On July 25th, Lorist and his family boarded the Blue Seagull passenger ship and set off for Qilin Port to attend the enthronement ceremony of His Highness the Second Highness in the imperial capital. Of course, when passing through West Degrad Province, the territory of the Kenmes family, they have to stay at Platinum Beach for half a day to pick up the Duke of Kenmes who is going to travel with Lorist.
The Blue Seagull Passenger Ship is a new type of large ocean-going ship specially manufactured by Niujiaowan Shipbuilding Workshop. The ship has 124 cabins and can carry 470 passengers at a time. This is the first dedicated passenger ship in the history of the Galintia continent. The Norton family plans to build three more passenger ships of the same type to open up the route from Beihai City to Tibetan Gold Bay, instead of going to both places now. Pick up a cargo ship.
This is the first official operation of the Blue Seagull passenger ship. After carrying Lorist and his party to Qilin Port, they will continue their voyage to Zangjin Bay. Lorist brought his family and nearly 200 servants aboard the passenger ship, leaving more than half of the cabins for the Duke of Kenmes. But what I didn't expect was that the Duke of Kenmes brought more than 2,000 people to the imperial capital. Fortunately, the Duke of Kenmes seemed to have expected this situation, and he transferred half of the large ocean-going merchant fleet of the Kenmes family. Solved the overload problem of overcrowding.
"Lock, did you bring such a small number of people to attend His Majesty's enthronement ceremony?" Duke Kenmes' first words after boarding the ship were this question.
Lorist was taken aback: "Why, what's the problem?"
This time, Lorist brought a guard team of 100 people, plus five wives, his own children, and maids and servants, there were only about 200 people. The statement is a bit shabby. On the contrary, as a grand duke of a territory, it is normal for a guy like Kenmes to lead more than two thousand people all the way through the city with great fanfare. It's just that Lorist has always disliked such ostentation, the simpler the better.
The Duke of Kenmes said angrily: "Although you are a sword master, you don't have to worry about safety when you travel. It's not like I have to bring a thousand-man guard with me anytime and anywhere. But don't forget, when His Majesty the King enthrones, you don't have to worry about safety. At the grand ceremony, a duke of a territory like ours will dispatch a family armed with thousands of people to participate in the parade to show our allegiance to His Majesty the King..."
"It's simple," Lorist said with a smile, "I can draw a garrison of a thousand men from Shilovas Island to the imperial capital to participate in this military parade. It's just a show anyway, and no one will take it seriously. Besides, I The armed forces of the family just returned from an expedition at the end of last year, and now they are all on holiday, so there is no need to gather them to select personnel to participate in the grand ceremony of the imperial capital."
"Well, that's fine too." Duke Kenmes nodded: "No wonder I didn't see Shredder and Bodfinger going to the imperial capital with you. The other lord's subordinates are very reluctant to go to the grand ceremony to make sure they know each other."
"I've asked them, but they don't want to go. Maybe it's better for them to go to the imperial capital to participate in the grand ceremony than to spend time with their families at home. After all, they have been on an expedition for three years, and they need the comfort of their families. So I will bring them this time. Reddy and Genorio, as well as Commander Pat of the guards." Lorist said.
The Duke of Kenmes sighed understandingly: "I understand, I returned to West Degrad province with the remaining family armed forces three years ago, and I stayed at home like them and didn't want to go anywhere. Different from you Yes, you returned in triumph, and we are survivors of the bloody battle, and the feeling of having escaped from the dead after returning home has been lingering in my heart. During that time, I kept eating and drinking, and the maids Crazy sex. It wasn't until half a year later that I slowly calmed down before I was able to take care of various family and chamber of commerce affairs... "
Lorist didn't make a sound. Everyone was fooled by the Second Highness back then, thinking that gathering a million troops to approach the border would make the business alliance agree to return the territories of the two provinces and reach a peace agreement with the Kingdom of Antinac. Everyone thought that it was just a matter of bringing the family armed forces to the border to demonstrate and go home to enjoy the generous conditions promised by His Highness the Second Highness. No one thought that the business alliance didn't pay attention to the millions of troops, but started the war first, and the bloody battle lasted for three years and both sides suffered losses.
Lorist and the Storm Juggernaut of the Business Alliance suffered heavy losses and left the front line, and then a rebellion broke out in the family territory, so the three armed field armies of the family on the front line returned to the territory to quell the chaos. As soon as the three Norton family's main armies entered the front line of the Faliqiu Plain, the noble coalition forces of the Antinac kingdom could not hold back. Facing the continuous reinforcements and crowd tactics from the southern provinces of the business alliance, the noble coalition forces suffered heavy losses. Struggling to maintain the front line.
Fortunately, Lorist healed his wounds, quelled the rebellion in the family territory, and went out again. First, he wiped out the Armada of the Business Alliance, and then raided Zangjin Bay to capture Morente City. Armed withdrew from the plains of Mana Hill. Rescued the crumbling noble coalition forces from the brink of collapse, allowing them to embark on the return journey back to the family territory. Then defeated the business alliance with three years of battle, forcing it to bow its head and admit defeat.
It can be said that without the hard work of the Norton family, there would be no enthronement ceremony of His Highness the Second Highness. It was the Norton family that saved the fate of the entire Antinac kingdom. The Duke of Kenmes is also very aware of this. What he deeply regrets is how he was so easily fooled by the generous treatment promised by the Second Highness, and followed the Second Highness straight to the cliff with a bout of enthusiasm, leaving the family's meticulous care. More than half of the heavily armored armed corps was buried.
"I regret it at the beginning!" The Duke of Kenmes sighed: "You once said that our majesty the king is very happy, and he doesn't know how to restrain himself when he succeeds. We have all forgotten your good advice. If the business alliance was eliminated back then Most of the troops will no longer attack the Mana Hill Plain, and there may be a great possibility that an armistice agreement will be reached with the Commercial Alliance to restore peace. But His Majesty the King insisted on riding on the Mana Hill Plain to bloodbath Morente City, and the result was that we fell into a In the bloody battle, most of the family armed forces suffered casualties, and there was no way to continue...
Fortunately, your Norton family is willing to lend a helping hand and send troops to help, so those of us lucky people can still crawl back from the bloody quagmire of Fali Hill. All the nobles in the kingdom know that without the help of your Norton family, let alone our king's enthronement ceremony, it would have been very difficult to escape from the Mana Hill Plain three years ago. Not to mention that once we fail, the army armed by the business alliance will sweep down. Whether the kingdom can exist is a problem, because we have lost all resistance... "
"The war has subsided, and peace has come." Lorist interrupted Duke Kenmes' exclamation: "You didn't come all the way with me just to complain about this bloody battle that has passed. You should learn your lesson so as not to make the same mistakes in the future, instead of being entangled in the past memories. Tell me, what do you really want to tell me this time? Otherwise, with your party-loving and lively nature, Go to the imperial capital to enjoy yourself, instead of just waiting to go with me."
The Duke of Kenmes smiled wryly: "Don't look at me with the old eyes of the past. I lost interest in those parties after returning from the Fali Hill Plain. But you are right, there are some reasons for walking with you this time First of all, I would like to thank you for supporting Chenxi College to open a business branch in Vanades City. This is very good news for all chambers of commerce in Vanades City. With the opening of the business branch, those who intend to expand Chambers of Commerce don’t have to worry about where to find suitable talents. With the participation of students who graduated from the business school, the development of these chambers of commerce can be on the right track, avoiding detours…”
More than ten days had passed since the meeting with Dean Crude, and Duke Kenmes had naturally received the news, so it was not surprising that he thanked Lorist.
"You're welcome, as the lord of Vanades City, you have done a good job. Over the years, you have developed Vanades City into the largest commercial city in the Kingdom, so much so that I began to think about how to reward you. But let me I'm curious, how did you convince those chambers of commerce in the entire kingdom to set up their chamber of commerce in Vanades City?"
To be honest, this is indeed Lorist's question. Although Vanades City was the commercial city of the Principality of Madras in Lorist's impression before, its scale is much smaller than that of Morente City. The most important thing is that the Grand Duke of Madras used the city of Vanades for grain trade, so it is still a bit prosperous. After Lorist led the family to destroy the Principality of Madras by armed forces, he brought Vanades City under the family's jurisdiction.
Later, the Kenmes family replaced their territory and moved from the eastern part of the Northland to West Degrad Province. Lorist negotiated with the Duke of Kenmes and appointed the Duke of Kenmes as the lord of Vanades City. The commercial city of the city was entrusted to him to manage, and it also gave the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce a base to settle down.
It was just beyond Lorist's expectation that the Duke of Kenmes was indeed managing Vanades City with all his heart. Not only did he attract many chambers of commerce to set up their presence here, but he also led Vanades City to spontaneously form the largest city in the northwest region. In the commercial market, the annual tax revenue collected by the Norton family from Vanades City has reached 300,000 to 400,000 goldfords, which is more than three times the tax revenue of Windbury City, where the largest livestock market in the Northeast is located.
The Duke of Kenmes grinned: "In fact, the prosperity of Vanades City should be most grateful to our King. When he conquered the four principalities in the middle of the year, in order to raise funds for armaments, he ordered the chamber of commerce in the kingdom. It has been raised to 30%. If customs clearance fees and goods transportation taxes are added, the total tax borne by merchants will reach about 60% of the total cost. Such taxes will make the business that makes money All will lose money, forcing those chambers of commerce established in the imperial capital to relocate.
Under such circumstances, Vanades City has become the best choice for most chambers of commerce. Because Vanades City is under the jurisdiction of the Norton family, the resident commercial tax is only 10%, and within the sphere of influence of the Norton family territory and our four Northland alliances, the customs duty is only collected once for each family. Even if you go to other provinces in the kingdom, because it is a chamber of commerce in the territory of the Norton family, you will be treated fairly and will not be subject to additional exploitation.
So gradually all the chambers of commerce in the kingdom chose to locate in Vanades City. When there are more merchants, the city will naturally become prosperous. Besides, I am also a merchant, so I understand what merchants need most, to strengthen the security and order of Vanades City, to combat robbery and kidnappers, to eliminate bandits and robbers on the commercial roads, and to make merchants feel safe. Invest money in large-scale urban construction, improve public health, formalize and provide guarantees for commercial transactions, and the city will develop rapidly. "
Lorist nodded and praised: "I didn't expect you to have such an excellent ability to govern besides a businessman's mind. Of course, I won't say much about your ability to pick up girls and communicate. By the way, apart from thanking me for supporting Chenxi Apart from the fact that the college opened a branch of business in Vanades City, do you have any other reason to go with me?"
Duke Kenmes' face became serious: "Yes, another reason is that I will be safer walking with you..."
"You mean..." Lorist was taken aback.
The Duke of Kenmes slowly unbuttoned his skirt, exposing most of his chest. A thick white bandage was wrapped around his white chest, with a trace of red fresh blood faintly on it. Lorist immediately understood, no wonder he always smelled of wound medicine.
"I have been assassinated three times in the past two months, and the most dangerous one was this month. The assassin swung his long sword and made such a gash in my chest because our family guards were already on guard and couldn't get close. So I have been looking forward to your early arrival, the moment I saw you I was really relieved, now I don't have to worry about being assassinated anymore." Duke Kenmes said bitterly.
"Who did it? Did you catch the assassin? And why didn't you ask me for help earlier?" Lorist was very angry.
The Duke of Kenmes shook his head: "I don't know who did it. But the assassin is a first-level swordsman. Although our family's guards can't keep him, he can't succeed either. As for asking for your help, hehe , I can't afford to be ashamed of this, and you, the Juggernaut, will have to take action, and the Kenmes family will become a joke in the noble circle."
"You, you want to save face and suffer." Lorist frowned and meditated: "It's a bit strange, why would there be a great swordsman attacking you? Considering the status and interpersonal relationship of your Kenmas family in the kingdom, there should be no It’s worth sending out a great swordsman to assassinate you. Besides, killing you is not necessary for the kingdom’s impact. It’s not worth letting a first-level great swordsman take the risk of assassinating you three times within two months... "
Duke Kenmes protested: "Hey, hello, hello, am I as embarrassing as you say?"
Lorist ignored him, and speculated to himself: "I will not give up on consecutive shots. After the first assassination failed, even if your family has raised its defenses, the great swordsman assassin still made two shots. If there is no deep hatred, isn't it true?" Maybe you did that. Could it be that you provoked some noble lady who didn’t wipe her ass clean, so that the husband whom you cuckolded was unwilling to bribe the great swordsman to come and assassinate you? Well, I think this is the biggest possibility …”
The Duke of Kenmes said angrily: "Stop joking, okay, what does that cuckold mean? I usually like to wear a cuckold. Well, I'm sure it's not the reason you said. In fact, I suspect that the reason for the assassination is At the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce."
"Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce?"
"Yes, do you know that Wixus knight who had an affair with the former queen? It's the illegitimate son of His Majesty the King..."
Loris nodded.
"Didn't the year before last say that he coveted the big market that your Norton family opened in Qilingang? Last year, His Majesty the King canonized him as an earl, and arranged the territory in Magik Province, and planned to send him away from the imperial capital. But this Wixus knight was on the spot. Holding His Majesty's feet and crying loudly, His Majesty finally agreed to let him stay, but canceled his post of commander of the royal guard.
Then the Earl of Wixas opened a chamber of commerce in the imperial capital, called the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Somehow, I got the right to sell two rock salt mines in the former central part of the empire, Kribia Province, from His Majesty the King, so in the second half of last year, we started a commercial war with our Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce to compete for the salt sales market in the provinces of the kingdom. I finally won the war by using various connections and lowering the price of snow salt, causing the Earl of Wixus to lose nearly 100,000 goldfords. "The Duke of Kenmes is a little proud.
"So you suspect that the Earl of Wixas sent a great swordsman to assassinate you without permission? This is impossible. First, he cannot afford to support a great swordsman in his capacity. Second, he should know the truth about the assassination of you. No one will be able to save him if he is exposed, and His Majesty the King will not be able to bear this responsibility, he will not be so irrational. I still suspect that your flirtatiousness is to blame..." Lorist expressed his doubts.
Duke Kenmes sighed: "Oh, I knew you didn't believe my intuition."
"Don't worry, from now on you don't have to worry about someone coming to assassinate you. I will arrange Reddy to lurk by your side when you are in the imperial capital. If the great swordsman assassin comes again, then we will know who it is after capturing him." sent him," Lorist said.
"Well, thank you, Locke."
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