The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 932 Joining the Group with Investment!

"I'm going to eat!" Al-Tegran Franz calmly found a place to sit down and quietly sipped the porridge in his bowl.

“That’s for commoners, Your Excellency, you should eat these…” Oakrian Norman quickly served a plate of white bread and a bowl of steaming hot meat soup.

"...You all eat, I'll just have some porridge." Marquis Al-Tegran Franz took a deep look at the food in front of him, then turned to look at the soldiers who were wolfing it down, and finally fell silent.

“Al…” Archduke Oakrian Yaso called out.

“It’s alright, you can eat. The people need the protection of soldiers!” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz shook his head, then picked up his porridge, lifted the tent flap, and left.

"..." Oakrian Ryukin glanced at Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso, signaling with his eyes whether he should chase after him, but Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso quickly shook his head at him.

……

"Sigh..." Marquis Al-Tegran Franz sighed as he smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the military camp. He had no right or reason to blame Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso. After all, even a fool would know that hunger wouldn't kill people in this chaotic wasteland, but without the protection of soldiers, these people would truly be torn to pieces!

Chaotic times call for harsh measures, and the treatment of the army also needs to be guaranteed. Although Marquis Al-Tegran Franz was not an expert in military affairs, he understood economics and was even more knowledgeable about human nature. He stood blankly in the snow, watching the people greedily licking every bit of nourishment, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"It's snowing..." Suddenly, Marquis Al-Tegran Franz's face froze, and he stood rooted to the spot, slowly raising his head. His spiritual power had long ago sensed the snowflakes that hadn't yet fallen. Although it was already spring, for the northern wasteland, a region where the snow and ice only melted in summer, the difference between spring and winter was not significant...

“By the Dragon God… what should we do?” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz asked, pulling aside a passing soldier and pointing to the huddled civilians.

"They... may they have good fortune. May the Dragon God protect them!" The soldier paused for a moment, then bowed with a helpless gesture.

"This is murder!" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz paused for a moment, then charged furiously toward Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's tent.

……

"It's snowing! And the people are just huddled in the snow, shivering? They don't even have many tents! Do you know that people can freeze to death?" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz questioned Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"In truth, I'm powerless to help. To be honest, we don't even have enough tents for the soldiers! Look, my tent is crammed full of soldiers..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso made way for Marquis Al-Tegran Franz to see, and sure enough, a large number of soldiers were sitting or lying haphazardly in the tent. "Because we need to keep our warhorses warm, many tents have been taken by the horses, so the soldiers can only squeeze in. Even so, most of the soldiers still have to sleep in the snow. Fortunately, we've implemented a rotation system to ensure that every soldier can rest in a tent for a while!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso sighed.

The tents weren't actually warm at this moment, because the stoves for heating weren't lit. In the icy wasteland, fuel was a precious resource. Only in Grand Duke Okrian Yasor's tent was a small stove lit for lighting. The temperature provided by that stove was limited, but it was enough for the soldiers. Fire and light meant hope to humanity…

"..." Marquis Al-Tegran Franz paused for a moment in front of the tent, which had already had its curtains lowered, and then silently turned and left. It wasn't that Grand Duke Okrian Yaso was being impolite, but rather that the curtains were lowered to preserve the little heat available and prevent drafts.

Al-Tegran Franz walked through the snow. Hunger did not cloud his judgment; on the contrary, the churning of his stomach made his mind clearer. Finally, he abruptly stopped and sighed, as if he had made up his mind.

……

"Where did all these tents come from?" When Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso lifted the curtain in the morning and looked at the endless rows of tan military tents and the rich aroma of wheat in the air, he felt his brain freeze. Moreover, this aroma of wheat could not possibly come from thin porridge!

“This was issued by Marquis Al-Tegran Franz! He said it was a royal decree!” a soldier who had helped him last night said impartially to Oakrian Yaso.

"???" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso glanced at the soldier in confusion before searching for Marquis Al-Tegran Franz. Soon, Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso found Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, who looked like a beggar. He was the only one dressed in silk noble clothes that resembled beggar's attire. The tattered silk was a last vestige of Marquis Al-Tegran Franz's noble status!

"Hello? Your Highness, would you like a bowl of oatmeal?" Al-Tegran Franz scooped a large spoonful of thick oatmeal with a wooden spoon and handed it to the grateful commoner. The sharp-eyed Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso noticed that there were also small pieces of meat in it.

“This is…” Archduke Oakrian Yaso gestured around somewhat helplessly, then pointed to the iron pot in front of Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, as if to say that he was about to give up.

"Rest assured, Your Highness, these are supplies for the Imperial Fourteenth Legion! As the logistics chief of the Eastern Frontier, their supplies should be under my control..." Marquis Al-Tegran Franz gestured to Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso to reassure him that he had funded these supplies.

“Well…” Grandmaster Oakrian Yasuo was about to speak when he was about to say, “Why didn’t you take it out sooner? That way, everyone wouldn’t have to eat porridge all day.”

"First of all, I must declare beforehand! These supplies belong to the Royal Family! These are His Majesty the Emperor's gifts to his people! As the deputy governor of the Eastern Territory and head of logistics, I have the right to distribute these supplies on behalf of His Majesty! I am only offering these on behalf of the Royal Family to provide relief to the common people; His Majesty would not want the people to go hungry or cold!" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz looked solemnly at Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso, his arrogance undisguised! As the royal family's henchmen, the Franz family has always done a good job!

“Then… thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso did not hesitate for long and immediately knelt on one knee and patted his chest in a salute.

"Rise, Grand Duke Yaso! His Majesty surely hopes you can bring them out alive!" Marquis Al-Tegran Franz nodded calmly, accepting Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's kneeling bow on behalf of the royal family.

"Then could you give us a hint: how long will our current supplies last?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso was completely overwhelmed with surprise. He had initially thought that Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, whom he had rescued, was merely a noble byproduct, but it turned out that this man was carrying the Fourteenth Legion's supplies with him! This was practically a case of someone bringing their own funding! Yes! Imperial quartermasters do carry supplies! Given the Franz family's favor, being able to carry the supplies of an entire legion around wouldn't be a problem!