HTLCCBFT Chapter 61

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 61

TL PSA: descriptions of violence/gore.

When Oliver mentioned it, Fosse couldn’t help but show a paternal smile and patiently explained, “Your Highness, those damned prisoners have no strength left to resist now. You needn’t worry about them causing further trouble.”

The harvest had been poor these past years, with famine spreading throughout the kingdom. Even many commoners lived in deprivation, appearing extremely thin and frail.

But bandit gangs clearly didn’t rely on farm crops for their meals.

Whenever their gold coins dwindled, they would raid wealthy merchant caravans. Then, by promptly moving to another location, they could evade the lord’s ineffective pursuit and indulge in debauchery.

Therefore, the 152 bandits they had captured this time were all—if not exactly fat and sturdy—certainly well-nourished and physically robust from years of good food and drink.

However, no matter how strong a person might be, after being stripped naked and locked in a cold dungeon overnight without food, they could only be in a wilted state by the next day.

“That’s good.”

Though Oliver’s thoughts weren’t aligned with Fosse’s, he still smiled in agreement before asking, “Under normal circumstances… I mean, according to the city’s established laws, what punishment would they receive?”

Fosse frowned slightly.

He worried that his merciful young master might soften toward those despicable prisoners, perhaps even release them.

But after several hesitant pauses, he ultimately chose to speak the truth: “Your Highness, those criminals typically receive different punishments based on the severity of their crimes. Ordinary thieves and bandits are directly dragged to the gallows and simply hanged; bandits who have harmed civilians with their weapons are stripped naked, tied to prison pillars, left to freeze for several days in their own filth before being beheaded, with their heads mounted on spikes outside the city gates as a warning to their accomplices; and those who dare to assault nobles… have their limbs severed first, their organs extracted, forced to watch their innards burn in a fire while being hanged by the noose on the gallows.”

Oliver: “…..”

The smile at his lips stiffened slightly.

Although he had mentally prepared himself before asking, and objectively speaking, these punishments could be considered straightforward and brutal—not even as varied as what he had seen online before—still…

The thought of the gallows, which had been idle for over half a month and only “reopened” last night, nearly having to accommodate 152 people at once made his scalp tingle.

“I suppose,” he said slowly, “the gallows don’t have that much space available temporarily.”

Fosse replied without changing expression, “Your Highness, there’s no need to worry about that—those filthy criminals who can’t be hanged in time will die in agony from shame and repentance within a few days.”

Oliver: “…..”

They’d clearly die of thirst.

Of course, Oliver held no extra sympathy for bandits who had originally targeted his property, or even his life.

But seeing over a hundred corpses leisurely rotating in the breeze would undoubtedly challenge his psychological tolerance.

After careful consideration, Oliver said, “Fosse, if I recall correctly, there have been precedents where a lord’s guards captured a bandit gang without executing all of them.

That was when he was passing through Wicktim City[mfn]威克提姆城; ‘victim city’[/mfn] on his way to Laina City and happened to witness a trial of a bandit gang.

Out of the more than 40 members of that bandit gang, only one-third ended up on the gallows, while the rest were taken back to be imprisoned again.

“Your Highness,” Fosse felt his chest tighten slightly at the thought of having to present so many sordid matters before his beloved young lord, and his voice unconsciously deepened, “that’s because the families of those criminals still have ransom money to be squeezed out.”

Not all prisoners’ families would become disheartened and abandon them—and the large sums of ransom they were willing to pay became the bargaining chips that made the lord willing to pardon their crimes.

Of course, there were also some untrustworthy lords: not only were they extremely greedy, but they also held grudges over the smallest matters.

After receiving the redemption money, they not only refused to release the prisoners but would also execute them directly in prison under the pretext of “insufficient payment.”

Fosse said bluntly, “And these shameless scoundrels have no remaining value.”

Never mind that Oliver, as a noble, didn’t lack that bit of redemption income… In his eyes, those daring to maliciously invade his young master’s Laina should all be sent to the gallows.

But Oliver corrected him seriously: “No, they still have much value that can be utilized.”

These were all rare, physically healthy laborers rarely seen in Laina.

Whether influenced by his past as a modern person or considering things from a lord’s perspective, he didn’t want to simply kill them all.

Previously, he had naively thought that once they survived this year’s famine, they could gradually begin agricultural improvements.

Now, reminded by the bandits’ sudden invasion, many plans had emerged in his mind, all requiring manpower to implement.

And to let weak slaves do the work while leaving strong prisoners unused, or even executing them all… no matter how you looked at it, it didn’t make sense.

He wanted his subjects to eat their fill, exercise, and become strong.

The farm work that couldn’t be done without sufficient manpower would be assigned to prisoners for labor reform, replacing slaves and commoners.

“Let’s hold the trial first.”

Oliver knew they couldn’t keep all the prisoners, so they had to use cruel methods to screen out a group.

He thought that since these people had surrendered out of fear upon seeing the “divine light” on him, it meant they still held at least some reverence for God.

In contrast, those who fled were almost certainly vicious bandits who greatly feared the possibility of divine punishment.

“The wise and great Cat God is willing to forgive those who haven’t committed too many sins and are willing to sincerely atone in the days to come.” Oliver forced himself to harden his heart and announced the most bloody decision he had made since coming to this era: “What the Cat God finds most intolerable are the grave crimes of murder and violence against women… Anyone who has committed either of these crimes will be sent to the gallows.”

He couldn’t forgive all the prisoners.

Oliver was clearly aware of this.

As a lord whose dignity, property, and territory had nearly been violated, he had to kill to establish his authority.

Even if he were to employ prisoners, he had to consider whether basic public order could be maintained given the severe shortage of guards in Laina, ensuring they wouldn’t be overpowered by the prisoners… 152 people—he had to reduce the number to maintain full control.

A flicker of relief passed through Fosse’s eyes.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He gave a slight nod and withdrew.

That afternoon, Oliver unusually did not go out, nor did he approach the window that overlooked the gallows.

Yet he could still clearly hear the commotion drifting in from outside.

It was the furious roars or pitiful pleas of bandits guilty of those two crimes as they were roughly noosed and hanged on the gallows; it was the cheers of Laina’s commoners and slaves, thrilled and delighted to see their hated enemies struggle to their deaths like filthy vermin; it was the clanging of bodies kicking wildly at the iron bars of the gallows before their strength gave out completely…

The gallows couldn’t hold so many corpses at once, so once the last spot was filled, the earliest hung body would be taken down, rotating in a “replacement” cycle.

It wasn’t until full darkness fell that Fosse the butler, who had presided over the trials, returned to the castle.

“Your Highness,” Fosse replied respectfully, “the prisoners guilty of serious crimes have been executed. 100 remain.”

This was already a much larger number than Oliver had expected.

As if sensing his young master’s puzzlement, Fosse quickly explained, “Many of them were employees of plundered merchant caravans, forced to join the bandit gangs to survive.”

That was why they weren’t particularly loyal to the gangs and hadn’t had the courage or time to commit serious crimes.

So that was it.

Oliver understood in a flash of realization, feeling more at ease with his plan to employ the remaining prisoners for labor.

He looked at the butler, whose every move was meticulously precise, and affectionately patted the seat beside him, signaling Fosse to sit down as he detailed his plans.

First, shave all the remaining prisoners’ heads—making them easily distinguishable from Lainans for management and to prevent lice in conditions where water was scarce and hygiene difficult.

Then, check their physical condition one by one and inquire about any special skills to assign them to suitable labor tasks.

They were short of people for reclaiming wasteland, digging wells, and grinding stones.

The territory of Laina City was actually quite large, but the usable area was far too small, lacking even defensive city walls.

From a distance, only a solitary castle stood on the desolate plain, with the town area huddled close offering psychological comfort but no real protection.

Major projects like building outer walls and expanding the true urban area should start as early as possible, given the conditions.

Oliver wasn’t worried about their capability: aside from a few who could handle skilled work, most prisoners were originally farmers or merchants, familiar with manual labor from a young age—anyone caught lying about this would be directly punished with twenty lashes.

At the end of each month, individual performance would be graded and recorded on a small stone slate, serving as their “prisoner certificate” in Laina.

Oliver was in no hurry to propose the concept of “appropriate sentence reduction for well-behaved prisoners.” First, he needed to verify their genuine repentance, then wait for the slaves and commoners to tangibly benefit from their labor and gradually reduce their resistance toward them before considering such measures.

For these captives, merely surviving without their families paying hefty ransoms was already immense mercy and grace. “Those who don’t work shall not eat,” Oliver emphasized. “Only the benevolent Cat God would grant death-row convicts such an opportunity… prisoners who fail to cherish this one-time chance deserve only to hang from the gallows.”

He remained patient with the people of Laina under his jurisdiction and command. But toward those who had once raised weapons against him—regardless of their reasons—he held far less tolerance.

“Let’s test it first.”

Lacking practical experience in this area, Oliver left room for adjustment. Everything would depend on actual outcomes before gradual modifications.

He still needed to visit the site where the prisoners would perform labor. With insufficient guards available initially to prevent escapes, Oliver pondered and concluded there was only one solution: using over 600 stone blocks painstakingly accumulated in his game backpack—leftover from recent projects—to construct several circles of stone fencing that would last merely a year or two. The extravagance of it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

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