How important is Wildwillow to the Randall family?

Randall's territory is located on the southwestern edge of the human kingdom, and its poor location makes it particularly vulnerable to marginalization. Without the existence of Ant-Man, Victor would rather close the door and bury his head in development, trying to be at ease. Now that Randall has become the front line against Ant-Man, Victor needs to replenish the population, materials and technology to strengthen Randall's strength as soon as possible. The narrow terrain of the Buryat Territory is the best bridge between Victor and the outside world.

More than 80% of the Randall's trade activities took place in Wild Willows. The displaced people absorbed by the Randall family were also guided by the Buryatia family and flowed into Randall's territory in an orderly manner. In order to ensure the long-term stability of the family's trading port and population absorption policy, Victor occupies one-seventh of the shops in Yehliu City.

The proportion of shops determines the right of each family to speak in the Yeliucheng market.

Out of consideration for the strategy of the Golden Regiment, Victor decided to revitalize the trade of Raven Town, which was thousands of miles away. He promoted the formation of the two-headed lizard chamber of commerce in the hills. However, Raventown is too far away from Randall's territory, and the Randall family's commodities are mainly sold through the Wild Willow Market.

It stands to reason that the Randall family's goods are now going to be sold to the Two-Headed Lizard Chamber of Commerce, and Victor's shop in Wildwillow City is less important. But in fact, he still has supplies from the Skylark Mountains and the Swamp in his hands. These goods had to pass through the shops of Yehliu City, sell them to free folk merchants, and flow to the black market in major towns, and finally realize the eastward expansion strategy of the Golden Regiment.

The Randall family's loss of the right to speak in the Wild Willow City market meant losing control of the Freedman merchants. They can buy goods from other families' shops and resell them. The Golden Regiment's eastward strategy will completely collapse.

The Buryat family plans to expand the Wild Willow City market, and Victor greeted Judy in advance, asking for one-seventh of the new shops to be taken to ensure that the proportion of the Randall family's shops in Wild Willow City remains unchanged.

Today's Yeliucheng has convenient transportation, developed trade, abundant materials and dense population. The Buryat family relied on the trade of Yeliu City, sat on the land and distributed fertilizer, and made a lot of money. The Buryat family can have the current situation, Viktor does not dare to say that it is all his own credit, he is also the main driving force behind the scenes.

Gillian suddenly said that the shops in the new market of Wildwillow City did not have a share of the Randall family. When Victor heard this, he was shocked, angry, and suspicious.

There is a change in the power struggle between the father and the mother in the Buryat family, why didn't Judy inform me?

Victor first suspects that he has been betrayed by Judy, and then suspects that Judy may be being held hostage and unable to help himself.

On the night when Gillian was sent off and Victor returned to Pinghu Town, he immediately recalled Old John, who was in charge of the shops and gangs in Wild Willow City, and asked about the situation in Wild Willow City. Old John said that Yeliu City was calm and there was nothing abnormal.

Victor was still not at ease, and the next night, he sent a 500-strong mercenary brigade to the border posts of Randall and Buryatia, and he himself took 30 guards to secretly visit Judy's father, Baron Matthew Buryatia, lord of Jinxi.

The baron was very enthusiastic about Victor's sudden visit, and talked for a long time, hoping that Victor would persuade Madame Judy to change her mind and not trust outsiders.

Victor understood that everything was as he expected, Baron Matthew's power in the Buryat family was growing, and Judy's mother and son began to think about the balance, promoting Primo's cousin to be the magistrate of the realm in order to limit the power of the maternal family. Despite Baron Matthew's repeated assertion that Judy was bewitched, he denied that Judy's mother and son had lost their freedom.

Victor did not make a clear statement, but only invited Judy to be a guest at Silvermoon Manor.

Two days later, Mrs. Judy happily went to the appointment. Under Victor's questioning, she cried and told the truth of the matter.

It turned out that Baron Matthew's recent eating appearance was too ugly and he was caught. Little Primo took advantage of the gap between his uncle James and the family soldiers to participate in the fish-man war, and in front of Judy, he took out the account book, openly accused his grandfather's family of embezzling the financial and tax revenues of Yeliu City, and asked his cousin to be the sheriff of Yeliu City.

The evidence that Baron Matthew was greedy for the wealth of the Lord of Ink was conclusive, and Judy had nothing to say, so he had to order his parents to leave Yeliu City and return to Jinxi Town.

Judy tells Victor that she is caught between her son and his parents, and that she should take the opportunity to give Baron Matthew a bang. But this is, after all, a scandal of the Buryatia family, and there is no need to go around publicizing it.

As for the new shops in Wild Willow City, Judy made it clear that she absolutely defends the interests of the Randall family, and the best shops are reserved for Victor.

Is it really that simple?

Victor believes that Judy is not lying, and that she has no ability to deceive Victor. Count Chebman didn't lie either, there was no need for him to play such a joke with Victor.

What was the purpose of Count Chebman's message to Gillian, and why did he say that there were no Randall shops in the New Market in Willows?

The status of Count Chebman is very different from Judy's, and Judy may not know what he knows, even if it is the internal affairs of Wild Willow City.

The two factions of the Buryat family have been grudges for a long time, and it seems logical to turn against each other, but without the promotion of external forces, the balance of Yeliu City will not change easily. Since Judy and Baron Matthew were kept in the dark, it means that Primo's paternal family hugged a very thick thigh.

In the Kingdom of Gambis, the only forces that can make Count Chebman jealous are the royal family and a few dukes. The royal family can be ruled out in the first place, the Count of Chebman and the Kite Castle are very close. The Duke of York and the Duke of Wellington had an estate in Willows, and they also did not want outsiders to share in Willows' commercial dividends. That would be the only Duke of Nimes and Duke Joshua, and any of them would have their tentacles into Wild Willow City to alarm Count Chebman. Because Yeliu City is too close to Copper City. It was the domain that the Earl of Chebman longed for.

The question is, if the Duke of Nîmes or the Duke of Joshua wants to get involved in the trade of Wild Willows, why not greet the town of Lake Peace first?

It is already clear that they are hiding from Mrs. Judy and secretly supporting Primo's father to come forward to fight for power, which is a temptation against Victor. If Viktor does not take effective measures, Judy will definitely be driven out of the Buryatia.

However, Victor doesn't have the energy to deal with the affairs of Wild Willow City right now. The timing of their attack coincided with the beginning of the Fish-Man War.

The Fish-Man War in the Centaur Hills began. The performance of the Randall family's mercenary soldiers on the battlefield can only be described as miserable!

The anxious Victor didn't say anything, he sent Judy away and rushed directly to the main battlefield of the mercenary legion.

In January, the season of fire, the weather is getting hotter. The scorching sun baked the earth, and the water level of the Jinshui River dropped, revealing vast areas of sun-dried tidal flats. Hundreds of fishmen snatched the carcasses of their kind on the tidal flats, and the smell of blood filled the air.

On the other side of the tidal flats, Randall's craftsmen fenced off a safe zone with horses and arrow towers. Centurion Alda was in the safe zone, shouting at a group of mercenaries with strips of black cloth tied to their left arms:

"I have the same equipment as you, hard leather armor, no Fishmen! Shields, no Fishmen! Helmets, no Fishmen! One-handed iron spears, no Fishmen! Combat boots, hard leather hand armor, hard leg armor...... They only have scales that can't stop a fine iron spear, only a mouth that can't bite the teeth of crusty armor, and a ridiculous brain and a short stature! A warrior will not be more difficult to deal with three fish-men at the same time than it is to slaughter three big fish. ”

Alda pointed to the tower and shouted, "See no...... This is the Arrow Tower. What we have to do is very simple, go to the mudflats and slaughter the fishmen, then retreat to the range of the arrow tower to rest, slaughter the fishmen again, and then return back to rest...... Isn't it very simple? There are still people who can't do such a simple thing! There are still people who retreat from the battle and kill their own brothers!"

The centurion's eyes were red, and he roared with a hideous face: "I'm talking about you 'black bands'! You are as weak as maggots in a dung pit, and as disgusting as an abscess on the butt of a cow...... Phew!"

Alda spat on the ground, paced back and forth in front of the deserter with murderous violation, and sneered: "Do you know why I chose you to join my team, because it is easier to kill you than to kill the fishmen! If you dare to escape, I will slaughter you all from behind like a rabbit, and then my squadron can go back to rest!"

Alda's selective gaze made the "black belts" turn pale and tremble.

"Good thing you've met the benevolent Lord Randall. Even if you are slaughtered by me, the master will keep your honor, bury you in the family cemetery, and give your family ten acres of land!

Alda pulled out a soldier with a red belt on his arm from his side and shouted, "He, yesterday he was just like you, tied with a black belt, and today, he has changed to a red belt!"

"Soldier, tell these miscellaneous pieces how you took off the black belt?"

"Obey the order, the black belt rushes up to the fish killer first, and finally retreats, as long as you don't betray your comrades, you can take off the black belt!" replied the soldier with his chest puffed up. He paused, then smiled again: "If you are killed by the fishman, you can also take off the black belt." ”

"That's right! It doesn't matter if you're dead or alive, as long as you're brave, you can take off the black belt. Alda laughed, slapped the soldier on the shoulder, and shouted, "Warrior, tell these poor creatures how you put on the red ribbon?"

"I killed 6 fishmen yesterday, and the Legion Commander personally tied me with a red belt and rewarded me with 1 silver sol!" said the soldier proudly.

"Did you hear that? Slaughter 5 fish, and if you survive, you will be eligible to wear a red ribbon! For every fish slaughtered, you will get a reward of 5 copper soles! The river beach is full of copper soles, just waiting for everyone to pick them up!"

Some of the people in the "black belt" began to have their eyes shining, and they were eager to try.

Alda's voice became hoarse, he untied his water bladder, threw his head back and took a few puffs, wiped his mouth, and cursed in a low voice, "Shouting at these idiots is more tiring than the fish-killers." He paused, and then went on to shout, "The brave man takes off his black belt, and the brave and wise man puts on the red belt." What is wisdom? Believe in your comrades-in-arms, protect your comrades-in-arms, rely on your comrades-in-arms, and use everything you have learned!

"Got it!"

"Let's go!"

Putting on his helmet, picking up his shield and one-handed halberd, Alda led 90 soldiers across the security line and towards the tidal flats. Two other teams of 100 people who were ready followed. All the "black belts" form a battle formation and stand at the front of the line.

When the fish-men on the tidal flats saw the intruders, they squeaked and rushed over. The two sides collided and fought each other, and the blood of the fishmen soon stained the river beach red. As the mercenaries approached, more fishmen popped up in the river, the battle became scorching, and the "black belts" acting as commandos began to show casualties, and those who turned and fled were mercilessly slaughtered by the three centurions and their guards without exception.

On the arrow tower of the camp, Nelson held two adamantite battle axes, looked at the battle below, and smiled happily: "I feel comfortable when I see those 'black belts' being killed! The cowards who killed their comrades are all dead!"

"Much better than it was ten days ago. ”

Wearing pure gold armor, Nicole glanced at Victor beside her, pursed her lips and smiled, "Honey, you still have a way." ”

The mercenary soldiers' strength, intelligence, equipment, martial arts, and organization are all better than those of the fishmen, but the timidity and incompetence of the recruits are also surprising.

Fish-people do not run out of the mudflats, and fish-man wars are not aimed at exterminating the fish-people population. The human army is in complete control of the intensity and frequency of the battle, and it stands to reason that 500 mercenaries are enough to control a river beach and fight with fishmen. The reality was that the mercenaries collapsed on the spot when they saw the dense crowd of fishmen rushing ashore from the river. They can't even escape. How could the deserters who pushed each other and huddled together be able to run across the river beach fishmen?

The fish-men have always been more and more victorious, and the more crazy they are, a brigade of 500 people with a full strength of less than half died, and all the officers above the centurion and the alchemy auxiliaries were killed. Nicole and Nelson had to take matters into their own hands and kill the pursuing fishmen.

The rules of mercenaries: If you flee from the battle, you will be beheaded according to the crime!

If you really want to cut it, the brigade of 500 people will have to die, and the mercenary army of more than 3,000 people will be killed immediately. Don't cut ...... It's even more finished!

The first thing Victor did when he arrived at the river beach position was to take out the deserters, tie them with black cloth belts, and organize them into other squadrons of 100 people, forcing them to serve as cannon fodder. The mercenaries have gone through several fierce battles, the deserters have almost died, and the survivors have been transformed.

Ten days after the start of the war, more than 400 mercenaries were killed and wounded, of which more than 200 were deserters who were beheaded by officers. This number is quite staggering, but in every battle, it seems insignificant. By the tenth day, the morale of the mercenary regiment had finally stabilized, the combat efficiency had been greatly improved, and the number of casualties per day was controlled within a dozen or so.

Victor shot a ferocious fishman 800 meters away, put down his longbow and said, "This fish-man war will last at least 5 or 6 years...... So far, the victims of the mercenary corps have consumed more than 4,000 gold soles and nearly 4,000 acres of sealed land. ”

Nelson lowered his head and muttered, "If you want me to say, those deserters don't deserve ...... bereavement"

"Of course, we have to pay for it...... The field is still mine, the pension will still flow into the family's treasury, but the mercenary army is no longer the mercenary army it used to be. Victor looked at the mercenary soldiers who were fighting bravely and said with a smile: "Pull all the mercenary soldiers over and let them take turns." ”

Nicole's heart moved, and she asked softly, "Honey, are you leaving?"

"Hmm. Victor nodded and said, "Last night, Pastor Dane of the Church in Pinghu Town sent someone to show me the letter from the priest stationed in Yeliu City, and I already know that it was Duke Nimes and Duke Joshua who teamed up to plot against our Randall family...... I'm going to go to the Rose Manor and talk to Sylvia about it. ”

Nicole said worriedly: "Madame doesn't remind you, there must be something difficult for her......"

As he spoke, the one-eyed dragon Gru climbed the arrow tower, saluted Victor and Nicole, and said breathlessly: "My lord, Pastor Dane sent someone to summon him, Master Miller heard about the 'black belt' and wants to settle accounts with you...... Pastor Dane can't stop Miller, he leaves you to figure it out for yourself. ”

Nelson's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "My lord, don't let Father Miller run over!"

Victor laughed dryly, turned to Nicole and said, "I'll go back first...... What should you do, or what should you do! Anyway, those people were vassal soldiers who died in battle. ”