Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

Yavin Dern smiled and said: "That's right, my lord. I believe this is a good start. We will prepare for the wedding in a few days. My sister likes him very much and can't wait."

Even if the matter of the wedding is finalized, there is one thing missing from Haiwen's work.After the family marriage, Haiwen can get help from Xiawan in a legitimate way.Shrimp Bay is richer than Bear Mountain. Some people have money. The most important thing is that it has an inner harbor and waterways. These things are very important.

Haiwen's next step is to get his own land, which is the Pinewood Castle promised to him by the little Trident.

Regrouping, Two

Regrouping, Two

Now the Viscount Pinewood has joined the rebellion at Bear Mountain, and those who participate in the rebellion are all classified as rebels. However, there is a certain cooperative relationship between the Little Trident and these "rebels", and the situation is very complicated.Haiwen wanted to test Little Trident's attitude first, so he wrote a letter to Bugu Kahn, asking him what to do about Xiongshan.Then Haiwen wrote to Fengleibao. After all, although Xiongshan Land has been controlled by Jinshabao, it is the land of Fengleibao in name.There was a rebellion in his fief, and the Marquis of Mondalia would definitely make a statement.

If he could get the help of one of these two parties, Haven would be able to occupy Pinewood Castle, and then fight against the descendants of Sea God in Bear Mountain.He entrusted the courier to send this letter, and the journey is far away, and it is estimated that it will take more than half a month to get a reply.

These days, Haven has recruited some educated people from among the refugees, and he needs these people to help him with his affairs.The requirements of the refugees are very low, as long as they have food, it happens that he can't afford gold.It's autumn, and Haiwen helps the countess count this year's public grain. The harvest in Xiawan this year is not bad, enough to feed these mouths, but it will be hard to say next year.

On the third day, Hai Wen got a piece of good news.

Maester Myric awoke.

After a week of high fever and coma, he finally opened his eyes.Everyone thought that he would not survive, but they did not expect that he could escape from the hands of death.Laya said that as long as he can wake up, then everything will be fine.Hearing this, Hai Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

But Myrick was still weak and confused, and it was best to rest now.

In the afternoon of the same day, a guest came to Xiawan and asked for Haiwen by name.

Haven met the man, but he hadn't met the other.This man was a dignified old man with a quill pen stuck in his chest. He looked more like a nobleman than a nobleman. Haiwen couldn't figure out why he came, so he treated him politely and asked him what he wanted?The old man said to him, "My lord, I have found you. Miss Laia asked me to come, hasn't she told you yet?"

Hearing this, Haiwen quickly called Laya over. After seeing the old man, Laya immediately introduced him to Haiwen: "This is the butler of Jinsha Castle. He has served the Duke Nader for two times."

Hai Wen quickly shook hands with him and said, "So it's the manager of Jinsha Castle, I was disrespectful before."

The old man hurriedly said: "I'm just a homeless old man now, Lord Laya said, are you recruiting a housekeeper?"

"Yes!" Haiwen said hastily, "I wonder if you would like to commit yourself to the post?"

"I can't ask for more, my lord." The old man said with a smile. "I heard many rumors on the road. Your people say that you are a wise lord, that you are just and strict, and that you are very kind. It is my honor to give you a job. "

Haiwen was very happy, he quickly found Yawen to allocate a room for the old man and prepare daily necessities.Later, he has been arranging various things with the old housekeeper until he can move in properly.The old man was very moved and said to him: "My lord, I am really lucky. I thought I would never see you again. After the Xiongshan incident, the people of the Poseidon Sect released the news that the king of Xiongshan was dead. I am trusting you." An old friend helped me find you."

Haiwen smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Nonsense, I'm living well."

"Yeah, it's all nonsense." The old man nodded, "But they need you dead so they can manage Bear Mountain well."

After arranging for the old man, Haiwen thanked Laya.Haven knew that the Duke's butler was by no means a simple person, and this kind of talent was a huge asset to him.Ever since Delaire left, Haven has been lacking a butler. With this person, many things are much easier.

Laya was polite with him, and then said to him: "Do you have any plans for the future?"

Haiwen said: "Regroup, and then..." He pondered for a while, "First ensure the safety of our people in this war, and then consider other things."

"You'd better think long-term, my lord," Raya told him. "We cannot be at the mercy of others forever."

Haven could understand Laya's implication. Laya wanted him to raise the banner by himself.

Today's matter of Nader's manager has this meaning: this old man has served the ruler of the Gulf region for two times, but now he comes to be Haven's housekeeper. What does it mean?This is an implicit political signal.

Haven had felt this way before: Raya was slowly pushing him into that chair.

But Haven still lacked many things. First of all, his determination was insufficient.Gaining supreme power will inevitably be accompanied by bloody storms, and the little trident will be his first enemy, and there may be more to follow.Now he is not the opponent of the little trident, and he lacks a reason to oppose the little trident.When he was the Earl of Bear Mountain, he swore allegiance to the Kahn family, and he couldn't easily break the oath.

This is not just a moral issue, but also a "great righteousness" issue.His people need righteousness before they can regard him as king.

In the next few days, various gossips came from outside, such as mercenaries from all over the country were gathering, and the next big war was about to start; it was also said that the northerners were going to launch a second attack, and Lujiao Pass was attacked; The Little Trident is going to fight the Mundalia family... However, the news is not enough to be believed.Haiwen is busy arranging the wedding for Ramon. After the wedding is completed, the alliance between him and Xiawan is considered to be concluded.

This time the wedding is not as grand as last time, this is Ramon's request: keep everything simple.However, the countess was very sincere. She took out the best food and wine, made the softest chairs for Ramon, and wore the most gorgeous robes... Miss Yawen said to Haven that her sister It was really moved, not like last time. "Last time she treated Master Sarris as a male favorite, but this time she really wants to marry Ramon—ah, she has started a diet, she has lost weight, can you see that?"

Can't tell, Haiwen thought to himself looking at the fat countess.

In the end, Ramon successfully took over the position of the guardian of Shrimp Bay, and the marriage between Haven and the Dern family was also announced as a success.Haven gave Ramon a few days off, and around the beginning of October, he held his first war meeting.This time he called all the people around him who could participate in the meeting to brainstorm.

The last time he held this kind of plenary meeting was in Mustang Town to discuss the first land revolution.At that time, Delaire was still there, Vandrie was still his treasurer, and the girls were all fine, but now things have changed, and the only familiar face is a smiling cat.

But when someone leaves, someone will come, and he believes that the new team will be stronger than before.

Regrouping, Three

Regrouping, Three

The members of this meeting included the cadres brought out from Xiongshan Mountain, people from the White Clothes Association, and people from Xiawan.The meeting room was chosen in the Yizheng Hall in Xiawan, and Yawen ordered someone to set up a long table and prepare paper and pens for everyone to use.According to the rules, the Countess is the landlord of this place, so she invited to the upper seat. On her left hand side are her younger sisters Arvin Dern, Ramon Ambside Dern, the captain of the guard of Shrimp Bay, Casey, and the Minister of Finance. ——Thinfinger? Thurroll and the collateral relative of the Dern family—the Gray Hills Knight? Ratty Dern.

On the right hand side of Yawen Dern are the cadres of Haven.The first is the chairman of the White Council - Raya.Behind her stood the left and right apostles of the White Clothes Society - Hornless orc Harrison and veteran Aaron Martin; Laya's assistant and intelligence officer - Eros.

The next person in Laya's seat is Haven's guard Smiley Cat, then the guild manager Little Hammer, the bachelor Myrick, and the treasurer Darrow.The new butler, Nader, sat at the end, next to Haven.And Haven faced the countess, sitting in the second most important position on the table.

"Now the meeting can begin, my lord." Yawen said.

Haiwen looked at the participants and made sure that people's attention was on him. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Then, the first Xiongshan? Shrimp Bay joint meeting officially begins."

Everyone kept serious, Haiwen took out a pen, wrote a few words on the wooden board in front of him, then raised the board up and said: "The main content of our meeting is as follows:

One, how do we deal with the coming war?

Second, how to survive natural and man-made disasters such as famine, plague, and severe winter with the least loss?

Third, how to fight back against our enemies? "

He put down the board and said, "According to the first item first, take turns to speak. I will record the key points you said, and then discuss them one by one." Haiwen looked around and said, "Smiley cat, you have participated in this This kind of meeting, you have experience, you come first."

Master Cat frowned, he grinned and said, "Me? I'm a rough person, I don't understand this kind of thing."

Hai Wen reminded; "You can speak from the identity of a ranger, and you can say whatever comes to your mind. Any objective opinion is beneficial to the meeting."

The smiling cat pondered for a while, and said, "You asked me about the war, okay, let's talk about the war—is there a map?"

"Yes." Yawen took out a map from under the table and handed it to him.

Master Cat took the map, drew on it with a pen, and said, "We all know that now the little trident has won a big victory, won the Heavenly Father Pass, and is eyeing the northern capital Eagle Head City covetously. But from my Based on his previous experience in the army, Little Trident would not attack Eagle Head City. Eagle Head City has plenty of soldiers and food, and it is the number one fortress in the world. If he had no problem with his brain, he would not bite this stone." Said After saying this, he looked at the crowd and asked with a smirk, "Is what I said okay?"

Haven nodded with a smile and said, "Continue."

"I think he will consider bypassing Eagle Head City and attacking the Northern Guards. We also know that the Northern Guards are the ones that pass through the Antler Pass. If Bugu wants to attack the Northern Territory, then the Northern Guards cannot be bypassed. Suppose Sea God The first obstacle they encounter is the Northern Guards. The two cities have a strange terrain, and they are easy to defend and difficult to attack. But if the little trident can attack from the north—that is, the north If the rear of the two guards surprises these two cities, then the northern guards may be breached. Once the northern guards are broken, the Gulf army will be able to rampage in the northern border, followed by a fierce battle, but no matter what Fight, the battlefields are all in the north. The north will be beaten and poor, and our rear—that is, the river bend can still provide money and soldiers. This is the strategic direction I speculate."

Speaking of this, the smiley cat no longer had the usual banter on his face. He held a pen very seriously and said to everyone: "Xiawan is in this place - the southwest of Lujiaoguan, surrounded by rivers. Logically speaking, the enemy is fighting If you don’t come here, the northerners will not target us. So we have only one enemy, the Sea God Cult. There is a plain between us and Xiongshan, and neither of us has the advantage of terrain. My opinion is to strike first. When the Sea God Cult is at war with the northerners, immediately raid Bear Mountain and take back our land!"

Smiley Cat's proposal was highly praised by Xiongshan cadres, and Little Hammer took the lead in applauding.Hai Wen remained calm and said, "I've written it all down, what else do I have to say?"

"Not for the time being," said the smiling cat.

Haiwen said: "Then please speak in turn, Ms. Soyana, please come. Next, speak in an S-shaped order, taking turns from left to right."

The countess thought for a while, and said, "I really have never held such a meeting. In the past, my sister had the final say. Lord Haiwen, did your family always do this before?"

"Yes." Haiwen said, "I want to brainstorm, I need to hear various voices and collect everyone's opinions."

The countess nodded thoughtfully, and said, "Then let me tell you what I think. I don't understand the war, but just now Brother Cat said——" Haiwen twitched when he saw the smiling cat, and smiled Solidified, "—I am very supportive of conquering the lost land of Xiongshan. How can my father-in-law's land be handed over to a group of mud legs? This is a glorious war. If you want to fight, Xiawan is willing to contribute! Good! Yes, I'm done."

The moment she finished speaking, Yawen immediately went on to say: "Xiawan will try its best to help! But Xiawan only has so many people and so little money, and it doesn't have much to squeeze us out. And the Sea God Sect must have something to do with this matter. Take precautions, these believers are extremely mobilizing and have all kinds of strange witchcraft, we don't know their strength, so we can't act rashly. I suggest we wait and see first, and get through this calamity year before we talk about it."

After she finished speaking, the captain of the guard at Shrimp Bay was about to speak, but Haiwen made a gesture and said, "Next, Laya, it's your turn."

"White Clothes Society can also produce people." Laya said, "The church guards only fight for peace, so it is obvious that today's Sea God Cult is an obstacle to peace. I can summon the other two chairmen and the three big cat guards Army, can raise an army of about 5000 people, but only if they are willing to fight for me. For this I need your help. Well, I will say this.”

Haven nodded and said, "Next, Captain Casey, please."

Casey, the captain of the Shrimp Bay Guard, was a middle-aged man with a big beard.He looked at Haiwen and said, "It's impossible to fight, you think it's too easy to fight."

rallying, four

rallying, four

Casey went on to detail his reasons for refusing to fight.

"Just like Lord Yawen said, Xiawan has no money to support a war. Now refugees from all over the country are running to us, what should we do? These mud legs don't work, and they need food relief all day long. No Food, they are about to rebel! These days, the crime rate in Shrimp Bay is soaring. There are robberies, murders and rapes every day, and there are countless thefts. I think we can’t take care of ourselves, so let’s not worry about the outside world He patted the table, "You adults may not know what is going on among the people, let me tell you, I almost don't want to be a soldier now! Everyone is busy every day without touching the ground, but they just can't manage it. Refugees The number of the guards is too much, I need more people! Give me three times the number of people! My lords! Otherwise, before the war, we in Xiawan will riot first."

Haiwen also recorded these, and then asked: "Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

The next one was Little Hammer's speech, and the boy said: "I have the blueprint of the siege machine in my hand, and I can also make the extremely destructive bed crossbow like Xiongshan, but the premise is..." He glanced at Casey Captain, "We really have the capital to start a war. My lord, I think maybe I should make some dump trucks, shovels and hoes first. Can I conscript some refugees? I see some craftsmen there, or... Ordinary farmers are also fine, Anyway I need someone. I'm done speaking, next one please."

The next person is the treasurer of Shrimp Bay, Thin Finger? Thurol, as the name suggests, his fingers are long and thin, with many rings on them.The man rubbed his chin and said: "It is said that Xiawan is poor, but Xiawan is not that poor. At least Xiawan has a way to change money. As long as we can trade with the river bend, we can open up all the waterways. If we If our ships can go through all major routes, and even go to the south, then we will be even richer. However, the nobles in the Reach occupy the river, and Fengleibao is even a lion to collect taxes. What are we going to do? What to do? It would be great if it could be smuggled, alas!"

Haven recorded the matter, and then it was Myrick's turn to speak.The maester had just recovered and was weak, but he spoke with strength. "Battle, sooner or later!" he said fiercely, "The Sea God Cult's people are very ambitious, and their leader, Lorelei, is not human at all, and that monster wants not only the northern region, but also the Gulf and even the entire continent. We should find a good time to take the initiative and make these monsters disappear from the world."

"But the people of the bay support these monsters, the descendants of the sea god, hehe! How powerful does that sound?" Ratty Dern interjected, "If they are fierce monsters, we can raise a banner against them, but they are sea people They are the incarnation of their beliefs for many years, and countless believers are willing to follow them, so what do we have to do against them?"

Haven said: "Please take turns to speak - Myrick, what else do you want to say?"

"Faith is important, but I think bread and the stove are more important." Myrick looked at Haven and said, "We can uncover the hypocrisy of these people. The Marquis of Montalia has been devastated in recent years to wipe out religious forces. We can join forces with him to deal with the Sea God Cult. My speech is over."

Haven nodded, looked at the hill knight Latti, and asked, "What else do you want to say?"

"No." The man shook his head.

Next is the eunuch Dallow. Dallow has a business mind, but he doesn't know how to fight wars. So he started a speech about the previous river trade: "Tariffs are indeed high, but water transportation is the only way. We buy and sell goods We have to go through the river with two or four forks, and there is no bridge on the river, unless we..." He looked at Hai Wen.

"Shall we build bridges and roads?" Haven tried to ask.

Darrow's face brightened, and he said, "Yes! If we can get the land transportation going, we won't have to look at the faces of those lords in the River Bend!"

Thurol, the thin finger, raised his hand and said: "What he said makes sense! The river in Xiawan is too long. The upper reaches are from Xiawan, the middle reaches are from valleys, and the lower reaches are from Linwan. Every time we take a boat, we have to If we want to transport the goods to the sea, we have to cross the entire bay area, and every noble and lord has to get a little profit. After this circle, we will have no profit! If we don’t take the water transport to the east, we can go directly to Longyi by land Close. We bridge the river and build a road so that we can go overland and save at least five tariffs! Assuming the selling price remains the same, we can more than triple the fucking money every time! We Go to trade with Wolf City and Wine City. We even sell textiles, dry food and spices to the Western Regions and make a lot of money!" He stood up excitedly, and high-fived Darrow across the table.

Haiwen originally planned to build bridges and roads, but the inconvenient land transportation greatly affected the trade in the Gulf.The nobles monopolize the interests of water transportation, so let's engage in land transportation and let the nobles in the Reach drink cold water!

"I've written it all down, is there anything else?" Haiwen asked.

Dallow said: "Let's talk about it after I sort out my thoughts, my lord."

"it is good."

In the end, Director Nader spoke.

Although the old butler is not young, his voice is still strong and powerful.He said, "First of all, I want to make a digression—I didn't expect to be able to participate in such a meeting in my lifetime. I am very touched." He looked at the people around him, smiled, and continued, "Maybe everyone I have regarded this meeting as an ordinary discussion, but in fact, it is very meaningful for governing a city. The last time I saw nobles and commoners talking about state affairs together was at the round table meeting of the former king. Grand Duke Trident often calls celebrities from all walks of life to participate in round tables, so as to understand his country in various aspects. This is one of the reasons for the prosperity of the Gulf before. Now the little Trident is self-willed and has lost his father's mind. However, everyone present My lord let me see such a broad mind, I was surprised and moved. Most of the nobles are conceited, and it is difficult to find another place in the world that has such a free and clear political environment."

His speech received unanimous approval from the people.Haiwen also felt comfortable listening, and couldn't help but think: This old man is too good at talking.

Then the old man began to speak formally.

"I don't know anything about war, even a bad old man, but I lived in Sands Castle for a few years before, and I know what nobles in the Reach are like, especially the Marquis of Montalia." The old man took out his quill Come, spell Mundalia's name on a piece of paper.

rallying, five

rallying, five

"We have many enemies, including the Sea God Cult, the Little Trident, and the northerners in the future. However, our current land, population, and wealth are not enough to fight them. We need the help of Mundalia." De said, "We need two things for this. The first is righteousness; the second is a big cake that can satisfy Eston Mondalia." At this point, the old man paused, "The two None of this is easy, but it’s not impossible. Because Little Trident destroyed Dayi with his own hands, he dug his own ancestral grave, which means that he has severed ties with his ancestors in the Bay Area. That is to say, the "ancestors" There is no one to carry this big flag. We can give this flag to the Marquis, or..." He rolled his eyes, "Carry it ourselves."

This old man is brave enough, Hai Wen thought to himself.

"As for the benefits, winning the battle naturally has benefits. As long as we can convince Mondalia that we can win the war together, he will help. I'll just say that."

Haiwen recorded all these, and immediately said: "Then it's me in the end, let me talk about my thoughts." He coughed dryly, "It is unrealistic to fight immediately, I think the war between the Gulf and the North will be A protracted war. Regardless of the fierce battle between the Little Trident and the northerners, neither Fenglei Castle nor White Bird City officially participated in the war, and the nobles in the north did not respond to this war. The two sides have vast territories and strategic depths. There are mountains of grace, and there are river bends and valleys in the bay area. If there is a fight, it will not be finished in five or ten years. If this is the case, we should not get ahead immediately. We must first build our own land If we are strong, we will have the capital to fight. If we have refugees, we will have a population; if the population is large, labor will be cheap; cheap labor can be used to reclaim wasteland, build bridges and roads, if we feed everyone , the people will definitely support us. If the people on our land support us, then we will be invincible—now we will discuss the second issue first, and when we conclude, we will discuss the three issues together.”

The second question is how to deal with the disaster year.Floods in the south and drought in the north, man-made and natural disasters, and refugees everywhere. As one of the few places not affected by disasters, Xiawan has attracted a large number of victims.Now Shrimp Bay is overwhelmed.

They took turns to speak, and the countess said that she would build a city wall to drive out the victims; her sister expressed her support for her approach.Other people in Xiawan basically agreed.Most of Haven wanted to accept some refugees. Bachelor Myrick proposed seven ways to manage refugees and maintain law and order, while Little Hammer said he was willing to contribute to help refugees build tents.

Ramon proposed to recruit refugees as laborers, and Director Nader also proposed to use work for relief.

Haiwen summed up everyone's opinions and said: "This year's food can barely feed these people, but according to our current productivity, it will definitely not be enough next year. But I think as long as we mobilize the power of the people, next year we can We got a bumper harvest. I read the Xiawan Public Grain Report this year yesterday and found that productivity is severely constrained in various places. We need to liberate productivity and reclaim wasteland. All of this requires a lot of labor.”

"These mud-legs won't obey!" said the hill knight to him. "You whip 'em, and they'll move!"

Haiwen said: "No one will willingly listen to people's orders. We people have to convince the common people before they can support us. We have to solve their food and clothing."

Yawen said: "We will do our best, but we can't solve everyone's food and clothing."

"Then we will lead by example and share weal and woe. We can treat people in this way, what they eat, what we eat."

At this time, the Countess raised her hand and asked, "What do the people eat?"

"Dry bread, wild vegetables. Maybe bark and rats."

"Oh, that's too bad!" she said, clutching her chest.