"Put all those people in complete isolation. Ensure zero contact with anyone. Their food will be the same every day—a simple piece of bread with water. Also, disrupt their sleeping pattern with loud noises at irregular times." Vlad’s eyes were cold as he uttered those words.
Grand Marshal Anglius’ eyes narrowed as he heard those words. While that sort of sentence might seem mild, his military training told him the truth: that form of punishment was horrifying. People are social creatures, and their minds crave patterns. Stripping them of these would break them from the inside out.
Complete and utter isolation is considered a form of psychological torture that could break even the strongest minds, and the disruption of sleep patterns would lead to severe mental deterioration, capable of inducing madness in those too weak to endure it.
The truth was that breaking someone’s bones and cutting their fingers would be less horrible. However, it would also be less effective because people would scream anything to make the pain go away. With Vlad’s method, in a few weeks, those prisoners would be so broken that they could not lie, even if their lives depended on it.
"We’ll make sure it is carried out, my King." Although Grand Marshal Anglius considered the punishment horrifying, those people had tried to ambush his soldiers, and their actions would have caused the deaths of hundreds of refugees. Why would he show any mercy to those who would not show it to old men and children?
Vlad nodded, his eyes cold as he decided to take care of that problem before it could escalate into something bigger. He would not allow a threat to remain hidden in the shadows and would not hesitate to do whatever it took to protect his people.
"How are things going with Orion and the Strong Hammer Military Base?" The coldness in Vlad’s eyes grew stronger as he mentioned the forces controlled by the angelic woman who had diverted the high demonic horde in their direction.
"As you commanded, we have placed spies around the Strong Hammer Military Base. Their power has been rising as more angels appear, and they take in refugees from their side of Inkmetal City. We have yet to see signs of the caste system, but there are clear signs of disparate treatment between soldiers and civilians." Grand Marshal Anglius’ face grew solemn as he knew how dangerous the Strong Hammer Military Base was.
Their power was growing very fast, especially with the addition of new angels that seemed to appear out of nowhere. If the Xaos Kingdom wanted to expand its influence beyond Inkmetal City, it would need to take care of Orion and her troops first.
Vlad knew he needed to kill the angelic woman and all her winged rats, but things were not so simple. If it were a demonic horde, he would rally his forces and strike them with overwhelming power. However, among Orion’s troops were humans, and he was sure the woman would use them as meat shields.
The soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom were fearless and would march head-on into any demonic horde, but asking them to butcher civilians, with old men and children among them, was too much.
Vlad hoped Orion would implement the angelic caste system, as that would make gaining the goodwill and help of the civilians in Strong Hammer Military Base easier, but the woman had postponed that. The only reason Vlad could figure out was that she wanted to create a sense of unity while demonizing the people of the Xaos Kingdom.
"Ahhh, for the moment, we will keep strict vigilance. Marching forward with our current power would not be wise, and even if we take the Strong Hammer Military Base, too many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire." Vlad could not help but sigh as he felt the headache coming, but soon his eyes burst with resolve. "I will think of a plan to take them down safely in the coming days."
Grand Marshal Anglius nodded, a smile of relief appearing on his face. He knew that brutality was needed in these dark times, but he was happy to see that their King would not ignore the core of their humanity and disregard the civilians on the other side.
After finishing the military report, Vlad turned his focus to Chief Counselor Alonz, and the old man did not waste a second before continuing with his civilian report.
"As you commanded, my King, schools have been placed across the base. Children are learning language, history, and arithmetic, with optional courses such as art and craft. According to your guidance, there is also a deep focus on magic and military knowledge being imparted, along with medical training." A smile appeared on Chief Counselor Alonz’s face as he uttered those words. While it was just a small task, education was the base of any civilization, and focusing on the children was easily forgotten but should always be held in high importance.
Vlad nodded, happy to see his project in order. Those children would rise to become the backbone of the Xaos Kingdom, and they needed to be educated.
Language, history, and arithmetic were core components to developing an individual’s cognitive abilities, very important for future military and civilian officers. As for classes like arts and crafts, while they might seem meaningless in times , they were very useful as those skills could translate into magic professions such as Runemasters and Alchemists.
As for magic, military, and medical knowledge, their importance was easy to understand as they would open a path for all sorts of jobs in the future.
"According to your command, we have established a government system that can take care of all the basic tasks of the Silent Wind Military Base. As for the payment, we have established the Xaos Credits, giving access to high-tier cultivation techniques and food." A serious expression turned toward Alonz as he carried on with his report, this part was boring but extremely important.