Chapter 007: The Great Migration

Before Fei Lang could react, Ming Wei threw him into a space from which Fei Lang could see them, but no one else except Ming Wei could see Fei Lang.
“Du Fan, you’re back so soon?” Ming Wei said nonchalantly.
Du Fan didn’t doubt Ming Wei. “Stop the magic array.”
Ming Wei nodded and stopped the magic array. As the magical glow faded, Du Fan’s voice rang out, “Our army has arrived. From now on, no one will dare to bully us! Moreover, we’ve already eliminated ten thousand of those thieves; what’s left are just remnants. There’s no need to worry—a bright future awaits us!”
As soon as Du Fan finished speaking, cheers erupted below. Torches were lit. Though the magical glow was gone, they were no longer afraid. The people coming down from above proved that all the members of those thief gangs had died. They didn’t tell these people about the hellish situation upstairs, nor did they need to know.
When the hundred thousand troops sent by Prince Fisher to Du Fan arrived, their first task wasn’t to rest but to clean up the area. Though somewhat dissatisfied, when they saw the corpses, they realized the efficiency of their duke. If they didn’t want to become part of those corpses, they had to work hard to clean everything up.
They also admired Du Fan’s tactics. With a hundred thousand of them, the Lan Ni Empire had more than a hundred thousand troops—seemingly, it was a death sentence for them. But they also knew that in the city of Doha, aside from civilians, there were none else. And it was Du Fan who, with just those civilians, wiped out ten thousand thieves! They had thought that task was meant for them.
After calming the people of Doha, Du Fan left Ming Wei’s magic tower. His main goal was to have Ming Wei stop the magic array, which could only be used for a year. Du Fan felt pain even at the thought of using it for just one more minute.
The corpses on the ground were taken outside, where they were burned collectively. The ground was washed many times with water until no traces of blood remained. What surprised the troops even more was that not a single civilian was seen here! In the entire city of Doha, aside from a hundred or so knights and over two hundred third-level warriors, not a single person was left!
And those people had disappeared by the time they arrived.

But they had also seen those things before, so they didn’t find it strange anymore. They were also happy—Du Fan might have wiped out ten thousand bandits with just a few hundred men. Although they were defending the city, even the best commanders in the empire might not be able to do that, yet Du Fan had succeeded! How could they not be amazed? Moreover, they would be fighting under Du Fan in the future. If he was so excellent at defending a city, his skills in attacking should be just as good, giving their lives some protection. It was because of this joy that those who had originally had some complaints now had none left and worked even harder. By the time they cleared the corpses from City Doha, it was already morning. Their camp was naturally set up inside the city, as the people of Doha didn’t need to live above ground. The army was stationed in the eastern part of the city, dividing Doha into east and west. Du Fan planned to use the eastern part as a military base, while the western part would serve as a transportation center. As the capital city, Doha was naturally not small—hundred thousand people could live there without feeling crowded. Although Du Fan couldn’t personally help clean up Doha with them, he was with them, experiencing the hellish conditions there together. It wasn’t until they were all settled in the morning that Du Fan ordered the people of Doha to bring up the prepared breakfast from underground. Though the people of Doha had hardly slept all night, each of them wore a smile of joy. They had lived there for over a decade, but this was the first time they felt relieved! Watching them, Du Fan felt a sense of mild satisfaction. In the now-figurative city lord’s mansion, Du Fan met Eadlin and the others. They were all from the Divine Might Prison and naturally couldn’t stay with the soldiers. Since Du Fan hadn’t assigned them any tasks, they could only wait for him to be free and remember them before seeing him again. While sorting out the issues left by the battle with Elsik, Du Fan finished most of the tasks before summoning Eadlin and the others. He glanced at Eadlin and the others, who stood aside without speaking, sent Elsik away, and then said to Eadlin, “You’ve worked hard. You arrived just in time.” Eadlin and the others replied with reverence, “It was our fault for being late. Please forgive us, warden…”

“No, no, no,” Du Fan interrupted Adeline. “I’m not unreasonable. Besides, there are still three days until the date I said for you to arrive. It’s not your fault if you miss this battle. Moreover, you didn’t know the bandit gangs would launch an attack suddenly. I never intended for you to participate in this battle—it’s just a few small bandits; you don’t need to get involved.”

Du Fan said these things sincerely, but Adeline and the others broke into cold sweats upon hearing them. Du Fan’s previous ruthless actions in the Divine Might Prison had left a deep impression on them. So when he suddenly spoke to them in such a polite tone, they felt uncomfortable instead.

Du Fan didn’t care what they thought. He was quite satisfied that the people from the Divine Might Prison had arrived three days early. As he had said, even without them, he would have won this battle. With their arrival, it was merely a matter of cleaning up the battlefield.

To Du Fan, the people from the Divine Might Prison weren’t necessary at all!

Everyone there started thinking the same way!

This was exactly the effect Du Fan wanted—first impose pressure, then make them feel unnecessary, so they wouldn’t dare to be arrogant under his command.

“Adeline, how many people have come this time?”

“Lord, a total of 837. There are also some others who haven’t completed the tasks you’ve already approved.”

Du Fan nodded. He couldn’t bring out everyone from the Divine Might Prison, as someone needed to guard it there. Since the Divine Might Prison had been split in two, he certainly couldn’t ask Neo to watch over it. So, with over 800 people arriving, he was quite satisfied.

“Go rest for now,” Du Fan said after thinking for a moment. “Leave 300 people behind. The rest should form teams and join those armies. I want you to wipe out all the remnants of the bandit gangs in the Siluo Province within ten days. Any problems?”

Everyone replied in unison, “None!”

Even if there were problems, since Du Fan had given the order, it became a problem-free task. Du Fan nodded and told them to rest.

Starting from that day, Du Fan used 300 people to not only defend the city of Doha but also eliminate 10,000 bandits without wasting a single soldier. This was almost impossible! If it were that easy, the empire would have sent people to deal with those bandit gangs long ago—there would be no need to wait until now.

Yet, this seemingly impossible task became a reality, forcing people to believe it.

Du Fan felt a bit regretful. If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have burned those corpses. If they were left outside, it would have been a spectacular sight, right? But Du Fan only thought about it; he wouldn’t actually do such a thing. Leaving ten thousand people outside—wouldn’t that be terrifying?

Although Du Fan didn’t keep the corpses, no one doubted his words. And even before he completely cleared out that band of ten thousand thieves, the Beiba family had already brought large quantities of supplies to Du Fan’s city of Doha to exchange for catapults. These were things the nobles needed, but at that time, they didn’t dare take the risk of coming out themselves. As Du Fan said, they needed to set an example.

Of course, there was also profit involved. Those nobles who wanted catapults but didn’t want to take risks could only order them from the Beiba family. And Du Fan, of course, would offer them some discounts. All of this was handled by Bati, and Du Fan didn’t pay much attention to it.

The supplies brought in were first used to build dungeons, with the majority being distributed to other small cities.

Du Fan asked Elsik to find out what local specialties could be exported. Viscount Evan also sent people to Doha, as there were iron mines waiting to be developed there.

The Siluo Province had few people and land, and the most important thing there was the population. Du Fan ordered messages to be spread across the country, stating that those who wanted to sell themselves as slaves could come to the Siluo Province, and each person would be given an acre of fertile land—calculated based on the number of people in the family. In other words, no matter who you were, regardless of age or gender, each person in the family would get an acre of land.

In various cities, those who couldn’t make ends meet could register through the Beiba family, who would then send them to the Siluo Province. With fertile land to cultivate, they could lead better lives. Du Fan had also promised that those who entered the Siluo Province within a month might enjoy three years of tax exemption, ten years with only half the usual tax, and after ten years, only one-tenth the tax.

People from all over the country who couldn’t survive flocked to the Beiba family, who would then transport them to the Siluo Province. Even if it was just those who couldn’t make it in their current lives, the number was considerable. Although other nobles didn’t like Du Fan’s actions, and what he did was similar to kidnapping, who dared say anything? Moreover, Du Fan’s status meant no one could challenge him. And what he did was also beneficial to the empire.

Those commoners who couldn’t survive, even if they wanted to leave their homes in search of a better life, didn’t have the money for travel. Du Fan offered such favorable conditions and even covered their travel expenses. The journey might be tough, but it was still possible for them to go, and they all hoped to use this opportunity to find a better path forward.

They couldn’t be just commoners; building a city also required craftsmen. So Du Fan said that as long as someone had a skill and the ability, and was oppressed by their masters, they would be given the best treatment here once they arrived—at least a shop of their own!

Du Fan also ordered recruitment in the areas surrounding the Siluo Province, offering subsidies to all who enlisted. He also bought a large number of slaves from outside. On the battlefield, if they killed three enemies, Du Fan would grant them civilian status; if they killed three more, he would distribute land to them.