Chapter 28 Conquering the Glitter Gold Chamber of Commerce
The meeting lasted from morning to afternoon. The bodies of Karl and the half-dwarf named Jupiter had already been dragged away, but there was still a vague feeling in the air. The smell of blood.
But this does not stop the enthusiasm of businessmen.
Because Raven gave too many orders!
Stones, wood, quicklime, construction tools; pigs, beef cattle, ewes, hens, baking soda, salt, cheap alcohol; roses, jasmine, violets, mint; long swords, shields, spears, leather A. Crossbow......
Contracts flew in front of Raven one after another, and stacks of gold coins flew into the pockets of the businessmen, making everyone smile.
Generally speaking, the annual transaction scale of Gold Flash Town is about five thousand gold coins, and the merchants here can account for about 45% of it.
In one fell swoop, Raven provided them with an order for nearly 1,200 gold coins, which was almost half of their usual transaction volume.
What's more, the wine Raven provided was Angel's Tears!
Although there is a limit for each person, it is Angel's Tears after all, a fine wine that only a few nobles can enjoy!
For a time, Raven's image in the eyes of these businessmen was no longer that of a lord, but simply a moving humanoid gold mine.
“Now that we’ve finished talking about business, let’s move on to my personal needs.” Raven’s eyes fell on the face of Feili, who had been sitting with him: “Twenty first-order magic cores, plus two sets of large alchemy equipment , can I get it? "
The newly appointed president is bloated and has a very dazzling Mediterranean bald head. He may have gained weight in middle age. Although he is not very fat, his belly is round and his cheeks are covered with hair. Fatty.
Don't smile or speak. When you smile, your golden front teeth are revealed: "Of course, no problem. As for the magic core, what attributes do you want?"
"The attributes don't matter." Lei Wen said: "It's best to have a few pieces of each kind."
Feili calculated in his mind for a while and said cautiously: "The alchemy equipment is easy to say, the market price is eighty-three gold coins per unit, and it will arrive at the beginning of next month at the latest; but for the magic core, it is not easy to calculate the price, and the time cannot be guaranteed. "
Leaven asked: "Oh? How do you say that?"
"That's it, Lord Baron." Fili explained: "Magic cores are usually only produced in the body of Warcraft, and you also know that the Warcraft in Nord Province has been around since Most of the area was cleared decades ago, and now there are only Only in the bloody highlands can a large number of wild monsters gather, so the output is not stable and the market price fluctuates. "
"It's like a common fire-attribute magic core. The first level is about three gold coins. If it is dark attribute, it may cost eight or nine. Even more expensive."
"Oh, that's it." Raven nodded: "In this case, the price is based on the price of a first-level magic core of four gold coins, including alchemy equipment. The deposit is one hundred and twenty-three gold coins.”
When this batch of gold coins was distributed, Raven only had more than forty gold coins left on hand.
But the money is not spent in vain. A part of every order will be turned into taxes and flow back to Raven's pocket.
After a large amount of gold coins are dropped, the large-scale flow of goods will also bring a large floating population to Gold Flash Town, further stimulating the economic vitality of Gold Flash Town.
The only gold coins left in the warehouse are money only when they are spent.
"Okay!" Lei Wen clapped his hands: "It's getting late, so I won't keep everyone for dinner. Your chamber of commerce should pay more attention to the goods. As long as the quality is up to standard, I won't lose money to you. Money.”
The merchants all stood up and saluted: "Your will will be carried out, Lord Baron!"
The merchants left in a hurry, and Raven moved his neck twice: "Hey, I'm tired!"
This kind of work with businessmen should not be done by Raven, but he really has no one available.
"Sir, do you need me to help you find some women...?" Eric asked.
Lei Wen teased: "Hey, I didn't see it, but you still have the potential to become a court jester."
Eric's old face turned red: "This..."
"I'm teasing you." Raven patted him on the shoulder: "I'll give you two days off later, go relax."< br>
“But before that, we still have to talk about business.”
“Map!”
After Raven gave the order, Eric quickly took it from Simon. He passed the map stored in the government hall and spread it out on the table.
"What is this?!" Raven was shocked.
"The map, sir." Eric didn't know why.
“Hiss…” Raven gnashed his teeth: “Are you sure Viscount John didn’t leave a fake copy here just to embarrass me?”
Eric scratched his head. Scratching his head: "No sir, this is the most standard map. Most armies also use this kind of map."
Leaven resisted the urge to curse and couldn't stop complaining in his heart.
standard? Tell me the standards for this piece of shit! ?
The lines are twisted and twisted, and it is okay to draw a box and say it is a building. It is understandable that there is no height difference and no contour lines. At least it is marked with east, west, north and south...
But even Isn’t it too much to even have no scale! ?
On a map of Gold Shine Town, the government affairs hall occupies nearly one-fifth of the area. When did Gold Shine Town become so small! ?
There are also four gates, one of which is clear and eye-catching. If Raven hadn't just walked through it once, he would have thought it was the size of the Arc de Triomphe!
"Forget it, let's make do..." Raven sighed: "How many private soldiers do you think is appropriate to leave here?"
Eric said: "According to the previous rules, the west leads to the snow. The entrance to Maple Territory must be at least stationed A ten-man team; five people are required at the southern entrance, three are at the east, and the north is connected to Eagle Town, so there is no need to station them."
"But we only have a total of twenty-two people now!" Lei. Wen smiled bitterly: "You don't Can you let me be a polished commander?"
He rubbed his chin and said: "In this way, in addition to connecting the entrance and exit of Goldsmith Town, there will be two people at each entrance and exit, alternating shifts day and night, and four more people will be arranged in the city during the day. Patrol, this In this way, only sixteen people need to be left here."
Under the extreme reduction, only six people can be left. Raven scratched his head: "Eh, There are not enough people!”
At least for now, the empire is still peaceful. Although there are bandits and thieves in the Nord province, no gangs dare to openly attack the nobles' territories.
Of course, except for the gangsters on the Bloody Highlands; but if those gangsters come, it is not enough to send troops to guard the entrances and exits - there is no city wall in Goldsmith Town, only a low-level outer ring. Just a wooden fence.
Eric looked at Raven's face and carefully suggested: "Although I agree with reducing the number, the soldiers guarding the entrance are not only on guard, but also responsible for collecting city gate taxes. If there are too few, It may cause congestion."
"City gate tax..." Raven said slowly. He nodded: "No need to do it."
Eric said: "Lord Baron, the city gate tax can also generate revenue of twenty or thirty gold coins every year. If you are worried about the manpower problem, we can hire local The idle personnel guard the four gates, which is what Xuefeng leader did before.”
"No!" Raven immediately rejected Eric's proposal: "Just do what I say!"
Having been in Men'en City for many years, Raven is very aware of the tricks here.
The city gate tax is five copper coins per person, and the annual revenue of twenty or thirty gold coins, if calculated backward, is fifty to sixty thousand people entering the city a year.
For the gatekeepers of this era, that is fifty to sixty thousand fat sheep.
If you order five copper coins above, you dare to accept eight at the city gate. If you are in a hurry to do something, you will have to spend more money.
If a family member is sick, do you need to call a doctor? Okay, the city gate tax is temporarily raised today, fifty copper coins, whether you like it or not.
Want to bring a large number of seasonal vegetables and fruits to the city?
Hey, I'm sorry, who knows if you have any contraband in your carriage? Wait outside the city for now. We will check it in two days. If there is no problem after the check, we will definitely let you go!
Want us to check first? This... oh, fifty silver coins, okay, okay, I wish I had done this earlier. Let's go in.
Such things are so common. Sometimes in a year, the gatekeepers exploit more money than the city gate tax itself!
Raven canceled the city gate tax and used his own private soldiers to guard the gates. This was to make it a rule in Goldsmith Town to make free entry and exit into the city before they were corrupted by money, and to eradicate all the previous bad habits.
After all, money will not disappear. With the abolition of the city gate tax, the floating population of Gold Gold Town will be more than before. As long as the construction of Gold Gold Town is getting better and better, they will always put their money Spend it elsewhere.
Tell Eric your idea, and the latter said with admiration: "Sir, your idea is so far-sighted!"
"Speak as if you understand. Raven teased with a smile.
Eric blushed because he really didn't understand.
"Okay, we've got down to business, it's time to relax." Raven put a gold coin into Eric's hand: "We are all very tired during this period, and I just give you two days off. You first Arrange the shifts of guard duty and rotation, and then Inform the guards to come over and I will give them a round of bonuses!"
Eric took the gold coins and said with a smile: "Yes, sir!"
Took out the silver coins prepared in advance! box, Raven was sitting in the conference room.
The private soldiers walked in one by one without knowing why, and then walked out happily, with a satisfied smile on everyone's face.
Two silver coins per person is enough for them to have fun for several days.
Simon was the last one to come in. He took the silver coins and was about to salute, but was stopped by Raven: "Okay, no need to be so formal, you deserve the money."
"Lord Baron, I just I did what I should do." Simon was happy but a little embarrassed at the same time.
"Then you have done a good job, and it is what I should do to reward you." Raven patted him on the shoulder: "I will take off my armor in a while, go for a walk in the town, and relax." You’ve learned a lot, don’t always blush when you speak!”
“Yes!” Simon slapped his chest and gave a military salute.
"You!" Lei Wen laughed dumbly: "Okay, let's go play, don't waste time here."
Simon left, and Raven took a bottle of Angel Tears. Just as he poured himself a glass, Simon opened the door again and walked in.
"Lord Baron, President Phillip would like to see you."
"Unfortunately." After drinking the wine in one gulp and tipping the glass back, Raven said: "Let Come in."
Fili walked into the conference room and immediately saw the half box of Angel Tears in the corner, and couldn't help but swallowed secretly.
The taste of the wine is truly unforgettable.
He carefully raised his eyelids: "Lord Baron, I'm here to give you a gift." But Raven didn't seem to hear him. He stood by the window holding the window sill, looking down at what he had just seen. Reclaimed Territory: “Goldshire, it’s really What a good place.”
Compared to the poverty of Eagle Territory, Goldsmith Town is visibly wealthy, with spacious streets large enough to accommodate three carriages traveling side by side, and paved streets. It's also a whole piece of bluestone.
There are rows of shops on both sides of the street, including clothing stores, jewelry stores, barber shops, and daily necessities stores.
"President Phillip, as a local businessman, have you ever thought about why a prosperous place like Goldshire was born on the border of the Nord province?"
Hearing this question, Fili's breath stagnated: "Lord Baron, I have never thought about this problem."
Raven came over and put his arm around his shoulders, pulled him to the window, and He whispered in his ear: "The answer is actually right in front of us."
Glancing at the hand on his shoulder, Fili swallowed, with a slight cold sweat on his forehead.
He remembered clearly that Raven used this hand to lightly slit Carl's throat!
Under fear, he became more focused than ever before, and his eyes fell on the bustling streets.
It was already dusk, and the streets were still crowded with people. They walked together in small groups, laughing and talking, pouring into the shops on both sides of the street in twos and threes, and coming out of them with smiles on their faces from time to time.
Every time you go in or out, there will always be some changes. Either there is an extra basket of bread or a jug of wine in your hand, or there is an extra hat on your head, or you have a new pair of shoes or a new suit. New clothes.
"Sir...I can only see...a lot of...people?"
"Yes, this is the answer!" Raven tightened his shoulders and said in a familiar voice : "There are 3,237 registered citizens in Gold Flash Town. The number of free citizens is not less than that of the citizens. On average, there are more than 1,000 registered citizens every day. More than two hundred people have flocked here, and the permanent population here is probably not less than ten thousand.” Money and goods are continuously imported here, and Goldsmith Town will be so prosperous!”
"They work, make money, and then spend it, and the money they spend becomes other people's income to buy their products. This is the lowest logic of business activities!"
Leaven's magnetic voice seems to With some kind of magic, it brought Feili's thinking to an unprecedented level.
This statement may not be accurate, but to Feili's ears, it was like seeing the sun through the clouds. The world unfolded in front of him in an unprecedented way. He suddenly said: "I seem to understand, Lord Baron! This is it." The reason why you refused our discount! You are so smart. Compared with you, I am as stupid as a groundhog!"
"Don't underestimate yourself, Philip will do it! "Long." Raven's voice was like a devil's whisper, penetrating into Feili's heart little by little: "In my opinion, you are far beyond Karl in terms of ability, temperament, and character."
"But why, he can become the president of Goldshire, and you can only be a foil; why is it that you sent me the land deed for Carl and Jupiter's shop when no one else dared to come?"
Karl's eyes suddenly widened. The gift he sent this time was indeed five land deeds, but he had never mentioned it to outsiders?
How could Lord Baron know?
"You should be a native of Goldshire, right?" Raven asked.
"Yes, sir!" Fili quickly replied: "My parents were merchants and later settled in Goldsmith Town, and I inherited the family shop."
"No wonder." Raven smiled softly and said: "Many times when you can't figure things out, it's not because you're not smart enough, but because your vision is not broad enough."
"Why is Carl able to control the Chamber of Commerce in Goldshire? Because he is backed by the Fox family; his predecessor, President Biden, is backed by the Luke family."
Fili suddenly replied: "The Chamber of Commerce The businessmen are unwilling to jointly operate Feili's shop, so they asked me to give you these five land deeds because they were afraid of the Fox family!"
As Raven said, All he thinks about are immediate interests.
In Feili's view, Raven's handing over these shops to the Chamber of Commerce for joint operation was essentially a gesture of goodwill to the Chamber of Commerce, but it did not mean that he was really willing; now, as the president, he has handed over five land deeds to the Chamber of Commerce. Taking the initiative to send it is to give up the interests of the Chamber of Commerce and express one's loyalty to the Griffith family.
In this world, although merchants are not serfs, they have no status at all. To the nobles, they are just cattle and sheep on the pasture, which can be slaughtered for meat at any time.
In order to prevent himself from being eaten dry, taking the initiative to please his master was the best way that Fili could think of.
But after Raven’s guidance, he finally figured it out.
Other businessmen did not dare to take over these five land deeds because they were afraid of the Fox family's revenge.
Then by doing this, not only is it not to please, but it is putting the blame on Raven's head!
When I thought of Raven talking and laughing about killing people, cold sweat instantly filled Fili's half-bald head. He fell softly to the ground, tears mixed with sweat flowing out, and he slapped himself. Said: "Lord Baron, spare my life——"
"Stop howling." Raven looked at his empty arms and couldn't laugh or cry. He bent down to pick up the box that fell on the ground: "I didn't say I didn't want it."
"Sir... you are! ?" Feili stopped crying, his eyes full of doubts.
Why did Raven take the initiative to take the blame on himself even though he knew it was the blame?
"I am a noble, Imperial Baron!" Raven said loudly: "The Fox family's revenge on you can be assassination or robbery, but they cannot and dare not use these on me. Means. "
Fili still doesn't understand, Fox is from the earl family, and Raven is just a baron! This is not just as simple as being separated by two ranks of titles, the wealth, strength, and status are all worlds apart.
"You are not a noble, of course you don't understand, and you don't need to understand." Raven looked at him and said seriously: "You just need to know that your interests and mine are the same."
"Flash The more prosperous Jin Town is, the more the Chamber of Commerce will make. , the more you earn, the more my taxes will be.”
“As long as you don’t betray this goal, you can continue to work for this Chamber of Commerce for a long time.”< br>
This time, Fili understood.
He immediately pointed to the sky and said: "I, Feili, would like to swear to the Lord of Light! From today on, I will be the hound guarding your money bag, and I will serve you with all my heart. Glitter Gold Chamber of Commerce, We will fully cooperate with your decision! ”
"Get up." Raven said in a teasing tone: "Don't kneel everywhere in the future. You are also several decades old. Are you too courageous?"
"This... my courage It's never been big." Feili stood up holding on to the window sill and smiled flatteringly: "And I have soft ears. This time it was those dogs who provoked me, so I came here to deliver the documents to you."
Raven suddenly realized Laughing: "No wonder you're called 'Paeared Rabbit'. You really got the wrong name and not the wrong nickname."
"But, having soft ears is not a bad thing at all. It's worse. At best, he is a good person, but at best, he knows how to listen to advice."
At this point, Raven shook his head and clicked his tongue: "What a pity, touching interests is much harder than touching souls. ”
Fili said with a little shame: "Sir, I... don't understand."
"If you don't understand, just think about it for yourself! This is not a school." Raven chuckled and said, "Wait a minute. When you figure it out one day, you won’t be a good person anymore.”< br>
"I will definitely keep the Baron's teachings in mind!" Feili saluted respectfully: "Then, if your lord is fine, I will leave first."
Fili turned around and left. Turning his head, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.
You can be considered a lucky escape!
"Wait."
Raven's voice sounded, and Fili's heart tugged again. He swallowed and quickly turned around with a smile: "What other orders do you have?"
The answer was a wine bottle flying towards him. Fili quickly hugged it with both hands, his fat face suddenly turned into a chrysanthemum of joy.
That turned out to be a whole bottle of angel tears!
“Thank you Lord Raven for the reward!”
"I saw you staring early in the morning." Raven waved his hand: "Go!"
Fili hugged Angel Tears, hummed a little tune and left the government affairs hall, walking out for most of the street. It wasn't until he turned the corner and entered a deserted alley, and confirmed that he couldn't see it from the government affairs hall, that he took a deep breath and slid to the ground, leaning against the wall.
"You damn bastard, you scared me to death. How could there be such a scary person..."
From the moment he entered the room to the time he finally left, the entire conversation, All within the Baron's design.
He was a big businessman with a net worth of several thousand gold coins, an old man who was almost fifty years old, but he was actually manipulated by a twenty-year-old young man.
Baron Raven...is he really only twenty years old?
That kind of control over people's hearts, his precise grasp of the world's sophistication, and his high-level view of things make Fili feel ashamed.
Could it be that...even me going to find him is part of his plan! ?
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! No one can scheme to this extent."
Fili opened the Angel's Tears, took a sip, and sighed: "They all say thunder Baron Wen came from a humble background, behaved badly, and had a despicable character. Now it seems that it is just a groundless rumor. It is probably spread by the nobles themselves to belittle him. "
"But the Baron still has a shallow foundation, otherwise he wouldn't have put so much thought into using humane and sophisticated means to win me over."
Slowly taking a breath, Fili's eyes gradually became clearer.
There is nothing wrong with being wined over by others. In this world, only those who are valuable should live.
"Unexpectedly...a cruel and greedy wolf died, and a shrewd and ruthless lion came."
Fili thought with burning eyes.
The latter have a far-sighted vision, and will never sit in a muddy pond and eat meat from the mouths of small fish and shrimps like the former. They follow behind and can eat the fallen residue.
“But now that I’m on this chariot, I have to find a way to tie myself more securely.”
I hit a hoof when I was trying to flatter you today, so I must find the right position to take another shot. Back.
"By the way, 'Little Bee'." Fili's eyes lit up: "My lord said, there was a wrong name, not a wrong nickname!"
" In this case..."
……
(End of this chapter)