On the road from Agorlonburg to Viruga, a large caravan was on its way as fast as it could.

This was a caravan from the north, and their purpose was similar to that of Byron's smuggling, which was to get more supplies that were now in demand in the south during the war and sell them, and then bring back some Rhodoc specialties.

In particular, the good steel and iron used to make weapons and armor, as well as the strong animal tendons, were willing to be purchased by the nobles of Rhodoc for twice the market price.

There is no way, even if it has been prepared for half a year, but because of the continuous wars in the past few years, the consumption of armaments is too great, and with the large-scale offensive of Svadia this time, most of these armaments and materials have been consumed. And the velvet and various specialties in the south, although the huge profits are not as good as last year, but they are still more profitable than normal. This kind of opportunity to earn high profits is not something that businessmen will let go.

The motorized convoy went all the way south and passed through the border line of Fort Agorlon. The sergeants there not only did not stop them, but they also escorted them for some distance. And the sergeant reminded them that the trade routes north of Rhodok had been very unsafe lately, and that a group of Swadian mercenaries was scurrying about, plundering convoys and caravans.

The leader of the caravan believed him, and word of the Peony mercenaries had spread about their work in the north of Rhodoc. Ever since their captain had received a knightly knighthood from the Earl of Claes, the gang had been roaming the northern part of Rhodoc. Because their troops were numerous and mobile, and rarely entered unfavorable terrain, Rhodok's border guards could not catch them for a while.

Many convoys and caravans were extorted and even plundered by them, and he, the leader of the caravan, naturally did not dare to ignore these robbers with noble banners.

However, although they were already very cautious, they still could not escape the eyes of those outcasts and bandits who colluded with the peony mercenaries. Most of these people didn't care about the so-called national concept, and when Byron was willing to cooperate with them and provide them with protection and shares, they did not hesitate to side with Byron.

Byron has a good reputation, at least when it comes to splitting accounts. So these outlaws believed Byron's words and gave them information.

The caravan was halfway there, and no sooner had the day had left than Byron's cavalry surrounded their camp in the early morning.

Tall horses and horses walked in circles around them, spears and spears in the hands of the cavalrymen

The caravan's guards picked up their weapons in a panic and trembled in a circle. The leader of the caravan also rushed out of the tent while wearing his coat, while his concubine hid in the tent, wrapped in a blanket and looked panicked.

Riding on his hunting horse in a horse coat, Byron walked to the front of the procession, and cleared his throat as he looked at the frightened caravan men and the timid guards.

"I am von Byron, a knight under the command of Count Claes of the Kingdom of Swadiaa, the leader of the Peony mercenaries. We have verified that you are supplying the cities and villages of our enemies, the kingdom of Rhodok, with goods that King Harauth has decreed as contraband. We will confiscate your prohibited goods in accordance with the law and impose a fine. ”

"Of course, considering that this is on the territory of Rhodok, we decided to reduce the severity of the punishment. We demand the confiscation of thirty per cent of your ill-gotten gains and the payment of a toll of 10 dinars per person. ”

Byron's words are very shameless, and there is not the slightest reason to charge outrageously high tolls to merchants who do business with the other side in the territory of the enemy country.

However, the strength of the two sides is in front of them, although there are many people in the caravan, but there are only thirty or forty soldiers who can be counted as soldiers. The rest of the horsemen, who had a pair of weapons, were not able to defeat a single dismounted mercenary of Byron.

Before Byron's naked blackmail threats, the businessman had no choice but to compromise.

A truckload of Kulau good iron, as well as fines and tolls of up to 2,500 dinars. This is already the result of the businessman's best efforts.

It may be a big loss for him, but Byron also assures him that he won't run into trouble on the road to Viruga.

The merchant still held on to the hope that the silver would flow into his pockets like water as soon as he reached the cities of Rhodoc and the castles of the interior safely with the rest of his goods. Even with such a huge expense, he still made a lot of money.

There are so many businessmen who think this way, and like Byron once did, they risk crossing the border between the two countries for high profits. Earn high profits by smuggling important goods from the war, and realize the dream of getting rich.

However, after all, there are only a few people who can succeed, and most of them are big businessmen and down-and-out members of the aristocracy who already have a certain strength and background. Only they have the ability to survive the attacks of bandits and refugees who are already somewhat insane, and make it to their destination.

What Byron is doing now is actually what those bandits and bandits do. It's just that he won't do things out of the way, lest he be retaliated against by a large group of businessmen and the forces behind them in the future. He levied high "tolls" from large caravans, and deliberately spared small caravans and individual smugglers. Only if they return safely and alive and tell others the news of making money, Byron's "deal" will be better.

While the armies of the Swadia Kingdom and the Rhodok Kingdom were fighting fiercely under Fort Gruenward, Byron led his soldiers across the border between the two countries, doing these raids and transports and extorting caravans. They did a good job, making it difficult for Rhodok's frontline to supply for a while, so much so that the size of Viruga's transport force exceeded three hundred, and they also mobilized Rhodok's noble knights to find and eradicate the Peony mercenaries in Rhodok's troops.

Faced with the knights and sergeants of Rhodok, who were better equipped than Swadia heavy cavalry and were elite and good at fighting, Byron knew that he was no match for him, and withdrew from the territory of the Rhodok kingdom after a week of pursuit. The total losses show that Byron's soldiers were twenty-one fewer than when they first entered the border, which is not much, but it is not a lot.

In the course of the month, however, after all expenses, Byron's total of silver had exceeded 30,000, and he still had a lot of goods unsold.

Byron felt the taste of money again, and his soldiers asked him for leave in droves. After more than a month of eating and sleeping in the open, even if there are silver coins, it is too hard.

Byron also knew the plight of his soldiers, so he got some time from the marshal to repair his troops on the grounds that his troops were badly damaged and needed to be repaired under their morale. He gave the soldiers a holiday and took them to Uxhall to relax.