The chieftaincy hall of the Hague clan is a large longlog house supported by six large pillars. The wooden roof is covered with animal skins for waterproofing. The gate of the wooden house is flanked by two sharp wooden stakes.

One of them has a bear's head on it, and a sheep's head on it. The flesh and blood of both heads had rotted away, and only the bones remained. Sometimes, when the tribesmen who had gone out to plunder returned to the village, they would pile up the spoils in front of the longlog hut and present them to the chief as a sign of respect.

And now, in the hall of this wooden house, there is another man sitting.

Rhodes sits on the chieftaincy as a victor, and of course he doesn't want to be this chief, but until a new chief is born, Rhodes can only sit in this position. The bearskin cushions and backrests were comfortable, and they were gifts from the tribal leaders. Rod didn't intend to take it away, but spread it directly on the chair.

"Three thousand gold crowns a year? no, it can't be. We don't have that much gold!"

The leader of the Hague clan stood below, angrily resisting Rhodes' request.

"It's not a consultation with you, it's an order. "You should know that I let you continue to live on this land on the condition of that. You have invaded my territory and tried to slaughter my people, and I have been merciful to you if you did not kill them all, so what right do you have to negotiate terms with me?"

Tucker stood in the middle of the hall, silent. Indeed, as Rhodes said, he has no power to object. The Throat of Fate was held in his hands, and at this moment, he and the Hague Clan were like prey in the hands of hunters, ready to kill him.

"Three thousand gold crowns a year is not much, don't think I don't know anything about you. My men come from all over the world, including people from all the tribes of Nosca. They follow me, do you think I will know nothing about all about you?"

Rod continued. Tucker's face was full of helplessness and helplessness. The robbers of yesteryear are now the prey of others. There is no possibility of arguing.

"Your longship can go to the sea, and as far as the kingdom of Bretonnia to the west. All merchant ships that sail to and from the Talon Sea are the objects of your raids. Three thousand gold is just the proceeds of two trading merchant ships. How many times a year do you go to sea? Don't tell me you only raid once a year? In that case, the Norscans would have long since lost the title of marauders. ”

Rod said with a smile. Tucker was silent, he just kept his head down, thinking about how he would live his life ahead. The Hague clans were no longer rich, and they did go to sea several times a year, but not every robbery was successful. Very often, they had to brave the threat of enemy fire. You know, merchant ships are not soft persimmons either. Some merchant ships were even equipped with heavy artillery, which belonged to the armed merchant ships, and when it came to war, they could join the regular army. So, although they robbed a lot of cargo ships every year, they did so at the risk of their lives. Now, this lord of Kislev asked for a tribute of three thousand gold crowns at once, which is equivalent to handing over half of the year's income, which is simply excessive. But it's not impossible, at least it's better than being a slave.

"But there will be accidents, such as storms at sea, or encounters with the armed fleet of the Empire, or when our men go out to sea without harvesting for months. You know, it's very common. ”

Tucker said indignantly.

"It's easy to do, but something else to counteract. Such as furs, caught fish, and so on. Scrape together an equal amount of assets to offset the underpaid gold coins. ”

Rod replied calmly. Tucker looked angry again, but he still couldn't do anything. The victor has 10,000 reasons to talk to you, and you, no matter how reasonable you are, have no choice. He regretted a little, if he had not come back and continued to take the rest of the people over the mountains to the interior, would he have been able to avoid these gases? But it is also possible that he would not have been able to climb over at all, and the people of the clan would not have been able to climb over at all, and the Hague clan had lived by the sea for generations, and it might not be able to bear the harsh climate of the inland area at all. But who knows? They chose to come back in the end, and now, now that they have returned, they can only listen to the arrogant demands of the victors.

"I have to go back and talk to the people of the clan. "I love

Tucker said sullenly.

"Yes, yes. I'll give you three days to convince the people in the clan, and if you can't do it after three days, I'll solve it in my own way. ”

Rod said coldly.

"Who allowed you to go out?" the lord had not finished speaking. ”

After hearing this, Tucker was about to go out, but was stopped by the knight next to Rod.

He turned away, sighed, and continued to look at Rod. The high-ranking lord of Kislev was arguably the most unusual lord he had ever met. There are many benefits for the vanquished, but at the same time, they want to get the most out of the vanquished. Don't let go of any benefit. Tucker even figured it out, he knew what the White Bear Lord in front of him thought, the slaughter was really meaningless to him, and the surrendered Norscans could provide him with a steady stream of money and intelligence. It can also widen his trade routes. That's all there is to it, why would he slaughter the tribes? And he, too, did the same. He did a very good job and even helped the refugees build houses...... I don't know that these houses are the hard-earned money of the refugees in the future. It is equivalent to giving them in advance, and they must pay it back in the next ten years.

"Also, in the future, if the Black Hammer Castle resumes fighting, the men of the Hague clan must join the army of the Black Hammer Castle. Fight with my soldiers. ”

Sitting on the chieftain's throne, Rhodes said coldly.

The Hague clan does not accept enslavement from anyone, and if you want to do so, I will take them back north!"

Tucker's inner resentment and anger finally exploded, and he couldn't bear it anymore. Sending warriors to assist the forces of Blackhammer may seem like nothing, however, anyone with a little brain can imagine that Rhodes is trying to control the entire tribe through this. These men who were sent to fight in the South were the equivalent of hostages in the hands of Rhodes. On another day, if the tribe dares to resist, these valiant warriors will die in a foreign land.

If the previous conditions are barely acceptable, then the latter one is really irritating.

But Rhodes looked unhurried, sitting in a large comfortable chair with a calm face.

"You can try it, see if they're willing to go north with you again and climb the mountains, or stay in this new town and live the old ways. ”

Rod said, a small smile on his lips. Tucker suddenly fell silent, and he understood that this Lord of Kislev was not alarmist. He had his men build clean and comfortable houses and repair the roads and docks of the Dragonbone Harbor, not in vain, but with a purpose. That purpose now seems obvious. Who would want to risk their lives through the mountains to live in an unknown land?

"Think about it, Tucker Snes. You're a nice young man. The future of your clan is in your hands. If you don't think about yourself, think about them. I'm going to leave in a few days, returning to my castle. The throne of the chief will be vacant, and you should know that there are still many people who want to sit in this position. ”

Rhodes said.