Mercenaries and Adventurers

Keir followed the Klaus knight swaggering through the unstopped checkpoint city gate.

It is not accurate to say that there is no one to stop it. To be precise, even the caravan that wanted to leave the city early in the morning was blocked by the checkpoint, and a few soldiers with flattering faces were sent out, unarmed, Guide Kiel and the others through the checkpoint gate.

Inside the north gate of the checkpoint, many residents and businessmen gathered to watch the excitement.

Those people pointed at Kiel and the others, and compared the Kendall town guards and militia with the soldiers here at Bingyu Pass. The results are self-evident. The soldiers at the checkpoint stood in crooked postures. Starting from the slightly higher-status squad leaders, those people's stomachs became rounder, and I don't know how much business travel oil and water they absorbed.

And some tax officials in charge of tax collection also despised these soldiers in the checkpoint.

I think it would be better if the tax-collecting auxiliary soldiers were as elite as Knight Crow. Those checkpoint soldiers under him have long been collaborating with various merchants in the checkpoint. Apart from collecting some taxes at the city gate, he can't collect various taxes in the checkpoint at all.

Every time he went out to find the store to collect taxes, he was reminded in advance by his soldiers that he would either look at the empty warehouse, or just look at it and know that it was all fake accounts, which were used to fool his fake accounts.

Don't expect the tax officer to let the soldiers search the warehouses of various merchants carefully, and it is impossible to find them. Even if the goods that have not been moved are placed there, the soldiers will pretend that they have not seen them.

Knight Crowe rode on his horse and greeted some big businessmen he knew. Thanks to the support of these big businessmen, he was able to send trained militias over to wipe out the bandits every year.

Compared with the ordinary people who just watched the excitement or the small caravans with little information, most of these big businessmen heard about the Kendall County dispatch of troops, and where did they go to fight.

"Master Knight, I don't know if the Baron is dispatching troops this time, can we also follow behind the team and give us a ride?" A fat businessman in complicated and gorgeous clothes asked the knight loudly beside the road.

Knight Crowe didn't pretend he didn't hear, he nodded at the man: "Your Excellency Flo, you should discuss this matter with the baron. He is in the queue behind, and he will come over later."

"Okay, I'll go ask him. But I have to hurry up and arrange the preparations." After finishing speaking, he ignored the surrounding crowd and directly called his subordinates to prepare the caravan, planning to follow here. Behind the army, rub against the deterrence and sense of security brought by the army marching.

In the past, when it was necessary to transport goods in large quantities, a large number of other caravans had to be assembled, and everyone hired mercenaries or thugs to take care of them along the way, and more coins had to be provided to various checkpoints on the commercial road to pay the transit tax. Or engage in bribery.

It is also possible not to pay the transit tax, but then you have to bypass the safe trade route and take the less safe place to transit. Whatever happens in the mountains and forests will happen.

When encountering this matter now, if you make an agreement with Baron Kendall, the master of the army, and draw a small amount of money, or provide the army with supplies along the way, you will definitely be able to leave a lot of expenses.

There is no need to hire so many people, and the military's logistics status can also be used to exempt or greatly reduce the taxes to be paid.

The more this big businessman thought about it, the more excited he became. He felt that if he didn't catch up with this matter and make this money, he would lose a lot.

Standing on tiptoe, he looked far away at the north gate of the checkpoint, and couldn't wait to meet Baron Kendall. He and the baron are also friends in the provincial capital and are very familiar with each other. There must be no problem with this matter.

-

After the Bingyuguan entered the hot spring, the muddy ground that was originally frozen in winter has now become soft and disgusting.

The continuous drizzle of the past few days was like adding another bowl of water to a pot of thick soup that was almost boiling dry, and the ground in the level returned to its old appearance.

Of course, those are all things in remote places in the checkpoint. As the main road of the checkpoint, the north-south road is organized by the Church of the God of Wealth and various big businessmen to organize donations. The expensive long stones in the quarry are vertically embedded on the ground.

In addition to the stone ground on the main road, wood ash and charcoal were mixed with the muddy road of Bingxunguan in some places where people often walk, making it a kind of road that can barely be seen and walked.

The more remote places are the real bad roads.

The sun has been shining for the past two days, and when the sun shines, it becomes rotten and smelly. The entire interior of the level smells very bad.

Fortunately, there is the Kendall River next to it, and the cool water vapor brought by the river can always take away the foul smell in the checkpoint. Even if people keep producing more filth.

Knight Crowe sniffled and complained to Keir who was following him: "Look at the smell, that's one of the reasons why I don't like this place."

So did Kiel, who took out a clean soft cloth and wrapped it around his nose and mouth, then put the helmet on and put the visor on it.

With this barrier, the smell that made Keel feel sick finally faded a lot. He didn't expect that the ice flood pass in spring would taste like this. Thankfully he likes it here.

"Those rich people." Kiel pointed to the brightly dressed businessmen by the roadside or in various shop windows: "Don't they think it smells bad here? It's okay in winter. If it's summer, can people still live here?"

Knight Crowe laughed: "Young man, you still underestimate people's ability to endure for wealth. If you do business in this chaotic and filthy place, you can make twice as much money as in a clean place. You What would you think? How would you do it?"

Seeing the hesitation on Kiel's face, he chuckled.

"I thought about it, but I still can't stand it." Kiel replied after thinking about it.

"Oh, it's beyond my expectations. So Keel, what do you think is the most important thing in this world?"

"Status? Wealth? Power? Desire? Family?" Knight Crowe asked Keel while walking straight along the main road of the checkpoint.

He doesn't really care about this. After all, he has seen too many people pursue power for these things. Power is just a tool. Maybe it is the purpose of very few people, but as far as he has seen in his life, most People just use this power as a tool to accomplish their goals.

But unexpectedly, Keir shook his head: "No, I think this world is so big, it will definitely be very interesting. Without enough power, it is estimated that it will be difficult to go far."

Looking at Keir steadily, Knight Crowe was silent for a while, then shook his head: "Maybe, but you are still young, in a few years, if you ask yourself again, I believe you will have a different answer .”

Keel slowly took the reins of the horse, glanced at the tall Knight Crowe, and flattened his mouth. He is not a real person from another world. Land, wealth, and power are all wonderful things, but they are not the most important things for a visitor from another world.

He seems to have integrated into this backward and incredible world, but in fact, from the root, he never regards himself as a person here.

His name is Zhao Ji, which he always remembers.

-

When the forward team passed the center of the checkpoint, some of the main management personnel of the checkpoint gathered here, and they invited Crow Knight to sit in the best hotel here from a distance. They have already booked a restaurant in this luxury hotel, Waiting to entertain the lords such as Knight Crow and Baron Kendall.

But Knight Crowe didn't even get off his horse, he just waved his hand at them, and then led his people away regardless of their persuasion.

"Those guys really consider themselves the masters of this place. Keel, what do you think I should do with them one day in the future?"

Knight Crowe spoke sarcastically, talking to Keir in a low voice.

Since yesterday, he felt that they were at odds with each other, and Kiel thought about it: "Well, if there is such a day, why not lock them in a cage and hang them high on the main road?"

"Haha, give them something to eat?"

Knight Crowe found it funny, so he continued.

"Of course, not only food, but also good food and drink must be provided. However, they cannot be clothed, and they are hung on a high place. They can see the people below, and the people below can clearly see Seeing them locked up. I think it would be interesting to do this."

Keir shrugged and said such words in a mess.

How did he know that these words later harmed this group of people. After a long time, these people have become the jokes of the lively atmosphere at the dinner table of the people of Bingxun Pass.

Knight Crowe also found it funny when he heard Kiel's words. Although it looked like nothing, this thought remained in his memory for a long time.

Someday in the future, it will come in handy.

When the team passed by the Church of the God of Wealth beside the road, Knight Crow saluted the church solemnly on his horse. Because he knew that the people who really spoke and used in Bingxun Pass were not the lazy soldiers on the north and south walls of the pass, nor the big merchants in Chinese clothes inside the pass, nor the dog legs of the great nobles who regarded themselves as their masters just now.

Instead, there are dozens of official priests, and the Church of the God of Wealth has extensive influence on the entire Bingxun Pass and the entire commercial road to the south.

At the same time, in the contiguous buildings of the church, on the side facing the main road, some old priests also looked at Kiel and his party.

"Very elite."

"Let's take a look at the big troops behind. If this is the case, then we have to get in touch with the baron in the north more."

"There will be more competition for this place in the future."

A few old priests were sitting by the window, waiting for the militiamen to pass by later.

-

Passing through the south gate of Bingxun Pass without any risk, Keel secretly breathed a sigh of relief looking at the relatively tall stone wall and city gate behind him.

He took off his helmet and relaxed.

After Knight Crowe led the team for a while outside the city gate, he found a place near the Kendall River and stopped.

He looked at Keir and said with a smile, "Why, look at how nervous you were just now."

Keel scratched his hair, looking really nervous just now. Knight Crowe's shameless behavior probably stimulated the managers of Bingxun Pass. They asked the soldiers guarding the south gate of the pass to give them some good looks.

It was said to be good-looking, but obviously those people overestimated the strength of the personnel in their hands. The soldiers at the checkpoint neither dared to do anything, nor dared to violate the order of the administrator, so they had to gather around the city gate with spears and swords in their hands, making a threatening look.

The caravan and the people blocked at the south gate were terrified, but the guards and militiamen under Knight Crowe dismissed it.

After all, the town guards under Knight Crowe have been trained for many years, and their strength is far superior to that of ordinary soldiers. Some of them, Keir, didn't think he would be an opponent, if he didn't look at the difference in weapons and equipment.

The militiamen have basically personally killed one or two bandits in previous years' actions to clear up the bandits. In terms of the probability of killing someone with his own hands, it is far higher than that of bandits.

After all, most of the bandits have never killed anyone, and it is far worse than the militiamen who specialize in killing them.

The militia, where everyone has killed, doesn't take those checkpoint soldiers seriously.

Knight Crowe didn't need to say much, but when the militiamen saw the soldiers at the checkpoint showing their weapons, they directly unloaded the bows and crossbows hanging on the leather and wood breastplate, cocked them, and loaded the crossbows.

When the checkpoint soldiers heard the crunching sound of bows and crossbows being wound up, the small captains who led the team ran directly to the city wall.

As soon as the leader ran, the soldiers who were already lacking in confidence retreated as a whole.

Finally, they did not humiliate the appearance of the official troops, and they knew that they would retreat together as a whole when they retreated. He ran away without thinking.

"It really looked like it was going to fight just now."

Kyle said embarrassedly.

Knight Crowe sneered: "Looks like that? How could it be? How could those troops, which are similar to the mud on the ground of the Ice Flood Pass, fight us when they have a way out."

"Keir, you think too highly of those people. You can't just look at things on the surface, you have to look at a person's spiritual soul. Similarly, the spiritual soul of an army commands every soldier in them. Do you think those who just now Do soldiers have the courage to fight?"

Kiel immediately shook his head, don't think about it, if you really have the courage, the size of the gang thugs in the ice flood pass is estimated to be 10% of the original. And the bandits around will not be so serious.

"So, a group of troops who have no courage in their souls, do you think they dare to fight us desperately? Impossible. Making money is proficient in swinging swords, and the courage to threaten and blackmail is better than the courage to fight."

The two were talking on horseback, and the team rested on the spot.

After a while, the sound of not-so-orderly footsteps and the applause of the people came from the checkpoint.

The people of Bingxun Pass thought that Baron Kendall's troops were guarding them. After all, a large number of militiamen would come every year to clear up the bandits. There is a long logistics convoy behind them, all of them are their protectors.

At this time, the soldiers guarding the south gate were even more afraid to go down to fight against them. They all retreated in fear from the dozens of troops just now. Hiding on the city wall, through the shooting holes on the city wall, secretly looked at the neat teams arranged in small groups.

Some soldiers felt that they had earned enough money in these years, and they had already made more money than when they spent money to enter the earl's army and make connections to transfer here to make more money. At this time, the barons in the north had such an army, they really felt that it was dangerous, and it was better to retire early and go home.

Not only the soldiers below think so, even some small captains think so.

Compared with earning more money, life is more important. Otherwise, if there is a conflict, if you die, your wife will be slept by another man, and your child will be beaten by another man. Wouldn't that be worth it?

The militia troops quickly passed through the city gate where no one had passed by, and all of them came out soon.

Behind the logistics carriage and donkey cart, followed by a large number of messy caravan carriages.

The owners of the caravan graciously surrounded Baron Kendall, constantly complimenting the frontier lord who had only revealed his impressive strength at this time.

The baron confiscated the money boxes that these big merchants asked his subordinates to carry. Although he was also very envious of the boxes of copper coins, he still exchanged some material supply agreement documents for the protection of these caravans.

Some small chambers of commerce in the checkpoint also want to take the free ride of Baron Kendall, but not everyone has a warehouse of supplies, and only those big businessmen with big businesses can organize a wave of carriages and manpower in a short time , and can also raise a batch of profitable materials from the warehouse to be transported to the southern region.

In fact, the flagship products of Kendall County are grain and fine iron tools for forging.

Although some other specialties can also be sold for money in other places, such as the big dried fish in Wumi Lake and animal fur in the wilderness of the mountains and forests. But in terms of availability and stability of supply, merchants still like these things.

Originating from the fertile and continuous reclamation of the alluvial plains in central Kendall County, the grain production has increased year by year, and batches of grain are shipped out from the north every year. These grains never worry about finding a place to sell them. After all, not every place has such a large grain output~www.readwn.com~ Some barren noble lands can't grow anything, so they have to rely on these grains to kill a lot of money. Although several large chambers of commerce in Kendall City can transfer a lot of wealth just by transporting these grains to Bingxun Pass, they can also make a lot of money by transporting these grains to farther places that do not produce grain.

In the eyes of merchants, sophisticated iron tools are more profitable. After all, it is not easy to transport food, and the farther it is transported, the more it will be lost. But the iron tools forged in Kendall City were quite different. It is not as uniform as grain, and the price of ironware in some backward areas is far more expensive than that in other places, and it is well greased, so there is no need to worry about iron tools being damaged or stored for a long time.

The price you sell this year is the same price, and the price you sell next year will still be the same price, and even with the shortage of raw materials, it will be even higher.

This led to the tools made by the artisans of Kendall City, except that they remained in Kendall County through the relationship of the church or the farm owner, and more manufactured products were sold to various merchants in Bingxun Pass.

These things that can improve the productivity of urban territories have been played by merchants. Some of their largest merchants have never simply sold these ironware.

Among them, the iron and steel weapons can be packaged and sold by them to the lord of a certain place, or some mercenary group, or even a bandit group that occupies a place.

Then exchange the power of a certain item in the territory from the lord, and the small lords probably won't need it anyway.

Obtaining the other party's secret allegiance from the mercenary group can completely make these people do things that they are not easy to do.

From the bandit group, I exchanged some lost goods from other competitors at a super low price, and resold them ten times.

Of course, they will not admit these things.

Will not admit to death.