At the end of the battle, Byron lost 3 untrained Nord light infantry, 2 equally untrained Swadian light infantry and a real Swadian light infantry, 5 mercenary sentries, and 3 caravan escorts killed in horse battles, and the losses were not small. However, compared to the other side, the ratio of casualties between friend and foe reached 4:1, which is already a very good victory.

Bandak was slightly injured, but it shouldn't matter. Fatis was stabbed with a spear while charging, leaving a lot of blood, and I am afraid that it will leave a scar on his abdomen. But for Fatis, the scar is an honor, and it can't be seen on the stomach anyway, so don't worry too much.

Because the supplies were burned and more than half of the silk was gone, Byron had to go back to the Riwa Chariot and buy new carriages, forage and dry rations, and silk, so that he could get back on the road.

The city's guards said that the captives did not know who the merchant really was, and that they had no intention of bothering with the mercenary fights.

So Byron was not polite to the captives, except for two who were handed over to the city guards, and the rest he paid to the ransom agent for a few hundred dinars.

The captured equipment Byron was not wasted, so Jamila consulted with the ordnance and merchants in the city, and sold more than sixty sets of armor and weapons.

There are also twenty sets of relatively intact armor weapons Byron that have been restored and left, both large and small, and can be kept for his own soldiers.

In this way, Byron not only made up for his losses, but also earned more than two hundred dinars, which he could comfort his troops.

Of course, this is not only the income from equipment, but also the money from the sale of prisoners and the money that these mercenaries already have.

This time Byron wasn't going to recruit soldiers here, lest he get in with the ill-intentioned guys.

After purchasing another shipment of silk and a few more horses to fight, Byron went south again.

This time the road was much safer, and someone asked a child to hand Byron a letter.

The letter was simple, meaning that the merchants of the city would not lend a helping hand to Byron, and he suggested that the two sides should reconcile, but Byron could no longer rob them of their business. There is no need to reply to this letter, because the other party will acquiesce that Byron agreed.

If Byron dared to go against them, he wouldn't mind a real fight with Byron.

And that night, the same letter was inserted on the table in the room where Byron slept.

Byron didn't encounter any danger when he went south this time, and the robbers wouldn't have taken such a big risk to come and rob Byron. And the so-called merchant kept his promise in the previous letter and did not trouble Byron again.

In fact, Byron was very dissatisfied with the other party's attitude, but he felt that the other party's strength should be only stronger than him, and it was better to avoid conflicts with the other party as much as possible. If he really wants to be unfavorable to himself, it will not be too late to deal with him when the time comes.

And as long as they leave the transit of Vekia, there will not be much intersection between them, there will be no conflict of interest, and there will be no need for hostility.

Byron believed that these mercenaries were unwilling to bear the expense of going to war outside their sphere of influence for such a thing.

I only hope that they don't think about these dinars on their bodies, which is enough wealth to make the nobles feel tempted, and with this money, Byron will soon be able to be on an equal footing with the low-ranking nobles.

It took Byron more than a month to return to Dehrim from Zhiwache, during which time he made several rounds of business, made some money, paid the troops, and recruited a cavalry corps.

2 hired riders and 15 caravan escorts, which is a lot of money.

Byron paid a commission of 500 dinars just to hire them, and the soldiers also declared allegiance to Byron. Unlike ordinary employment relationships, declaring allegiance is to join the Peony mercenary team, and after that, they can't leave unless Byron agrees!

It sounds coercive, but Byron knows that this kind of industry rule is still very fragile when his life is in danger, so he doesn't have much hope for this allegiance, and more importantly, it makes them like this army, and can get what they want from this team, so that it is enough to really keep them.

Of course, Byron also used some dishonorable methods behind his back, and he made his soldiers like the treatment that only the rich could enjoy, and let them gradually become addicted.

There are some people who follow him for wealth at first, and then, once they have saved enough, they may leave. I've talked about it before, but in the end, I stayed because of the salary. Byron, then, had to make them more eager and instill in them the notion that it was right to follow him.

Occasionally, during his breaks, he told the soldiers stories he had read in books, and at the heart of these stories was betrayal and the price to be paid for it!

These soldiers had very little knowledge, and Byron was constantly instilling these ideas. Of course, he will also show them what they can gain by following themselves, wealth, status, glory, and salvation.

Maybe Byron couldn't brainwash them into thinking of themselves as gods, but at least, he could make them think of themselves as leaders from their hearts.

It is said that a true leader, just by coming into contact with him, will obey him, trust him, and give his life to him. Because they are very strong in some ways, because their decisions are convincing.

It's a unique charm, a charm that is deeply rooted in people's hearts and infects it. Byron admits he doesn't have that charisma right now, but at least for now, he still has time to learn gradually.

When he arrived at Dehrim, Byron sold the goods on the car, and the dinar exceeded 10,000 again.

In Byron's absence, there was actually a problem with his farm, and some officials in the city had some doubts about it, and some merchants also wanted to take the building down, and Byron had to visit and explain. There are also certain ruffians and hooligans, these people are everywhere, and if they don't mix well in the city, they go outside the city to get some extra money.

Of course, when they came here again to collect "protection money", what awaited them was a detachment of heavily armed light infantry.

Naturally, the protection fee could not be collected, and after inquiring about their situation, Byron also reached into the underworld forces in the city through them.

Byron pays a certain amount of money, and they gather useful information for Byron through their own channels, giving Byron the best of both worlds.

The grooms and workers who had behaved well before, Byron fulfilled his promise, gave them weapons and armor, and made them his militia. With the addition of new recruits of peasants and refugees, Byron's untrained Swadia militia reached 11, and they were trained in one group, along with the rest of the soldiers.

And with Byron's financial support, the previous 6 mercenary sentries have also been upgraded, 4 learned to use crossbows with Bandak and became hired crossbowmen, and 2 can ride horses and become caravan guards.

Within a few days, Byron had acquired another farm, and the Peony mercenaries had a real reputation in Dehrim.