Chapter 97: Chapter 96, The Wind Rises
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The 3rd Battalion of the Governor’s Infantry Regiment will be responsible for food security, and incidentally, for the safety of Osenia herself.
Of course, relying solely on an infantry battalion is certainly not enough.
And at this time, the work that Yan Fangxu had been doing finally paid off.
He had not shown his face in Revival City because he was with the 4th Battalion and the fifty political commissaries drawn from various teams, still entrenched in the prison camps outside Revival City.
With a shortage of manpower in Osenia’s area, she made a request to the Governor. Gu Hang turned his head and asked Yan Fangxu about the training status of those prisoners.
It had only been a few days; naturally, more than seven thousand prisoners could not be reorganized so quickly.
However, their training level was sufficient. Although it did not meet the T5 standard produced by the system, they were after all formally part of the previous alliance’s regular army.
The main issue was their reliability.
But if manpower really needed to be drafted, it was not impossible.
Yan Fangxu selected seven companies that had shown the best performance to date.
Within these seven companies, the political commissars deployed had already succeeded in establishing branches of the Soldier’s Committee and had done very good ideological work.
And those who were put into practical action immediately faced their first test.
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Osenia seemed rather overwhelmed.
The administrative team she led had virtually no control over the suburban areas outside Revival City.
Everything had to start from scratch.
It was also difficult to establish control quickly.
So how was Osenia going to spread the word about distributing food at set times and places?
She resorted to a crude method.
She got hold of several tricycles, fitted them with loudspeakers, recorded the messages for food distribution, and had them drive around the city ensuring the message could be heard everywhere.
The work of cult screening issued by the Governor, in Osenia’s understanding, was something that needed to be done, but the priority was not as high.
Of course, she knew that if cult members were not caught, they would cause trouble and make mischief. But relatively speaking, if the people in the suburbs had enough to eat, it would not be so easy for the cult members to stir up trouble; the difficulty would increase.
Who would follow a cult when there are prospects for the future?
Of course, screening work still needed to be done.
Three nuns had been assigned by Georgette to assist with the final processing of the screening work.
But clearly, relying on three nuns, it was impossible to screen hundreds of thousands of people.
Amidst her busy schedule, Osenia found time to create a registration form.
When collecting food, the public needed to register their personal information, which had to be cross-verified with the information provided by others.
The hope was that through this method, it would be possible to identify any recent abnormal behaviors, people living in close proximity whom their neighbors didn’t recognize, or even more directly, to report those suspected of being cult members.
Those identified as anomalies would be subject to further scrutiny, and ultimately, by the last check, the nuns would be directly involved.
This was the best solution Osenia could come up with under the limited conditions and time.
Her core focus, however, was still on food distribution.
However, just as the tricycles with loudspeakers were spreading the word everywhere, and the food distribution points guarded by teams of soldiers scattered around the suburbs were set up, waiting for the food to arrive so that the work could proceed smoothly,
news came that the convoy transporting food from the inner city had been ambushed.
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When Osenia heard the news, she felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
If there were problems with the food transportation, it could lead to a major crisis.
The people’s sense of anticipation had already been built up by the continuous mobile loudspeaker propaganda. According to front-line reports, many citizens were already queuing up at the distribution points, waiting for the arrival of the food.
Now, what could she do if the food ran into trouble halfway?
Was she really going to tell the starving people lined up for their meal that the food was gone?
Wasn’t that nonsense?
It was likely to spark a riot on the spot!
Osenia was somewhat panicked.
Her experience wasn’t expansive. In her past managerial roles, she had done well, typically identifying problems, pondering solutions, and finding ways to get things done. Usually, if she followed her own plan, issues would be resolved.
But she had never encountered a sudden, large-scale emergency like this, one that could completely collapse if mishandled. Panic was natural.
However, she quickly forced herself to calm down, “Osenia, Osenia, don’t panic, think of a solution… just like before…”
Regaining her composure, she began to think.
Managing the food distribution for the vast population outside the city was a very complex process.
First, she had chosen six locations in the outer city as warehouses to serve as distribution hubs. The food transported from the main warehouses in the inner city would first be delivered there. Then, each distribution hub would correspond to about ten specific food distribution points. The food transported to the hubs would be further distributed to these points. Citizens could register there and directly receive food after confirming their identities.
The security issue was quite tough. The forces Osenia could enlist included seven companies provided by Yan Fangxu and the third battalion sent by the Governor’s Camp, adding up to a total of ten companies.
A company would be responsible for each distribution hub. They had to garrison the hubs to ensure the safety of the food upon arrival; they also had to monitor each food distribution point and provide immediate support in case of emergencies.
In addition, there were two companies mainly responsible for escorting the food shipments. Each of the six routes needed a platoon to accompany the convoy.
The last two companies were pulled out to act as clerks. They would be dispersed among all food distribution points, serving as guards while also handling personnel registration and the actual food distribution tasks.
When there weren’t enough clerks, soldiers would fill the gap.
Now, the problem was with the food transportation route.
Currently, the news Osenia had was that a mob, armed with weapons, emerged from the complicated environment of a slum as the convoy passed through, launching an attack on the team. The outcome of the battle was still unknown.
All six food transportation routes had almost simultaneously been attacked.
After clarifying the situation, she may not have been completely composed, but she still issued one firm order after another.
“Immediately send a telegram to the Governor, report our situation, and request support. We need loyal and reliable troops to help.”
“Immediately command all companies stationed at the food distribution hubs to deploy in full force, support their respective food convoys, and eliminate all armed militants.”
“Teams established at the sixty food distribution points are not to move. They must focus on the situation of the queuing citizens, with appeasement as the highest priority. Use of force is not permitted unless absolutely necessary.”
“Contact Captain Yan Fangxu. I need him to prepare the military rations from the prisoner camp… I fully understand those supplies are critical, they determine the stability of the prisoners. I hope we won’t need them, but if any food transportation route indeed encounters issues, we need those supplies for emergency use. Also, inform him not to worry, as I’ve already arranged for supplies from the Governor’s Camp’s starch block factory. A convoy carrying a hundred tons of food is on its way, which can replenish the military’s needs. Our synthetic starch factories are also operating at full capacity.”
The clerks receiving her orders went off to carry out their tasks.
Osenia, while pondering whether there were any issues with the orders she’d issued or if anything needed to be added, looked out the window.
It had started to get windy outside. The houses in the slum, built haphazardly, creaked in the wind.
Looking at the gusty wind, Osenia’s worries deepened.
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One more chapter to go, it’ll be late, not finished yet…