Chapter 231 - Chapter 224: Confusion ①
Once June arrived, the effects of the great crop failure surfaced all at once throughout the kingdom.
Despite it being the wheat harvest season, the amount of wheat obtained was less than fifty percent of a typical year even in the best areas. In the worst places, it did not even reach thirty percent. It became a situation that could only be described as desperate.
Some regions cultivated spring-sown oats in an attempt to increase food supplies even slightly, but oats, which had originally been grown in only some areas as fodder, could not possibly compensate for the wheat shortage. To make matters worse, they could only be harvested in autumn. It was not nearly enough to suppress the chaos.
The nobles attempted to import food from outside their territories by any means, while simultaneously trying to retain the food within their own lands at all costs, sometimes using military force to prevent food from leaking out via traveling merchants. As a result, situations frequently occurred where nobles—even those who were allies in the same faction, or in some cases, relatives—leveled weapons at one another and glared across territorial borders.
Furthermore, lower-ranking noble houses with small territories consisting only of farming villages saw a succession of households whose cash income ceased because they could not even manage to collect taxes from the farmland. The number of those who fell into poverty and became buried in debt increased. There were even those who incited rebellions by trying to forcibly collect tax wheat from the peasantry.
The only ones who seemed likely to weather the effects of the crop failure safely were a very small number of wealthy noble territories that had been able to stockpile a certain amount of wheat in preparation for poor harvests. Even those territories were in a state where they had to release almost all of their reserves just to see if they could somehow prevent a famine...
The damage to the common people was more severe. To save as much food as possible in anticipation of the future, tragedies were seen in various regions where elderly parents were tearfully abandoned deep in the mountains or forests. Even those who tried to sell slaves to reduce the number of mouths to feed found no buyers because no one had the means, and some households had no choice but to kill them.
The small amount of wheat gathered mostly in the hands of independent farmers, while impoverished tenant farmers fled and became refugees, some of whom became bandits prowling the highways. However, because many nobles deployed their territorial armies to suppress chaos within their lands, and the Royal Army was assigned to guard the now-thinly-staffed border regions and maintain public order in the central part of the kingdom, the highway bandits were left alone, and public security throughout the entire country deteriorated.
The exception where damage was relatively low was the northwestern part of the kingdom, where the cultivation of potatoes was becoming widespread. Compared to noble territories of a similar scale in other regions, every territory there maintained a relative level of leeway.
That said, there were almost no territories where the spread of potatoes had been successful enough to eliminate worries about famine. It was merely that they were better off compared to other regions; naturally, they did not escape unscathed.
.....
"—Therefore, I beg you to somehow sell us wheat or potatoes. My territory is in crisis. At this rate, I cannot imagine how many people will starve to death before winter..."
In the reception room of the manor of Baron Tobias Oggoren, who held territory on the southern side of the northwestern part of the Lordberg Kingdom, a middle-aged man was bowing his head toward Tobias.
The man was a Baronet who held territory adjacent to Baron Oggoren's lands. He did not have a fixed patron and held a total of over 1,000 subjects across three villages, making him a quite successful individual for a Baronet. Because of this, he was now at a loss facing the crisis of letting many of his people starve.
"...As I stated at the beginning, I cannot sell you food. Even in my Oggoren territory, the amount of wheat and potatoes is barely sufficient. If I were to export to another territory, the people of my own land might starve to death."
"T-Then, at least cattle. Please let me buy livestock cattle. I have heard that cattle ranching is prosperous in your Excellency Oggoren's territory—"
"I cannot do that either. After leaving the minimum number of stud bulls and cows for breeding, I have slaughtered all other cattle for food within the territory, and even then, it is barely enough."
The Oggoren Baronry was known for cattle and tea as its specialty products. Furthermore, due to the personal friendship between Tobias and Viscount Noein Arqvist, he had conducted trade with the Arqvist territory, so his potato production was higher than that of other territories in the northwest.
Even so, he could not be called secure in the face of this year's great crop failure.
"T-That can't be..."
The Baronet hung his head with a pale face. Without offering any words to him, Tobias took the cup placed on the reception room table and drank the locally produced tea.
A pot was held out from diagonally behind him, and tea was refilled into the empty cup. The one who poured it was Tobias's attending maid, the cat-beastman woman Misha, who was also a pet slave.
The Baronet before him, who had looked on with subtle eyes whenever they met for business when a beastman slave was attending behind Tobias, now seemed to lack the leeway to care about such things, as he did not even glance at Misha.
"...At the edge of the Oggoren territory, near your lordship's lands, there is a forest of considerable size. Inside the forest, there are rabbits, boars, bears, and monsters suitable for food. Even if your people cross the border and enter the forest to hunt, I shall overlook it for this year only."
Sighing, Tobias presented a plan for the minimum possible support to the Baronet.
"I-Is that true—"
"However,"
Interrupting the Baronet, whose face had brightened, Tobias spoke in a sharp voice.
"Naturally, the people of my territory take priority. If you exceed the limit and destroy the forest through overhunting, steal the prey of my people, or harm my people... I will retaliate with military force. I may ask for assistance from my friend. You understand the meaning of this, yes?"
"...Yes. I understand."
The Baronet nodded, turning pale once again.
Anyone among the northwestern nobles knew that Tobias and Noein were close friends, both being eccentric nobles. And it was also known that Noein was a man who had repelled the personal expedition of the Lancel Kingdom single-handedly with only his own territory's forces.
Tobias did not believe that Noein would lend troops based on personal friendship alone, but as a threat, it was extremely effective.
"I am sorry, but this is the only assistance I can provide. As a neighbor, I shall pray to God that your lordship's territory can overcome this hardship. Though I can do nothing but pray..."
After conveying that finally, he had the steward waiting in the room guide the Baronet out.
Feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over him, Tobias leaned his weight sloppily against the back of the chair.
"...Master."
"Hahaha, I've become a disagreeable noble too, haven't I."
Tobias smiled weakly at Misha, who had approached him with a worried look.
This was the fifth neighboring noble to request the purchase of food, thinking that the Oggoren territory, which had achieved considerable success in agriculture, might have some leeway.
For lower-ranking nobles with small populations, he let them withdraw peacefully by permitting hunting in the forests and rivers near the border; for higher-ranking nobles with populations in the thousands, he had rejected all aid and sent them away.
But to be honest, the Oggoren territory did have a little bit of food leeway. Tobias hid this and refused the export of food.
If he exported to one place, rumors would spread that "that territory has surplus food," and it would never end. It would be troublesome if he were resented with thoughts like, "He sold to that guy, so why won't he sell to us?"
"Because I did not help, the neighboring territories will continue to suffer. Those who will be affected first are the poor. Many of the poor are beastmen... By cherishing the beastmen under my own protection, I am essentially abandoning the beastmen of other territories."
A fondness for beastmen was a hobby passed down through generations of the Oggoren family. Therefore, there was not much difference between humans and beastmen in the Oggoren territory. However, this was strictly the personal hobby of the lord. For that reason, he could not recklessly help other territories and make the people of his own land suffer the loss.
That is why, in front of the beastman Misha, Tobias was cutting off a great number of beastmen from other territories. He was even using his friend's name as a tool for intimidation.
"Master protects us, the hundreds of beastman citizens of the Oggoren territory, and gives us happiness. Misha understands that best of all. Please, stop blaming yourself..."
"...Thank you. Misha is my emotional support."
Misha hugged Tobias gently and rubbed her cheek against him. Receiving her words, Tobias felt his heavy guilt soften slightly.