The business of Changhe Express has been very good since its inception.

After all, Godric's White Hart Castle and Leofrick's Shield Castle are both major shareholders of Maixiang International. With the addition of Charles and Ralph, these insiders have a lot of business to do.

Bailu Fort had to transport grain and ordnance, Yongdun Fort had to transport horses and war supplies, Mai Xiangling had to transport grain to his subordinate territories, and he had to go to Kewen Village to bring back the grain from those noble manors......

These are obviously the immediate initial model businesses.

It's just that passenger transportation hasn't started yet—the existing carriages aren't suitable for transporting people, so we'll have to let the carpenters and blacksmiths in the realm work together to make a van-type carriage.

"Teacher, why do you spend so much money on so many carriages? Is the shipping business that profitable? How do I think I might lose money......"

Amy is the most concerned about the economy, and she thinks that the speed at which her teacher spends money is too frightening—more than 100,000 dinars are thrown out in five days, which can no longer be said to be like flowing water, and the flow of money is not so fast......

Now almost all the carriages in Changhe Town have been marked with griffins, and the roads are full of Changhe Express cars.

But to pay wages to more than 500 people, and to maintain nearly 700 horses, the expenses were obviously huge—none of the expenses of White Hart Fort were so large.

This method of operation did not seem cost-effective in this day and age - a large number of wagons and horses were floating wealth, and the people in the convoy were not the lords of the McXiangling and did not swear allegiance.

In the eyes of the nobles of the Pande Continent, this is the behavior of a loser.

Because the field is the root of a lord.

One hundred thousand dinars is enough to buy 10,000 acres of fertile land, and even a couple of large manor mansions - if a fool is willing to sell them.

"Amy, losses and gains can't be measured purely by money...... What kind of business do you think can make a lord gain strong overall strength in the shortest possible time? ”

The lord had just finished enjoying the pleasure of spending a lot of money, and he sat on his horse and twisted a silver coin to look left and right, and asked casually.

"What does comprehensive strength mean?"

Amy hadn't heard the word.

It refers to the strength of a comprehensive assessment of money, food, population, technological level, and war potential.

For example, your father, for the time being, in a normal year, he would have earned more than 20,000 dinars a year, and he would receive about 400,000 pounds of grain tax per harvest season.

There are more than 50 knight territories in the jurisdiction of White Deer Fort, and there are nearly 10,000 civilians in all the territories, although the population is not large, most of the border counties are young and strong.

Therefore, he can now mobilize more than 1,000 troops at any time, and the equipment level and combat effectiveness of the troops are also quite good.

Even if his status as the chief of military affairs is excluded, as a lord, his current comprehensive strength can still rank in the top four in the entire Lion Kingdom. Aside from King Ulrike and Duke Brenus of Rock Bay, only the Holden family in Lion Lake City should be stronger than him. ”

After Li Ang finished speaking, he calculated his family background again, and shook his head: "And in my territory, the population is only a few hundred, the army is only more than a hundred, and the food tax is not even enough for the people to eat, even if it is fully mobilized, it will not be able to gather two hundred troops." In terms of overall strength, I have to be the last among the barons of the kingdom, and once I lose a battle, I will lose everything. ”

"Then you should reclaim more land and absorb the population, with your ability, you will definitely become one of the top nobles in ten or eight years!"

Amy is still confident in her teacher's abilities.

"The problem is that, in the traditional way, I have to develop slowly for many years – the population base is small, the territory is small, and no matter how rich I am, I can't develop a strong war potential in a short period of time. But I have too many powerful enemies......"

There was some concern in Leon's words.

Amy can understand that her teacher has offended a lot of people.

The Horton family will definitely deal with him when they recover their strength, and the three prophets may also make a comeback, plus the Bacchus Empire - the two governors and Agathon and others are likely to retaliate against him.

And Amy also knew that she would definitely stand firmly on Leon's side no matter what—the teacher saved her twice......

In Amy's opinion, most of Leon's enemies have something to do with him saving himself, so his troubles are also his own troubles.

However, Amy also knows that only in fantasy stories will there be a situation where powerful enemies watch the protagonist slowly develop, but never take action to kill the protagonist.

In the real world, who will give the enemy time to develop? In less than a year, after those enemies have solved the trouble that Leon has caused them, they will begin to take revenge.

Leon had been desperately trying to buy time and space for himself before, he had offended so many people, but not for Amy, but for himself, his enemies were far more than just on the surface.

And he only has half a year to a year at most.

"Amy, I must make myself as strong as the Duke within a year. So now, the criterion for measuring whether a thing is cost-effective is not whether it makes money, but whether it can achieve this goal. ”

Amy was stunned for a moment before she was sure that the teacher was not talking nonsense, and that he was serious.

However, she thinks that her teacher may still be a little drifting - look, what is this talking about?

To rival the Duke in a year?

Isn't this a little more difficult?

What duke didn't develop after hundreds of years of continuous efforts?

But thinking about her teacher's Maixiang Group, she felt that there seemed to be some possibilities.

"So...... Do you want to achieve this goal with this transportation business? But this ......"

Amy was a little confused, she was only eighteen years old after all, and no matter how talented she was, she couldn't think of more aspects.

In fact, it is possible for the transportation business to achieve such a goal quickly.

Although it is true that there is a possibility of losing money in the early stage - but the lord doesn't care, even if he spends all the money, he will continue to do it!

How can it be that this kind of business is deliberately made big just for money......

With just such a business, you can get money, food, people, and troops together.

Reality is not a game, you can't take the team to run around the map to make money, people to do troops, then you can only let the transport team replace yourself and run around the map......

The food problem is actually a transportation problem - of course, in the final analysis, you have to farm the land, but the results of farming are slow, and it can take years at every turn, and you have to depend on the weather. As long as it has the ability to transport bulk commodities over long distances, there is no need to rely on land in the short term, and when it must be relied on, the land will have enough time to develop.

As for people – this refers not only to the population, but also to other special talents, such as technicians.

The place that the footprints of the Long River Express can cover is the place that Li Ang's hands can reach, that is, the place where he can attract people.

The whole continent can recruit manpower, which is much more reliable than squatting in the small Mai Xiangling to pull up the people from the people.

With a transportation company with a footprint all over the continent, Leon can bring back more technicians and more advanced experience.

There are some things that are impossible for someone who has never seen them to make directly, such as muskets, and the lord can't draw drawings - even if he could, he couldn't actually make them.

You know, in a poor place where there is no standard scale for a ruler, even if you come up with a precise longitudinal and cross-sectional structure drawing, you can't get an ordinary blacksmith who has never seen these things to build things by hand.

It's not as simple as just doing what you want to do, it's a whole industrial line, and you have to start with standard vernier calipers......

It takes more precise gauges, good steel, reliable drill bits, lathes and boring tables before it can be built by a skilled blacksmith.

It's a whole system, and even with the help of various professionals, it would take many years to set up.

In a place where there is neither an industrial foundation nor an industrial standard, the vast majority of people in the territory don't even know the words, how can they do it?

The only way is to let the convoy go to the coastal trading cities to buy it. Or it is possible to get samples from Barkley or other technologically developed regions, and then modify them according to the cat's and tiger's example, so that it is possible to develop technical strength in a short period of time.

In terms of military strength, the armed security personnel of the Long River Express, which is originally a ready-made army, are all young and strong, and they all have experience.

And this is an unobtrusive army, they are not in the territory, and they are not easily tabooed.

King Ulrik's thinking, Lord Lord, has already seen it - whoever is strong and powerful will be engaged in whomever he wants...... If you want to have the strength of a duke, you will definitely incur the suppression of the king.

After all, any king aspires to centralize power, and Ulrique is clearly keeping an eye on Leon - the appointment of Archon of the River El is a warning to him not to form a faction.

The king will worry that his lords will be too strong or form alliances, but if the lords are not strong enough, they will be bullied by others......

Therefore, Li Ang has to develop obscenely, and he maintains a force that conforms to the state of a barony on the surface, so he will not be taboo, right?

As for the company being bigger and having more employees, it was called the legal property of the nobility, and it should be protected by the kingdom.

But the lord will not simply rely on a single business system, he still has a backhand.

"The business of the transportation company is only a premise, and in order to achieve the goal, it needs to control more rigid demand, such as the purchase and sale of grain. That's where your help comes in. ”

The lord twisted the center of the silver coin with two fingers, blew the silver coin in his hand, and brought it to his ear to listen.

The purity of the silver coin is quite high, and the humming sound is very pleasant.

"What can I do for you?"

Hearing Leon say that she needed her help, Amy cheered up.

She did wish she could help—she was actually a little guilty about the last time she got into trouble with a swear word.

Although Leon controlled the final result quite well, after all, she made a big enemy because of this, and she was actually more nervous than Leon and Godric.

Yawen Library

"I need your help to talk about some food procurement, and I want to make sure that we will never run out of food in the future."

Leon tossed the silver coin to Amy.

"This is exactly what should be done, although we have enough food now, but it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no shortage in the future, and it is appropriate to stock up on more food."

Amy took the silver coin and nodded.

It was a Buckley silver dollar, a large silver coin weighing an ounce, and also a dinar, the equivalent of a small gold coin in the Pander Continent.

(In the troy system, an ounce weighs about 31 grams, which is equivalent to one tael of silver during the 16-base period of the Celestial Empire.) ）

The obverse of the silver dollar is the head of Emperor Buckley, with a circle of ears of wheat on the edge, without any holes or bubbles, and it appears to have been minted and then pressed and polished again, with a fairly high level of craftsmanship.

This ear of wheat is probably used for anti-counterfeiting, and the particles are very fine, and it is difficult for ordinary small workshops to imitate them on a large scale.

"It's not just for the sake of stockpiling, Amy...... You may not quite understand it now, but you will soon know. ”

In fact, Leon already has quite a lot of food, and he will not be able to use it up for a while, even if he adds the hundreds of old people that Sir Roland is about to bring back, it will not be able to use it up.

Most of the employees of Changhe Express will travel a lot and do not need to take care of meals.

And unless they swore allegiance to Li Ang, joined Mai Xiangling, and became a non-commissioned officer according to Mai Xiangling's requirements, there was no need to take care of the food.

But for the sake of future planning, the lord still plans to make the 'Griffin Grain and Oil Company' bigger and stronger.

If a lord wants to increase his strength, he can actually have many ideas.

There are many paths to the goal, but the one that suits you best is certainly not the same as the one you have walked before.

The one chosen by the lord is the most suitable for him. It just so happens that it also matches Amy's business talent.

Duke Alma was good at scheming, so he controlled the jurisdiction by seeking more territories, and controlled the jurisdiction by controlling power, which is the normal way of thinking of nobles.

Count Auden was good at warfare, and he strengthened his strength with armies and knights, and controlled the place by controlling the army, which was also a way.

And Li Ang is good at making money, so he will naturally take the commercial route and use commercial monopoly to kidnap the entire region.

If Leon had money, food, and soldiers, he also had the power to price grain in the eastern region and monopolize transportation......

So even if he was still a little village baron, who could do anything to him?

Unless he was assassinated, the king would not dare touch him.

You don't have to have a lot of land and peasants to be called a powerful lord, you can be a wealthy merchant lord.

After arranging the transportation company's affairs, the lord and Amy took a convoy to the village of Kwyn, where more than 200,000 pounds of grain were still waiting for him to receive.

It was the food that the nobles of Kwyn had put together to give Leon as a token of gratitude, and it was not appropriate to send other people there, but it was all free of human affection, and the lord had to come forward in person.

Of course, if you want to talk about long-term business, you have to come in person.

He had brought Amy with him to deal with the nobles of Kwyn - he was to negotiate all the surplus food that would be produced in the future of the village of Kwyn.

Food is a strategic material, and it is controlled in the hands of the nobles, and Li Ang already knows how troublesome it was to buy food last time, so he will not think that he can become a fat man in one bite.

He could only take his time, first take Amy to negotiate deals with various villages and towns, and use the contract to receive all the future food output into his hands.

In addition, the land of its own territory has also continued to be cultivated in large quantities to increase output.

Then, in the next season, the autumn harvest day, see if you can make yourself the largest grain merchant in the eastern region.

The lord wants to rely on his ability to transport large quantities of grain and try to trade grain in the area under his control.

It's not about controlling outputs, it's about controlling transactions.

The business of Kwen Village was well negotiated, and it had a certain relationship foundation, coupled with the face of Amy's parents, those nobles were very polite, and none of them refused.

Since Leon said that he would let the transport team come to the door to take care of all the loading and transportation work, which avoided causing trouble to the nobles, then the excess output in the noble manor naturally did not need to be moldy in the warehouse.

A few days later, the next quarter's 300,000 pounds of grain business was negotiated, and the settlement was so simple that it could even be bookkeed.

Amy's face is still okay, those nobles don't care too much about her, in fact, many of the small gifts given to her by those old nobles can be worth a hundred and ten dinars - noble status, beautiful and lively, such a girl is always welcome in front of the elderly.

Feeling that the purchase would work in this way, the two became more confident, and let the convoy deliver the grain and return on their own, intending to cross the river north from the bridge in Kewen Village, and try to talk to other nobles in the north by the way.

After crossing the river, it is actually the northern region of the kingdom, but the vicinity of the Tongtian River does not belong to the Horton family's sphere of influence, after all, it is too far away from Lion Lake City.

Although the map does not show the location of any villages and towns, there are actually quite a few noble estates in this area.

The Tongtian River itself is indeed dangerous with high water and waves, but the fields near the river are quite fertile, especially around the gentle lake behind Changhe Town, and the area across the lake from Changhe Town, where many pioneer nobles settled a few decades ago.

Nowadays, most of these places are the estates of minor nobles, who usually use boats to catch fish or cross the lake to and from the town of Changhe.

For Leon, the more grain deals that can be negotiated in advance, the better, and the spirit of the contract in the Pande continent is very strong, and the nobles will not openly break the contract - because this is equivalent to breaking the oath, which is the greatest honor of the nobles.

Breaking the covenant even once meant that the person's oath and covenant were not credible, and the king, his men, and his allies would abandon such a person.

As long as you have a contract for the transaction, even if the other party is short of food in the next season, they will find a way to scrape together enough food to complete the transaction.

If we can negotiate deals with more big manor owners, it is indeed possible to achieve the goal of becoming the largest grain merchant in Changhe Town soon, after all, the lord is very generous to bid.

Li Ang's business idea has always been to monopolize if it can monopolize, and if it can't monopolize, it must also get a leading position, and it can be regarded as a successful enterprise if it can formulate its own industry rules.

The two discussed how to be a reliable profiteer all the way, and gradually came to a large lakeside manor, around which there were at least thousands of acres of wheat fields, which had been harvested.

"Whose manor is this? Amy, do you know? ”

"I've never been here...... Wait......"

Amy's expression changed dramatically after just one look, and she even drew her sword: "Red Brotherhood? ”

The lord looked at the manor in amazement.

There was a mark in front of the manor, but the lord didn't know what that meant.

It looked like a red cross, painted on the side of the stone arch at the entrance to the manor, as if it had been smeared with blood.

Inside the cross is a long black sword standing vertically.

"Teacher, this is the mark of the Red Brotherhood...... Could this manor be their stronghold? But such a large-scale manor, it's not ......"