customs clearance base

Chapter 1324 Pretending to be a Chamber of Commerce (5)

Now that the Shepherd Banner is aggressively invading the empire, the demand for weapons is huge. Although some can be looted from the empire, it is not enough to meet the consumption of millions of cavalry.

Zhao Hu didn't think that Muqi could win. As long as the upper echelon of the empire didn't destroy the city walls and do some idiotic actions to help the enemy, Muqi would not win no matter how many weapons and cavalry he had.

The strength of a country is not determined by the number of troops alone. What can really be determined is the logistics of maintaining this army.

The empire has a powerful weapon workshop, a huge food base, and a smooth logistics supply mechanism. Maybe the empire will be caught off guard by the attack at first, but when it reacts, the army with a steady stream of supplies can easily drive the shepherd flag away. out of the empire.

As for counterattacking Muqi... Zhao Hu didn't dare to think about it.

The prairie is too huge, and it is easy to get lost if you are not familiar with the terrain. Unless you send out ten legions to advance together, it is impossible to destroy all the herd flags.

But in this way, the pressure of supply is enough to collapse the empire.

Although he understood the importance of logistics before, Zhao Hu, who had been a second lieutenant in logistics for a period of time, really understood that logistics is an important key to determining the outcome, especially in the tug-of-war where the combat effectiveness of the two sides is evenly matched, logistics is even more important.

As for the reason why Muqi invaded the empire, one can understand the life of the herdsmen in the gathering place and listen to Mr. Jingxiong Wan’s nagging, because the grassland is poor in materials and the environment is difficult.

Think about it, on the prairie, there is a lack of everything except food and fresh water.

And the lack of food depends on the face of the sky. If the weather is good, then of course there is no limit to happiness. If the weather is bad, people will starve to death every second.

Just like Mr. Wan said, don't look at the beautiful spring here, it has not yet penetrated into the grassland, but the deeper it gets, the colder it gets, and there are goose feathers and heavy snow several meters deep.

Suddenly, Zhao Hu couldn't help but think of the word "self-destruction of the city wall", and even more so, he thought of the Wess merchant group dressed up by the imperial people.

According to the conversation between them, it is obviously not as simple as selling weapons, [-]% is the betrayal of the empire's betrayal of information to Mu Qi.

But so what?
Don't say that I am in the grassland, even in the empire, who would believe what I, a little second lieutenant, said?
Just ignore the things you can't control.

Although he knew that the coming heavy snow would be troublesome, Zhao Hu didn't dare to stay here.

He believed that the pursuers of the wooden flag were right behind them, and these pursuers would definitely follow the track of the car. There was no way to leave such traces, because there was no way to cover it up.

However, entering this gathering place and then leaving should confuse the pursuers for a while. After all, there are too many traces of carriages entering and leaving here.

If he stayed here for the winter and was found at his door, he probably would have been taken away before he could figure out what was going on.

Don't say that the crystal flag can't help the wooden flag, it's completely impossible!

In order not to be destroyed, we can only leave as soon as possible, and find a place where there is no one to spend the winter when the heavy snow falls, so that after the heavy snow falls, the pursuers will lose their clues to find themselves, and they should be safe for a while.

However, maps and arrows are very much needed in this way. One is to avoid getting lost, and the other is a sharp weapon to kill the enemy. Both are indispensable things.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hu couldn't help turning the topic to this aspect.

"Master Jingxiong, I wonder if I can borrow a map? You know how important a map is to a business group. This time we managed to find the gathering place of the Guiqi by relying on the crude maps we obtained from other business groups.

"I heard that heavy snow is coming. If you go in the wrong direction on the way home, it will be over. I wonder if my lord can help?"

Geralt and the others on the side immediately shut up, quietly waiting for Mrs. Wan's reply. Mrs. Wan also felt that the atmosphere was a little tense, but he didn't care.

This is something related to the fate of the business group, nervousness is inevitable, he smiled.

"Master Zhao Hu, I understand your feelings, but I'm very sorry, the map of Muqi is related to the life and death of the whole Muqi, it is absolutely impossible for outsiders to view it, even inside Muqi, only those who are above the level of a commander can view the map, and Those are still crude.

"The truly complete map can only be viewed by the banner owner, and even my brother, the banner owner, has not seen it, so I am very sorry."

Zhao Hu and the others sighed, although they were disappointed, they could understand.

In any force, the map of that force is an extremely important confidential document, and even one's own people cannot understand the details, let alone outsiders.

When Zhao Hu was about to ask the consultant and guide, he didn't know whether Chief Wan didn't want to lose the business or wanted to help, so he spoke.

"but……"

As soon as these two words came out, Zhao Hu and the others' eyes lit up and their ears pricked up.

There seems to be hope.

Seeing the eagerness of Zhao Hu and others, Chief Wan smiled and said, "However, you can go to a place to have a look."

"Where?"

"Leave the gathering place and walk up the river for about a kilometer. There is a temporary gathering place. There should be what you want, but you must be mentally prepared, it will cost a lot."

"Damn it, I forgot that place!" Geralt slapped his head violently.

Zhao Hu asked, "Where is that place?"

Geralt looked at Mr. Wanfu and hesitated.

"My lord, there is..."

Mr. Wan smiled and said: "Don't worry about our face, Mr. Zhao Hu, in fact, it is a market run by horse bandits in the prairie."

"Horse thief?"

The people on Zhao Hu's side all stared wide-eyed, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

What the prairie people hate most is not natural disasters or wolves, but horse robbers.

Horse thieves make a living entirely by plundering, and they are so greedy that they are frighteningly greedy. Live animals such as herdsmen and livestock are either killed or captured, while inanimate items such as herding flags and bags are either burned or taken away by horses. The tribes that have been patronized are completely ignorant.

Chief Wan smiled wryly, "Isn't it strange how we allowed the horse thief's market to open nearby?

"There's nothing we can do about it, although we hate horse robbers, and although we are powerful, we can't afford to offend horse robbers in the entire grassland.

"The horse thieves have a range, and the horse thieves outside the range cannot cross the boundary casually, otherwise the horse thieves within the range will attack these colleagues.

"But sometimes there is no limit, that is revenge for destroying the herding flag of the market opened by the horse thief, and the horse robbers on the entire grassland will attack everyone who owns the herding flag.

"So in order to avoid trouble, we will not touch this horse thief market. Besides, this market is the same as our market. When our market ends, they will also end, and when the market opens, they will not You won't make trouble, but will try your best to maintain order, so why bother yourself?"

"Can such a horse thief market get a map?" Zhao Hu was a little puzzled.

Mr. Wan smiled and said, "Don't underestimate the horse thief. When it comes to the map of the horse thief, it is the most detailed. You must know that they are active in the entire grassland. Most of the information in our map is purchased from the horse thief.

"However, the maps purchased by us outsiders are just rough maps, which are the approximate locations of the gathering places of the banner owners and the approximate directions of important water sources.

"The more expensive the price, the more detailed it is. It is said that the most advanced one records not only the gathering places of all herding flags, but also the activity points of all wild horse herds, and even a small lake with an area of ​​tens of meters.

"It's just that this is just a rumor. The horse thief himself said that there is no such map."

Zhao Hu and the others laughed immediately.

People like myself don't need too detailed maps, as long as a map is marked with each herding flag gathering place and major water sources.

This map is enough for people like myself to safely set out on the prairie.

Although Zhao Hu and the others wished to go to the Nama Pirate Market right away, they had no choice but to wait quietly for Dio's arrival.

Suddenly, a guide brought a group of merchants, Zhao Hu and the others politely gave up their seats and waited outside.

A small captain sighed in a low voice as soon as he came out.

"I really didn't expect that the Horse Thieves Fair could openly appear next to the gathering place of Mu Qi."

"Hey, what's the matter, isn't it just opening a black market next to the local police force? It's not very common in the empire." A small captain laughed.

"Geralt, what kind of goods are there in the horse robber market?" Zhao Hu asked.

"Anything they rob will be sold in the market. Needless to say, horse and sheep fur goods are more open and aboveboard human trafficking, and there are facilities such as casinos, brothels, and restaurants.

"It's much more lively than Muqi's market." Geralt looked at his colleagues with a smile, and he knew that these suffocated guys were drooling.

"Those herding flags actually allow them to traffic people next to the gathering place?" Zhao Hu was surprised.

Geralt said disdainfully, "What's so strange about this? Didn't the Master Wan say it? They can't be provoked. In fact, these are all lies. The biggest customers of these horse thief fairs are usually the fairs. The shepherd flag next to the city.

"Most of the horse and sheepskin people who were looted by horse thieves were sold cheaply to Shepherd Qi.

"These horse thieves are very shrewd. They transport the things they plundered from the east to the west to sell. Since these are not the population and materials of the local herding flags, those herding flags will not be awkward when they buy them. Instead, they like to increase their own What about the powerful horse robber market?

"The horse bandits survived because Mu Qi used the horse bandits to weaken his opponents and strengthen himself. Otherwise, if all Mu Qi joined forces, wouldn't they be able to eliminate the horse bandits in the entire grassland?"

"I see."

Zhao Hu and the others nodded in a sudden realization. Not long after they chatted, Dio came back with twenty or so large carriages, accompanied by two or four hundred servants who arrived on the carriages.

(End of this chapter)