I Became The Leader Of A Revolution In A Romance Fantasy

< Chapter 24: Parabellum – 1 >

The so-called “New Start,” the Republic’s ‘New Deal Policy,’ began with the chill wind of early winter.

The only radio in the village hall continuously blared, “Something is happening!” but for the people living in this rural backwater, it was just a distant story.

“They say they’re running a lot of factories in the city.”

“Didn’t they say they were running at a loss every time they did that not too long ago?”

“I don’t know.”

Yeah. I don’t know.

What on earth are they trying to do?

#

For the young farmer Tom Watson, every day lately was hell.

“Ugh!”

The moment he entered the hall and sat down with a groan, the village youths glanced at him.

Their eyes were uniformly lifeless.

Tom didn’t care and shouted,

“Take the firewood! Unless you want to freeze to death!”

No one responded.

Someone snickered.

“…Damn, taking on unnecessary hard labor. Just open the warehouse, and there’s plenty of burnable trash.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Sarcastic laughter echoed from various corners.

Tom’s face twisted.

The ‘burnable trash’ they were talking about was the agricultural produce of this rural village.

In winter, when there were no crops, the village would typically focus on keeping the communal storage dry and cool, but no one cared about that anymore.

The grains had started to rot, and as someone had just mentioned, anyone could just take some and burn it instead of firewood.

Tom couldn’t stand it.

“Do you think your life is over just because one year’s harvest failed? Even old wheat will be valuable again if the economy improves…”

Crash!

Someone overturned a bowl.

“The harvest was great!”

He shouted as if coughing up blood.

“But damn it! What’s the point if the harvest is good? It doesn’t sell! Because it doesn’t sell, the price is dirt cheap, and even then, no one buys it! Even if we fill the carts to the brim and take it out, it costs more to transport it to the market!”

The suppressed anger exploded like a volcano from the faces that had been apathetic and indifferent.

He clawed at his face and wept bitterly.

“We, we’re ruined. We’re done for.”

“…This year, we at least have the harvested goods. If we survive on those, next year…”

“Do you think you can farm next year?!”

A youth grabbed Tom by the collar.

“Do you think we can even buy fertilizer next year? No, let’s say we do. If we all squeeze out every drop of blood to buy fertilizer. Huh? Does that mean it’ll sell better that year? Will things improve?”

“…”

“Damn it, damn it, it would have been better in the old days… our lord was a decent man. If the crops failed, at least the rent…”

It was at that moment.

Bang!

A group of about ten people burst in.

They were all dressed in black uniforms, which was starkly different from the impoverished appearance of those worn down by the economic recession.

“Soldiers?”

Tom sensed a disciplined aura from their movements.

The individuals in black uniforms parted to the sides, and a young man walked through them.

“Hello, good work!”

The young man, grinning cheerfully, had an armband on his arm.

People momentarily froze.

Especially the young man who had just made remarks supporting feudalism turned pale.

However, he soon realized that the armband was not the red one of the Revolutionary Committee, and he felt slightly relieved.

It was a green armband he had never seen before.

“Who are you…”

“Hahaha, first, please take this.”

“Huh? What?”

The individuals in black uniforms took out a framed piece of paper and abruptly displayed it on the village hall wall.

At first, the villagers were puzzled, wondering what it was.

“Hey! Isn’t that the patriotic bond?”

“Oh right! Isn’t that the one that promises land after ten years if you buy it?”

Land?

At that word, the entire village hall buzzed with excitement.

“Hahaha! Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that you’ll get land after ten years, but there will be an average land price across the country, right?”

“A-an average? Um, yeah, right.”

The old man in the village, who liked to pretend he knew everything, nodded his head vaguely.

“If you buy that bond at the current land price, you’re lending that amount of money to patriotic companies guaranteed by the country.”

“Us? Lending money?”

“Yes! That’s why it’s called a patriotic bond. Just buying it is an act of patriotism!”

Tom frowned.

Patriotism, my foot.

He had been dragged into the army, and that damn country hadn’t done a single thing for him.

Tom’s sense of community extended only as far as his village.

“So what happens to the money we lend? Does the country just keep it?”

The young man with the green armband widened his eyes.

But soon he laughed heartily.

“Oh, of course not! They will return it. In ten years. Equivalent to the land value at that time!”

“!”

Those who remembered the hyperinflation.

In other words, everyone present, unconsciously stared at the bond in the frame.

◇ Patriotic Bond ◇

「1 square meter of real estate」

“So, you’re saying they’ll give us money equivalent to 1 square meter of real estate in ten years?”

Doesn’t that mean we could eventually buy land?

“That’s right. This is just a commemorative gift. You can buy more if you want!”

“…Where do we find the money…”

“Ah, don’t worry. Small purchases are possible for individual patriots! Or, you can gather money together with like-minded people for a ‘joint ownership’!”

‘I’ll have my own land?’

In the past, it belonged to the nobility. Now, it belonged to the Revolutionary Committee or some wealthy person aligned with them. The villagers had been farming for generations, yet they never actually owned land themselves.

But soon, they let out bitter laughs.

“Patriotic bonds, my foot. We don’t even have money to farm next year.”

The young man with the green armband fiddled with the inside of his sleeve.

Tucked there was a small script written by ‘Colonel Hastings’.

Taking advantage of the murmuring crowd, the young man quietly peeked at the script and then raised his voice.

“Everyone, that’s exactly why we’re here!”

“?”

His sudden words made question marks appear above everyone’s heads.

At his nod, the individuals in black uniforms moved swiftly, handing out pieces of paper to the crowd.

‘Gasp, are these patriotic bonds?’

Eyes widening, people opened the papers only to find a boring drawing, leading to disappointment.

But soon, the details in the drawing began to capture their attention.

“Hey, what’s this picture of farming tools? Do we have carts like this?”

“Wow, even the storage looks impressive. Never seen anything like it!”

“What are they doing in the corner?”

It was clearly a drawing of an ordinary rural village. However, the items depicted were all new to them.

At that moment, Tom Watson, who had been looking at the drawing indifferently, gasped.

“I-isn’t this a tractor?”

“Oh, you recognize it!”

A tractor?

What is that?

Such murmurs spread around, but soon everyone fell silent with a sense of anticipation.

The young man with the green armband raised his fist and shouted.

“Everyone, if I told you this is what our village will look like in two years, would you believe it?”

“……?”

“Sorry for the late introduction. We are from the Stomtr… I mean, ahem. We’re from the ‘New Village Movement Headquarters’!”

“……What movement? Is it different from that New Deal or whatever?”

“Haha, you can think of it as part of the New Deal policy. Since rural areas are the foundation of this country, we’re pushing a policy to give you more benefits.”

Hearing the mention of the New Village Movement or whatever, for some unknown reason, it felt like they were being exposed to a wave of authoritarianism from another world.

But the villagers shrugged it off as just their imagination and listened intently to what the young man had to say.

They didn’t fully understand what he was saying, but the idea that rural areas were the foundation of the country resonated with them.

The promise of benefits resonated even more.

The young man cleared his throat and, recalling every word from the script the Colonel had written, followed it exactly.

“No one can live without eating. The countryside is what keeps the country grounded! When you thrive, the country thrives!”

“Oh, the young man is saying all the right things!”

“That’s right! No matter how much they talk about cities and factories, people need to eat to live!”

The villagers’ hearts seemed ready to align with this young man promoting the ‘New Village Movement’ or whatever it was called.

That green armband was probably the symbol of this New Village Movement.

‘Seems better than the Revolutionary Committee!’

Green was better than the glaring red armband.

It was easier on the eyes and so much better.

“Everyone! The world is changing! Now, with machines that assist in farming, a single woman can do the work of ten strong men. Is that all? Modern materials used to build storage facilities make it much easier to maintain temperature and humidity. By installing a pump in the well, you won’t have to drink muddy water anymore!”

The more they heard, the more wonderful and amazing it sounded.

However, Tom, still listening with his arms crossed and a skeptical expression, shouted out.

“That all sounds great, but isn’t it all about money!”

That one sentence cooled the excitement filling the hall. The air seemed to hiss and deflate sharply.

“Who doesn’t know how good a tractor is? But how expensive is it! Did you come here to sell stuff? Are you trying to churn out those tractors in factories and sell them to gullible farmers? Is that your ‘New Deal’?”

“Oh-”

The young man pointed at Tom.

“Hey there, young fellow. Have you learned a bit about ‘revolution’?”

Are you a communist?

It was a roundabout question.

But Tom’s expression hardened.

Knowing well the atrocities the Revolutionary Committee inflicted on rural areas, he shuddered at the mere mention of revolution.

‘Revolution doesn’t ultimately help us. The farmers must protect the countryside.’

“…Just for a while when I was drafted.”

Unlike Tom’s reluctant answer, the young man brightened up and acted friendly.

“Oh? A veteran! Nice to meet you, comrade!”

“A-a veteran?”

It was a word he had never heard before.

“Yeah, that’s a thing. Let’s meet again soon. Nowadays, there are many benefits for veterans.”

Regardless of Tom’s reaction, the young man smiled broadly and patted his back.

Then he continued his propaganda to the gathered villagers.

“Alright, our smart veteran friend here is correct. Tractors are expensive. Pumps? Expensive. New storage? Expensive. But we’re here to help with that.”

This time, the men in black uniforms came holding samples of materials and presented them.

The people recognized that the material was the new type used to build the warehouse in the picture.

“It’s, it’s light!”

“Wow, this won’t let any moisture in, will it?”

The young man nodded, satisfied.

“Good, isn’t it? Amazing, right? The New Village Movement provides the materials needed for the modernization of communal village facilities for free!”

“Free?!”

“Yes, free! We’re sincere about this! A strong countryside makes a strong country!”

“W-what’s the catch?”

The young man pretended to think for a moment.

Then he playfully raised his head.

“…Just live well?”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s really the answer. Just live well from now on. Live diligently. Don’t doubt that effort will be rewarded, and live your best!”

The men in black uniforms formed a perfect line and shouted in unison.

“Let’s live well!”

Their discipline was like that of a small army.

The people were startled by the slogans bursting out like a literal ‘storm.’

But soon, they found themselves unconsciously repeating, “Let’s live well?” “Yeah, let’s live well!”

“That’s right, working hard and living well for each individual ultimately benefits the country! Patriotism starts with living well yourself!”

The young man continued shouting while constantly glancing at his script.

“Tractors? We’ll provide them! Well pumps? We’ll provide them! Just get the training! New farming methods, building structures for our village, and even constructing modern houses! But!”

The young man held out an application form.

“All these benefits are provided only to villages that participate in the New Village Movement. If you join the New Village Movement, we’ll buy all the agricultural products from your village at our headquarters until the prices stabilize.”

“A-at a loss?”

“Hey, just look at this.”

The price listed in the terms was modest compared to before the grain price crash, but in the current situation, it was more than five times what they could get.

The people opened their eyes wide.

“Oh, my, what a fantastic deal… Of course, we have to do this!”

“What is this? Jobs throughout the winter? They even give jobs in winter?”

“Haha, yes. There’s a lot of work! We can’t do major construction in the winter, so we need to do simple road maintenance until spring! We also have to prepare everything according to the new farming methods!”

They weren’t just being told to do it; they were promised steady wages during the income-dry winter season?

“I-I’ll do it!”

“Hey, seriously, you’re well-off! Let me do it instead!”

People eagerly raised their hands.

But it didn’t stop there.

“…Value creation? What is that?”

“You just sell your agricultural products as they are, right? Instead, there are a few simple processing methods you can do even in rural areas. The price increases tenfold!”

“T-Tenfold?!”

“Absolutely. We’ve collected secret processing methods for regional specialties and are working on making manuals.”

Tom realized he was now reading this paper intently.

And the more he read, the more he realized.

‘This isn’t just talk. They really intend to save the rural areas.’

They would buy up all the plummeting agricultural products at stable prices and support rural modernization to increase future agricultural production.

Moreover, people in need of money could participate in construction projects and earn daily wages while learning new methods to generate income.

A ray of hope had appeared in the future of the village, which had been filled with nothing but despair despite their struggles.

He found himself grabbing the young man’s arm.

“E-Excuse me!”

“Oh, comrade.”

“If I want to learn more about the New Village Movement, what should I do?”

“Oh.”

The young man smiled brightly.

Then, putting an arm around Tom’s shoulder, he whispered softly in his ear.

“Actually, this year is the evaluation period. Haha, if they catch me telling you this, I’d get a real beating, but I’m telling you because you’re a comrade.”

“Evaluation period?”

“If you’re selected as an outstanding performer here, you’ll be able to enter the New Village Leader training course around this time next year.”

“!”

The young man patted Tom’s shoulder.

And he recalled the words of the ‘Colonel.’

– The external goal of the New Village Movement is to revive the rural areas, but equally important is restructuring the entire rural area as a de facto reserve force.

“Do your best. I’m the evaluator for this area, and I won’t go easy on you.”

“I-I’ll work hard!”

“Great, great. Good luck!”

– Under the name of ‘New Village Leaders,’ we are nurturing prospective junior officers. Additionally, we need to establish a system where, if necessary, up to 20% of the rural population can be conscripted without collapsing agriculture. We must complete these two tasks within five years.

‘But I’m not an officer either.’

He wondered if he needed to enter that New Village Leader training course or whatever it was.

If this young man named Tom became a New Village Leader, would he outrank him?

With his head tilted in thought, Jjamjji moved on to the next village.