madnovel Chapter 92 Dalit Development Project
Chapter 92 Dalit Development Project
Everyone present, except for Vijay, was a Dalit!
These somewhat dissenting words did not reach many people's ears.
Shu Hu, who only seemed to understand something slightly, wore an indescribable expression on his face.
Like, being moved?
The midday heat gradually subsided, and a cool evening breeze blew across the open fields, stirring up dust and weeds, and sweeping past the crowds who had just finished their fight.
Vijay stood quietly in the center of the field, his gaze sweeping over the more than two hundred Dalits who had just finished fighting and scrambling, without any unrealistic fantasies in his mind.
He knew very well that a few impassioned words or a momentary food temptation could never win over these people who had been enslaved at the bottom of society for their entire lives, let alone make them willing to give up their lives and obey his orders.
The kind of scenario where one gives an order and the entire army immediately commits suicide is something that can only be left for the distant future!
His gaze slowly moved downwards, and only then did he notice the horrific scene left behind by the chaotic fight.
Previously, everyone was huddled together fighting for rice balls, with the crowd obscuring each other and making it difficult to see the whole scene. Now, the crowd has scattered, and the tragic situation in the area is now fully visible.
There were twenty or thirty people lying haphazardly on the ground. Some had dark red blood flowing from their bodies, with deep wounds that exposed bone. Some were breathing weakly and their bodies were twitching. Others had already lost all movement.
For two people who are both Dalits, this struggle for food is far more brutal than Vijay had imagined.
He frowned slightly. These two hundred people were all carefully selected from more than five thousand Dalitries. Each of them possessed a unique talent and could be considered a rare potential asset for the tribe.
It's a real shame that such heavy casualties have occurred before training has even officially begun.
Vijay immediately raised his hand, signaling Shu Hu beside him to come forward and examine the injured and the dead.
Shu Hu accepted the order and strode out, squatting down to check the breathing of each fallen person to assess the severity of their injuries.
He moved back and forth among the collapsed crowd, sometimes gently shaking his head to indicate that there was no hope of recovery, and sometimes raising his hand to indicate that there was still a chance of survival.
After a thorough examination, Shu Hu roughly helped five or six wounded men who still had a glimmer of hope to a nearby open space for centralized placement, while the remaining twenty-odd cold corpses were left quietly in place, awaiting further unified disposal.
Vijay walked over to the wounded soldiers, examined them for a moment, and then ordered, "Send these wounded to the camp. Arrange for someone to fetch herbs to treat and recuperate them. Whether they can pull through depends entirely on their own fate."
For Dalit, Vijay's act of helping him was already an act of great kindness.
If you survive, you can return to other teams to continue working; if you don't survive, you'll just have to become fertilizer in the fields.
Looking at those Dalits who are still standing today, most of them are covered in bruises, with scratches, bruises and cuts on their arms, necks and torsos.
The physical pain did not stimulate the numb nerves; no one cared, and no one complained.
Vijay looked at the scene before him and understood.
These guys are used to fighting each other; as long as it doesn't involve those in power, the Dalit community operates on the true law of the jungle.
Thinking about this, Vijay secretly wondered: what if those two hundred Dalits had swarmed at him and attacked him just now...
Even if one's cultivation has greatly improved to the level of a warrior, and one can indeed subdue everyone, one will inevitably be injured in the melee and find it difficult to escape unscathed.
During the fight just now, he clearly saw that the instantaneous combat power unleashed by several alien Dalits had already surpassed the level of ordinary warriors.
This discovery further solidified his belief that these people had far greater potential than he had imagined, and that with proper guidance and systematic training, they would surely become the backbone of Mittal Village.
How to help them consistently unleash their talents, and even break through their limits to become stronger, has become a key issue that Vijay is currently pondering.
Talent is right in front of you, but fear, distraction, and lack of discipline have become the biggest obstacles. This is something that cannot be rushed; you can only hone it step by step.
After pondering for a moment, Vijay raised his voice to the standing Dalits, his booming voice echoing across the open field: "Now for the next test. Follow me, start here, run to the border of Mittal village in the distance, and then return to the starting point..."
The slight commotion indicated that these Dalits did not seem to have high hopes for themselves.
"Anyone who perseveres and completes the entire round trip without falling behind will be able to enjoy a sumptuous dinner tonight. I testify in the name of Brahma that there will be meat in it."
Hunger is the deepest mark on this group of people. Upon hearing that there will be meat for dinner, the originally exhausted crowd instantly became active.
Just now, a small rice ball had caused everyone to fight to the death, so the prospect of eating meat was an even greater temptation for them.
Many people raised their heads, their cloudy eyes lit up again, and their stomachs rumbled continuously. Everyone's face showed an eager expression.
Seeing this, Vijay nodded in satisfaction; his momentum was sufficient.
Food is always the most direct key to motivating this group of people.
He turned to Shuhu and instructed, "Take the wounded back to camp in the supply wagons. On the way, inform Rajan and Bim to prepare a sumptuous meal to the highest standard. Don't let my promise be broken!"
"Yes, my master!" Shu Hu naturally had no doubts. He bowed and accepted the order, casually tossing the wounded onto a cart loaded with leftover rice. He then drove the cart toward the village, the wheels rolling and gradually disappearing from sight.
After the carriage had gone some distance, Vijay stretched his limbs and took the lead in starting the run.
He chose to jog at a steady pace, maintaining a speed at the level of a novice samurai.
This speed is neither too fast nor too slow; it's a pace that a typical trained warrior could easily keep up with within a range of five to ten kilometers.
While running, he also enjoyed a moment of relaxation.
In recent days, I have been busy with city building, business negotiations, military training, and water conservancy planning. My mind is filled with many trivial matters. Now, running on the fields of my hometown, I feel a gentle breeze on my face and the grass and trees swaying all around. Occasionally, wild rabbits and sparrows are startled by my footsteps and scatter in all directions. It is a scene of natural tranquility.
But this tranquility was soon broken by the commotion of the large crowd behind them.
More than two hundred Dalits followed closely behind, their chaotic footsteps and heavy breathing mingling together, the long-accumulated smells of sweat and dust on their bodies mixing together, diluting the fresh air of the field.
They adhered to the rules ingrained in their bones, deliberately keeping a distance and carefully following Vijay at least 20 meters behind. No one dared to step on Vijay's shadow; this was an instinct honed by generations of enslaved life.
For the first three to five kilometers, the group was able to maintain a consistent pace. Although the group was scattered, there were no large-scale cases of people falling behind.
Vijay glanced back every now and then and noticed that only a few of the previously injured people were gradually slowing down and falling behind the group.
Seeing that everyone's basic endurance was acceptable, Vijay stopped holding back and suddenly increased his running speed, raising his pace to the level of a formal samurai.
The sudden change in speed instantly disrupted the rhythm of everyone behind.
Caught off guard, many of the Dalits who had been running at a steady pace stumbled and frantically tried to catch up.
The crowd was naturally divided, with the first group closely following behind, the second group gradually widening the gap, and the last group being left far behind.
Vijay did not stop, continuing forward along the boundary between the plains and the woodland.
After running for several more kilometers, the rolling mountains and low hills came into view.
He accelerated again, this time breaking the long-distance running limit of a regular samurai, putting everyone to the test of both explosive power and endurance.
The stratification of the population is becoming increasingly apparent.
Only a handful of people remained, keeping a close distance throughout. The thirty or forty people with the remaining strength were doing their best to catch up, their breathing as heavy as a broken bellows, their legs already numb, barely holding on thanks to their obsession with meat.
Seventy or eighty people behind them staggered along, each step requiring all their strength. Their eyes were fixed on Vijay's figure ahead, and even as they were falling further and further behind, they were unwilling to give up completely. Their craving for food and their conditioned reflex to obey the patriarch's orders sustained them as they dragged their weary bodies forward.
Vijay walked at a steady pace along the dirt road at the foot of the mountain, no longer deliberately speeding up, running along the outer arc of Mittal Village from northwest to west, completing a quarter lap around the village.
He ran continuously for three or four hours, his feet constantly alternating between dirt roads, grassy areas, and gravel paths, until the sun set and the afterglow of the sunset painted the entire sky red. Only then did he turn around and head back to the original training ground.
When he reached the starting point, Vijay simply raised his hand to wipe a drop or two of sweat from his forehead. For him, who had already advanced his physical training techniques, the long run was merely a warm-up exercise.
He stopped and quietly looked back at the long road he had traveled.
On the vast open field, a few scattered figures were still moving with difficulty.
In the end, only three Dalits kept up with the whole way and were not left behind. After Vijay came to a stop, they collapsed to the ground with a thud, their limbs limp and they didn't even have the strength to lift their hands.
Vijay stepped forward and carefully examined the three men; each had distinct characteristics:
The first person had bent legs, a broken tail, and mottled fur, typical of a feline hybrid. When running, he was agile, possessing both explosive power and endurance. The second person was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, appearing clumsy, yet possessing superhuman endurance, relying on sheer tenacity to persevere to the end. The third person's appearance was no different from that of ordinary Brahma's children, showing no signs of being a beast or scaly creature.
After a short wait, Shuhu and Rajan drove the carriage back to the camp.
Seeing that Vijay had arrived, Rajan quickly stepped forward and handed him a clean silk scarf and a ceramic pot of water.
Vijay took the silk scarf, wiped away the thin layer of sweat, and drank a few mouthfuls of cool spring water, instantly dispelling his fatigue.
He pointed to the three winners who were collapsed on the ground and instructed Shu Hu, "Give them water first, and write down their names. They followed the whole thing today; they're promising talents, so we'll focus on nurturing them!"
The three Dalits caught their breath, took the spring water and gulped it down. The sweet spring water slid down their parched throats, relieving most of their fatigue, and their faces were full of joy.
Looking into the distance, the figures of the second group appeared on the horizon.
A dozen or so Dalits helped each other, using both hands and feet, almost crawling towards the starting point.
The extreme running had exhausted them, but the way they supported and helped each other made Vijay nod inwardly.
The concept of teamwork is slowly taking root and sprouting in this group of people.
He turned and called Rajan and Shuhu to his side, arranging follow-up matters one by one: "The second team and everyone who returns one after another should have a good meal and be given clothes."
He paused, then looked at Shu Hu and added in a serious tone, "Remember this: when night falls, if anyone still hasn't returned to camp, take your men and search along the roads. Don't let them lie dead in the wilderness."
"From now on, we will organize training like this every day, following today's model, focusing on endurance running, formation drills, and basic physical fitness, gradually developing their abilities. I will take time every day to come and inspect and supervise. The responsibility of leading the daily training will be entrusted to you."
Shu Hu bowed deeply. He knew how much Vijay valued this team. After all, given his high status, he was willing to spend a day with these lowly Dalits and go to great lengths to think of them.
These lowly people should be grateful!
Having made up his mind to treat these guys even more harshly, and not to disappoint his master, Shu Hu nodded and solemnly replied, "Your subordinate understands! I will train them strictly according to the young master's requirements, without any slackening!"
"Rajan, go back and tell Bim," Vijay said, glancing at the food they had brought—it was indeed as he had promised—"that they should prepare more substantial meals from now on, and distribute them according to Dalit's training progress!"
"Your command, my master!" Rajan replied from the side.
On the open field, the evening breeze grew increasingly cool, and the last rays of the setting sun sank into the distant mountains.
One by one, the Dalits who had fallen behind returned to the starting point.
Some people were so exhausted that they collapsed on the grass, panting heavily, while others dragged their injured bodies and gritted their teeth to persevere.
Obedience is not a problem!
Vijay was very satisfied with this. Years of oppression and brainwashing had actually given him an advantage!
Vijay stood on the high ground, looking at the team before him, which came from humble beginnings but had boundless potential, and his mind was filled with many thoughts.
Today is just the beginning!
After handing the scene over to Shu Hu, Vijay turned and returned to the village.
Lights gradually illuminated the village as the craftsmen finished their day's work, received their rations, and began preparing dinner.
Maya stood at the door, eagerly awaiting Vijay's return.
As soon as Maya saw Vijay, she flew into his arms like a lark.
"Phra Phuttha Chödrön, you're back! Shiva, protect us!"
A standard charging foul.
Vijay affectionately patted her head, feeling her softness and warmth.
"I've prepared the meal! Today I've made the master's favorite roast chicken again!"
Vijay stood at his doorstep, turning back to look at the peaceful village—a truly beautiful and harmonious scene.
It's truly worth the effort and struggle!