The silver and slave trades carried out by these smugglers were all forbidden by Gordon after he unified the entire peninsula. Because these trades are not only illegal, but also extremely detrimental to the development of the territory.

Silver smuggling leads to the proliferation of privately minted currency, which in turn affects prices. The huge profits of the black market slave trade will make the slave traders take risks, and all kinds of ugly things that force good slaves will not stop repeatedly. This will not only lead to the deterioration of law and order in the territory, damage the prestige of Gordon, but also be detrimental to the population growth of the territory.

Perhaps a shrewd smuggler, Uthman sensed the turn of events and knew that he could no longer use his monopoly on trade routes to blackmail Gordon at will. So he immediately changed his approach, lowered his posture, promised the benefits, and did his best to marry the young lord.

But Usserman has the limitations of his own identity, and he can't see the fact that the existence of these smugglers is something that Gordon cannot allow. Not to mention small concessions such as shopping discounts and paying business taxes. Even if these smugglers give all their accumulated wealth to Gordon now, as long as they continue to engage in the smuggling trade, they will still not be allowed by Gordon.

Utherman, who could not see clearly, did not receive a clear answer from Gordon, but he still thought that he had gained something, and reached an agreement with the lord who had risen quickly on the peninsula. After he left happily, another smuggler quietly found Gordon.

It was a bald man in his thirties named Berulazzi. He was also a smuggler. However, among Usserman's group, Berulazi was a rather inconspicuous one, and his business was not very large, and he met with Gordon during several meetings with the smugglers. In addition to the self-registration word, there are no superfluous words.

This time, however, Berulazi surprised Gordon and let him know that he was among the smugglers who thought he was short-sighted. There are also some visionary people.

"My lord, I am willing to give up all smuggling business and henceforth become a legitimate merchant under your rule." Berulazzi said crisply and straight to the point.

Gordon was also shocked by the other party's words, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. Such a straightforward person who takes refuge in his thighs and does not talk about any conditions. It was the first time he had seen it.

Seeing Gordon's surprised expression, Berulazi smiled slightly: "Your Excellency, you look surprised." Yes, even for myself, it was a surprise to be able to make this decision. ”

"Maybe you can give a good reason to dispel my surprise?"

Berulazi nodded. He bowed to Gordon and said, "My reason is simple. Like Usserman, I see what the future holds. I know you'll soon be able to build your own merchant fleet and navy. When the time comes, we, the smugglers, will not only no longer be a channel of communication with the outside world, but will become a factor of instability and a big trouble. You're definitely thinking about how to get us out. Ironically, Usselman thought it was a small concession. and hypocritical allegiance, you will be able to fool you into doing your own sinful deeds. ”

"Oh? Listening to your tone, it seems to look down on Usherman? You are both smugglers, and neither of you is nobler than the other. And Usherman's business is much bigger than yours. ”

"Although I am also a smuggler, I am only trafficking in some precious magical raw materials or luxury goods on the peninsula. These goods are not illegal, and the reason why I am engaged in smuggling is that the capital is too small. Just want to avoid high taxes. I am fundamentally different from the slave traders, at least I am worthy of the gods I worship. ”

"Your personal persistence is admirable." Gordon nodded in approval.

However, in his heart, Gordon does not feel that Berulazi, who "has a way to steal", and a guy like Usserman who makes money with a completely black conscience. There is an essential difference, but it's just 50 steps and 100 steps.

Of course, sometimes the difference in the process can also lead to the difference in the essence.

It was also an illegal smuggling trade, but Berulazi's business was relatively small, and it was not the slave and silver trade that Gordon was determined to forbid. So he can devote himself to Gordon without scruples, while Usserman has a lot of scruples.

In the future, Berulazi will switch from smuggling to formal trade at most, pay a little more tax, and make profits a little thinner. But Usselman is faced with the desperate situation that the entire family business will be destroyed.

It is precisely because there is no intrinsic conflict of interest that Berulazzi was able to make up his mind and join Gordon.

Thinking of this, Gordon's decision to Berulazi also recovered from his initial surprise.

"Mr. Berulazi, I naturally welcome your allegiance. It's a great thing to celebrate the addition of a good law-abiding merchant to my territory. But that's all it takes to end our conversation. But if you can offer more, then we can go to the castle's study and continue the conversation. ”

It was a great honor to be invited to the study by the lord.

Berulazi knew that he would have to come up with something if he wanted to gain a foothold under the Count of Hyperven in the future, and if he was to be valued.

"I know the smuggling routes, the way the business works, the network of contacts that Usherman and the people are running in secret. With my help, Lord Lord, you will be able to easily catch them all in the future. ”

"I have to admit that I'm really interested in the information you can provide." Gordon smiled and gestured to Berulazi, "Please, Mr. Berulazi, we can go back to the castle and discuss it in detail." ”

In addition to Berulazi, Hernandez, who had just recovered from seasickness, was also called by Gordon. He needed this intelligence chief to help him confirm all the information provided by Berulazi.

After some time in the study, both parties ended the conversation with great satisfaction. With the information provided by Berulazi, Gordon will be able to make arrangements in advance, and when the time is right, he will strike a thunderous blow in the future. The forces of the smugglers were all cleared from the Haiwen Peninsula, clean and clean, leaving no trouble.

And Berulazi got what he wanted. Gordon promised that the Hyven Chamber of Commerce would soon be formed. He will be given the position of vice president - the position of president, which will naturally be held by Douro, an old acquaintance of Gordon.

In addition to this, Gordon also promised to grant Berulazi exclusive rights to many goods. Among them, there are several knick-knacks that the lord personally knows and are very popular with the vast aristocratic class of Ferredon.

where profits. It's higher than smuggling.

After Berulazi left, Gordon did not continue his work for the first time, but declared that the castle was up and down, a day off, and even a banquet of no small size to celebrate the capture of a large amount of spoils from the vulture pirates.

The laughter of Seacliff Castle. Two days later, it also reached Aldrich's mansion in the Black Iron City in the north.

If it was the time when the eyeliner was all over the southern part of the peninsula before, every move of Cloud Scale City would be known by the King of Haiwen in one day. But now, after Gordon's massive purge, the information of the King of Hyperven is timely. It's been greatly discounted.

"Able, I didn't expect that when your fleet was about to return, that mage boy from the Northland would be so lucky to be able to capture most of the ships of the Vulture Pirates, including even the Long Summer Beauty."

A middle-aged man with a long smear of shiny wax and neatly combed was sitting on the big desk of the King of Hyperven, and said with a smile.

He was rude in this and called him by name, but the King of Hyperven had no fire—or rather. Even if he had fire in his heart, he didn't dare to do it to this man.

Because this man with a big back comb, wearing a black gilt vest with a white shirt, and a gorgeous thin sword pinned to his waist, came from Changxia Province. Behind it is the powerful Frey family.

Since the Aldrich family's father and son fell apart, the Frey family, as collaborators, has also had a very interesting attitude. Head of the house, Wald. Marquis Frey took a wait-and-see attitude towards the battle between the King of Hyperven and his twin siblings. The other members of the Frey family took the opportunity to split into two parts, supporting the father and the son respectively.

And the big-backed man, who was sent to Black Iron City to help by the faction that supported his father in the Frey family.

His name is Alger, a twelfth-level warrior, and his identity is now open to the public, and he is the leader of the Straits Mercenary Regiment. However, in fact, the Straits Mercenary Regiment that came to Black Iron City to help, a total of 500 mercenaries, are just the Frey family's private army. The Straits Mercenary Regiment is just a layer of vest. Alger, who was a hereditary knight who had been loyal to the Frey family not long ago, now put on the cloak of a mercenary leader, and went south to the Black Iron City to serve as Able. Aldridge came to help.

These private armies of the Frey family are not bad in combat, not only well-equipped, but also hard-trained, and have achieved brilliant results in the past, whether it is to exterminate mountain bandits and pirates, or in conflicts with other noble private armies.

In fact, the private armies raised by the major aristocratic families are often not inferior in combat effectiveness to the regular legions directly belonging to the royal family of Ferreton. It's just that when facing a big war, these private armies from various families that are not subordinate to each other are gathered because of the mobilization order, temporarily put together a legion, and then find a nobleman with the highest title and the most troops to command, and the combat effectiveness it can wield is naturally greatly reduced, far less than the regular army of the empire.

The mercenaries of the Straits Mercenary Regiment, each equipped with a set of steel forged slatted armor, have considerable protection against sharp and blunt weapons. Every mercenary, or Frey's private army, has undergone rigorous training in military weapons, and is proficient in the use of weapons such as swords, square shields, and crossbows.

Although the total value of a piece of equipment is not as good as the Aldrich family cavalry that Abel spent a lot of money to build, its combat effectiveness is superior.

Although Able. Aldrich was very willing to build a cavalry team and spent a lot of money, but Aldrich's family background is not enough after all, how does a retired pirate leader know how to build a real army? Even if you can spend money to hire some veterans as instructor consultants, there will be some shortcomings.

In fact, more than brave, not enough tough, is the head of the Frey family, the evaluation of Aldrich's cavalry. So it is not surprising that this cavalry team, which was so proud of the King of Hyven, was almost completely annihilated by Gordon in a playful way.

But the Freys are different.

The Straits Mercenary Regiment has five hundred soldiers, equipped with ten field mages, which is even more than one field mage for every hundred people in the regular Imperial Legion. Twice as high.

From this alone, you can see the heritage of the old aristocratic family.

After all, a high-end talent like a mage cannot be cultivated immediately if you have money.

With the help of the Straits Mercenaries, Able was confident that he would be able to defeat Gordon. When the time comes, deal with this menacing Northland outsider. Pack up his good sons and daughters and rule the peninsula, and he will make the title of "King of Hyperven" truly worthy of the name.

Although the head of the Aldrich family is facing the dilemma of betrayal by his children and infighting in the family, he still decides to solve Gordon first. There is no such thing as going outside and inside first.

Because he knew that the reason why Hensel and Grida would betray him, and that there were many people in the family who followed them, was ultimately due to the decline of their own authority.

It is precisely because he has suffered losses at the hands of Gordon again and again that he not only damaged the troops and destroyed the ship. It also lost its prestige. In addition, on the issue of heirs, it was not recognized, which eventually led to a split within the family.

In fact, on the issue of heirs, Abel also knows that although he feels guilty about Simon, this eldest son with intellectual problems is not the best candidate. And Hensel. Although he is very outstanding in spell-casting talent, he has too narrow a vision of the problem, and he is not a good leader who can govern the territory and lead everyone.

The best way is actually to find a woman and have a few more offspring.

But the problem is that although the king of Hyven has worked on a woman's belly all these years, it has never borne fruit. He wondered if it was when he went on an expedition to Mount Waisula many years ago. Falling into the source of the White River again, and being eroded by a strange high concentration of magical energy, it has something to do with it.

He really can't, he can only go and adopt a child.

However, although the question of heir selection is the key to the division of the family, it is not a matter that needs to be solved urgently. The King of Hyven understood. The top priority is to bring the outsider from the north to the peninsula in less than a month. Freeman, get rid of it.

And to do this, you only need to wait for another half a month.

At that time, the first fleet of the Aldrich family, which had crossed the Sea of Stars and gone to the Great 6 of the Southern Desert to trade in the open sea, would return. Although the Second Fleet was still in Antolia, the Far East, five 1,000-ton warships and fifteen other 500-ton military clippers of the First Fleet were enough for him to regain superiority at sea.

Each thousand-ton warship, in addition to sailors, could carry a hundred 6 Corps, while the other fifteen smaller warships, combined, could also carry a total of close to five hundred people.

When the time comes, the King of Hyven will have the ability to send an army of 1,000 men to any region along the peninsula anytime, anywhere.

He had already consulted with Alger, the head of the Straits Mercenaries, and was ready to target the first attack on the largest settlement at the southern tip of the peninsula, the town of Qingmai of the Aikan people.

Now that the Akan people have been annexed to Gordon, the town of Green Wheat has become the most important grain storage base in the hands of the Earl of Hyven. In addition, there are nearly 30,000 tribal captives waiting to be slowly naturalized and subdued.

These captives were able to form a great force and threaten Gordon's rule with a little instigation.

This time, the King of Hyven was ready to do his old job as a pirate, leading the fleet to harass and plunder all the way, making a big fuss in the southern part of the peninsula, and relying on the advantage of mobility, Gordon's army could only run for his life.

Drag it out to the end, and when the time comes, strike another fatal blow and take Sea Cliff Fort and Cloud Scale City directly.

Abel. Aldrich and Alger, who came from the Frey family, were confident that the control of the sea was on their side. Although it was already known that Gordon had captured a large number of Vulture Pirate ships, neither of them took the news to heart.

Although Gordon had ships, he still lacked enough skilled sailors to handle them. Perhaps a year from now, the Freeman Navy, with a first-class warship such as the Nagasummer Beauty, will pose a threat to the Aldrich family. But now, those ships are just a joke.

If Gordon had not been ruthless in scuttling all of these ships, Abel believed that the Long Summer Beauty, which had been handed over to Bellamy for more than a decade earlier, would soon return to his arms after a long absence.

The rudder, which was removed from the warship as a memorial, still hangs in the dining room of Aldrich's house. When the time comes to put it back on, it must be a good match......

Just as the King of Hyperven had hoped, half a month later, his mighty First Fleet returned to the port of Black Iron City. This voyage, not only did not a single ship be damaged during the arduous journey, but also brought back countless spices and luxury goods that were special products of the Desert Empire.

With these goods, the King of Hyperven exchanged a large number of military supplies from the Frey family, and after five days of preparation, five hundred Aldrich family private troops, plus five hundred mercenaries from the Straits Mercenary Regiment, a total of 1,000 people, boarded twenty warships, large and small, and then sailed away from Black Iron City, along the coastline all the way to the south.

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