"So I can only think of something else, but the general principle is, as long as I give someone to me, I will not be rude. Townsend smiled and said, "Don't think about the bad things all the time, it's probably good for everyone." ”

"I don't see the benefits. "Howden is an honest man, and there is a word to say.

But this kind of honest person is actually the most admitted, and the most difficult to convince.

"The smuggling business is over, Howden, how will the three tribes and eleven villages survive this winter? When it snows, how many people will freeze to death and starve to death?" Townsend made everything clear: "Your population has actually gradually increased after smuggling, right? Without the cloth, medicinal materials and food brought by Yaxiu, how can your old people and children survive?"

"I don't know...... Howden's head was almost buried in his chest.

"I can wait, I can wait until you starve to death and freeze to death, and then offer a low price, which can also achieve the purpose of dignitaries, but this kind of thing is very cruel. "I would also like to admit that waiting is not my last name," Townsend said. So, why don't we negotiate the best of both worlds?"

"Why didn't you tell them?"

"What else would they do but enjoy themselves?" Townsend smiled, "You are the only tribal leader with a business eye, and only you can talk to me about this kind of thing." ”

"What do you want?" said Howton in a sullen voice, "just say it." ”

"Okay, that's the basic idea. Three tribes and eleven villages will give me people, and I will pay you according to the head. The price is divided into two kinds, warriors and laborers. It can be gold coins or commodities, so that winter is no longer terrible. "Warehouse Town has no point of existence, but you are an active Warehouse Town, and you can follow me to the hinterland of the West Coast to do business, and we can build one warehouse town after another, even a smuggling town," said Townsend. ”

"Not killing?" Howden was surprised: "And take us to do business?"

"Who looks like a butcher in the two of us?" Townsend was a little helpless: "I'm so untrustworthy?"

Howden's mouth was tightly closed, and he looked at Townsend without blinking his eyelids. It was clear that on the one hand he didn't trust Townsend very much, but on the other hand he had no other choice.

"But there is a premise for the whole thing, that is, you have to cooperate with me and let the leaders obediently hand people out. Townsend was too lazy to enlighten him, so he could only see the hearts of the people for a long time: "You don't have to persuade them, I have already made arrangements in that regard, they will come to meet me tomorrow, you just need to set an example and beat the side drum......

"What do you mean by setting an example?

"You, and your deceivers, put on the garments of thorns and roses, and go to the entrance of the town to meet them for me. Tell them that you are already my people. Townsend told him calmly: "Remember to tell them that my side has a high salary and good benefits, and one person can support the whole family by being a soldier." ”

"I ...... I'm going to think about it. Howden waited for a moment before asking, "Is it true that one man can feed his family as a soldier?"

"Are you a little ambitious?" Townsend was a little crying and laughing: "You are in charge!"

In fact, when it comes to recruiting Howden, Townsend just doesn't come forward, and he can hand it over to Bennet. The reason why he came forward in person was purely for the sake of future considerations - the current composition of the Thorn Rose was very monotonous, and there were too many people from the Blue Stamen, and Townsend urgently needed someone to join in and achieve a minimum balance.

Therefore, he personally recruited Howden and promised him the status of steward.

Howden considered the middle of the night and finally accepted Townsend's terms. In fact, Townsend's conditions were generous enough, and he had no reason to refuse, Howden only needed to convince himself of Townsend's character. So early the next morning, Howden took five of his most eloquent men, donned the uniform of Thorn Rose, and greeted the guests at the entrance of town instead of Townsend.

"It's going to be lively," said Bennet, standing beside Townsend in the inn, "Congratulations, Chief." ”

"Don't you hate me in your heart?" asked Townsend rhetorically.

"Why should I hate you?" said Bennett, a little confused.

"I admire the head of the Blue Blossom Chamber of Commerce, or the head of the Swarosia family. Townsend sighed with emotion: "Nominally, this side of Warehouse Town is a point of your smuggling, but in fact you are running this place as a back garden. You taught them to speak, you taught them to do business, you kept them healthy, and you scattered them into three tribes and eleven villages...... But in the end, it all took me in, shouldn't you hate me?"

"Chief, you're overthinking. I admit that the Swarossia family had such an arrangement in the first place, and it is not surprising that every family would do it. Bennaider shook his head and said, "You may not know that the ancestor who created the name Swarosia was a woman. And in our 'Bin' branch family, because of a certain historical event, a male surname cannot be used as a senior leader. ”

"Is it just for that reason?"

"What's more, I'm not as good as you as a leader. Now, at last, I can say something like this-" said Bennett, "Mr. Townsend, please let go and do what you want, and I'll take care of the chores for you later." ”

"I remember your words," Townsend nodded, "If you can make it, I'll give you a gift." ”

"Gifts?"

"For example, make you your Secretary of State. ”

"Secretary of State?

"Uh--I guess it's the next thing to do for me. ”

With internal strife, pressure from outside, and the power of example, the chiefs finally relented. After some debate on the details, the eleven villages of the three tribes finally reached an agreement with Thorn Rose on a package of manpower for materials. The core of the list was that the tribes and villages provided Townsend with a total of three hundred and fifty soldiers, plus one hundred and fifty laborers. In return, Townsend would pay the chiefs five gold for every soldier and two gold for each laborer, or the equivalent.

The residents of Howden and Warehouse Town are exempt from this clause, they have all volunteered to join the Thorn Rose, and it has nothing to do with the three tribes and eleven villages. It included more than 20 crooks, more than 50 warriors, nearly 100 laborers, and a large group of family members.

With this agreement signed, the Thorn Rose is finally no longer an empty shelf.

At this point, the total number of Thorn Rose's army reached 430 men, but fortunately the training of officers has not been relaxed in the past few days; the number of caravans has exceeded 200, and the number of pack horses has exceeded 300; more than 200 laborers and a large group of family members have all been incorporated into the logistics system, responsible for simple processing and logistical support.