect attendance will be increased by ten percent. Also, recruit some temporary workers from among the infected. If they really need to take leave, use the extra bonuses to hire infected people. Dorothy, how are things going over there?"

Yes, after Miss Dorothy returned, Victoria did not fire Kashena, but openly enjoyed the services of the two secretaries. The two secretaries, who had been working together for a while, also adapted to this easier job after a period of mutual adjustment.

"It'll be ready soon." Dorothy brushed back her scattered hair and calculated as she went along. "Although there are still a few miscellaneous items to be calculated, based on current logistics and food expenses, a small-scale military attack is a completely acceptable expense."

"It won't be large-scale." Victor nodded confidently. "Three hundred Flying Bear soldiers, plus one to two hundred ordinary soldiers to maintain order and clean up the miscellaneous soldiers, are more than enough. We don't need to start a large-scale war against those useless people. A simple elite raid will be enough."

"I understand! If that's the case, Norvinsk's reserves are more than sufficient!" Dorothy put down her pen and nodded confidently.

Victor rubbed Dorothy's head in appreciation. "Very good. Starting tomorrow, I'll begin preparations for the military reunification of eastern Luxembourg. While I'm away, Kashiena, you have more experience, so please help Dorothy with some government affairs."

"Sure." Kasheina agreed happily with narrowed eyes: "But~~~there will be a fee."

"Me too." Hearing Kashiena's suggestive words, Dorothy took Victoria's hand, unwilling to be outdone. "I won't be seeing you for a while, so I must replenish my Victorian energy tonight."

As the one who enjoyed it, Victoria naturally had no objection, but two virgin girls were not a big challenge for him.

"No day is worse than today. Since you all mentioned this matter, why not do it together tonight?"

Hearing this, Dorothy and Kaciena subconsciously exchanged a glance. Looking into Kaciena's seductive eyes, Dorothy accepted the challenge: "Let's go together. Whoever begs for mercy first loses."

"Haha, interesting suggestion, I accept it." Seeing Dorothy took the bait, Kashena secretly cast a coquettish glance at Victoria, then turned around and continued the work at hand.

After a night of passionate lovemaking, Victory, armed with the provisions Dorothy had calculated and his carefully selected soldiers, headed straight for the Territory of Arco. Bee Hunter and Paul accompanied the army as aides.

Before the formal attack, Victor planned to build a transit station in Alcor Territory to ensure the deployment and transportation of troops and food. He also remembered that the guerrillas wanted to see him after winter.

After less than a day's march, Victoria returned to this somewhat dilapidated town. After just over a week, the town remained dilapidated, but the camps Victoria had carved out in the southeast and northeast corners had been rebuilt, and the pedestrians on the streets were no longer as terrified as they had been when they first arrived.

After garrisoning in Alcor, Victory didn't rush into the expedition. Instead, he reviewed the various government affairs handled by the garrison officials as usual. He then added the renovation of the Alcor barracks to their agenda. Finally, he and his soldiers rested for a day until dawn the next day, when he led twenty Flying Bear soldiers and a shipment of rations south.

--------

Yeti Station

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk, those days at the blockade were truly miserable. It was cold and dull, and I couldn't even taste any meat. It's nothing like now. I can catch a snow rabbit and make soup. It's so comfortable." Big Bear stirred the soup in the pot, took a sip with a big spoon, and smacked his lips with satisfaction.

He had just returned from the eastern blockade and handed over the blockade responsibilities to other snow monsters. Now he couldn't wait to lead his brothers out hunting and successfully hunted a snow rabbit to make soup.

"Yeah, that place is truly hellish. I couldn't even see a single animal, let alone a rabbit. Big Sister wouldn't even allow us to go to the nearby village to trade for food. Life was incredibly difficult." Big Bear's henchman sniffed and watched the soup in the pot begin to boil eagerly. "Big Bear, is it ready?"

Big Bear patted his impatient little brother and casually assigned him a task: "Why are you in such a hurry? Wait until it's a little softer. Oh, and the big sisters are learning to read with Teacher Alina, right? Go get them first. When they come back, it will be almost ready to eat."

"Okay, leave it to me." The younger brother nodded, got up and walked out of the tent.

Big Bear nodded in satisfaction, but before he could wait a few seconds, the younger brother who had just walked out suddenly ran back nervously: "Oh no! A group of guys in black clothes are coming from the north. They look like black bugs!"

"Tsk! What a perfect time!" Big Bear didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed the dagger beside him and stood up. "Go call the brothers nearby to gather. Someone put out the fire. After we kill those black bugs, we can have a nice meal of meat soup."

"Hurray!!!" Several snow monsters around smacked their lips regretfully, and then they all found their weapons from around them.

But when Big Bear hurried out of the tent, he was stunned. The group of black-clad men approaching from afar weren't just any black bugs; they were clearly the elite soldiers led by the flat-chested girl from last time. And their leader was none other than Victor, whom he had met several times before.

"Fuck, if you don't know how to report it, then don't report it! Your Grandpa Bear's rabbit stew!!!"

A General's Success: 29 Fateful Encounters

The bonfire was rekindled, but there were three more people waiting for the rabbit soup. Victoria didn't mind that everyone in the tent was infected, and he sat down next to Big Bear.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, you really have the leisure to enjoy fresh rabbit soup on a snowy day. Where's Yelena? Did she just go out?"

"How could that be?" After a brief moment of surprise, Big Bear accepted Victoria and the others' invitation to sit down. He gestured towards his younger brother and continued to stew the broth, which had not yet cooled.