Chapter 168: Grimmar's Strategy
It wasn't that Hu Bin's conscience found out that he was ready to let Grimmar go, but that the sudden hint of the space made him a little overwhelmed.
"The Lord of the Rings World plot character Grimmar has been detected to be actively attached, and the person with the space prompt number 000003 agrees, yes/no. Note that the loyalty of the attachment quest is too low, which will most likely lead to mutiny. This is the reason why Hu Bin suddenly left his hand, through the information given in the spatial prompt, he can clearly detect Grimmar's attribute information, and what is surprising is that this traitor is actually quite capable.
Grimmar's rise to become the prime minister of the Rohan Kingdom was not due to Saruman's seductive spells, although this guy framed and excluded a large number of knights loyal to the king in the later years of his reign, and almost put King Xiyodon under house arrest, but this does not hide his excellent political ability.
Before gaining the trust of Xiyodon and becoming the prime minister of the Rohan Kingdom, Grimmar also used his own efforts to rise step by step from an advisor. He not only served as the kingdom's diplomatic ambassador to visit Gondor, but also served as the chancellor of the exchequer to save the treasury crisis of the Rohan Kingdom.
As for why Grimmar would take the risk to help Saruman charm King Sheudon in disregard of the power in his hands, everything may be because of a love word. Grimmar had previously pursued the princess of the Lohan Kingdom madly, but unfortunately his face was really sorry for the audience, and the Warlock's research also made Grimmar's temperament biased towards obscenity and darkness. Although he has outstanding ability, he has never been able to follow the eyes of the princess, and he is a typical hardship that turns love into hatred because of love and anger after chasing fruitlessly, and it can be regarded as half of the self-destruction of the royal family of Rohan, and most of the King Xiyodon was also ashamed of Grimmar after he sobered up, so he was not executed.
Full of government skills, proficient in finance, proficient in diplomacy. Amorous, with excellent spell talents. After Hu Bin saw these attribute descriptions, he had already put the matter of killing people and getting rewards behind, if it weren't for the fact that only 39 points of loyalty reminded Hu Bin, he would have already shown a greedy expression of wanting to eat people.
Just like Gerdan in the Warband world, the plot characters in the mission world will become the existence of the entourage if they take the initiative to attach, especially this kind of retinue that has the ability to help the numberer manage the internal affairs is particularly rare, this kind of person often has a noble status and huge power support in the world, and it is difficult to submit to the numberer.
The recruitment limit of such characters is judged by their loyalty, for example, Okov, the elite Icyrian Ranger Captain, has 85 loyalty points after actively attaching him, which is 15 loyalty points away from his full value. Hu Bin only needs to fill in the full value of the loyalty distance with double 30 points to turn him into his retinue, otherwise Okov can only exist as an ordinary soldier, and he will not be able to enjoy the growth characteristics and resurrection ability of his retinue.
Looking at Grima lying on the ground, Hu Bin's head was big for a while. His rating is not enough, and although he has made a lot of money after killing a large number of hostile numberers, there are too many high-grade items that need to be exchanged in the world this time. The scorching chains had taken Hu Bin a lot of effort to learn, and they were now very easy to use as their primary weapon. Although the Ogre's Stick can't be used by itself, rare weapons are already very rare, and if you sell them, the profit will be very considerable. Not to mention the Silver Moon. The port of the numberers was still far from the time when the large warship was produced, and the Hebrews and others were very enthusiastic about this warship, and even asked Hu Bin many times if he had any intention of changing hands, but even the goddess personally gave the ship a name. Give Hu Bin 10,000 guts and dare not give up this ship. With the Mithril armor being crafted in the Blue Mountains and some bits and pieces, Hu Bin was already stuck in a difficult choice.
It takes a full 122 points to recruit Grimmar, which is mostly the number that Grimmar has to sincerely beg for mercy under the threat of death, until he ensures his own safety. I don't know how far this value will fall, judging from the current relationship between him and Hu Bin, it is strange that loyalty does not fall to a negative value. (More than 100 are constantly solidified as diehards.) 80 to 100 is loyalty, 60 to 80 is obedience, 40 to 60 is a chance of rebellion, 0 to 40 is likely to defect, and 0 or less is hostile, the latter two are generally seen in characters who are forced to submit after being captured. )
"Grimmar, Grimmar, what am I going to do with you?" Hu Bin had been muttering about this problem more than once along the way, but in the end, Hu Bin still didn't immediately subdue Grimmar, because at that time, subduing Grimmar would not only lose the rating reward brought by a side quest, but also cost a lot of additional rating value, which was a bit more than worth the loss. Hu Bin had to take Grimmar with him first, and as for whether he would kill him in the future and get a reward or be ruthlessly subdued, it would depend on how far his loyalty eventually grew.
Sure enough, Grimmar, who had become a prisoner, only gave in momentarily, and his loyalty immediately dropped to single digits after recovering from the fear of death, and the angry Hu Bin almost couldn't hold back a knife to slash him. However, it is not without benefits to catch a living, Grimmar has accumulated a lot of wealth during his tenure as the prime minister of Luohan, and he also has a huge news network in Luohan, if he didn't take the initiative to find Hu Bin, the chance of finding him in Luohan is really small.
But now all this belongs to Hu Bin, in order to redeem his life, Grimmar had to expose a few of his own treasure spots, and also shared part of the intelligence network with Hu Bin. Hu Bin and his party were on their way to one of the treasure spots, although Hu Bin knew that this was only a small part of Grimmar's private collection, but it was originally an accident, and he didn't pick and choose, anyway, as long as he could finally subdue Grimmar, these things would not be his own.
After being captured, Grimar also knew that he was defeated by someone, and in the face of Hu Bin, who commanded a team of Icyrian rangers, his rabble was not unjustly defeated, and the two were like small traders who did not enter the stream met the chengguan brigade.
"These are the things you call your possessions?" Looking at the wheat seeds, cloth, iron ingots and other items piled up in a warehouse, the corners of Hu Bin's eyes twitched violently, could it be that he led people to run hard for a day, and what he got was these materials that were difficult to take away?
"Do you think that the house is full of gold coins? Now that the war is in chaos, you can definitely exchange a room of gold coins for the materials in this warehouse. Grimmar was enraged by Hu Bin's attitude, but he was not wrong, now was the time for the battle between humans and orcs to heat up. Many strong men were drafted into the army to fight, and production in the human kingdom was basically at a standstill, and the house of goods was worth a fortune at current prices.
But having said that, these materials are of no use to Hu Bin, he still has to return to the space after all, if he can't exchange these things for equivalent gold coins, he can only helplessly rot these things here.
"Wouldn't there be a few other locations with these supplies?" Hu Bin asked Grimmar with anticipation, but in the end he got a disappointing answer, Grimmar's good economic vision made him invest all his wealth in material hoarding.
"Then what do you rely on to maintain your power, do you rely on these pieces of iron and grain and cloth?" Hu Bin asked unwillingly.
"Of course, it is financed by the sale of these materials in small quantities. They don't have that value for me to pay for in supplies. Grimar said with an arrogant face, but he didn't know that his words made Hu Bin see a glimmer of hope.
"What about the sales channel, sell all the materials in the shortest possible time for cash." Hu Bin's mood immediately turned cloudy and clear.
"Never, I won't die doing this kind of loss-making business." Grimmar angrily said that the large-scale sell-off of goods would inevitably lead to a drop in prices, which would invisibly reduce the total value of his wealth. He has been the Minister of Finance for half his life, he is very persistent in interests, and his stubbornness makes Hu Bin helpless for a while, why didn't he see him so unyielding when he begged for mercy before.
"Do you think hoarding these supplies will allow you to live a carefree life?" Seeing that there was no way to convince this guy, Hu Bin decided to persuade him from other aspects.
"What do you mean?" After Grimmar saw that Hu Bin was not there to force him to sell supplies. From the state of the crazy miser back to the previous state of cautious and silent captivity.
"Humans and orcs will eventually fight, but I don't like the human side, and you know that very well, otherwise you wouldn't have fallen to Saruman so easily." Grima was silent after hearing Hu Bin say this. Acquiesced in his statement.
"How will the Demon Lord Sauron rule Middle-earth after the defeat of humanity, I think you also know what a murderous race the orcs are, they don't do anything. Good at enslavement and plunder, do you think they will let you live comfortably on hidden goods because you did things for them before? No, they will take away your wealth. Turning you into their slave until you are worthless and eaten by them is the future you want. After Hu Bin finished speaking, he ignored him, and Grimmar also fell into deep thought, and did not object to Ted's move to load these materials into trucks to be sold in nearby cities.
"So how will you face this future?" Grimmar's voice was soft, but Hu Bin keenly captured the words.
"If Middle-earth really can't stay any longer, I'll take my men to a safe place." Hu Bin's words silenced Grimmar again, but he quickly spoke again.
"You're talking about the Western Continent, but I've heard that humans aren't welcome there, so how do you bring your humans there?" Grimmar wanted to refute Hu Bin, but found that there was no reason to show it.
"That's my business, and if you're willing to work under my command, I might consider giving you a place to take refuge." Hu Bin did not explain Grimmar's misunderstanding, but revealed his true purpose, but was quickly rejected by Grimmar. Anyway, it was an expected reaction, and Hu Bin was not moved by Grimmar's refusal, after all, he didn't expect to be able to convince Grimmar once. However, the hint of the space let him know that Grimmar's loyalty has risen a lot, although it has not reached the previous level, but after all, it is not without a little hope of subduing.
Grimmar still listened to Hu Bin's words, which can be seen from his initiative to explain the behavior of several nearby hoarding locations, and Grimmar's intelligence organization in Luohan also gradually gathered information into Hu Bin's hands, so that he could get the maximum benefit when selling materials, and the speed was much faster than before. As for what Grimmar thinks now, Hu Bin finds that he can't figure it out.
Hu Bin and his entourage traveled for a month in various large towns in Rohan, exchanging most of the materials hoarded by Grimmar for gold coins, and even made a name for themselves in the kingdom of Rohan. The nobles of Lohan had heard rumors that a caravan had traveled around Rohan selling scarce supplies. Although their prices are not too fair, but there is never a shortage of goods, this rumor made the entire Luohan Kingdom major cities have prepared gold coins, waiting for this legendary caravan, and Hu Bin also came to the capital of Luohan again at this time.
Hu Bin, who revisited the old place, found that Luohan's golden dome was still the same, and the king's expedition did not affect the prosperity here, after defeating Saruman, Luohan's trade route became exceptionally smooth without the obstruction of the orcs, and even the bandit gang that Hu Bin met in a month was composed of humans. The orcs seem to have vanished here.
The adaptation of human beings has made them habitually forgetful, and the people of the capital seem to have forgotten the tragic sacrifice in the Valley of the Holy Helmet, and the women who have lost their husbands and sons have reunited with other men, or raised the children left behind in the family alone, and the return to ordinary life has gradually dissipated the smoke of war in the meeting, and Hu Bin has lost the worry on the faces of the civilians.
I have to admit that such a situation is not a bad thing, and the only after-effect of the war on the people of the capital is the shortage of supplies. Most of the supplies were requisitioned to the expeditionary force on a priority basis, causing a shortage of all kinds of goods in Rohan, and the people of the capital were no exception. But it's okay. They finally ushered in the legendary caravan.
Hu Bin drove into the city with a group of men driving the wagon, and the rangers and Ted were left behind to guard Grimmar not far outside the city, and the people who drove the cart were all members of the caravan under Grimmar's command. The former prime minister's performance during this period was much better, perhaps because seeing Rohan's people living and working in peace reminded him of the situation when he was in power before. Hu Bin's dumping plan was actively supported by him. And Hu Bin is not afraid of any tricks this guy plays, in fact, in the past month, Grimmar's loyalty has approached the 60-point limit, and there is a trend of continuing to rise. And Hu Bin's plan to subdue him before returning to space is just around the corner.
The veteran guarding the door vaguely recognized Hu Bin's appearance, and put the convoy in without too much entanglement, and then the strong onlookers of a large number of civilians made Hu Bin, who did not change his face in the face of the orc army, a little unbearable. These people can't wait to get ready for the big purchase.
The nobility enjoyed certain privileges at all times, and a clerk approached Hu Bin's caravan first, and at a relatively fair price took two-thirds of the goods, including all the iron ingots and some grain and cloth, and left the rest for the inhabitants of the city.
Hu Bin's reputation in Rohan made the transfer of funds quite efficient, and soon the residents of the capital received the news that the caravan had begun to sell grain, cloth, and various spices, and began to purchase them in large bags and small bags. As is customary, after receiving the purchase from the nobles, Hu Bin handed over the rest of the retail work to the caravan members of Grimmar, and he joined his men outside the city.
During this time, because Grimmar performed well, Hu Bin gave him a lot of freedom, except for doing things under the supervision of Hu Bin's subordinates, Hu Bin didn't care about anything else. And Hu Bin's number one general, Ted, has already regarded this guy as a companion like Gerdan in advance, and his attitude is somewhat close to Grimmar, which also makes the rangers' surveillance much more relaxed, as if the previous captives have been integrated into this team.
Hu Bin, who returned to the foothold, found that Grimma's expression was a little strange, and he looked like he wanted to speak and stopped.
"What's the matter?" Hu Bin asked with some expectation, no wonder he was so positive, although Grimmar's loyalty has increased a lot during this time, he never took the initiative to talk to Hu Bin, just silently doing his own thing. Hu Bin knew that it would take another opportunity to subdue this guy, otherwise he might not be able to get the complete loyalty of this guy Grimmar in the future.
"Nothing...... In fact I have a request that I can go back...... Forget it, when I didn't say it. Grimmar's words made Hu Bin confused for a while, but after Graem left, Hu Bin thought carefully and understood what Grimmar was going to say.
"I didn't expect this guy to be an infatuated species." Hu Bin sighed amusedly, but then found that it was really not easy for him to fulfill Grimmar's wishes, no wonder that guy's request was not easy to say, as a prisoner, Hu Bin had already done his best to him, and it was almost impossible to agree to such an outrageous request. However, Grimmar underestimated Hu Bin's determination to win him, and that night Hu Bin entered the city of Idoras with a cloak and asked to meet Queen Iowen who was sitting in the Golden Dome.
Although the guards at the gate of the city have changed, they still recognize Hu Bin, after all, there are not many elves who come here, and the arrival of the caravan is not a trivial matter for the residents of the capital, and even part of the soldiers' dinner tonight was bought from Hu Bin's caravan, so the guards let it go without even checking it.
Grimmar was a little emotional when he returned to this place, and once upon a time, the gates of the Golden Dome were open to him without restrictions, and the inhabitants of the place would salute respectfully when they saw him. But now, he is just a traitor in the Rohan Kingdom. The only thing worth his nostalgia here is the queen sitting on the throne.
Princess Eowyn did not go with her father on the expedition, but returned to Rohan to preside over the kingdom after supporting the White City. But the shrewd and capable ministers were all transferred by the expeditionary force, and all the complicated government affairs fell on the shoulders of the princess. In this eventful season, beauty does not bring the princess any convenience, and she has to take on the responsibility of ruling the country until late at night, when she should have stayed carefree in the boudoir waiting for her to be married.
Hearing Reed's visit, Princess Eowyn thought of the handsome elf she had met a few times, and she couldn't help but feel the exquisite face of the elf race. Although Princess Eowyn was very puzzled by what the elf had done, Hu Bin's behavior really helped the Rohan Kingdom a lot, and indirectly solved many problems on the princess's desk. Princess Eowyn still has a great affection for this former ally who came to support Rohan, so despite the late night visit, the princess still met Hu Bin in a friendly manner.
The messenger led Hu Bin and Grimmar, who was covering half of his face behind him, into the palace of the princess's office, and Grimmar finally saw the person he had been thinking about again. (To be continued......)
ps: I made two mistakes yesterday, and I forgot to release it, and today I started two in a row.