After laughing, the three people sat around and Ryan continued the previous topic. He asked Flanner: "I have always had a question."
"Haha, Ryan." Flanner said with a smile: "You just told us not to be too polite, so you have to take the lead and obey."
Ryan also smiled, and he asked Flanner: "Flanner, you have been in Free Paradise for many years, so you must be very familiar with the history here, right? I also know a lot of stories about Free Paradise, but I have always had a question. In mankind's long and catastrophic war that lasted for hundreds of years, this place miraculously remained unscathed. Why didn't several powerful empires and kings who could mobilize armies just for a word send troops to occupy this place?"
"Flanner, look." Ryan pointed to the crowded streets outside the window and said, "Businessmen gathered in Free Paradise and accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. Aren't those kings interested? There are no thick walls here. Without a wide moat, and without a large number of guards, it is simply an undefended city!"
"The Hundred Years War has been going on for more than a hundred years because the several empires are evenly matched and no one can do anything to anyone. But if any king takes over this place, he will immediately have the huge wealth accumulated in the free paradise. , wouldn’t that mean we have an overwhelming advantage in future wars?”
Ryan spoke out all the questions in his heart in one breath. He looked at Flanner eagerly, hoping that he could give him an answer.
Flanner picked up the wine that Ryan poured for him and took a slow sip, letting the delicious taste of the wine linger between the tip of his tongue and his throat. The room that was lively just now suddenly became quiet, with only a faint sound coming from the window. Shouting.
"Actually," Flanner, who was silent for a moment, put down the wine glass in his hand and suddenly spoke: "In the history of Free Paradise, there was once a war."
"Oh?" Ryan and Allendo knew nothing about this matter, and they immediately became very interested. They looked at Flanner with their eyes and listened quietly to Flanner's story.
"Back then, during the Hundred Years of Catastrophe, as you said, there were several powerful empires that were evenly matched. Their kings were always thinking about defeating their opponents and expanding their territories. The location of Free Paradise was very good, and he was not Like the vassals of these empires, they are within the absolute sphere of influence of the suzerain country, but between the spheres of influence of several empires. This is also the fundamental reason why Free Paradise is permanently neutral."
"No matter which country Free Paradise favors, it will be involved in that endless war. Even if the chosen force wins the final victory, it is impossible for a group of businessmen without a strong army to fight against a The empires compete with each other. After declaring permanent neutrality, the merchants of Free Paradise can legitimately do business with every empire, regardless of whether they are hostile to each other. The more hostile countries are, the more likely they are for the merchants of Free Paradise. The higher the profits you can get.”
"No country's resources can be perfect, and normal trade is required. However, perennial wars have caused a lack of communication between two countries that are hostile to each other, resulting in a shortage of resources. This situation has made it easier for our bold people. Ancestors. There is a war raging on one side, and a long line of carriages on the other. As long as you hire a sufficient number of mercenaries to transport the goods safely, you can get tenfold and a hundredfold benefits."
"Those decades were the prime time for the development of Free Paradise. Countless businessmen had countless wealth as a result. This naturally attracted the attention of those greedy monarchs. They did not personally send troops to attack Free Paradise. It was not because they did not want to. It’s because we don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. If we don’t handle it well, it’s not a good thing for Liberty Paradise to fall to its opponent.”
"Finally, a king called the Plantagenet Empire could not withstand the huge temptation and decided to occupy this place by force and plunder the wealth here. Of course, the king of the Plantagenet Empire was not a fool. He did not directly send troops. In order to To be on the safe side, he secretly ordered a principality attached to him to send troops." ．
"The Plantagenet Empire has three principalities that are closely attached to it. The principality that sent troops is called the Principality of Gris. It is about three days away from the Free Paradise. According to the calculations of the King of the Plantagenet Empire, the Principality of Gris will Thirty thousand troops will be sent, and he expects that these 30,000 people will end the battle within five days. In just five days, even if other empires want to intervene, they will not have much time to prepare.
"So, the Duke of the Principality of Gris sent a general and three infantry regiments, totaling 30,000 people. Should there be no problem with 30,000 people attacking a seemingly undefended city, right?"
Speaking of this, Flanner paused deliberately, which made Ryan and Allen, who were listening to the story with great interest, very dissatisfied. They shouted in unison: "Speak quickly, speak quickly, don't stop!"
Flanner smiled self-deprecatingly and stopped at the key point, allowing his anxious opponents to rush to bid for the following content, so that he could obtain greater profits. This was originally a very useful business method. He did business Over the years, these things have been deeply ingrained in my bones, so I use them unconsciously.
Flanner couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that he had been too involved in business in the past: "Look, even in front of friends, I didn't consciously use these methods. No wonder no one was willing to sincerely help me when I was in trouble. You really don’t blame others for this.”
These thoughts flashed through Flanner's head. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip of wine to cover up the business method he had just subconsciously used. Then he cleared his throat and continued: "The Principality of Gris sent troops. The following night, Liberty Paradise received accurate information."
"The next day, so soon?" Ryan thought this was a bit incredible, and interjected, "How did you do this?"
Allen patted Ryan on the shoulder and said, "Stop talking and listen to Flanner." It seemed that the usually indifferent Druid couldn't help but want to hear the story.
"Yes, as a businessman, getting information faster than others is a required course." Flanner explained: "There are many ways to deliver news quickly. For example, using fast horses to deliver letters, on the way Change horses without changing people. This method is mainly used on the northern prairie. After all, there are many horses there and the terrain is convenient for horses to run. There is also the need to train excellent birds so that these birds are familiar with the distance between the two places and pass the news through them. Letters, this method is much faster, but the content of the letters cannot be too detailed, and it is easy to be lost on the way. The easiest and most expensive way is to use magic to deliver it. As for what it looks like specifically, I guess you are better than me. It’s clearer.”
"Well..." Ryan scratched his head. He really didn't know much about the magic in this area, but sending a letter is easier than sending a person, right? When you return to the imperial capital, you must ask Master Victor for advice. He can even make a time and space scroll to convey people, so naturally there is no need to talk about such a trivial matter.
After Flanner finished explaining, he continued: "Faced with the sudden disaster, the businessmen of Free Paradise united together like never before. In just a few hours, a temporary business alliance was established. This business alliance He was fully responsible for responding to this crisis. Immediately afterwards, a huge number of gold coins were gathered together to fund the activities of this business alliance."
"The first order of the Business Alliance was to hire mercenaries. After paying three times more than usual, a large number of mercenaries were hired by the Business Alliance. Once the news spread, more mercenaries rushed to Go to Free Paradise. Anyway, these mercenaries also take a lot of risks in their daily tasks, and often fight on the verge of death, such as hunting Warcraft. A large number of magic cores, furs, etc. are traded every year, but there are also many mercenaries. The soldier died under the fangs and claws of the monster."
"High amounts of gold coins form the resistance army of Free Paradise. These mercenaries who usually go through life and death together have a more tacit cooperation than ordinary soldiers. They have experienced life and death, and have rich combat experience. Indeed, these mercenaries are fighting in front and They cannot compete with the regular army, but they also have their own advantages, such as using forests, rivers, houses and other favorable terrain along the enemy's march to harass and hinder them."
"Next, the Business Alliance urgently selected more than a dozen merchants who were good at hoarding supplies. These merchants took a payment for goods and quietly sneaked into Dubi Fire City in the Principality of Gris with their men. Their mission It's very simple, just use various means to frantically buy all the strategic materials of the Principality of Gris, such as food, at several times the price."
"The roads to Free Paradise were destroyed by mercenaries, and the water sources were poisoned. When the residents evacuated, they took away everything they could, and those things that could not be taken away were burned to the ground. . The army of the Principality of Gris encountered fierce resistance on the way forward. The closer they got to Freedom Paradise, the busier it became, and the houses built next to each other were even more densely packed. The army of the Principality of Gris must seize the time to capture Freedom Paradise, otherwise it is very likely With the intervention of other empires, they did not have enough time to forcibly search all the houses along the way. The mercenaries hid in those empty houses and used every method to harvest the lives of the soldiers of the Gris army."
"The companions who had dinner together yesterday may be killed by arrows shot from the house in the next moment. This has dealt a big blow to their morale, so they can only raise their shields anytime and anywhere, or Pray to God to bless you. Gris's army walked for four days before arriving at the outskirts of Free Paradise, which is probably where I met you. After all, it has changed a lot over the years."