madnovel Chapter 98 Population Surge and New Challenges
Chapter 98 Population Surge and New Challenges
Vijay was completely relieved to hand over the training duties to Tiye.
He knew he was absolutely right about Guruti's dedication.
As the morning sun broke free from the horizon, golden-red rays spread across the entire field. A warm breeze swept through the houses, fields, and work camps of Mittal village, carrying the fresh scents of earth, grass, and grain.
Vijay stood by the training field, ignoring the screams echoing across the field. He gazed into the distance at the rising sun, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
After months of cultivation, construction, military training, and trade, this once dilapidated border village, like the rising sun, has shed its former gloom and is gradually moving towards prosperity, with its future becoming increasingly bright.
Just as he was immersed in this anticipation and emotion, a hurried figure came running from the main road of the village. It was Bim.
Bim jogged along, his robes billowing in the wind, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. His expression was hurried as he bowed respectfully before Vijay and reported loudly, "Master, the merchant has arrived at the village entrance! All five thousand Dalits ordered will arrive today!"
Merchant? What merchant? Vijay was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but immediately realized who else could be dealing with Mital Village now, and his face showed obvious surprise.
According to the timeframe previously agreed upon with the slave traders, the delivery of these slaves should have been completed in three to five days, but it has now been completed several days ahead of schedule.
After a moment's thought, he quickly guessed the reason.
Previously, he had personally traveled to Harappa City to purchase warrior-level slaves at a high price, but the other party disappointed him.
It seems that this slave trader was afraid of losing such a generous and long-term client, so in order to demonstrate his strength and sincerity, he urged the escort team to travel day and night, thus shortening the arrival time by several days.
Having figured out the crux of the matter, Vijay smiled calmly.
Although arriving early disrupted some of the preparations, it was ultimately a good thing.
Currently, the village needs a large amount of manpower for land reclamation, mining, road construction, housing construction, and water conservancy projects, and is in a stage of manpower shortage.
Since the plan to purchase samurai from abroad has temporarily fallen through, we can focus on relying on existing resources and gradually build up our own combat strength.
He stopped worrying about the time discrepancy and gestured to Bim, "Come on, follow me to the village entrance to greet him."
The two walked side by side toward the village entrance, passing through a self-made ruin.
The slave trader, accompanied by more than ten personal servants, stood outside the village entrance, pacing back and forth, looking somewhat anxious.
He dared not cross the village entrance sentry post even half a step.
He knew the rules, so he made sure to send someone ahead of time to inform Vijay and wait for his instructions.
Upon seeing Vijay and his entourage approaching from afar, the slave trader immediately put on a fawning and humble smile, quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brahma above, Your Excellency, Master Vijay."
Vijay returned the greeting with his hands clasped together, his gaze falling on the other man, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery: "Blessed by Shiva, I still remember that there are still a few days left until the agreed delivery date. Your journey has far exceeded my expectations."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across the slave trader's face. He knew that his little scheme had been seen through at a glance, but he still tried to appear calm and rubbed his hands together with a smile, saying, "I just want to complete the agreement as soon as possible so as not to delay the head of the family's affairs. I also want you to see with your own eyes my sincerity and ability to get things done."
This explanation sounded plausible, but Vijay didn't expose it on the spot. He simply smiled faintly, then turned his gaze to the dirt road stretching into the distance, and asked in a deep voice, "Where are the five thousand Dalits now? Which road did they enter the village from?"
The slave trader quickly pointed to the north and west of the city and explained, "There are just too many people, so I divided the team into several smaller groups and they are traveling along different roads. They have now arrived at the outskirts of the village from the north and west. There are watchtowers and patrols everywhere in the village, so my men dare not lead the team in rashly. They are waiting for the head of the family to arrange the route."
Vijay nodded in understanding. Ever since he realized the threat from the neighboring village of Titi and heard about the ongoing turmoil in Harappa City, he had ordered the construction of sentry posts along the entire border of the villages and arranged for people to patrol day and night.
Although its defense system is crude and inadequate, it is still superior to that of 90% of villages and towns!
Slave traders are also knowledgeable and have rules, so naturally they wouldn't offend Vijay on these matters.
Vijay turned to Bim beside him and calmly gave instructions: "Go and arrange for all the servants to assemble and go to the various forks in the road to guide the team and bring Dalit into the temporary settlement area in an orderly manner."
"Remember to carefully check everyone's health condition throughout the process. If anyone is found to be suffering from an epidemic or is weak and critically ill, immediately separate them. Never allow anyone carrying the plague or disease to enter the village."
"If it's truly dangerous, then proceed with the expedient measures!"
Bim understood the emotionless look in Vijay's eyes, and immediately accepted the order solemnly, turning around and quickly leaving to arrange manpower.
Upon hearing the words "inspect for disease," the slave trader standing nearby broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly stepped forward with a fawning smile, explaining, "Master, rest assured, I carefully selected all those sent here, and none of them are infected with any serious disease. There is absolutely no way that someone carrying a disease could have been mixed in."
Vijay simply looked at him calmly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but he was well aware of the slave traders' methods.
These merchants were driven by profit and treated their slaves with extreme cruelty.
Normally, people are treated harshly on the road, but now, in order to meet the deadline, thousands of people are forced to march day and night without even a full meal or a pot of water. The condition of these Dalits will inevitably be extremely poor, and there will definitely be many who are injured, exhausted, or on the verge of sudden death.
He stopped arguing with the merchant and sent someone to summon Rajan: "You must immediately take men with plenty of clean water, coarse grains, and cooked food to support the group along the way. Distribute food and water to any Dalits who are exhausted and about to collapse to stabilize their condition. If anyone collapses completely along the way, do not expend too much energy on treating them; simply place them in an unused area outside the mine."
His words were simple, yet they conveyed an undeniable determination.
Rajan's attitude towards Dalit was the most traditional; he would naturally handle the situation properly. He bowed and accepted the order, then hurried to the supply camp to allocate food and water.
The slave traders witnessed all of this, and a complex mix of emotions arose within them.
He could clearly sense that Vijay's attitude toward Dalit was very contradictory: on the one hand, he designated resettlement areas, distributed food, and arranged medical treatment, showing obvious compassion; on the other hand, he was decisive and cold-blooded when facing the dying, which was completely in line with the norm of how the land treated the lowest of the low.
This contrast puzzled him, and after much hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "Honorable Patriarch Vijay, if I may be so bold, why have you absorbed so many Dalits at once? Such a scale is truly rare among the surrounding villages."
Vijay had anticipated this question and had already prepared his answer. He replied frankly, "You should know that Mittal Village has been established through long-distance trade for generations. Now the village's territory is vast, considered one of the largest among the villages under Harappa City's jurisdiction. I now plan to fully develop the territory, mining, widening roads, demolishing old houses and building new ones. All these projects will be launched simultaneously. If we rely solely on a small number of Shudra and Vedic servants, the construction period will be too long and far from meeting my expectations."
The slave trader nodded repeatedly, seemingly understanding the explanation, but his eyes still held a hint of doubt.
In this land that strictly adheres to the caste system, all villages and city-states regard Dalits as a synonym for filth, believing that the land they tread on will be defiled, let alone allowing them to build roads or dwellings for use by people of higher castes.
This is a practice that goes against tradition and is difficult for outsiders to understand.
Vijay saw through the other party's thoughts and continued to add his reasons: "In addition, mining operations are extremely dangerous. Rockfalls and mine collapses occur frequently. If Shudras and Vaishyas were to work in the mines, the casualties and losses would be too great. Using Dalits as mine laborers would eliminate the need to worry too much about the risks."
These words struck a chord with the slave trader, who immediately beamed and echoed, "Master's thinking is thorough! Using these lowly people as expendable resources is the most appropriate thing to do."
The words were full of contempt for Dalits, a deeply ingrained and prevalent view in the area.
Vijay listened to the other party's flattering words, his face remaining expressionless, but inwardly he shook his head.
He knew that this rhetoric could only temporarily appease the other party; to completely conceal his true purpose of building up momentum, he would need to use actions to disguise it over a long period of time.
He then changed the subject and placed a new order: "Continue to recruit people for me, prepare Dalits in units of 10,000, and at the same time, acquire as many formal warriors, apprentice warriors, and Shudra and Vaishya artisans who have mastered various skills. As long as they have a skill, I will acquire them all, regardless of their price."
Upon hearing about the large order, the slave trader's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, and all his previous doubts vanished.
For him, as long as there were gold coins to earn, the other party's purpose was completely irrelevant.
"Just you wait and see, I will travel to every city-state in the surrounding area and do everything in my power to recruit all kinds of manpower!"
The handover arrangements have been temporarily finalized, but a large number of Dalits are still arriving in the village, and it will be impossible to complete the inventory in a short period of time.
Vijay then invited the slaves to rest by the well in the center of the village.
As they traveled along, the slave traders marveled at the large areas of demolished old houses, the cleared land, the new houses under construction, and the well-maintained roads, marveling at Vijay's grand vision in transforming the village.
"The patriarch actually plans to rebuild the entire village?" he asked curiously.
"The old house was dilapidated and cluttered, which neither reflected the wealth of the territory nor deserved the protection of Brahma," Vijay replied casually, gesturing for his servant to bring a ceramic bowl and scoop up the clear, sweet well water from the well.
The well water was clear and bright, and smooth to the taste. The slave trader picked up the earthenware bowl, tilted his head back and drank it down. He didn't care that the well water dripped down his lips and beard, and praised the water for its sweetness.
The two sat on the bluestone by the well, chatting idly. Vijay took the opportunity to subtly inquire about the origins of this group of Dalits.
The slave traders did not hide anything, stating frankly that most of these people came from border cities.
The borders were constantly ravaged by war, with city-states attacking each other and, often under divine command, invading territories beyond Brahma's realm.
These actions will result in a large number of prisoners who will become Dalits, and then they will be specially instructed by trainers who are well-versed in this.
Over a generation, two generations, or even less, these Dalits were trained to be docile and submissive, becoming the most reliable source of labor.
Time passed slowly, and as the sun rose high in the sky, Bim and Rajan, who had been traveling back and forth, finally returned together, both covered in dust and showing signs of exhaustion.
Bim stepped forward and bowed, carefully reporting the count results: "Master, all personnel have been counted. A total of 5,831 Dalits actually arrived this time. Those who suddenly fell seriously ill and were on the verge of death during the journey or after entering the village have been isolated and placed separately. After removing these people, there are a total of 5,310 people who are capable of moving around."
Vijay nodded inwardly; the slight increase in the population was not unexpected.
The other party must have used extra manpower to escort them. Even though some were lost during the long journey, the number of people delivered in the end still exceeded the agreed five thousand. It can be seen that this slave trader is indeed well-established in the industry and is very experienced.
Today, the total population of Dalit in Mital village has officially exceeded 10,000, making it one of the largest settlements in the entire Harappa city area.
He knew that, according to the caste system of this land, official population statistics would only record the number of Vaishyas, Shudras, and lord families, while tens of thousands of Dalits would be deliberately ignored. Even if a village had the largest population in the area, it would not arouse excessive vigilance from the upper nobility.
"Go to the warehouse and collect the agreed-upon final payment, then deliver it to this merchant," Vijay instructed Bim.
Bim accepted the order and left, returning shortly afterward with a heavy purse of money in his arms.
The slave trader weighed the money bag in his hand, his face beaming with joy. "Brahma bless you! Patriarch Vijay, you are truly a man of your word!"
Vijay paid no attention to such cheap praise.
The slave trader leaned closer and whispered cautiously, "I have prepared a gift for you. I hope you will send a servant to receive it later."
What kind of gift is this that's all so mysterious?
Vijay glanced at him sideways and roughly guessed what this guy was up to.
The slave trader chuckled, thanked him repeatedly, and then took his leave.
After seeing the merchant off, Vijay turned his attention back to the management of the tens of thousands of Dalits in the village. He looked at Bim and asked about their resettlement.
Bim reported clearly and logically: "According to the twelve Dalit settlements you previously designated, the new recruits have been divided into groups of several hundred people and sent to various camps. The resettlement work is now basically complete."
Vijay nodded slightly and ordered the large number of slaves to be divided and dispersed to avoid crowds gathering and causing unrest. This was the basic principle he set, and also a necessary means to prevent the plague and control the population.
But once the resettlement work was settled, new problems arose. He slowly walked to the shade of the village square, his brow furrowed, deep in thought.
Today, the number of Dalits has surged to tens of thousands, making management exponentially more difficult.
Relying on himself alone, along with a few subordinates such as Bim, Rajan, and Shuhu, it was simply impossible to be thorough in every aspect.
It's really necessary to update our village management model!
Vijay recalled what he knew about vertical management versus flat management.
Hierarchical vertical management involves selecting foremen and sub-leaders from among the Dalits, with information being passed up and down the hierarchy, and each level controlling the level below.
This model is easy to implement and fits the long-standing obedience habits of the lower-level slaves, but its drawbacks are also very obvious: the layered control makes it easy for power to be intercepted, and talented and thoughtful people at the bottom will be buried by the middle-level leaders. It is difficult for him to discover hidden geniuses and usable people, and these people are the foundation he needs to build an armed core.
The second approach is flat management: Dalit's frontline supervisors directly connect with themselves and the core management team, eliminating intermediate layers. This approach maximizes direct access to the grassroots level, facilitating talent discovery and overall control.
The problem is that if a group of tens of thousands of people were to be directly connected to the top level, the workload would be terrifying. With the current number of people under their command, they simply cannot handle it, and there is a high risk of management oversights and chaos.
Both models have their advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult for Vijay to choose. In addition, there is a deeper question lingering in his mind.
These Dalits, enslaved for generations, had long since lost all agency.
When the lord issues an order, they mechanically carry it out, working when told to work, lining up when told to line up, like walking corpses, without taking initiative to think or seek change.
In this state, they can only complete the simplest tasks. It would be impossible to expect them to delve into skills, practice martial arts, or innovate.
The most direct way to change the status quo is to teach them to read and write, popularize basic knowledge, and open their minds.
After mastering written language and knowledge, people's comprehension, execution, and independent thinking abilities will be greatly improved, making management much more efficient.
But he immediately realized the enormous risks involved. This land had the strict Code of Manu, which clearly distinguished between castes and strictly prohibited the teaching of writing, scriptures, and knowledge to Dalits.
In the eyes of Brahmins and Kshatriyas, the awakening of the minds of the untouchables would shake the foundations of divine authority and class rule. If this matter were to be leaked, Mittal Village would be regarded as heresy by the entire upper class and would be besieged and destroyed.
On one hand, there is the urgent need for development and talent cultivation; on the other hand, there is the enormous risk of violating the ironclad rules and bringing about annihilation. Whether or not to enlighten him has become a dilemma facing Vijay.
He paced back and forth, his mind a jumble of thoughts. The village's infrastructure construction was in full swing, and martial arts training was progressing steadily in the secluded valley.
With Titi Village looming large and menacing, and internal strife brewing in Harappa City, the management of its 10,000 Dalits is a pressing issue, with every decision having far-reaching consequences.
Don't panic, you absolutely mustn't panic at this moment!