Having a general on your side definitely has its perks. While I was busy scavenging everywhere, the fellow had already arranged for troops to take up defensive positions. With everything set up by him, I felt completely free to unleash my gang to run amok across the place. We barged into every wealthy household to loot them dry, using the pretext of searching for suspicious individuals and enemy spies. How could these people ever dare to cross us? On the rare occasion someone had a death wish, we'd flatten them in a flash.
After all, the crew I was leading had plenty of prior experience in doing bad things. Sure, fighting a war wasn't their forte, but when it came to plundering, they were total professionals. I merely initiated things, yet they outperformed me—they caught on instantly and mastered the craft in no time. Still, I laid down a basic rule for them: they were only allowed to loot wealth and goods, and absolutely no touching people.
Initially, I toyed with the idea of carving out my own territory and seizing a few cities once I was out. But after learning more about this world's information, I realized that simply wouldn't work. History from my past life had plenty of examples showing that peasant uprisings almost always failed, and do you know why? It was precisely because they lacked a secure base and a stable rear. That was why I needed to stockpile supplies and plan for the future.
Chapter 25