I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 134: The Fantastic Journey of the Traveling Merchant Lake (I)

It is summer now. The trees in the mountains near Bolas Fortress are lush and hot. Cicadas are chirping loudly in the treetops, the sounds rising and falling, as if fighting against the scorching sun.

The air was filled with heat waves, and the leaves swayed gently in the breeze, casting mottled light and shadows, as if even breathing became heavy.

The mountains in the distance were slightly distorted by the heat, like a water-soaked oil painting. Occasionally, a few birds flew over the treetops, chirping and breaking the silence of the forest.

Lake was panting as he walked on the road, leading a donkey. Behind the donkey was a two-wheeled cart loaded with salt, dyes, leather and medicinal herbs.

These are materials closely related to daily life, and at the same time they are not too valuable to be coveted by nobles and confiscated directly.

There were five companions following Lake in front, behind, and on both sides. Like Lake, they were driving donkey carts, pushing handcarts, or even carrying shoulder poles and baskets on their shoulders, and following the team at a brisk pace.

In addition to the traveling merchants, there were a dozen men who were not carrying any goods. They wore simple leather armor or rusty mail armor. Most of them held swords and wooden shields, and a few held crossbows. They walked vigilantly in front and behind the team.

These people are a team of mercenaries, hired by traveling merchants with money raised together, to protect them on their way to Bolas Fortress.

After all, the country is currently in the midst of a civil war. Apart from the most dangerous regular army, there are also threats such as defeated soldiers and hungry refugees who have turned into bandits in the wild. Without some protection, traveling merchants really dare not set out on the road.

The more chaotic the situation is, the more valuable the goods of the traveling merchants are. Therefore, people like Lake are willing to spend a lot of money to hire mercenaries who are willing to work on the edge of a knife to protect themselves.

Of course, the more important reason for being able to hire a dozen mercenaries was that these mercenaries, led by their captain, were planning to go to Bolas Fortress to beg for food, and protecting the traveling merchants was just a matter of convenience.

Therefore, the mercenary team's charges this time were relatively reasonable and not high.

After all, traveling merchants are small vendors with little power. Even in wartime, the unit profit of their goods will not be particularly high, and they will not spend too much money to protect themselves.

When the price of goods is high, whether they can be sold or not is one thing, but whether the buyer will become angry and pay with swords is the most fatal thing.

Lake wiped the sweat from his forehead. The salty sweat flowed down his cheeks into his eyes, stinging him and making him blink.

He patted the donkey's neck to comfort the poor animal. The donkey seemed to feel the owner's kindness and reluctantly took another heavy step.

The two-wheeled vehicle was bumping along the rugged mountain road, making creaking sounds, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

"Lake, there's a stream ahead, let's take a break."

A voice echoed from the group. It was a middle-aged man named Thomas, the leader of this group of traveling merchants. He seemed experienced and always managed to find the best routes and resting spots for everyone along the way.

Lake nodded, thinking about resting. He didn't want to continue traveling in this weather, even for the salt and herbs.

He looked back at the goods behind him. The dyes and leather seemed to have become dry and soft under the scorching sun, losing their former luster.

The team soon arrived at the stream. The clear water sparkled silver in the sunlight, and the gurgling sound of the water brought a sense of coolness to the people.

The traveling merchants stopped their work one after another. Some were busy giving water to the donkeys and horses, while others lay down by the stream, scooped up the cool stream water with both hands and drank it in big gulps.

The mercenaries also relaxed their vigilance, but they still maintained a certain degree of alertness. They took turns to rest under the shade of the trees by the stream, and at the same time sent two people to stand on a high ground to keep watch, just in case.

"Hey, Lake, try this."

Thomas pulled out something wrapped in leaves from his pocket and handed it over. Lake took a look and saw that it was a large, air-dried pancake. Although it looked a bit dry, it was the best food in this kind of weather.

"Thank you."

Lake took a bite and the pancake crunched in his mouth. Although the taste was average, at least it filled his stomach.

"You know, Bolas Fortress has been a little uneasy lately."

Thomas muttered as he chewed his pancake.

"I heard that a caravan encountered trouble nearby. It could be bandits or some other force."

Lake nodded, feeling a little uneasy. He had heard rumors about the situation near Bolas Fortress a long time ago, but he didn't expect the situation to be so bad.

However, he had no other choice. After all, his goods needed to be sold, and he had a wife and children at home who were waiting for him to make money to support the family.

"Anyway, we still have to be careful." Thomas said, stood up and dusted himself off.

"We've rested enough, we still have to move on."

Lake also stood up, stretched his stiff waist, then walked to the donkey and patted its neck gently. The donkey seemed to feel the encouragement from its master, shook itself, and set out on its journey again.

The team set out again, following the stream uphill. The stream gurgled beside them, as if bidding them farewell. Although the scorching sun still scorched the earth, the company of the stream made the journey seem less unbearable.

"As long as we can reach Bolas Fortress safely, it will all be worth it."

Lake said to himself secretly in his heart.

However, at this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard from the front, and a team of cavalrymen, one on each horse and two on the other, wearing silver breastplates, feather crowns on their heads, and green robes on their backs, rushed over. They were very fast, and most of the traveling merchants had no time to react before they were in front of them.

Only those mercenaries who lived on the edge of a knife gathered together as quickly as possible and stood in front of the traveling merchants.

"Oh no! It's the cavalry, the regular army's cavalry!"

Lake screamed, and he immediately raised his hand to untie the noose around the donkey's neck, ready to jump on the donkey's back at any time... Although the goods were important, life was more valuable. As long as he could reach Bolas Fortress alive, he could earn back what he had lost.

Fortunately, things did not develop in the worst direction. After the cavalry approached, they stopped their horses twenty meters in front of the traveling merchants' team, looked at the team, and did not launch a charge.

The cavalrymen looked at the traveling merchants, and the latter were also looking at them.

The knowledgeable Lake first paid attention to the breastplates of the cavalrymen nearby. They were really bright, with a streamlined surface as smooth as a mirror. They looked very strong, as if they were armor hammered out of good steel.

The cavalryman had two short-barreled pistols on his waist. Lake looked closely and found that they were flintlock pistols, and they were double-barreled. The two guns could fire four bullets.

The cavalry's equipment was very good, except for the horses they rode. It was obvious at a glance that they were mountain horses from Bagnia, not military horses from Bohemia or Retella.

Seeing this, Lake felt relieved and stopped observing... These cavalrymen were not bandits. They were too rich, and ordinary small nobles would not be willing to arm themselves like this.

Not to mention the mirrored breastplate that was worth at least six cows, even the barrel of the flintlock pistol on the cavalryman's waist was enough to buy all the goods on his donkey cart, and there was more than enough.

Such a cavalry master would definitely not attack a group of traveling merchants, because the gains would not be proportional to the efforts.

The facts were exactly as Lake expected.

A cavalryman who looked like a squad leader rode out from the ranks. His armor shone brightly in the sun, and the feather crest on his helmet fluttered in the wind, making him look majestic. He pulled the reins and shouted loudly.

"We are the patrol team of Bolas Fortress under Prince Chris! Who are you? Where are you from, and where are you going?"

As the leader of the traveling merchants, Thomas quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Respected Sir Knight, we are traveling merchants from a small town in the south, heading to Bolas Fortress. We carry some goods with us, hoping to sell them there in exchange for some necessities of life."

The cavalry captain examined the group of traveling merchants in front of him, his eyes sweeping over the simple donkey carts and handcarts. He seemed not interested in these worthless goods. After confirming that they were not disguised bandits, he nodded slightly with a hint of concern in his tone.

“If you walk faster, you can reach the fortress in the afternoon.

Don't stay in this area. We've already killed several waves of bandits here. The mercenaries you hired seem pretty good, but their equipment is poor and they're too few in number. They won't last long."

As he spoke, the cavalry captain raised his hand and threw a small tube over, which landed in front of Thomas' feet.

"This is a signal flare. If you encounter bandits, release it into the sky near the fortress and we'll rush over..."

Before he could finish his words, a sharp sound came from the sky on the left side of the road, and then it exploded, as loud as thunder.

Before the traveling merchants understood what was happening, the cavalry captain turned around excitedly and shouted to the cavalrymen behind him.

"It's a signal flare. The other teams have encountered a big fat sheep. Brothers, hurry over there. The quickest way is to get the best!" After saying that, the cavalry captain drove his horse into a gallop, and the cavalry behind him quickly caught up. They were extremely excited, with bloodthirsty smiles on their faces that made Lake feel a little uneasy.

These cavalrymen under Prince Chris's command are a bit too warlike.

Bolas' patrol left, and the traveling merchants and mercenaries breathed a sigh of relief. The former's equipment was too good, and it was obvious that they were well-trained. Although there were only seven cavalrymen, if a real fight broke out, they would probably break through the mercenary formation in two or three rounds.

The traveling merchants also carried weapons, but at this time, it made little difference whether they had daggers and sticks in their hands or not.

The team continued to move forward, and the rest of the journey was relatively smooth. Lake and others did not encounter any accidents, although several teams of cavalry passed by along the way.

However, the patrols of Bolas Fortress had long known of the existence of Lake and others and did not conduct any inspections. When they saw the caravan of merchants, they did not stop, but went around them directly. Their friendly attitude made Lake and other caravans somewhat unbelievable.

In the Republic, if you encounter a patrol in the wild, even if they are legitimate businessmen, they will be extorted for a small amount of money, and if they don't have money, they will take away some of their goods.

Lake was accustomed to such things, and the hired mercenaries accompanying the team would not stop it, nor could they stop it.

This is extra income for the patrol team. If you stop them, the patrol leader will report to his superiors that you are suspected of doing something illegal and are resisting the patrol team's routine inspections.

Then, the subsequent development is not something that can be solved by spending a small amount of money.

The Bolas patrols don't do such things, but instead make the traveling merchants uneasy.

Just as the cavalry captain had said, the traveling merchants saw the spire of Bolas Fortress in the afternoon. When they got closer, they saw more than 20 black-clad soldiers wearing chain mail and holding halberds guarding the awning in front of the suspension bridge across the canyon.

When they saw the group of traveling merchants, they became excited, rushed forward and stopped the group.

Lake and other traveling merchants also perked up.

Here it comes, the traditional drama is here, and the bridge tax is obviously going to be a huge expense.

However, this did not happen. These halberd soldiers simply checked the goods of the traveling merchants and registered the weapons carried by the mercenaries, and then let them cross the bridge. They did not take away the goods, but instead gave each of them something called a food ticket.

Even the silver coins that Thomas secretly stuffed into the halberd captain's hands were blocked by the halberd captain and refused to be accepted.

"Take your money and get out of the way!"

The halberdiers captain was so impatient that he even pushed Thomas, causing the silver coin in his hand to fall to the ground.

Lake saw this scene and was greatly surprised. At the same time, he kept this matter in mind and planned to write it down in his little notebook in the evening.

After the caravan crossed the suspension bridge, entered and left the fortress, it disbanded in the small open space outside, and everyone scattered like birds and beasts.

The mercenaries went to look for the person in charge of the fortress, ready to ask for a job under Prince Chris and earn some commissions, while the traveling merchants prepared to sell the goods they brought with them, and then buy goods here to take back home to sell.

Lake was no exception. He unloaded the donkey cart next to a roadside shed on the hillside of the fortress, and asked the waiter in the shed to bring out hay, barley, and clean water, and placed them in front of the tired donkey. The latter immediately lowered its head and drank the water in big gulps to relieve the hunger and thirst from the long journey.

Tented shops are the resting place for traveling merchants. Their accommodation is cheap, food is affordable, and there is a certain degree of security. They are the preferred choice of traveling merchants because these shops are chains and are opened by traveling merchant guilds.

If there are no traveling merchant sheds in a town, it means that something unfriendly to the traveling merchant community has happened in this place, and the guild has decided to close the local sheds, and the traveling merchants will not come to this place.

Itinerant merchants are not as good as big businessmen. They have less capital and most of them cannot even afford an accident, so they dare not take risks and gamble on the conscience of local rulers.

The peddlers' stalls are the weather vane of peddlers. They will come where there are stalls, and will not come where there are none.

The traveling merchant's shed in Bolas Fortress was opened half a month ago. Chris didn't understand the unspoken rules of traveling merchants and was very surprised that there were no merchants selling goods in his fortress. If the guild members hadn't come to him, he wouldn't have known about this.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lake smiled at the waiter and tried to get some information from him.

“How’s business here?”

The very young child who looked like a local looked up at Lake and blinked his big eyes twice, as if he didn't quite understand what the latter meant.

Lake changed his words.

"Are there many people staying at the hotel these days?"

"Not much, but not little."

he asked next.

"So what's Lord Chris's attitude towards us? I heard he just took over the fortress not long ago, and there are still many refugees gathered here. Are there many people who starve to death?"

The child immediately became angry. He threw the things in his hand to the ground, turned around and ran away, shouting at the shop as he ran.

"Brother, brother, there's a bad guy outside, and he's saying bad things about His Royal Highness the Prince!"

Then three men with sticks rushed out of the shed. Following the child's pointing, they ran towards Lake aggressively.

This frightened Lake so much that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, thus avoiding a beating.

Afterwards, Lake understood why the child and the three men were so sensitive and reacted so strongly, because they were refugees who had escaped from the Restoration Army and were arranged by His Royal Highness to work in the shed.

However, because of this incident, Lake discovered that the refugees' lives on Bolas' side were generally okay, even better than before they fled... At least when they were serfs, they didn't have the good life of three meals a day.

After settling the donkey, before it got dark, Lake carried his backpack and went to the "Fortress Supply and Marketing Cooperative" as the owner of the shed called it, intending to sell his goods and then get down to business.

The supply and marketing cooperative is a large wooden house with a wooden floor and simply painted walls. The overall style is simple, and there is a long counter inside the store.

Behind the counter stood a clerk and wooden shelves with merchandise and a price tag written in Bagnian and an unknown Chinese script.

Lake came to the counter and before he could say anything, he was immediately attracted by a bag of nails and its price list behind the clerk.

"One silver dollar for a bag of nails, containing a hundred nails... Is this true?"

"Would you like to see it?"

The male clerk greeted Lake in a somewhat unfamiliar manner, and the latter nodded.

"Let me see."

The clerk turned around, took the nails and put them on the counter. Lake couldn't wait to open the oil wrapper, and inside were many small iron nails that sparkled with silver and were neatly arranged.

Lake only needed to touch them once to know that these nails were all good nails made of good iron. He roughly counted the number of nails and found that there were indeed a hundred of them.

One silver coin for a bag of nails, what a bargain!
In the era when industry was underdeveloped, nails were hammered out one by one by hand by blacksmiths, and it was easy for them to vary in thickness. Therefore, high-quality small iron nails were often expensive.

The material of the nails is not very expensive, but the labor cost is really not cheap.

So many times, when some people demolish their old houses, their main purpose is to dig out the nails in the wood intact so that they can continue to use them when building a new house.

Now seeing the cheap and high-quality nails, Lake immediately put his business aside, took out his purse without thinking, and poured out the ten silver coins and more than fifty copper coins inside.

"Give me ten bags of nails."

Then, Lake hit a snag. The clerk glanced at the coins on the counter with contempt, then raised his head slightly and said with disdain.

"The supply and marketing cooperative only accepts silver dollars. We don't accept Bagnaia silver coins."

"Ah, what's a silver dollar?"

"The silver dollar is the currency issued by Prince Chris...Here, this is it. It's much more beautiful than the Bagnian silver coin."

"what!?"

(End of this chapter)