Iron Powder and Spellcasters

  Chapter 344 An Offer That Can't Be Rejected

  John Jesska said "I'm not going" and really didn't want to go.

  Winters Montagne said, "You can't do it if you don't go", but it's really not okay if you don't go.

   Ignoring the objections of his former boss, Winters hired a carriage in the town and took Lieutenant Colonel Jesska out of Beacon Fort that night.

   In addition to the lieutenant colonel's personal property that could be packed away in a wooden box, Winters also took care of the peasant couple who had been taking care of the lieutenant colonel's daily life.

When    was invited into the carriage, Lieutenant Colonel Jesska was no longer in a state of anger. He calmly asked his former subordinate: "As a 'free man', do I still have the right to make decisions for myself?"

  [Note: The free people here refer to the minority citizens who have the right to vote and be elected in the union society]

   "According to the current universal morality, suicide is a felony, and assisted suicide is also an accomplice." Winters grabbed a shield and said, "Father Kaman said."

   Lieutenant Colonel Jesska snorted coldly, and the spicy tone of the past returned: "Captain, your moral standards are quite flexible."

   "Please sit down and hold yourself steady." Winters outside the carriage politely closed the door softly and turned to look at Lieutenant Colonel Elek: "Let's go now?"

   Lieutenant Colonel Elek, who witnessed the whole process, sighed leisurely: "When we were still studying in the interprovincial province, John Jesska was notorious for being difficult... It's also a good thing that you can communicate with him normally."

   Winters slapped the wheel twice and couldn't help but smile: "That doesn't sound like a compliment."

   Dussac, who was driving the carriage, understood, and blew a whistle for the departure with a "huh", the reins in his hand were lightly drawn, and the carriage set off first, under the guard of five riders.

   "You're in such a hurry to leave?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek smiled playfully: "I'm afraid I'll stop you."

   Winters asked, "What about your opinion?"

   "Hmph, what opinion can I have?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek untied the reins and stepped on his horse: "Anyway, he is no longer ours, opinion? You should go and ask the kings for your opinion!"

The meaning of Lieutenant Colonel    is not difficult to understand, Winters laughed in cooperation and also got on his mount.

   Just as the two were about to set off, Lieutenant Colonel Elek glanced back at the desolate Beacon Fort and said sadly, "Staying in a place like this, that blind man can survive this winter but not next year... Thank you."

   "Let's go." Winters stabbed the horse's ribs lightly, and the two horses disappeared into the night.

  …

The episode of    Beacon Fortress did not delay the journey of the "caravan". After Winters reunited with the caravan, he led the caravan to continue westward.

   When passing through various towns, the caravans that support the military government pass must always purchase some local specialties or overstocked goods, and at the same time sell the goods carried by the caravan as much as possible.

   The party seemed to be a real caravan, not a group of deserters who used the identity of a caravan as a cover.

The    went back and forth, this abnormal behavior once again aroused the suspicion of Lieutenant Colonel Elek.

   It was another busy scene of unloading and loading. Lieutenant Colonel Elek paced close to Winters, who was writing and drawing with frowning furrowed, and asked lightly, "Aren't you in a hurry to go home?"

  Winters raised his head, his eyebrows unconsciously maintained three wrinkles, and it was difficult to squeeze out a polite smile.

   He buckled the hardcover and said impatiently, "I know what you're asking, but I don't have that kind of thought, you can trust me."

   "Then this is..." Lieutenant Colonel Elek pointed behind him: "What?"

   Behind Lieutenant Colonel Elek is the warehouse of the store. Hundreds of team members and employees of the local business are sweating unloading and loading the trucks.

   "As you can see." While trying to wipe the graphite off his hands, Winters replied in a thoughtful way: "Doing business."

   "Business?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek apparently did not accept this dubious statement.

   "That's right, doing business." Winters exhaled a long, painful breath, unfolded the hardcover book and handed it to Lieutenant Colonel Elek: "I'm out of money."

  …

  The unplanned way of spending money dooms Winters Montagne to periodically be on the verge of bankruptcy.

   This was not so obvious during the military academy, because people in the student days were basically in a state of periodic bankruptcy.

After    walked out of the ivory tower, the evil consequences began to appear gradually. Winters has taken the financial power alone several times, and in the end, it is inevitable that it will run out, run out, and run out.

   After all, Kesha and Antonio did not specifically teach Winters how to manage money.

  According to the life path planned in advance by Little Montagne, instead of learning how to make money, it is better to find a way to marry a wife who is good at financial planning...or a widow.

   The same is true this time. Using the caravan as an identity cover is a good strategy. The problem is the money.

   Winters originally only came to rescue a few old men, but the size of the team eventually swelled to more than 200 people, far exceeding expectations, and the cost also skyrocketed.

   Buying vehicles, purchasing goods, eating horses, and everything costs money.

  Winters Montagne is another guy who spends a lot of money. The half-saddlebag gold coins he brought were used up like running water, and all the promissory notes given by Anna were redeemed.

   In Jiangbei province, where he was unfamiliar, he didn't even have a way to mortgage and borrow, and he couldn't do anything without money.

   "That's the situation." Winters asked a little awkwardly: "How about you...borrow some...returns..."

   Lieutenant Colonel Elek was so angry that he laughed: "If you want someone, we will give it; if you want a pass, we will also give it; what? Do you have to pay for your journey home?"

"Borrowed."

   "No! Impossible!" Lieutenant Colonel Elek waved.

   "Then there is no way." Winters shrugged: "The only way to do this is to sell some of the goods along the way to raise funds."

He earnestly gave Lieutenant Colonel Elek an account: "Due to wars and banditry, there are various levels of backlog and shortages in all parts of Jiangbei Province. Local goods cannot be shipped out, and foreign goods cannot be shipped in. Therefore, for our This kind of unhindered caravan, there is a subtle profit margin..."

   Lieutenant Colonel Elek came from the artillery department, not the business department. After listening to some business, he was dizzy and distracted.

"Okay, I understand." Seeing that the topic became more and more biased, Lieutenant Colonel Elek stopped the conversation directly: "I only warn you. The sooner you leave Jiangbei, the safer you will be; the longer you delay, the more likely it is Something unexpected happened."

   Having said that, Lieutenant Colonel Elek turned around and was about to leave.

   However, Winters grabbed Elek's wrist: "Stay! Lieutenant Colonel, I have another proposal!"

   "What?" Lieutenant Colonel Elek replied sullenly.

"If you are willing to provide some...salaries, I can assist you in taking out all the gangs along the provincial road..." Winters paused for a moment, and the meaning of this pause does not need to be repeated: "No need for gold and silver, just in kind. Flour will do. Horses, everything is fine."

   Lieutenant Colonel Elek laughed dryly: "The military government rules a little thing, and you don't need the help of the 'friendly army'."

   The word "friendly" was bitten by Lieutenant Colonel Elek, and he left without looking back.

   Winters shook his head unsurprisingly, opened the ledger, and continued to count the accounts that he would never know.

   Confirming that the conversation between the army representative and Captain Montagne was over, Gerald and Sergey approached cautiously.

  Gerald wanted to speak, but didn't know what to call him. On the contrary, the old Sergey didn't mind, and greeted happily, "Your Excellency!"

   Winters saw that Mr. Mitchell had something on his mind, and said with a smile: "It sounds awkward, so call me like you used to."

   "Which way?" Old Sergey shook his head vigorously.

  Gerald Mitchell hesitated, but still used the conservative name: "Lord Captain."

   After the joy of reuniting after a long absence fades, Gillard finds that many things have changed.

   There is no doubt that Gerald Mitchell is a warrior, and not even death can scare him.

   However, in the rapidly changing social environment, he was as helpless and fearful as a reed swaying in the wind.

   Not long ago, Girard was appointed mayor of the New Reclamation Corps, a devoted Dussac, a qualified husband and father.

   At this moment, he is in the company of "rebels", and the so-called rebels are his dearest relatives and friends.

   He didn't even know if he had become a member of the "rebel".

  Old Sergey will not be disturbed by this, because he adheres to the simple thinking of Dussack and time-to-day, and never thinks much.

  Girard Mitchell is the exact opposite, he gets everything he has in the past precisely because he thinks more than his peers.

   But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy Gillard became—Winters understood this perfectly, and was tolerant enough.

  However, how to adapt to the current reality...or "being at one's own place", after all, Mitchell still needs to figure it out by himself.

   Winters didn't go into the question of the name, but asked directly: "Has Pierre's fever gone?"

   "Retired." Girard nodded gratefully: "After eating the special decoction you gave, he is now asleep."

"Actually, it's a sleeping pill. It has some analgesic effects, not a special decoction... But according to Pierre's current situation, sleeping more should be good for recovery." Winters briefly explained a few words, and then asked: "When? Can you leave?"

  Gillard put away his smile and replied solemnly: "At most two quarters of an hour, as long as the car is ready, it can go immediately."

   Winters shoved the irritating ledger back into the carrying gear: "Let the scout out now, and set off as soon as the car is loaded."

  Girard and old Sergey subconsciously saluted yes.

When he came back to his senses and remembered the original purpose of coming to talk, old Sergey asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, the sun is over, and you won't be able to walk for a few miles until it gets dark. Some old buddies urged me to come and ask you. , Tonight... or rest here? After living in the wild for several days, everyone can't stand it. "

   "You really can't stand it?"

  Old Sergey patted his belly: "I'm getting old... But as long as you give an order, I'll definitely say nothing."

Winters thought for a moment and patiently explained to the two "old subordinates": "We've been delayed for too long, so now we have to chase the time as much as possible. Continuous camping is really hard... It's better to buy as much fresh meat as possible before departure. , chickens and ducks, let Berrian improve and improve the meals for everyone."

   Old Sergey's eyes lit up, he saluted happily, and turned to leave.

  Gillard had other thoughts, and asked with some anxiety: "Excuse me... Is there anything that Lieutenant Colonel Elek is dissatisfied with us? He seems to be very unhappy and left."

   Hearing Gillard's question, old Sergey also stopped and pricked up his ears.

"It's not that I'm dissatisfied with you... Don't worry, your affairs have been properly resolved, and the military government will not pursue you." Winters leaned against the carriage and said in a relaxed tone: "Lieutenant Colonel Elek is unhappy because I told He made a proposal."

   "What... proposal?"

  Winters laughed: "I hinted to him that if he is willing to provide us with some logistical support, we can help the junta clean up the gangs entrenched in provincial roads."

   "Oh." Old Sergey nodded vigorously, incomprehensibly.

   "That's it." Winters spread his hands.

   "Oh!" Old Sergey nodded harder.

   "Lieutenant Colonel Elek." Girard frowned suddenly: "It should be impossible to agree..."

   Winters regretted: "He didn't agree."

  Old Sergey suddenly slapped his forehead, suddenly realized, and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, are you implying Lord Elek?"

   "Hint?" Gillard looked at the old man puzzled.

"Don't waste your time, big men like Elek don't understand it!" Old Sergey spit on Xingzi impassionedly: "The bandits can't grab their heads, how can they know that bandits harm the common people? sharp?"

  …

   There is no way to be completely self-sufficient in small villages or large towns. People always need to exchange materials and information with the outside world to a certain extent.

  The banditry that accompanied the war made "going out" a high-risk operation, and the exchange of materials and information between localities also declined.

  The harvested cash crops were accumulated in the warehouse and slowly rotted, and the road outside the village a few steps away became no longer safe.

   From the clergy, businessmen, and landlords to the poor peasants and tenants, everyone is in danger. Walls were erected in cities that were originally semi-open, and peasants lived together as much as possible to protect themselves.

   This kind of panic, which is now common, was not well understood by Winters.

It was not until he sat by the fire and shared food with many people along the way that he gradually understood that "although bandits are not as deadly as famine, their destruction of 'safety' is even worse. ".

  Between the options of [No more military service] and [No more bandits], men, women, poor, rich, old people, children... People always overwhelmingly choose [No more bandits].

  …

   "Lieutenant Colonel Elek." Giladra stopped old Sergey and tried to smooth things over: "It's hard for him to help, after all, killing bandits and catching bandits is not his responsibility..."

"Yeah, 'it's not up to him'." Winters was a little disinterested. He didn't plan to discuss the ills of the bureaucracy with the two old Dussacs, so he said with a smile: "That is to say casually to Lieutenant Colonel Elek. After all, our team is like fresh meat that is not covered, and flies will always smell. Why are they fighting, wouldn’t it be better if we could dig some money from the Third Republic?”

   "That's right!" Old Sergey suddenly regained his energy, completely disregarding the look of Gillard beside him, becoming extremely embarrassed, and cheerfully catering to him: "I knew you didn't trade at a loss!"

  Fortunately, Winters had another group of guests - three local chamber of commerce directors came to visit - giving Girard an excuse to take the old man to leave.

   "This is our local smoked sausage that is well-known throughout the county, and there are some other specialties." The middle-aged businessman headed panting and carrying two baskets of smoked sausages, and smiled and said, "Sir, please accept it with a smile."

   Winters is also welcome, signaling the guards to accept them all.

   Seeing the military temperament of the young man in front of him, and then looking at the heavily armed guards around him, the three businessmen who came to visit increasingly believed that this large-scale caravan must have an army background.

   "If you didn't come here, I really don't know how many honest businessmen in this town would go bankrupt." The middle-aged businessman continued to show his favor: "Can we do our best to help you with accommodation?"

   "No, we're leaving today."

   "In such a hurry?" The middle-aged businessman's eyes widened.

   Winters answered succinctly: "In a hurry."

   "Where are you going? West?"

   Winters didn't answer, just folded his arms.

The middle-aged businessman wiped the sweat from his forehead, and after making speechless eye contact with the other two directors, he gritted his teeth and asked boldly: "If you are offended, I beg your pardon, may I ask... Whose business are you? team?"

   Whose caravan?

   This unexplained question puzzled Winters. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the three Chamber of Commerce directors with chills down their spines.

  Suddenly, Winters showed a smile: "This is a secret, you must not tell others..."

   When the middle-aged businessman heard the show, he nodded hurriedly: "Definitely! Definitely!"

   Winters motioned for the middle-aged businessman to come over and said slowly: "We are the private property of that general."

   "Which one? That one? That one!" The middle-aged businessman's eyes widened.

   "Yes, that's the one, the biggest one." Winters spit out a surname: "Alpad."

As the young man's pronunciation ended, the breathing of the three Chamber of Commerce directors stopped for a second, and the thrill of "So it is!", "No wonder it is so!", "I will say it!" tingling.

   "Don't believe it?" Winters raised his eyebrows: "Would you like to show you the pass?"

   "Don't dare! Don't dare!" The three Chamber of Commerce directors waved their hands again and again.

   "Look at it, it's not a problem." Winters took out the pass from his arms and specially displayed Alpad's lacquer print outside.

   The three directors of the Chamber of Commerce dared to take the thin letterhead for identification, and kept begging the young man to take back the pass.

   "Have you read it?" Winters put away the letterhead, his face instantly turned gloomy, and he asked in a stern voice, "What are your plans for inquiring about military aircraft?"

   Winters' tone changed, and the surrounding guards also approached by the handle of the sword, surrounding the three Chamber of Commerce directors in the middle.

   "No plans, absolutely not." The middle-aged businessman blushed and explained stumblingly: "The local chamber of commerce recommended us...I want to ask the adults for one thing..."

"Say."

"You know... the road is not very peaceful recently... can you..." The middle-aged businessman licked his lips: "Can our fleet follow your fleet? You just need to wait one more day, one day! Just one day! Give It takes us a day to load the truck. The local chamber of commerce intends to make a fortune for the adults...Thank you."

   "That's it?" Winters laughed dumbly.

   "That's right, that's all." The middle-aged businessman was emotional, and suddenly burst into tears: "Please show kindness. It may be a trivial matter for you, but it is life and death for us!"

   Seeing this, the other two chambers of commerce directors also played emotional cards and wiped their nose and tears.

   For a while, the atmosphere became very strange. The three local social sages burst into tears, and the surrounding guards and employees couldn't help but stop and watch.

   "Okay, that's all it takes." Winters was the most disgusting to cry: "The two gentlemen in the back don't see any tears when they cry."

   The middle-aged businessman stopped crying and laughed a few times in embarrassment.

After   consideration for a moment, Winters replied: "No."

   The middle-aged businessman wanted to say something, but Winters stopped him with a gesture.

   "First, my time is very tight, and I can't wait for you for a day and a half." Winters tapped his elbow lightly with his fingers: "Second, even if we let you go together, you can't keep up with our speed."

   If it is a question of remuneration, it may be possible to negotiate the price. However, the reason given by Winters is very practical, and the middle-aged businessman does not know how to refute it.

   "Then...then that's it." The middle-aged businessman tidied up his appearance a little and said respectfully, "Thank you for your willingness to condescend to explain to us. The trade association of this town would like to offer you a gift to express our gratitude..."

   "How can I collect money from you if I didn't do things for you?" Winters interrupted the middle-aged businessman's polite words.

"And I haven't finished my words yet. There are actually only two gangs of gangs entrenched around your town, and the rest are just petty troubles. It's not a good deal." He took out the atlas, pulled the middle-aged businessman to sit down, and was full of enthusiasm "I have a proposal..."

happy National Day!

   (end of this chapter)