"Lord Arthur keeps his promise." She handed the first document to Laban, who immediately knelt on the ground as she approached. "This is your public land tablet; it has your name and your family's address in Southern Gorge Fortress.
"Go home; your mother and your younger brother are waiting for you."
Arthur, who witnessed everything, squeezed the armrest of the lord's chair; this was the advantage of the system; as long as there was a name, he could directly know his family's information, this feeling of having everything under control.
Laban froze; he slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching the tablet, as if scalded, and then quickly pulled back.
He couldn't believe it; there really was no trial, no flogging, no gallows; there was truly only a land tablet promising a future.
He raised his head and looked at Arthur, who was seated high above; the young lord's eyes showed no emotion, yet carried an undeniable power.
"Take it!" Arthur's voice rang out, not loud, but clearly audible to everyone. "Cultivate the land well! Take care of your family!
Laban finally took the wooden tablet, clutching it tightly in his hand, as if holding his new life; he bowed deeply, then stood up, and under the guidance of the guards, walked step by step towards the Southern Gorge Fortress official waiting outside the door.
One by one, documents were handed to everyone.
Some of them, even with muddy hands, carefully wiped them with the corners of their clothes again and again before daring to take the thin, yet thousand-pound heavy, wooden tablet.
In Southern Gorge Fortress, the family members who had not slept all night had already gathered in the open space in front of the fortress, their eyes piercing through the thick fog, staring intently at the small path leading into the fortress.
No one spoke; everyone's eyes were filled with anxious anticipation.
Finally, they saw their official coming from the direction of the path, followed by a dozen or so people.
They were shabbily dressed, their hair tangled like grass, their faces covered with the ravines carved by wind and frost, but they held their heads high, and although their steps were slow,
They left heavy footprints.
There was no despair on their faces, only the hope of rushing towards new life; they tightly clutched wooden tablets in their hands; the worn-out, broken swords they once gripped had long been discarded in some corner of the mountains.
The crowd stirred, a clamor of voices, craning their necks to identify them.
"It's Laban! Amy's Laban!"
A scream pierced through the crowd; the widow Amy, holding her young son, pushed through the crowd and rushed, kneeling, towards the young man at the front.
She dared not touch him, only covered her mouth with trembling hands, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank Lord Arthur for his benevolence." A thousand words ultimately amounted to just this one sentence.
The young man raised his head, and the moment he saw his mother and younger brother, his sixteen-year-old, weather-beaten face could no longer hold back; his knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the muddy ground, letting out a suppressed sob.
"May the Seven Gods bless Lord Arthur."
"I told you! Lord Arthur never breaks his promises!"
"It's true! It's all true!"
The crowd praised Lord Arthur's benevolence, a truly benevolent lord they had never seen; how fortunate they were to be ruled by such a benevolent master, and tears welled up in their eyes.
The three officials looked at each other, revealing joyful smiles; Lord Arthur conducted annual evaluations of the officials, and the direction of the evaluation was the various achievements in managing the military fortress; wasn't this also considered an achievement of their governance!
This news spread like wildfire, faster than the swiftest messenger, throughout the entire territory.
Lord Arthur had fulfilled his promise; there was no revenge, no punishment, only land.
This news itself was the sharpest weapon; it easily shattered the last bit of resistance in the hearts of the mountain bandits.
The next day, the flow of people descending the mountain converged into a stream.
Some secretly snuck out of the camp at night, clutching their children's clothes, and ran down the mountain crying alone.
Others were groups of three or five friends; they gathered and discussed all night, finally deciding to collectively leave the mountain forest.
On the third day, the stream converged into a river.
People descended the mountain in an endless stream, even causing congestion at several military town registration offices.
The officials were busy off their feet, verifying identities while soothing the emotional crowd.
An even more unexpected surprise followed for Arthur.
Some families who were not bandits also emerged from the deep mountains.
They were refugees fleeing the harsh rule of the Westeros nobles, or fugitives fearing punishment for violating the lord's shameless laws.
They dragged their families, looking sallow and emaciated, their eyes filled with fear of the unknown and a glimmer of longing for stability.
No one in this world doesn't long to live a stable life with their family; it's just that they never had such an opportunity.
Hearing of Arthur's benevolence and the promise of land distribution, they bravely, with their last hope, requested to become Lord Arthur's subjects.
Arthur looked at the latest population statistics summarized by Evelyn, his lips forming a thin line, revealing a smile.
This is called winning hearts and minds, settling by proclamation.
In just a few days, the territory gained over six hundred people, including more than two hundred able-bodied men.
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