Chapter 787 The struggle between the powerful dragon and the local snake

The influx of a large number of war refugees has made this port city with no rule of law even more chaotic. Fights and gang fights are commonplace.

The fleet of the Kingdom of Cormyr, which came with a large amount of food, instantly set this small city of only ten thousand people on fire, and everyone was running to tell each other.

"The grain transport fleet is here, a grain transport ship from the other side of the Sea of ​​Fallen Stars. They have dozens of merchant ships and warships. They are as far as the eye can see and the water is very deep. It is said that they are all loaded with grain."

"What's the use of bringing more grain? Those black-hearted businessmen will not give us a grain of grain for free. We must either do hard labor for them or buy it with real money. They actually charge two for a kilogram of grain. The sky-high price of a gold coin, why don’t they grab it?”

"They were robbing us, but they just put them on our necks, not with swords, but with our withered bellies."

"It's different, it's different, it's different this time. What's floating on those warships this time is not the silver crow of Sembia, but the purple dragon of the Kingdom of Cormyr. That legendary kingdom of knights is where their king Xiang All of Faerûn issued a king's speech and summoned a Faerun coalition to prepare to support us and resist the Tukan invasion. "

"Hey, it's all the same, just wait and see. They are all a group of greedy people, and they will definitely sell the grain they transport at sky-high prices..."

"The recruitment notice has been posted. It wants to recruit a large number of stevedores to assist in loading and unloading goods. One ton of unloaded goods will be paid one kilogram of grain."

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and sign up. If you arrive late, we won't have a share."

"Hurry now, I'm afraid it's too late. The loading and unloading work is already controlled by those gangs."

"How would you know if you don't give it a try? With our physiques, it is definitely no problem to unload ten or eight tons of cargo a day. With these ten kilograms and eight kilograms of grain, coupled with some wild vegetables and game, our family of five can easily You won’t have to go hungry for eight days.”

Countless Uxmer people swarmed towards the dock.

Like all port cities, Uxmail has two core industries, one is fishing for offshore trade, and the other is loading and unloading goods for the merchants coming and going here.

The former is an industry that can only be engaged in by Uxmail locals who have tools, and the requirements are very high.

The latter is the favorite of those war refugees, because its entry requirement is only one, and that is strength.

It sounds really good. It seems that all young people can work in this industry.

But the real situation is far from that beautiful.

Wherever there are people, there must be rule.

When the ruling class does not act on the surface, it is when various gangs and trade unions prevail. This is the case in Usmail City.

All large and small industries here are controlled by these gangs and trade unions, and the most popular loading and unloading work is no exception.

The stevedores who came after hearing the news had no chance to approach the dock and were stopped by a large number of armed thugs. Facing the shining swords, the stevedores dared not speak out in anger. They were members of the Sword Brotherhood.

The largest gang in the city of Usmail, they not only have a firm control over all loading and unloading work in the city (one-third of the labor remuneration of all stevedores needs to be handed over to this gang), but they also control the relationship with Imbutu With all the business dealings in the kingdom, and the fact that their core members are all Imbutu people, it is natural to speculate that they are supported by the powerful people of the Imbutu Kingdom.

When this happens, it means that the Sword Thorn Brotherhood is using this as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the other party and try to squeeze more benefits from the other party. As for these benefits, they have nothing to do with them as loaders.

"Not a single person came to apply for loading and unloading?" Gavin frowned, "This is a threat to us!"

Bader said in a accustomed manner, "This kind of work is usually controlled by the local gangs. Our direct bidding to recruit stevedores has touched their interests. They will definitely not sit idly by and are swearing to themselves in this way." The sovereignty is waiting for us to come to you."

Like a steel can, the hobgoblin giant standing behind Gavin grinned and said in a sullen voice, "Lord, give me a team and half a day, and I promise to let the gangs in this city, no matter what we want, Whatever they want, they will cry and rush to deliver it.”

The other party did not utter a bloody word, but the smell of blood that hit his face was about to drown Beder. He couldn't help but move his steps further away from the god of death. At the same time, he warned: "Absolutely not, Thomas." General, don’t get me wrong. I am by no means questioning the general’s strength, but these local snakes are often intertwined with the surrounding forces. Even if we forcibly subdue them with force, the consequences will be endless.

Maybe one day the warehouse we rent will catch fire, and our personnel will be assassinated.

In particular, the Sword Thorn Brotherhood is obviously inextricably linked to the Imbutu Kingdom. This kingdom is our potential ally. It is not a wise choice to offend them now.

It's better for me to come forward and negotiate with them to see what demands they make. "

Thomas sneered and said: "That's why they deserve to be killed even more. We are here to save them. It's just that they don't cooperate actively, but they secretly hinder us.

Now they dare to prevent those stevedores from applying for jobs, and in the future they will dare to sell our information to the Tukan people.

We should adopt the toughest attitude from the beginning. Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be punished as a collaborator.

If they dare to set fire or assassinate, they will be killed without mercy. They will be sent to the ghost factory to work on sewing machines. As long as they are scared of killing, they will naturally not dare to act rashly.

Only with a stable rear can our soldiers in the front fight the enemy bravely. "

In the eyes of the hobgoblins, there is no problem that killing cannot solve.

If it is not solved, it means that not enough people have been killed. As long as a few more are killed, even the most violent enemies will become as docile as sheep.

"This is a human village, not a tribe of monsters in the wilderness. Killing is always the last option." Gavin smiled and rejected the blood-sworn warlord's butcher-like suggestion, "But we can't just let them lead us by the nose as soon as we get started. We must Find a way to break this deadlock.”

"Actually, the Lord does not need to hire loaders from the local area at all. He only needs to teleport a hundred hobgoblin giants or crimson marauders over. Our loading and unloading speed will be faster than thousands of humans." Thomas gave made another suggestion.

"The general did not understand the profound meaning of the lord." Bede explained with a smile, "The lord is providing work for relief. In this way, the lord is establishing contact with the local people, especially those refugees from the Leatherman War. They are the people who need food most urgently.”

"That's right." Gavin nodded and acknowledged Bede's explanation. "If there was no such intention, we wouldn't need to use food to settle the bill. After all, food is the real hard currency here. You have reminded me that I I think I've found the breaking point. Let's go to a place with me."

After Gavin left the dock with Bede and Thomas, they headed straight to the outskirts of Uxmail City.

Along the way, I saw many armed men wearing sword badges patrolling the streets, stopping all the dock workers who saw the recruitment advertisements and tried to apply for jobs at the dock.

Seeing the unfamiliar faces of Gavin and his party, they did not try to stop them. Instead, they actively moved out of the way and watched them leave with awe in their eyes.

The heavily armed hobgoblin giants are too intimidating to these street gang members. This kind of steel tank is not something that the weapons in their hands can break through.

Seeing that they were quite sensible, Gavin did not take the initiative to provoke them, and soon traveled across the entire city of Usmail.

This small city has a low earthen wall, which is as high as the hand of the hobgoblin giant Thomas.

There is a temporary camp outside the earth city wall, which is composed of a series of low animal skin tents. The people living here are generally about half a head shorter than the people in Usmail City, but they do not give people a feeling of thinness. , On the contrary, he is very strong, a bit similar to the stockiness of a dwarf, but not to the point of exaggeration.

Their clothes were simple and thin. Even in the early winter in the giant valley, the cold wind was already extremely cold. Most of them were just animal skin clothes that could not completely wrap their bodies. There were also many young and strong men with their upper bodies naked and exposed. Their bodies are covered in plateau red flesh, and most of the women are wearing scarves or masks.

They are the Leathermen, who are famous for their witches and berserkers.

The entire Leatherman temporary camp was surrounded by animal skin tents in a circle, with thousands of livestock surrounding it, mostly goats, sheep, and Los beasts, as well as a small number of ponies.

Seeing Gavin and his party, the young Leatherman men immediately put down their work and gathered around them, looking at them warily.

"You wait here." Gavin ordered Thomas and Bede, and then raised his hands to signal, "We come with friendship, and we have a business to discuss with the leader of these people."

"I am Patram, the fang of this tribe." A strong middle-aged man walked up to Gavin quickly. His dress was the same as those of the young men, except that he had a The vivid tiger tattoo exudes subtle magical fluctuations.

The feeling of this tattoo to Gavin is very similar to the totem tattoo on the green elf of Schilminster Forest. It is not as simple as a simple tattoo, but has a unique magical effect.

The other party's common language was unusually convoluted, with a strong guttural tone, giving people the feeling of a deep roar of a beast.

Gavin's eyes couldn't help but fall behind the middle-aged man. It was a petite woman. She also wore a faceless mask with brightly colored bird feathers on it. There were countless pockets looming in the blue dress. , which is bulging and filled with various items.

This is not so much a long skirt as a special mage robe. Those pockets are stuffed with various spell-casting materials. Most of those spell-caster robes have similar effects.

This is a Leatherman witch. She is the real leader of this camp. She habitually hides behind these male leaders, like a ghost, following the fanged leader step by step.

Since the other party did not intend to reveal his identity, Gavin also pretended not to know the details of the Leatherman Kingdom, bowed to the fang leader and saluted: "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am the advance army of the Faerun Alliance." North Route Commander Gavin Nott, we were invited by the Kingdom of Sesk to help resist the invasion of the nomads.

In order to show our sincerity, I have brought a large amount of military supplies to be transported to the front line to assist your Leatherman Kingdom, including 5,000 tons of food alone.

But now we have encountered a little trouble. The local forces here are not willing to cooperate with this. As a result, our food cannot be unloaded on the ship, let alone transported to the front line. "

Gavin's explanation was concise and to the point, going straight to the point, clarifying his identity and the biggest purpose of his trip.

After hearing their purpose, most of the vigilance on the faces of all the Leathermen who could understand Common Language disappeared, replaced by unconcealed joy, and some even spoke in Leatherman. Those tribesmen who did not understand the common language shared this information.

"The Faerun Alliance? There are indeed rumors circulating that they are being formed on the other side of the ocean. I didn't expect the rumors to be true."

"This Tukan invasion is bigger than any previous one. Once they break through the Asen Lake defense line and advance eastward, I'm afraid even the Falling Star Sea won't be able to stop them. They will bring people from the Nomads with them. The earth's killing whirlwind is sweeping across the entire continent. Rather than helping us, it would be more appropriate to say that they are helping themselves. "

"Don't think too much of these outsiders. They are full of predatory nature. Resisting the invasion of the Tukan people together is just an opportunity for them to get involved in our country. If we rely too much on them, they will It will not only erode our territory, but also erode our lives. If we want to be independent, we must be strong enough."

"Not to mention the Tukan people, even those evil red-robed mages, our proud Leathermen have no fear at all. Neither cold nor hunger can completely knock us down, but we can endure hunger, but Those fearless people who are fighting the enemy bravely on the front line will not be able to raise their swords and guns if they do not have sufficient food supplies. If the enemy really brings such a large amount of food, it can indeed effectively alleviate our food crisis and boost our economy. Fight morale.”

"Is he just seeking profit? Or is he sincerely helping? You will know what he wants to do next."

Although the other party spoke in convoluted Leatherman and deliberately lowered his voice, the insight gem worn by Gavin had the special ability to understand the language, including the secret codes of the thieves and gangs and the secrets of the druids. He has a chance of deciphering the language on the spot, let alone such a relatively popular language, and with his extraordinary perception ability, he can easily detect even the slightest movement dozens of meters away.

Many of these Leathermen, who look like primitive people in their dress, are not low in knowledge, especially the women, who have a strong sense of the overall situation. They are obviously not village women who cannot read a word, but Have received a certain amount of systematic education.

It seems the rumors about Leathermen's high level of education are true.

According to legend, all Leathermen, especially women, must receive professional training from an early age. Those with magical talents will be taken away at the age of ten for more professional training to become Leathermen. The Witch of Leatherman, one of the core pillars of the kingdom.

Those who lack the talent for magical mysteries will continue to receive professional training in general knowledge, such as herbal cultivation and refining, basic alchemy, basic medical care, etc. However, the most important responsibility is to become a qualified mother. The secret to protect the tribe and raise more Leathermen.

The status of women among the Leathermen is very high, not only the Leatherman witches who are the rulers behind the scenes, but also the ordinary women in the tribe, and many Leathermen who have achieved brilliant achievements, whether they are berserkers or Leathermen. Witch Thurman, they all unanimously attributed the greatest contribution to his or her mother.

Thinking about it, how could a group of primitive tribesmen have been fighting against Ser's red-robed wizards for hundreds of years, and how could they withstand the fierce flames of hundreds of thousands of Tukan troops?

They maintain a relatively primitive lifestyle, which is their living customs, rather than everything being in a primitive state, just like those wild elves. Many things are even advanced, such as their attainments in wild magic.

Although these Leathermen are not extremely xenophobic in their speech, they are very wary of outsiders.

The expression of the fanged leader named Patram was as if it was made of iron, without any change. He said coldly: "What do you mean, Commander, do you want us to help unload the goods and transport the food to the front line?"

"Yes." Gavin admitted openly, "We have just arrived and are not particularly familiar with the situation here. If we rashly conflict with the local forces, it will not be conducive to us uniting all our forces to fight against the Tukan people in the future.

If you, the leader, come forward, I believe that a lot of trouble can be avoided. After all, no matter how greedy they are, they dare not touch the food transported to the front line. I will not let your help, leader, go in vain. I am willing to give ten tons of food as reward. "

Transport the grain to the front line and sell it to earn a high price difference.

That is just the most common way to make money, and only those businessmen who have no connections and no other channels will do it.

Really smart businessmen usually don't do this. For example, those businessmen in Sambia use a series of military supplies such as food and equipment as bargaining chips to wildly encircle the land in Sesk, or exchange them for daily use. Rare goods that are hard to buy with money, selling them at high prices is the last option.

After all, the war will end eventually. If you just sell grain at a high price, when the war is over, the transaction will be over.

But if they gain a foothold here, it is equivalent to having an enclave overseas. They can get in on the golden road to the Xianglong Empire, open up a new way for themselves, and continuously obtain more wealth.

This is a typical case of taking advantage of the fire, which will soon make them notorious. Even Gavin and others who are also from the west coast of the Falling Star Sea have been implicated and are not welcomed by the locals in the East Region of Despair.

Gavin is not necessarily smarter than those merchants in Sambia, but he has advantages that those merchants in Sambia do not have - such as the divine power of the road.

Therefore, the route he will take will be very different from that of ordinary people. He will seek benefits from angles that ordinary people cannot imagine, and establishing friendly relations with the Kingdom of Leatherman will be the first step.

And food is the biggest bargaining chip in his hand.