I have a city in another world

Above the city walls of Nuchuan, soldiers and laborers stand guard day and night, their gazes fixed on the outside world with complex emotions.

The open area outside the city walls was originally a military restricted zone, where ordinary people were prohibited from grazing livestock and farming.

All the trees were cut down to prevent them from obstructing the view and causing danger to approach undetected.

In the preceding period, the open area was urgently transformed and constructed, with a large number of defensive traps laid.

The traps are now in effect, being triggered one after another, hunting down some ferocious beasts that try to approach the city walls.

Every now and then, one could hear the dying howls and the angry roars of ferocious beasts struggling against their will outside the city.

The carcasses of the ferocious beasts trapped inside were left to rot and stink, but no one dared to deal with them.

The grass outside the city is full of poisonous snakes and insects. If you are not careful, you will be attacked and bitten. In the current environment where there is a lack of medical care, this could easily lead to injury or death.

To prevent poisonous insects and snakes from getting close, a large amount of mixed powder was scattered around the city walls. Although the effect was obvious, it could only be temporary.

If left unattended for an extended period, or if washed away by rain, this line of defense will become completely ineffective.

The city's reserves of medicinal powder are almost exhausted. Without sufficient raw materials, it is impossible to continue production.

The people in the city wanted to buy the medicinal powder to drive away the poisonous insects that had invaded their homes, but they couldn't find anywhere to buy it.

Left with no other option, they could only close their doors and windows and try every means to drive them away and hide from them.

Further afield, groups of ferocious beasts could be seen from time to time, roaming through the woods and fields, their savage and greedy eyes fixed on the city walls.

These ferocious and violent monsters were clearly controlled by a mysterious force. They did not rush towards Nuchuan City in large groups, but silently surrounded and waited in the shadows.

To hunt them down, the only option is to take the initiative, but unfortunately, each attempt ends in total annihilation.

Left with no other choice, Nuchuan City had to defend itself to the death.

The people in the city, however, suffered even more.

In just a few days, the scene turned into a battlefield, with cries of agony filling the air and corpses lying everywhere on the streets, the causes of death varied.

Some died from poisonous insects, some were killed by government soldiers, and others died from disease, starvation, or robbery by bandits.

Although there were soldiers patrolling, the city's order had long since collapsed. The starving people in the city were willing to do all sorts of cruel things in order to survive.

Those wealthy households in the city, including the government officials of Nuchuan City, could become targets of attacks by starving people at any time.

To prevent the situation from worsening, soup kitchens were set up along the main streets of Nuchuan City, distributing bowls of soup with enough rice to be counted, in an attempt to calm the public.

As long as they have food to eat and hope to survive, the people won't cause too much trouble.

Unexpectedly, just two days later, a fire broke out in the city's granary, with flames shooting into the sky and startling many people who were unable to sleep due to hunger.

As they watched the towering flames, a deep despair flashed in their eyes, and many couldn't help but weep in the street.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Zhao Heng, his face grim, angrily threw down the investigation report in his hand.

"These beasts deserve to be torn to pieces!"

A heavily guarded granary suddenly catching fire is an absolutely huge incident.

Once the food reserves are depleted, Nuchuan City will have no chance of being defended and will be at the mercy of others.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Heng's first thought was that the enemy was launching a surprise attack.

But not long after, news came that angered him.

Thanks to timely detection and appropriate measures, the fire has been effectively controlled.

However, when the losses were tallied, it was discovered that the burned granary was mostly empty, and the amount of grain stored did not match the records at all.

This situation indicates that someone is falsifying records and secretly moving grain out of the granaries. Further investigation revealed that most of the granaries were in the same situation, or were simply empty shells.

After being subjected to torture, a group of people in charge of the granary confessed that they had colluded with wealthy households in the city to sell grain when prices were high and buy it back when prices were low to make up for their losses. Through this operation, they made a lot of money by profiting from the price difference.

Some government officials in Nuchuan City were actually aware of this matter, but because they had received benefits from it, they chose to turn a blind eye.

Unexpectedly, a sudden change occurred, causing the shortage of grain to become unmanageable. In order to avoid being exposed, they chose to burn down the granary.

Knowing the whole story, Zhao Heng was furious, yet helpless.

Normally, such cases could be big or small, and he wouldn't even pay much attention to them.

But now, with Nuchuan City under siege, it's like being stabbed in the heart.

Once the news gets out, it will inevitably lead to greater chaos, and may even cause the military to completely lose control.

As the city lord, Zhao Heng had no choice but to consider the bigger picture and keep the relevant information from the outside world.

He ordered his men to spread the word that the enemy outside the city harbored malicious intent and deliberately set fire to the granary.

Whether the people believe it or not is not particularly important; the key is how to get through the next period of time.

At his command, the city's wealthy merchants and powerful families gathered once again at the city lord's mansion to discuss their next course of action.

However, this time, the attitude of wealthy merchants changed significantly. Many no longer insisted on defending the city, but instead suggested negotiating with the enemy in exchange for a peaceful resolution.

The facts prove that Nuchuan City was simply undefendable, and surrendering was the wisest choice.

For his own benefit, Zhao Heng chose to defend Nuchuan City to the death, but the wealthy merchants were unwilling to die with him.

Even if the city changes hands, they can still live a carefree life. They may suffer some losses, but it would still be better than the current situation.

Looking at everyone's reactions, Zhao Heng sneered inwardly. He was well aware that these wealthy merchants had long been in contact with the enemy in secret, and had even begun to cooperate covertly.

They thought that by doing this, they could protect themselves in a crisis and even gain more benefits.

Merchants pursue profit, while aristocratic families cherish their reputation; this is standard practice, and Zhao Heng was not surprised by such behavior.

If it were any other day, anyone who dared to do these things under his nose would be in for a taste of being cut by a sharp blade.

Now, however, they can only choose to endure it.

Zhao Heng suddenly recalled Tang Zhen's words: if this were true, these self-proclaimed clever wealthy merchants would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of becoming sacrifices.

The more smug you are now, the more desperate and resentful you will be when the killing comes.

Looking at the people in the city, those who died for various reasons, weren't they all filled with resentment and bitterness?

In a while, Nuchuan City will probably be filled with resentment, and vengeful ghosts and evil spirits will roam freely.

This situation is exactly what the enemy wants.

No, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die!
At this moment, Zhao Heng finally made up his mind and prepared to go all out.

There are some covert methods that need to be used now, rather than sitting idly by and waiting for death.

No matter how prestigious a family or how powerful a noble family is, nothing is more important than one's own future and destiny.

With a cold look in his eyes, Zhao Heng stood up and announced to the public that the powerful families must hand over their stored grain and a certain amount of silver to the city lord's mansion for distribution and use.

At the same time, a deadline was set, and anyone who dared not cooperate would have their property confiscated and their entire family wiped out.

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, and then their expressions turned angry and terrified.

He tried to argue and defend himself, but Zhao Heng coldly snorted and turned to leave the hall. (End of Chapter)