The day after the rain stopped, Border Town became lively again. Many villagers gathered in the square, waiting for the speech of the Fourth Prince.
For this speech, Roland posted a notice on the bulletin board the day before that anyone who came to the plaza to listen to the lecture would receive a portion of wheat porridge and half a piece of bread. For the townspeople, it was like a free lunch, so many more people came than when they watched the hanging.
As it was approaching noon, Roland boarded the raised platform.
Facing a crowd of people under his feet, if he wanted to say that he was not nervous, he would be lying to himself. In the past, what he dealt with most was the computer monitor. Even during the meeting, he only used it to applaud from the audience. This was the first time he had encountered such a big scene that he needed to go into battle in person.
But he had to go. If he wanted to keep everyone in Border Town, he had to have a general mobilization.
Roland waved his hand to calm everyone down.
He has practiced this scene alone many times, but when he came on stage, his mouth was still dry, "My fellow citizens, good afternoon. I am the fourth prince of the Greycastle Kingdom, Roland Wimbledon. Gathered because there is important news to tell you!"
"The messengers of Changsong Fortress arrived here four days ago. They are here for the delivery of ore. Everyone knows that a month ago, we suffered an unfortunate accident, and the North Slope Mine caved in. Until today, the mining area still remains Production has not fully resumed. The accident resulted in only two months of ore output last quarter.”
"I explained the situation to the messenger, and hoped that he would allocate food to Frontier Town in full, and make up for the lack of ore after the winter. But he refused! There was no room for negotiation, so he refused to allocate more ore. Lots of food—just like two years ago."
There were bursts of exclamations in the crowd, obviously everyone was deeply impressed by the food shortage incident two years ago.
"And this time is obviously worse. Greycastle astrologers told me that this year's winter will be longer than ever, and that the Demon Moon is likely to last more than four months. That is to say, this time everyone is likely to face two Months of food shortage. Two years ago, you lost 20% of your companions, some lost brothers, some lost children, this time, how much are you going to lose?"
"No! Your Highness, save us!" Someone below shouted loudly, and then more people shouted, "Your Highness, please, help us!"
It seemed that it was the right choice to prepare a few trusts in advance. Roland raised his hand and suppressed the voices of the crowd, "Of course, I will not leave my subjects, not even one! You may not know that the fortress is shipped every year. The wheat and bread they transported are not equivalent to the ore they transported. At normal market prices, two months' worth of ore is enough to get half a year's worth of food! I have sold the ore to the merchants in Willow Leaf Town, and they The cargo ship carrying the food will soon arrive at Border Town. In addition to bread, there are cheese, mead, and jerky! Enough for a winter's supply, everyone can eat enough!"
There was a burst of cheers in the square.
"However, this means that it has cut off the relationship with Changsong Fortress, and they will not take in another person, so this winter, we will spend it in Border Town. Most people have seen that to the west of Border Town, a strong building is built. The city wall is being built. I know that some people are worried about whether we can stop the evil beasts. I want to tell you that the evil beasts are not much stronger than the wild beasts in the forest. Although they are rough and thick, they cannot climb the city wall. If you can't bite the stone, no matter how thick the skin is, it's just a group of poor targets!"
"Tell me, my subjects, are you willing to hide in the shacks of the fortress and starve to death, or under my leadership, protect your relatives and children, and guard the border town to the last moment? I promise here. , as long as you hold on until the end of the Demon Moon, all the townspeople who have fought on the city walls will be rewarded with twenty-five silver wolves. Those who die unfortunately, his family will be compensated with five golden dragons!"
"I am willing to fight for His Highness!" Under the guidance of Tuo, everyone shouted and vowed to fight to the death. Seeing that the atmosphere was high, Roland ordered the distribution of lunch in a timely manner. He didn't expect everyone to stay in Border Town. As long as half of the people were willing to stay, he would be sure to stop the evil beast from advancing here.
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Pei Luo naturally didn't know how His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince arranged him. When he brought the news back to the six nobles of the fortress, the response he got was just a burst of laughter.
"You said that naive prince actually wanted to leave us alone? He dared to rush to repair the city wall before winter came. Should I praise him for his bravery or laugh at him for being overly self-sufficient?"
"His Royal Highness is known to be brave and unparalleled. When did the fourth prince have this courage? Ignorance!"
"That's right, he doesn't even have a mason, so he relies on unpolished stones to pile up, with some wet mud in the middle. I'm afraid he will collapse if he piles up too high."
"Anyway, it's a good thing. If he escapes back to Longsong Fortress, it's at our mercy. If he dies in Border Town... We can end this farce earlier."
The Duke, who had been closing his eyes and pondering, suddenly said, "Pelor, what do you think?"
Pei Luo was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect Duke Changge to ask his opinion, "Uh, I originally wanted to maintain the monopoly, as long as it is 30% lower than the market price, it is still a worthwhile business for us. But ..." He quickly sorted out his thoughts, "but His Royal Highness does not intend to let the fortress specialize in ores. He is willing to sell the ores at a 50% lower price, which means that he has plans to significantly increase the production of ore next year. As long as the increase in production capacity reaches the past Doubled, we may make more money than before. He also plans to produce ironware for sale by himself, ironware is very popular everywhere, and it is easy to resell. But ... these are not the point."
"Oh? What's the point?"
"If he can defend Frontier Town, it will also be good news for the fortress. We don't have to focus on dealing with evil beasts every year, which can save a huge amount of expenses. The second benefit is that the fortress of Changsong goes to the frontier. This part of the vast land in the town will be owned by us, whether it is reclamation or resettlement, it is a good choice, which can greatly alleviate the current overcrowded fortress." I will stay in Border Town forever. The battle for the king only lasts for five years. After five years, we will get a more prosperous Border Town. At that time, if the town is included in the fortress, Changsong Fortress will become the third largest territory in the kingdom. So my suggestion is..." He glanced at the Duke and said cautiously, "The fortress will send people to help His Highness build the city wall, and cooperate to defend the border town."
"That's right," the duke smiled, "but it's all businessmen's ideas, and they only see the gains and losses."
Speaking of this, he straightened up, his eyes slowly swept across the other participants, and his tone gradually became firmer, "However, I have reached the position I am today, and it is not all based on interests. Why should I talk to someone who is not under my control? People do business? Some rules must be followed, and those who violate them must be punished. It doesn't matter whether the border town is prosperous or dilapidated, the important thing is that it is my territory, and no one wants to put their hands in it - even if he is a prince not excluded."