Chapter 50: It’s time to hug the thigh
The time goes back to a few days ago.
In a tavern in a small city in the territory next to Arda, Baron Hansel Abbott was having a drink with a man dressed as a businessman.
“The times are difficult!” The man opposite put down his cup, took out a roll of parchment from his arms and handed it to the Baron.
“So, this is a new mission for us?”
Hansel took the scroll, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
"Collecting grain? I remember that the officials who managed the granary in the royal capital always boasted that their grain could last more than a year. Could it be that the thousands of people in Hals had eaten it all in such a short period of time? "?"
"Uh..." The liaison officer dressed as a businessman was at a loss for words. After hesitating for a while, he shrugged, "There was a fire in the warehouse."
"Oh, no wonder. "Hansel nodded. Nine times out of ten, it was a good thing done by spies.
"Speaking of which, Lord Baron, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Lake Town? I spent a lot of effort to find you." The liaison officer asked strangely.
"Uh-huh!" Hansel cleared his throat, trying to control his heartbeat to prevent his face from turning red.
"The land of Arda is suffering from pirate attacks. As a representative of the royal family, I naturally cannot stand by and watch, so I am here to purchase supplies and weapons for the lord." He can't say that he is. Came here after being scared by pirates.
The liaison officer raised his thumb: "Awesome! So Lord Graiman's ability to pacify the pirates is partly due to you."
Now it was Hansel's turn to be surprised. : "Put down the pirates?"
The liaison officer said: "Haven't Earl Grayman notified you yet? When I went to look for you in Lake Town, people there had already spread the word, and the Earl had already led his troops. We recaptured Fulan Port and hanged a large number of pirates. I heard that they will return to Lake Town after a while.”
"Really? It looks like I can go back to Lake Town." Hansel looked happy, but he was thinking in his heart: That little earl really has some skills. Before I left, he was beaten at the door of his house. Coming.
He then said: "But you know, I have to wait for Master Graiman to give me a formal notice before I can go back."
"I think the notice will arrive soon. , please pay more attention to the matter of food and grass.”
“Of course,” Hansel agreed.
The liaison officer suddenly said with emotion: "I often travel to the northwest. Lords like Count Grayman who care about the people are really rare. The coastal area has been plagued by pirates for many years. ”
Hansel snorted inwardly, quite disapproving of it. He immediately changed the topic: "How is the situation in the south?"
The liaison officer shook his head: "The food has been burned, what else can we do? Ah, please don't tell others about this matter. , but it won’t be long before it spreads all over the world. I didn’t follow the army into the city, and I could see the raging fire many miles outside the city. It couldn’t be hidden.”
Han Se. You frowned: "In other words, the counter-rebellion troops cannot be transferred to the south immediately?"
"Isn't there a saying? Before the troops and horses move, food and grass go first. Now that the food and grass are gone, How to fight? I guess I can only send a small force to help the old Duke of Dodge guard Thorn Pass. It’s better to prevent Giles from coming north.”
The liaison officer continued with a pessimistic look. Fortunately, it seems that those attacking Thorn Pass were not Giles’ main force.”
He suddenly trembled and said hurriedly: "Baron, I was drunk just now and started talking nonsense. Please..." Hansel raised his cup to him with a smile: "I have always been strict with my mouth. Respect the king. Your Majesty!"
The liaison officer also raised his glass: "To His Majesty the King."
Didn't Giles' main force go north? It must be to deal with the lords in the south who disobey him. If the royal army cannot go south in time, with Giles' strength, he will have to leave those lords to fend for themselves. By the time the rebels have integrated all the southern territories, it will be more difficult to deal with them.
"The situation is difficult!" Hansel sighed inwardly, and he made up his mind to see the little earl again.
...
Time returns to the present, in the study room of the Lord's Mansion in Huxin Town, intelligence chief Cecil is reporting on the results of his work.
"Sir, as per your request, our intelligence personnel have already started working in the royal capital. However, due to lack of experience and the martial law in the past period, they did not get any information. Now we finally have some results. ”
He handed Paul a stack of documents respectfully.
"Well...let me take a look."
Paul browsed through the lines at a glance. He actually didn't care much about the information about the royal capital. He was already busy enough with matters in the northwest, but as a vassal of the Kingdom of Aldo, it was also important to have a general understanding of some of the latest national events. Necessary.
"I'm going, it's so miserable? The granary was burned down." Paul was shocked, thinking of what Queller said to him in Port Fulan. There was strong support from Giles' side, and the royal family However, this side has suffered continuously. At first, the capital was stolen, but after finally regaining it, it lost a lot of food and grass. Could it be that the royal family is really in danger this time?
Paul secretly wondered if he should write a letter of surrender to Giles first. As a time traveler, he didn't have much loyalty to the Rodney dynasty. No matter who he wore the crown on, As long as it doesn't affect his plans for the Industrial Revolution. When my factory is built, you will all be feudal garbage that will be swept into the corner of history.
However, Cecil's next piece of information dispelled his idea.
"Your Majesty, Earl, with the spread of the new type of paper, many people have been secretly interested in us."
Cecil said as he handed over the second piece of information. Paul was now anxious and looked at the second piece of information carefully. This was an important financial source for the Alda Territory.
"Robber! Thief! Shame on you!" After reading the intelligence, Paul waved his hands and angrily rebuked those despicable people hiding in the dark.
Intelligence shows that multiple forces are trying to steal the manufacturing technology of new paper, including several powerful chambers of commerce, and even several lords from neighboring territories, such as the Earl of Kent in Emden and the Bordeaux Viscount Johnston.
Thanks to Paul's repeated emphasis on confidentiality, strict defense, and high treatment of workers, he also cultivated enough loyalty, so the papermaking technology was not stolen, but it would be difficult to say if things went on like this.
It’s not that Paul wants to monopolize papermaking forever. This thing is actually quite simple and people will learn it sooner or later. But this is related to Paul’s first pot of gold. In the early stage, he must rely on monopoly to complete part of the capital. accumulation.
Paul is actually happy to see the spread of new technologies. Otherwise, he alone would not be able to achieve industrialization in a lifetime of hard work. However, there is a prerequisite that it must be within his own control. He does not want to be beaten by his enemies. Make up airplanes, missiles or something, and then blast yourself into the sky.
But it involves the surrounding lords, which is more troublesome. He told Cecil: "Inform Butler Philip and ask him to invite Baron Hansel Abbott to come to me." hugged my thighs.
(End of this chapter)