Chapter 116: [Parole]

Labor reform camp.

Compared with the original simple wooden sheds, the living conditions of the prisoners have improved a lot. The sheds now have walls, and many dormitories have been built. Each dormitory generally has eight to sixteen beds.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the average living space per prisoner was increased due to the need for isolation.

However, most people still lived in wooden sheds, and living in dormitories was a privilege only for a few prisoners.

For example, Owl, as a former Comanche chief and an elder, was one of the prisoners who could live in the dormitory.

Ma Shao followed Blind Shot into the labor camp and headed for Owl's dormitory.

Due to the epidemic and the temperature, the prisoners have been relatively free recently and are spending more time learning Apache.

When Ma Shao saw the owl, several prisoners in the dormitory were learning Apache language from a shaman, and of course they were also receiving missionary work.

In fact, although most prisoners are not proficient in Apache, they have some faith in religion, at least they believe in the wonderful stories in the Oracle.

"Big Chief." Seeing Ma Shao coming in, several prisoners stood up and carefully said something in Apache.

Ma Shao nodded: "Except for Owl, all of you should go out for a while."

After everyone else left and he, Owl, and Blind Shot were the only three people left in the room, he asked, "What important matter do you want to talk to me about? Sit down and talk."

The owl sat down carefully, with a hint of hesitation on his face, and finally said, "It's... about the deer hand."

"Deer hand?" Ma Shao frowned slightly.

Owl nodded and swallowed. "Not long ago, Deer Hand found me. He...he hoped that I could incite the prisoners to riot, and then he could take the opportunity to control Sleeping Bear City."

Ma Shao's expression seemed calm: "How did you respond to him at that time?"

"I, I said I would think about it." The owl seemed a little guilty, and then said, "In fact, I was just perfunctory to him. I didn't even think about agreeing, so I decided to tell you about it."

Ma Shao stared at him, and after a moment of silence, he said, "You made a wise decision. Lu Shou can't control Mianxiong City. Even if he kills me, Mianxiong will not belong to him."

After the pandemic, Ma Shao believes that Mian Xiong has the ability to grow on his own. Even without his guidance, Mian Xiong's future will probably not be as miserable as that of most Indians in history.

At least, based on Lu Shou's ability, he is not qualified to interrupt the development process of Mian Xiong.

The owl smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

Ma Shao thought for a while, then looked at Blind Shot: "How are the prisoners behaving recently?"

Blind Shot: "Due to the quarantine, the prisoners have more time to study, and their Apache language skills have improved rapidly. And just like the tribesmen, they are very satisfied and even unbelievable with the results of the epidemic prevention."

Ma Shao nodded slightly: "In that case, we will start to implement the 'parole system' from now on."

"Parole system?" Owl asked in confusion.

Ma Shao explained: "The parole system allows you to regain your freedom under certain conditions. After the epidemic is over, prisoners with a vocabulary of more than 500 Apache words can be paroled as long as they can allow their families to move to Sleeping Bear City to settle down."

"During the parole period, prisoners can move freely in the city, but they still need to accept a certain degree of management and supervision. This is also a form of serving a sentence. After serving your sentence, you will be free and become official residents of Sleeping Bear City."

Through intensive land reclamation over the past six months, the cultivated land area in Mianxiong City has increased rapidly and farmers' farming techniques have also improved a lot.

The food supply this year will be quite loose, so Ma Shao believes that it is possible to continue to absorb population on a large scale.

If one wants to absorb a large population, the most convenient way is naturally to start with these more than 900 prisoners.

Their relatives number at least two to three thousand people. If these two to three thousand people are incorporated into Sleeping Bear City, the population of the tribe will exceed seven thousand, making it one of the largest cities in the Midwest.

The tribe can then consider building a second city.

Of course, before that, Ma Shao needs to solve some current troubles.

He called the soldiers and said, "Notify all councillors to hold a meeting in the Chief's Hall before 8 o'clock tonight to discuss the epidemic."

"Yes." The soldier replied, then turned and left.

Soon, dozens of parliamentarians arrived at the Chiefs' Hall, all wearing masks.

After everyone arrived, Ma Shao started by saying some meaningless words.

Then he changed the subject: "...Also, there is one more important thing to say today. Bring the person in."

Just as he finished speaking, the Sleepy Man and several soldiers came in from outside with an owl.

Seeing the owl suddenly appear, Deer Hand, who was sitting in his seat, suddenly narrowed his eyes and showed a look of surprise and anger.

The owl didn't dare to look at him, and lowered his head and said: "Chief——"

Before he could finish his words, at this moment, the deer hand suddenly jumped up and stabbed the owl's neck with a dagger.

Deer Hand is also an excellent warrior. He can easily deal with ordinary people, and dealing with an old man like Owl is even easier.

However, the sleepy man was standing next to the owl. He was quick-witted and reacted immediately!

Just as the dagger was about to pierce the owl's neck, the sleepy man grabbed the wrist of the deer hand and snapped it!

"Crack!"

Deer Hand couldn't help but scream, and the dagger fell to the ground with a clang.

Then the sleepy man pushed him to the ground and shouted, "Don't move!"

There was a commotion in the room and everyone stood up and moved away from Deer Hand.

"What's going on?" Many people are still unclear about the situation.

The owl was still in shock. He looked palely at the deer hand that was pinned to the ground and staggered back a few steps. Fortunately, the soldier next to him helped him up.

Ma Shao was also a little surprised, but soon calmed down: "Lu Shou, it seems that you can't wait to confess your guilt... Owl, tell me everything you know."

"Yes, Great Chief." Owl straightened up tremblingly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Then he told Lu Shou everything about how he had secretly contacted him.

Deershou was furious: "You untrustworthy old bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

The owl said: "I never intended to agree to your request. It was you who overestimated your own abilities and wanted to challenge Chief Ma Shao!"

"Humph!" Lu Shou panted and sneered coldly, "Captain Mashao? 'You are a stinky boy who hasn't even fully grown his hair', that's what you said to me yourself, how come you have become 'Captain Mashao' now?"

"You're talking nonsense!" The owl's expression changed, "I never said such a thing!"

Ma Shao raised his hand: "Okay."

The hair has not grown yet, which is a bit strange for Indians.

Indians are the race with the least body hair. They don't have much hair to begin with. Most of them don't have any chest or armpit hair, and white hair is common down there… It might be more accurate to call them "yellow tigers".

He looked at Lu Shou and said slowly: "The facts are clear and the evidence is irrefutable. Lu Shou, you attempted murder and conspired to split the tribe. You should be shot. Do you have anything else to say?"

The current laws in Mianxiong City are relatively simple, with few charges and penalties. All crimes of a serious nature will be executed by shooting, which greatly saves judicial costs.

"Kill me if you want!" Lu Shou snorted, not intending to argue.

But one member of the parliament stood up and said, "Great Chief, Deer Hand was once the war chief of the tribe. He had made outstanding military achievements and was an excellent warrior... I think it is better not to execute him. It is better to let him undergo labor reform. I believe he will definitely change for the better."

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