This Game is Too Real

  Chapter 714 Embargo riddled with holes

  In the southern section of the ceasefire line between the Empire and King Gallon Port, the outlet of one of the branches of the Yongliu River is connected to a small bay.

  The bay has a coastline nearly ten kilometers wide, and the higher peninsulas on both sides block most of the wind and waves for the waters in the bay, thus forming a small natural harbor.

  Because the peninsula on the south side looks like half a banana on the map, the survivors nearby simply call it "Jiaotou Bay".

Because of the abundance of fresh water resources and the quiet waters, many fishermen with a radius of 100 kilometers regard this place as a safe haven. In case of a storm, they will sail their fishing boats from the bay into the densely wooded inland river on both banks to take shelter, and hide themselves in the In a nearby pre-prepared shelter.

  Some cargo ships that circumnavigate the southernmost corner of Borneo Province will also choose to take shelter from the storm here. Although they cannot enter the tributaries of the Yongliu River, they can also take shelter from the wind and waves through the peninsula sandwiched on both sides of the bay.

Over time, a small-scale fishing village has formed here. A suspected Willant man with a big nose even used a stranded abandoned cargo ship to open a hotel called "The Village of Abandoned Ships" here. , providing cheap drinks, food, damp and moldy quilts and even old prostitutes to nearby fishermen and passing merchant sailors.

  Maybe it’s because the Golden Galleon Port is too dazzling, or maybe it’s because the land here is not suitable for planting crops, and most of the time it is sparsely populated. The empire seems to have selectively forgotten this land, and has never sent a governor here.

   Over time, it became a "paradise" for fishermen, sailors and fugitive slaves.

   But recently, the situation here has changed a lot.

First, the people of the Alliance planted a flag on the northern peninsula, then patted their buttocks and left. Not long after, a group of imperial soldiers carrying the tiger flag also followed. After some research, they felled trees on the southern peninsula. A trench was dug.

  The relatively low-lying Jiaotou Village was sandwiched between the two armies. Although the machine guns of the Alliance could not be seen, the machine guns of the Empire had already been placed overhead.

The local fishermen had never seen such a battle. They didn't have to wait for the people from the empire to come and order them. They were so frightened that they jumped into the boats and escaped from the bay. They went south along the coastline, and went back to their villages. , went to each house.

And those sailors gradually disappeared because there were no ships coming over, and now only some desperadoes who have nowhere to go are still hiding here, waiting indefinitely for those sailors who don't know when they will come …

  …

   It has been a while since the "border line" of Port Cameron has been crossed.

  Since entering this small fishing village hidden in the bay, Kunal only felt his heart beating hard, and his palms were constantly sweating while holding a bundle of sacks.

  As a native of Port Jingallon, and he still lives in the slums near the harbor, he certainly has heard of Jiaotou Bay and the small fishing village located here, but he has never actually been here.

  Ah Xin walked beside him with a normal expression, but his hands were always in his pockets and never stretched out.

  Behind him were twenty or so young lads, all neighbors who used to live on the same street. They carried all kinds of guys in their hands, including wooden sticks, hoes, and even fishing rods, all of which were wrapped in plastic woven bags containing corn. From the outside, it was impossible to tell whether they contained guns or anything else.

  Glanced at the leader walking beside, perhaps inspired by that calm expression, Kunal felt a little calmer in his heart, and began to observe the surroundings.

  Most of the shacks built here were abandoned, only the stranded hulk was still dimly lit with a flickering light.

  The village that should have lived in two or three hundred people now has less than half of the people left.

  The remaining people are either runaway slaves who are skinny, or some ruthless characters with blood debts on their bodies.

   While Kunal was quietly looking at them, the locals were also vigilantly watching out for these bad guys.

   Several men with ferocious faces turned around and walked into the alley between the shacks. The curtains of the dark windows on the street were suddenly closed.

   Even the slightest disturbance made Kunal tense up. He swallowed, and couldn't help getting closer to Asin, and said in a low voice.

   "Boss... a lot of people are watching us."

"The eyes are on them, they can look wherever they want, not to mention we are so conspicuous," Asin looked at Kunal who was standing aside, and said in a very soft voice, "Relax, act naturally, It's like coming here a lot. The more scared you are, the more they'll move... Now, take a deep breath."

  Kunal obeyed obediently and took a deep breath slowly.

   Asin hooked his shoulder with his hand, and pointed with his other hand to the only "Abandoned Ship Township" hotel with lights on, stranded in the middle of the beach not far away.

   "Imagine, that's our property, not even just the boat, but the whole beach that's..."

   "Of course, we have to take it step by step. When I earn the first pot of gold, I will buy the broken ship first."

  Kunal, who had calmed down, looked at his boss in puzzlement.

If he can understand the residential project in front of the Governor’s Mansion under the offer, after all, many citizens and businessmen who have heard the news have gone there to inquire about the situation, and some even took out the money without even seeing what the house looked like. Stupid looking to pay.

   But this is an abandoned fishing village, right?

  He really couldn't think of any good investment here.

  The positions of the Alliance and the Empire are not far away. Once His Majesty waved his hand, this place would become the forefront of the battlefield.

  Even the fishermen living here have abandoned this place, only some hopeless guys are left here looking at the sea in a daze.

  Although I did mention that I wanted to buy a boat, I didn’t say that it was the kind of junk that was stranded on the shore and obviously couldn’t be repaired...

   Just when Kunal was puzzled, a group of people had already walked to the only light in the whole village.

  Across the rusted cabin and hatch, the group of people standing at the door could even hear the indistinct chattering, laughing and cursing from inside.

  Waving away the mosquitoes and flies flying under the light, Asin stepped forward and knocked on the door lightly, soon there was a sound of footsteps approaching, and then the door opened with a creak.

   Not surprisingly, standing at the door was an imperial soldier with a rifle on his back.

  The tall and burly guy stared at Asin and the group of skinny boys behind him, then let out a sneer, and waved his hands to fend off flies.

   "Go away, this place is reserved, go to another place to beg for food."

   Didn't care about his mocking tone, Asin followed the example of the waiters at the entrance of the Kaixuan Hotel and nodded respectfully.

   "...please send my regards to your officer, and say that a businessman named Asin has brought something he is interested in."

   Without waiting for the soldier to laugh, he pulled out his right hand that had been in his pocket all the time, and squeezed a 100 Xilan coin into the soldier's hand.

  The soldier had an obviously surprised expression on his face, and then quietly accepted the money.

   "Wait here."

  Ah Xin nodded slightly, watched the heavy cabin door close again, and patiently waited for the hurried footsteps to go away.

   Didn't wait for a long time, the footsteps came back, and the heavy hatch was pushed out again.

  The soldier didn't talk nonsense this time, he just waved at him.

"come here."

   Asin asked.

   "May I take my servant?"

  For the sake of the one hundred Xilan coins, the soldier didn't have the nerve to refuse directly, but said impatiently.

   "Take at most one."

"Thanks."

   Asin gave Kunal a look next to him.

  The latter turned back knowingly, and gave some instructions to the boys who followed behind them nervously, and then followed the boss, and walked through the hatch they knocked on with 100 Xilan coins...

  …

   The space in the cabin is surprisingly spacious.

  The owner of the hotel changed the bottom deck into a lobby for eating and drinking, and the guest rooms of the hotel are just going up the gangway.

  About fifty or so soldiers of the empire were sitting in front of square wooden tables, loudly shaking dice and punching for money, while sipping some side dishes and gulping down low-quality beer.

  Kunal took a quick glance at the food and drinks on their table, they were all inferior to the swill poured out of the Triumph Hotel.

  A month ago when he ate dirt, he probably swallowed his saliva, but now he just feels nauseated.

  However, unlike him, these soldiers ate with gusto, and they could drink a gulp of beer with just one refried beans.

   It can be seen what kind of pig food they usually eat.

  Although he was afraid of the guns in their hands, it did not prevent Kunal, who was already full, from looking down on these poor people.

   Did not stop in the lobby of the hotel, the soldier at the gate took them directly to the "box" on the side of the cabin corridor.

   This was probably the bedroom where the captain or the first mate rested before, but now it has been changed into a private room for VIPs. In the not-so-spacious room, three old sofas were placed in a circle, and there was a wooden coffee table in the middle. The pungent smell of tobacco and sweat mixed together, making it suffocating.

  Five tall officers were sitting on the sofa, their flushed faces were full of drunkenness and half-smug smiles.

  Their coats were hanging on the hanger at the door, and they were only wearing a white shirt. Each of them was holding a scantily clad girl in their arms. At first glance, it was impossible to tell who had suffered.

   "You're the one called... Cough, what's the matter?"

  The officer sitting in the middle took a look at the young man at the door, chuckled, rubbed his red nose and continued, "I heard you brought something I'm interested in?"

   "Yes, respected Mr. Gergit, the commander of the Imperial Tiger Army," Asin nodded slightly, and said respectfully, "My name is Asin, and I have admired your name for a long time."

   The air was quiet for two seconds.

  Gerguit narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly woke up from the smell of alcohol all over his body. He looked at him with a half-smile and asked.

   "Where did you hear my name?"

   Sure enough, it was this one.

  Ah Xin's face remained calm, but he heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.

  He actually didn’t know the guy in front of him, but he just heard from the fishermen who came back from Jiaotou Bay recently that the leader of the thousand-man team on the southern mountain was called Gergit. This man was a drunkard, and he often took his confidants down the mountain to drink at the "Land of Abandoned Ships" hotel.

certainly-

  It was impossible for him to tell this guy the truth, but he used a general and vague statement.

"It was told to me by a nobleman who was waiting for His Majesty's good news in Port Jingalun. He not only told me to find Commander Gergit, but also told me firmly that the safety of this entire area is yours. in charge."

  The officer named Gergit narrowed his eyes even smaller, and his uncertain expression seemed to be weighing something.

   They have been here for less than two weeks, and someone has even figured out the situation of the defense here, and even who the officers stationed here are.

  The identity of this "noble man" is probably not simple...

  Undecided, Gergit stared at the young man in front of him and continued.

   "You said you brought something I was interested in? What about the stuff?"

   Asin glanced at Khulna who was following behind him. The latter swallowed quietly and walked forward boldly.

  Although he has been very careful to cover up, the trembling hands still exposed the timidity in his heart.

  Looking at the two trembling hands, Gergit sneered at the dirt dog, and waved his index finger at the subordinates beside him.

   "I guess it's a bag of black beans." The latter smiled and snatched the sack from the clumsy guy, and then untied the hemp rope tied to the bag.

  However, at this moment, when he saw clearly what was in the sack, he froze in place.

  A whole sack of Xilan coins...

  He swallowed unconsciously.

   Having been a centurion for so many years, he has never seen so much money!

   "...My lord." He quickly turned his head to look at the commander, his eyes were full of surprise and greed, and he almost wrote the words "Let's do it" on his face.

  Gergit, who was sitting on the sofa, of course also saw the banknotes stuffed into a sack. Although his reaction was not as exaggerated as that of his subordinates, he couldn't help froze the smile on his face.

Putting down the legs on his knees, he stretched out his hand and pushed away the girl who was sitting on his lap and biting her ears, who was smelling of alcohol, sat up straight and stared at the young man named Asin seriously, and pointed to the stuffed bag with his chin. asked the sack of banknotes.

"This is?"

   "It's the gift that the nobleman entrusted me to give you." Asin nodded slightly, like a servant of a real rich family, and said politely, "I don't know if you are interested in this gift?"

  Kunal quietly glanced at Asin next to him, and gave him a surprised look.

  Before they set off, they clearly discussed that this was a "deposit" for smuggled goods. Why did it suddenly become a gift? !

  Gerguit also stared at the young man named Asin, with surprise, greed, and a trace of imperceptible fear in his eyes.

  He is different from that simple-minded subordinate, he has to consider other issues besides money.

   The money in this sack is at least four to five million yuan, obviously it cannot be a huge sum of money that a poor Ratman can come up with.

  Thoughts turned quickly in his mind, and he almost gave the names of all the famous and famous people in the entire Jin Gallon Port, but he still couldn't come up with any clues.

  The atmosphere in the hotel lobby was so heavy that water dripped out. The two soldiers standing at the door had unconsciously put their hands close to the guns under the hint of the centurion's eyes.

  Kunal swallowed nervously, trying to think about his boat and the girls waiting for the tickets, trying not to let the timid expression appear on his face.

   Staring at Asin for a long time, Commander Gergit said slowly.

   "I'll ask you again, where did the money come from?"

  The voice had a sharp edge, as sharp as the sight, like a dagger on the throat of the prey.

   Gently took a breath of the turbid air, Asin tried his best to maintain his composure, and continued.

   "It's inconvenient for him to reveal his name. It's good for you and me to keep the necessary mystery... You don't want to be regarded as a troublesome trouble after the ceasefire agreement takes effect."

   "What the **** are you talking about?" The centurion sitting on the sofa suddenly got up in a rage, and the gun at his waist was pulled out and pressed against Xin's head.

   For a moment, Xin felt his hands and feet were cold.

  In a daze, the man holding the gun against his forehead seemed to have turned into Vikram—the werewolf boy whose head was shot by him.

  These people looked at their eyes, probably the same as when they looked at Vikram back then, as if they were looking at a dead person.

Even if they are beaten by the alliance on the battlefield, even if their abilities are not much better than a pig, standing in front of them with power in their hands, they are still unattainable figures, and they can be crushed to death with just a few fingers. he.

but-

  He can't die.

His family has just lived a good life, and the future will be even better. He also wants to send his younger brothers and sisters to study in Shuguang City, find them a sister-in-law who has studied, and give his first Friend Kunal buys a boat and feeds those who count on him...

   He must not fall before dawn!

  Sitting on the sofa, the prostitutes were already petrified, and Kunal was also frightened by the suddenly drawn gun.

  Ah Xin swallowed lightly, tried hard to hide the expression of fear behind his numb face, raised his hands lightly and took half a step back.

   "Calm down... my friend, killing me won't change anything except dirty your clothes."

  The man had engaged the safety, thumbed the hammer, but a second before he was about to pull the trigger, Gergit spoke.

   "What does that nobleman bother me for?" He gestured to the soldiers at the door to take the prostitutes out of the house with his eyes. He looked at Xin with interest and asked.

  Looking at the gun muzzle removed from his forehead and the closed door beside him, Asin knew that this guy was really interested in what he had to say this time, so he settled down and continued.

"It's a very easy thing for you. You only need to turn a blind eye on the border and let the goods of the empire pass through the customs and enter the port of Jin Gallon. The lord can assure you that every transaction entering the port You will get 40% of the profits from the goods.”

  Gergit sneered.

   "His Majesty issued a strict order to prohibit all personnel and goods from entering the Golden Gallon Port. That 'noble man' is really brave."

"The entire border is hundreds of kilometers long, and His Majesty's eyes cannot be placed everywhere," Asin continued calmly, "If he really had that ability, your supply situation would not be as it is now. …sorry I can't find a more polite adjective to describe it, but you must know what I'm trying to say."

  Gerguit's expression was slightly moved.

  That guy not only mastered the Tiger Army's strategic scheduling and even personnel arrangements, he even figured out their supply situation? !

   This **** is still playing a hair!

  He has even vaguely guessed the nobleman behind this guy.

   To have such a far-reaching influence in the military system of the empire, there is no one other than Prince Dilip, not even Governor Nihak!

  But Prince Dilip should be imprisoned by the alliance at this moment. Could it be that the alliance is also involved in this matter? !

   His heart was churning with turbulent waves, and Asin's mind was also spinning quickly, adding the last sentence to his previous extemporaneous rhetoric.

"General Gergit, it is unrealistic for Your Majesty to expect the embargo to crush the alliance. The people who are injured will be the people of the empire. Similarly, it is not worthwhile for the alliance to rely on a seaport to feed the livestock of the whole city. They They have to keep taking money from their own pockets to buy corn to feed those people, and those people have to eat enough to have the strength to work.”

   "What does this have to do with me?" Gergit asked with narrowed eyes.

"It has a lot to do with it," Asin said seriously, "They don't want the survivors of King Galleon Port to starve under their rule. If the goods exported from Jiaotou Bay are related to the livelihood of the local survivors, I think it will be considered the Empire and the Alliance. If they tear their faces apart again, they won't open the knife here."

  He cannot guarantee this, nor can he offer any guarantees.

  However, he couldn't hold back Captain Gergit, who had justified the identity of the "noble man" in his head.

   Makes sense...

   If I were the commander of the alliance, I would fire wherever I could, so there was no point in going where the interests were concerned.

  Just thinking of this made his heart flutter, and after pretending to ponder for a moment, he spoke.

   "I don't have time to calculate your profits, I want to take 20% of the transaction amount."

   This is not a business that he can do alone. He also needs to manage some people up and down, including the level of the ten thousand team.

"no problem!"

   Ah Xin readily agreed.

  Although he soon regretted that he agreed too soon, it seemed that the other party was doing this for the first time, and he didn't notice anything unusual.

  The matter was decided so happily.

In the name of logistics procurement, the thousand-man team under Gergit covered the goods at the entry and exit gates, and put the merchants and goods in the fishing village of Jiaotou Bay, while the delivery of the goods and the negotiation of the transaction took place after "abandoning the ship." Township" Hotel completed.

   As their first business, Gergit said that he could provide him with a batch of chickpeas and black beans with a total weight of 600 tons, and the transaction price was 5 million Xilan coins.

   This batch of goods is equivalent to 4.2 Xilan coins per catty, which is even cheaper than the market price before the Alliance landed in Jingalun Port!

  Currently, the price of a catty of beans has already exceeded 10, and it is almost double the profit to ship these beans back to Jin Gallon Port and sell them!

  Although Gergit generously waived the commission of the first sale, Asin knew very well that this greedy guy must have included the commission in the total price.

  As for where and how so many beans were collected, he didn't bother to ask too much, after all, it's none of his business.

  He just proposed to buy a batch of two-headed cows next time, and asked Gergit to help pay attention to the flax and dye merchants, and the latter readily agreed.

  Both parties agree on the time of payment delivery.

   In order to express the sincerity of cooperation, Gergit even waved generously and gave the hotel built on the hulk directly to Asin.

   Anyway, to him, it was just a matter of one sentence.

  As for the original owner of this hotel, he was **** with stones and thrown into the sea by his subordinates a week ago because he was asking for money for wine and his nose was not big enough.

   To be so naive as to come here to open a dilapidated hotel in this remote area, even if he is really a Willant, he is probably a rat man in Willant.

   Besides, is it still in his hands?

  Employees here don't even know what happened to their boss, and expect the old man who calls himself a Willant to come back and settle their wages.

   "...bye friend, this is the happiest meal I've ever had, and I hope it will be in the future."

   Standing at the door of the hotel, Gergit had a happy smile on his face, stretched out his arm drunkenly and hooked Asin's shoulder.

  Since he was sent to this ghost place, this was the first time he slapped his **** and left before dawn.

  Ah Xin nodded respectfully and looked at the officer with a smile on his face.

"Welcome to come again. I guarantee that when you come back in two days, you will be able to drink fine wine that truly matches your distinguished status. Recently, a lot of good things that can only be bought with silver coins have arrived in Port of Gold Gallon, including those shelters. The wine of the inhabitants."

   "Haha! Then I have to look forward to it!"

  Gergit was overjoyed when he heard the words, he smiled and patted the young man on the shoulder, expressing his attitude in front of his subordinates.

  Just looking at this intimate appearance, it is impossible to imagine that this guy's subordinates just put a gun on this kid's forehead.

   Watching the group of soldiers leave towards the south, until they were far away, Ah Xin patted himself on the shoulder lightly.

   Like dusting off there.

   All the boys standing in front of the hotel looked at the boss reverently, as if they were looking up at a god.

  However, they didn't know that their boss was almost exhausted just standing here and not lying down.

   "It was faster than I thought. I originally planned to make the first pot of gold and buy it here, but it turned out to be realized before that..."

  Clearing his broken throat, Ah Xin returned to his original tone.

  He first glanced at the hotel behind him pretending to be relaxed, and then glanced at Kunal next to him who almost had the word "worship" carved on his face.

   "There will be a lot of guests here in the future, we have to renovate it...at least bring it up."

   "Obey, boss! I'll find someone to do it right away." Kunal straightened his back, like a loyal soldier, without any doubts about the "general"'s order.

  Ah Xin nodded, and then looked at the low shack next to him, and the pair of pupils full of fear hidden in the dark corner.

   Those pairs of eyes dared to look at him unscrupulously before, but now they no longer even dare to meet his gaze.

   But there was no ridicule or ridicule in his heart.

   One of the things he learned the most from the empire's disastrous defeat in Port Gingalon is unity. He is always thinking about how to unite these poor ghosts like him.

  Money and dignity.

  I just have extra to give them.

   "Kunal, my friend, you are right...we really need a ship to do things, and here happens to be a group of 'sailors' who are not very experienced but barely usable."

  He paused, thinking softly.

   "We just happen to be able to find them some work to do."

  (end of this chapter)