"Very generous, Mr. Byron."

Seeing that the box was full of golden dinars, Elder Subatuha couldn't help but applaud, and his attitude was a little better than before.

Byron also took a handful of gold coins out of the box with his own hands, and let them slip between his fingers and hit the other gold coins in the box to make a sound, showing the other party the color and weight of the gold coins.

"This is only a part, I have brought a total of 3 boxes of gold, and I hope to bring back the army worth this price."

Byron said to the elder after showing the gold.

"Good, very good."

Elder Subatuha didn't know much about the words of praise in the lingua franca, but Byron could hear the joy in his words.

"The rules here are very simple, you pay, mercenaries pay, and we charge one-tenth of the intermediary fee."

"But today...... God is above! I'm going to give you a discount. If you spend more than 20,000 dinars here, then we can cut the intermediary fee in half, so that you can save money and hire more soldiers. ”

Subatuha offered a good discount that would save Byron 1,000 dinars in agency fees if he spent enough, and it was easy for him to do it on a budget.

The elder invited Byron to eat a lot of local snacks, and those dried fruits and dates tasted really good, which gave Byron a few more unplanned purchases.

The elder then invited Byron to visit the mercenaries' quarters to select the right warriors, and then he would help the two sides settle a deal.

The mercenary station is located on the other side of the oasis, which is far from the lake, has less vegetation and is somewhat deserted. Mercenaries have been digging their own aqueducts and growing drought-tolerant crops to ensure their own livelihood while inadvertently expanding the scope of the oasis.

There are nearly a thousand mercenaries stationed here at any time, waiting for business to come to the door.

Byron was first encountered by a group of Salanders on horseback, most of whom were armed with similar weapons to desert bandits, a mixture of leather and chain mail underneath their robes, and each armed with javelins and spears. Although Byron had yet to meet the desert bandits who were notoriously vicious, he could now be sure that these men would be no worse than the robbers.

They train on horseback in their own station, which is relatively large and flat, so they can run horses without building roads.

"The Sand Snake Cavalry, about 150 people, are very good light cavalry. Their horses were very good, their javelins were very good, and they had three horses for every two people. It's just that their credit is really average, and unless you show that you are strong, they will leave you alone at a critical moment. ”

Byron watched as Elder Subbatuha introduced the situation of the mercenary and offered some suggestions of his own.

"How much does it cost to hire them?"

Byron looked at the situation of this army, and it was good to harass the cavalry.

"That's going to have to talk to their captain, but a 40-day contract of 2,000 dinars is enough, and they'll bring their own food and drink so they don't get anything dirty."

The price of mercenaries is not expensive, and 150 light cavalry will also be of great help in the future battle, so Byron showed a certain interest, which was seen by the elders and Kenrad on the side.

Continuing on, Byron saw a meadow rarely seen in the desert, where the aqueduct branched off into small tributaries to irrigate the meadows on either side and the crops planted on them.

From time to time, mercenaries carrying a halberd-like but rudimentary weapon would come out of their tents and patrol their small vegetable gardens.

Judging by the number of tents, the number of this mercenary should be much more than the sand snake cavalry in front.

"They are members of the logging team, all of them Rhodoks. Their captain and leader were Rhodoc lumberjacks who had started the rebellion, and their members were Rhodoc farmers, hired hands, and bandits. The entire logging team consisted of about 700 men, half of whom were stationed in Sabah and half were in Shariz to help defend the city. ”

"Sometimes I think that Rhodok was born with spears, and look at their weapons, which are nothing more than axes for cutting trees and a wooden handle to drive a nail, and as a result, such a group of untrained peasant workers, bandits, and bandits came all the way from Rhodok with these things, and beat the Rhodok border guards and desert cavalry who stood in the way along the way. I personally recommend this unit, they are cheap and affordable infantry units. ”

"When I was younger, I fought as a rider at the Battle of Fort Garmic, when we were defeated and fought in a mess that brought shame on the true gods. I was imprisoned for two years before I was ransomed, and after that I never despised a single Rhodok. ”

"I've heard that you gained a fief and status in the war with Rhodok, and you did a good job. However, I'm sure you know their tactics and skills, and you should know how important it is to have a resilient infantry unit if you want to reclaim your fiefdom from them. And I'm sure the veterans of the logging team should also be homesick, they will fight valiantly for you. ”

The elder's suggestion was in Byron's heart, and Byron needed good infantry against Rhodok's pike, otherwise the cavalry would suffer so many casualties that Byron vomited blood.

Moreover, Byron also very much wants to train halberd soldiers, these soldiers can use the halberds in their hands to deal with cavalry very well, and the lethal effect of foot combat is also excellent, and in another one or two hundred years, they will definitely become an important part of the infantry on the continent of Calradia.

Byron immediately said that he would hire them, and Elder Subatuha immediately called in Captain Rhodok, who was in charge of the 300-plus people. Of all the people, he was the only one with plate armor on his body.

The deal went very smoothly, and the other party was not disgusted by returning to China to beat his countrymen, and he was even more excited after hearing that Byron had captured an Earl of Rhodock. Unlike other mercenary teams, most of the lumberjacks want to return home one day, and Byron can provide that opportunity.

So Byron negotiated a six-month contract for only 5,000 dinars, but only if Byron had to supply the next three months of supplies, and provide the logging team with a suitable batch of weapons within a month, replacing the previous ones that were too rudimentary or unsuitable.

Continuing on, the Elder introduced Byron to a group of Kugit cavalry. They are a group of steppe horses who have changed careers, but they are doing well. There are 10 camels and 70 steppe horses for 50 people, and they are all in the position of Kugit riders, and everyone can ride and shoot.

It didn't cost much to hire them, as they demanded that the loot be distributed after the battle. Originally, they didn't need to take care of the food, but Byron still wanted him to provide the food, otherwise there would not be a single livestock left in the villages along the way.

In the camp, there are other small mercenary teams, and they usually take on odd jobs in the surrounding area, and the level is also uneven. There was a group that was poorly equipped than the militia, but there was also a group of rogue knights armed with full-body chain mail and plate armor.

As for Byron, as long as it is not too cost-effective, he can accept them all and find their place in the next battle plan.

Some mercenary teams even used horse-drawn carriages to carry ballistas and catapult parts, specifically for siege battles.

They also received different methods, some were paid according to the salary, some were paid in one lump sum, some hoped to join Byron in exchange for land, and some did not need any money but demanded freedom to plunder the spoils of war, which opened Byron's eyes.

Just as Byron had spent more than half of the gold in the two chests and was about to go back to rest and think about what else could be recruited in the town, the noise at the outermost part of the mercenary station attracted their attention.

When he asked where the voice came from, the elder frowned and spat out a Salander word.

Kenrad told Byron that the word meant a scoundrel or a scoundrel.

To be described in this way among mercenaries, who were already known for their lack of discipline, the situation of those people can be imagined.

"They are a rabble of hooligans, ruffians, and scoundrels! Even if they give me more agency fees, I don't want to recommend them to any employer, which will probably damage our reputation. Their equipment is average, their combat experience is average, and their ability to cause trouble alone is better than any army I know! They weren't afraid of death, but that didn't pale in comparison to the trouble they caused. ”

The Elder seemed to look down on the mercenaries, and the location of their garrison indicated that no other mercenary team was willing to spend time with them. Byron dismissed the idea of hiring them until the Elder mentioned the name of the captain of the mercenary team.

That name is "Rolf".