Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 99 Six Silver Coins

   Winters and Andrei have traveled all over the island's villages.

The process of    is almost the same, first find the village chief, call all the villagers for a meeting, publicize the recruitment policy (the daily salary is five silver coins, one knot per day), and then go to the next village.

  However, two days passed, and there were only a few farmers who came to Chisulfur Port to apply for the recruitment.

   After intensive surveys, several engineer officers from the Road Construction Countermeasures Headquarters have come up with a road construction plan for the first five kilometers, and the rest of the road construction will be done over and over again.

  The start of construction is about to start, but the workers are not in place. Winters and Andre, who have nothing to gain, are caught by the Deputy Minister of Practice of the Countermeasures Headquarters and scolded.

  The two with drooling faces returned to the field camp in frustration, and brought Bud over to discuss countermeasures - Bud was not transferred to the road construction headquarters because he was too capable, and the director of the logistics department was reluctant to bear him.

"[The vulgar swear words learned from the sailors], [repeating the previous swear words]...I think these scumbags are cheap!" Andre, who was scolded for a while, became more and more angry, and his facial features were twitching. , I can't even say the words: "Tomorrow I ... I will lead a Zhuangzi and a Zhuangzi to clear the past, [Ganlin Brewing]! I think XX who dare not come! [Even the roughest military man is too embarrassed to say it out. swear words]!"

"If you can't be hard, you won't be hard. This kind of thing is disgraceful. Maybe someone will catch it in the future. You don't want to be recorded in the file, right?" Winters looked very tired. While washing his face, he said, "Otherwise, why isn't someone else responsible? Instead, it's stuffed into the hands of our two little warrant officers?"

  Being together for a long time, Winters now knows the trick to persuading Andre. He found that Andrea Cellini was very similar to the two cats in the house: he was like a semi-herd beast who only cared about "my own" and lacked empathy and kindness towards others.

   So if you want to convince him, it is best to start from his own interests.

   Sure enough, after hearing Winters' words, Andrei was silent.

Bud supported his chin and said: "This matter is really in a gray area. The key is to not know how the Archon defines the civilians on Red Iwo. Are they now the population of the enemy country? Or will they automatically acquire the status of Veneta citizens? If it is the former, then They are not protected. If it is the latter, the forcible recruitment of citizens under Veneta law will lead to court-martial.”

   "What should we do then?" Andrei stood up impatiently: "Then what do you say?"

"Sit down and talk, save your energy." Winters pulled Andre back to his seat: "Actually, think about it, if I were a farmer on the island, I wouldn't dare to work for the army coming from outside. ...Or add a little more to the daily salary? To a small silver coin a day?"

  Eight silver coins are converted into a small silver coin. Gold coins and large silver coins are not commonly used in daily life. Silver coins and small silver coins are the most common things for commoners.

  Because the Legion of San Marco seized the treasury of the Red Sulphur Port Council, the Veneta army on the island is now very rich, and a small silver coin can be hired a day.

"No!" Budde said firmly: "Five silver coins a day is far more than the normal wage. If it is added to one silver coin a day, no one dares to come. I say not only can't increase the money, but also reduce it. Money. It's the slack season, and two silver coins and a tube of rice are enough to satisfy the farmers on the island."

   Winters and Andre both grew up in Hailan City, and teenagers went to Guitucheng to study. Let them stand in the field, and they can't even tell the difference between malt and weeds.

   In the eyes of two urban children, "money" is the most persuasive language, but on the small Red Iwo Island, this persuasive language has hit a wall.

   On the contrary, it was the tenant farmer's son Bud who knew the farmers' minds clearly.

   "Then what should I do? I don't want to come if I give more money, but I can come with less money?" Andre glared again.

"Don't use the name Mud Legs, they are people like you and me. If you were them, you wouldn't come." Bud frowned and said: "The key between the civilians on the island and us is the lack of trust, With trust, all problems can be solved.”

   "Alas, I said Lord Bishop, please stop talking nonsense. If you have any solution, just say, don't give us an equal education." Andre retorted angrily.

  Because Bard had only one scripture and two Gospels when he entered the school, coupled with his experience in the monastery, the good people in the same period gave him the nickname of "Bishop" behind his back.

The nickname    is actually a serious insult, because the son of a tenant farmer can never become a bishop... An outside enrollee is suddenly thrown into a group of boys who have known each other for several years, and bullying is a logical thing to do.

   But the nickname Winters was never called once, and no one was allowed to call it around him. He used the nickname "Master of Swordsmanship" a few times when he was joking, but he never said the nickname "Bishop" for real.

   This was also the first time Winters heard Andre call out this nickname in person, he immediately stabbed Andre, indicating that he was going too far.

  Andre also knew that he had lost his words, and closed his mouth embarrassingly.

  Bud laughed instead. He stared at Andre and said slowly: "Why don't we make a bet, if I can solve the problem, then you will never use the word 'mud legs' again, how about that?"

   "Holy Eucharist! It's about time, stop fighting." Winters also scolded the swear words that believers only use for the first time. He feels very tired now - mentally.

   "How, do you dare to bet with me?" But Bud ignored Winters, still staring at Andre.

  Andre was a little hairy at the sight, but his mouth was still hard: "Yes, if you can recruit enough people to build the road, I will never say the word "mud legs" in my life!"

   "Okay, it's a deal."

  Bud and Andre swear by high fives.

After    high fives, Bader said: "I have already said that what is lacking between the civilians on the island and us is trust. And trust... can be bought with money."

   "Buy trust? How to buy it?" Winters was interested, and his upper body couldn't help leaning forward towards Bud.

   Hearing Bud's words, he had a little inspiration, but he still couldn't see clearly as if through a layer of gauze. This feeling was like an itch that couldn't be scratched, making him eager to know the answer.

"It's simple, just buy some firewood." Bud didn't give a **** and explained in detail: "Building a trust relationship should start from the most innocuous place. We buy dry firewood on the island at a high price, and the farmer sells it to us and collects it on the spot. When the money comes, we have a basic trust with them."

   "After buying firewood...they can come and build the road?" Andre was stunned in place, at a loss.

"Of course it's not enough to buy firewood. After buying firewood, we will hire people in the village to move the firewood to the Red Sulphur Port, which is also expensive." Bud had a confident smile on his lips: "Most farmers do not Only a few courageous people dare to come. However, as long as the peasants who transport dry wood return safely with money and grain, the rest of the village will be jealous and regretful.”

Gerald's Bud breathed a sigh of relief, looked into the eyes of Winters and Andre and said solemnly: "In this way, there is a foundation of trust. You go to the village to recruit people, those who are the most daring and the most daring. Greedy farmers will apply. And as long as a small number of farmers who come to build roads can get home safely, the other farmers will understand that we are not taking them as slave labor. Then, hey, every able-bodied farmer on the island It's all your road workers!"

"Just do it! I can't trust anyone!" Winters clapped his thigh and said with a laugh, "I want to tell you, not only to send money to the farmers who carry the dry wood, but also to each of them. Two pieces of cloth! No one can see money in your pocket. Send them two pieces of fine red cloth and let them take them home, so that anyone with long eyes can see clearly!"

   "You have so many ideas..." Bud was also amused.

   "Eh? Wait a minute, I'm a little confused." Andre rubbed his temples and asked hesitantly, "Then why do we buy firewood?"

   "What? Didn't Bud say it, buy trust." Winters patted Andre's arm.

"No, no, I mean... Anyway, what we buy is to buy. What's the use of buying firewood back?" Andrei asked, "Why don't you buy something useful? Like Buy some grain and pigs or something."

"If you want to buy food, the farmers won't sell it to us. If you don't have food, people will starve to death. If you don't have firewood, you can chop it down." Bud immediately explained his deep consideration: "The farmers on the island are most afraid of us robbing food now. If you go to buy food, it will be like leading a snake out of a hole. You have to buy firewood, and you have to buy dry firewood. Although the farmer has dry firewood, it won’t be too much. And even if they sell it to us, they are not afraid.”

   "Is there any such consideration..." Andre was a little dizzy.

"But just in case, we'd better find another 'Tor'." Bud said with a smile: "One that not only we can trust, but also the people on the island can trust, and will never be considered a 'Tor'. child's 'child'."

   "Red Pine Manor - Kalman!" Winters and Andrea said in unison.

   The three warrant officers looked at each other and laughed.

  …

  …

   This is the second day after the three warrant officers have negotiated a plan.

   Now the sun is slanting west, it is dusk.

  Shamrock Village near Red Pine Manor.

   Farmer Boris was lying behind the courtyard gate, peeping out into the village path, waiting anxiously for his wife to come home.

   Under the eaves of Boris's house, the dry wood stack that was once full of one person is now empty.

   Suddenly heard a footstep, which made Boris shiver with fright.

The sound of    got closer and closer, and what Boris heard was not the heavy footsteps of the man, but the light steps of the woman, and he was relieved.

   It was his wife Maria back.

   heard footsteps coming to the door, and before the girls knocked on the door, Boris rushed to open the courtyard door and hurriedly asked: "Are you back?"

   "Oh my God, you scared me to death! Come back, come back." Maria was startled, took a breath and complained, "You should let me in first."

   Boris hurriedly let his mother-in-law enter the door.

  The peasants in the village are worried these days, and so is Boris.

   A few days ago, two horse-riding masters came to the village, accompanied by dozens of ferocious guards, called the peasants together, and said that they would recruit people to build the road.

When Mr.    came, Boris didn't dare to go to the village square, and of course he didn't dare to "build the road".

   Although giving him five silver coins a day makes him very excited, but who knows if he is lying? Men are worried that they will never come back, so no one dares to go.

   Although Boris has not read books, he is not stupid. He knew very well that since no one in the village went to Hong Kong City, the two horse-riding masters would not give up.

  So these days, Boris even sleeps with dry food bags.

   Right now, inside the house, next to the door, the packed dry food and clothes are placed there.

   He was ready to run away at any time. Once the mother-in-law brought back bad news, he would immediately run into the woods on the island and hide in the limelight.

   But who knew that the two masters came again today, but this time they didn't bring guards, they just said they wanted to buy dry wood.

   And he was buying dry wood at a price that no peasant could ever dream of.

   Boris was moved, but he kept an eye on it. Instead of selling it himself, he asked his wife to sell it.

  The six silver coins exchanged for the dry wood at home are now in his arms and placed in the closest place to the flesh. The touch of the silver coins on the ribs reminds Boris that he is not dreaming.

I bought a lot of dry wood, and the two masters alone can’t carry them. Of course, the master can’t do this kind of rough work himself, so the two masters want to hire a few big trucks in the village to send the firewood back to the port city. go.

   This made many people murmur, it is one thing to sell firewood in the village, and it is another thing to follow the master to the port city.

   Seeing that no one applied, the two masters charged an unimaginable price for this trip, and they only hired five big cars, so don’t need more.

   Boris was moved again, he had a big car at home...and a mule...but he was still scared and didn't dare to go.

   The last two lords hired two carts from the nearby Red Pine Manor, Mr. Kalman, who also sent his valet to drive the carts himself.

   Not afraid to see Mr. Kalman, some men in the village were excited.

The two normally daring peasants and the old **** who had been healed by Mr. Kalman summoned up their courage and drove their carts out. They gathered five carts full of dry wood and headed for the port city. .

   Boris was quite disdainful of the three people in the same village. He didn't believe that pie would fall from the sky, and the master must only buy dry wood to deceive people.

   Watching the big convoy disappearing at the end of the road, Boris thought to himself: "I'm still smart, not greedy, and run away after eating the bait. Hmph, those three fools, I'm afraid they won't come back."

However, he was a little worried about gains and losses, as if there was a thorn in his heart, which made him itchy but couldn't scratch it, he couldn't help thinking: "What if this time it really falls from the sky... What if... I mean ten thousand What about one? What if the master didn't lie?"

   So all afternoon, Boris waited anxiously and restlessly at home. He hoped to wait for good news and bad news.

   He didn't know what he was waiting for.

  When it was getting dark, he heard the crunching sound of carts on the road.

   Boris eagerly wanted to know what happened, but he still kept an eye on it and let his wives find out the news.

  Women have their own unique news channels and are very well-informed.

  Boris stayed at home. If the master led the soldiers to arrest people, he immediately ran over the wall.

   "Are you all back?" Boris asked, clutching his wife's arm tightly, staring.

   "Oh, you hurt me." Maria shook off her husband's hand and replied, "They're all back, the old **** and the two sons of the Cliff family in the west of the village, are back."

   "Are you sure?" Boris couldn't believe it.

"I saw them with my own eyes, the old **** is so proud. The two masters personally escorted them back and rewarded each of them with two gold coins... God, this is the first time I have seen gold coins. I also rewarded them one more time. A good bottle of wine and two red cloths." Maria stretched out her arms to measure: "Very good red cloth, very good, I have never seen anyone in the village wear such a good material..."

   When his wife talked enthusiastically about seeing the fabric, Boris felt a chill in his chest, as if he had lost something very important.

   The joy of exchanging the family firewood for six silver coins was dwarfed by a greater and heavier depression.

   Boris only felt that his footsteps were vain and almost fell to the ground.

   "Master, what's the matter with you?" Maria noticed her husband's strangeness. She looked at him cautiously, her tone full of worry.

   "Oops! Oops!" Boris angrily grabbed the six silver coins in his arms and threw them to the ground. The young farmer pulled his hair and beat his chest and thighs hard: "Oops! Oops!"

  Maria hurriedly picked up the six silver coins from the dirt. Although Maria was simple, she vaguely understood what was going on. She hugged Boris to prevent her husband from beating her: "Master, don't do this. Don't we still have six silver coins? How can there be such a good thing in the sky? Huh? I don't want that red cloth, we only have these six silver coins, I'm satisfied..."

   And yet Boris repeated angrily: "Oops, Oops."

   The sky soon became completely dark.

   Lamp oil is very expensive, and nightlife is a luxury in this era, so farmers will rest when it gets dark.

   Boris, who was snoring when he touched his pillow, was unusually quiet tonight.

  Maria lay on the bed, listening to her husband's heavy breathing, knowing that her husband was obviously not asleep.

   She deliberately changed the subject and asked, "Hey, the head of the house, why do you think Master Kalman has to send a cart with you? Master Kalman's house has money."

Boris was irritable, and when he heard his wife's question, he considered himself the smartest in Sanye Village and knew why, he answered impatiently: "Master Kalman's house has been raided, don't you know? The slaves have been taken by Veneta's master. Hey, now Master Kalman has no money... Okay, go to sleep."

Maria gropingly held her husband's hand and said softly, "We don't have to envy others, isn't it good for us to have a house and food? And we got six silver coins for nothing today? So much money? It's enough for me to have you, what's the use of those two red cloths?"

   Boris snorted and did not speak.

"The two Veneta masters said that they will hire people to build the road in the port city, but this time only two silver coins will be given for a day, but they will take care of the meal." Maria babbled, her voice getting smaller and smaller. , and finally turned into a half-sleep and half-awake raving: "...but...that's really a very good red cloth..."

   Boris shook off his wife's hand and turned angrily in the opposite direction to his wife.

   (removing wood as a letter, from the perspective of the onlookers who did not move the wood)

Thanks to the book friends who have voted for the recommendation before, thanks to the book friends writersblock, the book friend 2020602133325563 (this is a new book friend), the book friend justice and purity is koala, the book friend black computer accessories, the book friend Tianshui Youmei for the recommendation votes, thank you Everyone.

   (end of this chapter)