industrial lord

Chapter 546: I have to obey

Frederick once asked a former great thief how they used to rob merchants on the road.

A former big thief who did not want to be named said that they used to be very friendly to passing merchants, but there was a tree that fell on the road and blocked the way, so they asked the merchants for some hard-earned money and then helped move the tree.

If a strong man in the caravan showed his strength and blew up a tree or something like that, they probably wouldn't be able to defeat him, so they would just have to watch the caravan pass by.

But now there are no big trees on the road ahead. There is a sentry box on the side of the road and a railing blocking the road. On the wooden sign next to the sentry box are the toll rates written in several languages.

As for the toll collector, he does look like a tough bandit.

Fontana curiously asked the bandit leader, "Half-Face, why are you here to collect the money?"

Frederick was also looking at the half-face of this man curiously. The right side of his face was burned by fire. He was tall and did not look like a poor man. More like a knight, and he looked a little familiar.

Half-Face said to Fontana: "He got beaten to death for his crooked nose and lack of eyes, that's it."

"Let me make it clear to you first. Now we don't calculate the money by the number of horses, but by the number of wheels."

Fontana was shocked and asked hurriedly, "Why did you change the rules? How do you calculate it?"

Banbian said helplessly, "How can I not change it? You know there are horseless carriages in the Principality of Wessen. If they come here, I won't be able to collect money."

"Do you know how Crooked Nose died? This spring, Grand Duke Wesson's fiancée drove past here with her men in a car like that. He couldn't get the money and said a few dirty words. As a result, Mrs. Wesson's guards slapped him on the head and sent him flying into the mountains."

Fontana shook his head and said, "I told you he was going to die from that mouth one day."

"How much does it cost now?"

Frederick curled his lips aside. Maria's guards were all from the expanded female company of the guard regiment. The entry requirement was to be able to hunt seven wolves in the mountains with cold weapons, and then they would be guided by the sword master.

Not to mention the bandits, some veteran soldiers in Wesson’s army have suffered a lot at their hands.

The toll was negotiated quickly there and is almost the same as before.

Half-Face waved his hand, and soon a large group of people came over, holding a variety of things in their hands, selling them to the merchants in the caravan.

They sold furs from the mountains, strings of wild animal teeth, and small items like combs made from sheep horns.

Fontana whispered to Frederick, "Sir, please buy anything you want. You can't leave without buying one."

Frederick said helplessly: "It seems that they are quite nice people. They could have robbed them, but they actually gave them gifts."

Half-Face said to Frederick a little nervously: "Uh... well... we paid taxes to the master, and the money is a lot, and it's just to make more money."

Frederick felt that this person looked more and more familiar, but Fontana didn't say anything. After buying a sheep horn comb, he said he would put it in the luggage bag when he returned to the bus.

After he walked away, Banbianmian followed him pretending to be on patrol.

Seeing that there was no one around, Frederick asked in a low voice: "Who are you?"

Half-Face replied, "My Lord, when you hanged that man, I was delivering a letter to you for the Grand Duke of Bain. My face was injured in the city of Hammer."

"We have been ordered to sneak in here and capture the bandits."

Frederick understood that a distant relative of the Grand Duke of Bavaria had killed a young girl in Weissenburg, and they had exchanged letters about the incident. It seemed that the Duchy of Bavaria attached great importance to this railway and had already started planning it.

Frederick nodded to indicate that he understood.

When he lifted the curtain of the coach, he saw the nun traveling with him eating a sausage roll. She had just taken a bite when she noticed someone coming in and quickly hid behind her, puffing out her cheeks and looking a little nervous.

Frederick got into the carriage, put the comb into his bag, and said with a smile, "What are you afraid of? The barbecue buffet restaurant in Oak City was ruined by your seminary students."

After he finished speaking, he took out a bottle of happy water and placed it next to the nun, and said, "Be careful not to choke."

After saying this, he ignored the nun and got out of the car to continue chatting with Fontana.

The caravan continued to move forward, and Fontana said to Frederick, "There have been more merchants on the road in recent years. Our union has come forward to discuss with the lords along the way, hoping to establish rules. We pay taxes, and they take care of the bandits and wild beasts on the roadside."

"At first, the lords were indifferent. Most of the bandits were their black gloves, and collecting taxes is not as fast as robbing money."

"The situation changed in the past two years. Grand Duke Weisen fought a war to ensure smooth trade routes and defeated two duchies."

"Then the previous emperor passed away, and Queen Anna ascended the throne. Not long after, Archduke Bain sent an envoy."

"The messenger said that this road is an important trade route for Grand Duke Weisen to make money. He is also the lover of Queen Anna. If he wants to fight you, Queen Anna will definitely help him."

"The messenger also said that when the time comes, Grand Duke Weisen's devil army will kill you all, and we can just take the land back to the royal family, and give it to their illegitimate children in the future."

"Not long after, Queen Anna sent another order, requiring all territories along the way to ensure the safety of merchants on the trade route."

"At this point some people still don't take it seriously."

"Later, the Protector of the Realm, Duke Mary, came. She hid in a caravan, but was robbed by bandits on the way. The bandits and the lord were all hanged for treason."

"Now all the lords have to obey and let those bandits collect tolls and repair the roads at the same time."

Frederick realized in his heart that this railway might not be that simple, and the timing was much earlier than he expected.

When Ferdinand died, the Archduke of Bavaria attended the funeral and Anna's subsequent coronation ceremony as the plenipotentiary representative of the Confederation of the Rhine. It is likely that an agreement in principle had already been reached on the railway at that time.

But this is normal. After all, the Kingdom of Sardinia is rich. If the Duchy of Bavaria has a railway connecting there, it will benefit greatly as a transportation hub.

Frederick asked Fontana again: "If the railway is opened, people and goods will buy the railway, and your team will have no business, right?"

Fontana said helplessly: "What can we do? We can only think of other ways."

"There is a train station planned near my home. At worst, I can just split the fleet into smaller units and deliver goods to places in the mountains where trains can't reach."

"There are still many good things in the mountains. If we transport them out, we can sell them for a good price."

Frederick nodded. The mountains were rich in forest and animal resources, and stone was a scarce commodity. The sculptures in the German Cathedral and the Edelweiss Library were mostly made of the stones there.

"Ah, it looks like it's going to rain." Fontana suddenly pointed at the dark clouds in the sky ahead. "The rain in the mountains now comes in bursts. If you're lucky, the clouds will pass in a few minutes. If you're unlucky, it will take a day or two and we'll have to spend the night in the wild."

(End of this chapter)