Phoenix Grand Lord

"Just a moment, my maester."

Luo Wei waved to the young manservant who was still waiting in the tent, "You have nothing to do here."

The little footman held the chamber pot and bowed politely before leaving.

Since the bad news brought by Bachelor Doherty should not be easily known to irrelevant people, lest it spread and affect the people of the manor.

We haven't yet established a firm foothold, and the most taboo thing at this time is that people's hearts are wandering.

Since you have traveled through time and become a lord, you must have the way of thinking of a lord, and you must pay attention to details even if it is a trivial matter.

From the perspective of a lord, stability is the basis for development. If an unstable territory wants to survive in a situation where there are many powerful enemies, it is simply a dream.

After raising his hand to send the valet away, Luo Wei looked at Duerdi again and said, "You can speak now."

"Master..."

Duardi paused briefly, as if he was trying to muster up the courage to tell the truth: "The food we brought from Zilin Town will soon be insufficient."

"Oh?" Luo Wei frowned slightly.

Luo Wei remembered that when his predecessor, Mr. Luo Wei, set out from Zilin Town, he brought six carts of food. This food should have been enough for No. 100 people to eat the new season's staple food harvest.

There are six carts full of food. It’s only the third day in Merrill Valley. Why is there not enough to eat?

Luo Wei's stepmother's charming smiling face instantly appeared in his mind.

"Maester, tell me the situation in detail."

"yes……"

Bachelor Duerdi wiped his sweat again, and then took out a tattered papyrus ledger from his sleeve.

As the bachelor of the manor territory, he was in charge of all the accounts inside and outside the manor, so he naturally had to carry the account books with him.

Duerdi read out the crooked account details in the ledger: "We originally had 120 large bags of staple food. On the way to Merrill Valley Manor, we consumed 5 large bags, and there should be 115 large bags left.

"When I went to the carriage to take inventory of supplies this morning, I found that the number of grain bags had been checked, but except for the top few bags of grain in each cart, which were normal, the other grain bags were all filled with... hay and scraps. Stone."

Having said this, Duerdi carefully observed Master Luo Wei's reaction.

Luo Wei seemed to be listening but not listening, with no emotion on his face.

Duerdi swallowed his throat and continued: "Master, we only have 6 large bags of edible grain now, half of which are wheat, one and a half bags of barley, and the remaining 4 bags are all oats and rye. .

"I just questioned Horton, the driver responsible for escorting the grain truck, but he insisted that he had not touched the grain.

"I can't determine whether the food was switched when we set off from Zilin Town, or whether it was switched halfway.

"In short, Merrill Valley Manor is facing a big crisis now. Master, you must make an idea as soon as possible!"

"Oh, that's it..."

Luo Wei's face was calm, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself: My dear stepmother still loves me very much, and even left half a bag of wheat for me to eat.

Wheat is the most refined staple food in Regan's world, and only the noble class can eat it. Knights and bachelors can only eat barley, servants can eat oats, and serfs can only eat rye.

Replacing most of the food with gravel and hay, this trick is really beautiful to kill them all.

Serfs who have no food to eat will definitely make trouble and even run away in large numbers.

If the Snake Stepmother asks Baron "Marigold" from the neighboring territory to cooperate and deliberately raises the price of food, then this wave of operations can wipe out Merrill Valley Manor, which has not yet established a firm foothold.

Fortunately, he ordered Bachelor Durdy to take stock of the population and supplies last night and discovered this big problem in time. If it took another three to five days to find out that the food had been swapped, it would be really passive.

Now, there is still time to solve this food crisis.

Based on the fused knowledge, Luo Wei quickly converted in his mind.

The weight of a large bag of grain is about 120 kilograms when converted, and 6 large bags of grain is about 700 kilograms.

Based on the situation that 100 people in the manor eat two meals a day and consume more than half a bag of grain, it is estimated that 6 large bags of grain can last about 10 days.

If the grain quota is further reduced to the minimum supply limit, and the grain is not made into bread, but only cooked into porridge, then there should be no problem in sustaining it for 20 days.

Therefore, there are at least 10 days left to resolve this food crisis.

However, 10 days seems to be a long time, but this is the northwest frontier with a vast land and sparse population. The surrounding terrain is not flat but with hills and ravines. In addition, the transportation capacity at the medieval level is also very worrying. It will take 10 days. I have to go back and forth to a nearby town to buy food within a few days, and time is still very tight.

We must leave to buy food tomorrow at the latest.

But the first thing to solve now is not the problem of who to send out to buy food, but... to stabilize people's hearts.

The food being stolen must have been a conspiracy by the stepmother, but the stepmother would never simply let Merrill Valley Manor starve. The people she planted would definitely instigate it secretly.

If the food is gone, you can buy it with some money, but if the people and the team are scattered, it will be difficult to lead.

Luo Wei thought for a moment and said, "Other than you two and the driver escorting the truck, does anyone else know that the food is running out?"

"Uh..." Bachelor Doherty scratched his Mediterranean scalp:

"When we were questioning the coachman, Holden, he was very excited and yelled, which caused a lot of people to watch. So...basically, everyone in the entire manor should know about it now."

Beautifully done.

Rowe could already imagine that the unrest in the camp was spreading like a virus.

Well, if you play it like this...

Luo Wei remained calm: "Fetch me the coachman Holden. I want to question him personally."

"Yes, Master."

Bachelor Doherty paused for a moment: "Also... tied to the bed for questioning?"

Luo Wei:......

"Oh! I understand! Master!"

After a while, a coachman who was about forty years old, wearing a coarse cloth shirt, and his skin was tanned by the sun, was brought in.

When the tent door curtain was opened, Luo Wei caught a glimpse of a large number of solemn-looking serfs gathered outside the lord's tent.

"Master, I heard that you are looking for me." The coachman Holden bowed lightly to Luo Wei, with obvious contempt in his tone.

Luo Wei ignored the coachman, but turned to Duerdi and said: "Bachelor, call everyone in the manor for me to gather in the camp square. I will give you a lecture later."

Bachelor Duerdi didn't understand what Rowe wanted to do, but he bowed obediently and said, "Okay, Master."

After Bachelor Doherty left the tent, Rowe turned his attention to the coachman Holden.

"So," Rowe intertwined his tender hands on the table, "Mr. Horton, where is my food?"

The coachman Holden was first shocked by Luo Wei's different strong attitude, but he soon became confident:

"Master! If you say that, you are wronging me. I am just a servant driving a car. How do I know where your food has gone? You don't doubt that I stole the food, right?"

"High in heaven, with so many pairs of eyes in the convoy staring at you, how could I possibly steal your food?

"It's too hurtful if you think like this. I have served your Valentine family for twenty years, and not even the late Baron made me suffer such injustice!"

Rowe ignored Holden's forced excuses and continued to ask in a calm manner: "Tell me, how much did you charge my stepmother to do such a thing for her?"

Hearing the word "stepmother", Knight Charlize next to him was startled for a moment, and then he realized something.

Holden, the coachman, became angry and shouted, "Master! You are making a false accusation! I didn't! I absolutely didn't! Why do you say that? At least come up with some evidence!"

"Evidence?" Luo Wei asked Charizi with a slightly exaggerated expression of surprise:

"When a lord punishes his servants in his own territory, do he still need to show evidence first? Is it necessary?"

Charlize replied matter-of-factly: "No, no need."

Luo Wei asked again: "Can I do whatever I want in my own territory?"

Charlize's originally tense pretty face became richer in micro-expressions: "Yes, of course you can do whatever you want."

Luo Wei shifted his gaze to the coachman Holden and spread his hands at the same time.

"No, wait!"

The coachman Holden was completely panicked now. He never expected that the young master who used to be cowardly and easy to bully would be so tough today, so he quickly softened his tone:

"Master, my attitude was wrong just now. But I really didn't touch your food. If you don't believe me, you can take me to Madam to confront you! I really didn't touch your food, I swear! I really I don’t know where your food has gone!”

"Maybe, but it doesn't really matter. After all, the food is gone, isn't it?"

Luo Wei spread his white hands and said, "I just asked you two questions, which is equivalent to giving you two opportunities, but you didn't cherish them. I deeply regret and sympathize with your stupidity.

"But don't worry, I will send you back to my stepmother. But before I send you away, I have to borrow something from you."

The coachman Holden's expression became visibly relaxed, and his attitude became particularly respectful: "Okay, young master, as long as I have it, I will definitely give it to you."

"Of course you do."

"Master, what do you want from me?"

"Your head, thank you."

Luo Wei showed a sincere and harmless smile to the frightened Holden.

…