Chapter 152 Territory Exchange
“This request is really...”
Hearing Viscount John’s proposal, Raven rubbed his chin: “I know you have obtained a new barony. , but after all, the Eagle Territory is the ancestral land of the Griffith family, and there is no way I can exchange it for you.”
Viscount John waved his hand: "You misunderstood. I want to use the Snow Maple Territory in exchange for your newly acquired territory."
"Oh...ah?" Raven was startled for a moment. He scratched his head, stood up, and then turned around twice more before sitting back in front of Viscount John: "Are you serious?"
It’s not surprising that Raven had such a reaction, it was really that Viscount John’s request was too strange.
Xue Fengling has been in business for many years and the industry is mature and has not been directly affected by this war.
On the other hand, the viscounty that Raven acquired has been almost destroyed by the Order of the Hand of Death. To rebuild it, it is not much different from starting from scratch.
It makes absolutely no sense!
Is it possible that at such an old age, John Viscount is still interested in starting a business again?
Viscount John smiled and said: "I gave Goldshire back to you for your poor acting skills. Now that the old man has made this request, why don't you stop going around the bush?"
Bringing up that incident. , Raven's face froze: "I really want to thank you for what happened in Goldshire."
Viscount John explained: "Although Goldshire is good, it can't accumulate enough for me to break through five The wealth of this level cannot allow us, the Luke family, to be promoted to nobility."
"It would be better to just return Goldsmith Town to you and sell a favor, which can also eliminate possible disputes in the future."
< br>Speaking of this, Viscount John smiled mischievously like a child: "Now it seems that this decision was not wrong, at least it bought my old man's life back."
Listening to what he said, Raven finally guessed why Viscount John had to exchange the Xuefeng Territory for the territory he had just obtained.
For the sake of future generations.
Xue Maple Territory is larger in area and has been in business for a longer period of time, but it is indeed a borderland.
The land is still fertile, but after all, it is too far away from the economic center of Munn City, too far inland, the transportation is blocked, and the economic potential has been fully developed, which is far inferior to Raven's newly acquired viscounty.
On the other hand, the Snow Maple Territory is too close to the Bloody Highlands and is often attacked by horse thieves. This is a headache for Viscount John, let alone his useless son. .
Raven's new territory is in Hodges County, just southwest of Munn City. Changing the territory here will provide a stable future for his descendants.
Although the Order of the Death Hand rebelled this time and destroyed half of the Nord province, everyone knew that this was just an accidental incident and could not be used as a reference.
This is also the reason why Raven did not realize Viscount John’s goal at first.
In Lei Wen's view, although the transportation in the border areas is a bit poor, it has fewer constraints, allows for better development, and does not need to deal with too many "disputes" between neighbors.
In the final analysis, it is the difference in mentality between young people and old people.
"Since Viscount John said so..." Raven also smiled: "I promise to exchange territory with you."
Viscount John showed a trace of relief in his eyes: "Thank you, Baron Raven, then let's I made a contract and handed over the Xuefeng Territory and the newly acquired barony to me. You!”
“That’s not necessary.” Lei Wen pondered for a moment and said, “You should keep the newly acquired territory for yourself. In exchange, I have another request.”
A standard barony is not small, but it is too far away from the Eagle Territory, and it is a real enclave.
If you didn’t get the position of president of Meng’en City Lower City Chamber of Commerce, this would still be a good business springboard and transfer station, but now that you got it, this enclave is a bit useless.
And Raven had no family members to accommodate.
We can’t send Vesdon there, right?
It’s not that Lei Wen is reluctant to part with it, it’s that Lei Wen doesn’t care much about how the enclave is managed.
I'm afraid that this kid's whims will cause some scandal, and it will really "spread the branches" of the Griffith family, which will be too much fun.
Viscount John nodded slowly and said: "That's okay, but the old man's family is not very rich, and the construction of the territory also requires funds. You must leave some for me."
Raven immediately came up with the conditions he had thought of: "You can keep the gold coins for yourself, but the viscounty I obtained comes with a lot of serfs. I hope you will give me at least 20,000."
"This... ..." Viscount John inhaled slightly and fell into thinking.
Before the war, giving a few serfs would be nothing. After all, at that time, every noble only thought there were too many people, not too few.
But now we have experienced a great chaos, and the population loss has been very serious, and these separated territories are in dire straits.
It is conceivable that the price of serfs will rise sharply in the future, increasing three to five times or ten times, and it is not impossible that there will be a price but no market.
According to the proportion previously allocated, there are approximately more than 50,000 serfs in this viscounty, which is less than half of the number of serfs in the regular viscounty.
Giving Raven more than 20,000 people at this time will seriously delay the development of the new territory.
But just as Raven had guessed before, Viscount John pursues safety and stability and does not have a strong need for development speed.
The loss of 20,000 people will be made up in another ten to twenty years.
"Well... no problem." Viscount John agreed to Raven's request: "However, Xuefeng leads me to also take away a group of serfs. The number is not large, only about a thousand, but they are all He is an old man who follows our Luke family.”
The people he mentioned were not ordinary serfs, but those with skills and craftsmanship. These people were the seeds for the development of the territory.
Lei Wen started to bargain: "Logically speaking, I should agree to your request, but you can't take away all the essence of Xuefeng collar. You should leave some for me. After all, I gave too much. Where is your barony?"
The Xuefeng Territory is famous for its production of dyes and silk fabrics, and Raven has been coveting them for a long time.
“You!” Viscount John shook his head and laughed.
This barony originally belonged to him, Viscount John, and now that it is back in his hands, he has to pay an extra price. This Raven is really...
Qualified noble!
“Okay, I’ll leave you four hundred people.”
“Then it’s settled.” Raven also smiled.
The document was drawn up, and each of them used the seal of the family head. As long as it is sent to the Noble Council for filing, it will take effect immediately.
Both of them were very satisfied with the deal.
Raven got a benefit.
Xue Maple Territory is not only larger in area, but also adjacent to Eagle Territory. Now the two territories are connected into one, which solves the original problem of selecting the focus of development of the territory and also gains the mature industries and craftsmen of Xuefeng Territory. and basically no loss of population.
With the population of Snow Maple Territory, the population of Eagle Territory, plus the 20,000 serfs promised by Viscount John, and the refugees received during this period, the population of Raven's Dominion has now exceeded the 100,000 mark. .
A population of this size is enough to raise an army of thousands of people. If you follow the standards of the nobles and grit your teeth, it is not impossible to squeeze out an army!
Viscount John, an old man who had no intention of doing anything, also got what he wanted.
Although the territory is in ruins and awaits development, it is located in the hinterland of the Nord province, and its security is very guaranteed, and its future development potential exceeds that of the Snow Maple Territory.
What's more, he also retained the barony in his hands, so that even if there were multiple heirs fighting for the family in the future, he could still place people there.
The two people who made the contract were in a very good mood. They drank wine together and chatted about some of their experiences on the battlefield and the latest gossip among the nobles.
Only then did Raven realize that the seemingly old-fashioned Viscount John was also very good at gossiping.
For example, two sons of a certain baron family literally fell out with each other in order to compete for credit; for example, a certain viscount actually kept several male pets around him as his soldiers for pleasure. When several male favorites were in crisis, he actually came to the rescue and lost an ear, but the person was not rescued yet; another example is that a certain nobleman was short-sighted and mistook a stone for a guard. Because he disliked the "guards", he did not salute and pointed at the stone and cursed. A full half hour. "Speaking of which, there is another rumor about you."
"Oh? What rumors do I have?" Raven was stunned for a moment.
Viscount John smiled: "It is rumored that the Fox family supports you so much this time because they want to marry their daughter to you."
"Me?" Raven pointed at himself nose: "Forget it, this rumor is really ridiculous."
Shaking his head slightly, Raven was stunned and asked: "By the way, where has Judra been? These days It seems like you haven’t seen him often?”
"You don't know?" Viscount John was a little surprised: "After all, his military exploits are too little, and he will definitely not be able to meet the baron, so he set off back three days ago."
Leaven raised his eyebrows slightly.
This guy moved so fast. He left without saying a word, as if he was afraid of interfering.
"What are you thinking about?" Viscount John asked.
"It's nothing, I just thought that I have been away from home for too long and want to go back and have a look." Raven sighed.
This sentence is true. Now that all the benefits have been obtained, there is no point in continuing to linger in Meng'en City.
And it’s time to return the land that Judra promised to him!
After seeing off John, Raven immediately stood up and headed towards the headquarters of the Silver Hand Brotherhood without even clearing up the camp.
Not long after leaving the camp, the horse's hooves startled a group of crows, revealing the body that had been pecked to pieces.
Every time after a war, there are inevitably these birds that peck at the dead bodies.
Now, the sky above Men'en City is full of these unknown black birds.
A variety of sounds came from the houses on both sides of the street, including women's miserable wails, men's angry roars, as well as shouts of death and hoarse threats.
With a bang, a disheveled woman rushed open the door and fell into the muddy alley before taking two steps.
"You are quite strong, run? Where to run!?" A man rushed out of the door, went straight to the woman, grabbed the woman's legs and dragged her into the house.
The woman's hands dug into the ground, leaving deep marks. Her nails were broken and her flesh and blood were blurred.
She saw Raven's figure and shouted loudly: "Sir, help me, sir!"
"You're bluffing me? At this time, where did you come from..." Halfway through her words, the man also saw Raven, His movements suddenly froze: "Well, sir, this is my wife, I..."
Not in the mood to listen to his nonsense, Raven asked: "Whose person are you, 'Silver Hand' Mott, 'Barracuda' Webb, or 'Split Tooth Tiger' Honduras? "
"I am from the 'Random Sword Club'!" the man answered carefully.
“Oh, that’s with Old Johnson.” Raven nodded: “In the final analysis, we are still from Honduras.”
"So you know all the ways here." The man smiled flatteringly: "Then, do you want to try this woman first? I haven't touched it yet!"
The woman who thought she had met her savior fell into Desperate, his eyes became hollow and lifeless.
“Go away.” Raven shook his head and urged the war horse.
The man nodded with a smile and dragged the woman back into the house. Just when he was about to close the door and continue the violence, he suddenly felt a chill in the back of his head. The next moment, a crossbow arrow with a cold light came out of his mouth. Got out.
Leiwen put away his crossbow and ignored the woman behind him who was kowtowing in thanks. He clamped his legs around the horse's belly and sped up, his face becoming more and more gloomy.
Because this kind of thing is not an isolated case.
On the streets close to the military camp, the thugs still know how to restrain themselves. The further away from the military camp, the more dilapidated the streets become. Looking up, there are no candles at all. The only bright ones are the burned buildings. of fire.
Originally, although the public security in Xiacheng District was not good, it was not so bad.
But with the end of the war, in order to declare the arrival of peace, the Slater family transferred all the few remaining defenders to the upper city to eliminate the remaining undead creatures and maintain public order.
Xiacheng District became the price.
The gangsters, who had been suffering from the war for a long time, started to have a carnival.
No matter the shops or houses along the street, they cannot escape the fate of being broken into.
Men were dragged to the streets and hacked to death, children were thrown out of windows, and women endured conditions worse than death.
The mixture of cries and flames makes the streets look like a living hell rather than a human world.
The thugs are the devils in hell. Even if they notice Raven's arrival, they seem not to see it and will not stop their evil deeds at all.
If the badge on Raven's chest hadn't been clear enough, they might have surrounded him.
After passing through hell and returning to the headquarters of the Silver Hand Brotherhood, Raven saw Lux standing by the window, praying to the firelight in the night sky.
Hearing Raven's footsteps, she turned back and breathed a sigh of relief: "You're back! I'm really afraid that you will be in danger."
Leaven smiled and walked to her Side: "Don't worry, this level of chaos can't hurt me."
From Lux's eyes, he also saw a trace of unsolvable worry: "Are you worried about the people in the lower city?"
Lux shook her head slightly: "...No."
This was a lie, Raven knew why she said that.
Because although she sympathizes with people who are suffering, she will not let Raven be put in danger for this reason.
"Don't worry, I am now the president of the Xiacheng District Chamber of Commerce. This problem should be solved by me."
"Really?" Lacus blinked, although so far Lei Everything Wen promised her came true, but she really couldn't figure out how to quell a turmoil of this scale.
Raven only has more than thirty soldiers under his command.
"Of course." Raven showed a confident smile: "If I can do it, then..."
His eyes fell under Lux's skirt.
The latter shrank and said: "...Okay!"
"It's a deal." Raven turned around and said seriously: "Manseni!"
Soon, Manseni's figure appeared in front of Raven. She didn't like Raven's attitude of calling his servants, but there was nothing she could do about it: "...Lord Baron."
Leaven Let’s get straight to the point: “In my name , contact Webb of the Bloody Harpoon and Honduras of the Split Tooth War Gang. "
"Tell them that I have business to discuss."
......
(This chapter. End)