Gavin gave a thumbs up to Harisk and said: "The attitude of the Supreme Councilor towards the people makes me ashamed. In comparison, I am really unqualified as a lord. So far I have not dealt with one case." The territorial disputes have not solved any practical difficulties for them."
"It is normal to be ashamed. There are few lords and nobles who are not ashamed in front of our highest councillor, because he has never regarded himself as a superior lord, but as a public servant of Misty Valley. Every The people of Misty Valley are his masters, and he will do his best to serve them and consider them.
He only said that the people in the valley came here to buy his products, but he did not say that most of the public expenditures in our Misty Valley were financed by his store. Compared with before he became the supreme councilor, his income has not increased. , but decrease.
It's the same thing, the same price. If you say we don't buy things from him, where will we go?
People's hearts are made of flesh, and what you get with your own heart will always be sincerity.
Those who smashed the glass of the Supreme Councilor’s shop with stones are the bastards without conscience. If the Supreme Council hadn’t stopped them and prevented the investigation, I would have found out those heartless guys and dragged them to the political forum to let all the people know. The people of Misty Valley take a look and comment. Is the judgment of the Supreme Councilor unreasonable? Or are they just greedy? Do you think the penalty is unreasonable? "
A group of six people came out from the residence of the Supreme Councilor. There were men, women, humans, half-elves, dwarves, and a tiefling. The only thing they had in common was that they were all quite old. Although they were not all senile, at least Also middle-aged and upward.
The person who spoke was the oldest human woman. Her hair was half white, and she looked like the most ordinary country peasant woman. Although there were traces of time on her body, she could not hide her former beauty, giving her a rough but toned look. a feeling of.
She wore a silk belt around her waist that didn't quite match her attire. It was embroidered with golden wheat ears, and in the middle was a blooming rose, which was the holy symbol of the Earth Mother Goddess Chantia.
"The Patriarch is here well." Gavin took the initiative to greet her. The two were old acquaintances. She was the abbot of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Monastery, a powerful Priest Chantia.
In the past, whether it was the purification of the evil items in the Golden Wheat Sheaf Monastery or the signing of the five thousand tons of grain orders, they were all negotiated with her. This is an old woman who has a very gentle temper most of the time. Once she appears, she is particularly troubled. If you don't like things, you will become a little irritable.
In this loose-knit valley community, it's normal to wear many hats.
"Good day Jazz." Janella greeted with a smile.
"Member Janela is overly praised. How can I be as good as you say? I just do what I can."
Harisk said with some embarrassment, "Don't be humble yourself, Sir. We have heard about your deeds a lot, and they are completely different in nature.
We also benefited from the ghost wine auction you organized in the Land of Three Rivers. Many merchants rented boats at Ashaban Beach. Not only were all our boats hired, but the hotel was also overcrowded.
By the time they left, all the wine in our tavern had been drunk, and the inventory that had been squeezed for many years was disposed of by those merchants. Now many Valley residents have never forgotten that event and are looking forward to the next ghost wine auction.
You eradicated Slaksata, the scourge of the East Road. Not only the merchants on the East Road, but we on the Moonsea Highway also benefited. The greedy red dragon often came to us to cause trouble and rob us.
When the Asaba River burst its banks two months ago, Jazz went out of his way to help the people of Lingyu Valley and Guanggu selflessly, fighting floods and rescued countless injured people. Afterwards, he even helped them resettle a large number of refugees and rebuild their homes. .
I heard that it was Sir who blocked the first wave of attacks from the Kuo-Toa from the Black Prison of Deep Forest Valley, and turned a huge disaster that swept along the entire Asaba River into invisible form.
Now it is even more important to go to Tessel for the construction of the valley, bringing tens of thousands of immigrants. We believe that under your leadership, the valley will glow with new vitality.
Your energy is spent on these big things that benefit everyone, and it's normal to not have the energy to deal with the tedious matters.
It's purely because I can't do such big things, so I can only think more about these details and solve some practical difficulties for the people in the territory. "
After Harisk's inventory, Gavin discovered that he was not unknown in the valley now, especially because of the unique law of destiny that enveloped him, so that what he did had a substantial impact on the treatment of ordinary people. own attitude.
Although except for the disaster on the east road, several other events did not open the destiny milestone, it does not mean that these events have no influence at all.
Especially when he sent people to rescue and provide disaster relief after the Asaba River embankment was consciously dug up by Sambian businessmen to release floods, it gained him a huge reputation, even though he never appeared on the front line of the rescue. Regina didn't even have time to attend the introduction meeting where Regina was trying to help her - at that time, she was stumbling over the war on the side of the conqueror's army and couldn't get out.
As a result, Gavin suddenly felt at ease.
The other party will not praise you for no reason, and naturally has its own deep meaning in doing so.
This is to use Gavin's past reputation as a shackle, binding him so that he cannot use the army of conquerors to do evil in the Misty Valley.
After all, the size of the conqueror's army is there. Once they have bad intentions, it will definitely be a disaster for the Misty Valley, and the mutual watch rules commonly used in the valley cannot be used by them.
Because the army of conquerors came under the banner of immigration from beginning to end, and it was just more people and animals, there was no reason for them to block it in Misty Valley, especially since the Kingdom of Cormyr, which was a model country, let them go.
"The top congressman has been praised too much. Many things were not done intentionally by us, but we were forced into a blind corner and had no choice but to fight back. We only succeeded by luck."
Gavin responded with a smile, "As for flood fighting and disaster relief, that is a matter of responsibility. Although I am not from the valley, I fully agree with and am willing to abide by the valley's agreement to watch each other and help each other."
He took this opportunity to express his position and was willing to abide by the rules of the game in the valley. He would never use his army of conquerors to bully the weak.
"Okay, okay, okay." Councilor Janela cheered on the side, "You two should stop fighting. Although you have different ways of doing things, one thing is the same. You are both bent on seeking development for your own territory. , seek benefits for the people of your territory, as long as you have this, I believe that in the eyes of your people, you are all qualified lords."
"That's right." Gavin was the first to nod in agreement, "The Supreme Councilor can't do what I do, so what you are good at is something I can't imitate? There is no absolute right or wrong way to do this kind of thing. In fact, My visit this time is not just for borrowing money. The most important thing is to seek common development. I believe that when we join forces, we will be able to seek more benefits for the valley residents in both places and let them have a better life. "
As always, Gavin is ready to persuade his target by tying benefits.
Rather than saying that this is an effective method, it is better to say that Gavin himself believes that the relationship established in this way is more stable.
Without the temptation of greater interests, it is very difficult to break this relationship, unless the other party is stupid enough to see the situation clearly, and such a guy is definitely not a good partner.
"Oh? Tell me about it?" Supreme Councilor Harisk said with great interest.
"Congressman Harisk, where is your usual shrewdness? Can't we just stand here and talk? You haven't introduced us to each other yet." Councilor Janella reminded with a smile.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I was so busy chatting that I actually forgot about this matter. I believe this person doesn't need me to say more. He is the organizer of the conqueror's army and the terminator of the disaster on the East Road. , Sir Gavin Nott, the owner of the ghost wine-producing Wezeme Estate and the protector of the Three Rivers."
Harisk smiled apologetically and introduced the two parties, "These six are our six members of the Misty Valley, Hallfast, Will, Janella, Almas and Alvin. They are all from our Misty Valley." The most warm-hearted and reputable people, please come from inside, please come from inside."
Everyone exchanged pleasantries for a while before entering the parliament hall of the Supreme Councilor's residence.
It is said that the parliament hall is actually a living room. The seats are arranged very casually. Various refreshments have been placed on the table, which means that their usual discussion atmosphere is not so serious, just like a tea party. After all, in this valley with a vast territory and simple folk customs , there are very few matters that can be discussed in the parliamentary chamber of the highest parliament.
Most of them are in villages and towns, and can be solved by one or two councilors.
"I'm really sorry. It's not that we are negligent on purpose, but that our usual financial investment in this area is too little." Harisk and the others felt ashamed again.
Obviously they themselves know that their Misty Valley is too casual in this aspect, not to mention compared to those kingdoms, even compared to other sub-valleys in the valley.
"On the contrary, I quite like the atmosphere created by your layout. It gives people a harmonious and warm feeling. It is much better than the cold hall and throne. In this aspect, I want to learn more from you." Gavin is not He was simply polite. Affected by the atmosphere here, the sense of urgency that had been pressing him dissipated a lot. He felt very comfortable and spoke more casually.
"Jazz is much more gentle than we expected."
"Excessive praise."
"Can you please Sir, please talk in detail about how to pursue this common development?"
"We have obtained it one by one. The first item is that I hope that you, the top congressman, will take the lead in forming an agricultural union. I am willing to sign a stable grain and vegetable purchase agreement with you. In the next five years, I will purchase one grain and vegetables from you every year." More than 10,000 tons of grain and vegetables, but in terms of price, I hope it can remain the same as before the Tukan army invaded." Gavin placed his first large-volume order.
It is true that the Land of Three Rivers has enough wasteland for them to cultivate, but it will take at least two or three years for the 40 to 50,000 immigrants to be self-sufficient. Before that, their food supply mainly depends on eating from outside.
The most important thing is that Gavin did not want to disband the conqueror's army on the spot and scatter it over a vast land.
He planned to build the city directly and tightly grasp this power that had been twisted into a rope. Even if it was not for war, even if it was for infrastructure construction, he would have a huge advantage.
From the series of policies they previously formulated in the City of Faith, it is not difficult to see that the conqueror army is not the end of immigration, but a beginning. More immigrants will continue to come, which requires a stable sources of food.
There is no one more suitable than the Misty Valley, known as the granary of the valley. They not only have planting advantages, but also transportation advantages.
From Ashaban Beach to the Land of Three Rivers, this section of the Asaba River does not exceed 300 kilometers at most. It can be reached in no more than two days by going downstream.
"Ten thousand tons of grain and vegetables every year!" The seven members of the Misty Valley couldn't help but swallowed their saliva.
This is not a small amount. Even based on the price before Tukan's invasion, it was at least one million gold coins.
At first glance, this sounds like a very bad deal. After all, food prices are skyrocketing. Things that used to cost one million can now be sold for three million, and there is still no market price.
But the war will eventually end. At that time, prices will not only fall back, but even be lower than before the war.
Because ordinary farmers are blindly obedient, they will base their judgment on the current food prices and plant certain crops on a large scale, which will cause serious overproduction.
They are not a war zone here, so the overall population will not be greatly affected.
How will these extra output be digested in the end?
Food is okay, it can be stored in warehouses for a period of time, and at worst, it can be used to make wine.
Those vegetables can only rot in the ground or be fed to pigs.
If this ordering agreement is signed with Gavin, it will be equivalent to a stable guarantee. Those farmers will have no worries and can safely and boldly grow various fruits and vegetables, which will greatly promote the agricultural development of Misty Valley. .
As for whether Gavin has the purchasing power, they are not worried at all.
One million is an unattainable astronomical number for those farmers, but for them, it is not an unreachable number, especially those extraordinary spell casters. In many cases, they spend tens of thousands to cast a spell, let alone Said that Gai had an army of conquerors
"What? Is there a problem?" Seeing that they didn't nod, Gavin involuntarily raised his eyebrows.
"In normal times, we would have accepted this order without hesitation, but now, the war of nomadic invasion will be over next year. I am afraid that the war will drag on for too long, causing the food supply to be inflated, and those short-sighted people The farmers are reluctant to sell." Supreme Councilor Harisk said with a hint of helplessness in his expression, "Buying and selling is a matter of your own free will, and we cannot force it when the time comes..."
"You don't need to worry about this. The war will definitely not last until next summer. Whether it is the Tukan army coming from afar or the Faerun coalition that is preparing, they are fighting at ultra-long distances. The food supplies they can carry are relatively limited. Both sides will actively Seek opportunities and strive for a quick victory.
There are only two possibilities for the moment, either we will drive the Tukan army back to the endless wilderness, or the Faerun coalition will be defeated and the Tukan army will march straight in. The price of any kind of food will drop sharply, and it will even fall far below what it was before Tukan invaded. s price. "Gavin made this conclusion not simply relying on foresight from his previous life, but using the information at hand to conduct a comprehensive analysis.
"If the Tukan army is driven back to the endless wilderness, I can understand the sudden drop in food prices. But if the Faerun coalition is defeated and the Tukan army marches straight in, shouldn't the food prices soar? Why do they also drop so suddenly?" Representative Janela He asked with confusion on his face.
"It's very simple. Stimulated by the current surge in food prices, I believe that not only farmers in the valley, but also farmers everywhere are racing against time to replant various grains and vegetables so that they can be sold at a higher price next year, which will cause a large overflow of production.
The Tukan army is notorious for its ferocity. Once they break through the defense line, many cities will face the fate of being burned and massacred, which will cause a partial reduction in food demand.
And our place belongs to the middle and rear areas. Without the Faerun coalition to transport food to the front line, ordinary farmers will not be able to send it to the front line no matter how much food they have in their hands.
And the Zhentarim with this ability are still merchants in Sembia. Will they share channels and benefits with ordinary farmers? Gavin finally asked a rhetorical question.
"No, not only will they not offer high prices to buy, on the contrary, they will desperately suppress the prices to seek greater profits. This is their usual method."
"Yes, just like what they have done in the purchase of cotton in the past two years, there is a huge gap in the sails of the Starry Sea, but the price of cotton has been pushed down again and again. It is because the sales channels are in their hands. We in the valley People are just at their mercy.”
"They will not hesitate to join forces to exploit us."
All the councilors in the Misty Valley are extremely unified. They really understand the behavior of the Tallinn Society and the Sambian businessmen. They will only add insult to injury and ruthlessly suck every drop of blood from the people of the valley, regardless of their Life or death.
"Do you think the real root cause of this situation is?" Gavin asked a new question, "Is it because of the shortsightedness of those farmers?"
"The farmers cannot be blamed for this matter. Due to limited information channels, they cannot see that far. Now many people only know that the soaring food prices are affected by the war, but in which direction the war is taking place? How big it is and how long it can last, let alone them, even we can’t tell.”
(End of chapter)
