Chapter 359: Arrest Order

"Slave soldiers?"

Simon and Benjamin both looked surprised.

Francis nodded. "These slave soldiers aren’t from West Ham. The reavers brought them from beyond the pass. They were left behind to control West Ham City. But when the reavers retreated, they abandoned them."

"How many are there?" Benjamin asked, ready to lead his cavalry into the city to wipe them out.

"Not many, maybe four or five hundred. I already attacked them, and they scattered. Looks like the reavers didn’t tell them that Fern lost the war, or maybe they didn’t expect Snake Pass to fall." Francis said calmly.

Simon frowned and said. "This is our chance. Arrest all the slave soldiers."

Benjamin agreed and immediately charged into the city with Francis and their cavalry. These slave soldiers acted as puppet troops in West Ham, helping the reavers rule. Now that the real soldiers were here, Simon could use them to show the people that reaver rule was over by executing them in public.

Not long after, Benjamin returned to report that all remaining reaver soldiers in the city had been captured.

Only then did Simon enter West Ham City with him.

Just like cities in the Eldorian Empire, West Ham had many residential districts. But now, many residents were peeking over the district walls, unsure of what was happening.

Not long ago, the reaver troops suddenly left West Ham City, leaving only slave soldiers behind.

This made things very strange for the locals. People were nervous and confused.

Soon after, most slave soldiers also fled. Only a few remained and still bullied the people. But since there were no guards at the gates, people began to enter and leave the city freely again.

Today, they saw cavalry that clearly didn’t belong to the reavers entering the city.

As Simon looked at the people along the road, a sudden sadness welled up in his chest.

What kind of suffering had these people gone through in the past ten years? Their faces were filthy, clothes dark and full of patches and holes, worse than beggars.

Their bodies were skinny and weak. If not for their yellow skin and black eyes, Simon would have thought they were famine victims.

Benjamin kept his lips tightly closed, and his face was dark with anger. His feelings were clear.

"Your Highness, we caught a hundred of them alive," Francis said through gritted teeth. Then he kicked one of the slave soldiers fiercely. "How dare you eat so well! How dare you!"

The cavalrymen, all from the Squad Divincox, were heartbroken to see their fellow West Ham people in such a pitiful state.

Their grief quickly turned into rage, and they took it out on the captured slave soldiers.

At first, Simon planned to execute the slave soldiers in front of the people to declare that West Ham City had been reclaimed.

But now, he realized that wasn’t what the people needed.

What they needed was not a political statement, but a bowl of rice porridge. A steamed bun.

Their blank eyes showed they didn’t care who had come.

"We’ll transfer some food from Dunmere. Let’s feed the people first." Simon said. Then he told Francis. "Hold the slave soldiers for now. Interrogate them about the city."

Francis nodded and left with the prisoners.

"From the moment we entered until we captured the soldiers, the people just stood there watching silently. No one spoke. No one smiled. Your Highness, they’re like walking corpses now." Benjamin said after a long silence.

Simon was from the modern world. He had seen poor people and disaster victims in Brambleford, but he had never seen people like this.

These people were like the prisoners in old war documentaries, silent and lifeless.

"They’ve suffered under the reavers for too long. It’ll take time for them to recover." Simon sighed.

Benjamin nodded. "You’re right, Your Highness. Right now, they’re like frightened birds. But once word spreads, they’ll slowly begin to understand. Many of them surely remember Prince Elliot."

That made Simon recall something Francis once told him: to avoid bearing reaver children, some people in West Ham even killed their own daughters if they were born from the reavers’ ’first night right.’

Simon said. "In that case, let’s spread the news about the reaver defeat first."

He called Francis over and whispered some instructions.

Francis nodded and sent a hundred cavalrymen in all directions.

The riders loudly shouted:

"People of West Ham! The reavers have been driven out by the army of the Eldorian Empire! We are soldiers of the Eldorian Empire! You don’t have to be afraid anymore; the army of the Eldorian Empire has returned! You will never suffer under the reavers again! Even the spirit of Prince Elliot can finally rest in peace!"

The riders waved their banners and repeated the message again and again.

As this message reached the people, the older folks of West Ham began to react.

At first, they were still quiet. Then they started whispering to each other. Gradually, their expressions began to change.

They still didn’t dare to come close.

But as the message continued to spread, more and more people gathered from a distance, staring at Simon’s group like frightened deer.

Simon and Benjamin exchanged a look. It seemed using Prince Elliot’s name really worked. ℴ

At that moment, Francis finished interrogating the slave soldiers.

"Your Highness, the prisoners said there’s a granary in the city with 20,000 bags worth of food. The reavers didn’t have time to burn it when they left!" Francis reported excitedly.

"Excellent! Looks like I finally get to open a granary and share food!" Simon laughed.

Benjamin grinned too. "20,000 bags’ worth should feed the people of West Ham for at least ten days."

Then they followed Francis to search the city. Soon they found the granary.

"The slave soldiers said the reavers forced the people to farm around the city, then took all the grain and gave the people only husks and bran to eat," Francis said bitterly.

As he spoke, soldiers opened the granary doors. Inside, piles of rice and wheat were stacked high.

"Go tell the people, they can come collect food!" Simon said, smiling brightly.