I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 34 No acquaintance without fighting

The Bohemian army gave Chris the impression of being greedy. They blocked the roads to collect tolls and charged a one-third gray tax on caravans without aristocratic backgrounds.

However, despite their greed, they also had some rules. After the Bohemian army took the money, they let the caravan pass without injuring or killing anyone, and they also left a receipt for the caravan.

Caravans with this certificate can be exempted from the gray tax if they encounter other Bohemian troops within a period of time, and can also receive military escort in dangerous areas.

On the contrary, if the caravan dares to forge gray tax certificates, the Bohemian patrol will not be polite... At best, all the goods will be confiscated, and at worst, they will be massacred.

The honest Isaac caravan continued to move forward with the credentials, going deep into the province of El and heading towards the border of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

After Isaac's caravan experienced the horse bandit incident and obtained the gray tax certificate, the road ahead became easier. The caravan stopped in a small town 50 kilometers away from the border between the two countries.

By this time, winter has passed and spring has arrived.

The El Province of the Bohemian Empire is a relatively southern region. Although the transition period between winter and spring is also very cold, it does not snow in winter. It is cold only because the climate here is relatively humid.

But many times, the cold feeling brought by humidity is more likely to take away body temperature than the coldness of snow, making it unbearable.

Isaac, who had rich experience in marching and trading, believed that the team had to stop at this time. Everyone's physical strength and mental endurance had reached their limits, and they had to rest for ten to fifteen days.

Chris didn't understand this, but he was a man who listened to advice, so since Isaac felt this way, he wouldn't object.

Moreover, after walking non-stop for two months, Chris felt very tired even though he had good food and drink and did not do any heavy work during the journey.

I am tired physically and mentally as well.

I really need a break.

In addition to the need for repairs, the caravan also needs to sell the remaining goods, exchange them for money, and then distribute the money to the guys in the caravan. Finally, Isaac needs to take people to the nearby big city and help everyone send the money back to Neama.

There are more than 40 people in the caravan, most of whom have wives, children, elderly relatives, and brothers and sisters who are still making a living in the city of Neama. They need money.

Send back all the money earned by merchants, so that the forty people in the team will follow Chris wholeheartedly to do great things.

Besides that, there are many tedious things to deal with, and these things take time.

So, Chris thought a stay of ten to fifteen days was reasonable.

……

"Hey, come and take a look! Top-quality homespun cloth from Neyama is only ten silver coins a piece. Absolutely great value for money!"

"Come on, big sister, how much is your chicken? How about twenty copper coins? The quality of the copper coins? They are absolutely good, not damaged or rotten, and there are no scratches on the surface!"

It is noon now, and the caravan camp is bustling with people coming and going, with the sounds of hawking and bargaining coming one after another.

This was the second day that Isaac's caravan had camped on the edge of a small town called "Tucker". Chris, who didn't have to cook today, slept until noon.

I have to get up because it’s too noisy outside.

Chris put on his clothes and shoes and opened the tent curtain. Before he could walk out, he saw a big white pig with white skin, beautiful appearance and three eyelids digging the ground and gnawing on the grass roots.

Chris's appearance scared the pig. It grunted and took several steps back, knocking down the girl standing behind it.

The girl in the gray cotton dress sat down on the grass. She stood up quickly and angrily hit the white pig a few times with the wooden stick in her hand.

The white pig didn't think this was a big deal and continued to dig the ground.

The girl stopped fighting because she accidentally saw Chris, and her eyes suddenly became fixed on him, staring at his face infatuatedly.

This is a girl with freckles on her face, a small nose and brown hair. She is not tall, and her loose long-sleeved homespun dress hangs on her body, looking a little empty when the wind blows.

Chris was so embarrassed by the girl's bold and undisguised gaze that he didn't know what to do.

"Um, hi, do you need help?"

“You’re so pretty!”

"OK, thank you."

When Chris saw the little girl's appearance, he gave up the idea of ​​continuing to communicate with her. After smiling at her politely, he turned sideways and walked towards the camp.

There were many people walking back and forth in the caravan camp. Judging from their simple clothes, they were obviously locals who came to shop early this morning.

Connie's men stood beside the carriage, shouting and selling the needles and thread in the carriage to the visiting townspeople.

Chris randomly picked a carriage stall and took advantage of the fact that there were no customers to walk over and ask the waiter.

"How's business today?"

"Not bad. Our goods are reasonably priced. Once the nearby villagers get the news and come over, we think we should be able to clear out all the goods within three days."

This is good news.

"Where's the dining car? I'll go make some food."

The guy pointed in a direction and Chris walked in that direction. Soon he saw five large iron buckets in a tent set up in the camp that was open to the wind on all sides, and Isaac and Connie standing beside them with large iron spoons.

More than twenty servants and townspeople lined up in front of the tent, holding tableware of different styles. Then Isaac picked up an iron spoon and hit it, pouring a large mixture of meat and mashed potatoes into the bowl.

Chris took a quick look at the mashed potatoes and meat, and saw that it weighed at least one pound, with the ratio of meat to potatoes being one to one.

The meat should be the horse meat of the horse bandits who died a few days ago. Isaac led his men to slaughter the horse carcass and then pickled the meat. The fifty people in the caravan ate it for several days and there was still a lot left.

After mashing the potatoes and meat, Connie, who was standing by, would pick up an iron spoon and put a spoonful of thick soup into the bowl of the person getting the rice, and hand over two volleyball-sized pancakes.

Then, after the meal, the caravan men can just leave, but if they are locals, they have to give two copper coins or a dozen iron coins to the man next to them.

This is charity.

Chris raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he picked up a clean large wooden bowl and spoon from the bucket beside him and walked to the side.

Isaac took the time to give Chris a spoon and then went back to his work.

"How's the situation?"

"It's very good, and it's also very bad..."

Isaac stopped and looked behind Chris.

"Have you found a girlfriend?"

"what?"

Chris turned around in confusion, and only then did he see a big white pig and a girl with a straight gaze following behind him.

"Why are you following me?"

"You look good."

"But doing this will really bother me, you..."

"None of my business."

The girl's blunt words were like a knife, leaving Chris speechless. Isaac and Connie, who were standing behind him, and the others waiting in line couldn't help but laugh. Chris had no choice but to grab a clean bowl from the vat, have Isaac fill it with the minced meat and soup, and then take two flatbreads and hand them to the girl, using the food to temporarily distract her.

The girl who got the meat paste and pancake no longer paid attention to Chris. She and the grunting big white pig walked away on their own.

"Tell me what happened to the caravan."

"The good news is that our goods are very popular and they sell out in about two or three days."

Isaac handed the work at hand to a clerk, then he turned and walked away with Chris to an open space where no one could eavesdrop.

"The bad news is that the local tax collector came this morning and he wants to tax us heavily."

"how much is it?"

"Five hundred silver coins."

"How many?"

Chris wondered if he had heard it wrong, and Isaac nodded.

"That's five hundred silver coins."

"He's crazy?"

"I don't know. I've already given him a good beating."

Isaac coughed violently twice, then pulled out the dagger from his waist and took a look.

"I'm afraid we'll have to move tonight."

"Then let's go. Why not leave now?"

"There's no rush now. We're still some distance from the nearest big city. Even if the tax collector wants to call for help, it'll take two days. Besides, he's so greedy, I doubt he can find anyone to cause trouble for us."

"it's up to you."

Chris couldn't deny it.

However, things are always unexpected. Just as Chris and Isaac finished their chat, a burst of dense horse hoofbeats sounded outside the camp.

The townspeople in the camp were like a school of sardines encountering a baleen whale. They sensed the danger in advance and scattered in all directions, taking the goods they had purchased and fleeing the camp.

Then, a man dressed in fancy clothes and wearing a ruff, looking like a rooster, rode into the camp with his head held high.

Behind him were a dozen blue-clad cavalrymen, and there were even more outside the camp.

"Ahaha, damn bastard, we meet again!"

The man was yelling at Isaac arrogantly. Chris was watching from the side. Even though the former tried his best to raise his head, he could still see the bruises on the man's eyes.

There was also a cavalry captain wearing a three-cornered hat following behind the tax collector, and it was obvious that he was the source of the latter's arrogance.

Isaac, who was standing next to Chris, had nothing to say. He just quietly reached behind him and grabbed a flintlock pistol.

No matter what, this trouble was caused by himself. Even if it meant death, Isaac decided to escort Chris out and never let him be captured by the Bohemians.

Isaac was a former Bohemian soldier and knew better than anyone the extent of the violence of vigilante justice within the military.

Seeing that Isaac didn't say anything, the tax collector became more and more proud. He drove his horse over, raised the whip and was about to hit Isaac in the face.

Lin Ruoyu, who was in a tent in the camp, quietly raised his rifle and prepared to fire.

Less than twenty meters away, he was very confident that he could kill the cavalry officer next to the tax collector with one shot... yes, kill the officer.

Lin Ruoyu was very clear that there was no point in killing the tax collector. Although this guy was the source of the trouble, the reason why he was so arrogant was still that officer and more than a hundred cavalrymen.

Without their support, the tax collector would not dare to enter the camp and beat anyone even if he had the courage.

So, it is definitely right to kill the officers first.

Just as Lin Ruoyu was about to pull the trigger, the target he was aiming at rode forward and grabbed the tax officer's hand.

"Wait a moment."

"Ah, what are you arresting me for? And wait a minute... Ugh!"

The officer didn't waste any words with the tax collector. When the latter turned around in dissatisfaction, he raised his fist and punched the tax collector cleanly, causing the big rooster to stagger twice like a drunk, fall headfirst and fall off the horse.

This sudden incident stunned Isaac and Lin Ruoyu, so much so that the player stopped pulling the trigger, allowing the captain to escape temporarily.

After beating the tax collector, the cavalry captain turned his horse's head and looked at Isaac.

"I remember seeing you five days ago, Beard. You paid the gray tax then, right?"

It was at this time that Chris recognized the captain. This guy had an ordinary face and they had only met for a short time, so Chris had forgotten him after five days of separation.

Isaac had also forgotten about it, but now he realized it after the captain said this.

“Yes, the gray tax certificate is here.”

As Isaac spoke, he took out a small triangular blue flag from his pocket.

"kindness."

The captain didn't look at what was in Isaac's hand. After he was sure that his memory was correct, he waved without looking back.

The man following behind him, also wearing an officer's uniform, pulled out a pistol and shot the tax collector who was lying unconscious on the ground.

The lead bullet landed accurately on the back of the tax collector's head. His hair jumped and quickly flowed out from under his face, filling the small pit with two horseshoe prints.

Chris couldn't understand why the cavalry captain did this. He knew that the Bohemian army was a little arrogant outside the city, but it was too cruel to shoot a tax collector like this casually.

At this time, the captain lowered his head and explained to Isaac.

"This guy said your caravan was resisting taxes, but when I came over and recognized you, I knew he was lying."

“I did protest the tax.”

Isaac said honestly.

The cavalry officer's expression changed immediately.

"He wants five hundred silver coins."

"Oh... then he really deserved to die."

The captain immediately relaxed. As he spoke, he even pulled out his flintlock pistol and fired another shot at the tax collector, whose spirit was beginning to cool.

"You bastard! You charged five hundred silver coins! Damn it! My cousin clearly set the tax at five silver coins per car, and you suddenly charged ten times more!"

(End of this chapter)